retro
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Instacube photo frame finally shipping, will arrive with support for video
Well, that took awhile. Remember Instacube, the purpose-built digital photo frame designed to pull images directly from your Instagram feed? The Android-powered photo screen found itself short on both funding and manufacturing options last summer. These issues set production back almost a year, but come April 5th, it'll all pay off -- the first units are finally shipping out. Instacube's creators used the extra time productively, at least: the final hardware was redesigned to include speakers (to support Instagram video). Future updates will imbue it with the ability to stream content from Facebook, Vine, Flickr and other services, too. Kickstarter backers who opted for the white or classic models should get their units in the next few months, but the team says additional styles won't be available until production hits full steam. A bummer for sure, but hey, folks have waited longer to get Instagram.
Sean Buckley03.02.2014
Unfortunately, Guess The 90s is really, really good
There are already enough (or perhaps too many) trivia games on the iPhone. There are all-encompassing gems like QuizUp but most aren't nearly that well done, and to be honest, I was kind of hoping Guess The 90s would be a dud as well. I was born in the mid 80s, so the vast majority of my childhood memories took place during the decade that brought us Pogs and popularized snap bracelets. But to my chagrin, the trivia puzzler is fantastic, and so I've been reliving my childhood in 2-minute bursts for the past week or so. The puzzles in Guess The 90s simply ask you to name whatever object, musical group, tv show, or other piece of pop culture it displays on the screen. You have rows of letters with which to spell out the answer, and you can use a hint if you get stuck (but a simple Google search is usually a quicker way to find the answer if you truly get stumped). What really makes the game special is the wealth of 90s content on offer. There are some truly obscure items here, and you'll need a pretty robust knowledge of 90s media, with a huge focus on the TV shows that were popular at the time. There's also a ton of toys to name, one-hit-wonder bands, and even some fashion trends that will make you cringe. Guess The 90s is free to play, but includes in-app purchases of "coins" (which are used to gain hints), as well as the occasional pop-up advertisement. The cash-making features shouldn't hinder your experience too much, and if you don't want to drop a few bucks to score some cheap hints, you can always use the web. If you're a 90s kid -- or really anyone who wants to take a brief nostalgia break -- you might find yourself getting sucked into it.
Mike Wehner02.18.2014
Slayin' is a hack-and-slash trip down memory lane
Do you remember the old 8-bit hack-and-slash games? You know, the ones where your little knight or wizard was composed of a total of about a dozen pixels, and they walked in one direction and essentially demolished everything in sight? Slayin' is all of those games, condensed and crammed into a single, frantic all-out brawl. You never actually go anywhere, but rather navigate a screen-sized chunk of land while enemies pour in from all angles. They crawl up from below, drop in from above and pop up in every corner of the screen. Your job is to dispatch them -- surprise! -- and thanks to several content-filled updates, there are now a total of six playable character classes, each with their own specialty and weakness. The knight attacks with his sword, but is vulnerable from behind; the wizard can become temporarily invincible, but lacks a jump; and so on. The enemies start out mild, but ramp up to be quite formidable. There are also some seriously epic boss fights tossed in to punctuate the action. These battles are nothing to sneeze at, and you might even be reminded of the mind-numbingly difficult battles from the 8-bit generation. As you progress through the waves of bad guys, your character will gain experience, levels and coins. Your cash can be used at merchants to purchase newer, more powerful weapons and to replenish your health. There's also a type of in-game currency called Fame Points, which are used to unlock things like interface tweaks and additional characters. Slayin' oozes nostalgic charm and it's a bargain at US$0.99. You simply won't find a better way to relive the joys -- and frustrations -- from the yesteryear of gaming than this.
Mike Wehner02.13.2014
Wooden iPad mini case creates the 1950s TV that never was
Jeffrey Stephenson has long had a knack for giving PCs an elegant retro look, and he's now bringing his crafting skills to the mobile realm. His recently completed DuMont project turns an iPad mini, a Jawbone Jambox and a heap of wood into a tiny 1950s TV set, complete with a woven speaker grille; the owner just has to slot devices into the enclosure's side to indulge in some nostalgic viewing. Stephenson isn't officially selling the box, but he is taking inquiries from those who want a tablet TV of their own. If you're wondering how he did it, you can visit Bit-Tech's forums to check out the project work log.
