Huge congratulations on celebrating 18 years since Nintendo Life's first ever post this November, 2023.
I love this site — I visit it every day and I also frequently watch NLife's YouTube videos — plus I also think it's fantastic how a family of sites has been built with Pure Xbox, Push Square and Time Extension.
I look forward to congratulating Nintendo Life again on its next milestone birthday, in three years when it turns 21! Hooray to NLife!
It's so uplifting to read that 2020 was Nintendo Life's best year so far, and this news article highlights how brilliantly the team is growing for the future. I look forward to reading the great content here, and visiting the YouTube channel regularly, for many years to come.
It's also cool to see Fully Illustrated with a comment above, because I loved hackin'-and-slashin' my way through Wulverblade for repeated brawler playthroughs with different characters.
Congratulations, and my best onwards and upwards wishes to Nintendo Life!
Congratulations on celebrating your fifteen-year anniversary this year, Nintendo Life!
Like many people have said above, I really love this site, because Nintendo Life has such an excellent team, from the editors, to the writers and the video staff.
Everyone involved is great, which has resulted in many years of awesome content.
Cheers to you all, hats off to the management team, and all the best for a fantastic 2021 to the site!
@Corbs Thank you for your kind words about my Super Mario World review, Corbie. It's a real compliment coming from you, because I know how much you love the SNES as a retro console.
Sorry that I'm late in replying to you, but I've only just read your comment now.
It's great to hear from you, mate. I hope that life is treating you well, and that you still gets lots of enjoyment out of retro gaming. Cheers, from Jamie!
@PapaPedro Thanks for your response about trying to have someone inexperienced try these retro games, when they haven't played them before.
I'm a retro gamer at heart, for example I still buy print magazines including every issue of Retro Gamer, and I flick to the retro articles in magazines like EDGE and Wireframe first.
Therefore, it's natural for me to write to a retro gaming audience, but I know that Nintendo Life has a wide readership. For example, one reader mentioned to me on my recent F-Zero review that I hadn't explained clearly if Mode 7 was a SNES hardware feature, or if it was specific to the game's software code. I took it for granted that readers would be familiar with Mode 7, so like you say, I should try to consider that some gamers are viewing old games with fresh eyes.
I'm taking a similar approach with my next review of Super Tennis, so my girlfriend is helping me again. She's new to retro tennis too, so we've been playing two-player competitive games, and co-operating together in doubles matches on Switch Online. Admittedly, she's more of a casual gamer, so she needs practise at Super Tennis.
As for when it’s time for Nintendo Life to revisit The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, I'm not sure if I could ask her to take the time needed to get a deeper perspective on a larger adventure game. It would be interesting to see her fresh eyes on the puzzles and play-style, but in my mind she would be best to experience A Link to the Past for at least five hours, which is a big chunk of her time.
Cheers again for your feedback, it's appreciated, mate.
I'll check in on the comments here, if anyone has questions about my Pilotwings review.
I'm nostalgic about the SNES, so I've tried to convey how exciting it was to first learn about Nintendo's 16-bit hardware capabilities during its launch in the early 1990s.
However, I took a different approach reviewing this game. I've spent a lot of time with SNES games over the years, so for this review I asked my girlfriend to play Pilotwings for the first time on Switch Online, because I wanted to get an idea of how approachable the controls are to someone experiencing its unique gameplay from a fresh perspective.
I think that sometimes retro gamers have skills from playing games like Pilotwings and Super Mario Kart for almost thirty years, so the controls are second nature.
Nevertheless, to a brand new player who is just experiencing retro games on the Switch – perhaps someone born after the Wii was released – the way Mode 7 presents a pseudo 3D image, alongside the controls in a game like Pilotwings could take a bit of adjustment time.
@SalvorHardin Thanks mate, and you make a good point. Perhaps my confusion about saving accumulated lives came from me mixing up memories of playing the Game Boy Advance port of Super Mario World when it was first released.
**** Edit: Ha, ha, I've just booted my original Game Boy Advance cartridge and it has 253 lives saved on it for Super Mario World!
I'm a bit late arriving here with over 40 comments already posted, but if anyone has any questions, please let me know.
I actually have a question for the Nintendo Life community regarding Super Mario World.
I've owned many versions of this game over the years, and I played both my PAL SNES cartridge and the Switch Online version for this review.
Anyway, every time I played I would build up extra lives by using a technique for hoarding a limit of 99 lives. I would leave Donut Plains 1 early after collecting the Feather by pressing Start and Select, and then fly upwards in the Donut Ghost House to collect four extra lives.
However, on both my PAL SNES cartridge and the Switch Online version if I returned to a game later after saving in a Ghost House or a castle, and then if I rebooted my game, all my lives would be lost and reset to a basic amount of five lives.
Yet, I have a Mandela Effect-like memory of playing Super Mario World in the 1990s, and I half-remember the game cartridge saving my 99 lives even after I had turned my SNES console off. Perhaps I had just left my console on without resetting the lives, because I had a tendency to do that when playing games like The Addams Family: Pugsley's Scavenger Hunt
Does anyone know if there is more than one version of the Super Mario World cartridge, including a version that allowed for all of your 99 lives to be saved on the cart?
Perhaps I just have a false memory from the past.
If anyone knows, let me know. Cheers!
For fans of Digital Foundry, and the UK's retro gaming magazines, the June 1991 Issue 9 of Mean Machines that I refer to here with the 90% scoring review of Super Famicom F-Zero on page 48 has an Editorial paragraph — presumably by Jaz Rignall — earlier in the magazine titled 'Who Are Those Mugs?', which states that "If you haven't already noticed, there’s a new boy in town!"
It explains that Richard Leadbetter was new to Mean Machines in Issue 9, but also details that "Leadbetter (for it is he) will be very familiar to regular readers of CVG magazine, where he has been a reviewer for yonks."
As a further tidbit for retro mag fans, the Issue 9 editorial also introduced Paul Glancey as a Mean Machines guest reviewer, saying that "CVG's Associate Editor managed to stop wiggling his joystick long enough to put together the Wrestle Wars review."
I collect old video games mags, so I'm interested in the history of how games like F-Zero were reviewed when they were first released, and about the game reviewers of the day covering the freshest new releases in a bygone era.
@brandonbwii The idea is for Nintendo Life to review the 20 Switch Online SNES app games in chronological order of when they originally released on the Super Famicom or SNES.
This way the reviews can combine to provide a small history of the evolution of SNES games, and discuss how aspects like the graphics and gameplay mechanics may have improved from the launch to later games in its lifespan.
Therefore, we will get around to reviewing other SNES app games that you've mentioned. For example, Joe & Mac 2: Lost in the Tropics and Stunt Race FX both released later on in the SNES's life in 1994, so it will take a bit longer to review those games based upon the SNES's chronological release order.
@retro_player_22 Yes, mate, Nintendo Life is planning to review the 20 SNES app games on Switch Online. I played lots of F-Zero on the Switch Online SNES app, so I can answer your questions in the comments.
First of all, F-Zero plays very smoothly on Switch, and yes, the Switch Online's ability to create a Suspend Point can make F-Zero considerably easier. For example, you could create a Suspend Point on every lap of Fire Field as long as you’re performing well and your Power meter is high, and then return to it if you lose a place or blow up.
The sharpest display option on Switch Online in the Pixel Perfect mode, but 4:3 is more true to the original SNES aspect ratio and the CRT Filter ‘Game screen’ scanlines option looks a bit fuzzy.
The EU version of F-Zero on Switch Online runs in 60Hz, which is always for the best, too.
I've been thinking for the last 27 years that throwing the Foot Soldiers out of the screen in TMNT: Turtles in Time was all handled by Mode 7 trickery.
There was even a feature in Retro Gamer magazine called 'Mode 7 Heaven' where they celebrated Turtles in Time by saying, "Though this SNES port features a great Mode 7 recreation of the arcade game's thrilling hoverboard stage, it's the Foot Soldier-towards-camera fling that stuck in our minds most."
Cheers for sharing your knowledge about the fake scaling with me, because I love learning smaller details about retro games. Nice one, bud!
@Woomy_NNYes Mode 7 is a hardware feature of the SNES that enabled it to rotate backgrounds, and to create a scaling effect, which acted as a solution to pseudo-3D console graphics in the early 1990s.
This was before the big boom in 3D polygon graphics when the 32-bit consoles arrived in the mid-1990s.
Therefore, Mode 7 made the graphics on the SNES stand out compared to the Mega Drive and PC Engine, especially for rotating tracks around in racing games, but also for hurtling towards the ground in Pilotwings, and in special effects like throwing enemies out of the screen with scaling in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time .
@tendonerd Apologies if I'm explaining F-Zero control details that you already know about, but always make sure that you're holding down on the D-pad for further jumps, and much longer hang-time.
Holding down on the D-Pad is essential for the long jump in White Land II.
Combining a Super Jet 'S' speed boost, while holding down on the D-pad is lots of fun for the jump to bouncy blue arrow in the Red Canyon II shortcut, too.
I imagine it's obvious from my review, but I have tons of nostalgia for F-Zero as a SNES launch game. I've been playing it lots recently, especially because it's so convenient to jump around playing the 20 classics on Switch Online's SNES app.
I've been thinking about how at first in the early 1990s I didn't approach the more simple tracks like Mute City I and Big Blue correctly. I got used to taking my finger off the acceleration, and using the shoulder button for tight corners on later tracks – I still blow up too often from the ruthless AI and Power meter damaging walls on Fire Field, by the way – but I wasn't using my three Super Jet speed boosts effectively.
I thought that the simple tracks didn't require much skill, but I remember feeling a sense of revelation on tracks like Big Blue after getting in the zone using the Fire Stingray, and keeping it at a constant top speed of 478km/h.
The trick is to unleash a Super Jet speed boost in portions of track where you don't have to lift your finger off the accelerator, so you can slide around tracks like Mute City and Big Blue at a constant 478km/h top speed for a long time. You have to make sure that you don't touch any sides, you must avoid the rough patches, and don't bump into any opponents, but it's a thrill to constantly maintain your maximum speed sweet spot.
Man, I love SNES F-Zero! I’ll keep an eye out on everyone’s comments, and check back here if anyone has any questions. Cheers!
Today is the 20th September 2014, so it is exactly five years since my first Nintendo Life review of SNES Star Fox was published here. Consequently, this review marks my 5th anniversary of being part of the Nintendo Life team.
I remember the sense of pride that I felt when this retro review went live, and I still feel honoured to be able to write for this fine site. Big-cheers to Nintendo Life for giving me this opportunity, because I am just as appreciative now as I was five years ago.
Please excuse my self-indulgence, but wishing a 'Happy 5th NLife Anniversary' to me.
Wishing the best of luck to @SamiCetinSMK and to any other gamers taking part in the Super Mario Kart World Championships this week. Tonight's Time Trial sounds like a real test of your nerves, especially since the opening event is a one try competition.
I have been lucky enough to see Sami's Super Mario Kart driving skills in person, and I think that it is amazing how consistent expert racers are at hurtling around courses in the SNES classic.
@C-Olimar There are two separate tracks called Sherbet Land in the series, just as there are a number of Mario Circuit courses, and they can be found in Mario Kart 64 and Mario Kart: Double Dash!!.
