Features
PS1 Hidden Gems: The Weird, Cheap End of the PlayStation Library
PLAYSTATION · FEATURES · FROM THE VAULT Everyone knows the PlayStation’s famous shelf: Metal Gear Solid, Final Fantasy VII, Gran Turismo, Tekken…
Author: Sal Benedetto
From the Vault columnist. Grew up feeding quarters to the Ms. Pac-Man machine at his uncle's pizza place; still owns his childhood SNES and every Nintendo Power he ever begged his mother for. Writes the retrospectives and the hidden-gem hunts.
Reviews
Super Mario 3D Land at 15: The Pocket Masterpiece That Saved the 3DS
Fifteen years after its Japanese launch, Super Mario 3D Land is still the 3DS’s defining game: a 2D Mario brain in a 3D Mario body, the Tanooki’s grand return, eight secret Special Worlds, and the title that turned a struggling handheld around. Our retrospective review.
Features
Game Boy Hidden Gems: Beyond Tetris, Pokémon and the Obvious
GAME BOY · FEATURES · FROM THE VAULT Ask anyone to name the great Game Boy games and you’ll get the same…
Features
Master System Gems: The 8-Bit Sega Library Hiding Behind the NES
MASTER SYSTEM · FEATURES · FROM THE VAULT If you grew up in North America, the 8-bit story was told to you…
Reviews
Flagship Review: Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal — The Series Fires on All Cylinders
At a glance: Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal (2004) · Developer: Insomniac Games · Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment · Platform: PlayStation 2 · Release: 2 November 2004 · Players: 1 (campaign), 1–8 (multiplayer) · Genre: third-person shooter / platformer · Score: 9.0/10
Features
Wave Race 64 at 30: The Jet Ski Racer That Still Feels Wet
N64 · RACING · FROM THE VAULT Thirty years ago this week, Nintendo released its third Nintendo 64 game in North America…
Reviews
Super Mario Galaxy at 19: The Art of Falling Up
Nineteen years after its Japanese launch, Super Mario Galaxy is still the Wii’s masterpiece: tiny planets, gravity that points wherever it likes, a full orchestra, and the most joyful platforming Nintendo has ever made. Our retrospective review.
Features
The Brazilian MSX Scene: Gradiente, HotBit and a Million Keyboards
Import restrictions made Brazil build its own MSX industry — Gradiente’s Expert, Sharp’s HotBit, translated software and a fan culture that never stopped. The story of the standard’s third heartland.
Features
How Konami Turned the MSX Into Its Secret Weapons Lab
Metal Gear, Castlevania’s twin, the Maze of Galious, the SCC sound chip: for a decade, Konami’s best ideas were prototyped on the MSX. This is the story of its secret laboratory.
Features
10 MSX Hidden Gems You Probably Missed
Beyond Metal Gear and the famous Konami cartridges lies the MSX’s deep bench: HAL’s puzzlers, Compile’s experiments, penguins, trampolines and one very fragile cave explorer. Ten gems worth digging for.