Review of the GB Operator – By William Schwartz
What distinguishes handheld gaming in the modern era? Strictly speaking, most games today are handheld, as mobile games are played on phones. If you want classic games on that platform, you can probably find them. But Epilogue’s suspicion - borne out by the fact that...
A scorcher of a shooter!! Releases February 7th, 2025
MACROSS -Shooting Insight- is coming to Nintendo Switch, PS5 and PS4 on February 7 digitally Paris, France - 31st of January, 2025 – Red Art Games is announcing that the Western version of MACROSS -Shooting Insight- will now release on February 7, 2025 in North...
Non-Nintendo Handhelds – by Patrick Hickey, Jr.
Could you imagine gaming without handhelds? While that section of the market is still dominated by Nintendo today, that hasn’t always been the case. Way before the Nintendo Game Boy, there was a market for one-off handheld games made by Coleco and even Nintendo’s Game...
The VGHF Library opens in early access
For eight years, we've been building a world-class collection of game history materials. Now we're turning that into a research tool that anyone can use to study video game history. The Video Game History Foundation Library is the long-term home to our collections of...
Neo Geo Pocket – by John Michonski
The Neo Geo Pocket Color’s failure always seemed odd. Sure, it was up against the Game Boy, the certifiable big handheld in town for its entire existence, but how could such a well-made device with barely a single bad game only snatch a reported 2% of the handheld...
How Half-Life 2 Forever Changed the FPS Genre
After the release of Half-Life 2, the first-person shooter genre saw many changes, thanks in large part to this groundbreaking title from the masterminds at Valve.
Hacking the PSP – by Brian Lesyk
Psst! Hey, you! Yeah, you. Over here. I see you like PSPs. Wanna learn a secret? That thing can do so much more than you probably know, but, like, don't tell Sony I told you this, okay? Let's keep this between us, alright? This info ain't exactly street legal, ya...
Grinding: Mindless Filler, or A Different Kind of Fun?
With the appearance of the role-playing game on video consoles, a genre less about actual role-playing and more about navigating enemy dungeons via numbers rather than reflexes, we also saw the appearance of grinding. How grinding works is simple enough. If...
The PlayStation Portable – by Todd Friedman
The PlayStation Portable (PSP) is handheld game console developed by Sony. It was first announced at E3 in 2003 and shown to the public in ay of 2004. It was released in Japan on December 12, 2004, and in North America on March 24, 2005. The PSP primarily competed...
Intellivision Thunder Castle | Swords & Sorcery in an Ever-Changing Maze!
Thunder Castle is a 1986 maze video game for the Intellivision. The player controls a knight navigating three mazes, defeating enemies to progress. To defeat the enemies, the knight must interact with objects throughout the maze before interacting with them. The game...
The 20th Anniversary of the Nintendo DS – By Matthew Owen
In the early '00s, Nintendo was in dire need of a sales boost. For years, Sony had been dominating the market with the PlayStation and PlayStation 2, while Nintendo's own GameCube failed to meet expectations. Competition was getting more crowded in the console space...
Donkey Kong Country: RARE’s Gorilla Turns 30
Donkey Kong is an iconic Nintendo character with a storied history, transforming from villain to hero over the course of his existence. Though he made his menacing debut in arcades, Donkey Kong has since become a goofy character prime for comedic relief, so much so...
The Angry Video Game Nerd Returns in 8-Bit Glory
Pittsburgh, PA – Jan. 22, 2025 – Get ready to dive into the world of terrible games once again as Retroware and Mega Cat Studios announce The Angry Video Game Nerd 8-bit, coming to the NES and all modern platforms in Q2 2025. Heavily inspired by classic side-scrollers...
Handheld Electronic Games of the ’70’s – by Brett Weiss
The mid-to-late ‘70s saw the dawn of handheld electronic games and the beginning of my collecting something other than comic books. Console systems like the Fairchild Channel F and Atari 2600 launched in 1976 and 1977 respectively, but their high prices - $250 for an...
