Tag: Nes
Poll Box Art Brawl: Duel - Super Mario Bros. 2
Or Super Mario USA, if you like
Hi folks, and welcome to another edition of Box Art Brawl! Before we dive into this week's heated battle, let's take a look at how we got on last time. We took a look at a new addition to the Nintendo Switch Online service, and that's Burger Time Deluxe for the Game Boy. Rarely have we seen such bizarre box art...
News Switch Online NES And SNES Controllers Are Back In Stock (UK)
A Switch Online exclusive
Update [March 20th, 10.55am]: If you missed out on the Nintendo Switch NES and SNES controllers, exclusive to Switch Online subscribers, now's the time to get them while you can. They've been restocked at the My Nintendo Store UK – but don't hang around, they usually sell out pretty fast! <products...
News Nintendo Expands Switch Online Game Boy, SNES & NES Service With Four More Titles
Out now!
Nintendo has announced a new batch of games for the Switch Online service. The latest additions are part of the standard tier - adding two Game Boy titles, a SNES title, and an original NES game. This includes the 1995 Game Boy release Kirby's Dream Land 2, Data East's 1991 Game Boy game BurgerTime Deluxe, the 1993 Data East game Side...
Random Super Mario Kart Composer Launches Retro-Inspired Chiptune Album
LOOP816 is out now
If you're a fan of games like Super Mario Kart, Super Mario All-Stars, and Pilotwings, then you may have heard of Soyo Oka, a composer who worked with Nintendo from 1987 to 1995. Even if you're not aware of her by name, you will have no doubt heard a number of her more famous tracks, including Mario Circuit and
Random Japanese Museum Wants To Reunite People With Their Lost Game Cartridges
Family-com reunions
Here's some balm for your soul on this Thursday morning: there's a museum in Japan that aims to reunite people with the Famicom games that they once owned (via Kotaku). Did you ever scribble your name down on an old game cartridge or box, only to sell it later on? You might just find it at the Named Cassette Museum in Tokyo...
Random Scarface Goes Duck Hunting In An Excellent Toy Photo Shoot
"Say hello to my little friend!"
If you've ever seen the 1983 version of Scarface starring the excellent Al Pacino, then you'll know what a mischievous, rambunctious fellow that Tony Montana is. He's got quite the temper on him, and we reckon a few video game sessions would go a long way to helping him calm down a bit. It seems that photographer...
Random The Original NES Zelda Has Been Recreated In VR, And It's Glorious
DOOM mods strike again
We've seen Ocarina of Time go VR, and thanks to the Labo, we've also seen Breath of the Wild in VR. What's the next natural step, then? The original NES game, of course! The 1986 game that started it all, The Legend of Zelda, has been recreated in VR. Shared on Twitter by @kite_VR_noe, the entire first section of the NES game...
Random Pixel Artist Reimagines Zelda II For Game Boy Advance
Can someone please make this?
Zelda II: The Adventure Of Link might not necessarily be everyone's favourite, but there are plenty of Nintendo fans out there who still have fond memories of the 1988 NES title. If you have ever wondered what this game would potentially look like if it was revived for another Nintendo generation (like the GBA era),...
Anniversary Metal Gear Sneaked Its Way Onto The NES 35 Years Ago
Metal Gear?!
Hoo boy, we're sure starting to feel old now... 35 years ago, on December 22nd, 1987, Hideo Kojima's Metal Gear launched on the NES (or Famicom) in Japan, kickstarting a rather scattered relationship between Kojima and Nintendo. The game itself was the first title in a series that would go on to thrive for a total of 28 years, ending...
Random No, Famicom Disk System Games Can't Be Used For Public Transport Payment
Saving up those rupees
Hopping on and off public transport can be a boring task at the best of times and an all-out nightmare at the worst. But what if instead of having to pay for the bus with our normal people hard-earned money, we could instead use all that which we had collected in video games, let's say rupees? Let's get this out of the way...
Random God Of War: Ragnarok Director Shares Five NES Games That Inspired Him
Oh BOY, these are good
Santa Monica Studios' God of War: Ragnarok recently launched to critical acclaim (including a glowing review from our good pals over at Push Square), and its director Eric Williams has recently shared some of the games that inspired him and influenced his career. Speaking with IGN (thanks,
Poll Box Art Brawl: Punch-Out!!
