Retro News
May2019
Feature The Game Boy's Biggest Rival Gets Revived By The Modding Community
Where there's a McWill, there's a way
In the early 1980s, portable gaming was mainly limited to LCD-based games. Companies such as Casio, Grandstand and Tiger Electronics would all release various watches and devices to keep us entertained on those tiresome journeys. Nintendo wasn't really known here in the UK back then, but it stood out from the...
April2019
News GoldenEye 007 Nintendo 64 Demo Footage Shows What Could Have Been
'Train' wasn't the only level on-rails
For many gamers of the late '90s, GoldenEye 007 was a fixture of both solo and multiplayer gaming sessions that is burnt into their very consciousness. Watching the above clip from a contemporary promotional video will surely bring back memories, but veterans of the game will immediately notice that something's...
Random Miyamoto Has A Taste For British Biscuits, According To Star Fox Veteran Dylan Cuthbert
"I used to love McVitie's chocolate biscuits during those all nighters”
Dylan Cuthbert, founder of Q-Games and best-known as lead programmer on the original Star Fox, has recently been on Twitter sharing some personal Nintendo stories from back in the day. His most recent account details a particular cold December night when he stayed late working...
News Troubled Genesis Brawler Paprium Is Apparently Back On Track
Going into production soon
Remember Paprium? Developed by Watermelon — the studio behind the excellent Pier Solar — this side-scrolling fighter was supposed to launch on the Sega Genesis / Mega Drive some time ago, funded by pre-orders pledged by the many fans desperate to see a new Streets of Rage-style brawl
Hardware Review Retro-Bit Tribute64 - A Fine N64 Controller, And Perfect For Smash On Switch
But which version do you buy?
It's fair to say that the Nintendo 64 controller was a groundbreaking release. While it wasn't the first games controller to showcase analogue input, it was the first to be shipped as standard with its host console and therefore became the first taste of this now-ubiquitous control method for many players. The N64 pad...
News Charles Martinet, Voice Of Mario, Clears Up A Decades-Long Debate
We all agreed on the "so long" bit
Anybody who's trounced Bowser in Super Mario 64 (and if you haven't, away with you this instant!) will likely be familiar with the line Mario utters as he flings Bowser, King of the Koopas, from the floating platform during the boss battle. Or, more accurately, they'll likely be familiar with the confusion...
News Check Out The Title Screen Music Of This Mario Kart 64 Prototype
"Welcome to Muzakart!"
Every week we get fresh little peeks behind the curtain of games both big and small. Recently, Forest of Illusion posted this original theme tune for Mario Kart 64 on Twitter. It comes from a prototype build of the game and it's not the most inspired track in the plumber's songbook. Take a listen below: As you can hear, it...
News NES And SNES Mini Are Still Big Sellers For Nintendo
Retrotastic
Nintendo's year-end financial report has some fascinating tidbits in it, including this line: Nintendo Entertainment System: NES Classic Edition and Super Nintendo Entertainment System: Super NES Classic Edition recorded total sales of 5.95 million units. It's a shame that the NES and SNES Mini financial year sales are combined, as...
News Retro-Bit's Tribute64 Controller Can Be Used With The N64 Or Your Switch
Paying tribute to a classic
Love it or hate it, the N64 Controller is quite iconic and during the Nintendo 64's lifetime, many third-party peripheral manufacturers attempted to refine Nintendo's original design into something a little bit more comfortable. Years later it seems not much has changed, as Retro-Bit will soon be releasing a new line of...
Weirdness The Hot Seat Allowed You To Play NES Games With Motion Control
No, we're not talking about some obscure game show
Nintendo may have released some incredibly odd devices over the years ranging from motion-controlled Power Gloves to Game Boy compatible sewing machines, but one lesser-known product designed by Power to the 10th Inc. for the NES might outdo them all. Introducing the NES Hot Seat – a small chair...
Video Highlights From The Midwest Gaming Classic
North by Midwest
The retro video game convention Midwest Gaming Classic celebrated its 18th year in Milwaukee, WI a little over a week ago, and we just so happened to have been in attendance! The convention is host to hundreds of pinball and retro arcade games that are all open for free play, a vendor hall where you can buy almost any game you can...
News Remarkable Commodore 64 Port Of Super Mario Bros. Attracts Nintendo's Watchful Eye
Completed fan project seven years in the pipeline gets taken down
Last week a truly remarkable programming feat came to light with the release of Super Mario Bros. 64, a port of the original NES Super Mario Bros. for the Commodore 64. Seven years in the making, it came courtesy of programmer and fan ZeroPaige. It's a painstaking recreation that...