Is Dungeons and Dragons a Retro Video Game?
Last month, Amazon Prime's Secret Level adapted fifteen video games to short, animated films. Some of these could fairly be described as retro video games, though the bulk of them dated to the twenty-first century. But one of the odder ones of the full set, in...
Atari Gives End-of-Year 2024 Business Update
Company finishes 2024 with a slate of successful game releases; executes against retro-focused growth strategy NEW YORK, Jan. 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Atari® — one of the world's most iconic consumer brands and interactive entertainment producers — has today...
Stern Pinball Reveals Official Accessories for Godzilla 70th Anniversary Pinball Machine
This afternoon, Stern Pinball officially unveiled its new line of accessories for its Black & White Godzilla 70th Anniversary pinball machine. The line of products includes: Black & White Mothra Egg Shooter Knob King Gadorah Side Armor Black & White...
Box Boy’ Review: ‘LocoRoco’ meets ’Super Mario Land’
It’s crazy that this game has been out for over a decade and more people haven’t played it. Check out our retro review for yourself and see if you can get your hands on it. Hal Laboratory, the minds behind such iconic games the likes of “Kirby’s Dream Land, “The...
Think Quick Events Escape Room
"Through creative and whimsical game design and execution, Think Quick Events Escape Room strives to create memorable experiences for all players. Our games allow everyone to enjoy escape rooms, regardless of age, ability, experience or background, and break through...
Cancelled 35 Years Ago: P-47 II MD Returns with Retro-Bit!
PRE-ORDER HERE P-47 II MD is based on the 1988 arcade shooting game ‘P-47’, released by Jaleco. The game was secretly developed in 1990 under the title ‘P-47Ⅱ FREEDOM STAR’ as Jaleco's first entry into the MD platform. Although completed, its release was canceled due...
The Dukes of Hazzard
About This Episode Forty-five years ago, a southern action-adventure comedy set in rural Georgia hit the small screen. For seven seasons in the early ’80s, we followed the adventures of Bo & Luke Duke and their ’69 Dodge Charger. In this Backtrack, we look back on...
Rolling Thunder – A classic Arcade game gets a big speed improvement from McGeezer (Amiga)
McGeezer has been a name mentioned many times on Indie Retro News, as he has not only released some really amazing games such as the Arcade conversion of Rygar, the Arcade conversion of Turbo Sprint and Bomb Jack Beer Edition (link), but as from May or June he is also...
Pac-Man Resurgence: From Pixels to Reels – Exploring the Evolution of the Classic Game in Online Slots
After its 1980 release, Pac-Man became an international hit mainly due to its recognizable characters and easy gameplay. The iconic image of the yellow sphere with pixels traveling a maze came to represent the rapidly growing gaming sector. Since its release,...
Back to the 80s! RIKI 8Bit GAME Collection
The Riki 8bit Game Collection offers more than just a single experience—it’s a collection of diverse adventures. It features five distinct games and accompanying music albums. In Kira Kira Star Night, you’ll gather stars while navigating a pixelated, dreamlike city....
10 Years Later: Wolfenstein: Old Blood: The Good And the Bad
It’s crazy to think that Wolfenstein: The Old Blood is 10 years old in 2025, but it’s the truth. Steeped in the ambiance of the original, it’s special. Although it’s got beautiful PS4 visuals, it’s so rooted in what made the first games so unique that it’s a retro...
Atari Acquires Intellivision Brand -HUGE Game Library!
Atari® — one of the world’s most iconic consumer brands and interactive entertainment producers — announced today it has purchased the Intellivision brand and certain games from Intellivision Entertainment LLC. Atari will seek to expand digital and physical...
Stern Pinball Production Schedule: Comic Star Wars is Back
I’m sitting here with no Internet or television, so I figured why not use my cell phone to write another article. I just saw a Facebook post from the distributor Mad Pinball (https://www.madpinball.com) staring that the much requested Comic Edition of Stern Pinball’s...
