Retro Replay Retro Replay gaming reviews, news, emulation, geek stuff and more!

For a generation of NES owners, a little rainbow on a box could inspire hope, dread, or both. It promised a movie you loved. It did not promise that the game would love you back. Consider the rental-store decision. You have one weekend, one cartridge, and a wall of familiar faces: Marty McFly, Jason Voorhees, Freddy Krueger, Roger Rabbit, Spider-Man. The movie poster in your head does the sales pitch before you… Read more

Zelda II: The Adventure of Link is one of the NES’s most daring adventures, and seeing Hyrule return with sharper art, a wider view, and a second Link is a rush. This is what makes modern game technology so exciting: dedicated fans can bring a familiar classic to today’s PCs and add possibilities the original hardware could never offer. The HD art is still a work in progress, but this early release… Read more

It had a feline shell, a telephone-sized controller, a two-word challenge to its rivals, and an almost impossible job: make Atari matter again. Imagine walking into a game store in late 1993. The Super Nintendo and Genesis own the shelves. A 3DO costs an eye-watering amount. The PlayStation is still a rumor from across the Pacific. Then you see a black machine with a red Jaguar badge and a box that insists… Read more

Arcade gore, cursed mansions, fog-covered streets, and ghosts that force you to look them in the eye: retro horror took many forms. Our top ten follows the games that left the deepest mark on us, from the arcade shock of Splatterhouse to the psychological power of Silent Hill 2. Which ones still haunt you? Would you rather watch than read? Settle in with our video countdown below, then return to the write-ups… Read more

In 1992, Sega asked players to bolt the future onto the machine they already owned. The future arrived with a disc tray, a second power brick, a $299 price tag, and a question the company could never quite answer: what should a CD game actually be? Picture a living room at the end of 1992. The Genesis is already there, its controller cable stretched across the carpet. Sonic has made Sega feel… Read more

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

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

The 2026 release of bsnes-netplay integrates the bsnes emulator for Super Famicom and SNES with GekkoNet, enhancing netplay with low-latency features. Key highlights include true Super Game Boy emulation, HD mode 7 graphics, multi-threaded PPU rendering, customizable speed modes, and extensive game databases. Advanced features like adaptive sync, just-in-time input polling, and support for various audio/video modes improve performance. It also supports save states, cheat codes, and has extensive Satellaview emulation functionality.… Read more

KytyPlus v3.8, a standalone PS5 emulator for Windows, macOS, and Linux, has been released. Key improvements include iGPU optimization and build stability, with major enhancements for Crash Bandicoot 4, now successfully playing its cutscenes. Bug fixes address streaming issues and improve queue management, preventing hangs. New diagnostics tools enable better monitoring of hang issues. The emulator's FSR upscaling is no longer auto-enabled for integrated GPUs due to driver faults. Overall, this release… Read more

Igir v5.5.1 has been released, serving as a zero-setup ROM collection manager for sorting, filtering, and patching files across any OS. The update primarily consists of dependency fixes and addresses a specific issue: it no longer attempts to correct file extensions for raw-copied archives when DATs aren't supplied. This change prevents unnecessary detection efforts and issues with the --merge-discs function. Users can opt to disable extension changes entirely by using the --fix-extension… Read more

FB Neo Git (2026/09/27) has been compiled, serving as an emulator for arcade games and select consoles. It is based on FinalBurn and older MAME versions. The latest changelog includes various updates to files such as d_gba.cpp, d_sms.cpp, d_snes.cpp, d_coleco.cpp, d_megadrive.cpp, d_msx.cpp, and d_spectrum.cpp. For more details, you can download FB Neo Git (2026/09/27) from the provided source. FB Neo Git (2026/09/27) has been compiled. FinalBurn Neo serves as an Emulator for… Read more

DOSBox-X Git (2026/09/27) is an updated version of DOSBox, designed to emulate an Intel x86 PC for running classic MS-DOS games on modern systems like Windows and Linux. Recent updates include fixes to CD-ROM image handling to restore the Red Book offset in absolute Q-channel positions and reorganization of Visual Studio files related to agents. These enhancements aim to improve the overall functionality and user experience of DOSBox-X for retro gaming. Download:… Read more

KytyPS5 (2026/09/25) has been released, serving as a compatibility layer for PlayStation 5. The project is still in early development, resulting in limited compatibility and potential rapid changes between builds. The latest changelog includes the execution of recompiler unit tests by @MehmetCambaz. Download the KytyPS5 version from the provided source link. KytyPS5 (2026/09/25) has been released. KytyPS5 serves as a compatibility layer for PlayStation 5. The project is still in its early… 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

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