Tag: Nes - Page 2
Random An AI Broke Tetris On NES, And It’s Compelling Viewing
Tetromi-woah
There are a lot of talented programmers that devote their efforts to showcasing and taking retro games to new heights, and Tetris is about as iconic as it gets. In a video posted last Summer - that we cam across this week courtesy of Gizmodo - programmer Greg Cannon shared a playthrough of the NES version in which his AI plays so well,...
News The First Zelda Was Almost 100% Dungeons, According To Miyamoto
"There was no overhead map"
The Legend of Zelda series is famous for mixing a large, non-linear open-world with multiple dungeons, but in an interview from 1999 that has recently been translated by Shmuplations.com, the legendary designer revealed that the original game was very nearly "just dungeons." In the interview – which is primarily...
With "high stability and low latency"
Taiwanese accessory maker Brook has made a name for itself via its innovative 'Wingman' series of adapters, and the company's latest product will be of particular interest to Nintendo fans. The 'Wingman SNES' makes it possible for retro gamers to use modern controllers on their classic systems. The adapter will...
News Wireless NES Controllers For Switch Are Currently On Sale In North America
An offer exclusive to Switch Online subscribers
Are you a Switch Online member that regularly plays the NES library? Haven't got a proper wireless NES controller yet? Then you might be interested in the current sale taking place in North America. Provided you are a Switch Online subscriber, right now you can get a pair of these controllers for just...
Feature The Man Making Brand New NES Games In 2021
Alastair Low explains 8-bit love and how he's making games more dyslexia-friendly
Alastair Low hadn’t even been born when the NES was originally released in the UK. But he spent much of his childhood joyously playing on Nintendo’s 8-bit wonder machine after picking one up for a pittance at a car boot sale in the mid-1990s. “I remember getting...
Feature The Story Of The Game Genie, The Cheat Device Nintendo Tried (And Failed) To Kill
The cheat cartridge that cost Nintendo millions
Much has been written about cheating in games. The history of which is so old and entwined it's difficult to find its origins. Developers included cheats to aid development, from Manic Miner to Gradius. In computer games, it was possible for players to 'POKE' data values and change things, with old...
News NES Action Shooter 'Copper Jacket' Hits Funding Goal On Kickstarter
It's not coming until early 2023, however
Indie game developer Monsoon Studios has revealed that the crowdfunding campaign for its NES action title Cooper Jacket has been a success. The game – which offers a simultaneous 2-player mode and takes inspiration from the likes of Contra and Commando – had a very modest funding goal of just $9,000...
News This Gamer Is "No Death" Completing Some Of Video Gaming's Hardest Titles With His Chin
"The chin always wins"
We don't know about you, but we find it fantastic that we live in a world where having a disability doesn't mean you can't truly excel – and in HanDcapableSean's case, it's playing brutally difficult video games really well using his chin. Sean's focus is retro gaming, and he's completed some seriously difficult titles –...
News Masayuki Uemura, Creator Of The NES And SNES, Has Passed Away
"I think we have accomplished all the things we could accomplish with console games"
It has been revealed that NES and SNES lead architect Masayuki Uemura passed away on December 6th at the age of 78. The Famicom – the system that would become the NES in the west – was the brainchild of Uemura, who joined Nintendo as an engineer from Sharp in...
Random This Super Mario Bros. Game Hack Adds Chris Pratt's Voice
"It's-a me...Chris Pratt!"
Back in September, Nintendo surprised the internet when it announced Chris Pratt (Guardians of the Galaxy, Jurassic World, Avengers: Endgame) would be the voice of Super Mario in the upcoming animated film by Illumination. It's become a bit of a meme at this point online, and now to take it one step further, an internet...
News NES Classic Battletoads Is Getting A Physical Re-Release, But Only In Japan
Columbus Circle is launching a new version today
Battletoads is one of Rare's most beloved games from the NES era. An attempt to create a media brand that could rival the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Battletoads mixed platforming with side-scrolling combat, and is famous for its unforgiving difficulty level. It spawned several sequels (including a...
News HBO's '8-Bit Christmas' Is Giving The NES Power Glove Another Shot At Movie Glory
"How far would you go to score the ultimate gift?"
Remember the Power Glove? It was a mostly awkward means of interacting with games back during the NES era, and was immortalised in the 1989 Hollywood flick The Wizard. It's since become something of a cult object in the world of gaming, inspiring adoration with older gamers (
Random "Roadkill NES" Found By The Side Of Texas Freeway Restored To Working Condition
Impressive work
They sure don't make 'em like they used to, right? Well, that's certainly the case when it comes to this poor, unloved NES that was rescued from the side of a freeway in Texas. Spotted by Rob Ivy (AKA: The Obsolete Geek), the NES had seemingly been abandoned, and despite Ivy's helpful pinpointing of the location of the console on...
