Retro News
May2017
Exclusive Game Boy Specialist Crawfish Interactive Is Back From The Dead, Kind Of
Say hello to Chrawfish Interactive
Cameron Sheppard back in his Crawfish (no 'h') days If you're a seasoned Game Boy, Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance player then the name Crawfish Interactive will probably ring some bells. This UK-based studio created many licensed titles for Nintendo's portable line and was famous for its skill in getting the...
News Inti Creates Announces Blaster Master Zero Version 1.2
Destroyer Mode! New playable characters! A demo!
Blaster Master Zero was one of the stand out releases in the early Nintendo Switch library, bringing some high quality 8-bit action shooting to the console. We positively loved it in our review, though we cited some issues with the easy difficulty as a potential negative for some who might be looking...
Review World Heroes Perfect (Switch eShop / Neo Geo)
Ra Ra Rasputin, lover of the Russian queen
The one-on-one fighting gold rush started by Capcom's Street Fighter II inspired many famous series, including Fatal Fury, King of Fighters, Virtua Fighter and Samurai Shodown, but there were just as many - if not more - also-ran challengers which achieved moderate success at the time but have since faded...
News Classic Neo Geo Shooter Blazing Star Hits The North American Switch eShop Today
UPDATE: Available now in Europe
Update: The game is available as we speak in Europe. Original story: In a surprise move, Hamster Corp. has revealed that the cult Neo Geo shooter Blazing Star will be hitting the North American Switch eShop today. The game is widely regarded as one of the console's finest blasters, and in its original physical...
April2017
News Reggie Fils-Aime Discusses NES Mini Demand and Apologises to Those That Missed Out
2.3 million sold, but it could have been more
The NES Classic Edition is currently not in production, leaving plenty of Nintendo fans around the world disappointed. As we've discussed here on Nintendo Life, the launch and proceeding shipments of this nostalgic mini console was baffling to both economists and consumers alike, with supply not getting...
News Nintendo Remains Tight-Lipped On SNES Classic Mini Rumours
No news is good news?
2016's NES Classic Mini was a shock success for Nintendo, and almost from the moment it was announced many speculated that the company would, in the fullness of time, follow up with a SNES version. The NES Classic Mini is now officially discontinued, apparently because a SNES edi
Weirdness 35-Year-Old Review Of Game & Watch Title Octopus Surfaces Online
Back in time
If like this humble scribe you grew up with gaming magazines, you'll probably remember when the Internet really became easy to access and you found yourself straying away from these paper-based curiosities to online news and reviews. Considering that many of the web's biggest gaming sites were founded in the '90s or the "Naughties",...
Soapbox All The Video Game Magazines You Grew Up With Were Rubbish
Japan had it so much better, thinks Ian Cortina
All the video game magazines you and I grew up with were crap. We were robbed. Dealt a poor hand. Okay, that might be a little extreme, they were not crap per se - we just never had it as good as our friends in Japan. Sure, many a mag tried and came very close - Super Play immediately springs to mind...
News Super Mario Kart Started Life As An F-Zero Multiplayer Prototype
Mario Kart got boost power!
Super Nintendo launch game F-Zero was an impressive feat of development at the time. With its use of Mode 7 visuals it made for a compelling single-player futuristic racing experience that is enjoyable to play even today. It's a shame that the franchise appears to be pretty much dormant now with the last entries being...
Random Some People Will Go To Great Lengths To Bring Pokémon Games Back From The Dead
Never give up
Like so many things in life, retro games often get better with age. However, if they're not properly cared for then they can fall into pretty bad shape physically - especially cartridges, which contain multiple components such as chips and back-up batteries. You might assume that when a cartridge reaches a certain state of disrepair...
Review Fatal Fury (Switch eShop / Neo Geo)
Hungry like the wolf
While SNK's premier fighting game series is King of Fighters, the company tested the waters of the one-on-one combat genre with 1991's Fatal Fury, a title designed by none other than Takashi Nishiyama, the man behind Capcom's original 1987 Street Fighter. Street Fighter II was the game which kickstarted interest in this style of...
News Escape 2042: The Truth Defenders Is A New Release For The Monochrome Game Boy
Also available on the Sega Genesis and Dreamcast
The original Game Boy was launched way back in 1989 but despite its advanced age it's still getting new software - albeit of the unofficial variety. OrionSoft has just released Escape 2042: The Truth Defenders for the monochrome console, a "futuristic fast-paced platformer game" which takes place in...