The gloves are off
Hello, and welcome to another edition of Box Art Brawl! Before we get cracking with this week's crawl, let's have a gander at how things went down last time. We took a look at the GBA launch title F-Zero: Maximum Velocity, pitting North America and Europe against Japan. Surprisingly, although the Japanese variant is pretty...
Poll Box Art Brawl - Mega Man 4
Fourth time's a charm..?
Welcome folks, to another edition of 'Box Art Brawl'! Last week saw the classic N64 title Pilotwings 64 battle it out for box art supremacy. The results were honestly quite a bit closer than we were anticipating, but nevertheless, Japan's vertical design took the lion's share of the vote with 60%. Bad luck, North America...
News Two Unreleased NES Games Surface On eBay, Could Go For "Thousands"
A Napoleon RTS and a Power Glove game by Rare
Two unreleased NES games have been listed on eBay. The first is a prototype cartridge of a game called Battlefields of Napoleon (including all of the original packaging design), and the second one is a demo of a Nintendo Power Glove game developed by Rare. Napoleon was never released locally, but a...
Random The Original 'Black Box' Art For NES Zelda Resurfaces, And Link Is Happy
A link to the past
Perhaps producing one of the most iconic box art layouts in Nintendo history, the NES Black Box titles have grown to become synonymous with at-home arcade gaming and all that is retro. Released between 1985 and 1987, the series consists of 30 games including certified classics such as Duck Hunt, Excitebike and Donkey Kong Jr.;...
News You Can Now Play NES Games On The Analogue Pocket
SNES functionality also recently made available
Here's something for retro gaming fans to celebrate this morning — thanks to Adam Gastineau, you can now play NES games on your Analogue Pocket. This tiny little handheld device can already play a number of retro handheld games with FPGA accuracy, and now you can add the 8-bit Nintendo console to...
News River City Ransom Director & Miracle Kidz President Passes Away
Worked on multiple classics at Technōs Japan
We've got some incredibly sad news coming out of Japan today. Miracle Kidz president Mitsuhiro Yoshida passed away at the end of last month on August 30th. Yoshida worked at Technōs Japan (known best for the beat 'em up series Double Dragon) - helping create classics like Kunio-kun (Downtown Nekketsu...
News Sunsoft To Bring Back Ufouria: The Saga On Switch Next Year
Sunsoft's return continues
Many of us were surprised — and a little bit nostalgic — when Japanese developer and publisher Sunsoft announced it would be holding a digital event. The stream took place yesterday after an earlier announcement that cute NES favourite Gimmick! would be
News Classic NES Title 'Gimmick!' Confirmed For Release Later This Year
Update: Title comes with new quality of life enhancements
Update [Thu 18th Aug, 2022 13:15 BST]: Developer Bitwave Games has confirmed that Gimmick! will be launching on the Nintendo Switch later this year under the title of Gimmick! Special Edition. The release will come with some bonus quality of life features, including save and load functions,...
Guide Every Nintendo Switch Online NES Game Ranked
All the NES games, ranked by you
Updated with Xevious following the March 2023 update. Remember, this list evolves as users rate the games within, so head to the game profiles and rate them out of 10 if you'd like to see the rankings below change. Enjoy! The collection of NES games available to Nintendo Switch Online subscribers continues to grow...
News Nintendo Expands Its Switch Online SNES And NES Service With Three More Titles
Available now!
Nintendo has added three more games to Switch Online retro libraries today. There are two SNES games and one NES title. These games include Fighter's History (1994, Data East Corporation), Kirby's Avalanche (1995, HAL, Banpresto, Compile) and Daiva Story 6: Imperial of Nirsartia (1986, Toshiba Emi) Here's a look: Japan's Switch...
Random Have You Seen This Cute, Unreleased Precursor To The Top Loader NES?
What could have been...
The North American version of the top-loading NES-101 All the way back in 1988, Nintendo would show to the media a brand new piece of hardware that would eventually become the Super Famicom, or the Super NES in the West. It was an exciting time for the gaming community as Nintendo entered the 16-bit era, though it seems...