Jon Fingas02.12.2014.png.cf.jpg)
Watch as Lightning Returns to 16-bit days in this story recap video
If you're looking forward to Lightning Returns but haven't yet played Final Fantasy 13 or 13-2 - or even if you have - you're not going to find a funner way to recap the story so far than this SNES-y video by Square Enix. Yes, "SNES-y" isn't very clever, but Square Enix already had "retro-spective." It's impressive it fits 900 hours (or something like that) of JPRG narrative into an 8-minute video, albeit with some creative liberties - my favorite moment is around the 6:20 mark. But does it make the stories any more understandable? The jury's out on that, but the jury will soon be in on Lightning Returns. The third game of the FF13 trilogy hits on February 11 in North America, and February 14 in Europe.
Sinan Kubba01.29.2014
Free-to-play JRPG Tales of Phantasia launches for iOS
Namco Bandai has resurrected its 1995 Super Famicom RPG Tales of Phantasia as a free-to-play IOS app supported by in-game microtransactions. The iOS version of Tales of Phantasia retains the classic JRPG's storyline and unique side-scrolling battle system, but ramps up its difficulty to encourage players to purchase optional status boosts and items that revive characters after death. Touch Arcade reports that the game's microtransaction system requires a constant online connection. Tales of Phantasia has seen numerous ports over the last two decades, including enhanced remakes for the PSOne and PSP. The majority of these ports were exclusive to Japan, however. Previously, the only existing English-language version of Tales of Phantasia was a Game Boy Advance port published by Nintendo in North America in 2006. Phantasia is the first of several Tales of... series games debuting stateside in 2014. Tales of Symphonia Chronicles will launch in February, followed by the release of Tales of Xillia 2 later this year. The latest series entry, Tales of Zestiria, was recently announced for the PlayStation 3 in Japan.
Danny Cowan01.24.2014
Kid Tripp has more charm than it has pixels
As someone who grew up in the 8-bit days, I have a weakness for retro-styled platformers regardless of the platform. So, when I saw Kid Tripp, I snapped it up without hesitation. What I found was a game that not only looks like the vintage titles of yesteryear, but it's also just as difficult as those games ever were. Platformers on the iPhone or iPad -- with virtual touch buttons -- usually suffer from a lack of tactile control. Kid Tripp gets around this by having your character auto-run to the right at all times. Tapping on the left side of the screen lets you jump, while tapping on the right makes you throw a rock. The levels are filled with gaps, pits, spikes and a ton of different enemies that either sit in your path or attack you with projectiles of their own. In short, there are more ways to die in Kid Tripp than you might think. The game gives you 10 lives to start, and you'll burn through those pretty quickly your first time through. A timer is constantly running in the upper-left corner, which means you'll always have a time to beat once you complete a level, and perfecting a run is really where the game turns into an addiction. If you're into speedrunning games -- or the idea of finding the optimal route through a level sounds interesting to you -- you're going to have a lot of fun here. Thanks to the ultra-basic graphical style, the game runs as smooth as can be, which is important when perfectly timed jumps are crucial. Everything is bright and vibrant, and each of the four worlds has a unique flair. The experience is polished further by a retro soundtrack that fits the game perfectly. Oh, and the game has no in-app purchases at all. It's US$0.99, and that's all you have to spend to get the whole experience. That's a rare treat these days, so if you have any interest in old-school platformers, this is the one to buy.
Mike Wehner01.17.2014
Here's how you activate Broken Age's pixelated retro mode
Hidden within Double Fine's new adventure game Broken Age is a special aesthetic option that coats the game's colorful graphics in a heavy sheen of thick pixels. Though Double Fine hasn't publicized this feature, YouTube user "The Phawx" provides a simple, step by step guide to activating the mode in the above clip. Simply enter the game's options menu, crank its resolution down to 640x480, assign a button to the new icon you'll find in the game's "Controls" menu, and voila, that button now enables retro mode. Even better, once you've activated the hidden feature you're free to return the game to a higher resolution, but will still be able to toggle retro mode on and off with whichever button you've selected. This isn't a true aesthetic makeover, as much as a video filter overlaid on top of the game's default graphics, but at the very least it does give players an excuse to use the game's 640x480 resolution setting - an otherwise largely pointless holdover from the days when computers were all beige rectangles and the Intel Pentium 2 was considered amazing technology.
Earnest Cavalli01.16.2014
Relive Winamp's glory days with a retro Spotify music app
Winamp may be riding into the sunset today, but that doesn't mean you'll have to go without its classic interface in the future. Ludde is paying tribute to the jukebox software by releasing Spotiamp, a tiny Windows app that streams your Spotify playlists with Winamp's 1990s-era flair. The connection to the AOL-owned player isn't just skin-deep, though -- Spotiamp includes its own Shoutcast server, so you can send tunes to a Sonos speaker or anything else with native Shoutcast support. As long as you have a Spotify Premium subscription, you can take a musical trip down memory lane through the source link.
