@progx True, but readership of a dedicated fan site like this is hardly representative of the wider Nintendo audience. Judging by other discussions, I get the impression that there are proportionately far more Steam Deck (& other handheld PC) owners among the NL audience than the wider population.
No real comment on the article itself as I've never had / used a Steam Deck (different strokes indeed) but it's great to see @CasuallyDressed back on the Nintendo Life team - I remember when he was the videos man, before even Alex!
Blimey... I just had my 3DS XL (not 'New' repaired by Nintendo UK because of a broken hinge... although as far as I can see they just replaced it with a (presumably refurbished) model! Cost me £80 including delivery costs, but independent repairers were around the same or more.
@Coffeemonstah I should hope so... the PC Engine version is the definitive version, which others are conversions of (it was never released in the arcades).
My theory is that, given they’ll have to go through a Christmas season with everyone aware that a new console is coming early 2025, they’ll slash the price of the original Switch models and probably launch a new ‘Nintendo Selects’ style budget priced range of game re-releases ahead of Christmas.
Agree with all the comments about Master System versions (but don't expect to see them added, as they were much less familiar to audiences in Japan and North America).
But the thing that really surprises me is that they are adding all the Game Gear games but leaving out several Mega Drive/Genesis Sega related games. No MD/Gen version of Sonic Spinball or Dr Robotnik? And no Sonic 3D Blast?
Admittedly none of those are exactly classics, but if you're putting together a "definitive" 8/16-bit Sonic collection, it seems strange to leave them out, especially given how they already have emulators for all modern systems ready to go, it should be little to no effort...
@AmplifyMJ Hope you get it soon. I pre-ordered it too, for my son as a Christmas present, only arrived today (Tuesday 24th) even though it was sent on Thursday 19th. It came by Royal Mail which is pretty unpredictable at the moment...
@OorWullie Perhaps they could start with re-releasing the Rebirth trilogy by M2 on WiiWare, they'd be a great fit for the Switch eShop at the right price...
“the pioneer of the Japanese video game industry, TAITO Corporation, will return to the western console market after around a decade.”
I’m so excited for this - after Nintendo, I think Taito were my favourite publishers back in the day. Loved the WiiWare “Plus” games they released, hoping they’ll get rereleased too...
@LavaTwilight They were officially licensed by Sega, but Sega didn't really have much to do with their production, it seems they just let AtGames get on with it, without much (if any) quality control. Whereas these ones are developed by / in close conjunction with Sega themselves, and M2 are handling the emulation, who are generally considered one of the very best companies operating in this area.
So that's why some people are really hyped for it.
@Liam_Doolan "Sato confessed the team simply wanted to create a game console that could beat the Super Famicom"
Do you mean the Famicom? The Mega Drive was launched two years before the Super Famicom, how could it be designed to compete against something which didn't exist yet?
@Kilroy They changed their name after Miami Chase, but it was the same creative team of Rico Holmes, Andreas Tadic, Stefan Boberg, Allister Brimble and Martyn Brown who developed all the earliest games (Full Contact, Project-X, Alien Breed, Superfrog, etc).
I guess Assassin was their first externally-developed game, right at the end of 1992.
@ryancraddock Team 17 didn't begin as a publisher, they began as a developer. In fact their first title, Miami Chase, was published by Code Masters. Then they self-published some of their own games (e.g. Alien Breed, Superfrog and Project-X) before publishing other groups' work - like, as you say, Super Stardust by Bloodhouse (as Housemarque were then known, before they'd merged with Terramarque).
I think my favourite would have to be Bitmap Books' 'Sinclair ZX Spectrum: A Visual Compendium'. I also have the SNES and Amiga books in that series (which are also excellent), but the Speccy one pips the post for me because:
(a) the computer has a special place in my heart, it was the only games machine I had until I got a Game Boy in 1991 at the age of 10 (and my only home system until a Master System the following year);
(b) the bright vibrant simple colours just look amazing with whatever fancy printing techniques they used.
Soooo pleased about this. I saw somewhere recently that they'd be announcing their new book soon, and I was secretly hoping it would be the Master System, but was guessing it wouldn't be as it hardly gets any retro attention, due to its lack of success in the US I guess.
Growing up I had a ZX Spectrum, then a Master System, then an Amiga. Now I'll have Bitmap Books for all three!
(The other books I have are gorgeous, also have the SNES one which I just got, as I used to play on my friends' SNESs all the time...)
