Retro Culture & Lifestyle 🕹️

Ah, the Nintendo Power Glove. The pinnacle of 80s gaming technology, or so we thought. Let me regale you with my personal tale of anticipation, delusion, and crushing disappointment. Picture this: Christmas morning, circa late 80s. Yours truly, a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed kid, tearing into a suspiciously glove-shaped package. Lo and behold, the Power Glove in all its gray, plasticky glory. Dreams do come true, right? Wrong. I wonder what my …

Still Arguing After All These Pixels Remember the 1990s console wars? Those glorious days when choosing between Sega and Nintendo was a life-altering decision. Fast forward 30 years, and here we are—middle-aged gamers still duking it out online like knights in shining armor, except the armor is sweatpants and the battlefield is a Reddit thread. Back in the day, these battles were fought in living rooms. Now, they’re waged on …

Tim Kitzrow is an American voice actor, comedian, and TV host best known for his energetic and iconic commentary in the classic video game series, NBA Jam. Born on August 17, 1960, in Illinois, Kitzrow discovered his passion for entertainment at a young age. In a panel at the 2023 Retro Game Con, Tim Kitzrow discussed his early career and the video game industry. In the video, Tim Kitzrow discusses his early career and experiences …

Hollywood’s Recycling Racket: The Babysitter’s Dead, But the Cash Grab Lives On In the land of Hollywood, where originality goes to die and reboots reign supreme, the latest victim of the unoriginal machine is the 1991 cult classic “Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead.” Yes, you read that right – a reboot of a movie that wasn’t even a massive hit in the first place. But hey, why come up …

This is a post at request of a friend. NES themed enamel pins coming to Kickstarter on March 30th If you grew up in the 80’s and 90’s, you probably have some of the iconic game art from the NES era burned into your memory banks. The art varied from pixel representations of the actual game to fantastical imagery that set your imagination in motion. Dave Andersen, the streamer behind …

Hollywood’s Misrepresentation of Jocks: Perpetuating a Harmful Stereotype Hollywood has a long-standing tradition of portraying jocks as the villains in their TV shows and movies. From the stereotypical high school bully to the arrogant college athlete, these characters are often depicted as one-dimensional, mean-spirited, and lacking in depth. However, this representation is far from reality and perpetuates a harmful stereotype that can have lasting effects on how society perceives athletes …

Amazon’s Fallout TV Series Releases Hilariously Entertaining First Clip The highly-anticipated Fallout TV series, set to debut on Amazon Prime Video on April 11, has just released its first official clip, and it’s a delightful mix of humor and post-apocalyptic tension. The scene features a standoff between Vault Dweller Lucy (Ella Purnell), the eccentric Ghoul (Walton Goggins), and a member of the Brotherhood of Steel. As Lucy attempts to defuse …

The Uncanny Use of a Racial Slur in X-Men Before you go any further, please understand In recent years, Chris Claremont has been pushing to change the name of the X-Men to X-People or X-Group. Some people believe that this is his way of trying to make amends for his past racist remarks. A recent discussion online in the Facebook Retro Gaming Group brought to light a troubling exchange from Uncanny X-Men #196, published in 1985 …

GameInformer has recently unveiled the much-anticipated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles video game titled “Mutants Unleashed”. The announcement follows a collaboration between Nickelodeon, Paramount, game publisher Outright Games, and the development studio A Heartful of Games. This exciting new release is a sequel to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem movie that graced screens in August 2023. GameInformer shares that “Mutants Unleashed” is a 3D brawler/platformer that continues the narrative post Mutant Mayhem, with the Turtles enjoying social acceptance after their …

X-Men Name Change Debate: Chris Claremont and Victoria Alonso Weigh In Renowned X-Men writer Chris Claremont has shared his perspective on the current discussion surrounding the potential renaming of Marvel’s mutant heroes, the X-Men. Claremont, celebrated for his extensive and influential 16-year tenure on The X-Men comic book series, has been a pivotal figure in the development of the franchise, introducing beloved characters such as Rogue, Psylocke, Kitty Pryde (Shadowcat), Phoenix, Sabretooth, …

Iman Vellani, the star who brought Ms. Marvel to life in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), has recently shared her aspirations for her character to join the ranks of the X-Men. The actress, celebrated for her role as Kamala Khan aka Ms. Marvel, spoke about her character’s future and her own wishes for the next big leap in the MCU. Vellani’s Ms. Marvel first appeared in the Disney Plus Hotstar series and later made …

PlayStation 1 Blockbuster Variants: A Treasure Trove for Collectors? Among your PlayStation 1 titles, there lies a potential goldmine that has yet to be fully explored: the Blockbuster variants. These unique editions, born out of a partnership between game developers and the rental giant Blockbuster, might just be the next big thing in the retro gaming market. Blockbuster variants are special editions of PlayStation 1 games that were exclusively distributed …

