👾 Retro Gaming Weekly News #0146
I am heading to Japan this week for a retro gaming trip to get some curiosities and visit Super Nintendo World in Osaka.
This week, we cover a couple of fan translations that have emerged, bringing some Japanese classics to English speakers for the first time, an Outrun film that looks on the horizon, unearthing the Atari tomb, and a ton more.
News
🎵 iam8bit has unveiled a new 20th Anniversary Vinyl Collection featuring music from popular video games to celebrate its legacy in the gaming industry, via Bleeding Cool.
🎨 HAL Laboratory celebrated Kirby’s 33rd anniversary by releasing new commemorative artwork honouring the beloved character, via GoNintendo.
🕹️ Discrete Orange has been announced as an upcoming physical Game Boy Advance cartridge project, offering a new retro gaming experience, via Bleeding Cool.
🎬 Universal Pictures is developing a live-action “OutRun” movie directed by Michael Bay, inspired by the classic Sega racing game, via TechEBlog.
🎮 Nintendo has released a Nintendo Switch 2 ad featuring Paul Rudd that cleverly nods to a famous SNES commercial (below), via BGR.
🛡️ Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones, originally released 20 years ago, has been stealth-dropped onto Nintendo Switch Online’s library, via IGN India.
🌸 A complete fan translation of Sakura Wars 2 is now available, allowing English-speaking players to experience the classic Sega Saturn game via Operation Rainfall.
🕯️ Fans have completed an English translation of the Japan-exclusive Sega Saturn port of Dark Seed, making the horror game accessible to a wider audience via Time Extension.
📉 New tariffs imposed by former President Trump are affecting the retro gaming market, leading to higher prices and limited availability, via Boing Boing.
👾 A spiritual successor to Alien vs. Predator for the Atari Jaguar, titled Codename: Xeno, has been announced, continuing the legacy of the cult classic, via Bloody Disgusting.
Features
🧬 The 1990s “monster-catching” RPG genre that inspired Pokémon is experiencing a resurgence in modern gaming, via How-To Geek.
🎂 Nintendo is celebrating the Game Boy’s anniversary with a retrospective look at its impact on gaming history, via ComicBook.com.
📖 Figment, a new E Ink handheld console designed for text adventures and other low-power games, has been announced via Liliputing.
🎨 A realistic Kirby-themed Game Boy model has been created using 3d modelling techniques, offering a unique tribute to the classic handheld, via 80.lv.
🎮 Escape from Tarkov’s creator has teased a new Game Boy-inspired console project aimed at bringing survival shooter experiences to handheld devices, via Insider Gaming.
🎥 A rare Shigeru Miyamoto interview discussing the development of Super Mario 64 has resurfaced online (below), via Time Extension.
📡 Nintendo’s Satellaview, the satellite modem add-on for the Super Famicom, is being remembered in a 30th anniversary retrospective, via TechEBlog.
🎥 A gamer who claimed a Nintendo 64 world record for 15 years has finally been vindicated after discovering a forgotten VHS tape, via Jason Deegan.
💾 Fallout’s original creator revealed he was ordered to destroy the source code, which the studio has now lost, adding a layer of mystery to the game’s early development, via Eurogamer.
🏫 The co-creator of the MSX computer standard plans to dedicate his life to education after completing bankruptcy proceedings, via Time Extension.
🕹️ Alamogordo’s famous Atari burial site, where unsold cartridges were dumped, remains a key symbol of video game history, via New Mexico Magazine.
🎉 The Game Boy turns 36, and its story of revolutionising the handheld gaming industry is celebrated worldwide, via The Vermilion.
🚀 A new 3d demo created for the Neo Geo is impressing the retro gaming community with its advanced technical showcase, via Time Extension.
💳 A quirky 1990s banking system once allowed Japanese users to pay with SNES cartridges instead of credit cards, highlighting early gaming tech innovation, via Ruetir.
🕹️ A comprehensive guide to the thriving world of NES homebrew game development has been published, offering a deep dive into the retro creation scene via Tedium.
🏍️ A rare Mario Kart World arcade unit featuring a motorcycle-style Rob Bike has been spotlighted for its unique design, via GameRant.
Lists & Rankings
🧙♂️ A collection of the best JRPGs that have largely been forgotten over time highlights hidden gems of the genre, via CBR.
🐣 A list of the best Easter eggs found in PlayStation 1 games showcases secret details and surprises hidden in classic titles, via CBR.
🎥 The best licensed tie-in games are celebrated for successfully capturing the spirit of their source material, via GameRant.
🎮 The greatest Sega Saturn games of all time have been ranked, highlighting the console’s most essential titles, via CBR.
💎 Some of the rarest games for failed consoles are examined, with details on their current high market values, via GameRant.
🔋 The best Sega Game Gear games have been ranked, shedding light on standout titles for the classic handheld, via CBR.
👻 The PlayStation 1’s horror games with the best storytelling have been ranked, spotlighting memorable and chilling narratives, via GameRant.
🛡️ The best PlayStation 2 JRPGs not made by Final Fantasy developers have been ranked, offering alternative classics to explore, via CBR.
🥴 A list of NES games that have aged poorly reflects on titles that have not stood the test of time, via CBR.
🔥 The hardest Super Nintendo games of all time have been ranked, honouring the era’s most punishing challenges, via DualShockers.
✨ A selection of classic SNES games that still feel surprisingly modern is spotlighted for their enduring design and innovation, via CBR.
