Retro Blog 🕰️

The video game sector continues to face a challenging period marked by ongoing layoffs. Sony has joined the ranks of companies reducing their workforce, announcing on Tuesday the dismissal of approximately 900 employees from its PlayStation division, which accounts for 8% of its global headcount. The impact of the layoffs will be felt across several high-profile development teams within the Sony family. Notable studios that will be affected include Naughty …

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth++:  Adventure in Diversity Welcome to the World of Average Gaia: Where Average is the New Extraordinary! Note: this is not just a typical localization. Square Enix Of America is remaking a great deal of the game to reach a “greater audience.” The Western gaming industry took the helm of the cherished JRPG franchise, Final Fantasy 7, and the result was nothing short of… well, ordinary. Welcome …

22-Year-Old Finds ‘Holy Grail’ Copy of 1987 Zelda Game Worth Over $700,000 A sealed copy of the 1987 Nintendo classic ‘The Legend of Zelda’ is expected to sell for over $700,000 at auction this week, thanks to a chance discovery by a 22-year-old. The owner, who goes by Kiro online, originally purchased the game for just $30 back in 1987. Stored for decades in his family’s home, Kiro decided on …

Retro Review: Sonic Hellfire Saga – A Genesis of Nostalgia and Innovation Sonic Hellfire Saga is not just another ROM hack; it’s a love letter to the golden era of Sega Genesis, intricately woven with the threads of nostalgia, innovation, and sheer dedication. Released after a half-decade of passionate work, the game has redefined what it means to pay homage to the classic Sonic the Hedgehog series. This in-depth review …

 Watch the video presentation above, or read below. The Top 10 Konami Games of All Time: A Legacy Unveiled Konami, a titan in the gaming industry, has given us some of the most unforgettable gaming experiences. With a vast and varied catalog, pinning down their top 10 games is no easy task. Yet, some titles have left an indelible mark on the hearts of gamers and the annals of …

he Return of Optical Media? New Disc Can Store 200TB Optical discs like CDs and DVDs may be making a comeback for long-term data storage, if new technology developed by researchers pans out. Scientists at the [University of Shanghai for Science and Technology] have created an ultra high-capacity optical disc using advanced 3D recording techniques. Their new disc can hold a whopping 1.6 petabits or approximately 200 terabytes (TB) of …

Retro Review: Sonic the Hedgehog Megamix – A Sega Genesis Triumph “Sonic the Hedgehog Megamix” is not just a game; it’s a homage to the golden age of 16-bit gaming, a symphony of speed and nostalgia that resonates with every jump and spin-dash. As a ROM hack of the iconic Sega Genesis title, it takes players on a familiar yet fresh journey through the world of Sonic, showcasing the extraordinary …

The National Museum of Play has recently added an exceptional item to its collection: a rare PC port demo of “Super Mario Bros. 3,” developed by id Software in the early days before the company became synonymous with the first-person shooter genre through titles like “Doom” and “Wolfenstein 3D.” This MS-DOS adaptation, crafted in 1990, is notable for its advanced scrolling technology that closely mimicked the smoothness of the original …

Crisis Force: A Deep Dive into NES Excellence Crisis Force is not just a game; it’s an exemplar of the technical marvels that were possible on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), despite being released in the twilight years of the console’s life. This shoot ’em up, released exclusively in Japan in 1991 by Konami, has since garnered a dedicated following among retro gaming enthusiasts around the globe. Technical Mastery by …

Stan Lee Dispels Myth That X-Men Were Originally Envisioned as LGBTQ Allegory In a 2007 radio interview that has recently resurfaced, comic book icon Stan Lee directly refuted a widespread assumption that his X-Men characters were conceived as an allegory for the LGBTQ+ community. Speaking on Coast to Coast AM with guest host Ian Punnett, Lee stated unambiguously that the analogy was not his intention when creating the X-Men in …

Disclaimer: My father, disconnected from the internet in many ways, will most likely never read this. And that is OK. On a frost-touched morning in December 1987, nestled beneath the twinkling lights of the Christmas tree, a gift unwrapped would forge an unbreakable bond between a father and his child, a Nintendo NES. This is the tale of that bond, a story woven through the fabric of fantasy, adventure, and …

The Sega Genesis: A Historical Overview and System Review Enjoy our comprehensive retrospective as we showcase each and every one of the classic games developed for the Sega Genesis in this captivating video journey, or read up on the system and review below! The Sega Genesis: An In-depth Look at the Console That Defined an Era The Sega Genesis, known as the Mega Drive outside North America, is a 16-bit …

Sega has revealed that the upcoming reboot of the classic arcade racing game Crazy Taxi will be a big-budget, triple-A release. This news came from Takaya Segawa, president of Sega’s Sapporo Studio, in an interview with the Japan Times. Sapporo Studio is one of the developers working on the new Crazy Taxi game. When discussing the studio’s current projects, Segawa said “We are also participating in the development of triple-A …

