Retro News, Tips, Tricks & Ideas

ScummVM is a game engine recreation that allows many old games, from "The Secret of Monkey Island" to "Myst," to run on modern devices without emulation or compatibility layers. ScummVM 2.8 has been released with support for new games and game engines, online multiplayer support, and more.

Along with a recent RTX Remix, the classic Tomb Raider games are about to come back in a pretty big way. Aspyr has been hard at work remastering the original three entries in the iconic series, and we’ve been given a bit of a breakdown of what’s to come.

Retro video game high score chaser Billy Mitchell has had his Donkey Kong scores reinstated to an extent on the Twin Galaxies website, six years after they were removed.

Not gonna lie, it's a bit of an eclectic shotgunning of deals here today. But hey, sometimes that's how we like to hunt—digging our hands into a big bundle of chaos, like the physical bargain bins of yore. Who even knows what's in there? It could be your next favourite game discounted, an empty Coke bottle, or some random kid's booger deposits. Brick 'n' mortar shopping experience, I do not miss thee much.

Nvidia’s RTX Remix is already proving popular with modders, as notable games are being given a new, shiny lease on life. As a result, we’re getting to see things like GTA, Max Payne, and early Tomb Raider games get something of a spit polish, re-entering our collective consciousness.

If you're still lucky enough to still be holidaying—or you're a forward-thinker planning for the blessed weekend—you're gonna need some gaming fuel. As per always, I've scoured the eshops, online storefronts, and brick 'n' mortars for nothing but the finest wares at whoa-that's-cheap prices. Head sublevel to start saving.

“The Spy Who Shot Me” is a first-person shooter (FPS) game that combines classic spy action with a touch of humor. Developed by independent game developer and publisher Retro Army Limited, the game pays homage to the spy genre while adding its unique flair.

The creator of the Portal 64 demake has urged fans not to direct their anger at Valve amidst the project's cancellation.

It's business as usual today, bargain hunters—nothing but the cheapest prices on the stuff actually worth caring about. Personally, I'd steer you most strongly towards that Awesome Humble Bundle as there are some cracking titles within. Not many of them are below 9/10 goodness.

Just a day into the new year, one haunted horror game is already making waves by disguising itself as a long-lost Nintendo 64 platformer.

It's weird to say it out loud, but Skyrim is 13 years old. We can debate about whether that makes it retro or just pull out our grey hairs in frustration, the point is that Skyrim is getting on a bit. But one fan decided to turn the clock back even further and imagine what it'd look like if we were celebrating its 27th birthday this year instead.

Miniature console specialist Retro Games Ltd. has announced that it will soon release 'THE400 Mini' console, a a tiny, HD-ready version of the Atari 400 microcomputer that packs in 25 classic Atari titles.

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Thank your own personal deity—possibly The King of All Cosmos—it's Friday! In case you haven't heard the word, the review embargo for the new Prince of Persia is up, and it's quite good. I had my limits tested in a playthrough on Immortal Difficulty and would heartily recommend it to anybody out for a (2.5D) Soulslike challenge.

Atari has announced the next in the line of Retro Games’ mini PC consoles, the Atari 400 Mini, based on the classic Atari home computer. It will be available starting March 28.

If you're big of years but small of shelf space, you might be interested in the newly announced 400 Mini, an officially licensed scaled-down version of Atari's four-and-a-half decade old home computer, the Atari 400, which launches on 28th March this year.

A new miniature console based on the Atari 400 has been announced by the makers of the C64 Mini and Amiga 500 Mini.

Retro video game fans have another mini console to content with, this time a recreation of the Atari 400.

By Andrew Webster, an entertainment editor covering streaming, virtual worlds, and every single Pokémon video game. Andrew joined The Verge in 2012, writing over 4,000 stories.

Today's the day to swoop down on the "bestest" version of a game you've been discount-stalking from afar. Premium editions, bundles, definitives, whole shebang collections—not many of them have been spared the bargain man's axe. So do get in quick.

One question has gotten the retro gaming fandom up in a tizzy, and now the community is trying to decide what the biggest generational leap in gaming history really was.

Announced at CES, Hyperkin has revealed the next in their line of retro Xbox controllers for modern hardware. This time around they’ll be recreating the form factor of the Xbox Controller S, which was the revision of the original Xbox’s rather beefy handpiece.

Ironwood Studios’ Pacific Drive is a road trip game about taking a drive through a disintegrating, irradiated reality; it’s as if American Truck Simulator was set in a lonely, survivalist version of Fallout. Transported — either accidentally or on purpose, it’s not clear — into the Olympic Exclusion Zone somewhere among the wooded slopes of the Pacific Northwest, the nameless player character must pilot a dilapidated station wagon deeper into this territory, where gravity and matter obey their own rules.

