Eight incredible adventures, from the science-fiction sweep of Phantasy Star IV to the time-traveling brilliance of Chrono Trigger. This is Retro Replay’s countdown of the JRPGs that defined the genre for us. How many would make your list? Would you rather watch than read? Put your feet up and watch our video countdown below. The write-up and game screens are here whenever you want a closer look. Watch the Retro Replay countdown… Read more
Sega Channel was delivering downloadable Genesis games through cable television decades before modern subscription services. We dig into every verified Sega Channel exclusive, the games that were only available through the service in North America, lost software, prototypes, special builds and the massive preservation effort that finally recovered Sega’s forgotten digital library. Read more
Acclaim Entertainment became one of the loudest and most successful publishers of the 1990s, riding Mortal Kombat, NBA Jam, Turok, wrestling games, comic licenses and aggressive marketing to enormous visibility. This is the complete story of how Acclaim rose from a small Long Island publisher to a gaming powerhouse — and how overexpansion, costly licenses, bad bets and financial trouble brought it crashing down. Read more
There was a time when taking a serious retro game collection with you meant carrying a dedicated handheld, several cartridges, a mess of cables, and probably a case big enough to qualify as luggage. Android has changed that completely. A decent modern phone can now handle everything from the Game Boy, NES, and Sega Genesis to the PlayStation, Dreamcast, PSP, GameCube, and — with the right hardware and a little patience —… Read more
Eden 0.2.1 is now available as a stability-focused hotfix for the open-source Nintendo Switch emulator. Rather than introducing a huge new collection of features, this release focuses on problems discovered after Eden 0.2.0, including large-library crashes, issues affecting 12th-generation Intel CPUs, Windows updater problems, a Mario Kart 8 Deluxe controller-related freeze, and several smaller stability bugs. If you are looking for general information about Eden rather than this specific release, visit our… Read more
Road Rash: The Complete History of EA's 90s Combat-Racing Icon Road Rash was never just a racing game with punching. It was the product of a very particular moment inside Electronic Arts, when the company was learning how to become a console developer, Sega was still fighting to establish the Genesis, CD-ROM looked like the future, alternative rock was spilling into games, and a small group of developers discovered that motorcycle racing… Read more
The $700 Dream: The Complete History of the Panasonic 3DO Before PlayStation rewrote the rules of console gaming, Trip Hawkins and some of the biggest companies in electronics and entertainment tried something even more radical. The 3DO was not supposed to be just another game console. It was supposed to change who controlled the console business in the first place. Panasonic REAL 3DO FZ-1. The machine most players associate with the 3DO… Read more
ES-DE 3.4.1 is a substantial update to the popular multi-platform emulation frontend, expanding Android system support, adding experimental Linux AArch64 support, improving multi-user compatibility and adding a long list of new emulator configurations across Android, Linux, macOS and Windows. Android users searching for the ES-DE 3.4.1 APK or EmulationStation APK 3.4.1 should note that ES-DE's Android release is distributed through the project's official Android channels rather than Google Play. If you are… Read more
When it comes to video game bands, The OneUps have been doing this longer than most. Their official site says they have been performing since their first show in 2002, and over the years they have played events like PAX, MAGFest, and GDC while building one of the most recognizable sounds in live VGM. Their catalog on Bandcamp stretches from Volume 1 all the way to later releases like Volume 4, Arkadia… Read more
Super Mario Kart Horizons is one of the most ambitious ROM hacks in recent years, reimagining the classic SNES racer with twenty brand new tracks, four custom battle maps, an original soundtrack, and presentation elements like a custom manual and box art. The project, available at RomHacking.net and RomHackPlaza, represents the culmination of over a decade of tinkering, iteration, and dedication from its creator, Gridattack. Horizons has also been the subject of… Read more
The Arkadian was born in 2015 as the brainchild of Jon O’Neal, a musician with a passion for both heavy rock and the timeless soundtracks of video games. Influenced by artists like Stemage, Viking Guitar, Mega Beardo, and Master Sword, he began crafting arrangements that fused 70s and 80s-inspired metal with the melodies gamers grew up with. What started as solo experiments in a basement studio quickly grew into something bigger... a… Read more
When people talk about the greatest ROM hacks ever made, Super Mario Bros. 3Mix almost always comes up. Created by Southbird, this hack was more than just a simple remix of Nintendo’s NES classic... it became a sprawling tribute to Mario’s entire history. 3Mix included new mechanics like gravity flips, Yoshi integration, secret star coins, alternate exits, and even bosses and themes inspired by later entries such as Super Mario World and… Read more
