The 5 weirdest Japan-only Nintendo Famicom games
by Steven Tucker | Sep 26, 2023 | Features, Guides
Ozzy Osbourne, Soviet leaders, and babies with magical rattles all feature in our list of the five weirdest Japan-only Famicom games ever made…
Posts by: Steven Tucker
The final Famicom was made 20 years ago today
by Steven Tucker | Sep 25, 2023 | Features, Guides
It's twenty years since Nintendo’s final Famicom was made in Japan. We look back at the differences between it and its western cousin, the NES.
How Gran Turismo helped crash the Toon Racer genre
by Steven Tucker | Aug 31, 2023 | Features, Opinions
With the Gran Turismo movie in cinemas, we look at how Sony’s driving sim helped shunt the toon racer genre clear off the road.
Rocket Knight Adventures | 30 years of Sparkster, Konami’s much-missed marsupial
by Steven Tucker | Aug 25, 2023 | Features
In 1993, Konami launched its own Sonic-killer, a flying, sword-wielding opossum with attitude named Sparkster. So why did Rocket Knight never quite take off?
Balloon Kid | The rise, fall and rise of Nintendo’s curiously neglected game series
by Steven Tucker | Aug 23, 2023 | Features
Balloon Kid has appeared in various guises on Game Boy, NES and Wii U. So why does Nintendo seem so embarrassed by the long-running series?
Lost Word of Jenny | The NES era's disturbing, Japan-only demonic Barbie game
by Steven Tucker | Aug 14, 2023 | Features
Barbie’s Japanese counterpart, Jenny, got her own Castlevania-style action game in the NES era. We take a look back at a bizarre tie-in…
Secret of Mana at 30 | How its troubled making reshaped an entire industry
by Steven Tucker | Aug 04, 2023 | Features
Thirty years on from its release, the real story of classic SNES RPG Secret of Mana isn’t swords and sorcery, but corporate intrigue and business paths not taken.
The incredibly strange academic interpretations of Tetris
by Steven Tucker | Jul 25, 2023 | Features
Is Tetris a critique of Communism, a parody of Reaganomics, an embodiment of the Holy Trinity? Steven examines the puzzler's multiple, very strange interpretations.
Segagaga: Exploring Sega’s 2001 game about its own baffling business decisions
by Steven Tucker | Jul 18, 2023 | Features
Sega’s baffling business decisions are nothing new: in 2001, it made an entire game about them - the Japan-only RPG parody, Segagaga.
Indy gaming: Konami’s forgotten knock-off Indiana Jones game
by Steven Tucker | Jul 10, 2023 | Features
The best Indiana Jones game you’ve never played isn’t actually an Indiana Jones game at all. It’...