Retro - News
January2021
Feature How Nintendo, Pokémon And Japanese Culture Shaped Global Tastes Through Pure Invention
Author and translator Matt Alt discusses his recent book
The Back to the Future movies might be best known for their seat-of-your-pants time-hopping sense of adventure, whip-smart structure and American nostalgia, but they also serve as a socio-economic lens on the time in which they were made. Marty McFly, for example, might not return to exactly...
December2020
Feature The Making Of Star Fox Command
"Miyamoto wanted us to try out new ideas and see what happened"
Star Fox Command is 14 years old this year, a remarkable fact when you consider that, in the time that has elapsed since its release, we’ve only seen one all-new Star Fox entry – and even that was technically a remake of the N64 title, Star Fox 64 (and don't even mention Star Fox...
Feature All Hail The Game Boy Micro, The Sexiest And Most Impractical Game Boy Ever
15 years of hand-cramps
Before we dive in, let's begin with a few words on the topic at hand when it was raised in the Nintendo Life office: "Such a neat little machine." "I've always wanted one." "Somehow I ended up with two." "The most enjoyable way to get carpal tunnel." We were, of course, discussing the lovely Game Boy Micro. The diminutive...
Feature 1995's Nintendo Was Arrogant And Ahead Of Its Time All At Once
"Nintendo does not have any rivals"
25 years ago, Nintendo was at something of a crossroads. 1995 saw the company in a dominant position in its homeland, where the Super Famicom was still the most popular video game console with over 90 per cent of the domestic market. However, the launch of the 32-bit Sony PlayStation and Sega Saturn at the...
Soapbox Mario And Zelda Were Great, But GoldenEye Really Switched Me On To Nintendo
It caught my 'Eye
These days, I'm very much living the Nintendo life, but rewind thirty years and I was a SEGA Mega Drive kid. I enjoyed Super Mario Bros. 3, Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers, Duck Hunt and of course the seminal Rareware classic, Battletoads & Double Dragon on my brother's NES, but given the choice between Mario or Sonic back then,...
Feature Five Frantic Years - A Brief History of Aleste
A blast from the past
Compile are best known as the creators of the evergreen Puyo Puyo series, a franchise that began as a spin-off of their Japan-only Madou Monogatari series of (mostly) dungeon-crawling RPGs and gone on to weather just about all the ups and downs gaming can throw at it – not just surviving the demise of Compile itself in 2003,...
Feature 10 Of The Most Blatant Snack Sponsorships In Retro Gaming History
Don't read this on an empty stomach
Last month the Philippines arm of KFC grabbed the headlines (well, our headlines at least) when it created its own KFC restaurant in Animal Crossing: New Horizons and invited its Twitter followers to visit its island, with the hope of finding Colonel Sanders and getting a voucher code for free chicken in real...
Feature 8 Games That Could Really Benefit From A Modern Remake On Switch
How about revisiting and repairing some flawed gems?
Ever since the rumour that several 3D Super Mario remasters may be coming to Switch, we've been champing at the bit to experience those classics again on Switch. Say what you like about Switch ports but if they're treated with the care and respect they deserve, we're all for bringing...
Feature The Unsung Genius Who Tempted Nintendo's President To Pick Up A Joypad
"He could see the Promised Land, but wasn't allowed to enter it"
The world of video games, like any other, is full of seemingly inconsequential moments which cause ripples that become shockwaves that can determine not just the course of a single company, but the entire industry. With Nintendo, there are numerous moments like this; Gunpei Yokoi's...
Feature Creating The Ultimate Game Boy
"I don't like anything less than perfect and I am always striving for that"
Nintendo's Game Boy family of consoles has, in total, sold around 200 million units during its lifespan, which stretched from the release of the original monochrome system in 1989 all the way up to 2005's Game Boy Micro, the final console to showcase the name. While...
Poll Box Art Brawl #73 - 1080° Snowboarding
What's the ALT key shortcut for degrees again?
Welcome to the Box Art Brawl, our weekly (well, most of the time) vote to decide which of two or more regional retro box art variants is the best. Last time, we sized up Tuff E Nuff, one of the latest additions to the Nintendo Switch Online SNES catalogue. The
Video Uncovering The WorkBoy - The Long Lost Nintendo Game Boy Add-On
"Found after 28 years"
Video game historian and Nintendo Life contributor Liam Robertson has uncovered the long-lost peripheral and unreleased device known as the WorkBoy. The WorkBoy - for those that don't know - was an add-on for the Game Boy that turned Nintendo's famous handheld device into a PDA - essentially a small personal computer...
