• GBPGBP
  • EuroEuro
  • USDUSD

Tag Archives: Speedrunning

Retro Gaming News

👾 Retro Gaming Weekly News #0137

Posted on by Owen

I will not bore you with more tales of Elden Ring and my Marvel Snap woes, so straight on with the news.

This week we have 45 stories and cover news of the Lego Gameboy, reviving the Game Boy e-reader, the Dreamcast getting cloud saving, lots of speed running shenanigans and a load more. Thanks for reading!

Subscribe now

News

🎮 Limited Run Games Faces Backlash Over Faulty NES Cartridges – Customers report issues with Limited Run Games’ NES cartridges, including non-functioning copies and poor build quality. Retroshell

🧩 ‘Black Tower Enigma’ Aiming for Game Boy Release – A new puzzle adventure, Black Tower Enigma, is set to launch on the Game Boy, offering a retro-inspired experience. GoNintendo

🤖 ‘Mobile Suit Gundam’ for Sega Saturn Receives English Patch – The long-awaited fan translation of Mobile Suit Gundam for the Sega Saturn is now available, bringing the game to English-speaking audiences. Retroshell

🎥 Amazon-MGM Takes Full Control of James Bond Franchise, Including Games – Amazon has secured full rights to the James Bond franchise, expanding its control over future films, TV, and video game adaptations. Gameranx

🧱 LEGO Nintendo Game Boy Set Launching This October – LEGO is set to release a Game Boy-inspired set in October, blending nostalgia with brick-building creativity. Retroshell

🎬 Legendary’s Live-Action ‘Street Fighter’ Movie Finds Its Director – The upcoming live-action Street Fighterfilm has officially secured a director, signalling progress on the anticipated adaptation. Time Extension

🕹 ‘Mouthwashing’ Brings Classic PS1-Style Horror to Consoles in 2025 – Mouthwashing, a new horror game inspired by classic PS1 aesthetics, is set to terrify players on modern consoles next year. Retroshell

🎮 Blaze’s Next Evercade Cart Features 10 Atari & Stern Games – The upcoming Evercade cartridge will bundle ten classic games from Atari and Stern Electronics. Time Extension

💾 ‘Manic Miner’ Returns with a New Fan-Made Port – The classic platformer Manic Miner has been revived with a new fan-made version, bringing fresh life to the retro favourite. Retroshell

🇯🇵 Super Real Mahjong VS for N64 Gets English Patch – The obscure N64 game Super Real Mahjong VS has received an English translation, making it more accessible to global players. Time Extension

🦖 ‘Jurassic Park 2’ for SNES Gets an Overhaul After 30 Years – A major fan-made overhaul breathes new life into the SNES classic Jurassic Park 2, enhancing graphics and gameplay. Retroshell

🎮 ‘Ecli’ is a Puzzling New Platformer Coming to Game Boy Color – Ecli, an upcoming Game Boy Color game, blends puzzle and platforming elements in a unique adventure. Retro Dodo

✨ Final Fantasy Joins Magic: The Gathering in an Epic Crossover – The Final Fantasy universe is set to collide with Magic: The Gathering in a newly announced crossover set. Retroshell

📀 Gold Master Series Brings Classic Games to Physical Form, Including an Exclusive Handheld – A new collection called Gold Master Series will offer physical releases of classic games, including Tetris Forever and a new handheld console. Retroshell

🃏 Mario Hanafuda: Nintendo’s Latest Fusion of Tradition and Nostalgia – Nintendo is reviving its traditional Hanafuda roots with a new Mario Hanafuda product. Retroshell

📀 ‘Ravi & Navi’ Becomes the First New Famicom Disk System Game Since 1992 – The Famicom Disk System is getting a new game after more than 30 years with the release of Ravi & Navi. Retroshell

🔥 Karnov Returns on Neo Geo Platforms – The classic arcade hero Karnov is returning with a new release on Neo Geo systems. Retroshell

🔧 Introducing Game Bub: An Open-Source FPGA Handheld for Retro Gaming – Game Bub is a new open-source FPGA handheld designed for retro gaming enthusiasts. Retroshell

🥷 ‘Special Ninja Squad’ Brings 16-Bit Action to TurboGrafx-16 – A new side-scrolling action game, Special Ninja Squad, is heading to the TurboGrafx-16. Retroshell

