Back Lord British’s Kickstarter, Get This $5,000 Game
1 / 8 Chevron Chevron IMG-0846 Richard Garriott, creator of Ultima*, is offering extremely rare copies of his first game* Akalabeth to backers of his new Kickstarter. Before Ultima, before Tabula Rasa, before Richard Garriott shot himself into space, there was Akalabeth. In 1980, there was only one way for indie game designers to distribute […]
RetroN 4 Console Plays NES, SNES, Genesis, Game Boy — Through HDMI
Game Boy busted? Super Nintendo toast? In need of new hardware to play your old games? A company called Hyperkin has built itself up providing just that — brand-new game consoles that play classic cartridges. On Tuesday, it announced what looks to be its most ambitious project ever: The RetroN 4 will feature four cartridge […]
The Breathtaking Final Fantasy Art of Yoshitaka Amano
1 / 7 Chevron Chevron final-fantasy-i-ochu-vs-the-warriors-of-light-by-yoshitaka-amano The worldwide success of the Final Fantasy series of role-playing games is due in great part to the contributions of graphic artist Yoshitaka Amano. Born in 1952, Amano began his career as an animator for seminal Japanese animation series like Speed Racer and Gatchaman, before turning freelance in the […]
Review: Evercade Retro Handheld Console
This Retro Gaming Console Is a Time Machine to the ’80s Source link : Wired
Howard Scott Warshaw Pleads Not Guilty to Killing Video Games
So, this is Christmas 1982. You’re 11 years old, just on the cusp of an oh-so-grown-up 12. There are a bevy of presents waiting for you under the glittering tree that cold winter’s morn, but three in particular immediately strike your greedy eyes as you come down the stairs. From the shape alone, you know […]
Why Retro-Looking Games Get So Much Love
As a young and fair-weather gamer, I loved playing Super Mario Brothers because it was my older brother’s favorite game, and I wanted to be just like him. I can still hear the 8-bit theme song in my head, and I’m guessing you can too, if you played Mario as a kid. “Bah dat dat […]
What’s the Best Way to Play Retro Games?
The PS5 and Xbox Series X may be the newest consoles on the block, but retro gaming has made its own comeback in recent years—from reimaginings of classic Mario to replicas of the consoles themselves, games from the ’80s and ’90s are getting love from new and returning audiences alike. Even Plex, the streaming service […]
The ‘Girl Games’ of the ’90s Were Fun and Feminist
Love her or hate her, you can’t deny that Barbie has always been a game changer, and not just because she was the first doll with a waistline. In the mid-1990s, she changed games literally—computer games, that is. Women played a pivotal role in the development of arcade and early console-based video games. In the […]
Coding Blackness: A History of Black Video Game Characters
Black history permeates all facets of our lives—and video games are no exception. From the 8-bit days to the 4k Ray Tracing present, Black video game characters have occupied various positions; from the precarious period of early sports games in the ’70s, which included titles like Heavyweight Champ and the nameless grayscale sprites, to Spider-Man: […]
The Most Romantic Date Spots in Super Mario 3D World
What’s the most romantic date you can think of? Strolling hand in hand through a park in Paris, a candlelit dinner on a New York rooftop … or tag-teaming Para-Biddybuds with Princess Peach? This year the stars aligned and I was finally free to spend Valentine’s Day exactly the way I’ve always wanted: playing Super […]
The Scott Pilgrim Game Is So Nice They Released It Twice
Ten years after its initial release—and four years after it inexplicably vanished from distribution platforms—Scott Pilgrim vs the World: The Game – Complete Edition launched earlier this month on basically every platform imaginable, opening up a subspace door back to the vibrant, bohemian world of Canada, where every half-hearted hipster’s life is gently going awry. […]
The Swashbuckling Escapism of Sid Meier’s Pirates!
