SNES - News
November2014
Weirdness Fan Turns Pokémon Blue into a SNES Game
Making a classic…more of a classic?
It can be said that most Pokémaniacs share the dream of one day being able to play a full Pokémon adventure on a big screen, and one dedicated fan has achieved this by managing to fit a Pokémon Blue Game Boy cartridge into an empty SNES cartridge through some soldering work. The Nintendo 64’s Pokémon...
October2014
Review Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
The ape escape
Rare managed to do something incredible with Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong-Quest; it took the well refined gameplay and style of the first Donkey Kong Country game and made it even better. This second entry in the series features gameplay almost identical to its predecessor’s, but this time everything’s been streamlined...
Feud of dreams
Nobunaga’s Ambition, long one of publisher Koei’s flagship series, deserves its rightful place in the history of strategy titles. This SNES iteration, like many of its brethren, has an engaging setup that rewards careful planning and execution once the learning curve is cleared. Actually, “curve” might be too gentle a term...
Video Check Out this Adorable Tribute to the Mother Series
That's 'Earthbound' to us
Regardless of who wrote them, fans are the ones who can really tell the story of a game better than anyone, and that statement is no truer than in this video which pays homage to the Mother series, which sadly still only exists as a single game outside of Japan. All of the peculiarity, all of the charm, and all of the...
News This Castlevania Super NES May Be The Spookiest Console Yet
We want one
The eagle-eyed among you have no doubt noticed that we like some modded retro consoles here at Nintendo Life; giving a new design and style to a lovely old system can be a fine thing indeed. This latest effort is also perfect for the upcoming Halloween festivities. It's the work of Vadu Amka, who we've featured before with some stylish...
September2014
Developer Interview How Two Graduates From Nottingham Are Bringing Robin Hood To Life On The SNES
"We'd absolutely love to be able to do a cartridge release"
Indie development has never been more popular than it is now, with each of the major console makers bending over backwards to accommodate bedroom coders in the hope of finding the next Minecraft. However, while most small-scale devs favour the likes of iOS, Android, Steam and the digital...
True Bit
The Wild West is a fantastic setting for a video game. Rugged gunslingers, drunken shootouts, limited presence of the law and a surplus of criminals lend to a volatile and rowdy backdrop for a tense, controller-gripping time. In the case of Wild Guns it takes the Steampunk route, injecting hostile machinery and advanced weaponry into the...
Weirdness Here Is A Super Famicom On Top Of Mount Fuji
Reaching new heights since the '90s
The Super Nintendo goes down in history as one of the greatest video game systems of all-time, for a variety reasons – be it the at the time revolutionary controller design, the cutting edge graphics and audio, or the stunning library of games. So how do you make one of the most legendary Nintendo consoles to...
A less than fitting farewell
In 1996, the Mega Man X series parted ways with Nintendo hardware. Mega Man X3 is how it ends. Not with a bang, but a whimper. The first Mega Man X game got things off to such a solid start that it was almost inevitable that a letdown would come sooner rather than later. After all, with so little room for improvement,...
News Trust Us, You Need This Super Famicom Box Art Collection Book In Your Life
Update: Kickstarter now cancelled
Update: The Kickstarter has now been cancelled for the reasons explained by Stuart here: Hey folks. Firstly, I’d like to say a huge heartfelt thank you to everyone who has supported this Kickstarter project. I’ve had a whirlwind of a weekend with my inbox literally breaking with messages of support from fans...
August2014
News EarthBound Celebrates 20 Very Strange Years of Existence
Proving that fighting piles of puke only gets better with age
It's almost hard to believe that EarthBound (Mother 2) is 20 years old with the way it continues to pop up nowadays. The 27th of August marks the RPG's 1994 release in Japan, however, and paved the way for its strange journey through other parts of the world. Brought to North America in...
Video Vancouver Elementary School Breathes New Life into Super Mario RPG Soundtrack
If we don't beware, who will?
Many of you who grew up with an SNES controller clutched between your fingers will have fond memories of the bizarre experimentation that was Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. Little did people at the time know that it would be the first in a huge number of RPGs following the antics of the world's most...
News Cult Classic Plok Transcends from Video Game to eBook
Beyond the pixel'd realm
Those who are well-versed in their SNES heritage should be aware of a sadly overlooked game from 1993 or 1994, depending where you were at the time. The name of the game in question is Plok - a platforming game where the titular character can remove and launch his limbs wherever he pleases in a style that's thankfully more...