☁️ Sega Dreamcast Receives Cloud Save Support in 2025 – The Sega Dreamcast is getting modern functionality with newly introduced cloud save support. Retroshell

📜 Reviving the Game Boy Advance e-Reader with New Games – Developers are creating new content for the Game Boy Advance e-Reader, giving the accessory a fresh purpose. Retroshell

🧩 New 4-Player Puzzle Action Game ‘Block Panic DX’ Arrives on Neo Geo – Block Panic DX, a multiplayer puzzle-action title, is launching on Neo Geo. Retroshell

🌍 Argos no Senshi Gets Full English Translation for NES – The NES classic Argos no Senshi has been fully translated into English for modern players. Retroshell

🛹 New ‘Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater’ Remaster Possibly in the Works – A potential remaster of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater has been hinted at, sparking excitement among fans. Retroshell

🏊 Super Mario 64 Speedrunners Discover Bizarre Underwater Standing Trick – Speedrunners have found a strange new glitch in Super Mario 64 that allows Mario to stand underwater. Retroshell

Features

🎬 The Legend of Zelda Movie Trailer (Fan Video) – A fan-made trailer envisions what a Legend of Zelda movie could look like. ScreenRant (below)

🕹 Retro Gaming Thrives Among Gen Z in the UK, New Study Finds – A recent study highlights the growing popularity of retro gaming among Gen Z players in the UK. Retroshell

💻 Programmer Gets NES to Emulate a PC with Ridiculous Sounds – A programmer has managed to run a PC emulator on an NES, producing bizarre and unexpected audio glitches. TechSpot (below)

https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/OooHTDMUSGY?rel=0&autoplay=0&showinfo=0&enablejsapi=0

🎮 Former Xbox Designer Says Console Power Is No Longer the Priority – A former Xbox hardware designer argues that raw power is becoming less important in modern console development. Retroshell

🥷 How Sega’s Shinobi Games Have Evolved Through the Ages – A retrospective explores the evolution of Shinobi, from its arcade roots to modern reimaginings. Kakuchopurei

🏆 Blindfolded Super Mario 64 Speedrunner’s Near-Record Run Invalidated by Webcam Failure – A blindfolded Super Mario 64 speedrun was disqualified after a critical webcam malfunction. Retroshell

🔄 Mega EverDrive Pro: The Best Flash Cart for Your Genesis/Mega Drive – A review of the Mega EverDrive Pro highlights its features and why it’s a must-have for retro gaming fans. Time Extension

🛠 Building the Ultimate Xbox 360: A Modder’s Dream Console – A deep dive into extreme Xbox 360 modding, showcasing custom hardware and software enhancements. Retroshell

💰 Got $13,000? You Could Own This One-Off ‘Dream’ Copy of Harry Potter on PS1 – A rare, unique copy of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone for the PS1 is up for auction at a staggering price. Time Extension

🌟 Legendary Star Fox and Zelda Developer Emphasizes Creativity Over Budget – A veteran game developer stresses that creativity, not massive budgets, leads to great games. Retroshell

🎥 Sony Canceled a Video Game Movie After Trailer Backlash – Sony reportedly scrapped a planned Sly Cooperfilm after poor reactions to its early trailer. SlashFilm (below)

https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/nbXEKZVonko?rel=0&autoplay=0&showinfo=0&enablejsapi=0

👟 Nike’s Latest Shoe Design Pays Homage to Donkey Kong Country – Nike’s newest sneaker takes inspiration from Donkey Kong Country, featuring a design reminiscent of the classic platformer. Retroshell

🔍 Did You Know the Dreamcast Has a Hidden Menu System? – A newly discovered menu system hidden within the Dreamcast has surfaced, revealing unknown features. Time Extension

🎯 Super Mario 64 Speedrunners Achieve the Impossible Blindfolded – A group of speedrunners has managed to complete nearly impossible feats in Super Mario 64 without sight. Retroshell

🚦 GTA 3 Almost Penalized Players for Running Red Lights – An early concept for GTA 3 included a penalty system for traffic violations, but it was ultimately scrapped. Retroshell

