Category: Nintendo News

In the early 1980s, portable gaming was mainly limited to LCD-based games. Companies such as Casio, Grandstand and Tiger Electronics would all release various watches and devices to keep us entertained on those tiresome journeys. Nintendo wasn’t really known here in the UK back then, but it stood out from the crowd with the excellent range of Game & Watch handhelds. The Japanese company showed just how skilful and creative it was when it came to creating great gameplay with limited hardware (a skill it arguably continues to exploit), releasing hits such as Mario Bros. and the multi-screen Donkey Kong.

Nintendo’s Game Boy had taken everyone by surprise and it would be Sega which played catch-up

In April 1989 – 30 years ago last month – Nintendo took portable gaming to a whole new level with the release of the Game Boy, a cartridge-based handheld with a dot-matrix monochrome screen that had similar controls to the famous Game & Watch range. The Game Boy was an instant success and rival companies would race to get out their own handheld devices onto the market – one of those companies being Sega.

One year earlier, Sega had taken Nintendo by surprise in the console market when it released the 16-bit Mega Drive and it would be two years before Nintendo responded with the Super Famicom/SNES. In the nascent world of handhelds, however, things were the other way around. Nintendo’s Game Boy had taken everyone by surprise and it would be Sega which played catch-up; on October 6th 1990 – 18 months after the Game Boy’s release – Sega released the Game Gear in Japan. With a backlit colour screen and hardware based on the 8-bit Master System, it was technically superior to the Game Boy and Sega hoped this would be enough to steal some of Nintendo’s rapidly-increasing market share.

As most people will be aware, this never happened and the Game Boy went on to sell over 100 million units, eclipsing the 10.6 million sales of the Game Gear. However, Sega’s handheld will always be remembered for being the main rival to the Game Boy (Atari’s 16-bit Lynx only managed around 3 million sales), as well as a system with a decent library of titles – some of which were exclusive to the platform.

However, looking back now, it’s clear to see why Sega’s gamble failed. The Game Gear’s biggest problem was battery life; the Game Boy could go for over 30 hours on four AA batteries, while the high spec of the Game Gear meant it consumed double-As like nobody’s business. In fuel economy terms, the Game Boy was a Volvo estate, while the Game Gear was a Ford Sierra Cosworth RS Turbo (yep, that one with the whale tail spoiler).

The Game Gear has not stood the test of time as well; you are more likely to bump into an honest politician than see an original Game Gear in full working order

Another problem with making a technically powerful device is that by default it also becomes more complex inside, and unlike the Game Boy, the Game Gear has not stood the test of time as well; you are more likely to bump into an honest politician than see an original Game Gear in full working order. Most units have faulty sound or weak displays as a result of faulty capacitors; these units weren’t made with a vision of people using them 20-plus years later. In order to fix these issues and ensure no further failures, most Game Gear consoles require a replacement of all the capacitors on the internal PCBs (commonly known as recapping) and in the rare event of a unit still fully working, it is just a matter of when (and not if) it will require the recapping treatment.

I bought a Game Gear that was sold as “fully working” with the intention of recapping it, and had it delivered to retro repair wizard Simon Lock, a man whose electrical expertise was detailed in a previous Nintendo Life article. Upon investigation, it turned out that my model had almost zero sound, a line missing from the display, took ages to power up and wasn’t reliable when reading carts – so not quite “fully working” as had been described. Simon sent me pictures of the issues and his findings, and after extensive testing, cleaning and recapping my Game Gear had sound and a decent display bar 2 lines – Simon informed me this was down to an IC failure from voltage damage caused by the previous owner using an incorrect PSU. The unit was returned to me and I was really happy to finally have a Game Gear, having never owned one back in the day.

As a kid in the 1990s, it was exciting just to have colour LCD screens and while they did a decent job, they pale in comparison to modern displays; original Game Gear screens need to be tilted to find an optimal viewing angle and suffer from terrible motion blurring. It’s something we tolerated back in the day as it was the best option available, but after witnessing a Game Gear with a brand new LCD screen fitted at a gaming market, it wasn’t long before I made the decision to get the famous ‘McWill’ screen mod. I got in touch with Retro Modzz, a UK-based company specialising in console and handheld modifications, and just a few days later I had a Game Gear with a brand new screen.

Playing the games with the McWill screen mod is a visual treat and breathes new life into the Game Gear

So how good is the screen? In a word, incredible. I would compare it to playing Silent Hill on a PS1 and then putting on Sonic Mania on the Switch; there is such a difference in colour, contrast and sharpness it is hard to imagine ever having tolerated the original display (you still have an option to add scanlines should you wish to emulate that older screen). Playing the games with the McWill screen mod is a visual treat and breathes new life into the Game Gear; the mod includes a full recap and a new screen protector so the machine arrives looking and sounding at its best. If you want to play Game Gear games on original hardware, this is an essential purchase and one I cannot recommend highly enough.