Art Controller Evolution Photo Series Hammers Home The Nintendo Factor
A visual record of how Nintendo has pushed the industry forward
Nintendo has been responsible for some major innovations when it comes to controllers — the NES D-pad, the N64 analogue stick, the Wii Remote — and Spanish artist Javier Laspiur has put together a photographic whistle-stop tour of the evolution of the game pad which shows just how...
Review Pop'n TwinBee: Rainbow Bell Adventures
Jump'n TwinBee
Although the TwinBee series is mostly remembered as a shoot 'em up franchise, it might come as a surprise that there were actually a few games which took on different genres. Rainbow Bell Adventures — which is coincidentally also the last game released outside Japan — tries its hand at platforming, bringing its own unique little...
July2014
News Collectorvision Announces Justice Beaver for Wii U eShop and Super Nintendo
Not to be confused with trouble-making pop sensation, Justin Bieber
Retro-inspired video games have to be authentic, and the team over at Collectorvision knows this. Since 2008, Collectorvision has been developing, publishing and manufacturing a quality line of new but retro-inspired home-brew releases for classic video game systems of yesteryear...
Feature Where Are The Super Nintendo 3D Classics?
Release these games, the 3DS prints money
The 3DS is a wonderful handheld console and over its short lifespan we've seen 3D remasters of the excellent Ocarina of Time and Star Fox 64. The eShop library has delivered the goods with 3D Classics releases of NES games Excitebike,
News Capcom's Mega Man 7 Is Dashing To The Wii U eShop
More Mega Man action
Capcom have been on a roll supporting the Wii U eShop lately, with Mega Man 5, Mega Man 6 and Mega Man Battle Network hitting the store in Europe this week. European ratings agency
WinBee
It's not particularly well known outside Japan, but for a while TwinBee was one of Konami's main shoot 'em up series. A lot more cutesy than Gradius and the like, its colourful graphics and characters were its biggest appeal. A while back the original TwinBee was remade as a 3D Classic, but now here we have Pop'n Twinbee, one of the few...
Video Learn How to Pull Off the Newly Discovered Cloud Glitch in Super Mario World
Lakitu won't be happy about this
As if we needed more evidence of the complexities that run beneath many of our favorite games, a code digger by the name of Masterjun3 has unearthed a glitch in Super Mario World that provides the player a Lakitu cloud in the game's item box. The stunt is executable in the Yoshi's Island 2 stage with just a Yoshi, a...
News Buck Rogers SNES Prototype Materializes
From the 20th and 9/10 Century
Licensing can be a fickle playground for developers. The rights that were secured for a brand may suddenly change or be revoked entirely, calling for a change in plans at any time. More evidence of this fact has arrived in an alleged ROM of a prototype Buck Rogers SNES game made by French developer Loriciel in 1993...
News You May Need This Super Famicom or SNES Game Boy Advance System in Your Life
Deep breath...
Well constructed mods of retro systems are among our favourite things here at Nintendo Life, and we recently featured GameBoyMods.uk's Shaun Jones, who unsurprisingly specialises in modding the original 'brick' system. We also interviewed Matthew "Wiggy" Wiggins of Rose Colored Gaming last year, a company that specialises in gorgeous...
June2014
News You're Not Seeing Things, There's A New SNES Title On The Way
Unreleased platformer Dorke And Ymp finally coming to market
You would be forgiven for assuming that last year's Nightmare Busters is the final SNES release, seeing as the console itself is well over twenty years old now, but that isn't the case. Piko Interactive has secured the rights to Dorke and Ymp (also known as Dorque and Imp), a title which...
May2014
Weirdness This Cool System Supports Famicom, Super Famicom and PC Engine Games
Has its own screen, too
Retro console mods and units are certainly on our list of cool things here at Nintendo Life, and we often take the opportunity to review clone hardware that allows for extra convenient play of '80s and '90s-era systems. You may have the original units in your collection, but as their chips age and if you don't want multiple...
Akuma Matata
Street Fighter II casts an indelibly long shadow over the rest of Capcom's fighting games from the 1990s. First launched in 1991, SFII in all its Super and Turbo varieties has become synonymous with the Street Fighter franchise, a cultural touchstone the series wasn't truly able to move past until the launch of the successful Street...
Ninterview Sami Cetin On His Journey To Super Mario Kart Success
The UK Super Mario Kart champion shares his experiences
With Mario Kart 8 now around the corner, it's an ideal time to begin looking both forwards and to those predecessors that made the series such an integral part of our gaming lives. Super Mario Kart on Super NES started it all, with its Mode 7 visuals and terrific design winning over millions of...