In The Hunt: A Deep Dive into the Underwater Classic on PS1 “In The Hunt,” a title often overshadowed by its terrestrial counterparts, is a gem of the PlayStation 1 era that deserves more recognition. Developed by Irem, a company known for creating the legendary “R-Type” series, “In The Hunt” was released on the PS1 in 1995. The game, which I affectionately refer to as the “Metal Slug of the …

Galloping Ghost Arcade – The Massive Retro Gaming Wonderland Near Chicago Just 15 miles outside Chicago in Brookfield, Illinois sits the largest classic arcade in the United States – the sprawling paradise known as Galloping Ghost. As a life-long arcade enthusiast, I recently made a pilgrimage to this retro gaming mecca and spent hours exploring its jaw-dropping collection of over 600 cabinets. Read on for a tour through this digitally …

A Nostalgic Fan’s Lament: The Confounding Rumors of a “Woke” Hogwarts In the dim glow of my desk lamp, surrounded by shelves sagging under the weight of Harry Potter books, merchandise, and the memories of midnight releases, I find myself grappling with a peculiar kind of sadness. Recent rumors hint at a casting decision for a potential Harry Potter series that suggests a radical departure from the characters as described …

A Heartbreaking Farewell to the Tangible: Best Buy’s Betrayal with Digital Transition It’s with a heavy heart and a sense of betrayal that I must report a devastating blow to collectors, nostalgists, and anyone who cherishes the physical touch of media: Best Buy has ruthlessly cleared its shelves of all physical media. This isn’t just a business decision; it’s a knife in the back to those of us who have …

“Shapeshifting Beyond Gender: X-Men’s Morph Redefined in ’97 Reboot – Progress or Politics?” As the countdown to the eagerly anticipated “X-Men ’97” ticks away, a storm of debate has ignited over the latest news to hit the mutant fandom: Morph, the beloved shapeshifter whose first appearance captivated audiences in the early ’90s animated series, is reportedly being re-introduced as a non-binary character. This revelation has sparked a fiery conversation across …

Blowing the Dust Off: The Truth Behind the Nintendo Cartridge Ritual   For decades, gamers around the world have sworn by a seemingly magical fix for glitchy Nintendo game cartridges: blowing into them. Despite Nintendo’s own warnings that this practice could actually harm the delicate circuitry, many have felt the satisfying click of a cartridge that only started working post-puff. But what is the truth? Did blowing into those cartridges …

Watch the video above or read below. “Super Mario 64,” a gem in the gaming world, celebrated for its vibrant landscapes and pioneering 3D gameplay, holds an eerie secret within its first level—a secret that evaded the eyes of millions, until now. Danni from the Retro Replay Message Boards has peeled back the cheerful exterior of “Bob-omb Battlefield,” exposing a grim reality that casts a shadow over the Mushroom Kingdom …

The Ultimate Showdown: Top 10 Most Popular Fighting Games Ranked The evolution of fighting games has been a spectacle of the gaming world, showcasing the adrenaline-fueled drama that only this genre can provide. Each title on this list has contributed to the genre’s legacy, creating a competitive and vibrant community. Here’s a look at the top 10 most popular fighting games that have defined the genre, each a specific title …

Retro Review: “The Adventures of Little Ralph” – A Hidden Gem on the PS1 It’s not every day that one stumbles upon an obscure classic that should have been a household name. “The Adventures of Little Ralph,” a 2D platformer released exclusively in Japan for the PlayStation in 1999, is one such title. I had the pleasure of discovering this game only in 2024, and it’s a damn shame it …

Remembering Jennell Jaquays: A Beacon of Creativity and Inclusivity in Gaming It is with a heavy heart that we reflect on the life of Jennell Jaquays, an iconic figure in the gaming industry whose influence shaped the way we play and design games today. Jennell passed away on January 10th, 2024, but her legacy endures in the countless worlds she crafted and the barriers she broke down throughout her illustrious …

Retro Review: Global Gladiators – The Sega Genesis Classic that Championed Environmentalism In the year 1992, nestled beneath the Christmas tree, lay a gift from my parents that I hadn’t asked for—Global Gladiators for the Sega Genesis. Little did I know, this game would become a significant part of my childhood, its graphics etched into my memory, even though I wouldn’t conquer its challenges until many years later. Developer’s Vision …

The Rise and Fall of the INDREMA L600: The Console That Never Was In the 1990s, video game enthusiast John Gildred envisioned an open source console that would democratize game development. The technology wasn’t there yet, but the idea lingered. By 1999, after witnessing firsthand the modding potential of PC games like Quake, Gildred was inspired. What if anyone could be a developer? In early 2000, he made that vision …