Both versions of Sherbet Land feature an ice tunnel, but they are completely different from one another, although I enjoy them equally. The two distinct tunes for both of these tracks are brilliant, I have nostalgia for the music that graced these ice circuits.
Apologies to the readers that I don't discuss more about the music and audio of the Mario Kart series in this feature, I actually love the different melodies of Mario Kart, but I focussed more on the gameplay mechanics for this article.
I discuss the GCN version of Sherbet Land, with reference to Mario Kart 8, in part two of this feature.
I’m really pleased with this interview, because it not only conveys @SamiCetinSMK’s passion towards Super Mario Kart, and his abundance of skill at playing it, but it also demonstrates his enthusiasm for engaging with the retro community and in sharing his knowledge of this classic game.
@FX102A I hope you got the chance to meet Sami yesterday, I had a number of quality chats with him on the Saturday of Play Blackpool, and he’s a really friendly gamer with lots of Super Mario Kart expertise to share. I was not only amazed by the extent of his driving skills, but at how incredibly consistent he is at demonstrating a number of advanced driving techniques. I definitely recommend that people take the time to meet him at future expos, like at EGX London in September, or Play Expo in October of this year.
@Kobeskillz If you get the chance, it’s worth having a read of the comments in the recent Wii U eShop Super Mario Kart review, as there’s quite a detailed discussion about how the PAL vs. NTSC comparisons are not as clear cut in this game (see comments 35, 65, 86, 87, 90, 92 and 94).
My name is credited at the top of this feature, but, as is often the case, this interview is a result of the combined effort of Nintendo Life as a team. Therefore, I want to say thank you to @Dazza for organising this one, and to @ThomasBW84 for his editorial work, and to the team for their correspondence with Sami.
Of course, I reiterate our gratitude to Sami for the zeal he has in discussing this game. Cheers to him, it was fun to hang out at his tournament stand on Saturday at Play Blackpool, and Sami has really opened my eyes to many subtle intricacies hidden within this game. Nice one!
Most excellent news, very well done Tom, I’m really pleased for you. This new position is massively deserved, clearly for your work, passion towards gaming and talent, but also because you’re such a proper gent.
For example, you were one of the first gamers to share my introduction hands-on time with Wii U, and although I lost most of the lives during our early play of Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze at Eurogamer Expo 2013, you were too humble to mention that you didn’t suffer a single hit.
Nice one and big-time congratulations, Mr Whitehead!
@SamiCetinSMK Cheers for such a detailed response, I feel that I have a decent enough knowledge regarding the depths of Super Mario Kart, but your understanding of the complexities of this game goes to another level.
Your description also provides another perspective to the age-old PAL vs. NTSC debate. For example, from the changes that you’ve indicated in the feel of the turn angles and longboosting, to the way in which you approach shortcuts, hairpins, or avoid red shells, you’ve verified that it’s not always clear cut to just compare speed issues or different border sizes.
I guess over the years it has become tempting for retro gamers to overly simplify this topic with a ‘PAL is worst and NTSC is best’ attitude, I include myself in this at times, but it’s worth keeping our minds open that a PAL version can have added rewards, too.
It’s fascinating to me that you have delved so deeply into the intricacies of the PAL game, so it feels a bit like Alice tumbling down the rabbit hole to learn of so many extra game mechanics, after I’ve been playing Super Mario Kart for more than two decades. Then again, perhaps I should say it feels like a moustachioed plumber driving his kart head first into Monty Mole’s underground burrow, under the circumstances.
Thank you for sharing your expertise with us here. Nice one!
@remivir The picture is full screen in the European release of the 60Hz US Super Mario Kart on Wii U, which is most evident from the title screen, although the main gameplay area still has small borders during gameplay. Check that the Super Mario Kart title screen does not have any top or bottom borders, but don’t worry if there are slight borders during split-screen gameplay. This means that the characters do not appear as squished and chubby, as they did with the more squashed together top and bottom borders in the PAL version.
As @Andyliini explained it runs in 4:3 ratio, as a retro game built in 1992 should, because the side borders are a result of modern 16:9 widescreen TV sets. If you change your TV settings to 16:9 widescreen you will stretch out the graphics and characters. Edit: Even if I change my TV aspect settings to 16:9, the game still runs as it is supposed to in 4:3 aspect ratio. I can use a zoom option on my TV to remove the side borders, but that is counterproductive, because the visuals in this game were drawn for a 4:3 display.
I feel that it looks clear and vibrant in 1080p on my plasma TV. Considering it’s the US version on the European Wii U Virtual Console, it’s also running at 60Hz, although this isn’t quite as relevant as it was in many other PAL SNES games. In the 1990s we often talked about a speed difference based upon a magic figure of NTSC games running at 17.5% faster, but the 50Hz PAL release of Super Mario Kart had its clock and speed modified to bring it slightly closer to the NTSC version.
My understanding is that the PAL version is still slower, but not as sluggish as PAL games that didn’t include alterations, although I have no idea of how close PAL Super Mario Kart ran in comparison to the NTSC version. I think that the clock on the PAL game may have been adjusted, so that sixty seconds in-game still translated to one minute, but I can’t confirm that. Over the past 22 years, I’ve only owned the US and Japanese Super Famicom cartridges of this game. However, my understanding is that gamers who chase track records on Super Mario Kart will understandably keep the Time Trial competitions separate between the PAL and NTSC versions. Please note, I’m not claiming to be an authority on this, I’m sure an expert like @SamiCetinSMK could explain the differences between PAL and NTSC Super Mario Kart more eloquently than I have.
Still, it’s often preferable, and a welcome inclusion, to receive the US 60Hz and full-screen NTSC version of SNES games on the European Wii U Virtual Console. Good job, Nintendo.
If anyone is interested in this topic, have a read of Talking Point: The Virtual Console's PAL Problem, which is a 2010 Nintendo Life feature that discusses these issues in regard to the Wii Virtual Console. It was a PAL problem that is repeatedly being rectified on the Wii U’s EU Virtual Console.
@unrandomsam You’re right, Super Play did not shy away from changing scores, even Super Mario Kart’s score was upgraded from Issue 1 where it scored 93%, to the PAL review in Issue 4 where it received 94%. They included different scores for each reviewer too at first, a bit like how US magazines like Electronic Gaming Monthly would have four separate scores, one for each reviewer. Their import coverage and presentation style was excellent. There have been lots of great kart racers, just like you mentioned. I’m a fan of Naughty Dog’s Crash Team Racing on PSone, and you’re spot on about Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, I think that Sumo Digital’s title was successful at including a sense of SEGA’s flamboyant arcade history to spice up that game. I only played it on Wii U and PS Vita, so I’d be interested in seeing the improvements on a PC.
@retro_player_22 That’s a good comparison, because it’s unwise of a developer to presume that Super Smash Bros. as a series is a straightforward formula to recreate, because its gameplay balance is far more complicated than it may appear. You can’t just make a colourful party fighter with lots of characters and expect a recipe of success. I guess imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, though.
@SparkOfSpirit Thank you, and I hope you guys receive the Wii U version of Super Mario Kart soon.
I’m a fan of retro gaming magazines, as much as I love the actual classic games, so I studied lots of old magazines from my collection to prepare for this review. I’ve already mentioned Super Play, and I flicked through the first five issues of that gem, but I also read reviews in Nintendo Magazine System, as well as Computer and Video Games (CVG). The interesting thing about CVG was that I read their review first, and they were clearly impressed as they scored it 96/100. The Super Mario Kart review was in CVG Issue 133, from December 1992, and it had a stunning piece of Super Star Wars X-wing artwork on its cover.
However, I was reading a much later CVG, Issue 211 from June 1999, just because that’s what I do for fun, and I found a Mario Kart reference that highlighted the impact of this series, all those years ago. There was a review of PSone Bomberman Fantasy Race, which scored a paltry 1/5, and Ed Lomas opened it by stating that “Thanks to Super Mario Kart, overused game licenses always have the option of coming back as cartoony racers”.
It struck me that the legacy of Super Mario Kart was not just that it laid the groundwork for quality game mechanics in its own series, but it created a sub-genre that other developers wanted to mimic. The trouble was that the idea of simply sticking a few reasonably well liked third-party characters into a go-kart was never enough. Nintendo created a kingdom as a setting, and mascots that were some of the most famous icons in the industry. However, the gameplay was still tight, well crafted, and you could rely on it to be fun.
I guess that many developers have been taught over time that it’s not as easy as it seems to churn out a kart racer.
@Nintenjoe64 and @fluggy My understanding of the term ‘rubber banding’ is of an invisible rubber band between the leaders in a racing game, and those who are struggling at the back. When a rubber band system is in place, the AI players actually become faster when you are in front. Yet, you can lap CPU characters repeatedly in Super Mario Kart, so in my eyes it does not have a rubber band difficulty balancing system.
I agree that the AI racers in Super Mario Kart are frustratingly aggressive, especially in 150cc Special Cup. In a single-player GP, all seven CPU opponents will deliberately try to knock you off the bridge in Donut Plains 3, or bump you off the sides of Ghost Valley 3 and Rainbow Road. I also agree that the AI characters are cheap too, as they have special individual abilities with unlimited effect that the player does not have access to, like Bowser’s fireball and Yoshi’s eggs.
Yet, if you speed boost past the CPU at the start line, you can have a perfect run, and lap the AI racers, even in 150cc. You can also learn their set route and aim attacks at them from the front of the pack. For example, if you know exactly where to leave a banana before the speed jump in Mario Circuit 2, from first position you can send the second place CPU AI to the back of the pack, because they won’t make the jump.
@placidcasual and @James1993 Cheers for your kind comments.
@TimCredible Ha ha, well done for discovering this, I just booted Super Mario Kart while holding button 2 down on my Wii Remote, and it brings up the message "As there are not enough buttons, you may have to change the button links in Controller Setttings".
The default Wii Remote controls are for button 1 to accelerate and button 2 to select and fire weapons/ items. You can then go to Controller Settings, and set up the B button to hop. You just need to set the B button up to take the place of an L or R shoulder button. It's not ideal, but you can hop and drift using the Wii Remote in Wii U Super Mario Kart. The D-pad is small, but functional, plus the acceleration and items buttons work just fine.
Thanks again! It never actually occurred to me to play SNES Super Mario Kart using a Wii Remote before. It means that gamers who don't have a spare Wii U Pro Controller or Classic Controller Pro can still play a two-player game. Just make sure the most skilled player has the disadvantage of hopping using the B button on the Wii Remote. The more the merrier!
@TimCredible Apologies, I never even tried to test Super Mario Kart with a Wii Remote for this review, I played with a GamePad and Wii U Pro Controller. I based my answer to the question above on the eShop’s description page for Super Mario Kart, where it lists the Wii Remote as an optional controller. However, I think that this list must refer more to a general criterion for Wii U Virtual Console games, although I noted it down from the Super Mario Kart eShop section. I just tried to play with the Wii Remote and I got the same message of "This game cannot be played with a Wii Remote", which makes sense under the circumstances due to a lack of shoulder buttons. Sorry about that, I'll add an edit to my comment above to avoid confusion.
I definitely recommend that Super Mario Kart fans check it out, because it has some brilliant videos of skilled players, a cool Mario against Bowser ‘Battle Mode’ image for the poster, and lots of details about the event. Great stuff!
