There’s another Tetris game available and it’s better than the GB original!

 

Most of you I’m sure will be aware of the iconic GameBoy game Tetris, an all-time classic I’m sure you’ll agree but what you may not be aware of is that there’s a colour Tetris game available which, in my opinion, is better than the GameBoy original.

It was released on the little known Bandai Wonderswan Color and am writing about it now as have literally only just discovered it but what a find! The game is in full colour, looks amazing as you can see from the pic at the top, unfortunately the original music doesn’t feature but that shouldn’t spoil what I think is the best version of Tetris there is!   Really pleased I was able to add it to my collection of games on my emulation devices!

McDonald’s is getting into retrogaming!

McDonald’s has recently made a couple of interesting and surprising forays into the world of retrogaming, the first being probably the most unusual handheld I’ve ever seen, an officially licensed Tetris game in a yellow device shaped like a Chicken McNugget!  The bad news is it’s only available to purchase at McDonald’s branches in China although at the time of writing quite a few were available at a decent price on eBay.

The device is quite large and chunky but plays a decent game of Tetris, upon loading the game you’re greeted with the familiar Tetris music which takes you into a black and white version of the iconic game, the buttons are not the best (expected on a device costing $4!) but are usable and having a fast drop button is useful.

A unique and unusual addition to a collection, am glad to have bagged one!

Then in a further entry into retrogaming, to mark Grimace’s 52nd birthday they have this week unexpectedly released a brand new GameBoy Color game entitled ‘Grimace’s Birthday’, this is available to play online in a web browser at https://grimacesbirthday.com/ although by far the best way to play is through the rom for GameBoy Color which can be downloaded from https://archive.org/download/grimaces-birthday

The game itself is actually really fun to play and looks really nice, it’s a platformer and the object is to gather purple milkshakes dotted around each level and find Grimace’s friends in time for his birthday party, a really good job has been made of this game and is well worth checking out, it’s a real surprise to find a new GBC game in 2023 but very welcome all the same.

It’ll be interesting to see if McDonald’s have any further entries planned into retrogaming!

The best pocket friendly retro emulation handhelds

As regular readers will no doubt be aware I am a big fan of emulation handhelds, they are a great way of playing classic games across a huge variety of systems so thought today I would detail three of what I consider to be the best pocket friendly devices starting with……

Miyoo Mini Plus

The sequel to the ridiculously successful Miyoo Mini the Miyoo Mini Plus offers the same excellent performance on systems up to and including PS1 but in a larger and more comfortable form factor than previously.  The Plus has the same great bright and vivid screen with minimal bezels around the edge and now supports the fantastic OnionOS custom firmware offering a raft of features such as themes, icons, a box art scraper (unlike the original Mini the Mini+ has WiFi) and a very useful Game Switcher launcher.

The machine is thicker and chunkier than the original but that is fine as it’s much more comfortable to hold than the original and also boasts better and more responsive shoulder buttons on the back of the machine.

For me the Mini+ is my favourite device for playing GameBoy, GameBoy Color and GameBoy Advance mainly due to the form factor, it really does feel so right and natural to be playing these three systems on here.

Out of the three machines in this feature this is probably the most pocket friendly of them and comes highly recommended.

Anbernic RG353M

Anbernic are well known for producing well made and great looking devices and for me the RG353M is their best, it’s metal so feels great and has a nice weight to it, and, like the Mini+ plays all systems flawlessly up to and including PS1 but comes with the added bonus of being able to play N64, and some PSP, Dreamcast and Saturn too.

Another advantage of this device are the dual analogue sticks which are well made and extremely responsive as are the face buttons and the d-pad,  the screen is bright and sharp and the perfect size for systems such as SNES and Megadrive due to it being a 4:3 screen.

I am also pleased to report that the brilliant ArkOS custom firmware is supported which has a variety of themes, an efficient box art scraper and improved performance. 

WiFi is also available meaning keeping ArkOS updated is a quick and simple process.

Another extremely pocketable device although maybe not as much as the Mini+ due to the slightly protruding analogue sticks.

Anbernic have really nailed it with this device, it’s just brilliant!

Retroid Pocket Flip

I’ve always been a sucker for as good clamshell handheld so was really excited when I read that Retroid were releasing one and it doesn’t disappoint.  It’s a surprisingly small device that packs a lot of power beneath it’s shell.  

Setting up the machine is simplicity itself as you have the option of installing many of the emulators you will need during the set up process and Retroid also offer their own launcher (although I prefer to use ATV Launcher Pro available from the Google Play Store included as it just looks more attractive and is simpler to use).