Jon Fingas12.20.2013
The 12 Days of iMas, Day 11: The undisputed classiest iPhone dock you'll ever see
Today is the 11th day of a 12-day feature where we'll show you the strangest Apple-flavored gifts we can find. Check out the previous days here: Day 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 Day 11: Give your iPhone a touch of oh-my-god is that brushed copper? Most iPhone docks try to match the modern look of the phone itself, with black plastic and clean lines dominating the market. The Pyle Retro Home Telephone Charger takes things back in time, letting you plug your Apple smartphone into an elegant work of stained wood and brushed copper. But this dock is just as much about function as it is about flash, as the old-school handset station is also a fully functional chatting device that can be used with either a separate landline or as a stand-in for your iPhone. If you've got someone on your gift list who begrudgingly entered the age of smartphones against their will, this might be the perfect gift. You can give them a trip back to early 20th century telephony while also providing them a useful accessory for their less wood-adorned communication device. Oh, and it's downright gorgeous, too, all for an Amazon sale price of US$79.09.
Mike Wehner12.19.2013
R2Games goes retro with Magic Barrage
If smooth graphics have lost their luster and you yearn for the days of yore with pronounced pixels, you should take a look at Magic Barrage, developed by Gameguyz. The new free-to-play browser game will open its beta doors tomorrow, December 17th at 10:00 a.m EST, and invites all those who want to re-experience the 8-bit, early 90s console game feel of classic dungeon crawlers merged with bullet hell games to jump in. Though retro, Magic Barrage still offers plenty of standard MMO features like guilds, crafting, PvP, and pets. To play, simply sign up on the official site. [Source: R2Games press release]
MJ Guthrie12.16.2013
Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z's classic side-scrolling mode spotted in new trailer, screens
Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z will receive a special Ninja Gaiden Z mode, Team Ninja announced. The retro-inspired mode offers side-scrolling action similar to past games in the series along with 8-bit-style cut scenes and menus. In addition to the trailer and screens showing off the classic game mode, the developer issued an additional quirky parody trailer, seen after the break. What's more, Team Ninja noted that the game's main character Yaiba will receive a downloadable alternate costume thanks to a collaboration with Comcept. Players will have the ability to dress their ninja warrior up like Beck, the lead character of Keiji Inafune's Mighty No. 9. Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z is slated to launch on March 4, 2014 for PC, Xbox 360 and PS3.
Mike Suszek12.13.2013
The Game Archaeologist: Going forward by looking back at the past
Have you noticed? I'm sure you've noticed. It seems as though ever since this Kickstarter fad flared up, the avalanche of retro-themed game projects has exploded. And it's not just on Kickstarter, either. One of Guild Wars 2's most popular content additions over the past year was a tongue-in-cheek recreation of 8-bit games. And now we've got Trove, which above its controversy is definitely appealing to the glory days of gaming past. The Game Archaeologist has always advocated that the past can influence our present and future in surprising ways. It sometimes irks me that current developers have shown a lot of ignorance for past ideas when coming up with new content, although that irritation has lessened recently now that I'm seeing a growing movement to embrace and incorporate what's come before, both ideologically and aesthetically. So what does the past have to offer the future of MMOs and how can game developers capitalize on it? As usual, I have all of the answers.
Justin Olivetti12.07.2013
Hunter S. Thompson's '90s Macintosh ad is exactly what you'd expect it would be
The '90s were a wonderfully odd time for advertising. We had beer-shilling frogs, parents who couldn't understand Bubble Tape and hoards of gangs armed with Nerf weapons prowling screens everywhere. But most importantly, subversive icons of the counterculture could be used to sell cutting-edge technology.
John-Michael Bond12.02.2013
Old G.I. Joes get reassembled to create action figures for classic Activision titles
What's the best way to celebrate classic games? Well, Chicago artist and writer Dan Polydoris decided to build a collection of action figures based on Activision games for the Atari 2600. To do so, Polydoris employed parts from his library of old G.I. Joe action figures. The results? Pitfall Harry, Roderick Hero, Frostbite Bailey, Officer Kelly and Short-Order Sam from the titles Pitfall!, H.E.R.O., Frostbite, Keystone Kapers and Pressure Cooker now reside in stellar retro-styled packaging. "I specifically chose Activision games due to their particularly memorable characters and recognizable box aesthetic" Polydoris said, mentioning that he only took "minor liberties" with items like boots, gloves and belts. Jump down to the source for a breakdown of what pieces from the fallen Joes were used in each and a look at the individual packaging.
