Retro News (Page 9)
News You Can Get Lost In This Hand-Drawn Zelda Map From 1986
"Never-seen-in-full-online before"
When the original Zelda launched in 1986, it captivated players with its massive, sprawling map and an incredible level of detail. While subsequent Zelda games have improved on this foundation dramatically, it's still easy to appreciate the level of complexity present in the NES original – and nothing captures...
Random Metal Gear 35th Anniversary Site Confirmed As A Fan Joke, Now 'Konami Memorial NFT'
"We are currently considering how to deal with this site" - Konami
Update [Mon 4th Apr, 2022 09:40 BST]: Konami has confirmed to TechRadar that the metalgear35th site that appeared just before April Fools' Day is indeed a fake. In fact, it has now been transformed into the 'Konami Memorial NFT' site with an explanation posted by the site's creator...
News We're Getting A Second Valis Collection On Switch
Includes three classic games from the series
Edia has announced that it plans to release a second collection of Valis titles on the Switch. Valis: The Fantasm Soldier Collection arrived last year, and included the PC Engine (AKA: TurboGrafx-16) versions of Valis: The Fantasm Soldier, Valis II, and Valis III. The second collection – which doesn't...
News SNK Has Released Another Neo Geo Pocket Color Game On Switch eShop
The return of Big Bang Pro Wrestling
Well, here's a surprise - the Neo Geo Pocket Color title Big Bang Pro Wrestling is now available on the Switch eShop. This title was originally released in 2000 exclusively in Japan. Here's the rundown, courtesy of SNK's official website: It's about to pop off! Muscle-bound wrestlers take the stage for a...
Random We Can't Stop Thinking About This Stunning GameCube Mockup
Vaporwave hello
Via Reddit You know how it is. You're scrolling through Twitter of an evening, admiring beautiful retro game box art and hardware and intricately detailed scale starship models (everyone does that, right?), and suddenly see an image so jaw-droppingly amazing that it stops you dead in your tracks. The image above had just this...
News Modder Creates 'Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 DX' For Game Boy Color
Not just the colour of money
While nowadays the talk is always "what other Wii U games can we get on Switch", perhaps in an earlier age kids on the playground talked about "what Game Boy games can we get ports of for the Color?". Ok, maybe not, but it's an interesting thought; of course, online communities of enthusiasts and modders do more than...
News Nintendo Issues Copyright Strike Against Scanned Super Mario 64 Guide From 1996
A fruitless endeavour?
Update [Fri 25th Mar, 2022 10:00 GMT] - Well, that didn't last long. Last week, we reported on a stunning collection of online scans from the 1996 Super Mario 64 guide; a true relic that would likely cost a hefty sum if you wanted a physical copy today. Thanks to an update from Kotaku, we can now report that the scans have...
Hands On WaterField's Analogue Pocket Pouch Perfectly Protects Your Precious Portable
(Sorry.)
Given how hard it is to come by, it's little surprise that the Analogue Pocket has become a treasured object for those lucky enough to own one. With that in mind, it goes without saying that some form of protection is in order – especially if you're going to be, you know, carrying this thing around with you, so thank goodness for the...
Random Want To Turn Your Game Boy Into A Megazord? Just Attach Every Accessory
Go go, Game Boy rangerrrrrs
Want to know how to acquire the ultimate Game Boy or Game Boy Color? Well, you just need some spare cash and all of the accessories! In ye olden days, handheld consoles came with a plethora of add-ons and peripherals that would help enhance your gaming experience. Remember, the backlight didn't always exist. - you had to...
Random A Rare Zelda: The Wind Waker Promo Scroll Gets An Airing
A hero lost in time
One of the most memorable moments of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker was undoubtedly its incredibly stylish prologue sequence. Against a backdrop of beautiful rendered images and Hylian script (and who can forget the wonderful accompanying music), the sequence told the basic narrative of Ocarina of Time and gave vital...
News My Nintendo Offers Some Sweet N64-Themed Keychains In The US
Don't lose them!
My Nintendo is offering up some Nintendo 64 themed keychains soon, based on original NA box art for games featured in the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack. There are two sets available from My Nintendo in the region, each with a pair that'll set you back 500 Platinum Points. The lineup currently consists of Star Fox 64 and...
Rumour Buster No, The Original DOOM Doesn't Take Place In March 2022
"that date did not come from anyone at id"
At the start of this year, a rumour was apparently doing the rounds online that the original 1993 DOOM video game (released on the Super Nintendo in the same year) was set during March 2022. This "rumour" comes from the game's SNES manual. FPS specialist magazine E1M1 (via PCGamesN) previously confirmed...