By Jon Porter, a reporter with five years of experience covering consumer tech releases, EU tech policy, online platforms, and mechanical keyboards.

The actual Nintendo PlayStation is the stuff of legends, but if you want your own, there's a new video that'll give you a reasonable facsimile. Just prepare to take a whole lot of psychic damage along the way.

The products discussed here were independently chosen by our editors. GameSpot may get a share of the revenue if you buy anything featured on our site.

In December, Wizards of the Coast committed to not using AI art in Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons and Dragons, saying it requires its artists, writers, and other creative contributors «to refrain from using AI generative tools» to create its products. Despite that, MtG fans are accusing the company of using AI to create the backdrop for a promotional image of new cards—something WotC flatly denies.

Ever been idly clicking through the Steam store and something causes you to immediately hit the brakes and add a game to the top of your wishlist? That happened to me today while looking at upcoming city builders. There's just something about an isometric city builder with retro pixel art that immediately appeals to me, so Metropolis 1998 grabbed my attention with just a few screenshots.

Darkness has fallen on Sanctuary again as the Lord of Terror walks the world — The Darkening of Tristram limited time event in Diablo 3 has returned! Descend into the depths of a special retro graphics version of the Cathedral, and slay your way through the minions of evil to come face to face with Diablo. Blizzard has released a blog post detailing the event, so dive in — the event ends on January 31, sealing away its rewards.

Over three decades have passed since Tetris made its debut on the NES in 1989. Since then, a holy grail has lied just out of reach—the «true killscreen». Now, a young prodigy has managed to reach it: after 34 entire years, a flesh-and-blood person has finally beaten Tetris.

Owning a Switch is great. Even accounting for people who have more than one, I think it's safe to assume more than 100 million of us have one. However, just because Nintendo's latest creation is now the third best-selling console of all time doesn't mean it's perfect as it is, at least not very everyone. Accessories can improve your experience with your Switch, and the Nitro Deck - a Switch accessory I use on an almost daily basis - is one of the best, and it's getting three new designs this year.

Happy new year, PlayStation Stars members! We’ve got a fresh array of challenges, campaigns, and collectibles to kickstart your 2024 gaming journey. Let’s dive straight into what’s new this month.

After a few years of development teases, retro-style RPG Skald: Against the Black Priory has a release window: spring 2024. The party-based RPG has been touted as an example of marrying a retro aesthetic—Commodore 64 era, in this case—with a more modern style of game and interface design.

Limited Run Games has been working tirelessly to re-release a bunch of retro classics, both in physical and digital format. Unfortunately, it seems even the preservation specialist’s efforts have a shelf life. Writing on Twitter earlier this week, CEO Josh Fairhurst revealed that Bill & Ted’s Excellent Retro Collection will be removed from the PS Store on 1st January – despite it launching less than a year ago!

I have really been looking forward to Retro-Bit’s NES reissue of 1991’s Hammerin’ Harry. However, in retrospect, this is partially due to me getting it confused with Don Doko Don, a 1989 arcade game in Taito’s single-screen format. If I knew what I was thinking about, I’d be even more excited.

Thank your own personal deity—possibly Doomguy after typing 'IDDQD'—it's Friday! Today is all about the continuing deals of "Winter" at places like Fanatical, Green Man Gaming and the various first-party console eshops. I've done my best to filter through the white noise of a thousand odd "deals" to find you the true hidden gold. Business as usual, basically.

The boxing day deals continue unabated today, and I've corralled the best of 'em into a no-nonsense list for you. Well, there's a little bit of nonsense in there. Nerf Legends is pushing the envelope on what I'd consider a worthy game purchase. But hey—50 bucks off is 50 bucks off. Buy it for a younger sibling.

We've seen a lot of Ghibli-like indie games this year, but this might be the most faithful one yet. 

Whether you’re opening new consoles this morning or reading this on a brand new phone or tablet, everybody at GamesReviews wishes you a merry Christmas and a happy new year!

Want to look good in videos captured during your Christmas celebrations? You can with Google Photos! It will let you turn your favourite memories into amazing videos by adding effects. The platform has become extremely popular in recent years, serving as a replacement for the Gallery app on many Android smartphones. While it initially offered a backup facility for all your photos and videos, Google has turned the Photos app into an AI powerhouse, with several nifty features such as Magic Eraser, Photo Unblur, and more. Meanwhile, you can simply add effects to your videos to make them more appealing.

