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Welcome to this week’s Retro Gaming Newsletter!

In this week’s newsletter we cover Nintendo taking a cautious approach to controversy, the Sega Lynx portable that never was, Atari on an IP buying frenzy, and even some love for the Neo-Geo.

????️ Can you guess the game released this week in history?

I’m a spinning marsupial, quite brave and bold, On a 32-bit Sony console, my adventures unfold. Against an evil scientist, I constantly fight, To save my girlfriend and make things right.

Can you guess the game? ????

News

???? Nintendo reportedly changed the name of a character in the Mario Bros Movie to prevent any racial controversy [Yahoo]. Link

The fan’s word on the best Nintendo controllers is here – from Nintendo Life. Link

 

Did you know the Atari Lynx ???? was almost Segas first handheld [Globe Live Media]? Link

Code breakthrough: Coders successfully decompile Paper Mario, paving the way for a potential fan-made PC port [Overclock3D]. Link

Atari has purchased a load more Retro gaming IP, including Bubsy. They are on a spending spree. Not sure why [Metro]. Link

Classic additions: Nintendo Switch Online expands its retro game lineup with titles like Street Fighter II and more [Niche Gamer]. Link

 

 

Features

Masahiro Sakurai, a Nintendo legend, delves into the rich past of the Famicom and NES, gaming’s golden consoles [Essentially Sports]. Link

Explore a comprehensive (????) ranking of the best Super Mario Bros. games, from classics to Nintendo Switch titles [Kotaku]. Link

Hackaday looks back at the Sega Master System 8-Bit 3D glasses ????. Link

The Neo Geo was a thing of legend when I was younger, with crazy expensive games, I saw it in magazines and could only imagine what owning one must be like. News Nation World has the top 5 most expensive carts just in case you were one of the lucky owners. Link

Or maybe more interesting? Discover the 15 least-loved Mario video games that failed to live up to the franchise’s high standards [Yardbarker]. Link

Retro revival: Ryo Mukai’s one-component light pen build offers a modern replacement for the rare 1980s Vectrex accessory [Hackster.io]. Link

 

Explore the evolution of handheld gaming and the impact of culture and technology on the market [Tech EDT]. Link

Celebrate a classic: The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past turns 31, reflecting its enduring legacy and impact on Nintendo [Inverse]. Link

Unearth the past: Naughty Dog’s long-forgotten RPG, Rings of Power, offers a glimpse into the studio’s early days – and had a topless woman in the intro ???? [DualShockers]. Link

The Guardian (of all places – Retro is really getting mainstream) gives you a beginner’s guide to the world of Super Mario, covering essential games, tips, and trivia. Link

 

Lists & Rankings

????️ Uncover the secrets: Delve into 15 lesser-known facts about the iconic Super Nintendo console and its history [Den of Geek]. Link

Discover top retro Sega games that have yet to be ported, leaving fans eagerly awaiting their potential return [CBR]. Link

???? Blast from the past: Check out these 10 formerly huge gaming franchises that are ripe for a revival [Destructoid]. Link

Thanks for reading, please do check out our sponsors RetroShell (www.retroshell.com) if you are a game collector – their cases are the best, and without them, this newsletter would likely not exist.

[Answer: Crash Bandicoot, Sony PlayStation, Released in Europe on April 24, 1996 – turning 27 years old this week]

Happy easter Monday for those of you that celebrate it. I hope you are enjoying some chocolate, time off work and some retro gaming (or maybe all three). 26 years ago today for the Sony Playstation, a genre-defining RPG was launched – in my opinion, probably the best of its kind. See if you can guess it from the riddle (answer at the bottom).

In this game, a hero with spiky hair and a giant sword,

Fights against Shinra, the evil corporation’s horde.

With a team of friends, he battles through a fantastic story,

Saving the planet from Sephiroth’s ultimate glory.

News

Rumours suggest that the infamous and widely mocked “Zelda” games released on the Philips CD-i console are being remastered for the Nintendo Switch, offering players a chance to revisit the cult-classics with updated visuals and improved gameplay [Nintendo Life]. Link

Discover the mysterious and challenging Japanese role-playing game, “SaGa Frontier,” which first appeared on the Super Famicom in 1997 [Yahoo! Entertainment], and why it’s making a comeback on modern consoles. Link

Get ready to relive your childhood (or your parents) with the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster series, bringing back the original classics with revamped 2D graphics and a fresh coat of paint [N-Europe]. Link

To celebrate the release of the “Tetris” movie, gamers can now access the secret “Level 30” and “Level 40” in the classic game on various platforms (Tetris Effect), featuring new visuals and music [GameSpot]. Link

An ex-Rare developer explains the origin and inspiration behind the creation of the various environments and settings in the classic video game “Donkey Kong Country” [GoNintendo]. Link

Get ready for some retro action with “Xeno Crisis,” a new video game released for the GameCube and Nintendo 64 that takes players on an exciting sci-fi adventure filled with aliens and intense combat [Ruetir]. Link

Fans of Rare’s classic titles for the Nintendo 64 console can rejoice as co-founder Tim Stamper teases the development cartridge for “Dream 64,” a cancelled project that could have been a hit game on the system [My Nintendo News]. Link

Exciting video game news surfaces as leaked footage allegedly showcases a reboot of Sega’s classic “Jet Set Radio” and a remake of “Persona 3,” two beloved titles that could be making a comeback soon [My Nintendo News]. Link

Gamers can now use retro Nintendo controllers with their Nintendo Switch thanks to the Raspberry Pi Pico W, a new microcontroller that allows users to program and connect classic controllers to the Switch wirelessly [Tom’s Hardware]. Link

Sega sparks controversy among Sonic fans as they remind them that Tails, Sonic’s sidekick, technically died 30 years ago in the game “Sonic the Hedgehog 2,” and has been a ghost ever since [TheGamer]. Link

 

Features

Get ready to become a Super Mario expert with these 30 key facts about the beloved video game character, including his origin, abilities, and even his favourite food [It’s A Stampede]. Link

Rediscover “Axelay,” one of Konami’s classic shoot ’em up games for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), that was overshadowed by other titles in the company’s library, but still remains a hidden gem [Destructoid]. Link

Travel back in time and learn about the fascinating history of “The Legend of Zelda” franchise, from its early beginnings and development to its evolution and influence on video game culture [GamesRadar]. Link

t the inside scoop on the Super Mario Bros. movie as its creators discuss their vision for bringing the beloved video game characters to the big screen, including their approach to humour, music, and staying true to the spirit of the games [CNET]. Link

Get a dose of nostalgia as the upcoming Super Mario Bros. movie is filled with references and Easter eggs from the classic video games, including familiar characters, items, and even sound effects [Den of Geek]. Link

Discover some of the forgotten and unusual sports video games from the past, including titles like “ESPN Extreme Games” and “Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater,” that introduced gamers to unique and exciting sports they might not have otherwise tried [GameRant]. Link

Lists and Rankings

Discover the top 25 best Mario games of all time, including classics like “Super Mario Bros.” and “Super Mario 64,” as well as newer releases like “Super Mario Odyssey” and “Super Mario 3D World” [MSN]. Link

We are taking a look at the Top 20 N64 games ever, and sharing some intersting facts [RetroShell]. IG TikTok

Take a look back at some of the worst video games based on cartoon franchises, including infamous titles like “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” and “The Simpsons Wrestling,” that left fans disappointed and frustrated with their poor gameplay and lack of quality [CBR]. Link

The game in the riddle was Final Fantasy VII!

That’s all for this week’s video game newsletter! From leaked footage of “Jet Set Radio” and “Persona 3” remakes to the creation of the Super Mario Bros. movie, there’s been plenty of exciting news in the gaming world. Whether you’re a fan of classic titles or new releases, there’s always something to look forward to. So, grab some snacks, fire up your console or computer, and have fun playing some great games!

 

Welcome to the 38th issue. In this week’s newsletter, this week we cover articles from the New Your Times and Esquire (????), alternative Nintendo inventions, Ryu promoting eye care and the best controllers for button mashing.

Released on the 6th of April in 1992 was one of the very best gun and run games. Here is a riddle to give you a clue as to what it is.

In the land of the rising sun, an invasion began, On a console with 16 bits, it’s where I stand. Two heroes, their mission to thwart and to thwart, The year’s ninety-two, the sixth of the fourth.

My title speaks of conflict, the third in the row, Alien adversaries, they must overthrow. A run-and-gun adventure, in your hands it lies, What am I? A game where heroes shoot for the skies.

News

8Bit do are a solid company that makes some excellent products based on retro designs. They have just upgraded their SN30 Pro controller so it now works like a dream for Mac emulation [Ars Tech]. Link

In the most random news, the characters from Street Fighter II have appeared in an advert for Eye Drops in Japan [YouTube]. Link

Project EGG is reportedly going to bring MSX and Neo Geo titles to the Nintendo Switch [Nintendo Life]. Link

A Rare co-founder demonstrated a beta copy of Twelve Tales: Conker 64, which was eventually scrapped and replaced with Conkers Bad Fur Day [My Nintendo News]. Link

A Reddit user has converted an N64 into an arcade cabinet ????. Link

The Ocarina of time is one of the very best, and CryZENx has given it a makeover using Unreal Engine 5.2 – and it looks very cool [TecheBlog]. Link

Features

The New York Times rarely gets a hallowed slot on here, but they have a cool-looking article on Why Tetris consumed your brain. Link

Pocket Lint has a feature on older technologies that will baffle the modern generation. An excellent trip down memory lane to relive such delights as cassette tapes, overhead projectors and Gamegears. Link

The new series of Succession is out (well worth a watch) and Kieran Culkin shares his list of essential video games – with retro games coming out on top [Esquire]! Link

With the new Mario film close to release, CBR revisits how the original 90’s film could have been very different. Link

Geek Tyrant gives you some ideas to relax, by repairing and restoring old video game consoles. Kind of like adult colouring in (but with better results at the end). Link

We Got This Covered go back in time and look at some of Nintendo’s lesser-known games (mostly pre-Famicom). Some cool things I was not aware of. Link

Atari are on a tear, and they are publishing a VR game for the PSVR2 called Pixel Ripped 1978, which is about a woman called bug who is working at Atari during the early days of gaming, and covers a lot of classic Atari games [YouTube]. Link

List and Rankings

The rankers at The Gamer give you their view on the 10 best controllers for maximum button-mashing satisfaction. Link

Destructoid gives the Yoshi franchise some love by giving you the 10 best Yoshi games of all time. Link

GameRant has a list of peripherals that you can buy now for your super Nintendo (mostly controllers). Link

One of the best things about the N64 was the 4 controller ports as standard, this led to some heated multiplayer battles (mostly on ISS and Goldeneye). Critical Hit gives to you the best N64 multiplayer games. Link

The Saturn does not get much love in this newsletter, mostly because there is limited news or features, but this week’s Pro Game Guides gives to you the 15 best games on the Sega Saturn! Link

Game Over. Did you guess the game from the riddle? It was Contra III: The Alien Wars (aka Super Probotector: Alien Rebels).

We are counting down the top 20 games on TikTok and Instagram if you wanted to see our verdict.

Welcome to this week’s retro gaming news roundup. The year is 1986, you are in Japan and this week a game is going to be released which will change gaming forever. You fire up the game, and one of the first things you read is “It’s dangerous to go alone! Take this.” What game is it?

News

Cocaine Bear is the big film release of 2023 and might of just missed the Oscar nominations for this year HOWEVER – the good folk have made an 8-bit game to celebrate the launch and you can play it for free. Link

The Named Cassette Museum in Tokyo is reuniting gamers with their original Famicom cassettes, and other old game cartridges, which had their names, addresses, and additional identifying information written on them [Yahoo]. Link

There is a new game to film release on the horizon! This time, Tetris [YouTube]. Link

Super Nintendo World in Hollywood is open! If you want to know more you can read this from SFGate. Link

Some boffins (I love that word) have created MarioGPT, which is a Mario Bros world generator using GPT-2 [TechXplore]. Link

Limited Run Games wanted to resurrect Cool Spot – Dr Pepper said “no” [Twitter]. Link

To celebrate the 30th Anniversary of StarFox, one of the lead programmers has done a 40-minute play-through [YouTube]. Link

Features

In 1993, The Flash had his own video game on the Sega Master System that tried to replicate his speed in a precise puzzle game rather than emulating Sonic the Hedgehog, and although it received good reviews for its music and level design, it was overshadowed by the console’s lack of popularity in America and never re-released or ported to other consoles [CBR]. Link

Dualshockers have a feature on the life and death of “lives” in video games. Link

SlashGear takes a look at the most bizarre N64 accessories of all time. Link

Nintendo Life looks back at the Nintendo console with the best lineup of first-party games. Link

Lists / Rankings

Destructoid gives you their take on the top 15 games for the SNES. Link

Game news 24 takes a look at the 5 rarest games in the world. Link

Yahoo gets in on the ranking game and gives you their top 20 video game characters from the 90s. Link

And GameRant, who are much more accustomed to giving their rankings – gives you the 10 best Retro Games from the ’90s. Link

In the niche list of the week, The Gamer take a look at the 10 best WarioWare references to other games. Link

Dualshockers gives you their take on the 10 best Sega Franchises. Link

That’s all folks. This week’s game was The Legend of Zelda for the NES, released 37 years ago this week in Japan. Check out our TikTok channel where we are creating our very own list of the top 20 SNES games ever!