Sid Meier has one of the most recognizable names in the video game industry. But who is he beyond a name on a box, anyway? A recent thread on Reddit asking the community about the first game they ever played gathered over 45,000 comments, with classic names like Tetris, Super Mario Bros., and Spyro topping the […]
How Old-School Text Adventures Inspired Our Virtual Spaces
Lilybet Skatilar is a level 9 human bard wearing a shimmering rainbow cloak, fur-lined snow boots, a stylish purple scarf, sunstone earrings, baggy blue polka dot pants, a blue ruby ring, a jeweled engagement ring, and various other accessories accumulated in the town of Wehnimer’s Landing in 1997. If you checked her out by typing […]
The Rise of Sierra Online Wasn’t Exactly a Fairytale
My father was a computer programmer for a large pharmaceutical corporation for a good portion of his career. This was rather cool, as he brought home many computer curiosities and oddities for us to “test” over the years. In the late spring of 1984, he brought us a novelty named the IBM PCjr. This was […]
The Women Who Invented Video Game Music
On February 9, 2020, for the first time in the Academy Awards’ 92-year history, a woman conducted the orchestra. A noteworthy moment for women in music, to be sure. But it was also a big moment for video games. Eímear Noone, among her many accolades, is a celebrated, award-winning conductor and composer for video games […]
Review: Analogue Mega SG Console
The Mega SG Gives Old Sega Genesis Cartridges an Extra Life Source link : Wired
Nintendo Might Just Rule the Holidays With Its NES Classic Stocking Stuffer
If Nintendo has its way, Christmas 2016 will look a lot like Christmas 1986—with Nintendo Entertainment System under every tree. On Friday, Nintendo releases its first plug-and-play retro console, stepping into a sector it has ignored until now. The recursively-named Nintendo Entertainment System: NES Classic Edition is a tiny $60 box that plugs into your […]
Sketchy Auction Turns Out to Be a Rare Nintendo Prototype
Did the first piece of NES code ever programmed by Nintendo’s late president Satoru Iwata just get sold on Yahoo Auctions? Seems so. For quite a few years now, I’ve watched (and occasionally pitched in to help) my friend Frank Cifaldi, a game producer and historian, in his efforts to track down and preserve the […]
The Creator of Seaman Needs Cash, So He’s Making More Games
Yoot Saito isn’t mincing words about why he’s getting back into games: sweet, sweet stacks of cash. “We need to make money,” says the creator of Sim Tower and Seaman. “That’s the motivation. Computer games make money.” Saito’s quest for money led him to the annual BitSummit festival held in Kyoto, Japan last month. Now […]
Joyce Worley Katz, Pioneering Videogame Critic, Has Passed Away
Joyce Katz, who along with her husband Arnie Katz and friend Bill Kunkel founded the first magazine devoted to videogames, has passed away at the age of 77. Katz, who wrote professionally under her maiden name Joyce Worley, was senior editor of the magazine Electronic Games from its founding in 1981 until just prior to […]
The Doom of Your Memories Doesn’t Really Exist
If you played Doom during its heyday in the 90s, I have some disappointing news: it’s not as frightening as you remember. But that’s just how memory goes. Id Software’s seminal Satanic shooter game, as Robert Rath argues over at Zam, used to feel threatening, transgressive, capable of exerting dangerous power over the real world. […]
The Highest Bidder on This Super-Rare Videogame Probably Won’t Pay
What is quite possibly the world’s most valuable single production videogame is currently up for sale. But don’t be fooled into thinking it’s more valuable than it really is. Stadium Events is the rarest game that was actually sold in stores for the Nintendo Entertainment System, and the copy currently being auctioned by seller “menaceone” […]
One of the Funniest Adventure Games Ever Is Finally Back on Sale
Sam & Max Hit the Road might have been the epitome of old LucasArts, the one that made zany point-and-click comedies, not the one that made cancelled Star Wars games. It’s really a timeless classic of the genre, a quest with surprisingly endearing characters, tightly scripted laugh lines and gorgeous pixels. And you haven’t been […]
The Untold Story of How Sega Nearly Won the Console Wars
If a few small things had changed, might we be gaming on a Sega PlayStation right now? That’s the picture Blake Harris paints in his new book Console Wars: Sega, Nintendo and the Battle That Defined a Generation. Available today, Console Wars is a narrative history of the brief time period in the lifespan of […]
Nintendo Remixes Its Greatest NES Titles Into Clever Mini-Games