News Casting Call - Fan Translation of Legend of Xanadu Now Holding Auditions
Looking for a Few Good Men and Women
Role-playing games are likely the most beloved genre of the 16-bit era. The graphics hold up well in many cases, and the storylines can still be engaging. There were a few problems with RPGs in the 1980s and 1990s though. Many games had low print runs, making them hard to find back then, and sometimes
News Super Nintendo Games, "Legend" And "Iron Commando", Seek Re-release
Piko Interactive seeks to republish Arcade Zone's finest
You might remember Arcade Zone's "Legend" for the Super Nintendo, a game that cult magazine Super Play issue #22 reviewed with a conclusion of "Skillfully crafted with cracking graphics and some novel touches (...)", despite failing to bring anything new to the sidescrolling brawler formula...
Rumour SNES Classic Mini Coming Later This Year
Coming this Christmas
Nintendo is apparently working on a successor to the NES Classic Mini, if reports from Eurogamer are to be believed. Speaking to sources close to Nintendo, Eurogamer is reporting that Nintendo is already hard at work on the "Nintendo Classic Mini: Super Nintendo Entertainment System", which is expected to launch this...
Review Metal Slug (Switch eShop / Neo Geo)
The original Super Vehicle
Of all the titles released during the Neo Geo's surprisingly long lifespan, Metal Slug arguably stands out as one of the most famous and beloved. Released in 1996 - a time when the traditional run-and-gun arcade shooter was on the wane - this debut release dazzled with its superb visuals, excellent animation and tight...
News Donkey Kong, Pokémon Red and Green Nominated for the World Video Game Hall of Fame
Games that started history
Shigeru Miyamoto's arcade hit, Donkey Kong, has been nominated for the 2017 addition to the World Video Game Hall of Fame. Additionally, The Pokémon Company International released a statement on its website announcing that Pokémon Red and Pokémon Green, originally released in 1996 on the Nintendo Game Boy, have also...
Talking Point Nintendo Needs to Learn Lessons From Its NES Mini Mistakes
A simple product turned into a messy saga
Based upon the various decent emulators out there, it's not hard to run NES games. They're 30+ years old, and in this modern era of GPUs and accessible operating systems people are playing 8-bit games on a dizzying range of devices. Some of us, of course, spend decent money for official ROMs from Nintendo,...
News Italian Discontinuation of the NES Mini Seals Its Fate
Our favourite Italian plumber is saddened
In yet another confirmation that wraps up the final applicable region, the NES Mini has reportedly been confirmed as discontinued in Italy. Following North America, Japan and Australia, this marks Europe as the fourth
News NES Mini Also Discontinued in Australia
Another one bites the dust
Recently, we have reported that both the NES Classic Edition in North America as well as the Famicom Classic Edition in Japan have been discontinued. Now, a Nintendo of Australia representative has told Vooks that the diminutive system has also been discontinued in Australia. We can confirm that we are no longer...
News The Famicom Classic Edition Has Now Also Been Discontinued
No new information on the NES Classic Edition production in Europe
As we reported earlier, the NES Classic Edition has been discontinued in North America. It also appears, via an update on the official website, that the same has occurred for the Famicom Classic Edition in Japan. A message on the site says: This product has ended production for...
News Nintendo Has Discontinued The NES Classic Edition in North America
No information available for other regions
Earlier this year there was chatter online around the potential discontinuation of the Nintendo Entertainment System: NES Classic Edition (Nintendo Classic Mini: Nintendo Entertainment System in Europe); some retailers in Scandinavia, for example, suggested they'd been told no more stock was coming, but...
News Classic Neo Geo Racer 'Over Top' Speeds Into View
Coming to Switch eShop soon
The lovely folks over at HAMSTER have been treating us to some Neo Geo classics on the Nintendo Switch eShop while we await Nintendo's own reboot of the Virtual Console. One of the lesser known games in the Neo Geo library, called Over Top, will be coming out on 27th April in Europe priced at £6.29 - according to the...
News Unreleased NES Game, Mystery World Dizzy, Finally Gets Released
Just in time for Dizzy's 30th birthday
If you grew up in the UK in the '80s it is likely you played a Dizzy game at one time or another. These budget titles by Codemasters were some of the best games that you could buy for your home computer. Like all good mascots Dizzy made the leap over to consoles too, and 1991 saw the release of The Fantastic...
News Bitmap Books Flies Past Kickstarter Target for Super Nintendo Visual Compendium
Bitmap Books is now Playing With Super Power
We are big fans of Bitmap Books' previous Visual Compendiums, so it is exciting to see that the next Kickstarter campaign is dedicated to everyone's favourite 16-bit machine of wonders, the almighty and all-conquering Super Nintendo. While in Europe Sega put up an impressive fight with the equally...