Random 'Zelda Meets Bomberman' In Nobelia, A New Philips CD-i Game
Probably better than those 'Zelda' games on CD-I
Nintendo has been incredibly protective of its IPs throughout its history, largely retaining control and maintaining exclusivity on its platforms, aside from the occasional arcade machine. That makes the 'Zelda' trilogy on the Philips CD-i particularly fascinating (the system had Mario titles as...
News Nintendo Renews Zelda, Metroid, And Donkey Kong Trademarks
Remember to keep your expectations low
Nintendo has swept in with another round of trademark renewals, including some big-hitting franchises. And Mach Rider. While this is probably business as usual for the big N, these freshly-filed games have a couple of things in common. So, like any sensible humans, let's have fun and speculate! Spotted by one...
Random Discover How Mode 7 Works On Super NES, In Just 10 Minutes
Who needs blast processing?
Mode 7 is definitely one of the coolest features of many SNES games. Remember hopping into your first go-kart in Super Mario Kart and seeing your favourite characters drive around "fully-3D" courses? Or playing Secret of Mana and getting on Flammie's back for the first time, and looking down at the world map? Don't forget...
News 'In The Dark' Is A New Puzzler Releasing For The Game Boy
Sales go live this week
The humble Game Boy simply refuses to die, and we couldn't be happier about that. A brand new game for the portable console is coming soon courtesy of retro publisher Bitmap Soft, with sales due to go live later this week. In the Dark is a puzzle game in which the primary goal is simple: turn off all the lights. Presented in...
Random Sonic 2 Movie Poster Gives Fans The Major 'Sonic 2sday' Feels
2 Fast, 2 Furious
Marketing for the upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog 2 movie has been exceptionally strong, with Paramount leaning heavily on iconic imagery and nostalgia. The latest poster goes above and beyond, tapping into those nostalgic feels like nothing else we've seen up till now, especially for anyone who was around for the launch of the...
Random Phil Spencer Did A "Crash Course" In N64 And PlayStation When He Joined Microsoft's Xbox Team
"it was really my first foray into console gaming"
We've heard on a number of occasions how Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer has been a lifelong fan of video games, and during an appearance on an Xbox podcast earlier this weekend, he briefly touched on his history with the Nintendo 64. After reflecting on gaming during his childhood with the Xbox...
Random Console Modder Makes "Fake Portable GameCube" Mock-Up A Reality
"It's real now"
Reflect on previous Nintendo generations, and you might remember mock-ups of portable GameCube handhelds inspired by the Game Boy Advance SP. If you've ever wanted a real version of something like this, well...that's exactly what console modder and YouTuber 'GingerOfOz' has created. The modder has been able to shrink this mock-up...
News Glory Hunters Looks Like A Game Boy Zelda, And Plays Like Nothing Else
Well, it plays a bit like Zelda too
The year is 2022, and there's another physical Game Boy release on the way! And it's Analogue Pocket compatible! It's called Glory Hunters, and it pulls from the looks of A Link to the Past, plus that iconic green-on-green monochrome Game Boy colour palette. But there's a twist: You progress through the game by...
Review F-Zero X - The Best The Series Has To Offer
X gonna give it to ya
This review originally went live in 2016, and we're updating and republishing it to mark the release of F-Zero X on Switch, available as part of the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack N64 library. The original F-Zero on the Super Nintendo really blew gamers away with its stunning use of Mode 7 visuals, colourful graphics,...
Video This Fan-Made Banjo-Kazooie Remaster Trailer Looks Absolutely Stunning
Unfortunately, you can't actually play it...
Even if Banjo-Kazooie is now Microsoft-owned, the bear and bird duo will always have a special place in the hearts of Nintendo gamers around the world. And although Rare re-released an improved version of the original title during the Xbox 360 generation, many fans are still left wondering what a proper...
Video We Can't Stop Buying Weird Nintendo Games
Game swaps bring hidden delights
One of the most joyful things about the retro video game community is the conventions and meet-ups that are put on to celebrate the classics and bask in the glory of those hidden gems. In-person events are slowly starting to make a comeback, so leave it to the indomitable Zion Grassl, king of collectibles and...
Anniversary The Father Of Video Games Would've Been 100 Years Old Today
So let's celebrate Ralph Baer today
As noted by our friends over at Retronauts (and many others), today marks what would have been the 100th birthday of the man many call the father of video games, Ralph Baer. It's hard to say, but without Baer's work as an inventor and pioneer that developed the first video game console for the home with the...
Random Blindfolded Speedrunner Sets New Record On Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!
It's a knockout
We've seen some pretty impressive speedruns in our time, but this is one for the history books. While a lot of speedrunners utilise glitches and generally try to break the game in order to achieve their goals, YouTuber and Twitch streamer 'Summoning Salt' has opted for pure skill to nail the world record for completing
News Nintendo 64 Platformer 'Glover' Returns, Just Not On Switch
It should fit like a glove, though!