I think we were tricked into wanting NES Remix 2. Just a few months ago, Nintendo released NES Remix, a downloadable collection of mini-challenges created by chopping up and reworking segments from some of its oldest home videogames. This Wii U game was a clever idea and a great use of classic content, but it […]
Let’s Pretend This Horrible Throwback 3DS Game Doesn’t Exist
I just wanted to let you know that Game Center CX 3 for the Nintendo 3DS is very bad. If you have no idea what Game Center CX is, then you were in no danger of buying this Japan-only Nintendo 3DS game anyway. But in case you’re still reading, it’s a famous Japanese television program […]
Clever New NES Game Study Hall Brings the ’80s Nostalgia
You kids today with your fancy smartphones that let you play all the videogames you want anywhere you want, anytime you want. Back in my day, school meant sitting around waiting until you could get home and finally play some Nintendo. Waiting around for school to get out is the premise of Study Hall, a […]
These Retro Gaming Consoles Deliver a Dose of Nostalgia
Do you remember the alluring 8-bit music, flashing screens, and excitement of the arcades? Maybe you spent many happy hours in front of an early home computer or game console. Or perhaps you just want a taste of what early video games were like. Everyone loves new retro-looking games, but if you really want to […]
The Space Invaders Creator Reveals the Game’s Origin Story
The titular space invaders in Taito’s 1978 arcade classic have a look that’s among the most iconic in video games. During development, they almost took forms as mundane as human figures or tanks. But chance occurrences gave them designs that became synonymous with video games. Invaders today adorn T-shirts and posters. Open your emoji keyboard […]
Review: Picade Mini Retro-Gaming Cabinet
The Picade Is a Mini Retro-Gaming Cabinet That You Build Yourself Source link : Wired
Review: Analogue Pocket
The Best Way to Play Old Game Boy Cartridges Source link : Wired
The Wild History of the Beloved Addams Family Pinball Machine
For more than 80 years, the Addams Family has enjoyed a delightfully macabre existence. First introduced via a single-panel cartoon in The New Yorker in 1938, Chas Addams’ creepy clan has spawned multiple entertainment properties, including a surprisingly short-lived 1960s TV series, two beloved live-action movies from the ’90s, two recent animated kids films, an […]
Move Over, Oprah. Video Game Book Clubs Have Arrived
When video games were just abstract concepts on university computers, book clubs were already popular. When Toad told Mario the princess was in another castle, introducing video game narrative to millions of living rooms, readers were already comparing notes on Jane Eyre. So, it’s only natural that as video games became more narratively ambitious, they’d […]
Galloping Ghost Gives Arcade Gaming an Extra Life
Arcades occupy a unique place in video game history. In the late 1970s and 1980s, a string of hits like Space Invaders, Pac-Man, and Donkey Kong ushered in new gameplay mechanics and bright, crispy pixel graphics. The 1990s featured the fighting game boom with Street Fighter II, Mortal Kombat, and Virtua Fighter demonstrating cutting-edge graphics […]
Of All the Video Game Remakes, Why Not SSX?
Arcade-style sports games had quite the following in the early and mid-2000s. From Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater to the many iterations of FIFA and NFL titles, these games had lasting impact on players, with many continuing to play new games or seeing remakes or remasters of their favorites. One such series was SSX, the popular […]
10 Video Game Series That Deserve to Be Resurrected
When a video game is successful, a string of sequels is usually inevitable. With fans clamoring for more, developers want to deliver. Sometimes these follow-ups run out of ideas, and many series overstay their welcome, but some are gone too soon. We’ve handpicked a few franchises that disappeared abruptly despite their success. All of them […]
Vintage Board Games Are Getting a Modern Revival
There is a feeling, among millennials, that the tabletop scene was in the stone age until 1996. That’s the year that Settlers of Catan made landfall in the United States, as lunch halls, dorm lounges, and kitchen tables around the country fell head over heels for Klaus Teuber’s miraculous contraption. Catan remains the most successful […]
Piepacker Gives Retro Games an Online Co-Op Upgrade
It used to require a lot of time and effort to play old-school retro games, but things have gotten a lot easier. It’s as simple as picking up a retro game console or an emulator, or downloading your favorite classic collection on your PC and console. However, reliving golden gaming moments isn’t just about getting […]
Pac-Man 99 Is a Battle Royale Game That’s Actually Accessible
