Retro - News
May2019
News The NES Encyclopedia - Everything You Wanted To Know About The NES, But Were Afraid To Ask
Over 870 games detailed within...
There are certain video game platforms that stick in our memory longer than most, and these are often the systems that we cut our gaming teeth on; not necessarily our first, but certainly the ones that had the most impact on our formative years. You never forget your first love, as the saying goes. Video game...
Video Star Wars: Rogue Squadron Gets A Stunning HD Makeover In Unreal Engine 4
If only it was official
Long before EA got the rights to create Star Wars video games, LucasArts and Factor 5 produced the Rogue Squadron trilogy. The first game was released on the Nintendo 64 and PC in 1998 and the second and third game landed exclusively on the GameCube a number of years later. While Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader and...
News Retro Shoot ‘Em Up Cotton Making A Surprise Comeback On Switch
Bewitched!
Great news for shoot 'em up aficionado as Beep has officially confirmed it is working on a brand new Cotton franchise reboot – heading to multiple platforms including the Nintendo Switch. While there isn't much information about this new entry at the moment, the company has revealed it will be based on the X68000 Japanese computer home...
News Earthworm Jim 1 & 2 Getting A SNES Reprint Courtesy Of iam8bit
Woah, Nelly!
Recent news that the original team behind beloved 16-bit platformer Earthworm Jim is getting back together for a sequel on the Intellivision Amico confirmed that there's still an audience for the worm and his zany antics. His games on SNES and Genesis / Mega Drive were f
News This Game Boy Color Watch Is Effortlessly Cool, And Pre-Orders Have Just Gone Live
Order now with free delivery
Let's face it: if you're on the lookout for a new watch, or even if you're not, you probably won't come across one that's quite as cool as this. Clearly based on the trusty Game Boy Color handheld console, this watch is an officially-licensed product available to order from Merchoid. It features the expected time, date...
News Buta san Explodes Onto Switch Today As Part Of Hamster's Arcade Archives Range
This little piggy went BOOM
Hamster's latest Arcade Archives release on Switch has been revealed, and this time we're being treated to 1987 arcade title, Buta san. Featuring the perfectly reasonable blend of playable pig characters and explosives, the game has you picking up randomly generated bombs and attempting to blow up other pigs. Each bomb...
Random Modder Makes Ganondorf A Playable Fighter In Smash Bros. 64
The king of the Gerudo tribe joins the battle
When Super Smash Bros. started out life in 1999 on the Nintendo 64, there were only 12 fighters to select from. As "all-star" as this original cast was, unfortunately, Link was unable to duke it out with Ganondorf. Now, 20 years on, a modder by the name of JSsixtyfour has released a new ROM hack...
News Soko Banana Is A Brand New Game Being Developed For The NES
Yes, for the actual NES hardware
Almost every day, we see waves of online users replying to game reveals with something along the lines of "yeah, but is it coming to Switch", desperate for another game on their platform of choice. Isn't it about time we started asking new questions instead of simply port-begging for more games on Nintendo's newest...
Random The Captivating Mystery Of Pilotwings’ Crashing Plane
And what it means for the art of emulation
These days, we’re used to games evolving over time; developers add content, patch out bugs and generally tinker with their creations for months (if not years) after their publication, subtly re-shaping them into a form which often differs quite wildly from the initial release. Even though this practice...
Feature Every Nintendo Console Ranked From Worst To Best
Get your pitchfork ready...
Nintendo has a storied history of riding the crest of the video game wave, starting with 1977's Color TV-Game, which was exclusive to Japan and kicked-off the company's habit of revising its hardware (four iterations appeared between '77 and '80). However, it would be the NES that marked Nintendo's true entry into the...
News Tecmo Bowl Is Joining Hamster's Arcade Archives Series On The Switch
Coming soon
If you're fond of retro sports titles, you'll be pleased to hear Hamster will soon release the 1987 arcade game, Tecmo Bowl, on the Nintendo Switch. This new entry in the Arcade Archives line, as the name suggests, was originally developed by the Japanese company Tecmo. Nintendo fans are likely to be more familiar with the NES iteration...
News Arcade Archives Ninja Gaiden Sneaks Onto Nintendo Switch Tomorrow
Not the NES version
Hamster has revealed the next game in its ever-growing Arcade Archives series on Switch, and this time we're being treated to Ninja Gaiden. Released in Japanese arcades back in 1989, Ninja Gaiden is a side-scrolling beat 'em up which actually first arrived in North America and Europe just months before. It's worth noting that...
Random Someone's Working To Fix SNES Shooter Gradius III's Slowdown Issues
SA1 to the rescue!