Retro Modzz also changed the DC input supply which allows the use of a USB power bank to quench the Game Gear’s thirst for power; extremely handy if you want it to remain portable. I decided to keep my model close to the factory standard but other mods can be added, such as a VGA socket to output the display to a monitor and the addition of a joystick port allowing you to attach a Master System control pad essentially turning the Game Gear into an 8-bit Mega Jet.

The Game Gear may have only sold a fraction of what the Game Boy managed, but it’s clear there’s still a lot of love for the console. It’s a shame that the hardware isn’t as robust as the Game Boy, but it’s great to know there are options out there which enable you to bring these machines back to life – and, in the case of the McWill mod, actually make them better than before.

Nintendo’s all-star brawler Super Smash Bros. Ultimate on the Switch has captured the hearts of players around the world and inspired many people in multiple different ways. One of these individuals happens to be the Blizzard Entertainment concept artist Oscar Vega.

Not long ago, Vega decided to create artwork based on Nintendo’s iconic cast of characters and then uploaded it to his Twitter page. As you can see below, there are multiple Smash fighters paired up and posing in their most trendy attire, as if they’re appearing in a fashion magazine.

In the following order, we have Peach and Wii Fit Trainer, Luigi and Fox, King Dedede and Mega Man, Samus and Isabelle, Pit and Daisy, Bayonetta and Ganondorf, Palutena and Little Mac, Wolf and Snake and Princess Zelda with the Ice Climbers.

What do you think of this stylish artwork? Would you like to see more characters from the Smash series dressed up like this? Leave your comments below.

Yet another week has flown by, and it’s finally time for the weekend (with an added bank holiday in the UK – hooray!). This week we had the drama of an indie game being removed from the eShop for being a bit naughty, and a whole lot more drama with that Sonic trailer, but now it’s time to chat about what we’ll be playing over the next couple of days.

Members of team Nintendo Life have done just that below, and we’d love for you to join in via our comments and poll sections below. Enjoy!

Dom Reseigh-Lincoln, reviewer

This weekend I’m going to be returning to one of my favourite open-worlds of the previous generation – Steelport from Saints Row: The Third – The Full Package. While it doesn’t quite possess the pedigree of GTA, I loved how unashamedly wacky this third instalment was. And now it’s on Switch! Look out for my full review next week on Nintendo Life. I’ll also be indulging in some illegal avarice in Thief Simulator and blasting away Nazis from afar in Sniper Elite V2 Remastered. You know, as you do…

Ryan Craddock, staff writer

This weekend I’m visiting family, so my current nostalgic playthrough of Banjo-Kazooie on my beloved N64 is being put on hold. Instead, I’ve brought the Switch along for the ride with Super Mario Party, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate to see us through.

I don’t think we’ve ever seen a console this well suited to family fun. Sure, the Wii was essentially marketed as the ‘Nintendo Video Gaming Fun For Everyone Including Your Grandma And Your Cat’ machine, but the quality of Switch’s games and its portability – even when taking the dock – put it ahead of that in my opinion. I secretly hope we play Mario Kart, because no one beats me at Mario Kart!

Gavin Lane, staff writer

While waiting impatiently for more news on how Streets of Rage 4 is coming along, I nabbed the Capcom Beat ‘Em Up Bundle on sale this week, so I intend to sit down and work my way through multiple Andre the Giants (sorry, Andore the Giants) in Final Fight, plus another game or two in the collection. The unlimited credits in these arcade ports on Switch can turn even tough games into relaxing Sunday afternoon blasts that go down very well with a nice frosty beverage – and that’s what I’m looking for this weekend. Have a good one everybody!

Gonçalo Lopes, contributing writer

I’ll be taking a bittersweet return to Atlas thanks to the all-new Crimson Moon DLC out earlier this week, with the bitter part being that there will be no more toys manufactured for Starlink: Battle for Atlas. A real shame since the game remains such an incredible experience and thanks to all the newly added content more so than ever. When not turning Legion into scrap metal I shall do my part to remove Twintelle from the ARMS Party Crash Bash and do my finest to take Brutal Deluxe into the final franchise week at Super Blood Hockey.

My game of the week goes to Strike Suit Zero: Director’s Cut, an unexpected old PC friend that once again brings its hauntingly beautiful soundtrack and gorgeous Itano circus light shows to the humble Switch, the machine that can do it all!

As always, thanks for reading! Make sure to leave a vote in the poll above and a comment below with your gaming choices over the next few days…

Not long after Jeff Fowler revealed Sonic would receive a movie makeover, Detective Pikachu director Rob Letterman was asked by The Verge what he thought about the idea of a redesign. He admitted the Sonic director was probably in a tough position and it likely wouldn’t be easy to adjust the character months out from the film’s release.