April2014
News Possibility of SNES Remix and Other Remix Titles Depends on Fan Support
NES Remix director: "Does the marketplace want it or need it?"
In an interview with IGN, NES Remix and NES Remix 2 director Koichi Hayashida explained that the possibility of a SNES Remix, Game Boy Advance Remix, or other Remix brand titles will depend on the market's support and fan outcry. There could even be a Remix title based on third-party...
Video The Latest Nintendo Minute Is Concerned With Wrestling Mayors And The Andore Family Tree
Kit and Krysta take on Capcom's Final Fight
OK, so the Nintendo Minute series of videos rarely run for a single minute, but we'll forgive Kit and Krysta when they provide such fantastic content as this. The latest instalment features Capcom's Final Fight, one of the most iconic side-scrolling brawlers in the history of video games. As you might...
Video Here's a Comparison of Mario Kart's Donut Plains 3 from SNES to Wii U
Generations apart
Comparison videos of retro tracks in Mario Kart 8 are certainly doing the rounds at the moment, and popular YouTube channel GameXplain has created a nifty split-screen video comparing the classic Super Mario Kart track Donut Plains 3 to its reimagining in the upcoming Wii U title. Check it out below: [ Nintendo EAD and its...
Weirdness Here's a Nine-Hour Video of Every SNES Start Screen
You know you want to...
Back in January, YouTube user NicksplosionFX made a three-hour video of every NES start screen — well, a lot of them, arguments aside. Now he's back for the Super Nintendo edition, clocking in at just over nine hours. It's in alphabetical order if you want to skip straight to your favourite game, but true fans will surely...
March2014
A timely boost for a classic
With a PAL release a mere nine months after the April 1992 launch of the UK SNES, during a 16-bit era where show-boating superior technology and exceptional console power was at the forefront of Nintendo’s objectives, Super Mario Kart remained humble in exhibiting its technical prowess. European gamers had been...
News Super Mario Kart Action Replay Code Discovered Which Grants Access To CPU Weapons
Payback time
Super Mario Kart veterans will be aware that the CPU-controlled racers in the SNES classic don't always play fair — they've got access to exclusive weapons which aren't available to the player. We've lost count of the number of times we've seen Bowser reach for that deadly fireball and wish that we could get some of those amazing...
Matters of Import Prepare To Die In Fire Emblem: Thracia 776
This Super Famicom swansong takes no prisoners
Fire Emblem is a strange series; much loved and well known, yet still a relative outsider when compared to the likes of Kirby or even Star Fox. Released first as a Nintendo Power exclusive deluxe pack in 1999 and then again in more standard SNES packaging in 2000, Thracia 776 has the d
Ninterview Aaron "NintendoTwizer" Norton and the Ultimate Retro Collection
"The history of video games is awesome"
Even when Nintendo is in a quiet phase between Nintendo Direct broadcasts, or there's a wait for the next hot retail or download game, fans of the company are never short of conversation points. The big N's legacy and history give it a powerful impact in gaming culture, and the keenest of gamers do amazing...
February2014
Month Of Kong The Making Of Donkey Kong Country
Behind the scenes on the game that spawned a million-selling series
This month has seen the launch of Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, a superb platforming romp starring one of Nintendo's most iconic characters and coded by a western development team, Retro Studios. These days, the notion of an American company doing the heavy lifting on one of...
News Shinji Mikami Prefers The Sega Version Of Aladdin, Even Though He Worked On The SNES Game
"The Genesis version had a sword, actually"
Those of you old enough to recall the epic 16-bit console wars will remember that Sega and Nintendo fans utilised every available weapon they could to belittle each other. SNES owners boasted that they had Street Fighter II first, and Sega fans wore unbearably smug grins on their faces when they got an...
Feature What We Want to See in SNES Remix
Because it must be on the cards...
Following on from this week's Nintendo Direct where NES Remix 2 was revealed, our hopes were raised for a SNES Remix to be announced in the near future. It's got to only be a matter of time, right? With this in mind we devised a likely list of candidates for a 16-bit remix mash-up. These are all Nintendo-published...
Playing God
Back when the Super Nintendo launched in Japan — where it was of course known as the Super Famicom — it was accompanied by some truly remarkable titles. As a young (and loyal) Sega Mega Drive owner at the time, for me personally it was torture to see the likes of Pilotwings, F-Zero and
Hardware Review Retro-Bit Super Retro Trio & Super Retro Advance Adapter
One clone to rule them all?