As one of the earliest shmups to hit the Super Nintendo along with Super R-Type, it was hard not to love Konami's Gradius III. It remains an absolute luxury to have such a great exclusive home port, but reviewers at the time were unanimous in pointing out a single flaw which was somewhat common among earlier SNES releases. The...
Feature The History Of Virtua Racing, One Of The Most Influential Coin-Ops Of All Time
Now the Switch version is with us, we look back on the arcade classic...
Far more than any other factor, it was undoubtedly the advent of new hardware that propelled Sega’s arcade games to a whole new level. The ‘90s saw video games make the transition from sprites to polygons, a charge Sega led from a position of uncontested leadership despite...
Random Game Boy Classic Super Mario Land Gets A Fan-Made DX Update
A splash of colour, plus a facelift!
Everyone found ways to celebrate the Game Boy's 30th anniversary (we certainly contributed our share) but toruzz's effort certainly went above and beyond. Nintendo never gave us an updated 'DX' edition of their first Mario outing on the Game Boy, but if it did, it might just look a bit like this. Sarasaland...
News You Can Now Make Your Own Game Boy JRPGs With GB Studio
No programming knowledge needed!
If, back in the day, you planned your Link's Awakening killer for the Game Boy but never got past the concept phase, it might just be the time to dig up those plans, because thanks to GB Studio and some effort, you can finally make your dream Game Boy game a reality. Released to coincide with Nintendo's...
News Super Nintendo Emulator Brings HD To Mode 7 Retro Classics
Beyond super, beyond 4:3!
There's no shortage of options when it comes to playing SNES games on a PC, but programmer Byuu's extensive work on bsnes throughout the years has ensured that it remains by far the most cycle accurate Super Nintendo emulator ever developed. While not as user friendly or CPU-light as other offerings, it remains an...
Feature What It’s Like To Run An Online Game Store In Japan
“You could buy a car with this kind of money”
While a great many of the world’s best games come from western developers, for a certain sector of the gaming world, Japan is where it’s at. Not only is it the home of Nintendo, Sony, Sega and Capcom – as well as numerous other key players in the industry – but in the ‘80s and ‘90s it was...
News Forgotten Interview With Miyamoto Sheds Light On A Classic Zelda Production
A link to the past
A forgotten interview dating back to 1992 has been spotted on archive.org. It's from issue 25 of the publication Electric Brain and features the one and only Shigeru Miyamoto talking about the development of The Legend of Zelda: A Link To The Past along with the first two Zelda entries on NES. Throughout the interview, Miyamoto...
Feature The Game Boy's Biggest Rival Gets Revived By The Modding Community
Where there's a McWill, there's a way
In the early 1980s, portable gaming was mainly limited to LCD-based games. Companies such as Casio, Grandstand and Tiger Electronics would all release various watches and devices to keep us entertained on those tiresome journeys. Nintendo wasn't really known here in the UK back then, but it stood out from the...
April2019
News GoldenEye 007 Nintendo 64 Demo Footage Shows What Could Have Been
'Train' wasn't the only level on-rails
For many gamers of the late '90s, GoldenEye 007 was a fixture of both solo and multiplayer gaming sessions that is burnt into their very consciousness. Watching the above clip from a contemporary promotional video will surely bring back memories, but veterans of the game will immediately notice that something's...
Random Miyamoto Has A Taste For British Biscuits, According To Star Fox Veteran Dylan Cuthbert
"I used to love McVitie's chocolate biscuits during those all nighters”
Dylan Cuthbert, founder of Q-Games and best-known as lead programmer on the original Star Fox, has recently been on Twitter sharing some personal Nintendo stories from back in the day. His most recent account details a particular cold December night when he stayed late working...
News Troubled Genesis Brawler Paprium Is Apparently Back On Track
Going into production soon
Remember Paprium? Developed by Watermelon — the studio behind the excellent Pier Solar — this side-scrolling fighter was supposed to launch on the Sega Genesis / Mega Drive some time ago, funded by pre-orders pledged by the many fans desperate to see a new Streets of Rage-style brawl
Hardware Review Retro-Bit Tribute64 - A Fine N64 Controller, And Perfect For Smash On Switch
But which version do you buy?
It's fair to say that the Nintendo 64 controller was a groundbreaking release. While it wasn't the first games controller to showcase analogue input, it was the first to be shipped as standard with its host console and therefore became the first taste of this now-ubiquitous control method for many players. The N64 pad...
News Charles Martinet, Voice Of Mario, Clears Up A Decades-Long Debate
We all agreed on the "so long" bit
Anybody who's trounced Bowser in Super Mario 64 (and if you haven't, away with you this instant!) will likely be familiar with the line Mario utters as he flings Bowser, King of the Koopas, from the floating platform during the boss battle. Or, more accurately, they'll likely be familiar with the confusion...
News Check Out The Title Screen Music Of This Mario Kart 64 Prototype
"Welcome to Muzakart!"