Feature How RoboCop's Epic Game Boy Theme Tune Lives On, 30 Years Later
"If you'd have told me it would still be around in 30 years, I wouldn't have believed you"
While video game music has become more and more popular as the years have rolled by, there once was a time when it was seen as an afterthought; the tunes that accompanied the titles we played on our home computers and consoles were often there simply to avoid...
Feature How Nintendo And A Band Of Teenage High Score Obsessives Created The Idea Of The Pro Gamer
Investigating Nintendo's surprising role in the birth of esports
Esports is old. Its origins stretch back to the very first days of video games as a medium. Was competitive gaming born with the invention of Tennis for Two in 1958, the very first video game? Or in 1972 when Rolling Stone hosted the first Space War! competition in a university...
Feature Perfect Dark Turns 20 - The Definitive Story Behind The N64 Hit That Outclassed James Bond
"We had a lot of ideas, and lots of clever people working out how to do them"
How do you follow GoldenEye 007? In the summer of 2000 – that's 20 years ago this month – Rare presented its answer: Perfect Dark, a sci-fi spy shooter centred around an alien conspiracy. It delivered a cool, competent heroine, a single-player campaign bursting with...
Feature The Game That Starred Mickey Mouse, Ghostbusters Or Garfield, Depending On Your Region
Navigating Kemco's Crazy Castle series
Three huge licences. One average game. Every weekend here at Nintendo Life we take a look at regional box art variants for retro video games and run a poll on which one is best. It's a fun, light-hearted exercise; really just an excuse to look at fantastic (and some not-so-fantastic) old-school cover art,...
Feature Nintendo Console Codenames And Product Codes
Do you know your DMGs from your DOLs?
If you happen to have any official Nintendo console or peripheral to hand, turn it over and hidden in the legalese and small print on the underside you'll find a code which typically begins with three letters. Flip over your Switch, for example, and you'll find the code HAC-001, with an extra (-01) if you've got...
Feature How Nintendo Killed The Best Version Of Tetris
"Heartbroken is a good summary"
Ed Logg knew a thing or two about lines. He’d co-created Asteroids at Atari, a game where players piloted a ship and blasted the eponymous space rocks into smaller and smaller bits. Released in 1979, Asteroids was in black and white, but the animation was slick and fluid thanks to vector graphics, a technique that...
Feature Now Is A Great Time To Support Your Local Retro Computer Museum
Preserve And Protect
In 2020, the majority of our interactions with video games is virtual – games are easily accessible and available online 24/7. However, there are plenty of people who have fond memories of the more physical side of games, whether that be browsing racks in dedicated video game shops, visiting sensory-overload arcades or getting...
Feature NES Creator Masayuki Uemura On Building The Console That Made Nintendo A Household Name
"Back then, we didn’t know if it was going to be popular or not"
There's no denying that the NES – or Famicom as it was known in its native Japan – is one of the most important pieces of video game hardware ever made. Not only did it turn Nintendo from an outsider player to industry leader, it laid down the foundations of an industry which...
Hardware Sega Astro City Mini Review - An Esoteric Way To Mark 60 Years In The Business
Coining it in
2020 has been a pretty rough year, but one of the things that has given us a little bit of happiness during the past 12 months is the fact that Nintendo's one-time rival Sega is celebrating 60 glorious years in the business. During this period, we've seen prototypes, played games that were
News This New Game Boy Game Is 21 Years In The Making
All it took was a global pandemic to finish it
2020 has changed things for a lot of people. While the video game industry has generally done well out of the fact that everyone has had to remain indoors for most of the year, the coronavirus outbreak has had a massively negative effect on other business sectors, with many companies having to lay off...
Feature 10 Nintendo Games We'd Love To See Finally Come To The West
Nintendo games that never officially left Japan
These days there are very few first-party or Nintendo-published titles that don't get an international release, but back in the day it was common for games to remain in their Japanese homeland for months or even years, if they ever came overseas at all. No, we're not just talking about the countless...
Feature The Haunting History Of Capcom's Ghosts 'n Goblins Series
From ghosts to glory, and all that's inbetween
Capcom is keen to keep its classic properties in the limelight, as evidenced by regular compilations of popular titles like Street Fighter and Mega Man. Along with the announcement of Capcom Arcade Stadium, the company also revealed a resurrection of one of its oldest properties with a new en
Poll Box Art Brawl #72 - Tuff E Nuff
Had E Nuff yet?