Briefly excited when I saw that Very's website had changed to indicate they were in stock. Put it in my basket, added delivery info, clicked on the link to add credit card info... and got the message that it was now out of stock again and had been removed from my basket! Grrr...
(Now their website again indicates they are back out of stock).
Comments 238
Re: Nintendo To Officially Launch eShop In Taiwan
Does Japan recognise Taiwan as a state?
Re: EA Sports FC 26 Brings A New Season To Switch 2 This September
@PapaMurphy I had never heard of kabaddi before now, and now I am in danger of becoming obsessed...
Re: Boulder Dash 40th Anniversary Smashes Onto Switch This Summer
@Rentaro @World I just wishlisted it on Deku Deals, where there are more screenshots - and it does indeed look like there are retro mode options.
Re: Best Nintendo Switch Strategy Games
@dartmonkey The bit about NSO at the end needs updating with the addition of those four Koei strategy games for the SNES a little while back.
Re: Nintendo Confirms Upgrade Pack Price For More 'Switch 2 Edition' Titles
@progx True, but readership of a dedicated fan site like this is hardly representative of the wider Nintendo audience. Judging by other discussions, I get the impression that there are proportionately far more Steam Deck (& other handheld PC) owners among the NL audience than the wider population.
Re: Opinion: Steam Deck Fans Are Seriously Underestimating The Switch 2
No real comment on the article itself as I've never had / used a Steam Deck (different strokes indeed) but it's great to see @CasuallyDressed back on the Nintendo Life team - I remember when he was the videos man, before even Alex!
Re: Final Fantasy 9 Remake Hopes Rise As Square Enix Teases Anniversary Projects
@Olliemar28 Just to be the pedant… in the last paragraph you wrote “Square Enix committed to a plan in 2014…”. That should presumably be 2024?
Re: Nintendo Runs Out Of Replacement Parts For 2DS Systems And New 3DS LL, Ends Repairs In Japan
Blimey... I just had my 3DS XL (not 'New' repaired by Nintendo UK because of a broken hinge... although as far as I can see they just replaced it with a (presumably refurbished) model! Cost me £80 including delivery costs, but independent repairers were around the same or more.
Re: Rainbow Island Sequel 'Parasol Stars' Finally Gets Modern Console Release For Bargain Price
@Coffeemonstah I should hope so... the PC Engine version is the definitive version, which others are conversions of (it was never released in the arcades).
Re: Capcom Announces New Digital Showcase Featuring Monster Hunter Stories And More
Just saw that Arcade1Up are releasing a machine with Capcom's '90s X-Men and Marvel games, to mark the launch of X-Men '97 on Disney+ this month.
Too much to hope that it will also be available as a collection for consoles? That would be a killer "And finally..."
Re: Talking Point: If 'Switch 2' Isn't Coming Until 2025, What's Nintendo Got Up Its Sleeve This Year?
My theory is that, given they’ll have to go through a Christmas season with everyone aware that a new console is coming early 2025, they’ll slash the price of the original Switch models and probably launch a new ‘Nintendo Selects’ style budget priced range of game re-releases ahead of Christmas.
Re: Jurassic Park: Classic Games Collection Launches Later This Month On Switch
Where's the Amiga/DOS version?!
Re: SNES Racer Series Top Gear Is Being Revived As A Switch Collection In 2024
I doubt anyone will be reading this now, but there’s a lot of misinformation regarding this series and the earlier Lotus series on the Amiga.
They weren’t made by the same people - the Lotus trilogy was developed by Magnetic Fields (Shaun Southern and Andrew Morris) and published by Gremlin.
This series may have been inspired by the Lotus trilogy, but it was developed by Gremlin, in-house, and published by Kemco.
The only connecting thread was the Barry Leitch soundtrack, which of course also links Horizon Chase Turbo.
Re: Flashback 2 Looks Ahead To November Release With New Story Trailer
Yeah... just hoping it doesn't follow in the footsteps of the 2013 Flashback "reimagining". (shudder...)
Re: Feature: What's The Best Version Of Street Fighter II On Nintendo Systems?
Aren't pretty much all the arcade versions available on the Switch via various Capcom collections? Wouldn't they be the definitive versions?
Re: Talking Point: Which Other Mega Man Games Could Come To Switch?
What about the Game Boy games?
