👾 Retro Gaming Weekly News #0174

Welcome to issue number 174, in this week’s newsletter we have finding Splatterworld for the NES, a Nintendo company guide from 2000, bad Mario levels and much more.

I hope that wherever in the world you are reading this from you are finding time to game.

News

🕹️ A visually impressive NES/Famicom homebrew title from 2023, Dungeons & DoomKnights, is coming to Steam and consoles with added features and enhancements — Time Extension.

👻 A previously cancelled Famicom RPG spin-off of Splatterhouse, titled Splatterworld, has been unearthed and preserved — Bloody Disgusting.

🧛‍♀️ The horror-themed Metroidvania Maiden of the Dark has launched its Kickstarter campaign to fund development across modern platforms — COGconnected.

🗺️ Industry analytics firm Ampere Analysis suggests Zelda: A Link to the Past and Chrono Trigger are prime candidates for modern remakes due to enduring popularity — Nintendo Life.

⚔️ Eternal Hunters, a new SNES-style action RPG inspired by Secret of Mana and Chrono Trigger, has been announced for modern platforms — Time Extension.

🌀 After over five years of anticipation, Sonic the Hedgehog has been officially released for the GX4000 and Amstrad Plus systems — Time Extension.

🥋 Mortal Kombat’s legacy is examined in a new retrospective exploring how the series influenced global gaming and pop culture — The Guardian.

💪 Edia’s Cho Aniki collection, known for its eccentric and muscular characters, is coming to PC after previous console releases — Time Extension.

🦇 A fan-made update to the Castlevania: Symphony of the Night Ultimate Patch now includes the original PSX title screen and script in a new forked version — GBAtemp.

🎮 Bang Bang Busters, the cute Neo Geo platformer, is getting a sequel for both modern and retro consoles — Time Extension.

🚀 After 22 years, the arcade shoot-em-up series Psyvariar is returning with a new sequel, continuing its classic bullet-dodging gameplay — Time Extension.

🕵️ Eclipse Breaker, a once-lost roguelike prototype for the PS1, has been released to the public after decades of obscurity — GamesPress.

🧩 Nearly the entire PlayStation 2 library is now playable through emulation, expanding access to classic titles on modern devices — Steam Deck HQ.

🌙 Cult indie game Yume Nikki has been reimagined as a fully 3D title compatible with original PS1 and PS2 hardware — Retro Dodo.

Features

🍄 Super Mario Bros. is named the greatest Nintendo franchise of all time, praised for its innovation, influence, and longevity — CBR.

🗡️ The 1988 NES game Ninja Gaiden was heavily inspired by Castlevania, using its gameplay structure and cinematic approach — Bloody Disgusting.

📘 A rare internal Nintendo company guide from the year 2000 has surfaced online, revealing insights into its branding and operations — Nintendo Life.

🎮 Shigeru Miyamoto revealed that Pokémon Red & Green were partially conceived as a response to a joke about Marioonly being surpassed by selling two versions of a game — GamesRadar.

🕹️ The Atari 2600+ Pac-Man Edition is a bold re-release featuring a vivid new shell and a high-quality modern port of the classic arcade game — Time Extension.

📺 The My Arcade Atari Gamestation Go is reviewed as a compact, portable console with retro appeal, though held back by hardware compromises — Wired.

⚠️ A CBR article warns that Nintendo Switch 2 should avoid the same missteps as Atari, citing branding confusion and hardware misfires — CBR.

📀 The soundtrack to Ape Escape 3 is being released on vinyl for the first time, offering fans a collectible edition of the beloved game’s music — Time Extension.

📦 The Vectrex Mini retro console exceeded its Kickstarter goal within minutes and now costs $173, up from early backer pricing — Tom’s Hardware.

⚖️ Commodore Industries is attempting to block the revived Commodore International from using the historic Commodore name — Time Extension.

🕹️ A retrospective explores what might have happened if Nintendo had lost its early legal battles, potentially ending the Mario and Donkey Kong franchises — Time Extension.

🧳 The HyperMegaTech Super Pocket Atari Edition is reviewed as a nostalgia-packed portable with a retro interface and decent build quality — The Gadgeteer.

🔥 Twisted Metal is celebrated on its 30th anniversary as one of PlayStation’s most iconic early franchises — Inverse.

🔫 The Game Time Crisis lightgun console is reviewed as a faithful and fun recreation of arcade shooters, despite limited game selection — GamesRadar.

🚗 A Reddit user has recreated their 2001 dream by successfully hooking up a PlayStation 2 to their car’s entertainment system — NewsBreak.

🇬🇧 A former GTA writer explains why a modern GTA: London will likely never happen, citing market limitations and thematic challenges — NME.

🤠 Gun is remembered on its 20th anniversary as a GameCube Western featuring a notable cast and mature themes rarely seen on the platform — Nintendo Life.

Lists & Rankings

🎮 A breakdown of every mainline Mario game highlights the worst level from each title, showcasing common design missteps across the series — DualShockers.

🕹️ Five underrated games from the 1990s are revisited, spotlighting forgotten titles that were once considered excellent — ComicBook.

🧝 A gaming analytics firm suggests that classic titles The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and Chrono Trigger are strong candidates for modern remakes — Nintendo Life.

🕰️ Minor design flaws in iconic SNES games are examined, revealing how small issues can impact otherwise near-perfect experiences — DualShockers.

📉 New data indicates the Nintendo Switch is unlikely to surpass the PlayStation 2 as the best-selling console ever — Time Extension.

🌀 A ranked list highlights some of the best forgotten Sega games, offering a retrospective on titles that slipped under the radar — CBR.

🛑 A roundup of notable video games that were canceled before release explores what went wrong with each project — Editorialge.