It looks like the original Pac-Man, and plays an awful lot like it too, but once you see the titular yellow hero chow down on a line of ghosts 33 deep like some kind of insatiable, eyeless animal, it’s clear the classic formula has been juiced a bit. It’s Pac-Man 99, Nintendo Switch’s new 99-player […]
The Wild Spread of Drug Wars, From Your Calculator to Your Phone
It is the late 1990s, sixth period. You are sitting in the back of the classroom, barely listening to a droning Algebra II lesson, as you fiddle with your school-issued TI-82 graphing calculator. The only math you are actually learning is that cocaine costs more than acid, and heroin can be quite profitable in Coney […]
Before Guitar Hero, Gamers Rocked Out to Gitaroo Man
Ever wanted to be a rock star? The kind that brims with superhero energy, that can dominate the stage and hypnotize the masses? In the early 2000s, it seemed like every video gamer wanted part of the fantasy: being in a band touring the world, playing sold out crowds, and being fawned over by fans. […]
Streaming Games to Your TV Actually Started in the ’80s
Xbox Game Pass, launched in 2017, has over 23 million subscribers, according to Windows Central editor Jez Corden. It gives players easy access to a large catalog of games, on multiple devices, for one monthly fee. Game Pass is modern in all the right ways. There’s no friction. The games are just there, waiting to […]
Ghosts ‘n Goblins Is Back—Pain, Laughs, and All
I was 9 years old when Ghosts ‘n Goblins first landed at my local arcade in 1986. This 2D side-scrolling platformer cast you as Sir Arthur, a noble knight running headstrong into battles against zombies, demons, and a variety of other monsters to rescue a princess. The horror styling and spellbinding musical score sucked me […]
Remember When Multiplayer Gaming Needed Envelopes and Stamps?
The term multiplayer gaming likely brings to mind the image of hopping online or sitting down with friends. A third method—mail—is unlikely to come up. Once a sprawling industry, play-by-mail (PBM) games have been rendered an afterthought in gaming history by the internet. And yet they’re still clinging to life. Chess and Go were played […]
A Love Letter to Grand Theft Auto’s Best Side Stories
Another year, another cascade of Grand Theft Auto rumors, particularly as E3 approaches in mid-June. A 4chan poster who claims to work in a “coordinating capacity” with the franchise’s maker, Rockstar Games, recently alleged that the long-teased new GTA installment would take place across five states. But while much has been written about GTA V, […]
I Revisited SaGa Frontier—and My Bisexual Video Game Crush
Depending on who (and where) you ask, SaGa Frontier is either a little-known cult classic JRPG or a best-selling building block of a famous franchise. It’s engaging, it’s complex, it’s repetitive. Now it’s remastered, 24 years after the original release. “We want more gamers, especially those from the West, to play games from the SaGa […]
The Many Identity Crises of Sonic the Hedgehog
This June marks the 30th anniversary of an iconic and timeless video game mascot: Sonic the Hedgehog. After arriving on the Sega Genesis—the 16-bit little console that could—on June 23, 1991, the game quickly became a buzzworthy system seller and corporate mascot. It was a defining character of the ’90s, and a phenomenon the company […]
Your Grandma’s Tube TV Is the Hottest Gaming Tech
If you visit my house, you won’t even notice my 50-inch 4K TV. It’s sleek and black, bevel-less, and designed to emphasize TV shows, movies, and video games. When it’s turned off, nestled above my fireplace, it blends into the background. What you will notice, however, is the bulky CRT TV taking up precious space […]
The Power of a Non-Stereotypical Asian Character in Gaming
The early ’90s were a nostalgic and unique time in gaming. As a bookish 11-year-old in braces and a hot pink jogging set who didn’t fit in on the playground, my only comforts were my best friend Denise, our after-school episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation over Pringles, and the family desktop, in all […]
The King of Fighters Lives On in China and Latin America
If you’re a fighting game diehard then you’ve probably heard the jokes hundreds of times before. “Mexicans love The King of Fighters.” “Latinos are the best at The King of Fighters games.” “In China, The King of Fighters may as well be their Street Fighter.” A search of various fighting-game forums, like the once-popular community […]
Independent Video Game Stores Are Here to Stay
When I walk into J&L Games on 6th Avenue in New York, I feel as though I’ve entered something between a time capsule from 1998 and a dive bar where everyone knows my name. Lit with hard fluorescent overhead lighting, J&L Games is practically a video game museum: lined with rows of display cases brimming […]