Review Blazing Rangers - A New NES Game In 2021? Youbetcha, And It's A Good 'Un
Toasty!
Gaming is not short of NES-like experiences these days; titles filled with 8-bit-style blocky pixels, beepy music, and some controllable character for you to take from the left side of the screen to the right. These games tend to chase the past from a comfortable distance, the harsh technical restrictions of almost 40 years ago something to...
News This Zelda II ROM Hack Removes All The Annoying Stuff To Present A Totally New Adventure
"The game has been rebuilt from the ground up"
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link is beloved by many – so much so that it's often mentioned whenever 'Zelda remakes' are discussed – but only the most diehard fan would try to argue that it doesn't have its fair share of problems. There's a lot of (sometimes tedious) side-scrolling combat and the
News Don't Worry, Nintendo Isn't Abandoning Switch Online's SNES And NES Libraries
People who "don't upgrade" can still look forward to new additions
Nintendo's new tier for the Switch Online service has raised some concerns about future support for the SNES and NES libraries. Will games continue to be added to this service, or is Nintendo done with these older retro libraries for good? It seems there's no need to worry. Axios...
News Former Capcom Designer Wishes He Could Have Stopped The North American Mega Man Cover
"I couldn't believe this was allowed to happen"
The North American cover artwork for the first Mega Man game has become the stuff of legend. It's effortlessly one of the worst covers ever, not just because it's a rough illustration but because it totally fails to capture the nature of the lead character. A lot of the time, western covers for...
News Hand-Drawn Game Guide Kickstarter Taken Down Following "Legal Trouble"
Update #2: "We did not receive a cease and desist"
Cor, look at 'em Update #2: Phillip Summers has taken to Twitter to clarify some reporting around the cancellation of the Hand-Drawn Game Guide Kickstarter campaign. He states that "the party involved has been polite and I'm hopeful something can get worked out. They have every right to act as they...
News Two Classic '90s Games Are Being Reprinted On SNES, And Pre-Orders Are Open
Sega Mega Drive and NES options also available
Stone Protectors Piko Interactive, which you'll likely know for its strategy of hoovering up old gaming IPs to re-release them on old hardware, has two more titles for your retro-loving consideration. Both Jim Power: The Lost Dimension and Stone Protectors, two games that were first brought to life in...
News Possible Retro Game Grading Inconsistencies Come To Light Following Fraud Allegations
Update: WATA responds with a statement
Update [Wed 25th Aug, 2021 16:35 BST]: A PR firm representing WATA Games has contacted us with a statement from the company regarding Karl Jobst's video. It is presented in full at the bottom of the page. Over the past couple of days, investigations by both Proof journalist Seth Abramson and YouTuber Karl...
News The Designer Of The NES And SNES Has Retired From Nintendo After Almost 40 Years
"I am retiring and moving onto 'other' projects"
Lance Barr, the man who famously designed the NES and SNES consoles, has retired from Nintendo. Barr has made the announcement via his personal LinkedIn account, stating that "after almost 39 years at Nintendo, I am retiring and moving onto 'other' projects." He has served as Design & Brand...
Talking Point How Much Would You Pay For A Mint Copy Of Super Mario Bros.?
6 golden coins? 8 red coins?
Following on from the recent record-breaking sales for retro games, including $2 million USD for a copy of Super Mario Bros. and $870K USD for The Legend of Zelda on NES — not to mention the unf
Says it strongly refutes any accusation
Following on from yesterday's accusations about "fraud and deception" in the retro video game market, a Heritage Auctions spokesperson has now issued a statement. It "strongly refutes" allegations of its involvement in shill bidding, market manipulation, or any other illegal or unethical practices and wishes...
News Accusations Of Foul Play Surface Around Record-Breaking Graded NES Game Auctions
What the grading companies and auction houses "didn't want us to see"
Update [Wed 25th Aug, 2021 14:20 BST]: A PR firm representing WATA Games has contacted us with a statement from the company regarding Karl Jobst's video. It is presented in full at the bottom of the page. Original story [Tue 24th Aug, 2021 04:05 BST]: In July, just days after a...
Video Retro Gaming Prices Are Much More Reasonable In Japan
Mother, frankly, is quite affordable
If you're a sucker for a few of the classics in the gaming sphere, you'll probably know the sting of looking up some obscure little gem like Doshin the Giant and getting whiplash upon seeing the price. Rare games are just worth a lot, it's just the way it is, right? Well in Japan things are a little bit...