It’s an Android device running Android 11 meaning native Android games can also be played such as Asphalt and Call of Duty Mobile.  

Out of the three devices here this is the most powerful meaning all systems up to and including PS1 as well as PSP, Dreamcast, N64 and Saturn can be played perfectly along with a small number of Gamecube and PS2 but don’t go buying this expecting to be able to play 100% of these titles and not all will perform well.

Unlike the RG353M the Flip uses slider sticks instead of analogue sticks, something that always divides opinion but personally I don’t mind them, they’re responsive and once you’re playing a game they don’t really feel much different, they’re also clickable for use as L3 and R3 buttons.  The d-pad and the face buttons are perfectly fine and on the top of the machine are stacked L1, R1, L2 and R2 shoulder buttons.

If you’re going to be playing the device for long periods it is well worth purchasing the grip (pictured) as it’s really well designed bit of kit and makes the machine feel really great to use but it’s not essential.

Due to the stacked shoulder buttons on the top of the machine this is probably the least pocket friendly of the three devices although if you have large pockets you’ll still find this a comfortable fit.

An excellent, great looking and powerful clamshell device.

So there you have it, my three favourite pocket friendly devices, you may have your own choices but any of these come highly recommended and are well worth checking out!

TRJ Newsdesk : Another A Handheld History book is coming!

Following on from the excellent A Handheld History book last year a sequel is now being planned due to ship in the fourth quarter of this year, to be entitled A Handheld History : 88-95 it will take a deep dive into the pivotal period for handheld gaming from 1988-1995, it promises to be a thicker book than the first at 400 pages.  

It’s now available to purchase in both standard and deluxe editions at https://www.lostincult.co.uk/ if it raises £60,000 by the end of the crowdfunding campaign on 5th May it will happen, at time of writing £19,000 had already been reached so I don’t think it’ll have any trouble reaching it’s target in the next two months!

It promises to be another cracking read, looking forward to receiving my copy!

Mini Metro (iOS / Android / Nintendo Switch) Review

Made by the wonderfully named Dinosaur Polo Club, Mini Metro is a game where you must build subway lines to connect the matching symbols on the screen but be careful to avoid each stop becoming overcrowded or it’s game over!

There is a clock at the top right corner of the screen and at the end of each day you’re given additional locomotives and carriages to ease overcrowding on the lines, you’re also given tunnels and bridges for building lines over or under a river.

Soon you must decide which lines are the most crowded to add the extra locos and carriages to and things soon become quite strategic and challenging.

There are various different maps available to choose from including London, Paris, Berlin and many more.

A calming, fun and zen game which is a firm favourite of mine.

Ticket to Ride (iOS / Android) Review

For this blog’s first foray into mobile gaming I begin with a review of Ticket to Ride, a board game adapted for play on iOS and Android devices.  The basic object of the game is to draw cards which can then be used to claim railway lines on the map, if you claim more lines than your opponent, you win! 

To a newcomer to the game it may look daunting but fortunately there is an excellent tutorial which guides you through every aspect to get you up and running quickly.  You start off with one map but further maps are available as optional in-game purchases.

As a lifelong railway enthusiast I really enjoy this game, it’s extremely well presented, looks great and is really engrossing to play.  Even if you’re not interested in trains at all it’s still well worth a look if you like a bit of strategy!    

Donkey Kong Country (SNES) Review

 

The SNES will always be a special system to me as it was the first Nintendo system I owned and started me on the road to being a true Nintendo fan, one of my favourite titles on the system was Donkey Kong Country, a game which, at the time, blew people away with it’s graphics not previously thought possible on a system such as the SNES.  The levels and characters looked simply amazing, the levels were detailed, varied and challenging.  A favourite level of mine was always Mine Cart Carnage which sees Donkey and Diddy Kong in a runaway mine cart, a really fun but frustrating level!

DKC is a game which has truly stood the test of time and spawned two further titles - Donkey Kong Country 2 and 3, both look equally amazing and are highly recommended.

If you own a SNES or an emulation handheld this is a game you must play, it really did break the mould for SNES titles.     TRJ RATING : 5/5

Remembering mobile Java games

In the days before the iOS and Android mobile games we enjoy today there were mobile Java games, simple titles you downloaded to your phone by texting a code or a word to a mobile number (the cost for the game was billed to your mobile phone bill or deducted from your pay as you go credit) and in return you’d receive a link to download the game.  I seem to remember most titles costing between £3 and £5 but I could be wrong.