News Super Nintendo's 'Unholy Night' Pre-Orders Are Now Live
Ex-SNK-developed fighter gets back up after Kickstarter KO
After a disastrous Kickstarter campaign that managed to raise only half the needed funds to publish Unholy Knight on the Super Nintendo later this year, it seemed like NU-GAIA's ambitious Super Nintendo one-on-one fighter was heading for an early retirement. So it was surprising to find out...
Review Alpha Mission II (Switch eShop / Neo Geo)
Vertically challenging
As one of the earliest titles for the Neo Geo, Alpha Mission II doesn't exactly dazzle in terms of presentation. Smooth scrolling and some catchy tunes aside, it looks like a relic of the 1980s rather than an example of how SNK's Neo Geo hardware revolutionised the arcade and home console arena in the '90s. However, beyond the...
News Choo-Choo! Nintendo 64 Densha de Go! 64 Gets Translated to English
All aboard the translation hype train!
Don't feel bad if you never heard of Taito's Densha de Go! series before; as video games go, it's the kind of series that comes to mind when one wants to give examples of what a niche title is. Train enthusiasts however will know all about the series whose name translates to "Go By Train!". Like most of Taito's...
Feature Thirty Years Ago, Little Mac Became a Champion in Punch-Out!!
To be the Man, you've got to beat the Super Macho Man
Another game is passing the 30 year mark. After all, in 1987 the NES was available worldwide, with lots of titles being released - Punch Out!! being one of them. Originally made as a prize giveaway for a Famicom Open Golf contest in Japan in 1987, it was a home conversion of the arcade games...
March2017
Random Somebody Put Yoshi Into Sonic 2, And The Results Are Amazing
Sorry Tails, you've been demoted
ROM hacks may be considered as slightly shady by some sectors of the gaming community but they lead to some truly amazing games which - under normal circumstances - simply wouldn't exist otherwise. Take Sonic 2, for instance. Regarded as one of the hedgehog's finest adventures, it's hard to see how it could possibly...
News SNES Prototype Quik The Thunder Rabbit Uncovered
Quite A Departure From The Original Amiga Game
After the success of Sonic The Hedgehog back in the day there was a flood of animal mascot platformers on every system imaginable, trying with varied degrees of success to cash in on the overnight popularity of the genre. French developer Titus Software was one of many companies all over the world...
Review The King of Fighters '94 (Switch eShop / Neo Geo)
Retro royalty
Hamster is doing a great job of populating the Nintendo Switch eShop with classic Neo Geo titles but the order of release is a little puzzling. Metal Slug 3 has arrived before the original, and King of Fighters '98 was available at launch, only for King of Fighters '94 to arrive slightly later. Given the refinements that occurred...
Video Seeing A R.O.B. The Robot Get Torn Apart Is Rather Hypnotic
Don't worry, he gets put back together again
The Robotic Operating Buddy - or R.O.B. for short - was one of the many ways Nintendo attempted to differentiate its NES system from "traditional" console platforms which had poisoned the market after the 1983 video game crash. This robotic companion could connect to the console and interact with various...
Review Neo Turf Masters (Switch eShop / Neo Geo)
On the green
Charm certainly goes a long way in the world of video games, especially when you're talking about Neo Geo titles. Some would argue that SNK's console represents the pinnacle of the 2D age, and its games were imbued with an instantly addictive appeal that helped paper over any minor shortcomings and limitations. That's certainly the case...
Video Get Green With This Complete History Of Battletoads
Remembering Rash, Zitz & Pimple
Battletoads - along with Rare's back catalogue - may be owned by Microsoft these days, but NES owners will always have a special place in their hearts for Rash, Zitz & Pimple, three radical amphibians with plenty of attitude. Created at a time when Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles dominated TV, gaming and toy aisles,...
News Pier Solar Studio Is Back With A Brand New Sega Mega Drive Beat 'Em Up, Paprium
Comes on an 80-MEG cart
WaterMelon, best known for its RPG Pier Solar, has just revealed its next project - a side-scrolling fighter for the Sega Mega Drive called Paprium. Development began quite some time ago, when the game was known simply as
News ACA Neo Geo's TATE Mode Hints At A Glorious Future For Vertically-Scrolling Shooters On Switch
Looking sideways
When the Switch was first revealed several (older) members of the Nintendo Life team expressed the opinion that it would be utterly perfect for hosting old-school vertically-scrolling shooters when played in "TATE" mode - basically, when turned on its side so the screen is in portrait ordination rather than landscape. It would seem...
Video Nintendo Minute Shows Off SteamWorld Dig 2 on the Switch
Diggin' Dorothy
SteamWorld Dig 2 was chosen to lead off the Switch Nindie Showcase, broadcast shortly before the system launched. The original SteamWorld Dig was a bit of a breakout hit for Image & Form, of course - though the studio had a long track record before that 3DS eShop release, it has often admitted that the success of that game took...