@SamiCetinSMK Thank you, but the time I posted on the Wii U review comments board was after a very long session where I beat every GP from 50cc to 150cc in succession to test the Wii U release. That's a very long warm-up period before I went to Time Trial, plus I was just chilling with my girlfriend, with no pressure. I was still inconsistent and all over the road, repeatedly hitting the retry option, and the time was still far away from a record. I don't think I'd enjoy being a contender in something like this, as much as I’d like to watch the real masters as an observer. I'd play just for fun, of course!
I enjoy Mario Kart Super Circuit on GameBoy Advance, too. I had no idea that the blue spark technique was in SNES Super Mario Kart. It's incredible that I'm still learning new things about the SNES game 22 years later. Thanks for sharing your knowledge!
This feature is brilliant, everything from the skill on display, with a sense of community, to the artwork and font used in the poster is fantastic.
@SamiCetinSMK I've also been watching the video of your amazing 0'57"90 Mario Circuit 1 time from the PAL version during Christmas time. The way in which you hop as Donkey Kong Jr and just skim across the dirt is stunning. I can't drive like that, I need to stay on the smooth tarmac, because if I hit the rough surface I miscalculate my control and lose speed. It reminds me a little bit of skipping around the edges of the water in Vanilla Lake 2, but even when I do that, I don't take many risks. You seem to time each hop so you leave the tarmac just late enough to only glance against the gravel.
Fair play, this is definitely the sort of thing I'd enjoy watching and observing as an audience member. I'm not that competitive as a gamer in general, but I practise enough Super Mario Kart to appreciate the skill that goes into driving like this.
@Dreamcaster-X Good point, I really should try and get hold of a classic Super Famicom controller for using on my Wii U. I bought a Hori pad that was a similar shape, but with the GameCube's layout of buttons, many years ago. I used it on my GameCube for retro compilations, but it wasn't ideal.
@YoshiTails Yes, two-player works with Wii U Super Mario Kart. Two people can race in a GP against six CPU controlled characters, or in a one-on-one Match Race. There is also a two-player Battle Mode, where you use items like red or green shells, and an invincibility star to burst three balloons, which rotate around your friend’s kart. Battle Mode is the only part of the SNES game where you can collect a ghost item, to steal your friend’s weapons.
I played two-player with my girlfriend using the Wii U GamePad as player one, and a Wii U Pro Controller as player two. I had to set up a Wii Remote as my first controller, even though I wasn't using it, because this is the easiest way for the Wii U to recognise the Wii U Pro Controller as player two. It’s also possible to use a Classic Controller Pro, but I did not test this.
The eShop lists the Wii Remote as an optional controller, where it lists the Wii Remote and Classic Controller Pro together. Presumably you have to plug your Classic Controller Pro into your Wii Remote.
The GamePad, Wii U Pro Controller and Classic Controller Pro all have a button layout and shoulder buttons that are relatively similar to a SNES pad, in comparison to a Wii Remote, at least. I hope that helps!
**** Final Edit: Please see comment 50: You can use the Wii Remote to control player two in Wii U Super Mario Kart. First of all hold down button 2 on the Wii Remote when you're first selecting Super Mario Kart on the Wii U home screen. The default Wii Remote controls are for button 1 to accelerate and button 2 to select and fire weapons/ items. You can then go to Controller Settings, and set up the B button to be able to hop, which is harder due to a lack of shoulder buttons, but it just about works.****
@antonvaltaz Thank you for that, what a completely sound thing to say!
As an example of how the tracks in Super Mario Kart have been re-explored as retro courses in subsequent Mario Kart games, here’s a list of classic tracks from the original that featured in its sequels:
Mario Kart DS: Mario Circuit 1, Donut Plains 1, Koopa Beach 2 and Choco Island 2.
Mario Kart Wii: Ghost Valley 2 and Mario Circuit 3, but also Battle Course 4 from the SNES game’s Battle Mode.
The GameBoy Advance game Mario Kart: Super Circuit had extra cups that could be unlocked, which included all twenty of the SNES tracks as a bonus. The only trouble is that many of these courses don’t feel as satisfying in games that didn’t have the feather item to take advantage of their clever shortcuts. The SNES tracks are also shorter, so their flow can feel unusual in the context of later games, and sometimes the placement of speed boost arrows has been altered or removed.
In some videos for Mario Kart 8 there is also a track that resembles Mario Circuit, but it has been flipped around and broken into segments to allow for the new game’s anti-gravity mechanics. It’s not necessarily from a SNES version of Mario Circuit, but it looks purely ace to me.
I found the GamePad to be great for Time Trial mode, because I was able to settle down with Off-TV Play Super Mario Kart, and still keep the telly free, so my girlfriend could watch The Great Gatsby on Blu-ray. Also, the option of reloading my Ghost using the ‘Create Restore Point’ on Wii U was useful for following my best route around the track, so I could return to beat my times, even if my top initial Donkey Kong Jr meander of 1’03”77 on Mario Circuit 1 is not going to break any records (my first play’s best Mario Circuit 1 lap was 0’12”56).
Like @NImH mentioned, the SNES pad felt very natural for Super Mario Kart, because it was so comfortable towards building a flow in a race, especially when using the shoulder buttons to bounce around corners.
However, I was completely happy hopping into and out-of a power slide using the bulkier Wii U GamePad. I played an abundance of two-player GP and Battle Mode against my girlfriend for this review too, and the Wii U Pro Controller felt nice, as an alternative for gamers who find the GamePad a bit chunky. You can even control your kart with the analogue stick, but the D-pad is far more accurate in this game.
To put it simply, SNES Super Mario Kart is one of my favourite games of all time. I agree with @BigBluePanda, it has a definite spot in my top five games list, and it’s a prime contender for the number one slot. My friends and I played it huge amounts during its first release, starting with when I imported the NTSC US cartridge during Christmas 1992, which means over the last 22 years it may be the game that I have put the greatest amount of hours into.
The friendly competition was superb, not just in two-player GP races, but also Battle Mode and with rivalry over our fastest track times. I remember when I was studying during the summer of 1993, I borrowed my American SNES to my best friend, and he wiped the floor with my Time Trial records for Mario Circuit 1 and Ghost Valley 1. His times were awesome for the day, I wish I could see them again, but sadly my US cartridge has gone astray.
I still own my Super Famicom version, which I bought much later on, because I like the colourful red and yellow Japanese manual/ box art. As far as I’m concerned, replaying Super Mario Kart on Wii U epitomises how the gameplay in a retro video game can remain relevant, and age gracefully over time.
Wow, The NES Club sounds like a speed-run of an NES collect-a-thon, but without taking any short cuts. For Jay Bartlett and Rob McCallum to embark on this quest, with a tenet to only travel to shops and auctions, without any online purchases, makes their achievement even more impressive.
It makes sense for them to not include contest or unofficial games, the 678 licensed game target within 30 days is challenging enough. I like the approach that Jay advised of preserving boxes, looking for mint manuals and wherever possible cleaning-up the condition of a purchase, too. Good luck with the final chapter of this journey.
I also think the point Rob makes about the NES being a universal system in North America, which by skipping brand allegiance kept its focus on the games, is an engaging line of thought. We didn’t have that perspective with the NES in the UK, because the popularity of home computers meant that competition in the late 1980s era was prevalent with brand devotion towards Commodore Amiga and Atari ST here, before you even factor in the console gamers playing a SEGA Master System or NES. The NES was popular, but I recall that its staggered European release meant that Mattel didn’t deliver it to UK gamers until 1987, and this later entry meant that it was not nearly as supreme in the UK.
I look forward to watching The NES Club documentary, so I hope the physical version of this film becomes available in the UK. Fair play to collectors like this, it’s amazing what people can achieve when they set a target and think outside the box. Even if Jay didn’t manage to buy all 678 NTSC licensed games, driving 10,000 miles for 30 days straight on a mission to collect retro games is still an insane accomplishment. Insanely awesome!
One of the things that I take away from reading a feature like this, apart from the massive number of games, is the way in which a collection can feel more valued and appreciated when it's neatly organised and presented. Space is always an issue for me, and while @NintendoTwizer says the same thing, the photographs show that the presentation of Aaron’s collection is immaculate.
It looks like a perfect room to chill out in, especially with the bright hardware hues of systems like N64 and Game Boy Color displayed together. In comparison my retro games and classic magazines are scattered in separate rooms, or gathered away in boxes. Some are stored like clutter, so they're not given a chance to shine.
I mainly aim for boxed games, with instructions, and for this reason I also like the Neo Geo Pocket Color. Alongside the Mega Drive and SEGA Master System, the Neo Geo Pocket Color is a practical system, because its games are protected by plastic clamshell cases. I can definitely appreciate the idea of buying loose cartridges, though. They save space, and provide the core gameplay experience, which is the fundamental purpose of a retro game.
The numbers that Aaron is talking about here are stunning in any case, 5,200 total games is a jaw-dropping figure, and he also has a large number of boxed games. I'm satisfied if I reach a total of 100 games for a console, sometimes I only aim for 50 titles as a target for certain systems.
If I ever find time, I'd love to keep a spreadsheet with all of the specific details of my collection. One day I'll have more space to re-organise my hoard, and take inspiration from retro gamers like Aaron, by giving more care and thought to how I display everything together.
I really enjoy these articles on different collections, January's Stepping Into The Nintendo Arcade Ninterview was fascinating, too. Top job, @Dazza.
@C-Olimar Like any lad growing up in the 1980s I often read the Beano, more than the Dandy, although I must admit that I don't have a massive amount of knowledge regarding the exact contents of my old comics today. The reason I mentioned the Dandy was as a direct nod to my childhood, I was deliberately recalling an annual called 'The Dandy Book 1984', because I remember how pleased I was to receive it as a present. It had a red cover, which showed Bully Beef aiming a water pistol at Korky the Cat, who had his foot on a football.
At this point my memories could have become mixed up, especially as I no longer have the annual to hand, but I have a recollection of The Numskulls appearing in that specific book. Is it possible that The Numskulls appeared in my 1984 Dandy annual as a guest comic strip, as a group of little visitors from the Beezer? Sorry if I have confused two sets of memories, I may have merged my nostalgia of 1980s comics with one particular Dandy book.
The point I intended to make is that there is a sense of innocence in Pikmin 3, which is most obviously displayed in the actions of the Pikmin, and this trait is expanded through the conversations between the game's space explorers. Therefore, the depiction of characters in the game, as well as the way it unravels a world that is larger than life, viewed through a camera that places the tiny heroes in the thick of nature's majesty, all combined to remind me of being a kid.
I was also taking into account that there have been reports in the past about how Shigeru Miyamoto has been influenced by his childhood experiences, as well as his enjoyment of gardening, so this may reflect upon some aspects of Miyamoto's game development, especially as he worked as producer on Pikmin 3.
Welcome Pikmin 3, and many thanks to the li'l alien guys and gals from PNF-404 for watering the Wii U's garden, meaning that the Wii U retail game drought is finally over.
I've ordered this now, so it'll be arriving at some time close to Friday 26th July, we're lucky in the UK to get a number of these Wii U games slightly earlier than the US.
I'm going to juggle Pikmin 3 with Mario & Luigi: Dream Team Bros. and EarthBound over the next few weeks, which is unusual for me, because I'm a bit more of an arcadey, fast racer, speedy platformer, run-and-gun and beat-'em-up kind of gamer.