Feature Keeping The Game Boy Retail Dream Alive, 30 Years After Launch
"It’s a borderline addiction"
The Nintendo Game Boy turns 30 this Sunday, and to celebrate this amazing occasion we'll be running a series of related features this week, right up to the big day. The Game Boy may be 30 years old this week, but that doesn’t mean the system is dead and gone from a retail perspective; over the past few years...
Feature Our Favourite Memories Of The Original Game Boy
Nostalgia for Nintendo’s most humble of handhelds
The Nintendo Game Boy turns 30 this Sunday, and to celebrate this amazing occasion we'll be running a series of related features this week, right up to the big day. As the 30th anniversary of the Game Boy’s Japanese debut approached, we here at Nintendo Life Towers were thinking a lot about the...
Guide Celebrate Game Boy's 30th Anniversary With This Lovely Merchandise
Dress to impress
The Nintendo Game Boy turns 30 this Sunday, and to celebrate this amazing occasion we'll be running a series of related features this week, right up to the big day. As the humble Game Boy's 30th anniversary approaches, Nintendo's classic handheld has never been cooler. If you want to make a statement about your love for all things...
Feature What Developers Really Think About The Nintendo Game Boy
"It was literally a game changer"
The Nintendo Game Boy turns 30 this Sunday, and to celebrate this amazing occasion we'll be running a series of related features this week, right up to the big day. The Game Boy turned 30 at the weekend, marking three wonderful decades of portable brilliance. Released in 1989, this monochrome marvel is arguably one...
Feature The Handheld Rivals Which Tried And Failed To Beat The Game Boy
A Game (Boy) of Thrones
The Nintendo Game Boy turns 30 this Sunday, and to celebrate this amazing occasion we'll be running a series of related features this week, right up to the big day. Context, they say, is for kings, and history can easily be misunderstood if we gloss over the specifics of how things relate to the time they're from. It’s...
Feature The Konami Hyperboy Is A Dumb But Loveable Throwback To A Bygone Era
Turns your Game Boy into an arcade machine! Kinda!
The Nintendo Game Boy turns 30 this Sunday, and to celebrate this amazing occasion we'll be running a series of related features this week, right up to the big day. Whenever a new piece of gaming hardware is successful, it naturally attracts a lot of attention – both in terms of games (because...
News Samurai Shodown V Special Is Your Next Switch Retro Fix From Hamster
Available tomorrow
Hamster has revealed that Samurai Shodown V Special is fighting its way to Switch incredibly soon. So soon, in fact, that you'll be able to get your hands on it tomorrow, 18th April. The ninth entry in SNK's Samurai Shodown/Samurai Spirits series of fighting games, Samurai Shodown V Special is an upgraded version of the original...
News A Spiritual Successor To 1080° Snowboarding Might Be In The Pipeline
We'll take ten...eighty
Back during the Nintendo 64 generation, Nintendo EAD released Wave Race 64 and then followed it up a few years later with the extreme sports title 1080° Snowboarding. A second installment called 1080° Avalanche (developed by NST) was then published for the GameCube in 2003. Since then, Nintendo’s done pretty much nothing...
News Celebrate The Game Boy's 30th By Putting Your Raspberry Pi Inside This Awesome Case
Why wait for Nintendo to release the Game Boy Classic Edition?
The art of retro gaming emulation is still frowned upon by many, but there's no denying that the growing number of players who forgo original hardware for the convenience of all-in-one solutions, such as the Raspberry Pi system. This pocket-sized computer can be loaded up with emulators...
Reminder There's Still Time To Vote For Your Favourite Game Boy Games!
The daddy of portable gaming turns 30 next week, and we need your help...
Next week - 21st April to be precise - is the 30th anniversary of arguably the most iconic piece of hardware in the history of video gaming. Speak to someone who knows absolutely nothing about game consoles and they'll still be able to name the Nintendo Game Boy and most...
Random The Cast Of Avengers: Endgame Take A Break To Play Tetris On Game Boy
Who needs Tetris 99?
The above photo might look like an old school Nintendo advertisement, but it was actually taken quite recently on the set of the upcoming Marvel film, Avengers: Endgame. This image was shared on Twitter by the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) and shows Captain America (Chris Evans) and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) on a couch together...
News Evercade Is A Brand New Cartridge-Based Handheld Console Which Connects To Your TV
A Nintendo Switch rival?
A brand new games console is about to burst onto the scene and, while it's still very early days, it looks like the Nintendo Switch might be about to receive a hybrid system rival. Introducing Evercade, a "brand new handheld console with unique multi-game retro cartridges". At present, details on the new system are...
News 2017 Game Boy Platformer Tobu Tobu Girl Is Aiming For A Deluxe Game Boy Color Re-Release
"Yeah, but is it coming to Game Boy?"