We've covered quite a few clone consoles here on Nintendo Life over the past few years, and it's clear that these systems have carved out a healthy niche in the market. Retro-Bit and Hyperkin are two of the leading lights in this particular field, with the latter looking to release the eagerly-awaited RetroN 5 at some...
January2014
Video Short Film Extols The Virtues Of Buttons, Features Nintendo Quite Heavily
Can you spot R.O.B. the Robot?
Gaming used to be exclusively about buttons, but with the rise of touch-screen gaming — pioneered by the Nintendo DS and taken to the next level by the proliferation of smartphones and tablets — we've got an entire generation of players growing up in a world where buttons aren't necessarily the default gaming...
News Christian First-Person Shooter Super Noah's Ark 3D Is Sailing Back To The SNES
The reissue that nobody asked for
Remember the days when a game became almost impossible to get once it was no longer being printed? NES, SNES and even N64 titles became lost to us and wound up online for ghastly prices, and we just had to live with the fact that we weren't going to play certain games. Thankfully those days are a thing of the past...
Brain over brawn
Whereas Punch-Out!! Featuring Mr. Dream is consistently considered to be one of the best games on the NES, console sequel Super Punch-Out!! seldom appears in the top 10 when recalling the best games on the SNES. Did the puzzle-fight formula not hold up as well for the second time around at home, or was 16-bit competition just that...
December2013
Review The Legend of the Mystical Ninja
The true karate kid
Konami's classic action title The Legend of the Mystical Ninja is a welcome addition to the Wii U's slowly expanding library of Virtual Console offerings. In an era where lighthearted, fun characters have all but been forgotten in favour of grim shooters, playing as "Kid Ninja" — or Goemon, for fans of his Nintendo 64...
Weirdness Scrub Up With These Nintendo Cartridges
Promotes gamer hygiene
Like professional athletes, Nintendo gamers are commonly known for generating foul odours during long and enduring marathons. It’s part of the whole experience. Whether it involved gaming with friends back in the day with a copy of GoldenEye 007 on the Nintendo 64, or more recently playing through the latest Zelda adventure...
Review Contra III: The Alien Wars
Lasers and missiles and heliobombs, oh my
Just when you thought the Wii U eShop had reached a maximum capacity of irresistibly cute little creatures with the likes of Pikmin 3, Toki Tori and Kung Fu Rabbit, here comes Contra III: The Alien Wars to mow down the competition with its terrifying alien invasions, flamethrower-wielding protagonists and...
November2013
News Signed EarthBound Cartridge to Be Auctioned Off for Cancer Patient
“For James”
EarthBound is all about strong bonds; not only within the game but also its fan community. There is nothing that may demonstrate this point more fluently in recent days than the story of a special EarthBound cartridge that will soon be auctioned off during the EarthBound Bash marathon. The cartridge began in the hands of James...
News Give Your Apple TV That All-Important Nintendo Vibe With These Retro Skins
Love the skin you're in
If you happen to own an Apple TV unit then you may feel that it's a little too plain for your liking, but fear not — Killer Duck Decals has the solution. The company has produced skins for the Apple TV unit which allow it to mimic classic Nintendo systems like the NES, SNES and
News Fangamer Announces Earthbound Charity Event
Weekend marathon of the timeless RPG for a good cause
Fangamer has been hinting at something big and Earthbound-related for a while now, which should come as no surprise to those who know the company. They wear their passion for the cherished Mother series on their sleeves, so using this love to raise money seems like the perfect marriage...
Video Experts Believed Nintendo Was In Trouble Back In 1990, Too
Some things never change
When you're one of the world's most recognisable brands then it's only natural for people to predict your downfall. That has happened to Nintendo many times in the past, and history is repeating itself as a new console war begins in earnest. Sony's PS4 and Microsoft's Xbox One launch this Christmas, and these hardware...
Gawrsh!
In the late '80s and early '90s Capcom created a range of games, based on Disney franchises, for the NES and SNES. The likes of Darkwing Duck, Chip 'n' Dale Rescue Rangers and DuckTales all made appearances, the latter of which has even been given the HD treatment for modern systems, including Wii U. One of the more interesting titles was...
October2013
Video Check Out WaterMelon's New SNES Title ProjectN
Going underground with the developers in Germany
Indie developer WaterMelon is perhaps most famous for its Mega Drive title Pier Solar, which is coming to the Wii U eShop next year. However, the small studio is also working on a brand-new SNES title, currently referred to as ProjectN. WaterMelon has been uploading some rather amusing — not to...