📀 Squaresoft’s Push for CDs on the N64: A Lost Opportunity – A look at how Squaresoft’s efforts to bring CD-based gaming to the N64 could have changed gaming history. Retroshell

Lists & Rankings

🎮 The Rarest Dreamcast Games and Their Prices – A look at the rarest and most valuable Sega Dreamcast games, with some fetching high prices in the collector’s market. CBR

📖 The Best Stories in Sega Games, Ranked – A ranking of the most compelling narratives in Sega’s gaming history, highlighting standout storytelling moments. GameRant

🕹 Best Third-Party GameCube Games, Ranked – A ranking of the best third-party titles released for the Nintendo GameCube, showcasing must-play experiences. CBR

🔥 The Best Sega Franchises of All Time – An in-depth ranking of Sega’s greatest gaming franchises, from classic arcade hits to modern legends. Hardcore Gamer

Fun Things, Nintendo

Super Mario 64 Speedrunners Achieve the Impossible—Blindfolded

Posted on by Owen

The Super Mario 64 speedrunning community has once again shattered expectations, successfully executing a trick so precise that it was once considered nearly impossible. To make things even more astonishing, it has now been achieved while blindfolded.

The trick in question involves landing Mario on an incredibly tiny in-game coordinate, roughly the size of a single red blood cell in real-world comparison. Previously thought to require frame-perfect accuracy and extensive trial and error, speedrunners have now proven that it can be accomplished without even seeing the game.

Blindfolded speedrunning is already an impressive feat, requiring players to rely entirely on sound cues, muscle memory, and deep knowledge of game mechanics. This latest breakthrough pushes those boundaries even further, demonstrating an almost superhuman level of precision. The accomplishment highlights not only the dedication of the Super Mario 64community but also the game’s enduring complexity, decades after its original release on the Nintendo 64.

Speedrunners have been experimenting with and refining various techniques for years, often uncovering new exploits and mechanics in the process. This blindfolded achievement could open the door for even more refined strategies in future speedrun attempts. It also underscores just how much Super Mario 64 continues to captivate and challenge players worldwide.

While this trick may not have immediate applications for casual play, it adds yet another layer of intrigue to the deep rabbit hole of Super Mario 64’s speedrunning scene. As techniques continue to evolve, it’s anyone’s guess what seemingly impossible feat will be conquered next.

Protect your collection! If you’re a retro game collector, safeguard your treasures with RetroShell, the world’s finest game protector. And if you’re just here for the latest retro gaming news, subscribe to our free Substack—delivered fresh every Monday!

Retro Gaming News

Speedrunning Community Faces Challenges as Twitch Limits Video Storage

Posted on by Owen

The speedrunning community is grappling with a major shift as Twitch introduces new restrictions on video storage, impacting highlights and past broadcasts. This change has sparked frustration among gamers who rely on archived footage for records, analysis, and historical documentation.

Under the new policy, Twitch will limit how long highlights and uploads are stored, meaning that many of the platform’s most iconic speedruns could be at risk of deletion. Speedrunners frequently use Twitch’s video-on-demand (VOD) feature to review gameplay, verify world records, and share their runs with the broader gaming community. With these limitations, there’s growing concern that valuable content could be lost if not backed up elsewhere.

Prominent figures in the speedrunning scene have voiced their disappointment, noting that Twitch has long been the preferred platform for streaming live gameplay and maintaining archives. While alternatives like YouTube exist, many speedrunners prefer Twitch for its built-in community features and integration with leaderboards. The change forces players and organizers to rethink how they preserve past achievements and share content going forward.

Some speedrunning groups are now urging players to manually save and re-upload their runs to more permanent platforms. Others are looking into external solutions for archiving, such as community-driven projects that aim to store records outside of Twitch’s ecosystem. Despite the frustration, speedrunners remain determined to adapt, as preserving the history of gaming achievements remains a priority.

For now, the Twitch update serves as a reminder of the importance of digital preservation. Whether the community finds a sustainable long-term solution remains to be seen, but one thing is certain—speedrunning will continue to thrive, even if it means adjusting to new challenges.

Protect your collection! If you’re a retro game collector, safeguard your treasures with RetroShell, the world’s finest game protector. And if you’re just here for the latest retro gaming news, subscribe to our free Substack—delivered fresh every Monday!