News A Copy Of Super Mario Bros. For NES Just Smashed World Records, AGAIN
We're still waiting for Beanie Babies to be worth something
Hey, remember last month when a sealed copy of Super Mario 64 sold for a record-breaking $1.56 million? The previous record of most expensive video game was set just days earlier, when an ultra-rare copy of The Legend of Zelda on NES reached a (then)
News Fans Celebrate All Things Metroid As The Series Turns 35
Happy anniversary, Metroid!
35 years ago today, on 6th August 1986, the original Metroid launched for the Famicom in Japan. The game would eventually arrive on the NES in North America and Europe in 1987 and 1988 respectively, before blossoming into a series of titles adored by fans to this day. Metroid games don't always come around too often...
News Super Mario Bros. 3 Special Version Jumps Onto The Switch Online NES Library
Fashionably late
The NES Nintendo Switch Online app has had a decent number of Special 'SP' game versions since it launched - these typically give you shortcuts to specific areas of games and apply unique conditions. Somewhat randomly, alongside today's expected addition of 3 SNES games, we now have a Super Mario Bros. 3 SP version (hat-tip to...
Random Finally, Scientists Have Built A Robot Hand That Can Play Super Mario Bros.
Did someone say Power Glove?
Plenty of super-clever, super-talented researchers across the globe have been pretty busy trying to save the world recently, but hey, even scientists need to work on something fun every once and a while. For this team of researchers from the University of Maryland, that fun has arrived in the form of a robotic hand...
News Collection Of Mint Condition NES Games Fetches $30,000 For Goodwill
Your feel-good story of the day
Pristine copies of classic games can always fetch a pretty penny – a copy of Super Mario 64 broke a world record recently, selling for an absolutely mindblowing $1.56 million USD – but when the money they can generate ends up going to a good cause, it all feels worth it. As reported by
News Here's Why That NES Zelda Sold For $870,000, According To The Guy Who Designed The Packaging
"A cartridge selling for such an astonishing amount is really about legacy"
Back when Nintendo conquered the living room for the first time with the NES, one of the key components of that success was branding – something which was handled by GIRVIN Design, headed up by Tim Girvin. The firm worked with Nintendo to create the 'look' of the NES...
News Four Lost NES, SNES And N64 Games Have Been Brought Back To Life, Pre-Orders Now Open
But only for a limited time
If you're big on your video game preservation and history, this latest batch of pre-orders will be right up your retro-collecting street. Piko Interactive, an American publisher that specialises in grabbing the rights to forgotten, never-released games from years gone by and giving them the development time they...
News Slow Mole Is A New And Free NES Platformer, Cartridge Version Incoming
An 8-bit platformer that "makes everyone a speedrunner"
Forget your fancy Switch OLED, because it's time for a brand new game on Nintendo's other new and exciting games console, the NES. Erik Rosenlund, an animator who's taking the first step into the world of game development, has just released Slow Mole, a new game designed for the NES that can...
News This Ultra-Rare Copy Of The Original NES Zelda Just Sold For $870,000
It's now the most expensive video game collectable ever
Update [Sat 10th Jul, 2021 07:30 BST]: Well, it's official - a week later the same Legend of Zelda NES cartridge has now sold for $870,000 USD. This not only surpasses the amount Super Mario Bros. sold for, but also makes it the highest-priced video game that has ever been sold at an auction...
News Nintendo Plugs Its NSO Zelda Games Ahead Of Skyward Sword HD's Release
Experience Link's classic adventures while you wait
Next week sees the release of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD on the Switch. Although it's only an updated version of a 2011 Wii title, Nintendo has been promoting it non-stop since it was originally announced. It's now using the lead-up to the game's release to promote Link's classics...
News A Hand-Drawn Guide To Metroid Is Coming, And It Looks Absolutely Stunning
Pre-orders coming soon
Last summer, the super-talented Philip Summers launched a beautiful hand-drawn game guide for The Legend of Zelda on NES. Available as a PDF or (to a very limited extent) in physical form, the guide featured completely hand-drawn and hand-written pages full of glorious art, tips, maps, walkthrough info and more to help you...
News This High-Grade Nintendo World Championships Cartridge Could Fetch Over Half A Million Dollars
Was previously traded for a mint Tom Brady card worth $556,000
If you're a regular reader of the site then you'll be aware of the significance of the Nintendo World Championships cartridges. These were carts issued at the famous 1990 event which boasted unique challenges for participants to test their skills on. They were never intended to make...
Retro The Anticlimactic Quest To Find The Person Behind Metroid's Most Famous 'Cheat Code'
Cosmic coincidence or a real person?