Every week we get fresh little peeks behind the curtain of games both big and small. Recently, Forest of Illusion posted this original theme tune for Mario Kart 64 on Twitter. It comes from a prototype build of the game and it's not the most inspired track in the plumber's songbook. Take a listen below: As you can hear, it...
News First Images Of Cartridge-Based Retro Console The Evercade Revealed
It's a handheld that plugs into your TV! Hang on...
The first pictures of the Evercade, a retro-oriented handheld console, have been released showing off the cartridges the system will use and announcing the first publisher to jump on board: Atari. As you can see, the system features a traditional control template with the face buttons adopting the...
News NES And SNES Mini Are Still Big Sellers For Nintendo
Retrotastic
Nintendo's year-end financial report has some fascinating tidbits in it, including this line: Nintendo Entertainment System: NES Classic Edition and Super Nintendo Entertainment System: Super NES Classic Edition recorded total sales of 5.95 million units. It's a shame that the NES and SNES Mini financial year sales are combined, as...
News Retro-Bit's Tribute64 Controller Can Be Used With The N64 Or Your Switch
Paying tribute to a classic
Love it or hate it, the N64 Controller is quite iconic and during the Nintendo 64's lifetime, many third-party peripheral manufacturers attempted to refine Nintendo's original design into something a little bit more comfortable. Years later it seems not much has changed, as Retro-Bit will soon be releasing a new line of...
Weirdness The Hot Seat Allowed You To Play NES Games With Motion Control
No, we're not talking about some obscure game show
Nintendo may have released some incredibly odd devices over the years ranging from motion-controlled Power Gloves to Game Boy compatible sewing machines, but one lesser-known product designed by Power to the 10th Inc. for the NES might outdo them all. Introducing the NES Hot Seat – a small chair...
Video Highlights From The Midwest Gaming Classic
North by Midwest
The retro video game convention Midwest Gaming Classic celebrated its 18th year in Milwaukee, WI a little over a week ago, and we just so happened to have been in attendance! The convention is host to hundreds of pinball and retro arcade games that are all open for free play, a vendor hall where you can buy almost any game you can...
News Remarkable Commodore 64 Port Of Super Mario Bros. Attracts Nintendo's Watchful Eye
Completed fan project seven years in the pipeline gets taken down
Last week a truly remarkable programming feat came to light with the release of Super Mario Bros. 64, a port of the original NES Super Mario Bros. for the Commodore 64. Seven years in the making, it came courtesy of programmer and fan ZeroPaige. It's a painstaking recreation that...
Feature Keeping The Game Boy Retail Dream Alive, 30 Years After Launch
"It’s a borderline addiction"
The Nintendo Game Boy turns 30 this Sunday, and to celebrate this amazing occasion we'll be running a series of related features this week, right up to the big day. The Game Boy may be 30 years old this week, but that doesn’t mean the system is dead and gone from a retail perspective; over the past few years...
Feature Our Favourite Memories Of The Original Game Boy
Nostalgia for Nintendo’s most humble of handhelds
The Nintendo Game Boy turns 30 this Sunday, and to celebrate this amazing occasion we'll be running a series of related features this week, right up to the big day. As the 30th anniversary of the Game Boy’s Japanese debut approached, we here at Nintendo Life Towers were thinking a lot about the...
Guide Celebrate Game Boy's 30th Anniversary With This Lovely Merchandise
Dress to impress
The Nintendo Game Boy turns 30 this Sunday, and to celebrate this amazing occasion we'll be running a series of related features this week, right up to the big day. As the humble Game Boy's 30th anniversary approaches, Nintendo's classic handheld has never been cooler. If you want to make a statement about your love for all things...
Feature How R-Type Was De-Made For The Game Boy, Before Demakes Were A Thing
"It was thought it would be impossible to convert it to the Game Boy"
The Nintendo Game Boy turns 30 this Sunday, and to celebrate this amazing occasion we'll be running a series of related features this week, right up to the big day. The concept of 'de-making' a game is one that most modern players will be familiar with; you take a recent title,...
Feature What Developers Really Think About The Nintendo Game Boy
"It was literally a game changer"
The Nintendo Game Boy turns 30 this Sunday, and to celebrate this amazing occasion we'll be running a series of related features this week, right up to the big day. The Game Boy turned 30 at the weekend, marking three wonderful decades of portable brilliance. Released in 1989, this monochrome marvel is arguably one...
Feature The Handheld Rivals Which Tried And Failed To Beat The Game Boy
A Game (Boy) of Thrones
The Nintendo Game Boy turns 30 this Sunday, and to celebrate this amazing occasion we'll be running a series of related features this week, right up to the big day. Context, they say, is for kings, and history can easily be misunderstood if we gloss over the specifics of how things relate to the time they're from. It’s...