News Microsoft Wants You To Know That Its Surface Tablet Can Play SNES Games
It's OUYA all over again
Emulation is a grey area at the best of times, but one thing that is a massive no-no is rival companies using the emulated titles of others to promote their own products. We've already seen the team behind the OUYA console attempt to use SNES emulators to sell their micro-console, and now Microsoft is getting in on the act...
September2013
News Online Multiplayer Comes To The Super Nintendo Thanks To SNESoIP
You can't stop progress
When the SNES was released in the early '90s, the concept of online play was very much in its infancy. PC gamers had dabbled with crudely beaming data over telephones in the '80s, and despite some notable attempts to replicate this on consoles — such as X-Band and Nintendo's own Satellaview service — there was never any...
Review J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings - Volume I
Middle Earth is doomed
Before Peter Jackson came along and turned The Lord of the Rings into one of the most popular cinematic experiences of all time, the video game licence to J.R.R. Tolkien's literary epic was held by the now-defunct Interplay. The company pumped out related games for the Commodore Amiga computer and PC CD-ROM — the latter of...
Video There's A Fan-Made Final Fantasy VI Movie In The Works
Makers of Final Fantasy: Terra "seeking permission" from Square Enix
We love a good fan-made movie here at Nintendo Life — although they often look a bit goofy or unintentionally amusing, they show just how passionate and creative gamers can be when they've got a HD video camera, a decent PC and a capable video editing program. Final Fantasy:...
Review Chrono Trigger Symphony: Volume 1 by The Blake Robinson Synthetic Orchestra
A timeless classic
Chrono Trigger is rightly remembered for being one of the best games to ever grace the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Even now, players around the world come back to it over and over again – no doubt partly thanks to both the recent Nintendo DS and iOS ports. But if there’s one element of Chrono Trigger that’s truly...
Review Street Fighter II' Turbo: Hyper Fighting
The need for speed
Although many will accuse Capcom of flogging the Street Fighter license within an inch of its life, the company wasn't solely to blame for the production line of incremental updates which appeared after the release of the original Street Fighter II. Unscrupulous arcade owners would "hack" arcade boards to increase the speed of the...
August2013
News Marcus Lindblom - Writing the English Script for EarthBound Was a Giant Step
But it was worthwhile
Writer and EarthBound designer Shigesato Itoi is a cultural icon in Japan and a name well known among longtime fanatics of the game. But the text from the English version of the game came from other, mostly unsung sources. Marcus Lindblom, who chiefly shouldered EarthBound’s localization writing, has had a chance to shine on...
Review Romance of the Three Kingdoms IV
Depth incarnate
If there's one thing that you could pretty much be assured of when it came to a Koei game back in the day, it was getting a lot of depth to your gameplay experience. Not only were you generally treated to a very high production value visual experience, but the attention to detail and historical accuracy was always of high quality...
July2013
News SNES Platform Hero Plok Makes A Long-Overdue Return
Comic book series revealed - could a new game be next?
Those of you with keen memories will no doubt recall a SNES platform title by the name of Plok. Released in 1993 and created by Ste and John Pickford — The Pickford Brothers, to you and me — the title was something of a cult classic and fans have been asking for a new entry for years. It...
An RPG experience unlike any other
EarthBound landed on the SNES in 1995 with a dull thud. While the game didn't exactly light up the sales charts in North America and failed to make it to Europe, it has certainly gone on to become one of the most sought-after games in the second-hand market, selling for upwards of $80 as nothing more than a loose...
News UK Store GAME Pulls Mention Of SNES Emulator From Ouya Sales Page
Super GNES no longer featured in advertising
Android-based micro-console Ouya is now available in both the US and Europe, and brings with it the ability to play specially-adapted smartphone and tablet games on your TV. It also comes with support for various emulators which allow you to play retro titles on the system — so long as you source the...
June2013
News Don't Look Now, But There Could Be A New Shaq Fu Game Inbound
Be very afraid
Those of you old enough to recall the 16-bit era will no doubt remember a fighting game for the SNES by the name of Shaq Fu. It took the famous basketball star Shaquille O'Neal and placed him in a fantasy world when he had to use his intense B-Ball skills to defeat the malevolent Sett-Ra. Despite being created by the respected French...