Review Waku Waku 7 (Switch eShop / Neo Geo)
Seventh heaven
The Neo Geo was a system blessed with more than its fair share of one-on-one fighters, which is perhaps why Sunsoft felt it was necessary to take a slightly different approach with Waku Waku 7, the sequel to the rather more serious Galaxy Fight, which launched a year beforehand in 1995. This release not only allowed Sunsoft to create...
Review NAM-1975 (Switch eShop / Neo Geo)
Back to the nightmare
As one of the earliest Neo Geo releases, NAM-1975 occupies a rather unusual place in the console's library. It's relatively well-known because it was the first glimpse many of us saw of the raw power contained within SNK's arcade (and home) hardware, but like so many launch titles it hasn't aged all that gracefully in the...
Review The King of Fighters '98 (Switch eShop / Neo Geo)
The return of the king
While many associate the one-on-one fighting genre with Capcom's legendary Street Fighter franchise, there was a point in the '90s when SNK was arguably at the vanguard of this particular game style. Its King of Fighters series became a firm favourite in arcades all over the world, with yearly updates satisfying the desire and...
Video Let's Indulge in the 'Virtual Console' of Neo-Geo Games on Nintendo Switch
Insert credit
The Switch doesn't have a Virtual Console of its own just yet, but that hasn't stopped Hamster from releasing a slew of Neo-Geo arcade titles on the system. In the video above we take a look at all seven currently available titles including some shoot-em-ups, some fighting games, and... well, more fighting games.
Review Metal Slug 3 (Switch eShop / Neo Geo)
Arcade anarchy
As we write this we still await the Nintendo Switch Virtual Console, but courtesy of HAMSTER we have the 'ACA' Neo Geo range on Nintendo's latest console. These are essentially faithful ports, designed to emulate the original Neo Geo experience on modern hardware while throwing in a broad range of features and customisation options...
Video Let's Have a Closer Look at the Player's Guide for Zelda: A Link to the Past
Retro is the new open world
Amidst all the hype surrounding The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild it's important to take stock and remember the good old days before everything was measured in teraflops and gigaslaps. That's just what our man Dan Thompson has been up to and has decided to make the bold move of muscling in on my turf in the form of...
News Hamster Corporation Confirms Next Batch Of ACA Neo Geo Classics
Could these for heading to the Nintendo Switch?
Japanese company Hamster Corporation has confirmed the next batch of titles in its "ACA Neo Geo" range. The new games are Alpha Mission II, Fatal Fury, Metal Slug, Neo Turf Masters, Samurai Shodown, Sengoku and World Heroes. At t
Review Shock Troopers (Switch eShop / Neo Geo)
Run and gun for fun
Capcom's top-down shooter Commando was something of a trendsetter when it arrived in the '80s, and was quickly imitated by a host of clones. The appeal of the concept isn't hard to grasp; you're one guy against many, shooting your way through a series of levels and generally causing as much destruction as possible along the way...
Book Review The Unofficial NES/Famicom: A Visual Compendium
Could this be the perfect coffee table book?
We've seen an explosion in books celebrating retro video game history lately. One of the most prolific publishers is UK-based Bitmap Books, which is responsible for many of our favourites - including the excellent Super Famicom: The Box Art Collection. Their catchily titled 'Visual Compendium' series has...
Video Leafing Through The NES / Famicom Visual Compendium
The ultimate coffee table companion?
Bitmap Books' series of visual compendiums already has a strong following amount retro gamers but its latest iteration has been perhaps the most notable yet, for two key reasons. Firstly, it utterly smashed its Kickstarter goal of £25,000 and eventually raised a whopping £190,000, and secondly, it very nearly...
Hardware Review My Arcade NES Classic Mini Controller
Looks aren't everything
Given how hard it is to actually find a NES Classic Mini right now, it should come as no great shock to also learn that spare controllers for the console are also in very short supply. While Nintendo seems incapable of meeting demand for this clone system and its accessories, third party peripheral makers are having a field...
News You Can Now Use Your Switch Joy-Cons On Your NES Classic Mini
8Bitdo Retro Receiver adds Joy-Con and Switch Pro Controller support
The 8Bitdo Retro Receiver for the NES Classic Mini is an essential purchase as it allows you to game on your console without being tethered by annoying short wires. The device has just become that little bit more desirable thanks to a
Random Would You Trade Your Brand New Nintendo Switch For A Fully-Boxed SNES?
Breath of the Wild or Link to the Past?
After months of waiting the Nintendo Switch is finally here, and many hardcore fans attended midnight launches to make sure they got their consoles as quick as possible. Our friends over at iRetrogamer.com attended one such event and popped that most difficult of questions: would you be willing to trade your...
