Gameboy Advance SP NES Edition – Video Game Consoles as Art

The NES special edition of the Gameboy Advance SP

The iconic design of the classic Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), aka the Famicom in the US, has been applied to everything from belt buckles to iPhone cases, such is it's lasting appeal to the gaming public.  It was therefore only a matter of time before Nintendo applied … Continue Reading ››

Missile Invader and Sub Chase by Mattel – Video Game Consoles as Art

Between 1978 and 1980 Mattel released a popular series of handheld games that featured LED technology, using simple glowing red lights to represent the on-screen characters, pre-dating the more common LCD and VFD formats seen on later portable machines. By necessity the Mattel handhelds had to augment the game displays to put the simple glowing LEDs … Continue Reading ››

UFO Master Blaster by Bambino: Video Game Consoles as Art

The early 80's were the golden era for handheld electronic games, and Bambino produced some of the most beautifully designed units. UFO Master Blaster was an unremarkable (at least in terms of gameplay) space invader clone, using a similar Vacuum Florescent Display as the more common Galaxy Invader handhelds. What set the game apart was … Continue Reading ››

Chrono Trigger – Classic RPG for Super Nintendo

Why was Chrono Trigger never released in the UK?

Many retro games fans the world over will claim Chrono Trigger as their favourite RPG - and this a game that was never officially released outside of Japan and the US.  At least not until the 2008 re-release on the Nintendo DS.  Amazingly, this was the first time many UK gamers will … Continue Reading ››

Retro games reviewed, including 80's arcade machines, classic consoles and early home computers