May2013
News Super Retro Trio Plays SNES, Genesis, NES and GBA Games
The RetroN5 has a challenger
It would seem that 2013 is going to be a big year for new gaming hardware — not only will we see the PlayStation 4 and Next Xbox, but we've got two new retro systems to look forward to as well. Hyperkin's RetroN 5 will be joined by the Retro-Bit Super Retro Trio, which plays SNES, Genesis / Mega Drive, NES and (with an...
April2013
News EarthBound Delay May Not Have Been Caused By Music Licensing Issues After All
The full soundtrack will be included
EarthBound will soon be making its way to the Wii U Virtual Console, which incidentally will be up and running next week after the upcoming system update. It seems to have taken an absolute age for Nintendo to release a downloadable version of the game and several rumours naturally cropped up as to why it's been...
News Shigesato Itoi Thanks EarthBound Fans For Their Support
"Thank you for all the requests. They made me very happy."
One of the most popular announcements that took place during the recent Nintendo Direct was the confirmation that EarthBound would be making its way to the Wii U Virtual Console. Fans of the game - known as Mother 2 in Japan - have been clamoring at Nintendo to release a downloadable...
News Believe, People - EarthBound Is Coming To The Virtual Console At Last
The wait is finally over
Nintendo fans have been clamouring for a Virtual Console release of the SNES RPG EarthBound ever since the Wii launched, but during today's Nintendo Direct the happy news was finally delivered: Shigesato Itoi's seminal title is coming to the Wii U Virtual Console. Launched in Japan as Mother 2, a North American release...
March2013
News Star Fox Developer: I Wanted To Say "Screw That" To Shigeru Miyamoto
Dylan Cuthbert reveals the magic of working with Nintendo
Star Fox is one of the Super Nintendo's most enduring classics, thanks largely to its ground-breaking use of 3D and tight, immserise gameplay. However, had Dylan Cuthbert — one of the game's key developers — had his way, it might have turned out very differently; something he now admits...
News Android-based Ouya Console Will Have NES and SNES Emulation At Launch
Wii U rival to offer ability to play ROMs on your TV
Ouya is one of the more high-profile Kickstarter campaigns, having raised a staggering $8.6 million in 2012. The system will run on Google's Android operating system and should retail for less than $100 when it launches in June this year. Although its primary objective is to host titles similar...
Video Zelda: A Link To The Past Gets Condensed Into Just Four Minutes
One of the best games ever in less time than it takes to eat a burger
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past is unquestionably one of the best Zelda instalments, and quite possibly one of the greatest video games ever made. The games offers hours of top-notch entertainment, but YouTube user vgcuts has managed to cram all of that awesomeness into...
News There's A New Turrican Game Inbound, But Super Turrican Is Off The Table
News of a new entry is sullied by the removal of the SNES version from the Virtual Console
The latest issue of German Retro Gamer magazine has revealed that a new entry in the Turrican series is on its way. Turrican Rebirth will be a 2D shooter with a heavy emphasis on customisation, allowing players to make their own weapons and stages to share...
News Harvest Moon Gets The Hollywood Reboot Treatment
Down on the farm
Hollywood reboots are pretty tiresome these days — it would appear that film-makers have run out of new ideas entirely. Still, every cloud has a silver lining, because the loathsome trend of pilfering ideas from the past has inspired the YouTube series Gritty Reboots, which parodies the process but uses video games for its ideas,...
News Kickstarter Launched For SNES Super 4-in-1 Multicart
$10,000 funding goal in place
A Kickstarter campaign has been launched to produce a Super 4-in-1 cartridge for the SNES. The cart will contain four homebrew titles: Mazezam, UWOL: Quest for Money, Skipp and Friends Unexpected Journey and N- WARP Daisakusen. The creators are looking to secure $10,000 to fund the project. At the time of writing, they...
February2013
News The Secrets Of The Nintendo Power Line Experts Are Revealed
Game Counselors were mere mortals after all
Those of you in North America old enough to remember the days before the internet will no doubt recall the Nintendo Power Line. This telephone service offered gameplay tips and hints for struggling players, and was your only hope in a period where online FAQs and strategy guides didn't exist. The service...
January2013
News Ever Wondered What Downton Abbey Would Be Like As A SNES Game?
It's bizarrely enthralling
Have you ever been sat at home watching an episode of the popular British TV series Downton Abbey and thought 'you know what, they should make a game out of this'. Well who hasn't, and that's exactly what YouTube user Bill Kiley must have thought, as he has created a brilliant fake trailer for what would be a 16-bit Super...