When it comes to fusing heavy metal with the 8-bit sounds of classic gaming, few names resonate louder than VomitroN. The project is the brainchild a Massachusetts-based musician, producer, and lifelong gamer whose work has turned the nostalgic bleeps of the Nintendo Entertainment System into sprawling metal epics. What started as an experiment in the late nineties while playing Contra in a college dorm became a full-blown passion project, and by the… Read more
The Super Mario World hacking scene is filled with passion projects, but few creators have managed to balance accessibility, creativity, and ambition quite like xMANGRAVYx, the driving force behind LetsTalkGames. I first came across his work through Castlemania II, a gothic and atmospheric sequel that brought Castlevania inspired storytelling into the Mario universe. That game opened my eyes to how far a ROM hack could push the SMW engine. The final boss… Read more
Suyu v0.0.11 has been released, continuing from its archived version v0.04. This Nintendo Switch emulator features an AArch64 native recompiler and is developed in C++. For the complete changelog, visit the GitHub link provided. Download the latest version or access the source code through the given resources. suyu v0.0.11 has been released. This version continues the journey of suyu, previously archived upstream at v0.04. Suyu serves as a Nintendo Switch emulator and… Read more
KytyPS5 (2026/09/24) is a newly released compatibility layer for PlayStation 5, currently in early development and featuring limited compatibility. Users should expect frequent changes in behavior between builds. The latest update includes a fix for a Linux fiber stack overflow issue with Clang 18, contributed by @Nmzik. For more details and download options, refer to the provided source. KytyPS5 (2026/09/24) has been released. KytyPS5 serves as a compatibility layer for PlayStation 5.… Read more
OpenROM v3.5.0, a free open-source Universal ROM Conversion Suite, has been released. Featuring a modern Flutter desktop UI inspired by gaming aesthetics, it supports batch processing, smart platform detection, and a fully headless CLI for automation, all offline. Key features include a themeable interface, over 20 conversion paths (ISO, BIN, CHD, etc.), automatic CUE generation, and integrity checks. Users can easily drag and drop files for conversion, and the tool operates without… Read more
FB Neo Git (2026/09/25) is a compiled version of FinalBurn Neo, an emulator for arcade games and select consoles, based on FinalBurn and older MAME versions. The latest changelog includes the addition of support for "Black Tiger (HB, v1.1)" and various updates across multiple device emulators, including d_megaphx, d_msx, d_nes, d_ngp, and d_sms. Users can download the latest version from the provided source link. Sure! Here's the rewritten content while keeping the… Read more
Pureikyubu Git (2026/09/24) is an ongoing project aiming to create an emulator for the Nintendo GameCube. Its primary focus is to investigate the console's hardware features and reverse engineer the technologies used in game development. The latest updates include new features like save states for Game Boy Advance integration, quick saves via the F-key, and improvements to command handling and socket communication. The emulator showcases the innovative design created by Nintendo/ArtX engineers,… Read more
FB Neo Git (2026/09/24) is the latest version of FinalBurn Neo, an emulator designed for arcade games and select consoles, building on previous FinalBurn and MAME versions. The recent update includes an msx enhancement from contributor gab75. Users can download the new version from the provided source link. FB Neo Git (2026/09/24) has been compiled. FinalBurn Neo serves as an emulator for arcade games and select consoles. It draws on the foundations… Read more
What if Super Mario Kart got the sequel we always dreamed of on the SNES? Horizons delivers 20 new tracks, new music, and pure nostalgia. From grassy plains to abandoned mines, Super Mario Kart – Horizons takes the SNES classic to new places. It feels like Mario Kart 2.0… and you can play it today! Super Mario Kart – Horizons: The Romhack That Feels Like a True Sequel. Watch the video or… Read more
The Super Mario World hacking community has produced everything from sprawling cinematic adventures to bite sized experimental projects. Smoked Fish and Cabbage, created by LetsTalkGames and the coder known as xMANGRAVYx, stands out as a compact yet polished introduction to the Kaizo style. Released in July 2023, the hack is short by design with seven carefully crafted levels, but within that small footprint it manages to deliver challenge, variety, and accessibility in… Read more
The Super Mario World hacking scene has always thrived on experimentation, but few projects push the envelope as boldly as Castlemania II, created by LetsTalkGames and coder xMANGRAVYx. Released in July 2025, this sequel builds upon last year’s Castlemania with even more ambition, blending Super Mario World’s platforming with Castlevania’s gothic spirit. The result is a hack that feels familiar in its controls but completely fresh in its tone and structure. From… Read more
When it comes to ambitious ROM hacks, few projects can match the scale and polish of Super Mario Bros. 3Mix, created by the talented developer Southbird. Released more than a decade ago (2014), 3Mix is not simply a reworking of Super Mario Bros. 3 but a complete overhaul that pays tribute to Mario’s past, present, and even future. The hack introduces new mechanics, new worlds, and a staggering amount of secrets while… Read more