News Never-Before-Seen Famicom Port Of Taito Arcade Game 'The Fairyland Story' Discovered
A fairytale of game preservation
Forest of Illusion, Hard4Games, and Gaming Alexandria have uncovered a pretty huge find in the world of retro arcade ports. Once upon a time, Taito's 1985 arcade predecessor to Bubble Bobble — The Fairyland Story — was due to get a Famicom port back in 1986. This version of the game was only ever spotted in
Random These All-In-One SNES And Famicom Consoles Are True Works Of Art
We'll take two!
We've seen our fair share of custom designs for retro consoles over the years, but we reckon this one takes the cake. Swedish audio-visual artist Love Hultén has created all-in-one devices for the Famicom system and the SNES, combining the genuine consoles with a 9" Sony Trinitron PVM-9042QM display monitor. The result is not only...
News Party On, Dudes! Two Bill & Ted Games Are Getting A Physical Bundle On Switch
Yes way!
No, this isn’t a bogus announcement. Two retro Bill & Ted games are getting a physical bundle on the Nintendo Switch courtesy of Limited Run Games. Aptly titled Bill & Ted's Excellent Retro Collection, the package contains two LJN titles – the 1991 NES game Bill & Ted's Excellent Video Game Adventure, and Bill & Ted's...
Random Hyperkin Recreates The 'Americantendo' From Stranger Things 4
We award this 11/11
If you've managed to watch Stranger Things 4 by now, you might have caught the rather bizarre mention of the 'Americantendo', a hypothetical 16-bit console that's mentioned by the character Argyle. Don't worry if you haven't seen it yet, that's all the context we'll be providing here for fear of spoilers! Well, Hyperkin has gone...
Random The Power Glove Is An Inventive Way To Play Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit
Even more hands-on
The Power Glove wasn't great. We know it, you know it, everyone knows it. It's infamous for being one of the worst controllers ever. Yet that doesn't stop people from being fascinated with it and trying new things out with the peripheral. Further reading: Feature: Uncovering The Unlikely Story Of The World's Worst Controller In...
Random You Can Now Use A NES To Display Your Hot Take Tweets
#SoDope
Have you ever wished that you could display your tweets through a NES? You haven't? Well, no, neither have we... That hasn't stopped such a weird and miraculous feat from being accomplished however, and we love the outcome. ConnectedNES, designed by Rachel Weil, is an open-source project that allows a live feed of tweets to be displayed via...
News Nintendo Expands Its Switch Online SNES And NES Service With Three More Titles
Out now!
Following on from the news that we could be getting more NES and SNES games this week, Nintendo has now added three classics to its Switch Online service. The titles joining the service on this occasion include Congo's Caper (Data East, 1993) and Rival Turf! (Jaleco, 1992) for Super Nintendo, along with Pinball (Nintendo, 1983) for NES.
Random Check Out These NES Consoles Being Tested, Packed, And Shipped
Heigh-ho, heigh-ho...
We love a bit of history here at Nintendo Life, particularly when it's something to do with our favourite hobby: knitting. No, we're kidding, video games of course! Many of us may not have been around when the NES first came out (this writer was born three years after its western release), so it's always cool when bits of...
Random Meet TinyTendo, The Handheld Console Made For NES, By NES
That's NEStastic
We love when game consoles are recreated into new and exciting pieces of tech. The latest 'Frankenstein' creation is by Twitter user @redherring32 and it's called the 'TinyTendo', a handheld console made from NES hardware with the form factor of a Game Boy. The project utilises custom made miniature game cartridges, but since the...
Random 2021 NES Game 'Slow Mole' Is Getting A Bizarre Claymation Movie
And there's a trailer
Last year didn't bring us the Switch 2, but it certainly brought us something very interesting and unexpected. 2021 saw the release of, not Breath of the Wild 2, but a brand new NES game called Slow Mole. Slow Mole is known for anything but slowness, as the game has garnered a reputation among the speedrunning community for...
News Alwa's Awakening Gets A NES Physical Release And Unique 'Digical' Version
Update: We unbox the NES version
Update: Retro-Bit has been kind enough to send us samples of Alwa's Awakening physical NES release and its 'Digical' version, so feast your eyes on them below: Original Story [Wed 15th Sep, 2021 16:30 BST]: Retro-Bit is producing a physical version of Elden Pixels' Alwa's Awakening and will be making the game...