The Game Boy is rapidly approaching its 30th anniversary - something we're celebrating right now by gathering your votes for the best Game Boy games - but that doesn't mean that we can't still get new games for the system. Back in 2017, we shared the news of a brand new Game Boy release called
News One Of Retro Gaming's Most Collectable Shmups Is Getting A Cheap Reprint
No need to remortgage
If you're familiar with collecting rare Japanese retro games, then the name Advanced Busterhawk Gley Lancer will no doubt ring a bell. Released exclusively in Japan in 1992, this horizontally-scrolling shooter from Masaya barely caused a ripple in the west at the time of release – partly because it was never published in the...
Video Rare Early Footage Of Super Mario 64 And Super Mario RPG Resurfaces Online
A blast from the past
Super-early footage of Super Mario 64 and Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars has resurfaced on the internet. The clips uploaded by the YouTube channel kukun kun, originally come from a '90s Japanese video game show hosted by Famitsu and are now being shared around by The Cutting Room Floor Discord channel and Nintendo
News Japanese Trailers Show Off More Details Of The Upcoming Sega Mega Drive Mini
Includes working cartridge slot doors!
Following the backlash against the product that was initially announced last year, it seems Sega is really pulling out all the stops after taking its Mega Drive/Genesis Mini console back to the drawing board. Not only is the emulation now being handled by veteran company M2 (the outfit responsible for the...
News Arcade Archives Donkey Kong 3 Blasts Onto Switch This Week
Spray that pesky ape
Hamster has revealed the next game in its ever-growing Arcade Archives series on Switch, and this time we're being treated to Donkey Kong 3. Also launching on the NES three years after its arcade debut, Donkey Kong 3 is - perhaps unsurprisingly - the third entry in the original Donkey Kong series. Naturally, official footage...
News Don't Expect A Saturn Mini Anytime Soon, Says Sega
"It may be possible in 10 years"
Sega may be playing catch-up with Nintendo when it comes to the whole micro-console business, but the news that the Mega Drive Mini would finally be hitting store shelves later this year has been met with a positive reaction – mostly because emulation expert M2 is involved. Given that Nintendo followed up the NES...
March2019
News Fans Are Remaking Zelda: Link's Awakening In The Style Of A Link To The Past
How long until Nintendo’s lawyers step in?
A fansite called ZeldaForce is currently hard at work on a remake of The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, swapping its visual style to suit that of Zelda: A Link to the Past on the SNES. The project is called 'A Link to the Dream' and is planned to be released on platforms like AmigaOS, Windows, and...
Random Someone Cloned Axelay On The NES, Because Why Not
Seriously impressive stuff
It never ceases to amaze us how far modern-day developers can push retro hardware. From elaborate tech demos to fully-fledged ports, programmers are willing to push vintage systems to the absolute limit, forcing them to produce visuals that, back in the day, would have been unthinkable. Take the work of French developer...
Random If You Remember This Super Mario Game Show, You Have A Better Memory Than Us
Is that... Mario?!
In the early days of the video game industry, there were quite a few abortive attempts to mix the medium of interactive entertainment with the more passive pastime of just sitting and watching telly. Shows like GamesMaster and Bad Influence in the UK would try and capitalise on the amazing popularity of video games, but in...
News This 3D Model Of Super Mario World Is Breathtakingly Beautiful
We'll take ten, thanks
If you love Super Mario World anywhere near as much as we do, you're going to love this 3D model based on the game's overworld, too. Shared on Twitter by Matt Brailsford, this gorgeous little creation features all of the key areas seen on the game's famous map. Everything from the little world numbers, the Yellow Switch...
News Nostalgia Alert! James Pond Codename: Robocod Slips Onto Switch eShop
Cod help us
With the huge lists of new titles on eShop every week, it's sometimes easy for smaller games to slip thought the net as the bigger releases grab our attention. Eagle-eyed readers will have spotted a 16-bit classic that dropped onto Switch yesterday. Yep, James Pond Codename: Robocod is available to download on eShop as we write. For...
News We Almost Got Virtua Racing On The Game Boy Advance
The 'Time Extension' that never happened
The news that Virtua Racing is coming to Switch – and that it promises to be the most complete version yet seen – has caused a wee bit o' celebration amongst Sega fans. Yu Suzuki's seminal 3D racing classic effectively laid the foundation f
News Sega Wants Your Feedback About Some Of Its Longest-Running Video Game Series
Let them know
In recent times, Sega has reached out to its fanbase on a number of occasions. At the 2018 Tokyo Game Show, it ran a poll to find out what games fans would like to see added to the AGES line and more recently asked the community what games should appear on the Mega Drive Mini. It's now conducting an extensive player survey in the US,...
News Hands Up, Who Needs A Pair Of These Custom Zelda Game Boy Trainers?