Feature The Konami Hyperboy Is A Dumb But Loveable Throwback To A Bygone Era
Turns your Game Boy into an arcade machine! Kinda!
The Nintendo Game Boy turns 30 this Sunday, and to celebrate this amazing occasion we'll be running a series of related features this week, right up to the big day. Whenever a new piece of gaming hardware is successful, it naturally attracts a lot of attention – both in terms of games (because...
News Samurai Shodown V Special Is Your Next Switch Retro Fix From Hamster
Available tomorrow
Hamster has revealed that Samurai Shodown V Special is fighting its way to Switch incredibly soon. So soon, in fact, that you'll be able to get your hands on it tomorrow, 18th April. The ninth entry in SNK's Samurai Shodown/Samurai Spirits series of fighting games, Samurai Shodown V Special is an upgraded version of the original...
News A Spiritual Successor To 1080° Snowboarding Might Be In The Pipeline
We'll take ten...eighty
Back during the Nintendo 64 generation, Nintendo EAD released Wave Race 64 and then followed it up a few years later with the extreme sports title 1080° Snowboarding. A second installment called 1080° Avalanche (developed by NST) was then published for the GameCube in 2003. Since then, Nintendo’s done pretty much nothing...
News Celebrate The Game Boy's 30th By Putting Your Raspberry Pi Inside This Awesome Case
Why wait for Nintendo to release the Game Boy Classic Edition?
The art of retro gaming emulation is still frowned upon by many, but there's no denying that the growing number of players who forgo original hardware for the convenience of all-in-one solutions, such as the Raspberry Pi system. This pocket-sized computer can be loaded up with emulators...
Reminder There's Still Time To Vote For Your Favourite Game Boy Games!
The daddy of portable gaming turns 30 next week, and we need your help...
Next week - 21st April to be precise - is the 30th anniversary of arguably the most iconic piece of hardware in the history of video gaming. Speak to someone who knows absolutely nothing about game consoles and they'll still be able to name the Nintendo Game Boy and most...
Random The Cast Of Avengers: Endgame Take A Break To Play Tetris On Game Boy
Who needs Tetris 99?
The above photo might look like an old school Nintendo advertisement, but it was actually taken quite recently on the set of the upcoming Marvel film, Avengers: Endgame. This image was shared on Twitter by the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) and shows Captain America (Chris Evans) and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) on a couch together...
News Evercade Is A Brand New Cartridge-Based Handheld Console Which Connects To Your TV
A Nintendo Switch rival?
A brand new games console is about to burst onto the scene and, while it's still very early days, it looks like the Nintendo Switch might be about to receive a hybrid system rival. Introducing Evercade, a "brand new handheld console with unique multi-game retro cartridges". At present, details on the new system are...
News 2017 Game Boy Platformer Tobu Tobu Girl Is Aiming For A Deluxe Game Boy Color Re-Release
"Yeah, but is it coming to Game Boy?"
The Game Boy is rapidly approaching its 30th anniversary - something we're celebrating right now by gathering your votes for the best Game Boy games - but that doesn't mean that we can't still get new games for the system. Back in 2017, we shared the news of a brand new Game Boy release called
News One Of Retro Gaming's Most Collectable Shmups Is Getting A Cheap Reprint
No need to remortgage
If you're familiar with collecting rare Japanese retro games, then the name Advanced Busterhawk Gley Lancer will no doubt ring a bell. Released exclusively in Japan in 1992, this horizontally-scrolling shooter from Masaya barely caused a ripple in the west at the time of release – partly because it was never published in the...
Hands On Polymega Is Shaping Up To Be The Ultimate All-In-One Retro Emulation Box
Time to dust off your entire vintage library
The classic-gaming-as-viable-business landscape looks wildly different from its form a decade ago. Where retrogaming fans once had to make do with Nintendo's haphazard Virtual Console release schedule and an occasional dribble of retro compilations, today we have something approaching an embarrassment of...
Video Rare Early Footage Of Super Mario 64 And Super Mario RPG Resurfaces Online
A blast from the past
Super-early footage of Super Mario 64 and Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars has resurfaced on the internet. The clips uploaded by the YouTube channel kukun kun, originally come from a '90s Japanese video game show hosted by Famitsu and are now being shared around by The Cutting Room Floor Discord channel and Nintendo
News Japanese Trailers Show Off More Details Of The Upcoming Sega Mega Drive Mini
Includes working cartridge slot doors!
Following the backlash against the product that was initially announced last year, it seems Sega is really pulling out all the stops after taking its Mega Drive/Genesis Mini console back to the drawing board. Not only is the emulation now being handled by veteran company M2 (the outfit responsible for the...