News Platinum CEO: Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts Restored My Faith In Games Development
Tatsuya Minami explains how the SNES classic helped him out of a rut
The latest Iwata Asks focuses on Japanese studio PlatinumGames, which is currently hard at work creating Bayonetta 2 for the Wii U. In the interview, Iwata chats with PlatinumGames President and CEO Tatsuya Minami about his development past, and uncovers an interesting piece of...
News Wii U Virtual Console Trial Campaign Schedule Released
Seven classic games incoming over the next seven months
During today's Wii U Direct Satoru Iwata announced the Wii U Virtual Console Trial Campaign, which has been devised to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the original Famicom. Eagle-eyed readers will note that the Virtual Console doesn't officially launch until after Spring, when the system...
Unlock your vintage games collection
We reported on the Retrode Version 2 last year, and have since been able to get our hands on one of these intriguing (not to mention controversial) devices. What follows is a straightforward review of the unit and an assessment of its functionality and usefulness to dedicated retro collectors. We're not going to...
News SNES Classic SimCity Removed From Wii Virtual Console
Nintendo bowing to pressure from EA?
According to a post on NeoGAF, the Super Nintendo version of SimCity is no longer available on the North American Virtual Console. No official line has been given for the removal, but we would imagine it has something to do with EA owning the SimCity license now. This isn't the first time that software has been...
December2012
News Entire SNES Game Collection Up For Sale
Yours for just $24,999
Every now and then an eager retro collector raises eyebrows by offering something unique at an eye-watering price, which in the past has included items such as demo NES cartridges. This time around we have an entire collection of Super NES games up for sale, which includes all 721 retail releases for the system that hit the...
November2012
News 47,096 Perler Beads Made This Awesome Chrono Trigger Artwork
A labour of love
When you love a video game very much there are a number of ways in which you can express that adoration to the world. One is to simply tell anyone that will listen, while another is to create a fan-site or something similar which communicates why it's such a fantastic game. However, this imgur user decided that he wanted to do...
News SNES Campus Challenge & One-Of-A-Kind Console Go On Sale
Got a few thousand dollars to spare?
Video game collecting is something that's taken very seriously by some, and there are hundreds of expensive eBay auctions to back it up. The latest example to catch our eye is a listing on Game Gavel, with a very unique game and console up for auction. On sale is a copy of SNES Campus Challenge, a custom made...
October2012
News French Firm Recycles SNES Consoles With a Unique Twist
What once was old is new again
We've got a saying here at Nintendo Life Towers: Old consoles don't die, they just go into storage. It's heartening to discover that French firm Lëkki feels the same way; the company is focused on taking existing retro hardware and making it new again with a fresh lick of paint - and we mean that literally. Lëkki...
News The Truth Behind Donkey Kong Country's Opening Level Theme
It's a stitch-up
Remember the music for the opening level on Donkey Kong Country? Do you recall how it moves from one musical style to another, almost as if it's three different songs that have been fused together? That because it is. In an interview with CVG, former Rare composer David Wise reveals the truth behind the track: I was on holiday in...
September2012
News Want To Guess Which Nintendo Racer Inspired WipEout?
If you said F-Zero, you're wrong
Given that Sony's famous futuristic racer WipEout features craft which float just above the track surface, it's reasonable to assume that Nintendo's F-Zero - which predates WipEout by almost five years and also contains anti-gravity racing - would have provided the main inspiration. However, lead designer Nick...
Feature Want to Know The Real Reason Star Fox Was Renamed in Europe?
Unravelling the mystery behind Star Fox, Starwing and Lylat Wars
It's funny what you take for granted. When we posted a photo of the N64 game Lylat Wars on our Nintendo Life Instagram account, we never thought for a second it would result in confused replies from our followers: "I've never seen this....what kinda badassness is in that cartridge?"...
August2012
Feature The Rik Mayall Nintendo Adverts You Totally Forgot About
What happened when a legend of British comedy and Nintendo collided
Nintendo Life readers over the age of 25 and based in the United Kingdom will no doubt be familar with the comedic talents of Richard Michael "Rik" Mayall. One of the pioneers of 'alternative' British comedy in the '80s, he starred in a whole host of popular TV shows, including The...
April2012
News Does Ocarina of Time Look Better with Link to the Past's Graphics?
