Welcome back to the newsletter, and as winter turns to spring-time for a clear-out and maybe a rediscovery of some classic gaming gems. 30 years ago this week, the best-ever Dolphin game was released for the Sega Megadrive. It needs no introduction, but if you have not played Ecco, then you can play it online here.
This week is a bit lighter than usual, for no other reason than there is not so much going on.
This week’s newsletter has TinyTendos, Famiclones, and the end of an NES ritual.
News
Augusto Baffa has designed the BaffaNES, which is a dual-slot Famicom clone with some nice expansion capabilities. Needs a case, but still a nice project [YouTube]. Link
Whilst we are at modern takes on retro consoles, Macho Nacho Productions has shared a TinyTendo project which is the world’s smallest NES with OG hardware [YouTube]. Link
Hold me closer TinyTendo
Atari has been on an IP buying spree and has added Night Give Studios to its portfolio. Night dive made some classics for the N64 such as Doom 64 and Turok and most recently System Shock which is due out soon. Link
Sonic Origins has been announced by Sega (due to launch 23-Jun) and it contains 12 Game Gear titles and a feast of other Sonic games [Nintendo Life]. Link
Features
Blowing on a NES cartridge to make it play, is synonymous with retro gaming as useless peripherals. But IGNimplores you not to perform this ritual – instead, focus on how to prevent the need for this at all. Link
With the imminent release of The Super Mario Bros movie, Looper takes a look at some other franchises that should be given the big screen treatment (in the right way not like the OG Mario film), Link
Lists & Rankings
Castlevania is a classic series of games and anime, so DualSHOCKERS has compiled a list of the 10 best games of the series. Link
Number 3 – can you guess the name?
GameSpot gives their take on the top 15 Genesis games of all time and there are some mentioned that I will check out as they were not on my list before (Monster World IV). Link
As soon as I get some free time I am going to give this as go!
And that’s all for this week. As ever, thanks to everyone that helps to spread the word on this newsletter, and I hope that you find it useful If you have any feedback, please do message us on Instagram, Tiktok or Twitter.
Welcome to issue #36. This week we cover OG flying Yoshi, limited edition consoles, a retro hardware review and some N64 lists and other rankings. Please check us out on TikTok and Instagram where we are going through the top 20 NES games of all time.
News
Did you know that Yoshi originally had wings? Well neither did I, but apparently, he was depicted as being so in the “official” Nintendo guide for the game “Yoshi” for the Famicom game in 1992 [Twitter]. Link
Looks like a bit of a bad trip.
The final trailer for the new Mario film is out and I am very excited. It looks true to the games and is packed with easter eggs and references [YouTube]. Link
A spin-off to Super Meat Boy has been announced and Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine hugely inspires the 4p game [Polygon]. Link
Atari has announced that they have acquired 12 retro gaming IPs including the acquisition of Frenzy and Berzerk [Atari]. Link
Features
Gear Rice has a cool look at limited edition consoles with a couple of retro mentions. Link
Hopefully the added power of coke will make the batteries last longer.
Bolly Inside report on a panel discussion with Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night creator Koji Igarashi who talks about how Japanese video games became a global phenomenon. Link
CNET review the EverCade EXP which is a handheld device with 18 Capcom games and 5 indie game and can be played both in a vertical and horizontal position (great for shooters). Looks like some really nice hardware. Link
Quite the beauty.
Where it had been announced that ToeJam and Earl were getting a film, MovieWeb takes a look at these cult characters. Link
Lists and Rankings
Movieweb gives you the 20 strangest video games based on films. Lots of games I was not familiar with and worth a read. Link
We are going to need a bigger boat
Dual Shockers love lists and love giving you their view so here you have their take on the 10 Best Video Characters of All Time. Some good shouts, but also some huge commissions. Link
And while they are at it, they give you the 10 best N64 FPS games. Link
Retro Dodo gets in on the N64 love and gives to you the 10 most underrated N64 games. Link
Welcome to issue #35 of the newsletter, this week we cover the Sega Uranus, impossible 1-ups and some lists including the top Kirby games ever.
29 years ago today Super Mario Land 3 was released for the OG Gameboy! Wanna give it a play? You can play it here. Link
News
Super Metroid for the SNES has been recompiled and ported to the PC [TechSpot]. Link
Japan always got the better boxes.
A speed runner who has managed to get what was thought to be an impossible 1-up mushroom in Mario 64 – by wall jumping for 1 hour???? [YouTube]. Link
The composer Soyo Oka who worked on the music for Super Mario Kart, Super Mario All-Stars and Pilotwinfs has released a new ChipTune album called LOOP816 (it sounds very catchy) [Twitter]. Link
Got an old SNES Mouse lying around and want to add it to your setup. Now you can thanks to an adaptor [Hackster]. Link
Retro-cool
A modder has made the Sega Saturn portable and named it the Uranus, it is missing a disk drive as you might expect, but looks kind of cool and similar to the unreleased Venus [RetroDodo]. Link
Hands-on with Uranus
RetroDodo is crowdfunding another book – this time it is a handheld history from 88-95. Link
Features
Polygon has a nice article on discovering the many secrets of Super Mario Bros 3. Link
Nintendo Life celebrated Mar10 day with a look back at 40 years of Super Mario TV adverts. Link
Final Weapon takes a look at the rivalry between Sony and Nintendo. Link
Lists & Rankings
CBR has provided us with a list of the 10 Best SNES Franchises, with some notable games that have not ever received more love (Earthbound for example). Link
Attack of the Fan Boy has a top 10 Kirby games list. Link
Just seeing these colours transports me back to the 90’s
LifeHacker provides you with their view on 18 must-play vintage games on the Nintendo Switch. Link
Capcom is a legendary developer, making some of the most beloved series in gaming, so Game Rant took it upon themselves to give you their view on the top 8 of their 16-bit games. Link
Thanks for reading! Fan of the Sega Genesis/Megadrive – follow us on Instagram, Tiktok and Twitter as we count down our top 20 games ever.