Video Game Trading Card Spotlight – Tom Asaki
Our next Trading Card Spotlight features Tom Asaki who is displayed on card number 1046, from the Superstars of 2014 Collection. As one of the founding members of the U.S. National Video Game Team, Tom is one of the original players at the Twin Galaxies arcade in the...
The Best Sega 32X Exclusive Games Ever Made
In the early 90s, Sega's Genesis system was struggling compared to its competitors, so the company looked to enhance their 16-bit home console with hardware add-ons. Preceding the release of the Sega Saturn, the 32X infused the Genesis with richer visuals and smoother...
The Ultimate U.S. Games/Vidtec/Atari 2600 Tier List – ALL RELEASED GAMES RANKED
During this renaissance of Atari 2600 games in the wake of the release of the 2600+, prices for those decades-old cartridges continue to climb. So it’s even more important now to know the caliber of the game inside the increasingly-expensive little plastic boxes. In...
Berzerk: An Arcade Dream Come True
Berzerk is one of the first video games in the history of the industry to truly live up to its name. A 2D shooter that inspired classic games the likes of Robotron 2084 and Smash TV, it was a massive success in arcades across the United States well before iconic games...
A Quiet Place: Day One, Releases.com, & Intellivision
About This Episode We head to the theatre to see third entry and prequel in the Quiet Place franchise, check out a website that promises to help you stay on top of the overwhelming volume of media releases, and delve into the library of the ’80s Mattel console that...
Montezuma’s Revenge – The 40th Anniversary Edition
Montezuma’s Revenge - The 40th Anniversary Edition resurrects a timeless classic on Steam for PC in January 2025 Independent developer and publisher Eastasiasoft Limited announced today that platforming adventure classic Montezuma’s Revenge is coming to Steam on...
Old Towers – RetroSouls seriously cool ZX Spectrum game arrives on the Famicom/NES with a version 1.1
If you've been following RetroSouls for awhile you would've known they have released games such as GLUF, Old Tower, Twinlight, Alter Ego, and even Tourmaline for the ZX Spectrum. Well today as thanks to a heads up via Facebook, we have been told that they have...
HAPPY NEW YEAR from OLD SCHOOL GAMER MAGAZINE!
All of us at Old School Gamer Magazine want to wish you and your family a Happy New Year. 2025 is an exciting time at Old School Gamer. Thanks to all of you who has supported us over the years. We couldn't have done it without you. Be sure to sign up to get Old School...
RetroAchievements Put a Modern Spin on Classic games
The evolution of video games has brought about controversial additions like constant online connectivity and battle passes, but some of these newer features are actually quite good. Take for instance the modern achievement system, popularized in 2005 with the release...
Defective $1000 Atari XP Carts; the State of Modern Atari | An Editorial
About two weeks ago, a user on X by the name of Cear Dragon posted that two of their limited AtariXP carts – Haunted House & Crystal Castles – were defective. Haunted House, he claimed, had the PCB inserted backwards and Crystal Castles, he said, was buggy and...
Lord of the Orb – XaVeR adds even more levels to a classic 1985 game by Antic Software
Here on Indie Retro News we do love writing about the Atari XL/XE, I mean seriously we can't stop featuring the latest games released for this system. Well here we are with another story sent to us by Saberman, and it's the latest new level update for the classic game...
Comparison of 2019 vs. 2024 Pac-Man | Basic Fun Arcade Classics AGAIN in 2024!
Basic Fun’s line of Arcade Classics tabletop video game toys were all the rage in the late teens, but new released evaporated around 2020 – or so we thought! Just in the past week, sightings of a new Pac-Man with a 2024 copyright and updated box art started to appear...
Video Game Trading Card Spotlight – Michael Thomasson
Interview from July 7th, 2017. Our next Trading Card Spotlight features Michael Thomasson who is displayed on card number 531, from the Twin Galaxies Superstars Collection of 2013. Michael is also featured on card number 670. Michael is one of the most widely...