Who remembers Interactive Studios' Glover? If you had an N64, you likely snagged a handful of 3D platformers from Super Mario 64 and Banjo-Kazooie and its sequel, to Goemon's Great Adventure and Chameleon Twist. There was a glut of them on the system, but not many have been ported to other systems. Glover,...
Random Man Who Just Wanted To Play Duck Hunt With His Kids Built His Own Light Gun
"I thought Duck Hunt on a 50-inch TV would be amazing"
For many of us, the light gun was a part of our childhood. Whether it was grabbing your NES Zapper only to be mocked by a dog in Duck Hunt, or heading to the arcade and spending those few pennies of pocket money you saved up every week for a quick blast of Time Crisis, it captured the...
News A Long Lost N64 Video Game Prototype Has Been Released
See this 1999 build of Carnivalé: Cenzo's Adventure
It's always nice when a long lost game is unearthed and today is one of those days. Reintroducing the cancelled Nintendo 64 title, Carnivalé: Cenzo's Adventure. This obscure 3D platformer, developed by Terrraglyph Interactive Studios and published by Vatical Entertainment, was shown to the...
News Unofficial F-Zero 'World Championship' Aims To Celebrate The 30th Anniversary Of The Series
(That's 30 years in Europe, by the way)
F-Zero burst onto the scene over 30 years ago now as a launch title for the Super Famicom. Since then, Captain Falcon and his pals have enthralled millions of players – but even so, there hasn't been a new entry in the franchise since 2004's F-Zero Climax. For shame, Nintendo. Pop culture publication Cool...
Random The NES-SY37 Is A Custom-Built Synthesiser That Pays Tribute To The NES
You wait for one NES synthesiser to show up...
Just yesterday, we reported on an app that you can download to turn your NES into a synthesiser (if you have the right tools, of course). But Swedish craftsman Love Hultén, known for creating bespoke technology fused with traditional woodcraft, has paid tribute to the classic console by building a...
Random Turn Your NES Into A Synthesiser With This App
We built this city on bleeps and bloops
If, when you first played Super Mario Bros. 3 or the original Metroid, you wanted to make music that rivalled Koji Kondo or Hirokazu Tanaka but also sounded just like it, well in 2022 you're finally in luck. Available on itch.io and developed by user Avicr, SynthNes is a ROM that runs on an Everdrive N8 Pro...
Random Portal 2's Intro Was Apparently Inspired By Super Metroid's Opening
Game's project lead reveals all
The 1994 action-adventure Super Metroid is arguably the best entry in the mainline Metroid series and as a result, it's inspired many other games over the years. One game that you may not have realised took a little bit of inspiration is Valve's 2011 puzzle-platform game is Portal 2. Speaking to YouTube channel Kiwi...
News My Famicase Exhibition 2022 Is Now Accepting Entries For Fictional Famicom Cartridges
Fantastic fan-made fideo games
The My Famicase Exhibition is a long-standing tradition for artists who love retro games. Every year, Meteor — a Japanese retro game and goods shop — opens up applications for anyone who wants to be a part of the art, and all you have to do is design a cover for a Famicom cartridge. They're now accepting...
Review Taito Milestones (Switch) - An Oddly Meagre Collection Of Coin-Op Classics
A muted celebration of an important developer
A small "Powered by Arcade Archives" message sits in the corner of Taito Milestones' dual-purpose title/game select screen, a subdued seal of quality there to let players know the emulation within is of the same standard we've come to expect from Hamster's prolific series, with all the usual features...
News Retro-Bit's GameCube Component Cable Will Save You Some Pennies
No need to sell a kidney!
Remember the GameCube's official component cable? Once upon a time, it was the best way to get a picture out of Nintendo's boxy-but-good home console, and its price reflected that – it cost around £60/$70 at launch but can fetch upwards of £200 these days. Thankfully, there are other options in 2022. We've got HDMI...
News Nintendo's "Inhumane" Virtual Boy Testing Process Likened To 'A Clockwork Orange'
"They put us under the most bizarre tests"
Earlier today, we reported on a new video from Did You Know Gaming that shines a light on the Virtual Boy F-Zero spin-off Zero Racers, which was once believed to be little more than a series of screenshots but appears to be have been totally finished. The source is former Nintendo of America associate...
News Mythical Virtual Boy F-Zero Spin-Off Was 100% Complete, According To Former NOA Staffer
"Zero Racers was done"
The Virtual Boy might have gone down as one of Nintendo's most costly failures, but a dedicated and passionate fanbase has grown up around the system, and this group spends a lot of time looking into unreleased projects which could have potentially boosted the console's fortunes – one of which is F-Zero spin-off Zero Racers...