The jukebox in the new TARDIS could hold some big clues about the future of Doctor Who. Production designer Phil Sims shared this insight with SFX magazine in the new issue, which features Doctor Who's Ncuti Gatwa on the cover.

When talking about SNEG’s efforts to re-release Strategy Simulation Inc.’s old PC catalog, I mentioned that one of their most significant endeavors was putting SSI’s D&D games back on storefronts. I bought them some time ago. I haven’t played them. They intimidate me.

Argonaut Games' cult classic survival horror FPS Alien Resurrection has been hiding a secret for 23 years: it contains a cheat code that lets you play backup disks on PS1 without having to mod the hardware at all.

Though it sounds bizarre to say it, some retailers think today is the perfect time to deploy their "boxing day" marked deals. While that wreaks havoc with my everything must be just so OCD, it's kind of awesome too. The EOY shopping experience is going to be way better if I'm not also sporting an egg nog hangover or nursing a Christmas ham food baby. By all means, let's jump the gun every year!

Did you know that D4 Enterprise is releasing Japanese PC-88 games on Switch? It hasn’t been going on for long, but I just learned it now, thanks to Hydlide. D4 has added two titles to their EggConsole lineup, with 1984’s Hydlide and 1986’s Silpheed.

If you're a patient one who has been biding their time on a Potterverse purchase, today's the day to end your game purchasing dry spell. It also has to be said that you can bag many a bargain at the fine retro repository that is GOG. Last but not least, it's pretty rare to see a discount this large on the mighty Xbox Series X, so by all means bag yourself the best 'Box MS has ever produced.

SNEG continues their effort to preserve classic PC titles by releasing another long list of Strategy Simulations Inc. (SSI) and Mindscape games on Steam and GOG.

Much like the extremely early Black Friday bargains we saw, it seems a few retailers are keen to punch out premature Boxing Day deals. Case in point: the surprising drop on the big-boy version of Meta Quest 2, plus a bunch of sizeable chops on AAA game RRPs. Score 'em while stock levels last.

The developer of retro JRPG-inspired indie hit Sea of Stars has announced it is replacing an NPC based on YouTuber The Completionist following recent charity fraud allegations. 

In sad news for anyone who enjoys fan games and remakes of retro titles, Nintendo has shut down a fan-made The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening PC port.

Resident Evil 4 being nominated for several categories at The Game Awards 2023 shows that remakes are still very much in vogue. It seems evident that we should never forget the classics. And that’s exactly what this one modder is doing with the original RE2.

If you like the fun, rubber hose style of old Disney cartoons, but you wish they were more violent, this may be one for you. Mouse is an upcoming FPS that styles itself off these retro cartoons, and developer Fumi Games has just released a gameplay trailer for it.

What do you get when you cross a deck builder, Vampire Survivors, and Asteroids? No, it’s not having too many apps running at once, it’s Star Survivor, a new top-down space combat game that finds you a lone starship against a seemingly endless alien swarm. Fittingly named The Endless, in fact.

In the world of high-class entertainment, gaming has become more than just a pastime; it's a portal to new dimensions, a realm where you can be the hero or explore fantastical landscapes. While high-end gaming PCs boast top-notch performance, the best gaming consoles offer a more cost-effective gateway to the latest and greatest video games. Whether you're a seasoned gamer or a newcomer seeking adventure, the world of gaming consoles beckons. Gaming is not just a solitary endeavour; it's a social experience that connects you with friends and family. Those few hours immersed in a virtual world make you forget reality as you strive for victory, be it on the battlefield or the football ground. Modern gaming consoles, with their advanced technology and graphics, allow you to live vicariously through your favourite characters, losing yourself in the experience. And all of that requires a gaming console that best meets all your requirements. And considering that you will be using the same for years, you have to ensure it is the best that your money can buy.

Harkening back to the age of Strider and Shinobi, Ninja Issen is a side-scrolling hyper ninja action game set in a futuristic, cyberpunk city, topped off with a retro graphics filter and one-versus-many combat. Embark on a journey of revenge, time travel, and old school gameplay for the modern age with Kiba, a skilled ninja falsely accused of a murder he did not commit.

Sony's final PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium catalogue additions for 2023 have now been revealed, with next Tuesday, 19th December introducing the likes of Grand Theft Auto 5, Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin, and MotoGP 23.

Following uncomfortable close to the Xbox and PlayStation Year in Review roundups, Nintendo has provided its own.

Don’t judge me, but I’d rather have an arcade machine taking up space in my living room than a Christmas tree. So, you can imagine I’m pretty stoked about the fact that Amazon has slashed the price of various Arcade1up machines, and I’m specifically hyped about The Simpsons version. I mean, I’d take beating up goons with a vacuum over putting bobbles on an artificial conifer any day, even if placing presents around a cabinet looks a bit daft.