News David Ward, Co-Founder Of UK Game Developer Ocean Software, Has Passed Away
A "legend of the UK games industry"
Co-founder of Ocean Software, David Ward, has sadly passed away. A titan of the UK games industry, Ward's Ocean Software was one of the biggest European game developers and publishers in the '80s and '90s. This news was revealed by Just Flight founder Andy Payne on Twitter, and there has been an outpouring of...
Rumour Switch Online Leak Reveals Unreleased NES Titles, Here's A Look
Tetris, Pac-Man, Mega Man, Castlevania and more!
It's been an absolutely crazy week for Nintendo Switch Online with a string of leaks and rumours, and it doesn't seem to be slowing down. In the latest development, footage of unreleased NES games for Switch's paid subscription service have now surfaced via an online leak. Below is a side-by-by video...
News Classic Beat-Em-Up 'Battletoads & Double Dragon' Gets An NES Re-Release
Available for order now
The classic 1993 NES beat-em-up Battletoads & Double Dragon is getting a fancy new re-release courtesy of Retro-Bit Publishing. The Rare-developed crossover launched on NES before later making its way to the SNES, Genesis, and Game Boy. Retro-Bits collector's edition will include an individually-numbered deluxe hardcover...
Guide Where To Buy The Nintendo Switch Online NES Controllers
Here's how to get your hands on them
One of the perks of being signed up to Nintendo Switch Online is that it grants you access to a library of classic NES games playable on your shiny, modern console. Making the deal even sweeter, Nintendo has also released a pair of special NES-style controllers that can be used with your Switch to make these...
Random Here's Why Nintendo Doesn’t Want You Using The Word "Nintendo" To Describe Video Games
"There's no such thing as a Nintendo"
If you’ve trundled around the internet for as long as we have, you may have come across a 1990 store poster from Nintendo, correcting its users on how to use the word "Nintendo". While this ad may come across as Mario lecturing your grandmother with a lesson in grammar, when this image first hit the internets...
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...
Rumour Could We Be Getting New NES And SNES Games This Week?
Update: Three more classics have been added!
Update [Thu 31st Mar, 2022 02:05 BST]: It's official, Nintendo has expanded its SNES and NES service with three more titles. Nintendo Expands Its Switch Online SNES And NES Service With Three More Titles Original story [Wed 30th Mar, 2022 13:45 BST]: New games for the Nintendo Switch Online service...
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
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...
Random The Sons Of George Harrison And Bob Dylan Loved A Bit Of Duck Hunt
While their fathers were busy with their little supergroup
We've all been there; while our parents are busy with work to put food on the table, as children we were often left to fend for ourselves. We'd wager most readers here will have opted for a bit of gaming to pass the time, and if so then you're in some fine company; the sons of ex-Beatle...
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...
News 'Morphcat Collection' Brings Homebrew NES Goodness To The Evercade Family
Includes the multiplayer hit, Micro Mages
Blaze has just announced the next Evercade release, and it's one with a strong NES focus. Morphcat Games Collection 1 will include five games from the titular German studio, including the "massive local multiplayer hit" Micro Mages. A brand-new expansion game, Micro Mages Second Quest, will also get its...
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...
Random Disney+ Chip 'n Dale Reboot Features A Cute Nod To The 1990 NES Game
"A comeback 30 years in the making"
Disney is rebooting Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers with a new movie, and the first trailer contains a cheeky little nod to Capcom's 1990 NES game. Described as "a comeback 30 years in the making", the new movie will launch exclusively on Disney+ on May 20th, 2022 and is a "hybrid live-action/CG animated...
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...
Video Ex-Rare Staffers Kev Bayliss And David Wise Are Sharing Their Secrets On YouTube
Music and art combine
Not so long ago, we reported on the news that former Rare staffers Kev Bayliss and David Wise had formed 'Salmandos', an "exciting new project" that celebrates their careers in the industry. As part of this, the pair have created DK Creations, a YouTube channel that sees them sharing their secrets and generally looking back on...