Review The Legend Of Zelda: Majora's Mask - Magnificent, Unique, And Worth Revisiting
Okay, campers, rise and shine
This review originally went live in 2016, and we're updating and republishing it to mark the release of Majora's Mask on Switch, available as part of the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack N64 library. The Zelda games have a lot of fans and there's also been plenty of opportunities over the years to revisit...
News 'Gex' The Forgotten '90s Video Game Mascot Might Be Making A Comeback
Update: Square Enix has now filed a trademark in Japan, too
Update [Thu 24th Feb, 2022 15:55 GMT]: Square Enix has now filed a trademark for Gex in Japan: Original Story [Fri 17th Dec, 2021 02:05 GMT]: Gex - one of the many forgotten video game mascots of the '90s - could potentially be making a comeback. Following on from Square Enix...
Retro How A Remarkable Street Fighter Port Soured The Relationship Between Capcom And Nintendo
"You're sitting on $4 million to $5 million in inventory cost"
Much has been written about how the N64, for all of its amazing games and technological advancements, was something of a misstep for Nintendo – especially after a decade of amazing success with the NES, Game Boy and SNES. Nintendo famously decided to go with expensive cartridges...
News Bitmap Books Celebrates The Legacy Of Final Fight, Streets Of Rage And More With 'Go Straight'
"The ulimate guide to side-scrolling beat 'em ups"
Once upon a time, the belt-scrolling beat 'em up was the king of the gaming world. Titles like Double Dragon, Final Fight, Golden Axe and Streets of Rage were some of the most successful and popular of the period; arcade titles would generate incredible revenue while home ports (and exclusives, in...
Random 22 Years Ago Today The Nintendo 64DD Had More Online Features Than Switch
Randnet Disk offered an impressive range of options
The Nintendo 64DD remains an intriguing part of the company's history, with the expansion ultimately being short-lived and limited to the Japanese market. Though it wasn't a commercial success after frequent delays and an arrival that fell too close to the GameCube, it nevertheless helped to pave...
Feature Is It Worth Importing A Japanese 3DS For These Virtual Console Games?
Save money on import classics before it's too late
As we all know the 3DS and Wii U eShops are closing down, taking with them countless classics in all genres. It's a decision that's understandably left many of us scrambling to find our old passwords and make those last minute purchases, finally turning those 'Maybe next time' purchases into a...
News Thousands Of Dollars Of Rare Factory-Sealed SNES Games Unearthed After 27 Years In Storage
TMNT! Evermore! Chrono Trigger! Sunset Riders!
When a video game store in Nebraska closed its doors for the final time in 1994, its entire stock was packed away and placed in storage, waiting for a new owner. Now, almost 30 years later, the stock has been unearthed and documented – and YouTube channel THISISGAMEROOM was there to record it. As you...
Review EarthBound Beginnings - A Charming Curio That Mother Fans Will Cherish
Everybody's gotta start somewhere
This review originally went live in 2015, and we're updating and republishing it to mark the arrival of EarthBound Beginnings in the Nintendo Switch Online NES library. If you were an early adopter of EarthBound fanaticism in the West, you likely caught wind of a previous title made for the Famicom. Translated...
Review EarthBound - A Quirky, Cosmic Adventure Bound To Warm Your Heart
Mother!
This review originally went live in 2016, and we're updating and republishing it to mark the arrival of Earthbound in the Nintendo Switch Online Super NES library. Fuzzy pickles! Back in 1995, this second instalment of Shigesato Itoi's much-loved Mother series (as it's known in Japan) only received a western release in North America, where...
News Did You Know The Game Boy Advance Could Make Video Calls Back In 2004?
With a rather expensive accessory, of course
Back in 2004, the idea of making a video call with your mobile phone felt like the future. 3G was just taking off and several phones were sold on this feature alone – even though the image quality was often terrible and it was impossible to get a signal strong enough to use it often. Although it...
Random Undertale's 'Megalovania' Was Inspired By Square's Super Famicom RPG 'Live A Live'
Yep, the one getting the HD2D remake treatment
Toby Fox has more talents than his name has syllables, and one of those talents is composing for video games — including his own, Undertale. And if you've heard any of the Undertale soundtrack, it's likely you'll have heard Megalovania, the bombastic retro-flavoured background music to a very...
News The Arcade Emulator MAME Is Now 25 Years Old
MVG takes a look
Video game emulators aren't always seen in the best light, but they actually play an important role when it comes to video game preservation and the revival of classics on modern hardware. With this in mind, MAME (Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator) has just turned 25 years old, after making its debut on 5th February 1997. If you're...
Random Who Needs 3DS? You Can Now Play Super Mario In Holographic Form
...it's just nowhere near as convenient
Remember the first time you saw a Nintendo 3DS running? The glass-free 3D effect was truly mind-blowing, and there's still a part of us that is deeply sad that the technology proved to be something of a dead-end. Still, if you've got a hankering for something along the same lines and you have exceptionally...
