Retro Culture & Lifestyle 🕹️

Lara Croft’s Iconic Look Was No Accident When Tomb Raider launched in 1996, Lara Croft quickly became one of the most recognizable characters in gaming. But while a popular myth claims her famous proportions came from a “programming mistake,” the truth is a little different. Lara’s design was carefully planned by Core Design artist Toby Gard. He originally envisioned her as a tough, adventurous woman inspired by comic book heroines …

The Accidental Horror of Silent Hill’s Fog When players think of Silent Hill, the first image that often comes to mind is its thick, suffocating fog. It is one of the most haunting visuals in all of gaming, setting the tone for fear, dread, and the unknown. But here is the twist: that fog was never meant to be scary at all. The original Silent Hill was released on the …

When Street Fighter II first hit arcades in the early 1990s, it changed fighting games forever. The roster of colorful warriors, each with their own style and special moves, became instant legends. But one character almost missed out on a now-iconic attack. Chun-Li, the first female fighter in the Street Fighter series, was introduced without a projectile move. While she had incredible speed and powerful kicks, her lack of a …

Hideo Kojima is known for pushing the boundaries of video games, but during the development of Snatcher he almost took things into a whole new dimension — smell. Kojima wanted the game’s floppy disks coated in a special chemical that, when heated by the computer, would release the scent of blood. His vision? To fill the room with the “stench of a murder scene” during key moments in the game. …

NES Punch Out: Mike Tyson – The Game That Defined an Era The Unstoppable Game In 1987, Nintendo released Punch Out! NES Punch Out, a game that didn’t just raise the bar for boxing titles, it completely redefined what a sports game could be. Players took control of Little Mac, a scrappy 17-year-old from the Bronx, fighting his way up through a roster of colorful and often bizarre opponents. Every …

The Top 5 Retro Video Game Emulators for Every Classic Gaming Fan If you are ready to relive your childhood favorites and unlock the full world of classic gaming, these are the best retro video game emulators you need to try. Here is our countdown from five to one—with each emulator, you will find download links, the systems they cover, and reasons they stand out in the retro gaming scene. …

GungHo has released a new story trailer for the upcoming Lunar Remastered Collection ahead of its April 18th launch. This collection brings together two beloved classic RPGs – Lunar Silver Star Story Complete and Lunar 2 Eternal Blue Complete – to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam. The newly released trailer showcases the narratives of both games, giving fans and newcomers alike a glimpse of the …

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 …