Welcome all to the Box Art Brawl, our regular contest where we vote on regional cover art variants from the dim and distant past when you could only buy games in physical form. Last time, we observed an old-fashioned Pokémon battle with Pokémon Stadium 2 for the N64 in honour of its
Feature No Anime Please, We're Westerners - When Anime Was Taboo In Western Games
A time when anime and western games didn't mix
Japanese animation – or 'anime' as many call it – is huge business these days. While it is naturally most popular in its homeland, we've seen numerous anime properties cross over to the west and find the kind of success that is usually reserved for home-grown cartoons and media franchises. Series...
News Super Mario RPG Character Designer Shares Original Concept Art For Geno
To celebrate the return of his Mii Fighter costume in Smash
Geno, as you've likely heard by now, has returned to the Smash Bros. series once again as a Mii Fighter costume. It might not necessarily be the news every Geno fan wanted to hear, but hey - some acknowledgment is arguably better than nothing. To celebrate this special occasion, Super...
Random Watch Out Next-Gen, Real-Time Ray Tracing Is Now On The SNES
Well, with a little bit of extra help...
Ray tracing is more than a buzzword, it's actually a big deal for next-generation gaming. Although we likely won't be seeing it on a Nintendo platform any time soon, game developer and software engineer Ben Carter has at least found an unofficial way to get this rendering technique up and running on Super...
Guide Every Nintendo Switch Online NES Game Ranked
All the NES games, ranked by you
The collection of NES games available to Nintendo Switch Online subscribers continues to grow over time, albeit slowly, and there are now nearly 60 retro releases from the original Nintendo Entertainment System to enjoy via the subscription service. We asked Nintendo Life readers to rate the available NES games on...
News Just When You Thought 2020 Couldn't Get Any Weirder, WaterMelon's Paprium Is Finally Finished
And now it wants you to buy its next game without even seeing it
Despite its rough edges, we're still fans of WaterMelon Games' faux-retro RPG Pier Solar here at Nintendo Life, having followed the development of the game from its release on the Sega Genesis / Mega Drive all the way up to its eventual launch on the Wii
Poll Box Art Brawl: Duel #71 - Pokémon Stadium 2
Ho-Oh ho!
Welcome back to Box Art Brawl, the contest where we pit regional box art from around the globe against each other in a deadly fight for your vote. We exaggerate — it isn't deadly in any way, shape or form, it's just a box art poll. We love a bit of drama. Last time, Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts fought a battle between East and West...
Feature Why Open A Video Game Shop During A Global Pandemic?
How one man is bucking the trend
2020 may have been a bumper year for video game sales, but it's impacted other businesses in a very negative way. Cinemas and restaurants have been forced to close to prevent the spread of COVID-19, and while video game sales have been buoyant thanks digital and online purchases, physical retail stores with no means...
News Yuzo Koshiro's Sumptuous ActRaiser Soundtrack Is Getting A Vinyl And CD Release
Includes previously unreleased tracks
The gorgeous soundtrack for Quintet's ActRaiser – one of the SNES' most unique and iconic third-party releases – is getting a special re-release on vinyl and CD, courtesy of Paris-based Wayô Records. Composed by the legendary Yuzo Koshiro, who has also created the music for Streets of Rage,
News Upcoming Documentary Seeks To Explore The Incredible Legacy Of Street Fighter II
Update: Kickstarter is now live
Update: The Kickstarter is now live, with a goal of £25,000. If you've got a spare £1,500, you can secure yourself an Executive Producer credit on the final film. For £500, an Associate Producer credit awaits – we imagine the £28 tier will be the most popular, which will get you a digital copy of the movie, its...
Poll Box Art Brawl: Duel #70 - Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts
Demon souls
Welcome back to Box Art Brawl, our regular vote to see which box art variant from around the globe wins your approval. Last time, we went all modern and looked at the two covers The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild received. We thought it would be a much closer contest than it was, but the result is crystal clear: North American and...
Poll Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon & The Blade Of Light Is Out Today, Are You Getting It?
Experience a slice of Nintendo history
There are a lot of big releases this week, but one that stands out on the Nintendo front is Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon & the Blade of Light. Sure, it might not be a new release, but it is a slice of Nintendo history - marking the first time the 1990 8-bit Famicom title by Intelligent Systems has ever been...
November2020
News Sega Just Showed Off A Prototype Handheld For The First Time Ever
You're my Venus
Sega turns 60 this year, and the company has been celebrating that fact in a wide range of ways – one of which is a special video history lesson which runs through the company's home hardware lineage. This particular seminar was held by Sega producer and manager Hiroyuki Miyazaki and takes us from the early days of 1983's SG-1000...