As I look back on my childhood, there are certain memories that stand out like shining beacons of love and joy. One of the most vivid is the image of my beautiful mama, her face alight with happiness as she watched me unwrap my Christmas presents. This past Christmas was the first without her, and her absence was deeply felt. My mom always went above and beyond to ensure that …

The Strong Museum, known for its dedication to preserving and celebrating the history of video games, has recently announced the 12 finalists for the World Video Game Hall of Fame Class of 2024. The museum selected these titles from thousands of nominations, considering factors such as the game’s iconic status, longevity, geographical reach, and influence on the gaming industry and popular culture. A Diverse Range of Finalists The list of finalists spans several decades and genres, showcasing the …

Dedicated Fan Amasses 1000 Copies of Dragon Warrior on NES, and the Quest Continues In a remarkable display of passion and commitment, a devoted fan of the classic Enix JRPG, Dragon Warrior (known as Dragon Quest in Japan), has achieved an incredible milestone by collecting 1000 copies of the game for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). The individual behind this extraordinary feat, known as Ferris Bueller, is the current owner of The Unorthadox Dragon Warrior Collection. The Origins of …

Konami’s beloved compilation, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection, is set to be delisted from Steam in Japan later this month. The news comes as a shock to fans, as the collection was released less than two years ago on August 30, 2022, across multiple platforms, including PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, and PC. According to a recent “Notice of End of Sales” post on the game’s Steam page, Japanese players will no longer be able to purchase the collection from Friday, March 29, 2024, onward. …

Disney CEO Bob Iger Discusses Marvel Course Correction, Hinting at Cancelled Projects According to insider DanielRPK, ‘Captain Marvel 3’ and ‘Ant-Man 4’ will not move forward with Marvel. The studio is reportedly choosing to focus on guaranteed hits and take less risks with unsuccessful franchises. This news comes as Disney CEO Bob Iger has recently provided more insight into the new direction he envisions for the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). …

It has been speculated that Beau DeMayo’s firing from X-Men ’97 may be related to the discovery of his OnlyFans account, which contains adult content. His h**ophobic rants coming to light may not help his case much either. DeMayo has since removed the Only Fans account as well as his rants, but archives of some of the content have been circulating online. One word: “beaunlyfans”. His OnlyFans (Now deleted) can …

X-Men ’97 Creator Beau DeMayo Fired From Series Weeks Before Premiere. Beau DeMayo, the creator of the highly anticipated X-Men ’97 series on Disney+, has been fired from the project just weeks before its March 20 debut. DeMayo, who previously worked on Marvel projects including Moon Knight and the delayed Blade film, had his company email deactivated, and the cast and crew were informed that he would no longer be …

X-Men ’97 Brings Back Obscure Villain With Intriguing Potential As much as I break chops about this show, make no mistake, I will be watching as a fan. And as a fan I hope it entertains. I am rooting for this show to win me over. The highly-anticipated X-Men ’97 is set to revive the beloved Saturday morning cartoon on Disney+, bringing with it the signature elements fans adored: epic …

Navigating the Legal Landscape of Retro Game Emulation In recent times, the revival of classic video games through emulation has sparked a renaissance for retro gaming. This resurgence has raised important questions about the legality of emulators and ROMs. While some gamers dive into the nostalgia-fueled world of emulation with abandon, others hesitate, wary of potential legal consequences. Here, we provide a comprehensive look at the legalities of emulation, informed …

The Unmatched Greatness of NFL 2K5 Before we get to the mod, one must understand the history. When NFL 2K5 hit the market in July 2004, it did so with a strategic price point of $19.99, significantly lower than the typical new release price for video games at that time, and particularly lower than its main competitor, Madden NFL 2005, which was being sold at the standard price of $49.99. …

SEGA’s nostalgic gem, Vay, initially released in 1993 for the SEGA CD and subsequently earning its place as a JRPG cult classic, particularly in the West, is poised for a resurgence. Fans can look forward to an “entirely new, fully reimagined port” specifically tailored for iPhone devices, set to launch later this year. The original game, developed by Hertz and released by SIMS in Japan, saw its North American debut thanks …

Lunar: Silver Star Story Touch Launches for Android Fans of classic RPGs, get ready! The beloved Lunar: Silver Star Story Touch, previously available on iOS, is set to make its way to Android devices on January 26th. This news comes via Pocket Gamer, and it’s sure to excite those who have been waiting to experience the game on their Android phones and tablets. The journey of Lunar: Silver Star Story began on the Sega …

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 …