Antstream Arcade, the world's largest officially licensed retro gaming platform, is adding 27 Bandai Namco classics to its lineup of over 1,300 games, including Pac-Man, Galaga, Splatterhouse, Dig Dug, and Pac-Mania.

The holidays are right around the corner (or might already be here, depending on how you celebrate), which leaves you in a bit of a tight spot if you’ve still got some names to cross off your holiday shopping list. If you’re still struggling to find something special to gift to the gamer in your life, our collection of the best last-minute gaming gifts is here to help.

Before they offered to send me a unit for review, I had the Analogue Duo preordered. It would have been the first of the company’s consoles that I ponied up for. That’s because, beyond just being a very nice boutique console, it solves a few problems for me.

There are a few schools of thought when it comes to playing retro games in the present day. Some argue that the games from yesteryear were meant to be played on an old-school CRT, with concerns regarding their bulky designs and aging, decades-old electrical components chalked up to the cost of doing business. Others contend that retro games are perfectly serviceable when paired with an inexpensive scaler and a flat panel display, with no care paid to how these titles look when hooked up to a modern TV.

Finji is a developer and publisher best known for being associated with the likes of Tunic, Night in the Woods, Chicory: A Colorful Tale, which tend to feature a lot of colorful critters in more retro gaming genres…which made it a bit of a shock when their latest game was revealed at The Game Awards, that being a third-person action-adventure hack-and-slash game done in collaboration with Sweet Baby, who have worked on the likes of Alan Wake II and God of War: Ragnarok when it comes to narrative. Said game is called Usual June, and you can catch the first glimpse of it below.

To say The Anacrusis is similar to Left 4 Dead would be a severe understatement. From hordes of mindless monsters, to deadly enemies that spawn regularly and use their special powers to put the party in a jam, to safe rooms that separate each act of an episode, this four-player co-op FPS sticks so close to its inspiration it could almost qualify as a spinoff. Unfortunately, that nostalgic mimicry allows for little in the way of interesting new ideas or even expected modernizations that might have made it more fun, resulting in a flavorless distraction that feels like it could have come out in 2008. Combat is bland and one-note, the graphics are well below the standards of today, and enemy variety is almost nonexistent. The only thing The Anacrusis really has going for itself is a unique disco-era sci-fi setting starring cheeky characters and groovy locales, which would be easier to appreciate if the rest of it wasn’t so woefully bland. It’s been 15 years since the original Left 4 Dead, but The Anacrusis feels sorely stuck in the past.

Retro specialist ININ Games has released six of its previous titles on Xbox today.

PlayStation has made a one-of-a-kind PlayStation 1-style PlayStation 5, and unfortunately, you cannot buy it, but that won't stop us from dreaming of it.

Hey there, fellow adventurers! Exciting news is sweeping Southeast Asia as “OCTOPATH TRAVELER: Champions of the Continent” makes a surprise early landing! Fans couldn’t be more thrilled as the Octopath Traveler (SEA) version drops a fantastic ten days ahead of schedule. 

Xavier Liard has announced the creation of his new company, StoreRider, which focuses on connecting game developers and alternative Android stores.

The development of Metroid Prime 4 is almost complete, and it's only one specific issue that is holding the game from release, according to rumors circulating online.

If you're into gaming history, retro collections, or both, you'll no doubt have checked out Digital Eclipse's awesome docu-games in recent years. The Making of Karateka was the studio's most recent, and the first in its new Gold Master Series — games that double as comprehensive, interactive documentaries. It's just announced the next in this series — Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story.

Holstin was announced a little while back, but this showing from the recent Day of the Devs showcase caught our eye. This game is an indie survival horror with a retro presentation style and a seriously cool camera gimmick.

Flashback fans curb your enthusiasm, because Microid's 2023 Flashback 2's not even a 2D cinematic platform game. This PS5 pseudo 3D adventure doesn't have any of the subgenre's gameplay traits that Push Square noted when reviewing a title like Another World. It also doesn't continue in the tradition of great sci-fi themed video games, so this buggy, slowdown ridden mess will be a shock to the system for Flashback fans, which breaks their Conrad B. heart.

The Neo Geo Arcade Stick Pro gives you instant access to 20 classic fighting games, including many games in The King of Fighters series.

Ever the versatile games, the first two Doom entries are staples of the dedicated mod community. With the original being crossed over with Doctor Who, it seems mixing franchises is not off the table for the plucky FPS. That also includes other titles from id Software.