After reading this review, I will focus on Pikmin 3's relaxed pacing through the story mode first. I'm sticking with Wii Remote pointer controls too, plus it's great to read high praise about the visuals here. I am definitely a fan of the game's depiction of natural environments and rural landscapes.
A rockin' review, @MegaWatts. Rock-on, Rock Pikmin!
I settled down to read this feature, I often find that a Sunday evening is a great time to catch-up on Nintendo Life articles that have caught my eye, which I did not get chance to read during the weekend.
I definitely wasn't expecting to find a personal compliment about my attitude towards enjoying a mixture of retro and modern games, though. @ThomasBW84, you are such a gent! It was lots of fun sharing time between both the retro section and the Wii U booth at Eurogamer expo 2012
This feature is completely spot-on, it doesn't matter if you are familiar with a game from playing it on the day of its original release, or twenty years later as a digital download, it is your individual experience and enjoyment of it that matters. It is the joy, laughter and happiness the game brings to you that are important, wonderful nostalgia can be created from playing a game, but these memories are not confined to a narrow window of a title's first launch.
An awesome game is an awesome game regardless of when it was released. I embrace nostalgia and I often wear rose tinted glasses, but I am not blinkered or negatively presumptuous that the golden era of gaming has passed and it's all downhill from here.
2013 is a most excellent time to be a gamer, I'm massively excited for the future of both 3DS and Wii U, plus I'm confident that gaming will constantly deliver new gameplay gems and treasures to revere.
I also welcome the idea that it's worth considering retro and contemporary games as having a different style to each other, with respect given to the technology available at the time. In that sense we celebrate the games that are stylish, not just in an audio/ visual context, but in their flair for creativity and imagination.
Thanks loads Tom, a perceptive and thought-provoking piece, I really appreciate the complimentary nod in my direction. Sorry for getting mushy, but your comment actually just made my day. Big cheers!
I really like the sentence "Dream Team brings the crazy, which is a relief", as it sums up the promotional videos I have seen for this title perfectly. Tilt controlled special attacks that work brilliantly too, does the marvellous madness in this game never end?
In regard to the 40 odd hours of gameplay length, my only slight apprehension is that I might buy this and then struggle to find the time to complete it, as I already have a sizeable backlog of games. Finding spare gaming time for longer titles is a bit of an unforeseeable luxury for me at the moment.
You have definitely piqued my interest in Mario & Luigi: Dream Team though, @ThomasBW84. As your introduction examines, I hope this game gets the attention it deserves, the 2013 3DS release calendar is already packed with finery and splendour. Cheers!
Fair play Tom and Ant, I get shattered after running 5KM non-stop, so 10KM through cobbled streets of Edinburgh is a decent length, especially in Mario and Luigi suits.
I hope that there are plenty of Coin Blocks between now and 14th July, perhaps even the Gold Blocks from New Super Mario Bros. 2, spitting out donations for GamesAid.
I am not just lucky to get the chance to write for Nintendo Life, but I have also been visiting the site as reader for years and it is retro coverage like this that made me buzz off this site in the first place.
This feature is as charming as the idea of having a brand new game on an old, 'put out to pasture' console. Reading this reminds me of how I get excited when NG:DEV.TEAM release a new game on Dreamcast, it is magical that developers like WaterMelon breathe fresh life into our favourite antique consoles.
I love the paragraph about how WaterMelon were able to take advantage of advancements in the megabit storage capacity of a 16-bit game cartridge, which as retro gamers know so well, should not be confused with a megabyte. I was never good at maths, but gaming taught me to always remember that there are eight megabits in every one megabyte.
@Damo and @MakeMyBiscuit are spot-on when they highlight how an elegantly presented CIB (Cartridge, Instructions, Box) physical release adds to the enjoyment of investing in a game like Pier Solar.
The photographs are the icing on the cake, a delightful feature by Nlife’s retro gaming connoisseur, Mr McFerran.
@Cranky Like any gamer, I’m sure that Nintendo Life’s staff members have their radar tuned into top-scoring games, 10/10 games certainly grab my attention. One thing to consider regarding Rayman Origins is that a number of staff members for Nintendo Life also write for Push Square and own a variety of different current generation systems. I personally chose to focus on voting for Wii exclusives, for example @NintendoLand noticed this trend in comment 126. I know that many staff members of Nintendo Life are huge fans of Rayman Origins, I have spoken to them about it, but they may have actually completed it on PS3 or PS Vita. It does look particularly sumptuous on more powerful systems, which have greater graphical grunt than the Wii.
@Sfzorzando I can respond to your question 'How much does Nintendo pay you guys to suck up to them?', but from my own personal experience, if it helps:
@ThomasBW84 gathered the team together and set us off to select our own individual and personal Top 20 choices of favoured Wii games. The main stipulation was that Virtual Console games were not to be included in this list. We responded diversely and some staff members placed third-party games in high places. As I am a fan of retro gaming, I personally included third-party retro arcade compilations like SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1, Metal Slug Anthology and Data East Arcade Classics. He then added up the results and worked out the points, which highlighted how our choices were repeated, accumulating the total points for fair placement of each game’s position in the Top 20.
Tom explains this clearly in the feature, but I can assure you that there is no conspiracy here. Were you really surprised that exclusive Nintendo developed Wii games featured so consistently in our independent votes? It’s not really a secret that Nintendo’s first-party output is such a strong part of the Wii’s overall library. Sorry if the truth is a more mundane explanation of how this Top 20 was organised and compiled.
I think that one thing I can take from reading the comments on this feature, is that we all feel passionately about our personal favourite games and the Wii has built a quality library of much-loved titles.
There was no way that all of the classic Wii games could be included in a list of twenty games, below are the games that I compiled as my choice of personal Wii favourites for this list, which did not make the top twenty:
Just because these games did not make the final list, it does not stop them from being excellent Wii games and it doesn't detract from the quality of the titles in the final list.
In regard to The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess featuring above Skyward Sword, I hold my hands up as one of the Nlife staff members who voted for Twilight Princess and I actually did not include Skyward Sword in my list.
My reasoning was logical enough, I have an abundance of nostalgia for Twilight Princess, because it was one of the very first games I played on Wii during the launch window, I played it for a good portion of Christmas Day 2006 and over the Christmas holidays and I do not underestimate the power of each individual gamer's nostalgia for a particular title.
Secondly, I have amassed in the region of fifty Wii games, not a huge number compared to my collection of games for retro systems, you may even think that a writer for Nintendo Life should own more than fifty games for a current Nintendo system.
My point is that I have not even had the chance to buy or play Skyward Sword yet, my personal list could only be based on the titles I own, games which I have played extensively. @ThomasBW84 did a superb job of organising the strong individual opinions and preferences of the Nlife team, into a fair and representative list of twenty titles.
In the meantime, my Wii collection continues to grow, I have not been able to purchase every high-scoring Wii game released, but I will own and catch up on Skyward Sword one day. Until then, I can't comment on a game I haven't played.
Therefore, my vote is partially responsible for Twilight Princess beating Skyward Sword, after all I was 1/17th of the staff members taking part in this list. Ultimately, I stand by Twilight Princess as being a great game in it's own right, it is a quality Wii adventure as shown by the 8/10 Nlife review describing it as "a deep action/rpg experience with beautiful graphics and rewarding game play."
I am really happy with Nlife's finished list of twenty games, if you were to buy each and every one of the twenty titles mentioned, you would own a class collection of Wii games.
@fullyilly Thank you kindly, it is always brilliant to hang out with you, Mike. Cheers for taking photos on my camera too, so that I had some pictures of myself at the expo. It was an awesome day indeed, mate. Nice one! See you at the next event.
In fact, I am up for meeting as many gamers as I can when I attend an expo. I would definitely be up for saying "hello" to more gamers at next year's Play Expo.
I am JamieOretro on Twitter, so tweet me if I am attending the same event as you and you need another player to make up the numbers, for a bit of 4-player co-op or competitive gaming.
@RupeeClock I know, the huge Gunstar Heroes poster was such a brilliant memento for those guys. We were wondering how they were going to get it home, I think they had to at least take it on the bus, back to Manchester city centre.
I also saw massive screenshot posters, using the same style, of SEGA Saturn Guardian Heroes and Commodore 64 International Karate + (IK+)
@Dazza You hit the nail on the head, Daz. I actually said to Mike as we were talking at the end of the expo that I did not know where the time went. It was as though I looked at my watch at 10am and I was having so much fun, that by the time 6pm rolled around it felt like only a few hours had passed.
Put it this way, I could have spent the entire day just with the free arcade machines and candy cabs. I miss the golden days in the UK of the late '80s/ early '90s coin-op era.
Thanks muchly to the hard working guys at Replay Events.
Comments 506
Re: Site News: Nintendo Life Turns 18 Today
Huge congratulations on celebrating 18 years since Nintendo Life's first ever post this November, 2023.
I love this site — I visit it every day and I also frequently watch NLife's YouTube videos — plus I also think it's fantastic how a family of sites has been built with Pure Xbox, Push Square and Time Extension.
I look forward to congratulating Nintendo Life again on its next milestone birthday, in three years when it turns 21!
Hooray to NLife!
Re: Site News: After Our Best Year Yet, Things Are Changing Here At Nintendo Life
It's really awesome to see Tom return to Nintendo Life, as he's one of the nicest people I've met in the gaming community. Tom's already back in style as well, with his fantastic recent Talking Point called Nintendo And The Industry Needs To Get Serious About Game Preservation.
It's so uplifting to read that 2020 was Nintendo Life's best year so far, and this news article highlights how brilliantly the team is growing for the future. I look forward to reading the great content here, and visiting the YouTube channel regularly, for many years to come.
It's also cool to see Fully Illustrated with a comment above, because I loved hackin'-and-slashin' my way through Wulverblade for repeated brawler playthroughs with different characters.
Congratulations, and my best onwards and upwards wishes to Nintendo Life!
It’s Easter Monday today, so Happy Easter too.
Re: Site News: Nintendo Life Turns 15 Today
Congratulations on celebrating your fifteen-year anniversary this year, Nintendo Life!
Like many people have said above, I really love this site, because Nintendo Life has such an excellent team, from the editors, to the writers and the video staff.
Everyone involved is great, which has resulted in many years of awesome content.
Cheers to you all, hats off to the management team, and all the best for a fantastic 2021 to the site!
Re: Review: Super Mario World - Phenomenal Platforming Perfection
@Corbs Thank you for your kind words about my Super Mario World review, Corbie. It's a real compliment coming from you, because I know how much you love the SNES as a retro console.
Sorry that I'm late in replying to you, but I've only just read your comment now.
It's great to hear from you, mate. I hope that life is treating you well, and that you still gets lots of enjoyment out of retro gaming.
Cheers, from Jamie!
Re: Pilotwings - 16-bit Flight Simulation, The Nintendo Way
@PapaPedro Thanks for your response about trying to have someone inexperienced try these retro games, when they haven't played them before.
I'm a retro gamer at heart, for example I still buy print magazines including every issue of Retro Gamer, and I flick to the retro articles in magazines like EDGE and Wireframe first.