Letterman fell back on his own creation, saying how it would have been “impossible” for his team to redesign anything in Detective Pikachu:

“We spent a year designing all the characters ahead of shooting so that we could get it all right. If we were off by an inch on Pikachu, [actor] Justice Smith’s performance would go right out the window. For us, it would have been impossible — but that doesn’t mean they can’t do it. I wouldn’t want to be in their shoes — they’re in a difficult spot.”

The Detective Pikachu director went on to explain how the design choices in the live-action Pokémon film were a result of two years studying animal behavior and closely collaborating with the Pokémon Company in Japan.

“We studied a lot of animals and how they behave and how they interact to ensure we got it right…Bulldogs, in particular, for Bulbasaur and how they act in packs or how they get you to pay attention.”

Based on Letterman’s comments, do you think Fowler can achieve the impossible before the Sonic movie’s November release? Tell us down in the comments.

Yesterday, the Sonic The Hedgehog movie director Jeff Fowler revealed the blue blur would be redesigned after fans of Sega’s longtime mascot made it “loud and clear” how unhappy they were with his overall look.

Much like the general public, Yuji Naka – the co-creator of Sonic and individual who is perhaps most responsible for turning Sonic into a household name – was equally as surprised to hear changes were on the way. He took to Twitter to share his thoughts while thanking fans for essentially being so protective of the iconic video game character and encouraging Fowler to reconsider his appearance:

“The power of sonic fans is amazing. It is good to go in a good direction. Thank you so much for loving Sonic.”

The day before Jeff Fowler revealed changes would be made to Sonic’s design, Yuji Naka claimed responsibility for the trailer backlash (thanks to Nick Mosier from Source Gaming):

“Seeing the unfavorable reaction to Hollywood Sonic reminded me of this, but it looks like the CG is being made by Marza. Marza used to be Sega Visual Entertainment which I made, so I feel like I have some responsibility for it.”

Meanwhile, Sonic’s original character designer Naoto Ohshima has been in a state of panic, admitting how he’s “worried” after seeing the trailer for the upcoming movie. To put his own mind at ease, he drew the following version of Sonic, which is inspired by the one featured in the trailer:

How are you feeling about the Sonic movie right now? Leave your thoughts below.

Limited Run Games is partnering with the team at Humble Bundle to release a physical copy of the 2D wonder Aegis Defenders on the Switch and PlayStation 4. The title originally debuted on eShop in February 2018.

Pre-orders for the hard copy will be available on 10th May at 10 am EST. There’ll also be a two-week timed pre-order for the Switch version and Limited Run has confirmed there won’t be a collector’s edition for this one.

Explore ancient ruins, defend against waves of enemies, and experience an epic story through the eyes of four heroes in @AegisDefenders!

Aegis Defenders started out life as a Kickstarter project in 2014 and combines platforming action and exploration with tower defense. It also supports a two player drop in/drop out co-op mode. In our review we said it was a fantastic game and gave it nine out of ten stars.

Is this a physical release you’ve been holding out for? Do you already own a digital copy? Tell us below.

Mortal Kombat 11 has been available on Switch for around a week or two now, and is a mostly pleasing product in its own right, but the release has been dampened somewhat by allegations of an abusive work culture at developer, NetherRealm.

A report from USGamer highlights the voices of four individuals who have previously worked as contractors at NetherRealm. While their time with the company came before Mortal Kombat 11’s development, they tell stories of crunch, stressful workplace conditions, and an environment where managers and full-time employees have taken advantage of those desperately hoping to earn a secure job with the firm.

The issues seem to stem from NeatherRealm’s core setup, which allegedly contains a selection of contractors mostly made up of staff who are first-time employees in the games industry. One source told USGamer that “some people from NetherRealm strung temp workers along on purpose just to get through the project”, going on to reveal that they saw two people “break down because they could not keep up”.

The number of temporary staff is reportedly high, with competition to secure permanent positions being fierce. One source noted that some of Mortal Kombat’s Fatality sequences were designed by temp workers hoping to earn one of those lucrative positions, but due to the terms of their contracts, NeatherRealm didn’t pay them extra for their input or offer them the full-time employment they desired.

It gets worse, too, with an allegation that says the “lowest tier of contractor employees were put in the same windowless room,” described by USGamer as “a box-like, renovated garage that was often filled to the brim with temp workers”.

The report comes just days after former contract artist Beck Hallstedt shared some startling stories of their time at NetherRealm on social media, simultaneously amplifying similarly horrifying stories from other workers in the process. If you’re interested, you can read the full report here.