If you know Metroid, then chances are you also know the name Justin Bailey. Entering this code (or password, to be more precise) into the original NES Metroid would not only grant you full power, but also a special outfit for Samus Aran. While many passwords of the period were random selections of letters and...
News Nintendo Tokyo Pop-Up Stores Are Getting NES-Themed Gashapon, And They're Impossibly Cute
We need the "Controller Button Collection"
Japan gets all the best stuff; we know this, you know this, everyone knows this. It's just one of those things that you have to accept in life, like the fact that dropped toast will always land butter-side down or that you're guaranteed to unwittingly wear white on bolognaise night. The latest...
Video The 21 Best NES Games Of All Time, As Rated By The Nintendo Life Community
What did you pick?
Back in the '80s, Nintendo released the NES. It saw the rise of a generation of gamers - shifting millions of units worldwide and kickstarting the careers of many video game icons. If you've ever wanted to know what the best games are on this system, you've come to the right place. Our American-based video producer Zion Grassl...
Guide 50 Best NES Games Of All Time
As rated by you
The Nintendo Entertainment System, or NES (ness? nezz? enn-eee-ess?), is the archetypal home video game console. Sure, earlier machines such as the mighty Atari 2600 pioneered the basic concept of an under-the-TV console with interchangeable software and controller accessories, but the utilitarian design and hardware innovations of...
News What Are Your Favourite Switch Online SNES And NES Games? Nintendo Wants To Know
There are now over 100 classics to enjoy
At the end of last month, Nintendo rolled out another batch of retro games for the SNES and NES Switch Online service. Japan also got another Fire Emblem game and a bonus for everyone was
News Nintendo Reminds Us The Switch Online Service Now Has Over 100 Classic Games
We're ready for Mother now, Nintendo
Nintendo has just added five more games to the Switch Online SNES and NES service for the month of May, as well as a bonus version of Super Mario Kart. Interestingly, this means there are now more than 100 retro games available in North America and Europe. As a reminder of this milestone, Nintendo has shared the...
Reminder Five NES And SNES Games Hit Switch Today, Plus A Special Version Of Super Mario Kart
A retro wonderland
As promised, five new games have arrived on Nintendo Switch Online's NES and SNES apps today. But hang on a minute... What's this bonus game we see before us? Yes, as we shared last week, SNES titles Caveman Ninja (otherwise known as Joe & Mac), Magical Drop II, Spanky's Quest, Super Baseball Simulator 1.0
Video Remembering The 3D Classics NES Range On Nintendo 3DS
The "definitive way" to play these retro releases
Remember when Nintendo got Arika to bring a bunch of NES games to the 3DS? These games were part of the short running series known as the 3D Classics line, which contained six games like Kirby's Adventure and Kid Icarus, and even had a stereoscopic 3D enhancement. The series kicked off with 3D...
Random Behold The Miya 2000, A Rare NES Accessory That Only Works With One Game
FORE!
Like any popular games console, the NES was host to some truly weird and wonderful accessories. Devices like the iconic Power Glove and the Brøderbund's U-Force tried to leverage the huge install base of Nintendo's system, but it's fair to say this was easier said than done and many of these products flopped at retail. We assumed we'd seen...
News Ouch! NES Collector Recalls The Time He Threw Out Packaging Worth $4,000 To 'Save Space'
"It's cardboard. Who cares?"
Anyone who collects video games will know there's often a massive price difference between a loose cartridge and a 'mint in box' example – which is why the story of hardcore collector Seth is so painful to comprehend. Many years ago, when his collection of gaming items was slowly getting out of control, he decided to...
News Tetris Players Have Discovered A New Technique, And It's Sending High Scores Into Orbit
And you can use your feet!
For most mere mortals, getting over 100 lines on Game Boy Tetris (seeing that shuttle for the first time) is as good as it's ever going to get, but there are others who strive to achieve perfection in this classic puzzler (which is getting its own movie soon). For th
News Switch Online Members Can Save 30% On Wireless NES Controllers (North America)
A limited-time offer
If you still haven't got around to purchasing a pair of wireless NES controllers for the Nintendo Switch, now might be the time. Nintendo of America is currently offering Switch Online members a special deal, allowing them to save 30% on these retro replicas. This offer runs from now until May 4th and drops the price of these...
News The Konami Code Turns 35 With A Special Album Of Lo-Fi Gradius Tracks
⬆ ⬆ ⬇ ⬇ ⬅ ➡ ⬅ ➡ 🅱 🅰
We've had a lot of 35th Anniversaries this year, including the Mario celebrations and the Zelda... non-celebrations, and this weekend — specifically, the 25th April, 2021 — is the birthday of the Konami Code, perhaps the most famous sequence of buttons in hi