Poll Box Art Brawl: Duel #69 - The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild
Nice
Welcome back to Box Art Brawl, our weekly(ish) contest between box art variants from around the world. Last time, to coincide with the 30th anniversary of both that game and its host system, we looked at SNES launch title Super Mario World. Thirty years! Time has its own Magic Cape, it seems. In
News The Revo K101 Plus GBA Clone Now Comes With Fancy New Colours, But Not Much Else
2015's best GBA clone hasn't change much in 5 years
Remember the Revo K101 Plus? We took a look at this smart little Game Boy Advance clone way back in 2015, and passed the following verdict: If you're looking for a decent GBA system but don't like the tiny form factor of the Game Boy Micro -–and can't afford the revised G
Video 21 Nintendo 64 Games Everyone Should Play
In no particular order
The N64 may have failed to reach the same dizzy commercial heights as the NES and SNES, but it's unquestionably home to some of the finest video games Nintendo has ever produced, and rightfully holds a special place in the hearts of many gaming fans. On that topic, do remember when we asked you, our lovely readers, to rank...
Feature GBA Mod Company Creates The Game Gear Sega Should Have Released In 2020
Showing them how it's done
The Game Gear Micro was a neat little product and all, but it wasn't exactly practical – it's absolutely tiny, so playing it for longer than five minutes is an exercise in pain, and the fact that Sega only included a handful of games on each unit means you have to buy five different consoles to get the whole collection...
News Capcom's Releasing A Mini-Arcade System Packed With Mega Man And Street Fighter Games
Coming this Christmas in Japan
The craze for micro-consoles shows no signs of slowing down, with Capcom now revealing that it is about to release a mini-arcade machine packed with classic titles. Dubbed the Retro Station, this tabletop unit has an 8-inch screen and weighs 2.1 kg. It comes with the following titles: Mega Man The Power Battle Mega...
Poll Box Art Brawl #68 - Super Mario World
It's a Mario, Mario, Mario, Mario World
Welcome back, you beautiful bunch, to Box Art Brawl — our regular poll to find out which of two or more vintage video game cover variants from around the globe is the best, better than all the rest (diew, diew, diew-diew, diew), better than anyone we ever met. Last time we watched F-Zero take itself to the...
Video A Look At Ocean Software's Cancelled SNES Game Green Lantern
That never got the green light
Green Lantern might not be remembered for much other than a failed movie starring Ryan Reynolds over the past decade, but long before this in the early '90s, British developer Ocean Software was working on a licensed Super Nintendo video game for the DC Comics hero. This unreleased project has been largely shrouded in...
Hardware Classics Super Famicom
Still super after all these years
To many, it's the greatest video game console ever made. The Super Famicom — or Super Nintendo Entertainment System as it is more commonly known outside of its native Japan — is host to some of the finest pieces of interactive entertainment ever made. It was on this console that Nintendo refined so many of the...
News Sealed Copy Of Super Mario Bros. 3 Sells For $156,000
We've got another new world record
Earlier this year in July, a sealed copy of Super Mario Bros. for NES sold for $114,000 USD. It set a new record for the most expensive video game ever sold. While most probably expected it to hold this record for some time, the highest price paid for a video game at auction has now been broken (again). Heritage...
News Puma Is Releasing A Pair Of NES-Themed Sneakers Just In Time For Christmas
Ride to the Future
Puma has been doing some neat sneaker collaborations of late, taking on both Mario and his erstwhile rival Sonic, and now the sports brand is back with a pair of shoes which celebrate the iconic NES console. The "Future Rider" sneakers are due for release on December 4th, 2020, and boast the famous NES colouring, a "Po
Soapbox Here's How I'd Fix The Pokémon Series
Alex decides to pika-part the mainline games
Soapbox features enable our individual writers to voice their own opinions on hot topics, opinions that may not necessarily be the voice of the site. In this piece, senior video editor Alex Olney explains how he would "fix" the Pokémon series... Pokémon is a series that has always been extremely dear...
News The Untold Story Of The Bug That Almost Sank The Dreamcast's North American Launch
How disaster was averted
Sega may now be an ally to Nintendo, but at the turn of the millennium, it was still very much a rival, with its final games console – the Dreamcast – joining the N64 in a marketplace that was ultimately dominated by the Sony PlayStation. The Dreamcast might have been Sega's last throw of the dice in the hardware...
News The Hidden Secrets Of Nintendo's Super Mario Bros. Game & Watch
See them yourself!
Nintendo's Super Mario Bros. Game & Watch has just been released and while it might be based on the company's classic hardware, this new version contains a number of hidden secrets. For your convenience, we've rounded them all up into a single post (thanks, Nintendo) - take a look below: Finish Super Mario Bros. and...