Re: Tiny Thor Nails Pixel Art Platforming And Puzzles In Stunning New Trailer
@Axelay71 Perhaps because the graphics are by Henk Nieborg, who worked on Lionheart, Ambermoon/Amberstar, Flink etc
Re: Review: Lunark - The Love Letter The Cinematic Platforming Genre Deserves
Looking at the screenshots, Managing to do a whole review of this game without mentioning Flashback once seems quite an achievement!
Re: Sonic Origins Plus Officially Announced For June, Adds Amy And 12 Game Gear Games
Agree with all the comments about Master System versions (but don't expect to see them added, as they were much less familiar to audiences in Japan and North America).
But the thing that really surprises me is that they are adding all the Game Gear games but leaving out several Mega Drive/Genesis Sega related games. No MD/Gen version of Sonic Spinball or Dr Robotnik? And no Sonic 3D Blast?
Admittedly none of those are exactly classics, but if you're putting together a "definitive" 8/16-bit Sonic collection, it seems strange to leave them out, especially given how they already have emulators for all modern systems ready to go, it should be little to no effort...
Re: Exclusive: 'Tiny Thor', A Gorgeous 16-Bit-Style Platformer, Announced For Switch
I love Henk Nieborg’s stuff! Sign me up!
Re: Jaleco's Rod Land Is Your Next Arcade Archives Release On Switch
I love this game!
Re: Nintendo Might Be Scraping The Barrel With Dr. Mario World's Latest Character
As no-one else has said it yet... medical doctors don't have PhDs!
(Well they might, but it would have nothing to do with their medical training / qualifications...)
Re: Hyrule Warriors: Age Of Calamity Is Already The Best-Selling Warriors Game Of All Time
@AmplifyMJ Hope you get it soon. I pre-ordered it too, for my son as a Christmas present, only arrived today (Tuesday 24th) even though it was sent on Thursday 19th. It came by Royal Mail which is pretty unpredictable at the moment...
Re: First Impressions: Jurassic World Evolution: Complete Edition On Switch
My 8 year old is desperate for this. I wouldn’t usually let him play a 16 rated game, but is it worse / scarier than the films (which he’s seen)?
Re: Feature: 10 Of The Most Blatant Snack Sponsorships In Retro Gaming History
What about Mr Winpy? Retro game and retro fast food!
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.php?cat=96&id=3312
Re: Taito's November Update For Bubble Bobble 4 Friends Will Double The Number Of Levels
Can't believe you missed the obvious "Double Bubble Bobble Trouble" headline 😀
Re: Super Soccer Blast Shoots And Scores On Switch This Month
@SwitchedOn_Games I thought it was flair too...
Re: Konami Looking To Fund And Publish More Games Like Skelattack In The West
@OorWullie Perhaps they could start with re-releasing the Rebirth trilogy by M2 on WiiWare, they'd be a great fit for the Switch eShop at the right price...
Re: English Gamers Are The Best At Mario Kart, New Study Says
"Northern Island"? Any particular island?! 😂
Re: Poll: Box Art Brawl #31 - Ghosts 'n Goblins
This is the one I remember!
https://www.mobygames.com/images/covers/l/398750-ghosts-n-goblins-zx-spectrum-front-cover.jpg
Re: Feature: Why You'll Never Get To Play Your Favourite Retro Game On Switch
@Ruthless4u You know all the Wing Commander games are on GOG.com, and have been for ages? Regularly discounted too...
Re: Taito's The Ninja Saviors Will Release The (Ninja) Warrior Within On Switch This August
“the pioneer of the Japanese video game industry, TAITO Corporation, will return to the western console market after around a decade.”
I’m so excited for this - after Nintendo, I think Taito were my favourite publishers back in the day. Loved the WiiWare “Plus” games they released, hoping they’ll get rereleased too...
Re: Mega Drive Mini Games List: All 42 Titles Revealed
@LavaTwilight They were officially licensed by Sega, but Sega didn't really have much to do with their production, it seems they just let AtGames get on with it, without much (if any) quality control. Whereas these ones are developed by / in close conjunction with Sega themselves, and M2 are handling the emulation, who are generally considered one of the very best companies operating in this area.
So that's why some people are really hyped for it.
Re: Unreleased NES Title Panic! Dizzy Hits Kickstarter
@Jayenkai Never knew that! Only ever played the Spectrum and Amiga versions...
Re: Unreleased NES Title Panic! Dizzy Hits Kickstarter
@Ooyah On the ZX Spectrum it was called Dizzy Panic on the box but Panic Dizzy on the loading screen (or vice versa, I can't remember).
But weirdly, whatever it was called, it seems a completely different game to this...