Billy Steele11.27.2013
Atari strategy classic M.U.L.E. coming to iOS next week
It's been three decades since M.U.L.E. was first released on the Atari 800, but we've got no time for wistful memories as the classic strategy game is slated to return on iOS in mere days, appropriately as M.U.L.E. Returns. For those to whom the acronym means nothing, M.U.L.E. is something of a cross between Settlers of Catan and Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri. The goal of M.U.L.E. is to thrive among the stars as a colonist on the planet Irata (that's "Atari" spelled backwards). Other colonists will be competing with you for resources, though they just as often can become valuable trading partners. At launch (and even today) M.U.L.E. was revered for its easy to learn, but difficult to master mechanics and near-infinite replayability - no mean feat for an Atari game released in 1983. M.U.L.E. Returns makes its iOS debut on November 25. An Android version of M.U.L.E. Returns is scheduled to appear at some point in 2014. M.U.L.E. Returns is said to feature new, HD graphics, online leaderboards, and a faithful reproduction of the rules of the Atari original.
Earnest Cavalli11.22.2013
Final Fantasy 7 unofficial NES port restored, improved by modders
ROM hackers have overhauled an unofficial 8-bit version of Square Enix's Final Fantasy 7, turning what was once a barely-playable bootleg into a demake that's surprisingly faithful to its source material. Released as an unlicensed Famicom cartridge in China, Shenzhen Nanjing's unsanctioned port of Final Fantasy 7 featured familiar characters and settings from Square Enix's PSOne classic, but removed many key story elements while upping the difficulty dramatically, rendering it an impressive but flawed curiosity. After the subsequent release of a fan-made translation patch, a team led by modder Lugia2009 set out to address the game's many issues. The final product features redrawn graphics, improved music, and an actual ending, among many other bugfixes and improvements. Speaking to Destructoid, Lugia2009 revealed that his next project is a translation patch for Shenzhen Nanjing's unlicensed NES port of Pokemon Yellow.
Danny Cowan11.15.2013
For the truth about Street Fighter 2, ask director Akira Nishitani
Akira Nishitani recently started a Twitter account, though instead of heavily-filtered brunch photos and duck-faced mirror portraits, the Street Fighter 2 director has been doling out little-known details on the seminal fighter's creation. For instance, did you know that the periodic red hadoukens in Street Fighter 2 were not glitches, but instead easter eggs that became wildly popular among fans? Or that each pugilist was originally supposed to feature positional damaging - kicking someone in the head would do more damage than kicking them in the leg - but that the feature was cut because the game just refused to recognize hitboxes properly? My favorite bit of trivia is the controversy over Chun Li's leggings. The development team was okay with Chun Li's borderline-equine thighs, but the tights covering them were a massive point of contention. According to Nishitani, they had to be redrawn from scratch three times before Capcom finally agreed to the outfit. More insider information on the creation of the world's most influential fighting game can be found on Akira Nishitani's Twitter account. If you don't read Japanese however, Eventhubs offers an extensive roundup.
Earnest Cavalli11.04.2013
Nikon teases retro full-frame DSLR in new ad campaign
Nikon could be the latest camera company to turn out a retro-style DSLR in what appears to be a new "Pure Photography" ad campaign. In the first of five teaser videos, a photographer is seen snapping pics of the Scottish countryside. Though the camera is never seen, the audience can clearly hear the sound of that iconic shutter clicking, indicating that Nikon's latest might follow the footsteps of Fujifilm and Panasonic in going the retro route. Speculations abound that it'll be in the style of the old F3 film cameras, feature a full-frame FX sensor, an EVF/OVF hybrid viewfinder and will be one of a few Nikon cameras to not have video capabilities on board. Nikon Rumors goes a step further, stating that it'll be called the Nikon DF, and that the DF stands for "Digital Fusion." It also spotted what appears to be Nikon's 50mm f/1.8G lens in the video, which lends credence to the rumors. While we can't confirm such theories, camera buffs can take a peek at the teaser after the break to suss out any additional clues.
Nicole Lee10.24.2013
SNK terminates Neo Geo X Gold licensing, Tommo required to cease production
Not even a year after the Neo Geo X's rocky road to market, creator SNK is pulling the plug. The firm has severed ties with manufacturer / distributor Tommo, ordering it to "immediately cease any and all manufacturing, distribution, marketing and promotion and selling of the Licensed Products." Affected items include the handheld console, the SNK NeGeo X arcade stick and all applicable software. This isn't really a surprise for a system that was plagued with delays and pricing issues from the word "go," but it's sad to see nonetheless. A handful of retailers have the console marked down from its $200 price, so if you were on the fence about buying one new, now would be the time to get off of it. Or, you could always go the wooden route.
Timothy J. Seppala10.06.2013