Pacnsac Games, the prolific ROM hacker known as pacnsacdave, has built a name for transforming beloved NES titles into something wholly new while staying true to the spirit of retro gaming. In March 2020 he released The Crow, a complete hack of Sunsoft’s Batman: The Video Game. Rather than a simple cosmetic swap, this project reimagines the 1994 cult film starring Brandon Lee as if it had received its own 8 bit… Read more
When you talk about hidden treasures on the Nintendo Entertainment System, few games are as respected and mysterious as Mr. Gimmick. Released in 1992 by Sunsoft, this platformer was known for its stunning physics, demanding level design, and a soundtrack that pushed the NES sound chip to its limits. While it never reached wide audiences outside Japan and Scandinavia, it has become a cult favorite among retro enthusiasts. Fans have been asking… Read more
Nintendo has announced the boldest, most innovative move in gaming history: charging you up to two hundred dollars for the privilege of replaying a pair of Wii games you already own. Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2 are officially coming to the Switch 2, and the bundle clocks in at a cool $150, edging toward $200 once you factor in collector’s editions, amiibo, and whatever random plastic accessory they force… Read more
An Innocent Gesture with a Dark Twist For more than two decades, fans of Super Mario World believed Mario was simply pointing forward when Yoshi stuck out his tongue. It looked playful and harmless. Mario gave the signal, Yoshi obeyed, and the duo worked together as partners. That illusion shattered in 2017, when Nintendo veteran Shigefumi Hino, the designer who created Yoshi, revealed that the original concept was very different. According to… Read more
Every Controller I Have Smashed In Rage, Ranked By The Quality Of The Meltdown There are difficult games, and then there are the ones that melt your brain until the only solution is to weaponize the nearest controller. We tell ourselves it’s just a game, but anyone who has stared down Alma in Ninja Gaiden Black, crawled across spikes in Celeste, or been betrayed by the blue shell in Mario Kart Wii… Read more
A Consistent Cutoff Leonardo DiCaprio has built a reputation for consistency in his personal life, and it appears that this rule now extends to his gaming habits. According to sources close to the Hollywood actor, he has officially stopped playing Final Fantasy IX after the game reached its 25th anniversary. Released in 2000 for the original PlayStation, Final Fantasy IX is widely regarded as one of the greatest entries in Square Enix’s… Read more
A Garage Sale Becomes a Legal Battlefield What began as a quiet Saturday morning in Saratoga, New York quickly escalated into what some neighbors now refer to as “the day Nintendo declared war on suburbia.” Local resident Robby Thompson held a simple garage sale in his driveway, offering old household items, clothing, and a box of retro video games. One of those games happened to be a sealed copy of Super Mario… Read more
A Feature Masquerading as a Flaw Since its release in 2017, the Nintendo Switch has been celebrated as one of the most successful consoles of all time. It blended handheld convenience with home-console performance, revitalized franchises like Zelda and Mario, and sold over 140 million units. But along with this success came something else: the infamous Joy-Con drift. What began as a flood of user complaints, characters walking off cliffs without input,… Read more
Edia is bringing the CD-ROM² versions of Dragon Slayer: The Legend of Heroes I and II to modern systems worldwide in 2027. The Trails series did not spring into existence as a fully formed encyclopedia of nations, political factions and recurring heroes. Its roots stretch backward through The Legend of Heroes, and those roots stretch into Nihon Falcom’s even older Dragon Slayer family. In 2027, players outside Japan will receive an unusually… Read more
A bad idea in a very good suit The most important thing about Larry Laffer is that he thinks he is doing rather well. The clothes are right. The lines are ready. Somewhere beyond the next bar stool, surely, romance is waiting. The player can see the disaster coming. Larry cannot. That small gap between confidence and reality carried a computer-game character through text parsers, sound cards, CD-ROMs, corporate upheaval, crowdfunding, and… Read more
The best result from a living-room fighting game night is simple: someone who lost wants another turn. That takes more than a familiar character-select screen. It takes a group that makes room for rusty thumbs, new players and the friend who still remembers every trick. Street Fighter II is a fitting centerpiece. In its 2017 anniversary retrospective, Capcom traces the series' breakthrough to the 1991 arcade game and emphasizes the appeal of… Read more
You are moving comfortably through a level, a jump goes wrong, and suddenly the Kong following behind becomes the one you need to keep alive. Donkey Kong Country makes that small change surprisingly effective. A mistake has a face, and so does the chance to recover. Rare's 1994 SNES platformer is easy to remember for its distinctive graphics. Nintendo's official retrospective description emphasizes the pre-rendered visuals, animation and music that helped establish… Read more
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