News Arcade Archives Donkey Kong 3 Blasts Onto Switch This Week
Spray that pesky ape
Hamster has revealed the next game in its ever-growing Arcade Archives series on Switch, and this time we're being treated to Donkey Kong 3. Also launching on the NES three years after its arcade debut, Donkey Kong 3 is - perhaps unsurprisingly - the third entry in the original Donkey Kong series. Naturally, official footage...
News Don't Expect A Saturn Mini Anytime Soon, Says Sega
"It may be possible in 10 years"
Sega may be playing catch-up with Nintendo when it comes to the whole micro-console business, but the news that the Mega Drive Mini would finally be hitting store shelves later this year has been met with a positive reaction – mostly because emulation expert M2 is involved. Given that Nintendo followed up the NES...
March2019
News Fans Are Remaking Zelda: Link's Awakening In The Style Of A Link To The Past
How long until Nintendo’s lawyers step in?
A fansite called ZeldaForce is currently hard at work on a remake of The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, swapping its visual style to suit that of Zelda: A Link to the Past on the SNES. The project is called 'A Link to the Dream' and is planned to be released on platforms like AmigaOS, Windows, and...
Random Someone Cloned Axelay On The NES, Because Why Not
Seriously impressive stuff
It never ceases to amaze us how far modern-day developers can push retro hardware. From elaborate tech demos to fully-fledged ports, programmers are willing to push vintage systems to the absolute limit, forcing them to produce visuals that, back in the day, would have been unthinkable. Take the work of French developer...
Random If You Remember This Super Mario Game Show, You Have A Better Memory Than Us
Is that... Mario?!
In the early days of the video game industry, there were quite a few abortive attempts to mix the medium of interactive entertainment with the more passive pastime of just sitting and watching telly. Shows like GamesMaster and Bad Influence in the UK would try and capitalise on the amazing popularity of video games, but in...
Hardware Review Analogue Mega Sg: Forget The Mega Drive Mini, This Is The Real Deal
The Genesis of another FPGA legend
For many, the Super Nintendo remains the absolute pinnacle of gaming hardware. The is 16-bit powerhouse was home to some amazing games, and via titles like Super Mario World, Zelda: Link to the Past and Street Fighter II, did much to expand the interactive entertainment market and turn an entire generation into...
News This 3D Model Of Super Mario World Is Breathtakingly Beautiful
We'll take ten, thanks
If you love Super Mario World anywhere near as much as we do, you're going to love this 3D model based on the game's overworld, too. Shared on Twitter by Matt Brailsford, this gorgeous little creation features all of the key areas seen on the game's famous map. Everything from the little world numbers, the Yellow Switch...
News More Tantalising Polymega Details Emerge From GDC 2019
Along with some bad news
We've had our eyes on the modular Polymega console for quite some time now, and with good reason – if these guys can pull it off, it will be the ultimate one-stop retro system, covering consoles such as the NES, SNES, Mega Drive / Genesis, Mega CD and even Neo Geo CD.
News Nostalgia Alert! James Pond Codename: Robocod Slips Onto Switch eShop
Cod help us
With the huge lists of new titles on eShop every week, it's sometimes easy for smaller games to slip thought the net as the bigger releases grab our attention. Eagle-eyed readers will have spotted a 16-bit classic that dropped onto Switch yesterday. Yep, James Pond Codename: Robocod is available to download on eShop as we write. For...
News We Almost Got Virtua Racing On The Game Boy Advance
The 'Time Extension' that never happened
The news that Virtua Racing is coming to Switch – and that it promises to be the most complete version yet seen – has caused a wee bit o' celebration amongst Sega fans. Yu Suzuki's seminal 3D racing classic effectively laid the foundation f
News Sega Wants Your Feedback About Some Of Its Longest-Running Video Game Series
Let them know
In recent times, Sega has reached out to its fanbase on a number of occasions. At the 2018 Tokyo Game Show, it ran a poll to find out what games fans would like to see added to the AGES line and more recently asked the community what games should appear on the Mega Drive Mini. It's now conducting an extensive player survey in the US,...
News Hands Up, Who Needs A Pair Of These Custom Zelda Game Boy Trainers?
"Fresh" as the kids might say
It's safe to say that we're pretty huge Legend of Zelda fans here at Nintendo Life, so much so that we'd happily go out and about wearing our favourite hoodies, backpacks, or t-shirts featuring our favourite Hyrule characters. Taking things up a notch, though, are these pair of custom trainers featuring a particularly...
Random Extremely Rare Nintendo World Championships Cartridge Found In An Attic
You'll need the Giant's Wallet for this one
While you can pick up many NES games for next to nothing, there are several cartridges that fetch eye-watering prices these days, especially in good condition. Just last month a mint, unopened copy of the original Super Mario Bros. sold for over $100,000. That's all well and good, but Super Mario Bros...