Therefore, it's natural for me to write to a retro gaming audience, but I know that Nintendo Life has a wide readership. For example, one reader mentioned to me on my recent F-Zero review that I hadn't explained clearly if Mode 7 was a SNES hardware feature, or if it was specific to the game's software code. I took it for granted that readers would be familiar with Mode 7, so like you say, I should try to consider that some gamers are viewing old games with fresh eyes.
I'm taking a similar approach with my next review of Super Tennis, so my girlfriend is helping me again. She's new to retro tennis too, so we've been playing two-player competitive games, and co-operating together in doubles matches on Switch Online. Admittedly, she's more of a casual gamer, so she needs practise at Super Tennis.
As for when it’s time for Nintendo Life to revisit The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, I'm not sure if I could ask her to take the time needed to get a deeper perspective on a larger adventure game. It would be interesting to see her fresh eyes on the puzzles and play-style, but in my mind she would be best to experience A Link to the Past for at least five hours, which is a big chunk of her time.
Cheers again for your feedback, it's appreciated, mate.
Re: Pilotwings - 16-bit Flight Simulation, The Nintendo Way
I'll check in on the comments here, if anyone has questions about my Pilotwings review.
I'm nostalgic about the SNES, so I've tried to convey how exciting it was to first learn about Nintendo's 16-bit hardware capabilities during its launch in the early 1990s.
However, I took a different approach reviewing this game. I've spent a lot of time with SNES games over the years, so for this review I asked my girlfriend to play Pilotwings for the first time on Switch Online, because I wanted to get an idea of how approachable the controls are to someone experiencing its unique gameplay from a fresh perspective.
I think that sometimes retro gamers have skills from playing games like Pilotwings and Super Mario Kart for almost thirty years, so the controls are second nature.
Nevertheless, to a brand new player who is just experiencing retro games on the Switch – perhaps someone born after the Wii was released – the way Mode 7 presents a pseudo 3D image, alongside the controls in a game like Pilotwings could take a bit of adjustment time.
Re: Review: Super Mario World - Phenomenal Platforming Perfection
@SalvorHardin Thanks mate, and you make a good point. Perhaps my confusion about saving accumulated lives came from me mixing up memories of playing the Game Boy Advance port of Super Mario World when it was first released.
**** Edit: Ha, ha, I've just booted my original Game Boy Advance cartridge and it has 253 lives saved on it for Super Mario World!
Re: Review: Super Mario World - Phenomenal Platforming Perfection
I'm a bit late arriving here with over 40 comments already posted, but if anyone has any questions, please let me know.
I actually have a question for the Nintendo Life community regarding Super Mario World.
I've owned many versions of this game over the years, and I played both my PAL SNES cartridge and the Switch Online version for this review.
Anyway, every time I played I would build up extra lives by using a technique for hoarding a limit of 99 lives. I would leave Donut Plains 1 early after collecting the Feather by pressing Start and Select, and then fly upwards in the Donut Ghost House to collect four extra lives.
However, on both my PAL SNES cartridge and the Switch Online version if I returned to a game later after saving in a Ghost House or a castle, and then if I rebooted my game, all my lives would be lost and reset to a basic amount of five lives.
Yet, I have a Mandela Effect-like memory of playing Super Mario World in the 1990s, and I half-remember the game cartridge saving my 99 lives even after I had turned my SNES console off. Perhaps I had just left my console on without resetting the lives, because I had a tendency to do that when playing games like The Addams Family: Pugsley's Scavenger Hunt
Does anyone know if there is more than one version of the Super Mario World cartridge, including a version that allowed for all of your 99 lives to be saved on the cart?
Perhaps I just have a false memory from the past.
If anyone knows, let me know. Cheers!
Re: Review: F-Zero - The Game That Sold Us Mode 7
For fans of Digital Foundry, and the UK's retro gaming magazines, the June 1991 Issue 9 of Mean Machines that I refer to here with the 90% scoring review of Super Famicom F-Zero on page 48 has an Editorial paragraph — presumably by Jaz Rignall — earlier in the magazine titled 'Who Are Those Mugs?', which states that "If you haven't already noticed, there’s a new boy in town!"
It explains that Richard Leadbetter was new to Mean Machines in Issue 9, but also details that "Leadbetter (for it is he) will be very familiar to regular readers of CVG magazine, where he has been a reviewer for yonks."
As a further tidbit for retro mag fans, the Issue 9 editorial also introduced Paul Glancey as a Mean Machines guest reviewer, saying that "CVG's Associate Editor managed to stop wiggling his joystick long enough to put together the Wrestle Wars review."
I collect old video games mags, so I'm interested in the history of how games like F-Zero were reviewed when they were first released, and about the game reviewers of the day covering the freshest new releases in a bygone era.
Re: Review: F-Zero - The Game That Sold Us Mode 7
@brandonbwii The idea is for Nintendo Life to review the 20 Switch Online SNES app games in chronological order of when they originally released on the Super Famicom or SNES.
This way the reviews can combine to provide a small history of the evolution of SNES games, and discuss how aspects like the graphics and gameplay mechanics may have improved from the launch to later games in its lifespan.
Therefore, we will get around to reviewing other SNES app games that you've mentioned. For example, Joe & Mac 2: Lost in the Tropics and Stunt Race FX both released later on in the SNES's life in 1994, so it will take a bit longer to review those games based upon the SNES's chronological release order.
Re: Review: F-Zero - The Game That Sold Us Mode 7
@retro_player_22 Yes, mate, Nintendo Life is planning to review the 20 SNES app games on Switch Online. I played lots of F-Zero on the Switch Online SNES app, so I can answer your questions in the comments.
First of all, F-Zero plays very smoothly on Switch, and yes, the Switch Online's ability to create a Suspend Point can make F-Zero considerably easier. For example, you could create a Suspend Point on every lap of Fire Field as long as you’re performing well and your Power meter is high, and then return to it if you lose a place or blow up.
The sharpest display option on Switch Online in the Pixel Perfect mode, but 4:3 is more true to the original SNES aspect ratio and the CRT Filter ‘Game screen’ scanlines option looks a bit fuzzy.
The EU version of F-Zero on Switch Online runs in 60Hz, which is always for the best, too.
Re: Review: F-Zero - The Game That Sold Us Mode 7
@sdelfin Wow, you learn something new every day!
I've been thinking for the last 27 years that throwing the Foot Soldiers out of the screen in TMNT: Turtles in Time was all handled by Mode 7 trickery.
There was even a feature in Retro Gamer magazine called 'Mode 7 Heaven' where they celebrated Turtles in Time by saying, "Though this SNES port features a great Mode 7 recreation of the arcade game's thrilling hoverboard stage, it's the Foot Soldier-towards-camera fling that stuck in our minds most."
Cheers for sharing your knowledge about the fake scaling with me, because I love learning smaller details about retro games.
Nice one, bud!
Re: Review: F-Zero - The Game That Sold Us Mode 7
@Woomy_NNYes Mode 7 is a hardware feature of the SNES that enabled it to rotate backgrounds, and to create a scaling effect, which acted as a solution to pseudo-3D console graphics in the early 1990s.
This was before the big boom in 3D polygon graphics when the 32-bit consoles arrived in the mid-1990s.
Therefore, Mode 7 made the graphics on the SNES stand out compared to the Mega Drive and PC Engine, especially for rotating tracks around in racing games, but also for hurtling towards the ground in Pilotwings, and in special effects like throwing enemies out of the screen with scaling in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time .
Re: Review: F-Zero - The Game That Sold Us Mode 7
@tendonerd Apologies if I'm explaining F-Zero control details that you already know about, but always make sure that you're holding down on the D-pad for further jumps, and much longer hang-time.
Holding down on the D-Pad is essential for the long jump in White Land II.
Combining a Super Jet 'S' speed boost, while holding down on the D-pad is lots of fun for the jump to bouncy blue arrow in the Red Canyon II shortcut, too.
Re: Review: F-Zero - The Game That Sold Us Mode 7
I imagine it's obvious from my review, but I have tons of nostalgia for F-Zero as a SNES launch game. I've been playing it lots recently, especially because it's so convenient to jump around playing the 20 classics on Switch Online's SNES app.
I've been thinking about how at first in the early 1990s I didn't approach the more simple tracks like Mute City I and Big Blue correctly. I got used to taking my finger off the acceleration, and using the shoulder button for tight corners on later tracks – I still blow up too often from the ruthless AI and Power meter damaging walls on Fire Field, by the way – but I wasn't using my three Super Jet speed boosts effectively.
I thought that the simple tracks didn't require much skill, but I remember feeling a sense of revelation on tracks like Big Blue after getting in the zone using the Fire Stingray, and keeping it at a constant top speed of 478km/h.
The trick is to unleash a Super Jet speed boost in portions of track where you don't have to lift your finger off the accelerator, so you can slide around tracks like Mute City and Big Blue at a constant 478km/h top speed for a long time. You have to make sure that you don't touch any sides, you must avoid the rough patches, and don't bump into any opponents, but it's a thrill to constantly maintain your maximum speed sweet spot.
Man, I love SNES F-Zero! I’ll keep an eye out on everyone’s comments, and check back here if anyone has any questions. Cheers!
Re: Review: Star Fox (Super Nintendo)
Today is the 20th September 2014, so it is exactly five years since my first Nintendo Life review of SNES Star Fox was published here. Consequently, this review marks my 5th anniversary of being part of the Nintendo Life team.
I remember the sense of pride that I felt when this retro review went live, and I still feel honoured to be able to write for this fine site. Big-cheers to Nintendo Life for giving me this opportunity, because I am just as appreciative now as I was five years ago.
Please excuse my self-indulgence, but wishing a 'Happy 5th NLife Anniversary' to me.
Re: Super Mario Kart SNES World Championships Race Onto The Grid on 12th August
Wishing the best of luck to @SamiCetinSMK and to any other gamers taking part in the Super Mario Kart World Championships this week. Tonight's Time Trial sounds like a real test of your nerves, especially since the opening event is a one try competition.
I have been lucky enough to see Sami's Super Mario Kart driving skills in person, and I think that it is amazing how consistent expert racers are at hurtling around courses in the SNES classic.
Have lots of fun in France this week, Sami!
Re: Mario Kart Month: A History of the Mario Kart Series - Part One
@C-Olimar There are two separate tracks called Sherbet Land in the series, just as there are a number of Mario Circuit courses, and they can be found in Mario Kart 64 and Mario Kart: Double Dash!!.
Both versions of Sherbet Land feature an ice tunnel, but they are completely different from one another, although I enjoy them equally. The two distinct tunes for both of these tracks are brilliant, I have nostalgia for the music that graced these ice circuits.
Apologies to the readers that I don't discuss more about the music and audio of the Mario Kart series in this feature, I actually love the different melodies of Mario Kart, but I focussed more on the gameplay mechanics for this article.
I discuss the GCN version of Sherbet Land, with reference to Mario Kart 8, in part two of this feature.
Re: Ninterview: Sami Cetin On His Journey To Super Mario Kart Success
@SamiCetinSMK Excellent news about improving upon two of your NTSC Time Trial records at Play Blackpool.
It was a fantastic day on the Saturday, and it sounds as though you had an equally brilliant day on the Sunday. Cheers!
Re: Ninterview: Sami Cetin On His Journey To Super Mario Kart Success
I’m really pleased with this interview, because it not only conveys @SamiCetinSMK’s passion towards Super Mario Kart, and his abundance of skill at playing it, but it also demonstrates his enthusiasm for engaging with the retro community and in sharing his knowledge of this classic game.