Poll Rate Your Favourite SNES Games
Help us assemble the top 50 Super NES games ever
It varies from person to person, of course, but your favourite console generation is often the one you played most in childhood — in that impressionable pre-to-early teen sweet spot where a foundation of gaming memories are formed. That's when you play the classics you return to later in life for...
Hardware Game & Watch: Super Mario Bros. Review - A Gorgeous Object That Leaves You Wanting More
Time to shine?
Looking back on the history of Nintendo as a maker of video games, it's clear that the Game & Watch line was a significant step; not only did it allow Nintendo's core developers to hone their skills with snappy, engaging titles, it also gave them the opportunity to evolve their hardware talents, coming up with innovations such as...
News Polymega's Launch Is Delayed Until Early Next Year
But there's good news, too
If you're one of the many people who gleefully pre-ordered the Polymega two years ago, you're probably wondering where your system is – especially as the revised launch window of November is already slipping away fast. While Playmaji – the company behind this retro wonder-console which can play NES, SNES, Mega Drive,...
News Chinese Firm Which Ripped Off The NES With Jackie Chan's Help Has Filed For Bankruptcy
So long, Subor
While most of the world grew up with the NES (or Famicom), there are numerous examples of unofficial clone systems becoming incredibly popular in certain regions over the years – one of which was China. The Chinese market, like that in Brazil, was flooded with "Famiclone" systems which basically replicated the performance of...
Random Playing Switch With A 1977 Atari Joystick Is Neat, If A Little Impractical
Bridging a 40-year gap of gaming tech
The two pieces of tech may well be 40 years apart, but it's possible to play on a Nintendo Switch with a 1977 Atari joystick. YouTube channel Will It Work?, which we've featured on the site in the past thanks to a project which got a Wii Nunchuk working with Mario Kart Tour on mobile devices, has shared a new...
News Turns Out This Kickstarted HDMI-Ready N64 Is A Bust
Buyer beware
N64 fans know that out of the box, the console doesn't exactly give you the best possible picture – which is why we've seen aftermarket options appear like RGB mods or external HDMI adapters. However, the king of the hill has to be the superb
News The Game Boy Is Getting A New Wonder Boy And Ys-Inspired Adventure
Say hello to Coria and the Sunken City
Remember when we recently reported on the fact that the Game Boy was getting a brand-new RPG title in 2020? Well, if that brought a smile to your face, then you're going to be very pleased to hear that the plucky little console (and its more powerful sibling, the Game Boy Color) is getting another new release...
Feature How A Donkey Kong Clone Almost Scuppered Nintendo's Ambitions In The West
This Kong be CRAZY
The following feature is an excerpt from Ken Horowitz's excellent Beyond Donkey Kong: A History of Nintendo Arcade Games and has been reproduced here with the kind permission of both Horowitz and the publisher. 1981's arcade smash-hit Donkey Kong created a surge in revenue that lifted Nintendo’s prospects for its North...
Poll Box Art Brawl: Duel #67 - F-Zero
From zero to F-Zero
Welcome to Box Art Brawl, the weekly vote to find out which of two or more regional box art variants has what it takes to win your hearts and minds. Last time we boarded the Halloween train with a trio of Resident Evil 0 covers. While Japan and North America scarpered to lock themselves in the WC when the ticket man came, the...
Reminder Rate Your Favourite Wii Games
Help us assemble the top 50 Wii games ever
Reminder: This is a final call to rate your favourite Wii games before we publish the top 50 very soon. You'll still be able to rate the games and affect the ranking after the list goes live, of course, but there's nothing quite like the moment of anticipation, is there? We've added several games that were...
October2020
Poll Box Art Brawl #66 - Resident Evil 0
From hero to zero
Welcome to Box Art Brawl, the battle between box art variants from around the globe scrapping to win your vote. Last time we lost our collective minds in the company of Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem, although we regained our composure enough to see the metaphysical North American and European version win with nearly...
News Banjo-Kazooie Composer Posts Remixes For Halloween, With A Full Album Coming
Banjo-KazooiEP
There are myriad spooky levels throughout the history of video games, although one of the best has to be Mad Monster Mansion from Banjo-Kazooie (officially known as The Best Video Game Of All Time™ around these parts — when this writer's around, at least). Composer Grant Kirkhope recently put out a remix of that level's creepy...
News 2020 Isn't All Bad, Because The Game Boy Is Getting A Brand-New RPG Called Dragonborne
And you can pre-order it right now
2020's been a pretty torrid year by all accounts, but there's some light at the end of the tunnel – for those who love Nintendo's legendary Game Boy, at least. Indie studio Spacebot Interactive has announced that it will ship a brand-new RPG for the monochrome marvel early next year, and that pre-orders are open...