News Nintendo Adds New NES Games And SP Versions To Switch Online Earlier Than Planned
Kid Icarus, StarTropics and more
In a surprise turn of events, the NES Switch Online app has updated one day earlier than expected, meaning you can now play March's new offerings by updating the software. As promised, this month adds both Kid Icarus and StarTropics. You can find
Random Were Banjo And Kazooie Named After A Nintendo President's Grandchild And Son?
Rethinking history
If you're a fan of Nintendo trivia, you may or may not have heard this one before. Apparently, Banjo and Kazooie from Rare's 1998 Nintendo 64 game Banjo-Kazooie are (at least partly) named after the grandchild and son of former Nintendo president, Hiroshi Yamauchi. This is according to some "amazing trivia" game writer and...
Random Disney Adds Lyrics To Iconic DuckTales Song From Original NES Game
Reviving a classic
In 1989, Capcom released the action platform title DuckTales on the NES. There's a famous tune in this classic game that is still considered to be one of the greatest 8-bit songs of all-time. Now, after all these years, Disney has paid its respects to the NES outing by featuring the iconic Moon theme in the latest episode of the...
Random Unreleased Wrestling Game On NES Discovered After 30 Years
An incredible find
It might be 2019, but somehow people are still discovering unreleased games on the NES. YouTuber Stephan Reese, also known as Archon 1981, recently acquired the NES game UWC from a former Nintendo employee. If you've never heard about this wrestling title before, that's because it was never actually released. The name is...
Random Here's What The Game Boy Might Look Like If It Was Designed Today
Introducing the Game Boy Flex!
While we wait for Nintendo to sell us an official Game Boy Classic to complement the NES and SNES Mini, we cannot help our mind wandering. What might the classic 1989 Nintendo Game Boy look like if it were reimagined for our more – ahem – refined design sensibilities 30 years later? Industrial designer YJ Yoon...
February2019
Now funding on Kickstarter
Chris Bateman, designer of 1999 adventure game Discworld Noir and puzzle strategy title Ghost Master, is back with another project, this time creating a tribute to '80s ZX Spectrum adventure classic, The Lords of Midnight. The new project is called Silk, a sandbox RPG adventure which isn't just serving as a tribute to The...
Hardware Review Retro-Bit's Sega Genesis And Saturn Pads (Mostly) Hit The Right Spot
Just like you remember?
Fans of retro gaming who will accept nothing but original hardware are in a difficult spot in 2019. Systems from the '80s and '90s aren't getting any younger, and as time goes on, failure rates are only heading in one direction: up. These classic systems are robust, but they weren't built to last forever, and it's par for the...
News Sega Wants To Know Which Games You'd Like On The Mega Drive Mini
But there are limited choices
The Sega Mega Drive Mini is set to bring Sega-focused retro delights to your living room later in 2019, all in a very similar fashion to Nintendo's NES and SNES mini consoles which saw releases in recent years. Before it arrives, though, Sega is hoping to find out which games you'd like to be playable on the system...
News Shakedown Hawaii Dev Talks About Old-School Cart Release And Porting RCR To Game Boy Advance
“I love tinkering with old hardware”
Brian Provinciano from Vblank Entertainment recently appeared on Electric Playground Live to demo and talk about his upcoming multi-platform release, Shakedown Hawaii. One of the more interesting parts was when he was asked if it would be possible to run the "open-world comedy" on the Super Nintendo or Sega...
News Analogue Mega Sg To Feature Unreleased Sega Genesis/Mega Drive Game
Source code for Hardcore recovered from a single ailing harddrive
When Analogue released its modern reimagining of the NES, the Analogue Nt, it was a thing of beauty. The premium $500 price, though, meant it was destined for the serious enthusiast market only. Its follow up, the Analogue Nt Mini, trimmed a couple of features but came in at a far...
News Turns Out Many Characters Shared One Body In Zelda: The Wind Waker
How did we not notice this before?
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker got off to a rocky start with fans. The 'Celda' backlash may seem like a dim and distant memory now, but at the time many fans were furious that their beloved series was being twisted and turned in a way they didn’t agree with. Fancy that, eh? Fortunately, Nintendo stuck to...
News Prototype Red & Blue Data Sheds More Light On Pokémon's Origins
We could have been catching Capsule Monsters instead
Similar to the previously unearthed prototype designs for Pokémon Gold & Silver, further discoveries seem to have been made about original Pokémon Red & Blue monsters. A fresh batch of prototype assets has been published by Helix Chamber
Feature Meet The First Kid To Beat Zelda: Link's Awakening
(In the west, at least)
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening is one of the most beloved entries in the entire Zelda series, so it's little surprise that the announcement that Nintendo is remaking it for the Switch caused such a stir. The 1993 original remains a masterclass in adventure game design, and we personally cannot wait to get our hands on...