"Fresh" as the kids might say
It's safe to say that we're pretty huge Legend of Zelda fans here at Nintendo Life, so much so that we'd happily go out and about wearing our favourite hoodies, backpacks, or t-shirts featuring our favourite Hyrule characters. Taking things up a notch, though, are these pair of custom trainers featuring a particularly...
Random Extremely Rare Nintendo World Championships Cartridge Found In An Attic
You'll need the Giant's Wallet for this one
While you can pick up many NES games for next to nothing, there are several cartridges that fetch eye-watering prices these days, especially in good condition. Just last month a mint, unopened copy of the original Super Mario Bros. sold for over $100,000. That's all well and good, but Super Mario Bros...
News Nintendo Adds New NES Games And SP Versions To Switch Online Earlier Than Planned
Kid Icarus, StarTropics and more
In a surprise turn of events, the NES Switch Online app has updated one day earlier than expected, meaning you can now play March's new offerings by updating the software. As promised, this month adds both Kid Icarus and StarTropics. You can find
Random Were Banjo And Kazooie Named After A Nintendo President's Grandchild And Son?
Rethinking history
If you're a fan of Nintendo trivia, you may or may not have heard this one before. Apparently, Banjo and Kazooie from Rare's 1998 Nintendo 64 game Banjo-Kazooie are (at least partly) named after the grandchild and son of former Nintendo president, Hiroshi Yamauchi. This is according to some "amazing trivia" game writer and...
Random Disney Adds Lyrics To Iconic DuckTales Song From Original NES Game
Reviving a classic
In 1989, Capcom released the action platform title DuckTales on the NES. There's a famous tune in this classic game that is still considered to be one of the greatest 8-bit songs of all-time. Now, after all these years, Disney has paid its respects to the NES outing by featuring the iconic Moon theme in the latest episode of the...
Random Unreleased Wrestling Game On NES Discovered After 30 Years
An incredible find
It might be 2019, but somehow people are still discovering unreleased games on the NES. YouTuber Stephan Reese, also known as Archon 1981, recently acquired the NES game UWC from a former Nintendo employee. If you've never heard about this wrestling title before, that's because it was never actually released. The name is...
Random Here's What The Game Boy Might Look Like If It Was Designed Today
Introducing the Game Boy Flex!
While we wait for Nintendo to sell us an official Game Boy Classic to complement the NES and SNES Mini, we cannot help our mind wandering. What might the classic 1989 Nintendo Game Boy look like if it were reimagined for our more – ahem – refined design sensibilities 30 years later? Industrial designer YJ Yoon...
February2019
Now funding on Kickstarter
Chris Bateman, designer of 1999 adventure game Discworld Noir and puzzle strategy title Ghost Master, is back with another project, this time creating a tribute to '80s ZX Spectrum adventure classic, The Lords of Midnight. The new project is called Silk, a sandbox RPG adventure which isn't just serving as a tribute to The...
News Sega Wants To Know Which Games You'd Like On The Mega Drive Mini
But there are limited choices
The Sega Mega Drive Mini is set to bring Sega-focused retro delights to your living room later in 2019, all in a very similar fashion to Nintendo's NES and SNES mini consoles which saw releases in recent years. Before it arrives, though, Sega is hoping to find out which games you'd like to be playable on the system...
News Shakedown Hawaii Dev Talks About Old-School Cart Release And Porting RCR To Game Boy Advance
“I love tinkering with old hardware”
Brian Provinciano from Vblank Entertainment recently appeared on Electric Playground Live to demo and talk about his upcoming multi-platform release, Shakedown Hawaii. One of the more interesting parts was when he was asked if it would be possible to run the "open-world comedy" on the Super Nintendo or Sega...
News Turns Out Many Characters Shared One Body In Zelda: The Wind Waker
How did we not notice this before?
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker got off to a rocky start with fans. The 'Celda' backlash may seem like a dim and distant memory now, but at the time many fans were furious that their beloved series was being twisted and turned in a way they didn’t agree with. Fancy that, eh? Fortunately, Nintendo stuck to...
News Prototype Red & Blue Data Sheds More Light On Pokémon's Origins
We could have been catching Capsule Monsters instead
Similar to the previously unearthed prototype designs for Pokémon Gold & Silver, further discoveries seem to have been made about original Pokémon Red & Blue monsters. A fresh batch of prototype assets has been published by Helix Chamber
Feature Meet The First Kid To Beat Zelda: Link's Awakening
(In the west, at least)
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening is one of the most beloved entries in the entire Zelda series, so it's little surprise that the announcement that Nintendo is remaking it for the Switch caused such a stir. The 1993 original remains a masterclass in adventure game design, and we personally cannot wait to get our hands on...