Video The History Of Nintendo's Game & Watch Range
Pocket power!
For many people (your humble scribe included), Nintendo's Game & Watch series served as an introduction to the wild and wacky world of video games. These pocket-sized devices familiarised a generation with the likes of Mario, Luigi and Donkey Kong, and were one of Nintendo's biggest successes in the games sector until the NES and...
News Fancy A Glimpse Of An Unpublished Final Fantasy Comic From The '90s?
"Four issues were outlined, two or three written. One and a half drawn..."
Comic book writer Kurt Busiek, whose impressive career includes runs on many familiar titles from Marvel and DC, has recently opened up on Twitter about a video game-related project he was involved with back in the early 1990s — a Final Fantasy comic. As Busiek points out,...
Random This Prototype Sega Mega Drive Controller Is Giving Us Serious Wii Nunchuk Vibes
Genesis?
The development name for Nintendo's Wii — the 'Revolution' — was arguably the most apt codename for any console ever. Nintendo turned the traditional spec-chasing console model on its head with its accessible little system, and a huge part of its success came from its unconventional controller design with the Wii Remote and Nunchuk. As...
News Fangamer Has Just Launched A Range Of Goemon Merchandise
Mystical merch
Konami's Goemon series – also known as Mystical Ninja in the west – is one of those franchises that we hope and pray will get a proper revival one day soon. Until that time, we'll have to make do with Fangamer's amazing range of officially-licenced gear, which includes shirts, pin badges, posters and even a vinyl LP. You can check...
Random Crash Bandicoot 4 Dev Has A Cult Classic N64 Game On The Brain
Clue 2: It's one from GTA devs DMA Design...
Developer Toys For Bob has a long and storied history stretching back thirty years, although you may know them more recently for the Skylanders series and two excellent platformer compilations: the Switch version of Naughty Dog's (via Vicarious Visions) Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy and the revival of...
Feature Evercade's Latest Cart Is Offering A Vital Connection To Nintendo History
You're making me Dizzy, my head is spinning
We've covered the Evercade console a few times on this site, mainly because we love the idea of a brand-new handheld system which uses old-school cartridges. This pocket-friendly device doesn't have the backing of a Nintendo or Sony-sized company behind it, yet the team involved have managed to not only...
News The SNES Encyclopedia Is An Exhaustive Resource For Nintendo Fans
Penned by Chris Scullion, no less!
As long-time readers of this very site will be aware, Chris Scullion really knows his stuff. That's why we get him to fill these hallowed pages with lovely words; he's something of a boffin when it comes to the world of Nintendo, having worked at Official Nintendo Magazine during its heyday. Scullion has been...
Poll Box Art Brawl: Duel #65 - Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem
Chattur’gha, Narokath, Santak, Pargon, Pargon...
Welcome one and all to Box Art Brawl, the battle between two or more regional box art variants to find out which one's the most aesthetically pleasing to the most discerning, intelligent — and may we say charming — of all internet users: your lovely selves. Last time we commiserated about the...
News Nintendo Reminds Us Its Super Mario Bros. Game & Watch Will Only Be Around For A Limited Time
Get it while you can
If you're planning on picking up the special Super Mario Bros. Game & Watch, just be mindful that it's also a limited time deal. The official website for this system celebrating Mario's 35th anniversary has reportedly been updated and now includes the following message below - noting how this product will be sent to...
Poll Box Art Brawl #64 - International Superstar Soccer 98
Fresh blood is coming in... again
Welcome back to Box Art Brawl, the series where we throw two or more regional box art variants into a ring and watch them kick seven shades out of each other in a fight for your vote. Last time we watched Advance Wars: Dual Strike give itself fifteen birthday bumps in a two-way bout between East and West. It...
PC Engine support also coming to the Analogue Pocket
Boutique hardware maker Analogue is famous for its FPGA-based system and is about to unleash the Analogue Pocket on the world, but that Game Boy-style handheld isn't the only project the company has in development right now; it's just announced that it's creating a new console which replicates the...
Hardware Game Gear Micro Review - Go Home Sega, You're Drunk
What is this, a Game Gear for ants?
It's fair to say that Nintendo's erstwhile rival Sega shocked everyone when it announced that it was creating a teeny, tiny version of its Game Gear handheld to celebrate its 60th birthday. Actually, we should back up a little there; the fact that the company was choosing to refresh a classic system wasn't...