News Japanese TV Spot For The Original Link’s Awakening Shows Nintendo's Playful Side
The company's always been experimental with art styles
The announcement of The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening remaster for Switch has had many gamers revisiting the original and rediscovering the quirkiness of Koholint Island and its inhabitants. The remaster’s new toy-town art style is a plastic-y evolution of the aesthetic we saw in A Link...
News Near Mint Condition Copy Of Super Mario Bros. Sells At Auction For More Than $100,000
The first six-figure video game sale
A certified near mint condition copy of the timeless NES classic Super Mario Bros. has sold for $100,150 USD at an auction. This makes it the first-ever video game to sell for six-figures. The reason it fetched such a high price is linked to the rarity. Between 1985 and 1986 in New York and L.A. at test market...
Reminder Super Mario Bros. 2, Kirby's Adventure Now On Switch, Plus Two New SP Edition NES Games
More retro goodness
Today sees the latest update arrive in Nintendo Switch Online's NES app, with four new games in total being added for your playing pleasure (or five if you're in Japan). The two main additions this month are Kirby's Adventure and Super Mario Bros. 2, which Nintendo pre
News Bricktown's 2019 Streetwear Collection Features Iconic Nintendo Power-Ups
You, too, can look this dreary in a Fire Flower tee
Hip streetwear brand Bricktown has announced a partnership with Nintendo for an upcoming retro gaming-inspired collection. The crossover will see a variety of Super Mario World sprites adorning t-shirts, sweaters and caps of various hues. The moody polaroids are a bit much, but the merch itself...
News Spotify Users Can Now Enjoy A New Batch Of Capcom Tracks Following Huge Music Dump
Hmm, reading that back, it doesn't sound quite so appealing
Fans of chiptune and video game music in general have a whole bunch of freshly released tracks to enjoy thanks to Capcom dropping a boatload of albums on Spotify. They range from the classic NES Mega Man through PS1-era Resident Evil, Monster Hunter, Phoenix Wright, Devil May Cry,
Gallery Check Out This Rare Super Mario Artwork From The 1980s
A blast from the past
The Nintendo preservation experts at Forest of Illusion have shared some interesting Super Mario artwork, apparently dating back to the 1980s. The artwork was featured in an issue of Televi-Kun, which was a Japanese magazine for children. According to the source, the artwork was never featured in any other released media...
Feature Behind The Scenes On Sensible Software's Unreleased SNES Bomberman Beater
Da bomb
Sensible Software is a studio embedded in gaming history for many reasons outside of the admittedly immortal Sensible Soccer. Along with the Canon Fodder games – the destructive sibling of Sensible's popular football sim – the company's commitment to the 16-bit Amiga proved that, sometimes, you can achieve impossibly addictive gaming...
News Unreleased NES Title Panic! Dizzy Hits Kickstarter
The Oliver twins find another eggy treat in the loft
Dizzy fans rejoice! In what seems like an unending trove of unreleased software that Philip and Andrew Oliver have found down the back of their sofa, Panic! Dizzy is the latest in a line of rediscovered Dizzy titles seeking crowdfunding. The game will be free to play on their website, but the pair...
Hardware Review 16Bit Pocket MD - An Unexpectedly Decent Portable Mega Drive
Time to put that Sega Nomad into storage?
This year, Sega will release the Mega Drive Mini, its own take on the retro console craze which Nintendo has done rather well out of in recent years with the NES and SNES Classic Editions. However, it's not the first time that the SNES rival has been
News Doom & Destiny Coming To Switch, But Not Those Ones
Well, DOOM is but that would spoil the headline, no?
Turn-based RPG Doom & Destiny - the self-described 'Flying Spaghetti-Fantasy Adventure' - drops onto the eShop tomorrow. A farcical take on the old-school JRPG formula, your party of four friends encounter all the classic things you'd expect to find on a perilous top-down adventure - dragons,...
News Puzzle Bobble 2 Hits Switch Tomorrow Thanks To Hamster's Neo Geo Collection
"Ready? GO!"
Hamster has confirmed that the already-promised Puzzle Bobble 2 is heading to Nintendo Switch very, very soon. So soon, in fact, that you'll be able to get your hands on it tomorrow. We already gave that away in the title, didn't we? Ah well. Puzzle Bobble 2 is a tile-matching game first released by Taito in 1995. Originally appearing...
News Combined Sales Of SNES Mini And NES Mini Likely To Surpass Lifetime Wii U Sales
Retro power
If you need to be reminded just how miserable lifetime Wii U hardware sales were, Niko Partners analyst Daniel Ahmad has shared a number of charts on Twitter, comparing Nintendo system sales as of 31st December 2018. Noticeably, the combined sales of the SNES Mini Classic and the NES Mini Classic are expected to surpass Wii U lifetime...