News The Nintendo 64 Is 20 Years Old Today In Europe And Australia
That's right, you're old
Here's another anniversary to make you feel older - the much-loved Nintendo 64 is celebrating its 20th birthday today in Europe and Australia. Released in June 1996 in Japan and September 1996 in North America, eager Euro gamers would have to exercise patience once again as the N64 launched on 1st March, 1997 in Europe...
February2017
Random Of Course Seinfeld's George Costanza Was A Virtual Boy Fan
It makes perfect sense!
Poor old George Costanza. This neurotic, self-loathing character from the popular comedy sitcom Seinfeld never did have much luck in life. It turns out in addition to being unfortunate in love (and virtually everything else) George also made equally terrible choices when buying video gaming hardware. While idly relaxing at...
News USPS Recovers Lost Package Containing $10,000 in Rare SNES Cartridges
All is well
Some of you may remember the unfortunate news last week that a SNES archiving project was essentially destroyed when the US Postal Service lost a package containing $10,000 in rare SNES cartridges. The package had been sent from a private collector in Germany and vanished shortly after it made it to US soil. Heartbroken over the loss,...
News TheMexicanRunner Is One Game Away From Finishing Every NES Title On Twitch
714 games, three years, one epic journey
Way back in May 2014, TheMexicanRunner began his NESMania project with the ultimate objective of completing every single officially licensed western NES game live on Twitch. That's a whopping 714 games in total, in case you were wondering. After three epic years, he's now one game away from achieving that...
Random Here's What Happens When A Toyota Takes On Street Fighter Baddie M. Bison
(Or Vega, if you'd prefer)
Wacky advertising crossovers are all the rage in Japan - we've already seen Mario hopping into a Mercedes, for example - and now it's the turn of Capcom's Street Fighter, which features heavily in this commercial for the Toyota C-HR. The clip uses graphics from the 1991 arcade smash hit Street Fighter II, with Ryu hopping...
Retro This Is Why We Should Probably Be Glad Nintendo Stuck With Carts For The N64
Think optical media is indestructible? Think again
Compact discs might not be considered new technology these days, but when they were first released they were marketed as practically indestructible. Compared to the two other audio storage mediums of the time - cassette tape and vinyl - that certainly seemed to be a easy claim to make. CDs later...
It outsold the Wii U…
The NES Classic Edition is a console that hasn't exactly been known for its availability. At launch and through the holiday season, it was notoriously difficult for eager fans to get their hands on the $60 microconsole; stock shortages were quite prevalent. All the same, Nintendo has been doing its best to keep up with demand...
Video Eurogamer Explores Nintendo's Historical Link With Gambling And The Yakuza
Leaving luck to heaven
As we all know, Nintendo didn't start out in the video game arena - which is pretty obvious when you consider the company is now over 100 years old - but instead began its life creating Hanafuda playing cards. In its latest "Here's a Thing" episode, Eurogamer explores this rather shady part of Nintendo's history. Hanafuda...
News New SNES Fighter Unholy Night Takes To Kickstarter To Fund Cartridge Production
Created by former SNK staffers, no less
Last year we reported on the development of Unholy Night: The Darkness Hunter, a one-on-one SNES fighter developed by a team of ex-SNK staffers. The title has now progressed to the point where additional funding is required to create physical cartridges, and as a result a Kickstarter campaign has been laun
Video Hackers Bring Nintendo 64 To The NES Classic Edition
And Sega 32X, too
When the NES Classic Edition was initially announced as shipping with a preset list of thirty popular games, many scoffed. The selection of titles certainly reads like a who's who of memorable NES classics, but of course, there was always the question of why there wasn't some way to build upon that collection with some sort of...
News Ambitious SNES Preservation Project Ends After $10,000 Of Rare Carts Get Lost In The Mail
Oops
A noble attempt to accurately preserve every single SNES game has come to an end after a package containing between $7,500 and $10,000 of rare cartridges was lost by the United States Postal Service. The package was en route to renowned archivist Byuu, best known for creating the superb SNES emulator higan. It contained 100 of the rarest PAL...
News Don't Worry, Nintendo Says It Hasn't Stopped NES Mini Production
The tiny dream is still alive
Yesterday we reported that a Scandinavian retailer had prompted concerns around production of the NES Mini Classic, albeit with a cautionary note that Nintendo had recently said restocks were in the works. The NES Mini was a hot ticket item before Christmas and it seems that the demand simply took Nintendo by surprise;...
News Scandinavian Retailer Prompts Concerns Around NES Mini Production
Contradicts Nintendo statement of "working to increase production"
When the Nintendo Entertainment System: NES Classic Edition (Nintendo Classic Mini: Nintendo Entertainment System in Europe) was announced it generated plenty of excitement online, and then rapidly sold out in the pre-order phase. It's been possible to get a unit at its proper price...