We’ll make sure to keep an eye out for any more news on this one as it develops.

If you’ve been to this site before, you’ll probably know or at least have a rough inkling that we cover a lot of games here; it’s slightly our whole entire thing. But whilst we look at so many games it can often be all to easy to forget that behind each game we look at there’s a team of revoltingly talented individuals who have made this creation come to life.

That’s why when Thunderful, Image & Form, and Zoink all asked us if we wanted to visit their gigantic shared office in Gothenburg, Sweden, we thought that sounded like a pretty damned lovely prospect. We chatted to the staff, had a look at some games from the past, present, and possibly even another period of time that may not yet have happened. Give the little video play button a tickle up above and see for yourself.

Enormous thanks to everyone Thunderful, Zoink, and Image & Form, we all owe you a less expensive beer Blighty-side.

The Pokémon Detective Pikachu movie releases in cinemas worldwide next Friday, just one week from today. We’ve been feeling pretty optimistic about this one – the trailers have seemed surprisingly promising throughout the build-up to the film’s release – but now it’s time to see what the critics think.

Yes, select media have now had the opportunity to check out the full film and have posted early reviews online. We’re pretty shocked to see that views are rather mixed; at the time of writing, the film has a Metascore of 50 out of 100 – you can’t get much more average than that. On Rotten Tomatoes, it’s currently sitting at a much better 74%, however.

We’ve included a few snippets of reviews for you below (with links to all of the full reviews provided).

---

IGN, Joshua Yehl [8.0/10]:

“Smith’s character gives the story an emotional weight and Reynolds delivers an endearing comedic performance that’s closer to his subversive Deadpool schtick than you’d expect. While video game movies haven’t had the best track record, this movie is by and far the best example of how to do one right.” Read full review

The Guardian, Steve Rose [3/5]:

“Without Reynolds this would be pretty run-of-the-mill; with him it’s a perfectly acceptable family movie. Given the history, that’s a giant leap for Pokémon-kind.” Read full review

The Verge, Julia Alexander:

“Detective Pikachu is a fever dream — a product of night time car rides with a Game Boy, staring up at the street lamps that pass you by, painting the darkened sky with wild imaginations of what a world full of Pokémon might feel like. Detective Pikachu is a silly, almost hallucinogenic ride.” Read full review

ScreenCrush, Matt Singer [5/10]:

“Beneath the predictable story, Detective Pikachu isn’t about much, and if you need Wikipedia to explain who Mewtwo is, most of the jokes will go right over your head. The whole thing is a bit too childish for adults, and a bit too convoluted for kids. It absolutely deserves an Oscar nomination for Best Visual Effects however, even if the subject matter makes me think it’s unlikely to receive one.” Read full review

Variety, Peter Debruge:

Though consistent with the game (with a few extra but obvious twists thrown in for good measure), the story of “Detective Pikachu” doesn’t allow nearly enough Pokémon-related action, while the quality of the computer animation (by Moving Picture Co. and Framestore) falls far short of the basic level of competency audiences have come to expect from effects movies. Read full review

Empire, Olly Richards [3/5]:

“It’s impossible to overstate how much this film owes to Ryan Reynolds. Even if you don’t understand Pikachu’s world, everyone can understand a great joke superbly delivered.” Read full review

The Associated Press, Mark Kennedy:

“Live-action feature film adaptations of video games have proved a dicey proposition in the past. For every ‘Mortal Kombat’ there’s a ‘Prince of Persia.’ This one just feels like a venal money grab from a mega corporation. You’ve played Pokémon Go, right? Call this one Pokémon Don’t Go.” Read full review

---

We wouldn’t be too disheartened, though. Interestingly, comparing the reviews from major film industry press outlets to those from video game backgrounds shows a common trend, and this gets extended even further when taking into account the views of online personalities and influencers who have already seen the film.

Sites such as Polygon and Eurogamer had fairly mixed-to-positive reviews on the whole, but both highlighted the joys of the Pokémon themselves and the world around them. The more film-centric sites, who we’d assume don’t have quite the same knowledge of the Pokémon franchise, have commonly argued that the acting of Ryan Reynolds is the saving grace here, with the Pokémon not being particularly special.

Pokémon fansite Serebii scored the film 4/5, saying that it “really plays the line a lot between hardcore Pokémon fan references and things for the uninitiated, but it never goes over the line one way or the other and keeps a perfect balance”.

Perhaps this suggests that the film is great for fans of the series, while being simply ‘OK’ for those who don’t know the Pokémon world and not so great for those who have no interest in it at all – which would make sense, after all.

We’ll have our very own review of the film right here on Nintendo Life next week, so make sure to keep an eye out for that if you’d like to read our verdict. Until then, why not let us know if you plan to see the film with a comment below?