You decide
Many of us know The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time's Hyrule like the back of our hands, but did you ever stop to consider what the Great Deku Tree might look like Link to the Past-style? Zelda Fan Game Central member MaJoRa has spent the past two years recreating Hyrule with sprites and tiles from Link's SNES adventure, wrapping up the...
News Super Mario World Music Video Crams In a Marimba
Everyone likes a marimba
You're probably thinking you've heard every imaginable variation on every single Super Mario theme, jingle and ditty, but this Super Mario World overworld theme contains a marimba and a melodica. It's also pretty good. The list of instruments in Adam Mormolstein's video might even eclipse the number of levels in Mario's...
March2012
Hardware Review Hyperkin SupaBoy Portable SNES
The biggest retro hardware release in more ways than one
The lapse of hardware patents on retro platforms has resulted in an explosion of clone machines, most of which are produced cheaply in the Far East. These systems emulate the performance of consoles such as the NES, Super Nintendo and Genesis/Mega Drive, all of which are no longer covered by...
News Harvest Moon Creator Reflects on Hellish Development
Where did it all go right?
The very first Harvest Moon was a seminal moment in gaming history — at least, it was if you like farming games — but series creator Yasuhiro Wada recently spoke at GDC 2012 about how close he came to giving up on the game before release. Initially the game began as a cow-raising simulator, inspired by the ever-popular...
December2011
News Skyward Sword's Music Sounds Even Better When SNES-ified
Who needs an orchestra?
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword's music is up there with the best of the series, and made all the more powerful by its use of a real orchestra. But how do the melodies themselves hold up when taken back to something a little less realistic? "Very well indeed" is the answer. YouTube user MischievousMusings has...
Feature Memorable Zelda Moments
The wonderful world of Hyrule, and beyond
The Legend of Zelda is one of the best loved Nintendo franchises, over 25 years old and still finding new ways to thrill gamers. The significant number of Zelda releases means it boasts an incredible history and reputation, with each new entry’s adventure contributing its part to the lore of the series...
November2011
News Super Famicom Reaches 21 Years Old Today
Finally able to drink
It might seem like just yesterday, but it's 21 years ago today that Nintendo's 16-bit leviathan took its first step onto Japanese soil. The Super Famicom launched on in Japan on Wednesday 21st November for ¥25,000, selling out of its first shipment of 300,000 units within a few hours: hardly surprising considering it launched...
August2011
Talking Point What Was the Best Super NES Game Ever?
It's time to decide
It's 20 years ago today since the Super Nintendo saw official release in North America, and over the following years it amassed a truly incredible library of games still thought of today as some of the finest ever. But what really was the top dog on Nintendo's 16-bit wonder machine? Did the 96 levels of Super Mario World do it...
Feature 20 Years of the Super NES
Time flies when you’re having 16-bit fun
It’s been a year of major anniversaries, proving the fact for many of us at Nintendo Life that we are, indeed, getting old. We’ve seen anniversaries for Zelda, Metroid and Sonic, with Mario enjoying a celebratory cake with Princess Peach only last year. Next up is the Super Nintendo Entertainment System
July2011
News Cuthbert and Miyamoto Taught Each Other Their Native Tongues
Now that's successful learning
Were you ever curious where Miyamoto picked up his English skills? It turns out the responsible party is Dylan Cuthbert, creator of Star Fox, president of Q Games and one of the best-known Westerners to get in good with Nintendo. When he was featured in the most recent Iwata Asks, he revealed that the two taught each...
June2011
Nintendo Download 10th June 2011 (Europe)
Master Higgins is all alone
There's just one single new game on the trilogy of Wii Virtual Console, WiiWare and DSiWare this week, but that's no reason to be upset - It's an oft overlooked classic from the SNES. Virtual Console: Super Adventure Island II (Super NES, Hudson, 800pts) — The last Adventure Island game created before the franchise went...
April2011
News Super NES Classic Controller Visits Australian Club Nintendo
Welcome back, old friend
The Classic Controller and its Pro variation are all well and good, but if you're blasting through Super Mario World or Super Metroid you might feel your thumbs itching for some classic Super NES pad action. Well, Club Nintendo members in Australia can now revisit the fan-favourite pad. Costing 3,000 Stars, the controller...
December2010
News Nintendo Download - 10th December 2010 (Europe)
The wait is over, Cave Story is here!
It's been way too long of a wait, but one of WiiWare's greatest games has finally managed to cross over to Europe this week. It's accompanied by a handful of titles for the other services, including yet another VC game. WiiWare: Cave Story (Nicalis, 1000pts) – Does anything really still need to be said about...
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