Retro Gaming Blog
History, guides, and deep dives into the games and consoles that defined an era.
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Street Fighter II: The Game That Defined a Genre and Saved the Arcade
Street Fighter II (1991) didn't invent the fighting game, but it invented the fighting game as we know it. This is the story of how one game created an entire genre, revived arcades, and changed competitive gaming forever.
June 3, 2025
SNES vs Sega Genesis: Inside the 16-Bit Console War
The rivalry between Nintendo and Sega in the early 1990s was the most competitive period in gaming history. Here's how it played out — and who actually won.
June 2, 2025
The History of the NES: How Nintendo Saved the Video Game Industry
In 1983 the video game industry collapsed. In 1985 Nintendo launched the NES and rebuilt it from scratch. This is the story of how a Japanese toy company saved American gaming.
June 1, 2025
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The History of Video Game Music: From Beeps to Orchestras
Video game music evolved from single-voice beeps to full orchestral scores in twenty years. Koji Kondo, Nobuo Uematsu, Yuzo Koshiro — these composers defined an era and created music that people still listen to today.
Tekken: How Namco Built the Fighting Game Franchise That Outlasted Everyone
Tekken arrived in 1994 as a Virtua Fighter clone. It became the most enduring 3D fighting game franchise in history. This is the story of Kazuya, Heihachi, and the fighting game series that changed how we think about 3D combat.
10 Sega Genesis Hidden Gems Worth Discovering
Beyond Sonic and Streets of Rage, the Genesis has dozens of overlooked classics. These are the ten Genesis games that deserve more attention from anyone who considers themselves a retro gaming fan.
Ocarina of Time: How Zelda Made the Leap to 3D
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time spent years as the highest-rated game in history. How did Nintendo's team solve 3D adventure design from scratch — and what made it so definitively good?
Best Retro Co-op Games to Play With a Friend
The best co-op games of the retro era — games designed for two players working together, from classic beat-em-ups to co-op platformers and RPGs.
Fear in 8 and 16 Bits: The History of Retro Horror Games
From Castlevania's gothic atmosphere to Resident Evil's survival horror revolution, retro games were terrifying in ways that still hold up. A history of horror in classic gaming.
Sonic the Hedgehog: How Sega Built a Mascot to Beat Mario
Sega needed a character to compete with Nintendo's Mario. They created Sonic the Hedgehog in 1991 — a blue hedgehog built around speed, attitude, and a physics engine that defined a decade.
The Best JRPGs of the 16-Bit Era: SNES and Genesis Classics
The Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis era was the golden age of the Japanese RPG. Final Fantasy VI, Chrono Trigger, Phantasy Star IV — these are the games that defined the genre.
Best Retro Multiplayer Games for Game Nights
The best retro games for playing with other people — couch co-op classics, competitive favorites, and party games that work as well today as they did in 1993.
Retro Game Collecting: A Beginner's Complete Guide
How to start collecting retro games without getting burned — what to buy first, how to spot fakes, where to find deals, and which games are actually worth the high prices.
10 NES Hidden Gems You Probably Never Played
Everyone knows Contra and Mega Man. But the NES library has 700+ games — these ten overlooked classics deserve a second look from anyone who thinks they know the console.
Best Retro Games for Beginners: Where to Start
Never played retro games before? These are the games that hold up best today — accessible, brilliant, and playable without knowing anything about the era they came from.
How to Build a Retro Gaming Setup: A Complete Guide
Everything you need to play retro games the right way — original hardware vs. emulation, the best upscalers and HDMI adapters, which CRTs are worth hunting, and how to build a collection without getting ripped off.
Nintendo 64: Bold Choices, Brilliant Games, Bitter Lessons
The N64 chose cartridges over CDs, lost third-party support to PlayStation, and still produced some of the best games ever made. The story of Nintendo's most controversial console.
Sega Dreamcast: The Perfect Console That Failed Too Soon
The Sega Dreamcast had online gaming before anyone else, a controller with a built-in screen, and some of the best games of its era. It also killed Sega's hardware business. This is the story of the Dreamcast.
Final Fantasy: How Square Defined the JRPG Genre
Final Fantasy was named because its creator thought it would be his last game. It became a 40-year franchise that sold 180 million copies and defined how the world thinks about Japanese RPGs.
The Konami Code: The Cheat That Changed Gaming History
Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A. The most famous sequence in gaming history was created by accident, popularized by Contra, and has appeared in hundreds of games and websites ever since.
PlayStation 1: How Sony Disrupted the Gaming Industry
Sony had no business making a gaming console. Then the PlayStation shipped in 1994 and changed everything — CDs over cartridges, 3D graphics over sprites, and a marketing strategy that turned gaming into a lifestyle.
Game Boy: How Nintendo Dominated Handheld Gaming for 30 Years
The Game Boy launched in 1989 with inferior hardware and a green-tinted screen. It sold 118 million units across its family of devices and outlasted every competitor. This is the story of how Nintendo won portable gaming.
Street Fighter II: The Game That Defined a Genre and Saved the Arcade
Street Fighter II (1991) didn't invent the fighting game, but it invented the fighting game as we know it. This is the story of how one game created an entire genre, revived arcades, and changed competitive gaming forever.