Random OK, We Really Need This Pokédex Game Boy Advance Console
The bespoke mod to rule them all?
Nintendo's handhelds have been the focus of fan-made mods for years, with industrious individuals doing everything from fitting better screens to creating entirely new case designs to make their Game Boy, GBA or DS stand out from the crowd. However, Rose Colored Gaming has been doing this for longer than most, and...
Poll Box Art Brawl: Duel #63 - Advance Wars: Dual Strike
What is it good for?
Welcome to Box Art Brawl, the contest which pits regional box art variants from across the globe against each other in a deadly duel to the death. Well, not really — you just vote for your favourite, like. It's a bit of fun, see? Last time we witnessed Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest give itself a sound thrashing as...
Poll Rate Your Favourite Nintendo 64 Games
Help us rank the Top 50 N64 games of all time
The Nintendo 64 is a console which tends to divide gamers. Launching back in 1996 (or 1997 in PAL regions) as the gaming industry's bread-and-butter switched from sprites to polygons, the console represents — from a certain perspective — the first time Nintendo really dropped the ball. Tired of the...
News Sega's Next Micro-Console Could Be The Dreamcast Mini, But Don't Expect It Soon
"We’re considering concepts similar to the Mega Drive Mini"
Yosuke Okunari – the Sega staffer who has been heavily involved with many of the company's recent retro ventures, including the Sega Ages line and the Mega Drive Mini – has hinted that the company may tackle a "Dreamcast M
Video Donkey Kong '94 - The 101 Level Sequel to Arcade DK
It's on like (101 stages of) Donkey Kong
Nintendo's legacy owes so much to the original Donkey Kong; after all, this was the game that introduced the world to Mario. They could have played it safe with a Game Boy conversion – it still would have been impressive to have an arcade game in the palm of your hands – but Nintendo decided that wasn't...
News Beyond Donkey Kong Digs Deep Into Nintendo's Often Overlooked Arcade Heritage
New book sheds light on a coin-op legacy
While Nintendo has long been a major force in the realms of domestic and portable video gaming, it's important to remember that the release that truly put the Japanese firm on the map was an arcade one: 1981's Donkey Kong. Shigeru Miyamoto's first masterpiece transformed Nintendo from a coin-op also-ran into...
PSA It's Diddy's Kong Quest, Not Diddy Kong's Quest
But you already knew this, right?
Towards the end of last month, Nintendo added even more classic games to its Super Nintendo online service. The highlight for most was Rare's 1995 release Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest. As happy as Nintendo is to see everyone enjoying this absolute gem once again, the company's official UK Twitter...
Poll Box Art Brawl: Duel #62 - Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
A Kong time ago...
Welcome to Box Art Brawl, the video game cover contest that pits regional variants against each other in a fight for your vote. Last time we observed a thrilling duel between Okamiden North American / European cover and the Japanese variant. Ultimately, it was an easy victory for Japan with over 70% of your votes going to the...
News Taito's 1984 Action Platform Game Ben Bero Beh Joins The Arcade Archives
Save the day
Hamster's latest Arcade Archives release is Taito's 1984 game, Ben Bero Beh. It's filled with plenty of unique characters such as the enemy from Elevator Action and Chack'n from Chack'n Pop (another Taito game). This action platform arcade title requires you (a superhero) to avoid obstacles and put out fires to rescue NAO-Chan (your...
September2020
News Hamster Announces More Than 15 Games For The Arcade Archives Series On Switch
Gradius III and much more
Hamster Corporation is arguably the biggest support of the Nintendo Switch (outside of Nintendo), so far releasing hundreds of retro titles with additional modern enhancements on the hybrid system. There is no sign of it stopping production of these releases, either - with the Japanese publisher announcing another 18 games...
Poll Box Art Brawl: Duel #61 - Okamiden
'Den again
Welcome back to another round of Box Art Brawl, the series that sends two or more regional variants of game covers into an arena to pugilise for your pleasure. Last week we enjoyed the epic duel between the North American / European Metroid: Other M box and the rather lovely Japanese variant. The result was predictable from the start,...
Random Someone's Made A NES Game That Can Track The International Space Station
Interstellar
When Nintendo was putting together the final hardware for what would become the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) back in the '80s, it's unlikely that it would ever have envisioned the humble hardware being used for something like tracking the International Space Station. As the ISS was launched in 1998, that wouldn't have made much...