News Japanese TV Spot For The Original Link’s Awakening Shows Nintendo's Playful Side
The company's always been experimental with art styles
The announcement of The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening remaster for Switch has had many gamers revisiting the original and rediscovering the quirkiness of Koholint Island and its inhabitants. The remaster’s new toy-town art style is a plastic-y evolution of the aesthetic we saw in A Link...
News Near Mint Condition Copy Of Super Mario Bros. Sells At Auction For More Than $100,000
The first six-figure video game sale
A certified near mint condition copy of the timeless NES classic Super Mario Bros. has sold for $100,150 USD at an auction. This makes it the first-ever video game to sell for six-figures. The reason it fetched such a high price is linked to the rarity. Between 1985 and 1986 in New York and L.A. at test market...
Reminder Super Mario Bros. 2, Kirby's Adventure Now On Switch, Plus Two New SP Edition NES Games
More retro goodness
Today sees the latest update arrive in Nintendo Switch Online's NES app, with four new games in total being added for your playing pleasure (or five if you're in Japan). The two main additions this month are Kirby's Adventure and Super Mario Bros. 2, which Nintendo pre
News Bricktown's 2019 Streetwear Collection Features Iconic Nintendo Power-Ups
You, too, can look this dreary in a Fire Flower tee
Hip streetwear brand Bricktown has announced a partnership with Nintendo for an upcoming retro gaming-inspired collection. The crossover will see a variety of Super Mario World sprites adorning t-shirts, sweaters and caps of various hues. The moody polaroids are a bit much, but the merch itself...
News Spotify Users Can Now Enjoy A New Batch Of Capcom Tracks Following Huge Music Dump
Hmm, reading that back, it doesn't sound quite so appealing
Fans of chiptune and video game music in general have a whole bunch of freshly released tracks to enjoy thanks to Capcom dropping a boatload of albums on Spotify. They range from the classic NES Mega Man through PS1-era Resident Evil, Monster Hunter, Phoenix Wright, Devil May Cry,
Gallery Check Out This Rare Super Mario Artwork From The 1980s
A blast from the past
The Nintendo preservation experts at Forest of Illusion have shared some interesting Super Mario artwork, apparently dating back to the 1980s. The artwork was featured in an issue of Televi-Kun, which was a Japanese magazine for children. According to the source, the artwork was never featured in any other released media...
Feature Behind The Scenes On Sensible Software's Unreleased SNES Bomberman Beater
Da bomb
Sensible Software is a studio embedded in gaming history for many reasons outside of the admittedly immortal Sensible Soccer. Along with the Canon Fodder games – the destructive sibling of Sensible's popular football sim – the company's commitment to the 16-bit Amiga proved that, sometimes, you can achieve impossibly addictive gaming...
News Unreleased NES Title Panic! Dizzy Hits Kickstarter
The Oliver twins find another eggy treat in the loft
Dizzy fans rejoice! In what seems like an unending trove of unreleased software that Philip and Andrew Oliver have found down the back of their sofa, Panic! Dizzy is the latest in a line of rediscovered Dizzy titles seeking crowdfunding. The game will be free to play on their website, but the pair...
News Doom & Destiny Coming To Switch, But Not Those Ones
Well, DOOM is but that would spoil the headline, no?
Turn-based RPG Doom & Destiny - the self-described 'Flying Spaghetti-Fantasy Adventure' - drops onto the eShop tomorrow. A farcical take on the old-school JRPG formula, your party of four friends encounter all the classic things you'd expect to find on a perilous top-down adventure - dragons,...
News Puzzle Bobble 2 Hits Switch Tomorrow Thanks To Hamster's Neo Geo Collection
"Ready? GO!"
Hamster has confirmed that the already-promised Puzzle Bobble 2 is heading to Nintendo Switch very, very soon. So soon, in fact, that you'll be able to get your hands on it tomorrow. We already gave that away in the title, didn't we? Ah well. Puzzle Bobble 2 is a tile-matching game first released by Taito in 1995. Originally appearing...
News Combined Sales Of SNES Mini And NES Mini Likely To Surpass Lifetime Wii U Sales
Retro power
If you need to be reminded just how miserable lifetime Wii U hardware sales were, Niko Partners analyst Daniel Ahmad has shared a number of charts on Twitter, comparing Nintendo system sales as of 31st December 2018. Noticeably, the combined sales of the SNES Mini Classic and the NES Mini Classic are expected to surpass Wii U lifetime...
News Gods Remastered Is Bringing The Bitmap Brothers' Classic '90s Platformer To Switch
From SNES to Switch
Hercules is well and truly on his way to Nintendo Switch, as a remaster of the classic '90s platformer Gods is on its way to the console. Fittingly called Gods Remastered, this new release has been developed by Robot Riot Games and actually released on Steam towards the end of last year. The remaster presents the original title...