@FX102A I hope you got the chance to meet Sami yesterday, I had a number of quality chats with him on the Saturday of Play Blackpool, and he’s a really friendly gamer with lots of Super Mario Kart expertise to share. I was not only amazed by the extent of his driving skills, but at how incredibly consistent he is at demonstrating a number of advanced driving techniques. I definitely recommend that people take the time to meet him at future expos, like at EGX London in September, or Play Expo in October of this year.
@Kobeskillz If you get the chance, it’s worth having a read of the comments in the recent Wii U eShop Super Mario Kart review, as there’s quite a detailed discussion about how the PAL vs. NTSC comparisons are not as clear cut in this game (see comments 35, 65, 86, 87, 90, 92 and 94).
My name is credited at the top of this feature, but, as is often the case, this interview is a result of the combined effort of Nintendo Life as a team. Therefore, I want to say thank you to @Dazza for organising this one, and to @ThomasBW84 for his editorial work, and to the team for their correspondence with Sami.
Of course, I reiterate our gratitude to Sami for the zeal he has in discussing this game. Cheers to him, it was fun to hang out at his tournament stand on Saturday at Play Blackpool, and Sami has really opened my eyes to many subtle intricacies hidden within this game. Nice one!
Re: Site News: Tom Has Evolved Into A New Form: Editor Tom!
Most excellent news, very well done Tom, I’m really pleased for you. This new position is massively deserved, clearly for your work, passion towards gaming and talent, but also because you’re such a proper gent.
For example, you were one of the first gamers to share my introduction hands-on time with Wii U, and although I lost most of the lives during our early play of Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze at Eurogamer Expo 2013, you were too humble to mention that you didn’t suffer a single hit.
Nice one and big-time congratulations, Mr Whitehead!
Re: Review: Super Mario Kart (Wii U eShop / Super Nintendo)
@SamiCetinSMK Cheers for such a detailed response, I feel that I have a decent enough knowledge regarding the depths of Super Mario Kart, but your understanding of the complexities of this game goes to another level.
Your description also provides another perspective to the age-old PAL vs. NTSC debate. For example, from the changes that you’ve indicated in the feel of the turn angles and longboosting, to the way in which you approach shortcuts, hairpins, or avoid red shells, you’ve verified that it’s not always clear cut to just compare speed issues or different border sizes.
I guess over the years it has become tempting for retro gamers to overly simplify this topic with a ‘PAL is worst and NTSC is best’ attitude, I include myself in this at times, but it’s worth keeping our minds open that a PAL version can have added rewards, too.
It’s fascinating to me that you have delved so deeply into the intricacies of the PAL game, so it feels a bit like Alice tumbling down the rabbit hole to learn of so many extra game mechanics, after I’ve been playing Super Mario Kart for more than two decades. Then again, perhaps I should say it feels like a moustachioed plumber driving his kart head first into Monty Mole’s underground burrow, under the circumstances.
Thank you for sharing your expertise with us here. Nice one!
Re: Review: Super Mario Kart (Wii U eShop / Super Nintendo)
@remivir The picture is full screen in the European release of the 60Hz US Super Mario Kart on Wii U, which is most evident from the title screen, although the main gameplay area still has small borders during gameplay. Check that the Super Mario Kart title screen does not have any top or bottom borders, but don’t worry if there are slight borders during split-screen gameplay. This means that the characters do not appear as squished and chubby, as they did with the more squashed together top and bottom borders in the PAL version.
As @Andyliini explained it runs in 4:3 ratio, as a retro game built in 1992 should, because the side borders are a result of modern 16:9 widescreen TV sets. If you change your TV settings to 16:9 widescreen you will stretch out the graphics and characters.
Edit: Even if I change my TV aspect settings to 16:9, the game still runs as it is supposed to in 4:3 aspect ratio. I can use a zoom option on my TV to remove the side borders, but that is counterproductive, because the visuals in this game were drawn for a 4:3 display.
I feel that it looks clear and vibrant in 1080p on my plasma TV. Considering it’s the US version on the European Wii U Virtual Console, it’s also running at 60Hz, although this isn’t quite as relevant as it was in many other PAL SNES games. In the 1990s we often talked about a speed difference based upon a magic figure of NTSC games running at 17.5% faster, but the 50Hz PAL release of Super Mario Kart had its clock and speed modified to bring it slightly closer to the NTSC version.
My understanding is that the PAL version is still slower, but not as sluggish as PAL games that didn’t include alterations, although I have no idea of how close PAL Super Mario Kart ran in comparison to the NTSC version. I think that the clock on the PAL game may have been adjusted, so that sixty seconds in-game still translated to one minute, but I can’t confirm that. Over the past 22 years, I’ve only owned the US and Japanese Super Famicom cartridges of this game. However, my understanding is that gamers who chase track records on Super Mario Kart will understandably keep the Time Trial competitions separate between the PAL and NTSC versions. Please note, I’m not claiming to be an authority on this, I’m sure an expert like @SamiCetinSMK could explain the differences between PAL and NTSC Super Mario Kart more eloquently than I have.
Still, it’s often preferable, and a welcome inclusion, to receive the US 60Hz and full-screen NTSC version of SNES games on the European Wii U Virtual Console. Good job, Nintendo.
If anyone is interested in this topic, have a read of Talking Point: The Virtual Console's PAL Problem, which is a 2010 Nintendo Life feature that discusses these issues in regard to the Wii Virtual Console. It was a PAL problem that is repeatedly being rectified on the Wii U’s EU Virtual Console.
Re: Review: Super Mario Kart (Wii U eShop / Super Nintendo)
@unrandomsam You’re right, Super Play did not shy away from changing scores, even Super Mario Kart’s score was upgraded from Issue 1 where it scored 93%, to the PAL review in Issue 4 where it received 94%. They included different scores for each reviewer too at first, a bit like how US magazines like Electronic Gaming Monthly would have four separate scores, one for each reviewer. Their import coverage and presentation style was excellent. There have been lots of great kart racers, just like you mentioned. I’m a fan of Naughty Dog’s Crash Team Racing on PSone, and you’re spot on about Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, I think that Sumo Digital’s title was successful at including a sense of SEGA’s flamboyant arcade history to spice up that game. I only played it on Wii U and PS Vita, so I’d be interested in seeing the improvements on a PC.
@retro_player_22 That’s a good comparison, because it’s unwise of a developer to presume that Super Smash Bros. as a series is a straightforward formula to recreate, because its gameplay balance is far more complicated than it may appear. You can’t just make a colourful party fighter with lots of characters and expect a recipe of success. I guess imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, though.
@SparkOfSpirit Thank you, and I hope you guys receive the Wii U version of Super Mario Kart soon.
Re: Review: Super Mario Kart (Wii U eShop / Super Nintendo)
I’m a fan of retro gaming magazines, as much as I love the actual classic games, so I studied lots of old magazines from my collection to prepare for this review. I’ve already mentioned Super Play, and I flicked through the first five issues of that gem, but I also read reviews in Nintendo Magazine System, as well as Computer and Video Games (CVG). The interesting thing about CVG was that I read their review first, and they were clearly impressed as they scored it 96/100. The Super Mario Kart review was in CVG Issue 133, from December 1992, and it had a stunning piece of Super Star Wars X-wing artwork on its cover.
However, I was reading a much later CVG, Issue 211 from June 1999, just because that’s what I do for fun, and I found a Mario Kart reference that highlighted the impact of this series, all those years ago. There was a review of PSone Bomberman Fantasy Race, which scored a paltry 1/5, and Ed Lomas opened it by stating that “Thanks to Super Mario Kart, overused game licenses always have the option of coming back as cartoony racers”.
It struck me that the legacy of Super Mario Kart was not just that it laid the groundwork for quality game mechanics in its own series, but it created a sub-genre that other developers wanted to mimic. The trouble was that the idea of simply sticking a few reasonably well liked third-party characters into a go-kart was never enough. Nintendo created a kingdom as a setting, and mascots that were some of the most famous icons in the industry. However, the gameplay was still tight, well crafted, and you could rely on it to be fun.
I guess that many developers have been taught over time that it’s not as easy as it seems to churn out a kart racer.
Re: Review: Super Mario Kart (Wii U eShop / Super Nintendo)
@Nintenjoe64 and @fluggy My understanding of the term ‘rubber banding’ is of an invisible rubber band between the leaders in a racing game, and those who are struggling at the back. When a rubber band system is in place, the AI players actually become faster when you are in front. Yet, you can lap CPU characters repeatedly in Super Mario Kart, so in my eyes it does not have a rubber band difficulty balancing system.
I agree that the AI racers in Super Mario Kart are frustratingly aggressive, especially in 150cc Special Cup. In a single-player GP, all seven CPU opponents will deliberately try to knock you off the bridge in Donut Plains 3, or bump you off the sides of Ghost Valley 3 and Rainbow Road. I also agree that the AI characters are cheap too, as they have special individual abilities with unlimited effect that the player does not have access to, like Bowser’s fireball and Yoshi’s eggs.
Yet, if you speed boost past the CPU at the start line, you can have a perfect run, and lap the AI racers, even in 150cc. You can also learn their set route and aim attacks at them from the front of the pack. For example, if you know exactly where to leave a banana before the speed jump in Mario Circuit 2, from first position you can send the second place CPU AI to the back of the pack, because they won’t make the jump.
@placidcasual and @James1993 Cheers for your kind comments.
Re: Review: Super Mario Kart (Wii U eShop / Super Nintendo)
@TimCredible Ha ha, well done for discovering this, I just booted Super Mario Kart while holding button 2 down on my Wii Remote, and it brings up the message "As there are not enough buttons, you may have to change the button links in Controller Setttings".
The default Wii Remote controls are for button 1 to accelerate and button 2 to select and fire weapons/ items. You can then go to Controller Settings, and set up the B button to hop. You just need to set the B button up to take the place of an L or R shoulder button. It's not ideal, but you can hop and drift using the Wii Remote in Wii U Super Mario Kart. The D-pad is small, but functional, plus the acceleration and items buttons work just fine.
Thanks again! It never actually occurred to me to play SNES Super Mario Kart using a Wii Remote before. It means that gamers who don't have a spare Wii U Pro Controller or Classic Controller Pro can still play a two-player game. Just make sure the most skilled player has the disadvantage of hopping using the B button on the Wii Remote. The more the merrier!
Re: Review: Super Mario Kart (Wii U eShop / Super Nintendo)
@TimCredible Apologies, I never even tried to test Super Mario Kart with a Wii Remote for this review, I played with a GamePad and Wii U Pro Controller. I based my answer to the question above on the eShop’s description page for Super Mario Kart, where it lists the Wii Remote as an optional controller. However, I think that this list must refer more to a general criterion for Wii U Virtual Console games, although I noted it down from the Super Mario Kart eShop section. I just tried to play with the Wii Remote and I got the same message of "This game cannot be played with a Wii Remote", which makes sense under the circumstances due to a lack of shoulder buttons. Sorry about that, I'll add an edit to my comment above to avoid confusion.
Re: Review: Super Mario Kart (Wii U eShop / Super Nintendo)
The feature that @SamiCetinSMK has mentioned here is excellent, it's called A Look At the Super Mario Kart (SNES) World Championship 2014 and it recently went live.