The games themselves were quite simple by today’s standards but there was still a decent amount of fun to be had.  My favourite games were always those made by Gameloft, in particular the excellent XIII, a shoot-em-up with great comic book style graphics which, even on a small phone screen was hugely enjoyable.

Java mobile games were promoted everywhere - in newspapers, magazines even on TV but the advent of the iPhone and the titles available saw it’s eventual demise.

And the best thing is that if you own an Android phone, tablet or emulation handheld it’s still possible to play Java mobile games to this day, simply download one of two available J2ME emulators from the Google Play Store, do a Google search for ‘java mobile games’ (there are plenty of sites that have them), download the titles you require, copy them to your device and away you go, pure mobile gaming nostalgia!   

I have to say it’s a real treat being able to play XIII again after all these years!

Memories of gaming shows at Earls Court, London

 

A favourite venue of mine for many years for all kinds of different shows and concerts was London’s Earls Court but in particular I always used to enjoy going there for gaming shows such as Eurogamer Expo and, going back a bit further, the Personal Computer World Show.  There was just such a great atmosphere around gaming events at this venue, from the anticipation building on the journey from Embankment on the District Line tube to there always being something cool to see on the forecourt outside - I remember for one show there was a full size tank parked up promoting a game - I forget which one!    

At the last Eurogamer Expo I went to there the streaming games service OnLive was launching and they were giving away the boxes required to use it.  I queued up for 45 minutes but it was absolutely worth it as I came away with a free OnLive box and shortly after returning home I was up and running!

The building itself had so much character and lent itself perfectly to hosting gaming shows especially with the upper balcony level too giving extra exhibiting space.  Another unique feature of the building was the covered underground walkway from one of the platforms at the tube station which brought you out right in the entrance foyer of the building!

I used to genuinely love going to events at Earls Court but gaming shows were always my favourite and it’s an absolute crying shame that the building has now been demolished and I’ll no longer be able to enjoy it’s special atmosphere.

Quarth (GameBoy) Review - a real gem!

As mentioned in previous post about the Portable Power Podcast, I’ve found it most useful so far for discovering titles I’d never heard of before and one of those is a real gem - Quarth.

Best described as Tetris meets Space Invaders, shapes descend from the top of the screen and the object of the game is to use your ship at the bottom of the screen to fire squares to fill the gaps in the shapes and make a perfect square or rectangle, once the gap is filled the shape will disappear.  The level is over once all gaps are filled or the shapes hit the bottom of the screen.

Graphically the game looks great, is really addictive to play and is one of the best and most innovative GameBoy titles I’ve played in a long time - highly recommended! TRJ RATING : 4.5/5

There’s a new GameBoy YouTube channel and it’s brilliant!

There’s a new GameBoy YouTube channel and it’s really rather excellent! It’s called The Portable Power Podcast https://youtube.com/@PortablePowerPodcast and the mission of it’s creator is to play every GameBoy game released in chronological order and upload a new video (a mini review) each weekday of a different title.

At the time of writing the channel is up to episode 48, the videos are between 5 and 8 minutes in length, well presented, informative and entertaining.  Some of the well known titles featured so far include Super Mario Land, Tetris and Space Invaders.

I’ve found the channel most useful for discovering titles I never knew about or had heard of, so far I’ve found three such excellent games - Quarth (to be reviewed shortly), Flipull and Pipe Dream.

The eventual plan of the guy who runs the channel is to launch a book containing all the reviews of the titles funded through Kickstarter and if it’s half as good as the YouTube channel it should be well worth waiting for!

An absolute must watch channel for anyone who’s a fan of the original GameBoy.

The best gaming magazine ever (in my opinion) is now available to enjoy again!

 

Firstly apologies for the lack of posts so far this year, a busy life has got in the way! I hope to start regular posts again and plan on expanding the blog to cover mobile games too so watch this space!

When I was at school my undoubted favourite gaming magazine was the SNES magazine ‘Super Play’ and the brilliant news is that thanks to the Retro Gaming Mags website all 17 issues are now available to read and download as PDF files!

This was, and still is a brilliant magazine for any fans of the SNES, the Will Overton designed front covers were always stunning and each issue was packed with quality reviews and content.

I’ve already downloaded all issues and plan to enjoy them all over again!

If you’re interested in checking it out they’re available at https://retrogamingmags.com/super-play-all-issues

FYI the same site also has loads of Sega magazines available including the legendary Mean Machines Sega, and another favourite magazine of mine, the Official Sega Saturn Magazine.

UPDATE 4/3 : Unfortunately the above site has now closed down so the link no longer works sadly, glad I managed to download all the issues while they were available!