News Gods Remastered Is Bringing The Bitmap Brothers' Classic '90s Platformer To Switch
From SNES to Switch
Hercules is well and truly on his way to Nintendo Switch, as a remaster of the classic '90s platformer Gods is on its way to the console. Fittingly called Gods Remastered, this new release has been developed by Robot Riot Games and actually released on Steam towards the end of last year. The remaster presents the original title...
Feature Playing God: How Peter Molyneux Hooked Japan With Populous
"One of the things I really wanted was a Japanese toilet"
When the Super Famicom hit Japanese store shelves at the end of 1990, it was accompanied by a host of particularly strong titles that did a superb job of communicating the power and versatility of Nintendo's new platform: Super Mario World, F-Zero, Pilotwings, Final Fight; these were arguably...
January2019
News Unreleased N64 Game Dragon Sword Might Finally Be Completed 20 Years Later
Source code acquired
Around 1997-98, a hack-and-slash game under the name Dragon Sword was in development for the Nintendo 64. Sadly, it was never completed, and players never got to see it as it was truly intended, but that might be about to change. The game was originally being created by Team Storm at Interactive Studios, the team behind 1998...
News Modder Tries To Create A First-Person 8-Bit Zelda Game Inside DOOM Engine
A new perspective
The Legend of Zelda series has taken some interesting new steps in recent years - Breath of the Wild was an entirely different take on the franchise's usual setup - but one thing we wouldn't expect to see is a first-person adventure. And especially not a first-person adventure with NES-style graphics. As it so happens, though,...
Random Get Your Retro Fix With This Lovely Super Mario Themed Screensaver Set
A blast from the past
Classic Nintendo memorabilia is increasingly hard to come by nowadays. On the digital front, it’s much the same, with classic wallpapers and screensavers somewhat a thing of the past. If you are in need of a digital retro fix, Nintendo preservation specialist “The Forest of Illusion” has uploaded a lovely Japanese Super...
News The Original N64 Resident Evil 2 Dev Team Will Livestream The New Remake With Full Commentary
A must-watch
You may well have noticed that a little game called Resident Evil 2 is launching today across PS4, Xbox One and PC, acting as a remake of the 1998 original that first launched on PlayStation. You may also be aware that the original game was ported to the Nintendo 64, with the console's limited cartridge storage space making that version...
Video The History Of The Super Mario Land Series
The first Mario without Miyamoto
Mario has had a long and illustrious career, from 1985's Super Mario Bros. - in which Mario must save Princess Toadstool from Bowser - right up until 2018's New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe, where things are almost creepily familiar. One short stint of this career, lasting from 1989 to 1994, was the Super Mario Land...
News It Looks Like Johnny Turbo Is Entering The Shmup Business On Nintendo Switch
"Gues whats next"
If the Nintendo Switch is your system of choice for shoot 'em up games, you'll be glad to hear another retro one is making a comeback. Johnny Turbo - one of gaming's worst mascots - and now the face of Flying Tiger Entertainment's classic line recently hopped on Twitter to tease another old school Data East title coming to the...
Feature Say Hello To Vixen 357, A Lost Mega Drive Classic That's Hitting The West This Year
Fire Emblem with mechs?
Masaya is a studio that is closely associated with the strategy RPG series Langrisser, a franchise which went head-to-head with Nintendo's Fire Emblem in the '90s. However, the company – via Career Soft, one of its internal teams – had been dabbling in this genre for some time before that, releasing Elthlead (PC-8801,...
Video Work Up A Sweat With This NES Indoor Cycling Game
Welcome to the RacerMate Challenge II
Indoor cycling has really taken off in recent years, with innovations made with modern smart turbo trainers such as the Wahoo Kickr combined with software such as Zwift, which offers cyclists who wish to get in some virtual miles in their pain caves a gamified experience as they can user power-ups to gain an...
Reminder Zelda II And Blaster Master Hit Switch Today, Plus Two New Special Edition NES Games
Your monthly retro fix
Just in case it had slipped your mind, we've once again reached that time of the month when Nintendo updates the Nintendo Switch Online service's selection of NES games. A total of four new offerings have arrived today (five if you're in Japan), so let's get stuck in. The two main additions this month are Blaster Master and
Hardware Review Insurrection Industries Carby - GameCube HDMI Support On A Budget
Yet another HDMI adapter, but this one doesn't cost the earth
Keen readers of the site will know that we're always on the lookout for ways to make vintage hardware look as good as possible on modern-day TV sets. Years ago, we dabbled in the world of scanline generators such as the SLG3000, and more recently we sang the praises of the OSSC, a device...
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