January2019
News Unreleased N64 Game Dragon Sword Might Finally Be Completed 20 Years Later
Source code acquired
Around 1997-98, a hack-and-slash game under the name Dragon Sword was in development for the Nintendo 64. Sadly, it was never completed, and players never got to see it as it was truly intended, but that might be about to change. The game was originally being created by Team Storm at Interactive Studios, the team behind 1998...
News Modder Tries To Create A First-Person 8-Bit Zelda Game Inside DOOM Engine
A new perspective
The Legend of Zelda series has taken some interesting new steps in recent years - Breath of the Wild was an entirely different take on the franchise's usual setup - but one thing we wouldn't expect to see is a first-person adventure. And especially not a first-person adventure with NES-style graphics. As it so happens, though,...
Random Get Your Retro Fix With This Lovely Super Mario Themed Screensaver Set
A blast from the past
Classic Nintendo memorabilia is increasingly hard to come by nowadays. On the digital front, it’s much the same, with classic wallpapers and screensavers somewhat a thing of the past. If you are in need of a digital retro fix, Nintendo preservation specialist “The Forest of Illusion” has uploaded a lovely Japanese Super...
News The Original N64 Resident Evil 2 Dev Team Will Livestream The New Remake With Full Commentary
A must-watch
You may well have noticed that a little game called Resident Evil 2 is launching today across PS4, Xbox One and PC, acting as a remake of the 1998 original that first launched on PlayStation. You may also be aware that the original game was ported to the Nintendo 64, with the console's limited cartridge storage space making that version...
Video The History Of The Super Mario Land Series
The first Mario without Miyamoto
Mario has had a long and illustrious career, from 1985's Super Mario Bros. - in which Mario must save Princess Toadstool from Bowser - right up until 2018's New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe, where things are almost creepily familiar. One short stint of this career, lasting from 1989 to 1994, was the Super Mario Land...
News It Looks Like Johnny Turbo Is Entering The Shmup Business On Nintendo Switch
"Gues whats next"
If the Nintendo Switch is your system of choice for shoot 'em up games, you'll be glad to hear another retro one is making a comeback. Johnny Turbo - one of gaming's worst mascots - and now the face of Flying Tiger Entertainment's classic line recently hopped on Twitter to tease another old school Data East title coming to the...
Video Work Up A Sweat With This NES Indoor Cycling Game
Welcome to the RacerMate Challenge II
Indoor cycling has really taken off in recent years, with innovations made with modern smart turbo trainers such as the Wahoo Kickr combined with software such as Zwift, which offers cyclists who wish to get in some virtual miles in their pain caves a gamified experience as they can user power-ups to gain an...
Reminder Zelda II And Blaster Master Hit Switch Today, Plus Two New Special Edition NES Games
Your monthly retro fix
Just in case it had slipped your mind, we've once again reached that time of the month when Nintendo updates the Nintendo Switch Online service's selection of NES games. A total of four new offerings have arrived today (five if you're in Japan), so let's get stuck in. The two main additions this month are Blaster Master and
Hardware Review Insurrection Industries Carby - GameCube HDMI Support On A Budget
Yet another HDMI adapter, but this one doesn't cost the earth
Keen readers of the site will know that we're always on the lookout for ways to make vintage hardware look as good as possible on modern-day TV sets. Years ago, we dabbled in the world of scanline generators such as the SLG3000, and more recently we sang the praises of the OSSC, a device...
Hardware Review EON GCHD Mk-II GameCube HDMI Adapter - The Best Just Got Better
New and improved
When it comes to getting the best possible image quality out of your retro console of choice, you usually have to jump through a few awkward (not to mention expensive) hoops. That was certainly the case with the GameCube until very recently; the best way of running the system in the past was via Nintendo's own SCART (if you're in...
News Looks Like Retro-Bit Is Resurrecting Sega's Switch-Like Handheld, The Nomad
Don't get mad, get Nomad
Retro-Bit – the company behind a series of clone systems and repackaged classic games – has already confirmed that it is working with Sega to produce a series of officially-licenced accessories for the Sega Genesis / Meg
Random Talented Individual Creates Arcade Stick For Nintendo’s Virtual Boy
Touted as the “world’s first”
The Virtual Boy was universally panned by critics and goes down in history as Nintendo’s worst system of all-time. Despite this, the 32-bit table-top console with a red monochrome head-mounted display has still managed to develop a cult following over the years. Surprisingly, there’s even a supportive...