News Brawler64 Aims To Be The Ultimate Wireless N64 Controller
Retro fighter
We've seen lots of third party controllers pop up for retro systems over the years, including the excellent Hyperkin Admiral for the N64, but we could always use another one, couldn't we? Retro Fighters currently has a Kickstarter on the go which
News This NES-Based Take On Smash Bros. Has A Wi-Fi Chip In The Cart For Online Play
Old-school meets the nu-school
We've seen plenty of games attempt to take on the might of Super Smash Bros. over the years, but few have been as unique as Super Tilt Bro. on the NES. For starters, yes, it's a NES game. Secondly, the cartridge actually has a Wi-Fi chip inside so you can play online with other people. On your NES. This open-source...
News Fangamer's Talking Conker Plush Comes With Brand New Voice Lines, Pre-Orders Now Open
Need a drinking buddy?
Rare's heavy-drinking squirrel is getting his own Fangamer plush with brand new voice lines recorded by Conker himself, Chris Seavor. You can order the Conker Talking Plush right now for $32 USD or your regional equivalent. This official Conker plush, designed by Versiris, is about eight inches tall when seated. It features...
News Relive Nintendo's Glorious Past With This Game Boy: The Box Art Collection Book
Update: Pre-orders open September 28th
Update: Bitmap Books has confirmed that pre-orders will go live on the 28th September at 17:00 BST. Original Story [Wed 15th Jul, 2020 15:30 BST]: If you've been keeping up with our Box Art Brawl series, where we pit various game covers from different regions against each other to see which is the prettiest,...
Feature The Story Of Virtual Tank, A Lost Virtual Boy Successor To Atari's Battlezone
"We were really surprised at the speed that the platform died"
We've pleased to present a chapter from Bitmap Books' excellent The Games That Weren't, which looks at an unreleased Virtual Boy title that aimed to emulate the success of Atari's Battlezone – but sadly never saw the light of day. Nintendo helped rejuvenate the games industry after...
Poll Box Art Brawl: Duel #60 - Metroid: Other M
Another M
Welcome to Box Art Brawl, the weekly series where we pit regional box art variants against each other in a fight for your approval. Last week the fastest thing alive dropped into the brawl with the seminal Sonic 2 for Genesis / Mega Drive. In a close battle between the three regions, it was ultimately North America who triumphed, with...
Poll Did You Know That GoldenEye Had A Dual-Analogue Control Option On N64?
Be honest
It's amazing what random nuggets of trivia fly around the Nintendo Life office on a daily basis. Take yesterday, for example – having hooked up his swanky HDMI-ready N64 console to capture some footage of Super Mario 64 for our Super Mario 3D All-Stars comparison video, Nintendo Life MD Ant Dickens found time for a quick game of...
News Earth Defense Force Joins Hamster's Arcade Archives Collection This Week
Save the day
Hamster's weekly Arcade Archives release is Jaleco's 1991 scrolling shooter, Earth Defense Force. This original version of the game allows you to take control of an XA-1 space fighter as you fight to save the earth. Here's the backstory along with some information about the gameplay and some screenshots: Control your XA-1 space...
We can dream, right?
2020 is the 35th birthday of the Super Mario series, and Nintendo is marking that event in a wide range of ways, one of which is the resurrection of its Game & Watch series of handhelds. Ninten
Random Someone Found A Prototype Game Boy Advance In A Yahoo Japan Auction
As part of a job lot, too
Remember back when Nintendo lifted the lid on the Game Boy Advance all those years ago? It showed the system in two colourways which were never officially released, both of which had silver bodies. These 'prototype' models are something of a collector's item, and it turns out one of them has been sold via a Yahoo Auctions...
News Bizarre Super Mario Bros. 3 Prototype Cartridge Sells For $31,200 At Auction
Kid Icarus no more
We've seen plenty of expensive Nintendo auctions taking place over the last few years, but not many items have been as interesting as this one. This weekend, a Super Mario Bros. 3 prototype was sold at auction for a whopping $31,200. The listing was a first for Heritage Auctions, being the first time that the auctioneer had ever...
Poll Box Art Brawl #59 - Sonic The Hedgehog 2
Sonic 'Tude-sday
Welcome back to Box Art Brawl, the series where multiple regionally variable covers of the same game fight for your vote in a deadly beauty bout to the bitter end. Last time we had a duel between the East and West: two versions of Super Mario All-Stars went head to head following all those Mario 35th anniversary announcements,...
News Nintendo Launches Website For The Original Super Mario Bros. Game
Celebrating 35 years
Mario's 35th anniversary celebrations are well and truly underway. So far Nintendo has announced new games, merchandise, and even events and promotions for other first-party titles like Splatoon 2 and Animal Crossing: New Horizons. If that's still not enough Mario-themed goodness for you, Japanese websites for Super Mario Bros...
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