Video Here's Proof That Every Kid's Birthday Should Feature McDonald's And Contra III
Back in time
If you're a '90s kid then you've no doubt had the experience of attending a birthday party at your local McDonald's. With its bright colours, hard-wearing furniture and no-hassle fast food, it was the venue of choice for long-suffering '90s parents who just wanted a bit of peace and quiet while their offspring digested a few burgers...
Review Gradius (Wii U eShop / TG-16)
Arcade-style pew-pew
Gradius will forever be considered a definitive game in the shoot 'em up genre, held up as a key example of what makes these kind of games truly special. It's a game familiar for its iconic NES version, of course, but the release of the TurboGrafx-16 iteration on the Wii U Virtual Console is a welcome one - after all, it was a...
News Hackers Use Emulator to Make Game Boy, Mega Drive and SNES Games Playable on NES Mini
So it's come to this...
The Nintendo Entertainment System: NES Classic Edition (Nintendo Classic Mini: Nintendo Entertainment System in Europe) proved to be a festive hit for Nintendo, with demand for the retro system surprising the big N. Though the tiny little console is emulating a fixed list of 30 games, it's doing so in a typically charming and...
News GBA Title Fullmetal Alchemist: Stray Rondo Gets Translated Into English
Won't cost you an arm and a leg
Hiromu Arakawa's Fullmetal Alchemist is the spectacular (and often tragic) tale of the Elric brothers Edward and Alphonse, who attempt to seek redemption in a fictional world where alchemy is very much a reality. The popularity of the series has ensured that it has been given the full works in terms of merchandise...
News The Developers Of Alwa's Awakening Are Putting The Entire Soundtrack On A NES Cartridge
Because why not
Back in 2015 we reported on the development of a NES-style platform adventure by the name of Alwa's Awakening, a faux-retro homage to the likes of Battle of Olympus and Solstice. The game is now available on Steam, and to mark this occasion the developers have announced a special collector's edition which comes with the complete...
Video The Visteon Dockable Entertainment System Is The Biggest Game Boy Advance Ever
It's as rare as hen's teeth, too
We've seen many revisions of the Game Boy hardware over the years, but the Visteon Dockable Entertainment System has to rank as one of the most obscure. Produced in 2006 under licence from Nintendo, this portable DVD player was designed to make those long car trips a little more enjoyable, but had the added bonus of...
Video Digital Foundry Puts the NES Mini Up Against Retro Rivals
Compared to Analogue NT, the original NES and the Virtual Console
The Nintendo Entertainment System: NES Classic Edition (Nintendo Classic Mini: Nintendo Entertainment System in Europe) was a hit in the last Holiday season, even if stock issues meant that not everyone that wanted a system could pick one up. For those that do have a NES Mini, though,...
News Super Famicom Title 3x3 Eyes: Jūma Hōkan Gets Translated To English
All eyes on you
Classic manga and anime fans should gather and rejoice as news arrived of a complete English translation for the second game in Banpresto's 3x3 Eyes Super Famicom series. 3x3 Eyes: Jūma Hōkan was released in 1995, a late generation title for the Super Famicom. In this game you take control of Yakumo who has just arrived in Hong...
Music Secret Of Mana Composer Hiroki Kikuta Releases Prog Rock And Jazz Fusion Albums
Nice
Composer Hiroki Kikuta is responsible for some of the best gaming soundtracks ever, with Seiken Densetsu II (Secret of Mana), Seiken Densetsu III and Koudelka under his belt. He's currently creating music for the Kickstarter title Indivisible by Lab Zero Games, but he has found the time to produce not one but two new albums, collaborating with...
Video Let's Take A Look At Contra Force, The Black Sheep Of The Contra Family
The world's most hated Contra game?
Contra (or Probotector / Gryzor if you're in Europe) is one of those series which perhaps isn't as popular today as it deserves to be. During the 8 and 16-bit eras it was one of the best run-and-gun action franchises around, with amazing instalments on the NES, Mega Drive, SNES and Game Boy. While there have been...
News Tatsumi Kimishima Apologises for NES Mini Shortages, Cites Delays Procuring Parts
"We are working to increase production"
In Nintendo's financial reports for the first three quarters of the 2016/2017 year it mentioned the sales success of the Nintendo Entertainment System: NES Classic Edition / Nintendo Classic Mini: Nintendo Entertainment System, which is of course a Famicom Mini in Japan. It didn't highlight the stock issues,...
News After Eight Years, The Fan-Made Mega Man 2.5D Is Finally Here
Eight years in the making
Mega Man 2.5D is a fan-made project which began life way back in 2009. We've covered the progress of this interesting release a couple of times in the past, and now we can happily report that the game is finally finished. Created by a team of passionate Mega Man fans, the title boasts a unique co-op mode and a camera wh
January2017
News Three Old-School Nintendo Racing Classics Get Translated Into English
Rev Up Your 8 and 16-Bit Engines
Long before Mario and crew jumped into karts back in 1992, they were already quite adept in the racing genre in Japan - Formula 1 to be precise. The popularity of this motorized sport in the Land of the Rising Sun meant that dozens of F1 games were released for both Famicom, Famicom Disk System and Super Famicom with...
News New Hack Offers A Full Game Library On Your NES Classic Edition
Legally questionable, of course
A while back we reported on news that a hack had been released which allowed NES Classic Mini owners the ability to edit and add to the 30 games which come pre-loaded on the console out of the box. A new hack has now emerged which goes one better; you can now put the full NES library onto the machine. The process...
News Double Dragon IV Packs an 8-Bit Punch But Isn't Confirmed for Switch, Yet
Would be great for playing on the go
Double Dragon IV is heading to PlayStation 4 and PC on 30th January in Japan, and seemingly around the same time in the West, and that would normally exclude it from an article here on Nintendo Life. Yet we can't ignore it, because Arc System Works has produced a visual style and gameplay that is basically the...
Video Check Out This Cool Music Bug in Super Mario Bros. 2
A nod to its heritage
I've always enjoyed this time in the life cycle of gaming. You know, when one piece of hardware is retired and another is introduced; this time around we anxiously await to christen The Switch in our homes, while the Wii U gets ready for the viking funeral. But that all aside, it's a great time to look back and reacquaint...
Hardware Review Putting The Retro Freak's Range Of Accessories To The Test
NES! Sega Mark III! Game Gear! Controller adapter!
Retro gamers have really been spoilt for choice when it comes to picking a clone console these days. Not only have we had machines like the Retro-USB AVS which uses FPGA tech to accurately replicate the performance of the NES, but we've also seen all-in-one solutions like the Hyperkin Retron-5 and...
Random Epic Haul Of Boxed NES Items Found In Abandoned RV
Seek and ye shall find
Retro collectors will know full well the thrill of unexpectedly finding a gaming gem at their local charity shop or car boot sale (thrift store and flea market to non-UK folks), but this latest discovery by the one and only Patrick Scott Patterson is on another level entirely. Patterson found many early NES items - including...
Feature The Quest for the Ultimate NES Classic Edition Wireless Controller
8Bitdo NES30 Vs Nyko Miniboss
The NES Classic Edition is a wonderful micro-sized retro-gaming machine; availability issues aside its hard to find much fault with, it apart from the rather short controller cable which comes with the otherwise excellent replica of the original NES controller. At just 30 inches the cable that joins the pad to the...
News Fan-Made Prequel Metroid: Rogue Dawn Released On NES
Set before Metroid Zero Mission
Time and time again fans surprise us with projects born out of their love for Nintendo franchises despite the obvious legal issues. One franchise in particular that seems to generate substantial fervor is Samus Aran's very own backyard, the Metroid series. As years go by without a new mainline entry in this revered...
Video Take To The Streets With This Complete History Of Final Fight
Oh! My car
Before Street Fighter II arrived on the scene, Final Fight was the best option for arcade-going brawl fans. Capcom's seminal coin-op smash took the template laid down by classics like Double Dragon and Renegade and introduced bigger sprites, a more intuitive control scheme and - perhaps most importantly - a moustached wrestling mayor...
News Hyperkin Shows Off RetroN 5 3-in-1 Adapter and Nintendo Switch Accessories at CES
All due in 'Q1'
CES highlighted quite a few interesting products for retro and current-gen gaming fans, and Hyperkin has now issued a press release and assets for the goodies it showcased at the event. Perhaps the key reveal for keen retro followers of the company is its 3-in-1 adapter for the RetroN 5, a rather solid clone console that can play an...
Book Review Hardcore Gaming 101 Presents: The Guide To Shoot-Em-Ups Volume 1
Bullet point
The humble 2D shooter may have fallen out of favour with the mainstream these days, but it's certainly one of the most important genres in the world of video gaming. Were it not for Space Invaders – the shooter that arguably birthed a genre – then our industry may well have evolved in an entirely different fashion. During the '80s...
News Nintendo Apparently Told Square "Never Come Back" After Losing Final Fantasy VII To Sony
"We don't want you"
Final Fantasy is a series which began its life on Nintendo hardware, and its success - and the ultimate success of its publisher, Square (now known as Square Enix) - owes a lot to the incredible popularity of the Famicom in Japan during the '80s and early '90s. Final Fantasy was the franchise which put Square on the map and it...
News The Fan-Made Famicom Pocket Squeezes Nintendo's 8-bit Wonder Into A Game Boy's Frame
Famicom classics on the go
We recently got our hands on the Famicom Classic Mini and it is truly a thing of beauty. However, it's mighty tempting to sacrifice its innards for the greater good after we watched the video above. The modders over at Kei Studio have seemingly achieved the impossible and ripped out the guts of a Famicom Mini and...
Feature Ten Classic Games Which Would Be Great To Play On The NES Mini
If only there was legit way of adding more games
We really loved getting our hands on the NES Mini back in November last year; this diminutively-sized replica of Nintendo's nostalgic first home console really shows off some of the best games in the NES library. However, after a while even the greatest games in the world may feel a little bit stale,...
Video Super Retro Boy Hands-On Reveals Neat Form Factor, Lack Of Rear Shoulder Buttons
A deal breaker?
A few days ago we reported on one of the surprise announcements of CES 2017, the Retro-Bit Super Retro Boy. This cute portable plays Game Boy, Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance software and offers features such as a rechargeable battery and backlit screen. CNET now has a more detailed hands-on video showing the console from all...
News Say Hello To The Super Retro Boy, An All-In-One Game Boy Solution
UPDATE: Scoops CES 2017 award, gets shown off in video
UPDATE: Retro-Bit has published video of the Super Retro Boy in action via its Twitter account, and has reported that it has scooped a gaming award at CES 2017: ORIGINAL STORY: Retro-Bit has lifted the lid on its previously-announced Game Boy clone, the Super Retro Boy.
News Hackers Apparently Add Additional Games to NES Mini
One modder attempts to sell a hacked unit, that won't end well...
The Nintendo Entertainment System: NES Classic Edition / Nintendo Classic Mini: Nintendo Entertainment System has been around for a little while, is still no doubt loved by its owners and is still tricky to find in stock. Of course, as it's a game console it's also had modders and...
Soapbox You Should Probably Avoid Capcom's Mega Man Mobile Ports
Poor emulation, frame rate issues, dodgy controls - what went wrong?
Capcom may be reluctant to release an entirely new Mega Man game these days but it has no issues with mining its past and recycling existing titles from the series, and recently announced that it would be releasing all six of the classic NES entries on iOS and Android. Those games...
News The Retro-Bit Generations Portable is Expected in July
Can it do better than its predecessor?
Retro-Bit has been highlighting a number of products at CES 2017 that we've been covering throughout the day. The final part to cover is the Retro-Bit Generations Portable, which is expected in July for $69.99. If the name sounds familiar, that's because this is a handheld iteration of the Retro-Bit...
News Retro-Bit Pitches in With Retro8 Wired and Wireless Controllers Supporting the NES Mini
A ten foot cable on the cheaper option
If the Nintendo Entertainment System: NES Classic Edition (Nintendo Classic Mini: Nintendo Entertainment System in Europe) has a big flaw, aside from being out of stock in many places, it's those darn controller cables. Some put forward theories for why the cables are so short, but in reality it's possibly just...
Weirdness The Retro-Bit Mega Table is an Enormous $500 USB Controller
"A unique piece of furniture"
You'll have seen 'Retro-Bit' in quite a few of our headlines today, and we're not done yet. That's because the nostalgia-driven company has had a big blow-out at CES 2017, with some products that are rather tempting and others that are, well, less so. We're not sure where this one stands. The Retro-Bit Mega Table is...
News Super Retro Trio Getting A HD Upgrade This Year, NES Top Loader Clone Also Incoming
HDMI or bust
Retro-Bit is updating its Super Retro Trio console with HDMI output, it has been confirmed. Like the original Super Retro Trio, the new system will play NES, SNES and Mega Drive / Genesis carts and boasts support for original controllers, but with HDMI included the picture quality should be much improved. S-Video output is also...
News Retro-Bit Bringing Capcom-Themed Controllers And Jaleco Multi-Carts To Market This Year
What's old is new again
In addition to the Super Retro Boy - an all-in-one Game Boy clone - Retro-Bit has revealed at CES 2017 that it is bringing a range of retro controllers and multi-carts to market later this year. The controllers - for NES, SNES and Mega Drive / Genesis - all feature Capcom artwork and retail for $19.99. They're expected to...
News Check Out These SNES Inspired Sneakers
Only a handful of pairs being made
Many of you no doubt remember the Nintendo x Vans promotion that took place this summer, wherein Vans produced a line of fashionable shows with various designs on them related to popular Nintendo IP. They were certainly the Nintendo shoeware to own, but now it seems that a small-time custom shoe designer...
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