News The Retro Champ Is A Switch-Like Hybrid Console That Plays Your Original NES Games
Take your NES on the go
The Switch is slowly but surely becoming a super-useful tool for playing NES games on a modern display, and even on the go in handheld form, with the Nintendo Switch Online service throwing in three more games from the original system's library each month. Still, for anyone who has a large collection of real, physical NES...
Random Totaka's Song Has Been Discovered In Pikmin 2, Again
Nearly 15 years after the game's original release
A famous melody which has appeared in multiple Nintendo games over the years is Totaka's Song. It was originally created by Nintendo composer and sound director Kazumi Totaka and first appeared in X - a 1992 shooter on the original Game Boy - as a secret. Since then, it's become somewhat of an iconic...
Random This 1991 Nintendo Calendar Is Pretty Bizarre, And It Can Be Used Again In 2019
Samus, is that you?
Rummaging through your basement to look back over old goodies can be a wonderful experience - you should see some of the relics we have knocking about at Nintendo Life HQ - and can sometimes reunite you with things long forgotten. One such basement search has uncovered this Nintendo calendar from 1991, and some of the designs...
Video You Can Actually Play Games With The NES Controllers Still Attached To Your Switch
A weapon to surpass Metal Gear
Peripherals come and peripherals go, and one of this we thought would be going very swiftly out of people's minds was the NES Controllers for Nintendo Switch. They look clunky, they were reportedly only going to work with NES games via Nintendo Switch Online, and the price didn't fill a lot of fans with confidence...
Talking Point It's A Pretty Sweet Time For 'New' Retro Games, But What Does It Mean For Collectors?
Are you a fan of 'official' repro releases?
One of the most annoying things about collecting and playing vintage games is the cost. While a great many classic carts are available at cheap prices on the second-hand market, the most desirable examples are rising in value all of the time, which means many people simply don't bother with physical games...
Video Unlocking The "Minus Worlds" In The NES Version Of The Legend Of Zelda
Exploring the uncharted
If you haven't heard about the "minus worlds" before, it's basically a glitch found in multiple classic games such as Super Mario Bros. on the NES. Now, decades after the release of The Legend of Zelda on the same platform, the minus worlds in this title have been discovered. YouTube channel Skelux has accessed the minus...
News This Custom Game Boy Cartridge Turns Your Old Handhelds Into GameCube And Wii Controllers
Play Virtual Console with a real Game Boy
Ever played an old Game Boy classic on the Wii's Virtual Console and thought, "hey, this is great, but it still doesn't feel quite like it used to in the good old days"? Well, this custom cartridge could well solve that dilemma as it allows players to use any Game Boy system as a controller for your GameCube...
Video This Pocket-Sized Portable Plays GameCube And Wii Games
But you can't buy it
Portable Wii consoles aren't a new thing – we've seen one that fits inside a coat, lest we forget – but few fan-made mods come as elegantly packaged as this one. The PiiWii Pocket is the creation of YouTuber Shank Mods, and uses actual Wii internals rather than emulation. It comes with a suite of controls, internal cooling...
December2018
News Unreleased NES SimCity Gets Preserved, Publicly Released
An 8-bit Christmas miracle!
You may remember last year this humble NL scribe reported on the surprising discovery of two NES SimCity prototype cartridges in the wild. This unreleased, Nintendo-developed version was one the NES holy grails of prototypes but not many people got their hands on the content of those two cartridges... until Frank Cifaldi...
Feature 20 Years After The Release Of Banjo-Kazooie, We Speak To The Guys Who Made It
The N64's beloved duo celebrate two decades
No, you're not suffering from déjà vu; this article originally appeared on the site in June this year, and we're republishing it as part of our 'Best of 2018' series which celebrates what we feel were our finest features of the past twelve months. Enjoy! Here is a sobering thought. It’s been twenty...
Feature The Day I Met Donkey Kong On Live TV
Alex Norton talks of TV fame and people in ape suits
No, you're not suffering from déjà vu; this article originally appeared on the site in August this year, and we're republishing it as part of our 'Best of 2018' series which celebrates what we feel were our finest features of the past twelve months. In this special one-off piece, reader Alex...
Feature How One Nintendo Christmas Shaped The Rest Of My Life
Chris Scullion recounts how the NES altered his destiny one festive morning
It was the summer of 1987. My aunt had fallen in love with an American chap and moved to the States to marry him and live there. And so, my family – including a 4-year-old me – flew out from Scotland to Parma, Ohio to visit them during the summer. That was when I saw...
Feature The Real Wizard: A Nintendo World Champion's Tale
Jeff Hansen talks about his past life as a gaming superstar
No, you're not suffering from déjà vu; this article originally appeared on the site in June this year, and we're republishing it as part of our 'Best of 2018' series which celebrates what we feel were our finest features of the past twelve months. Enjoy! Nintendo – perhaps more so...