Re: Random: Former Sega President Admits The Mega Drive Was Created To "Beat" Nintendo
@Liam_Doolan "Sato confessed the team simply wanted to create a game console that could beat the Super Famicom"
Do you mean the Famicom? The Mega Drive was launched two years before the Super Famicom, how could it be designed to compete against something which didn't exist yet?
Re: Guide: The Best Video Game Books Money Can Buy
I WANT ALL OF THESE! Also check out Fusion Retro books, if you're a European 8-bit / 16-bit home computer fan...
Re: Team17 Celebrates Its 100th Game Release With A Look Back At Its Greatest Hits
@Kilroy They changed their name after Miami Chase, but it was the same creative team of Rico Holmes, Andreas Tadic, Stefan Boberg, Allister Brimble and Martyn Brown who developed all the earliest games (Full Contact, Project-X, Alien Breed, Superfrog, etc).
I guess Assassin was their first externally-developed game, right at the end of 1992.
Re: Team17 Celebrates Its 100th Game Release With A Look Back At Its Greatest Hits
@ryancraddock Team 17 didn't begin as a publisher, they began as a developer. In fact their first title, Miami Chase, was published by Code Masters. Then they self-published some of their own games (e.g. Alien Breed, Superfrog and Project-X) before publishing other groups' work - like, as you say, Super Stardust by Bloodhouse (as Housemarque were then known, before they'd merged with Terramarque).
Re: Interview: Suda51 On Travis Strikes Again, Nintendo Switch And The Future Of No More Heroes
"When I grew up and became a high schooler, I got really into UK music, particularly music from Manchester"
Good man!
Re: Competition: Win A Set Of Third Editions Books, Including Zelda, Dark Souls And Final Fantasy
I think my favourite would have to be Bitmap Books' 'Sinclair ZX Spectrum: A Visual Compendium'. I also have the SNES and Amiga books in that series (which are also excellent), but the Speccy one pips the post for me because:
(a) the computer has a special place in my heart, it was the only games machine I had until I got a Game Boy in 1991 at the age of 10 (and my only home system until a Master System the following year);
(b) the bright vibrant simple colours just look amazing with whatever fancy printing techniques they used.
Just exquisite.
Re: After The NES And SNES, Bitmap Books' Next Tome Tackles The Sega Master System
Soooo pleased about this. I saw somewhere recently that they'd be announcing their new book soon, and I was secretly hoping it would be the Master System, but was guessing it wouldn't be as it hardly gets any retro attention, due to its lack of success in the US I guess.
Growing up I had a ZX Spectrum, then a Master System, then an Amiga. Now I'll have Bitmap Books for all three!
(The other books I have are gorgeous, also have the SNES one which I just got, as I used to play on my friends' SNESs all the time...)
Re: Review: Pulstar (Switch eShop / Neo Geo)
@sword_9mm Some of the developers of R-Type also worked on this. So the similarities probably aren’t a coincidence.
Re: Guide: Where to Pre-Order Your SNES Mini / Super NES Classic Edition
Briefly excited when I saw that Very's website had changed to indicate they were in stock. Put it in my basket, added delivery info, clicked on the link to add credit card info... and got the message that it was now out of stock again and had been removed from my basket! Grrr...
(Now their website again indicates they are back out of stock).
Re: We Know There's An Appetite For Virtual Console On Switch, Says Reggie Fils-Aime
@BornInNorway81 "the one that cannot possibly work, the GameCube,"
Why can't it work?
Re: Reggie Fils-Aime Sets Out Nintendo's Stance On eSports
"When you look at the NES system – the first system with two dedicated controllers."
What? How is this true?
Re: Gallery: Revel In This Ridiculously Retro 3-Bit ARMS Artwork
@samuelvictor No need to miss Mr Biffo! See http://www.digitiser2000.com
Re: Sinking Keiji Inafune’s Kaio: King of Pirates Cost Marvelous $3.8 Million Dollars
@Damo Haha, you don't neeed to apologise!
Re: Sinking Keiji Inafune’s Kaio: King of Pirates Cost Marvelous $3.8 Million Dollars
@Damo Um... your website already told us that they lost $3.8m on it back in March 2015 when it was offcially cancelled...
https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2015/03/kaio_king_of_pirates_by_keiji_inafunes_comcept_is_officially_cancelled
Re: Pokémon Trading Card Game's Guardians Rising Expansion Is Out In The UK Now
@GloverMist That's great, thank you! Wondering about getting a double pack so that I can play against him...