Welcome to this week’s newsletter, this week there is a (future) birthday to celebrate (7th March), and whilst on the borderline of retro gaming, he is quite significant in gaming in general. The only clues I will give is that he was (or will be) born in 2511 and is as significant to his brand as Mario is to Nintendo. Can you guess who it is?
News
Gizmodo report on another custom Game Boy, this time a Game Boy DS Advance SP with two actual screens. Link
The DSSP?
Nintendo has announced that the Egg Catcher game from the NES version of Kirby’s adventure will be returning as a 4p game in Kirby’s Return to Dreamland on the Switch. Link
A Fan has created a playable custom track for Mario Kart 8 based on the Ocarina of Time [GameRant]. Link
It’s Mar10 day this week and Nintendo has a celebration video to commemorate this. Link
Features
This CBR article describes the forgotten PC version of Super Mario Bros. developed by Hudson Soft, which was vastly different from the original game, featuring new power-ups, enemies, levels, and scrolling mechanics, but due to various “issues,” it was never released outside of Japan and South Korea. Link
BuiltIn has a very cool feature about some gaming vaporware that (by definition) never made it to market – no surprise why when you see some of them. Link
My Nintendo News reveal how the Star Fox team got their names. Link
RetroShell continues its top 20 list with the Sega Megadrive/Genesis on TikTok. Link
The Nintendo 64, commonly known as the N64, was a home video game console developed and released by Nintendo in 1996. It was the first console to feature true 3D graphics and was a major player in the fifth generation of gaming consoles. The N64 was known for its innovative hardware, which allowed for a more immersive gaming experience, as well as its wide variety of games that spanned genres and audiences.
The N64 was a console that left a lasting impact on the gaming industry. It was the first console to introduce many new features such as the analogue stick, four controller ports, and the Rumble Pak, which added force feedback to the controller. The N64 game boxes were of a similar size to is predecessor, the Super Nintendo and were also made of cardboard, meaning that the N64 game boxes did not have much protection and could often be damaged quite easily through regular wear and tear.
The N64 was designed with cutting-edge technology that allowed for a more immersive gaming experience. The console featured a 64-bit central processing unit (CPU) and a Reality Coprocessor, which made it capable of rendering 3D graphics in real-time. This was a significant leap forward in gaming technology at the time and set the N64 apart from its competitors.
One of the most notable features of the N64’s design was its unique controller. The controller featured an analog stick, which allowed for more precise control in games. It also had a total of six buttons, four of which were arranged in a diamond shape and two in the middle, making it one of the most versatile controllers of its time. The N64 also featured four controller ports which allowed for multiplayer gaming, a feature that was not common in consoles at that time.
Another important aspect of the N64‘s design was the Rumble Pak. It was an accessory that plugged into the controller and added force feedback, allowing players to feel the vibrations of in-game actions. This technology was a first in the gaming industry and added a new dimension to the gaming experience. The Rumble Pak was so successful that it became a standard feature in most controllers today.
N64 Rumble Pack
The N64 left a lasting impact on the gaming industry and is still remembered fondly by many gamers. One of its greatest legacies is the introduction of 3D graphics in gaming. The N64 was one of the first consoles to make 3D graphics accessible to the masses, and it paved the way for future consoles to continue to push the boundaries of what was possible in terms of graphics and gameplay.
Another important legacy of the N64 is its game library. The console featured a wide variety of games that spanned genres and audiences, including some of the most iconic franchises in gaming history such as Super Mario 64, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and GoldenEye 007. These games not only sold well at the time of release, but also continue to be considered classics and are still played today by many gamers.
The N64 also played a significant role in popularizing local multiplayer gaming. The console featured four controller ports, which allowed for multiplayer gaming, a feature that was not common in consoles at that time. This feature led to many memorable gaming experiences shared among friends and family, and it helped to establish the N64 as a social console. It also influenced the design of future consoles, which continued to prioritize local multiplayer gaming.
The Nintendo 64 is a true time capsule of gaming history. It was a console that pushed the boundaries of what was possible in terms of graphics and gameplay, and it introduced many new features that are now standard in gaming. The N64’s hardware and design were ahead of its time, and it continues to be remembered fondly by many gamers today.
In recent years, with the resurgence of some of the Nintendo 64 games being remade, or appearing on the Switch Online game service – there has been a surge in popularity. Due to N64 games being made of cardboard, the games have not stood the test of time so well, and getting a N64 game with a good condition game box is a big challenge.
If you are an experienced N64 collector, or starting to build your first collection – we suggest that you protect your games with our Nintendo 64 game box protectors. At RetroShell we offer N64 game protectors made of 4mm clear acrylic with a sliding door for easy access. Our Nintendo 64 game box protectors are best in class, and allow you to stack your N64 game boxes either horizontally or vertically to display your collection.
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