Feature Creating The Ultimate Game Boy
The DMG-102 is the handheld of your dreams
The humble Game Boy is probably older than many of the people reading these words right now, but it nonetheless remains an utterly iconic piece of consumer tech. Since the start of the Game Boy line way back in 1989, the range has undergone several revisions and has sold millions of units all over the...
News Early Pokémon Red And Blue Concept Art Shows How Different Some Classic 'Mon Originally Looked
Gyarados was terrifying
For many Pokémon fans, the names and faces of the series' ever-growing collection of monsters are forever imprinted in our minds, and especially the 'classic' set of Generation 1 creatures that debuted in Pokémon Red and Blue. Of course, the new release of Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee! has only enhanced...
Random John Cena Is A NES Aficionado
"Yay, technology"
American actor, professional wrestler, rapper and all-around good guy John Cena recently spoke about his love of the original Nintendo Entertainment System during an IGN video promoting the new Transformers film, Bumblebee. The cast of the movie was quizzed about '80s toys, and the most knowledgeable of the bunch was John. After...
Video SNES Classic Runs PSone Games Better Than The PlayStation Classic
Classic Sony
If you keep tabs on the competition, you will have no doubt have heard about the PlayStation Classic. Following Nintendo's success with NES and SNES Classic systems, Sony decided to release a miniature version of its own legacy hardware. Unfortunately, this particular system hasn't lived up to expectations, with an underwhelming...
Video Here's How Smash Ultimate's World Of Light Trailer Might Have Looked On Game Boy Color
"Don't let a single one get away"
Despite having now owned the game for several days - and having beaten up more innocent Jigglypuff than we care to admit in that time - we still find ourselves occasionally reminiscing over that wonderful World of Light trailer. It's hard not to fall in love with a video depicting so many of our beloved childhood...
News This Awesome Hand-Drawn Ninja Gaiden Guide Brings Back Lovely Pre-Internet Memories
And you can have it for free
Before strategy guides and that pesky, know-it-all internet came along, completing tricky games was a serious challenge. There was a time when players couldn't simply Google "how do I unlock Simon Belmont's luscious locks in Smash Bros.", and instead had to figure everything out by playing over and over again. Often,...
News The New BittBoy Can Play NES, Game Boy And Game Boy Color (Ahem) Games
Let's hope Soulja Boy doesn't find out
We reviewed the original BittBoy some time ago and found it to be a perfectly likeable – if legally questionable – handheld system. Now, the company behind it is releasing a successor, and while it retains the same basic design, there are a few extra features worth noting (and no, it's no less dubious from...
News SNES Classic King Arthur's World Is Getting A Modern Day Remaster 25 Years Later
Recreated by the original team
It may well have been around 25 years ago that SNES classic King Arthur's World invaded our screens for the first time, but a brand new remaster for modern platforms is currently in the works. If you need a quick refresher, or if you're simply too young to have been around, the game has you playing as the titular King...
Feature SNES Classic Edition Vs. PlayStation Classic - Which One Should You Choose?
16-bit or 32-bit?
Nintendo wasn't the first company to wake up to the idea of repackaging its games in tiny versions of classic consoles – Sega and Atari (from a licencing perspective, at least) were there a long, long time ago – but its entry into this previously niche sector certainly made an impact. The NES Classic Edition and SNES Classic...
News Analogue Announces New Limited Edition Super Nt, And You Can Order One Right Now
Limited to 1,000 units, so be quick
If you're a fan of your fancy tech and intriguing video game consoles, you may already be aware of the Analogue Super Nt. Inspired by the design of the Japanese and European Super Famicom / SNES systems, this machine can play your original games on your modern 1080p setups with beautiful ease, and a new Limited...
Video Obscure Mario Facts You Probably Didn't Know About
No, really
If you thought you already knew everything about Mario, perhaps you should watch the above video first. Did You Know Gaming has managed to compile 10 minutes of obscure Mario facts you probably had no idea about. For example, during the Super Famicom era, Nintendo experimented with digital magazine publishing. Despite being officially...
November2018
News Paprium's Disastrous 'Launch Party' Leaves Backers Furious As Unfinished Prototype Is Shown Off
"I'm starting to think this situation is beyond repair"
The saga of Paprium – the next game from Pier Solar developer WaterMelon – rolls ever onwards. Earlier this year we spoke to one of the game's artists about the stop-st
Random Only 300 Of These Fiorentina-Themed Game Boy Pockets Were Ever Released
Football in your pocket
If you live and breath calcio, you might be fond of the Serie A Italian football side Fiorentina. Even if you just love the global game and are also a fan of Nintendo, you'll probably remember this team's classic 'Nintendo' kit of 1998. To this day, it remains one of the club's most iconic and memorable designs. During this...
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