Fun Things, Nintendo

Super Mario 64 Speedrunners Discover Bizarre Underwater Standing Trick

Posted on by Owen

Speedrunners and glitch hunters in Super Mario 64 continue to push the game to its limits, and their latest discovery is as impressive as it is seemingly pointless. A recently unearthed trick allows Mario to stand motionless underwater—a feat that requires an astonishingly precise sequence of 41 button inputs.

The technique, uncovered by dedicated members of the Super Mario 64 speedrunning community, demands an extraordinary level of dexterity and timing. While it currently serves no practical purpose in speedrunning or casual play, it stands as yet another example of the game’s deep and complex mechanics, even decades after its release.

This glitch joins a long list of intricate exploits that fans have found over the years. Super Mario 64 remains one of the most dissected games in history, with speedrunners continuously discovering new ways to manipulate its physics and behaviour. From wall-clipping tricks to movement exploits, each new find contributes to the game’s rich legacy within the speedrunning world.

The discovery of this underwater standing technique may not revolutionize the speedrunning meta, but it highlights just how much Super Mario 64 still has to offer for those willing to dig deep. Whether future research into the glitch leads to a useful application remains to be seen, but for now, it’s a fascinating display of skill, patience, and sheer dedication to uncovering the game’s hidden possibilities.

Protect your collection! If you’re a retro game collector, safeguard your treasures with RetroShell, the world’s finest game protector. And if you’re just here for the latest retro gaming news, subscribe to our free Substack—delivered fresh every Monday!

Arcade, Nintendo

Breaking the Myth: Donkey Kong’s Kill Screen Conquered After 44 Years

Posted on by Owen

For over four decades, players of Nintendo’s 1981 arcade classic, Donkey Kong, believed that the game concluded at the infamous “kill screen” on level 22. This stage was notorious for a bug that caused the bonus timer to overflow, leaving Mario with mere seconds to complete the level before an inevitable demise. However, speedrunner Kosmic has recently demonstrated that this kill screen isn’t the definitive end.

In Donkey Kong, players navigate through four distinct stages that loop with increasing difficulty. Upon reaching level five, the game’s difficulty plateaus, and these stages repeat in a set pattern. Traditionally, elite players would amass high scores up to level 22, where the kill screen would abruptly end their run due to the aforementioned timer glitch.

Kosmic’s breakthrough involves an exceptionally precise maneuver exploiting a glitch on the barrel stage—the very stage where the kill screen occurs. This stage requires Mario to ascend ladders and traverse slanted girders to reach the top. By executing a meticulous trick, Kosmic utilised a broken ladder glitch to swiftly climb to the top, effectively bypassing the constraints of the kill screen.

It’s worth noting that while this strategy was theorized as early as 2013, previous attempts, even with tool-assisted speedruns, couldn’t overcome the timer limitations. Kosmic’s success hinged on an extraordinary stroke of luck. The game’s timer decreases with each barrel Donkey Kong throws, and these throws occur at random intervals. To have sufficient time to perform the glitch, a player would need Donkey Kong to delay his initial barrel throw—a 1 in 3 chance—and then further delay subsequent throws, a 1 in 32 chance. Combined with flawless execution, the odds of achieving this are astronomically low, making such a feat exceedingly rare in actual gameplay.

This discovery not only challenges long-held beliefs about the game’s limitations but also showcases the dedication and ingenuity of the gaming community in uncovering new possibilities within classic titles. There is a supporting Pastebin technical white up on DK’s delays here.

Protect your collection with RetroShell’s premium game display protectors, and stay updated with retro gaming news by subscribing to the Retro Gaming Weekly Substack.

Nintendo

Super Mario 64 Player Discovers New Log-Clipping Glitch

Posted on by Owen

In the ever-evolving world of Super Mario 64 discoveries, a dedicated player has unearthed a peculiar glitch involving a log, a cliff, and an extraordinary amount of patience. By executing a precise 34-frame loop repeatedly—approximately 2.8 million times over 36 days—the player managed to make a log drift through a cliff. As of now, this glitch has no known practical application in gameplay or speedrunning.