I definitely recommend that Super Mario Kart fans check it out, because it has some brilliant videos of skilled players, a cool Mario against Bowser ‘Battle Mode’ image for the poster, and lots of details about the event. Great stuff!
Re: Feature: A Look At the Super Mario Kart (SNES) World Championship 2014
@SamiCetinSMK Thank you, but the time I posted on the Wii U review comments board was after a very long session where I beat every GP from 50cc to 150cc in succession to test the Wii U release. That's a very long warm-up period before I went to Time Trial, plus I was just chilling with my girlfriend, with no pressure. I was still inconsistent and all over the road, repeatedly hitting the retry option, and the time was still far away from a record. I don't think I'd enjoy being a contender in something like this, as much as I’d like to watch the real masters as an observer. I'd play just for fun, of course!
I enjoy Mario Kart Super Circuit on GameBoy Advance, too. I had no idea that the blue spark technique was in SNES Super Mario Kart. It's incredible that I'm still learning new things about the SNES game 22 years later. Thanks for sharing your knowledge!
Re: Feature: A Look At the Super Mario Kart (SNES) World Championship 2014
This feature is brilliant, everything from the skill on display, with a sense of community, to the artwork and font used in the poster is fantastic.
@SamiCetinSMK I've also been watching the video of your amazing 0'57"90 Mario Circuit 1 time from the PAL version during Christmas time. The way in which you hop as Donkey Kong Jr and just skim across the dirt is stunning. I can't drive like that, I need to stay on the smooth tarmac, because if I hit the rough surface I miscalculate my control and lose speed. It reminds me a little bit of skipping around the edges of the water in Vanilla Lake 2, but even when I do that, I don't take many risks. You seem to time each hop so you leave the tarmac just late enough to only glance against the gravel.
Fair play, this is definitely the sort of thing I'd enjoy watching and observing as an audience member. I'm not that competitive as a gamer in general, but I practise enough Super Mario Kart to appreciate the skill that goes into driving like this.
Re: Review: Super Mario Kart (Wii U eShop / Super Nintendo)
@Dreamcaster-X Good point, I really should try and get hold of a classic Super Famicom controller for using on my Wii U. I bought a Hori pad that was a similar shape, but with the GameCube's layout of buttons, many years ago. I used it on my GameCube for retro compilations, but it wasn't ideal.
Re: Review: Super Mario Kart (Wii U eShop / Super Nintendo)
@YoshiTails Yes, two-player works with Wii U Super Mario Kart. Two people can race in a GP against six CPU controlled characters, or in a one-on-one Match Race. There is also a two-player Battle Mode, where you use items like red or green shells, and an invincibility star to burst three balloons, which rotate around your friend’s kart. Battle Mode is the only part of the SNES game where you can collect a ghost item, to steal your friend’s weapons.
I played two-player with my girlfriend using the Wii U GamePad as player one, and a Wii U Pro Controller as player two. I had to set up a Wii Remote as my first controller, even though I wasn't using it, because this is the easiest way for the Wii U to recognise the Wii U Pro Controller as player two. It’s also possible to use a Classic Controller Pro, but I did not test this.
The eShop lists the Wii Remote as an optional controller, where it lists the Wii Remote and Classic Controller Pro together. Presumably you have to plug your Classic Controller Pro into your Wii Remote.
The GamePad, Wii U Pro Controller and Classic Controller Pro all have a button layout and shoulder buttons that are relatively similar to a SNES pad, in comparison to a Wii Remote, at least. I hope that helps!
**** Final Edit: Please see comment 50: You can use the Wii Remote to control player two in Wii U Super Mario Kart. First of all hold down button 2 on the Wii Remote when you're first selecting Super Mario Kart on the Wii U home screen. The default Wii Remote controls are for button 1 to accelerate and button 2 to select and fire weapons/ items. You can then go to Controller Settings, and set up the B button to be able to hop, which is harder due to a lack of shoulder buttons, but it just about works.****
Re: Review: Super Mario Kart (Wii U eShop / Super Nintendo)
@antonvaltaz Thank you for that, what a completely sound thing to say!
As an example of how the tracks in Super Mario Kart have been re-explored as retro courses in subsequent Mario Kart games, here’s a list of classic tracks from the original that featured in its sequels:
The GameBoy Advance game Mario Kart: Super Circuit had extra cups that could be unlocked, which included all twenty of the SNES tracks as a bonus. The only trouble is that many of these courses don’t feel as satisfying in games that didn’t have the feather item to take advantage of their clever shortcuts. The SNES tracks are also shorter, so their flow can feel unusual in the context of later games, and sometimes the placement of speed boost arrows has been altered or removed.
In some videos for Mario Kart 8 there is also a track that resembles Mario Circuit, but it has been flipped around and broken into segments to allow for the new game’s anti-gravity mechanics. It’s not necessarily from a SNES version of Mario Circuit, but it looks purely ace to me.
Re: Review: Super Mario Kart (Wii U eShop / Super Nintendo)
I found the GamePad to be great for Time Trial mode, because I was able to settle down with Off-TV Play Super Mario Kart, and still keep the telly free, so my girlfriend could watch The Great Gatsby on Blu-ray. Also, the option of reloading my Ghost using the ‘Create Restore Point’ on Wii U was useful for following my best route around the track, so I could return to beat my times, even if my top initial Donkey Kong Jr meander of 1’03”77 on Mario Circuit 1 is not going to break any records (my first play’s best Mario Circuit 1 lap was 0’12”56).
Like @NImH mentioned, the SNES pad felt very natural for Super Mario Kart, because it was so comfortable towards building a flow in a race, especially when using the shoulder buttons to bounce around corners.
However, I was completely happy hopping into and out-of a power slide using the bulkier Wii U GamePad. I played an abundance of two-player GP and Battle Mode against my girlfriend for this review too, and the Wii U Pro Controller felt nice, as an alternative for gamers who find the GamePad a bit chunky. You can even control your kart with the analogue stick, but the D-pad is far more accurate in this game.
Re: Review: Super Mario Kart (Wii U eShop / Super Nintendo)
To put it simply, SNES Super Mario Kart is one of my favourite games of all time. I agree with @BigBluePanda, it has a definite spot in my top five games list, and it’s a prime contender for the number one slot. My friends and I played it huge amounts during its first release, starting with when I imported the NTSC US cartridge during Christmas 1992, which means over the last 22 years it may be the game that I have put the greatest amount of hours into.
The friendly competition was superb, not just in two-player GP races, but also Battle Mode and with rivalry over our fastest track times. I remember when I was studying during the summer of 1993, I borrowed my American SNES to my best friend, and he wiped the floor with my Time Trial records for Mario Circuit 1 and Ghost Valley 1. His times were awesome for the day, I wish I could see them again, but sadly my US cartridge has gone astray.
I still own my Super Famicom version, which I bought much later on, because I like the colourful red and yellow Japanese manual/ box art. As far as I’m concerned, replaying Super Mario Kart on Wii U epitomises how the gameplay in a retro video game can remain relevant, and age gracefully over time.
Re: Ninterview: The NES Club and an Epic Collector's Quest
Wow, The NES Club sounds like a speed-run of an NES collect-a-thon, but without taking any short cuts. For Jay Bartlett and Rob McCallum to embark on this quest, with a tenet to only travel to shops and auctions, without any online purchases, makes their achievement even more impressive.
It makes sense for them to not include contest or unofficial games, the 678 licensed game target within 30 days is challenging enough. I like the approach that Jay advised of preserving boxes, looking for mint manuals and wherever possible cleaning-up the condition of a purchase, too. Good luck with the final chapter of this journey.
I also think the point Rob makes about the NES being a universal system in North America, which by skipping brand allegiance kept its focus on the games, is an engaging line of thought. We didn’t have that perspective with the NES in the UK, because the popularity of home computers meant that competition in the late 1980s era was prevalent with brand devotion towards Commodore Amiga and Atari ST here, before you even factor in the console gamers playing a SEGA Master System or NES. The NES was popular, but I recall that its staggered European release meant that Mattel didn’t deliver it to UK gamers until 1987, and this later entry meant that it was not nearly as supreme in the UK.
I look forward to watching The NES Club documentary, so I hope the physical version of this film becomes available in the UK. Fair play to collectors like this, it’s amazing what people can achieve when they set a target and think outside the box. Even if Jay didn’t manage to buy all 678 NTSC licensed games, driving 10,000 miles for 30 days straight on a mission to collect retro games is still an insane accomplishment. Insanely awesome!
Re: Ninterview: Aaron "NintendoTwizer" Norton and the Ultimate Retro Collection
One of the things that I take away from reading a feature like this, apart from the massive number of games, is the way in which a collection can feel more valued and appreciated when it's neatly organised and presented. Space is always an issue for me, and while @NintendoTwizer says the same thing, the photographs show that the presentation of Aaron’s collection is immaculate.
It looks like a perfect room to chill out in, especially with the bright hardware hues of systems like N64 and Game Boy Color displayed together. In comparison my retro games and classic magazines are scattered in separate rooms, or gathered away in boxes. Some are stored like clutter, so they're not given a chance to shine.
I mainly aim for boxed games, with instructions, and for this reason I also like the Neo Geo Pocket Color. Alongside the Mega Drive and SEGA Master System, the Neo Geo Pocket Color is a practical system, because its games are protected by plastic clamshell cases. I can definitely appreciate the idea of buying loose cartridges, though. They save space, and provide the core gameplay experience, which is the fundamental purpose of a retro game.
The numbers that Aaron is talking about here are stunning in any case, 5,200 total games is a jaw-dropping figure, and he also has a large number of boxed games. I'm satisfied if I reach a total of 100 games for a console, sometimes I only aim for 50 titles as a target for certain systems.
If I ever find time, I'd love to keep a spreadsheet with all of the specific details of my collection. One day I'll have more space to re-organise my hoard, and take inspiration from retro gamers like Aaron, by giving more care and thought to how I display everything together.
I really enjoy these articles on different collections, January's Stepping Into The Nintendo Arcade Ninterview was fascinating, too. Top job, @Dazza.
Re: Feature: A Weekend With Pikmin 3
@C-Olimar Like any lad growing up in the 1980s I often read the Beano, more than the Dandy, although I must admit that I don't have a massive amount of knowledge regarding the exact contents of my old comics today. The reason I mentioned the Dandy was as a direct nod to my childhood, I was deliberately recalling an annual called 'The Dandy Book 1984', because I remember how pleased I was to receive it as a present. It had a red cover, which showed Bully Beef aiming a water pistol at Korky the Cat, who had his foot on a football.
At this point my memories could have become mixed up, especially as I no longer have the annual to hand, but I have a recollection of The Numskulls appearing in that specific book. Is it possible that The Numskulls appeared in my 1984 Dandy annual as a guest comic strip, as a group of little visitors from the Beezer? Sorry if I have confused two sets of memories, I may have merged my nostalgia of 1980s comics with one particular Dandy book.
The point I intended to make is that there is a sense of innocence in Pikmin 3, which is most obviously displayed in the actions of the Pikmin, and this trait is expanded through the conversations between the game's space explorers. Therefore, the depiction of characters in the game, as well as the way it unravels a world that is larger than life, viewed through a camera that places the tiny heroes in the thick of nature's majesty, all combined to remind me of being a kid.
I was also taking into account that there have been reports in the past about how Shigeru Miyamoto has been influenced by his childhood experiences, as well as his enjoyment of gardening, so this may reflect upon some aspects of Miyamoto's game development, especially as he worked as producer on Pikmin 3.
Re: Review: Pikmin 3 (Wii U)
Welcome Pikmin 3, and many thanks to the li'l alien guys and gals from PNF-404 for watering the Wii U's garden, meaning that the Wii U retail game drought is finally over.
Bring on boxed versions of New Super Luigi U (Fri.26 July 2013, UK), The Wonderful 101 (Fri.23 Aug 2013, UK), and Rayman Legends (Fri.30 Aug 2013, UK) next!
I've ordered this now, so it'll be arriving at some time close to Friday 26th July, we're lucky in the UK to get a number of these Wii U games slightly earlier than the US.
I'm going to juggle Pikmin 3 with Mario & Luigi: Dream Team Bros. and EarthBound over the next few weeks, which is unusual for me, because I'm a bit more of an arcadey, fast racer, speedy platformer, run-and-gun and beat-'em-up kind of gamer.
After reading this review, I will focus on Pikmin 3's relaxed pacing through the story mode first. I'm sticking with Wii Remote pointer controls too, plus it's great to read high praise about the visuals here. I am definitely a fan of the game's depiction of natural environments and rural landscapes.
A rockin' review, @MegaWatts. Rock-on, Rock Pikmin!
Re: Soapbox: The 8-Bit Era Laid the Groundwork, but Modern Day Progress Shouldn't be Discounted
I settled down to read this feature, I often find that a Sunday evening is a great time to catch-up on Nintendo Life articles that have caught my eye, which I did not get chance to read during the weekend.
I definitely wasn't expecting to find a personal compliment about my attitude towards enjoying a mixture of retro and modern games, though. @ThomasBW84, you are such a gent! It was lots of fun sharing time between both the retro section and the Wii U booth at Eurogamer expo 2012
This feature is completely spot-on, it doesn't matter if you are familiar with a game from playing it on the day of its original release, or twenty years later as a digital download, it is your individual experience and enjoyment of it that matters. It is the joy, laughter and happiness the game brings to you that are important, wonderful nostalgia can be created from playing a game, but these memories are not confined to a narrow window of a title's first launch.
I find my appreciation of great games is widespread, I hold Super Mario Galaxy 2 in the same high esteem as Super Mario World, I admire Sin and Punishment: Successor of the Skies as much as Space Harrier, and I'm sure I will sing the praises of Mario Kart 8 as much as I do with Super Mario Kart.
An awesome game is an awesome game regardless of when it was released. I embrace nostalgia and I often wear rose tinted glasses, but I am not blinkered or negatively presumptuous that the golden era of gaming has passed and it's all downhill from here.
2013 is a most excellent time to be a gamer, I'm massively excited for the future of both 3DS and Wii U, plus I'm confident that gaming will constantly deliver new gameplay gems and treasures to revere.
I also welcome the idea that it's worth considering retro and contemporary games as having a different style to each other, with respect given to the technology available at the time. In that sense we celebrate the games that are stylish, not just in an audio/ visual context, but in their flair for creativity and imagination.
Thanks loads Tom, a perceptive and thought-provoking piece, I really appreciate the complimentary nod in my direction. Sorry for getting mushy, but your comment actually just made my day. Big cheers!
Re: Review: Mario & Luigi: Dream Team (3DS)
I really like the sentence "Dream Team brings the crazy, which is a relief", as it sums up the promotional videos I have seen for this title perfectly. Tilt controlled special attacks that work brilliantly too, does the marvellous madness in this game never end?
In regard to the 40 odd hours of gameplay length, my only slight apprehension is that I might buy this and then struggle to find the time to complete it, as I already have a sizeable backlog of games. Finding spare gaming time for longer titles is a bit of an unforeseeable luxury for me at the moment.
You have definitely piqued my interest in Mario & Luigi: Dream Team though, @ThomasBW84. As your introduction examines, I hope this game gets the attention it deserves, the 2013 3DS release calendar is already packed with finery and splendour. Cheers!
Re: Site News: Nintendo Life - AKA Mario & Luigi - Runs for GamesAid
Fair play Tom and Ant, I get shattered after running 5KM non-stop, so 10KM through cobbled streets of Edinburgh is a decent length, especially in Mario and Luigi suits.
I hope that there are plenty of Coin Blocks between now and 14th July, perhaps even the Gold Blocks from New Super Mario Bros. 2, spitting out donations for GamesAid.
Wishing you the very best of luck!
Re: Feature: Hands-On With 16-bit RPG Pier Solar
I am not just lucky to get the chance to write for Nintendo Life, but I have also been visiting the site as reader for years and it is retro coverage like this that made me buzz off this site in the first place.
This feature is as charming as the idea of having a brand new game on an old, 'put out to pasture' console. Reading this reminds me of how I get excited when NG:DEV.TEAM release a new game on Dreamcast, it is magical that developers like WaterMelon breathe fresh life into our favourite antique consoles.
I love the paragraph about how WaterMelon were able to take advantage of advancements in the megabit storage capacity of a 16-bit game cartridge, which as retro gamers know so well, should not be confused with a megabyte. I was never good at maths, but gaming taught me to always remember that there are eight megabits in every one megabyte.
@Damo and @MakeMyBiscuit are spot-on when they highlight how an elegantly presented CIB (Cartridge, Instructions, Box) physical release adds to the enjoyment of investing in a game like Pier Solar.
The photographs are the icing on the cake, a delightful feature by Nlife’s retro gaming connoisseur, Mr McFerran.
Re: Feature: Nintendo Life's Top 20 Wii Games
@Cranky Like any gamer, I’m sure that Nintendo Life’s staff members have their radar tuned into top-scoring games, 10/10 games certainly grab my attention. One thing to consider regarding Rayman Origins is that a number of staff members for Nintendo Life also write for Push Square and own a variety of different current generation systems. I personally chose to focus on voting for Wii exclusives, for example @NintendoLand noticed this trend in comment 126. I know that many staff members of Nintendo Life are huge fans of Rayman Origins, I have spoken to them about it, but they may have actually completed it on PS3 or PS Vita. It does look particularly sumptuous on more powerful systems, which have greater graphical grunt than the Wii.
@Sfzorzando I can respond to your question 'How much does Nintendo pay you guys to suck up to them?', but from my own personal experience, if it helps:
@ThomasBW84 gathered the team together and set us off to select our own individual and personal Top 20 choices of favoured Wii games. The main stipulation was that Virtual Console games were not to be included in this list. We responded diversely and some staff members placed third-party games in high places. As I am a fan of retro gaming, I personally included third-party retro arcade compilations like SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1, Metal Slug Anthology and Data East Arcade Classics. He then added up the results and worked out the points, which highlighted how our choices were repeated, accumulating the total points for fair placement of each game’s position in the Top 20.
Tom explains this clearly in the feature, but I can assure you that there is no conspiracy here. Were you really surprised that exclusive Nintendo developed Wii games featured so consistently in our independent votes? It’s not really a secret that Nintendo’s first-party output is such a strong part of the Wii’s overall library. Sorry if the truth is a more mundane explanation of how this Top 20 was organised and compiled.
Re: Feature: Nintendo Life's Top 20 Wii Games
I think that one thing I can take from reading the comments on this feature, is that we all feel passionately about our personal favourite games and the Wii has built a quality library of much-loved titles.
There was no way that all of the classic Wii games could be included in a list of twenty games, below are the games that I compiled as my choice of personal Wii favourites for this list, which did not make the top twenty:
Just because these games did not make the final list, it does not stop them from being excellent Wii games and it doesn't detract from the quality of the titles in the final list.
Re: Feature: Nintendo Life's Top 20 Wii Games
In regard to The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess featuring above Skyward Sword, I hold my hands up as one of the Nlife staff members who voted for Twilight Princess and I actually did not include Skyward Sword in my list.
My reasoning was logical enough, I have an abundance of nostalgia for Twilight Princess, because it was one of the very first games I played on Wii during the launch window, I played it for a good portion of Christmas Day 2006 and over the Christmas holidays and I do not underestimate the power of each individual gamer's nostalgia for a particular title.
Secondly, I have amassed in the region of fifty Wii games, not a huge number compared to my collection of games for retro systems, you may even think that a writer for Nintendo Life should own more than fifty games for a current Nintendo system.
My point is that I have not even had the chance to buy or play Skyward Sword yet, my personal list could only be based on the titles I own, games which I have played extensively. @ThomasBW84 did a superb job of organising the strong individual opinions and preferences of the Nlife team, into a fair and representative list of twenty titles.
In the meantime, my Wii collection continues to grow, I have not been able to purchase every high-scoring Wii game released, but I will own and catch up on Skyward Sword one day. Until then, I can't comment on a game I haven't played.
Therefore, my vote is partially responsible for Twilight Princess beating Skyward Sword, after all I was 1/17th of the staff members taking part in this list. Ultimately, I stand by Twilight Princess as being a great game in it's own right, it is a quality Wii adventure as shown by the 8/10 Nlife review describing it as "a deep action/rpg experience with beautiful graphics and rewarding game play."
I am really happy with Nlife's finished list of twenty games, if you were to buy each and every one of the twenty titles mentioned, you would own a class collection of Wii games.
Re: Events: Play Expo - A Day of Bitmaps, Digital Sumos, Wii U and Pac-Man Vs. Ghosts
There are photographs that relate really well to this feature, they are posted on Nintendo Life's Facebook page as a 'Play Expo 2012' Photo Album now.
If you look closely at the right of this ZombiU screen, you can see a reflection of Luigi in this picture.
This photo of a Konami coin-op has the awesome tagline "V for Vendetta".
Re: Events: Play Expo - A Day of Bitmaps, Digital Sumos, Wii U and Pac-Man Vs. Ghosts
@fullyilly Thank you kindly, it is always brilliant to hang out with you, Mike. Cheers for taking photos on my camera too, so that I had some pictures of myself at the expo. It was an awesome day indeed, mate. Nice one! See you at the next event.
In fact, I am up for meeting as many gamers as I can when I attend an expo. I would definitely be up for saying "hello" to more gamers at next year's Play Expo.
I am JamieOretro on Twitter, so tweet me if I am attending the same event as you and you need another player to make up the numbers, for a bit of 4-player co-op or competitive gaming.
Re: Events: Play Expo - A Day of Bitmaps, Digital Sumos, Wii U and Pac-Man Vs. Ghosts
@RupeeClock I know, the huge Gunstar Heroes poster was such a brilliant memento for those guys. We were wondering how they were going to get it home, I think they had to at least take it on the bus, back to Manchester city centre.
I also saw massive screenshot posters, using the same style, of SEGA Saturn Guardian Heroes and Commodore 64 International Karate + (IK+)
@Dazza You hit the nail on the head, Daz. I actually said to Mike as we were talking at the end of the expo that I did not know where the time went. It was as though I looked at my watch at 10am and I was having so much fun, that by the time 6pm rolled around it felt like only a few hours had passed.
Put it this way, I could have spent the entire day just with the free arcade machines and candy cabs. I miss the golden days in the UK of the late '80s/ early '90s coin-op era.
Thanks muchly to the hard working guys at Replay Events.