The Discovery

The glitch was identified by a member of the Super Mario 64 community, showcasing the game’s complex mechanics and the dedication of its fanbase. The process involves meticulous timing and repetition, highlighting the intricate possibilities within the game’s physics engine.

Due to floating point imprecision, the rolling log in Tall, Tall Mountain in Super Mario 64 can be very slowly manipulated to go sideways through the cliff. It takes 36 days of nonstop manipulation to reach the limit of how far it can go. This has no currently known purpose.

[image or embed]

— Supper Mario Broth (@mariobrothblog.bsky.social) 13 January 2025 at 19:30

Implications for Speedrunning

While the glitch doesn’t currently offer advantages for speedrunners, it adds to the collective understanding of Super Mario 64’s inner workings. The community often explores such anomalies to find potential time-saving strategies or to gain deeper insights into the game’s design.

A Testament to Community Dedication

This discovery underscores the enduring passion and curiosity of the Super Mario 64 community. Even decades after its release, players continue to explore and uncover new aspects of the game, contributing to its lasting legacy in the gaming world.

For more in-depth coverage on retro gaming discoveries and community insights, subscribe to our newsletter at Retro Gaming Substack and preserve your gaming treasures with RetroShell, the ultimate protector for collectors.

Collecting, Gaming History

The Ingenious Super Game Boy: Bringing Game Boy Games to Your SNES with Hidden Secrets!

Posted on by Owen

In the mid-’90s, Nintendo delivered one of its most groundbreaking peripherals: the Super Game Boy. Designed for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), this add-on was nothing short of revolutionary, allowing players to enjoy their Game Boy games on the big screen. Released in 1994, the Super Game Boy bridged the gap between handheld and console gaming, offering a whole new dimension to fans of classics like Metroid II: Return of Samus and Killer Instinct.

A Technical Marvel

Unlike modern emulators, the Super Game Boy wasn’t just software running on the SNES. Instead, it contained nearly identical hardware to an original Game Boy. The add-on housed the same CPU, RAM, and VRAM as its handheld counterpart. This design allowed for full compatibility with Game Boy games, including those compatible with the Game Boy Color—a significant feat for the time.

One fascinating detail was how the Super Game Boy synchronized its processing speed with the SNES’s internal clock. However, this setup caused a slight speed difference, making the Super Game Boy run about 2.4% faster on NTSC systems and 1.5% faster on PAL systems. While most players didn’t notice, this discrepancy was significant enough to ban the peripheral from official speedrunning competitions.

Enhanced Gaming Experiences

The Super Game Boy wasn’t just a tool for playing handheld games; it elevated them. Players could customise the colour palette, choosing from 32 predefined options or creating unique combinations. Some games even detected the Super Game Boy to display enhanced visuals, including custom borders and expanded colour palettes. Notably, Kirby’s Dreamland 2 and Pokémon Yellowshowcased improved colour integration, adding layers of depth to their visuals.

Other titles, like Donkey Kong (1994), went a step further by dynamically changing palettes for different levels and menus. And for the few games that embraced the SNES’s superior audio capabilities, the results were stunning—Animaniacs replaced its entire soundtrack with an enhanced version, while Bomberman GB introduced upgraded sound effects.

Multiplayer and Hidden Surprises

One often overlooked feature was the second controller support. This allowed for multiplayer experiences in games like Killer Instinct, without the need for a link cable. And then there was Space Invaders, which included a hidden SNES game that transformed the humble Game Boy title into a 16-bit arcade masterpiece when accessed through the Super Game Boy.

A Legacy of Innovation

Though the Super Game Boy’s original iteration had some quirks, Nintendo refined it with the Super Game Boy 2, released exclusively in Japan. This updated version corrected clock speed issues and added link cable support, ensuring even better compatibility.

Today, the Super Game Boy remains a beloved relic of Nintendo’s innovative history. Whether you’re a retro collector or simply looking to revisit your childhood favourites, it’s a device that continues to impress.

So, what’s your favourite memory of the Super Game Boy? Whether it’s creating custom palettes or discovering hidden features, there’s no denying this peripheral’s impact on retro gaming culture.

Explore RetroShell’s collection of Nintendo SNES Premium Game Box Protective Cases to preserve your Super Game Boy memories for years to come.

Inspired by: