Racketboy

If you’re ever wondered what Rez would be like in 2D, Space Invaders Extreme is one of the closest examples you will find.   That’s right, this is not another one of those vanilla Space Invaders remakes.  The masterminds at Taito and Square/Enix have put a fresh spin on the pioneering game to bring it more […]

Just because we have a DS doesn’t mean we don’t want to play some older portable Nintendo games.  While we could play the original Gameboy cartridges on our Gameboy Advances, the Nintendo DS doesn’t afford us that luxury.  However, with a little emulation power, we can resolve that issue and make your portable gaming life even […]

Adding some retro functionality to your Nintendo DS is always a good thing. This time we will be showing off NES emulation for all your favorite 8-bit Nintendo classics.
What Is The Best NES Emulator?
I was surprised to find that most of the emulation sites out there are pushing old NES emulators that are just […]

It seems like every gaming site has their own “Best of the Year” lists, but here at Racketboy, we will be taking a look at the best new games of 2007 that focus either focus on old-school gameplay or are remakes of classic games.

With high-powered portables and game downloading services on all the new consoles, […]

Even though the DS a very popular, new platform, there are now a number of great games that you can find at an impulse-buy price level. Since the DS is so popular, there aren’t a lot of good titles under $10, so I’ll set our mark at $15. Yes, I know, the […]

It’s pretty easy to find a list of “The Top 10 Gameboy Advance Games” or some similar ranking, but most of them were written back when the handheld was cutting edge and almost all of them only compare the games against other GBA games.This is all fine if the GBA is the only portable you […]

Those of you who have been reading racketboy.com for a while know I have been waiting for this release for a while. On my Nintendo DS Wishlist of games or compilations I would like to see on my DS Lite, I specifically listed a new Namco Museum collection that would have some Namco classics […]

Ok, this announcement not only got me excited, but kinda freaked me out…
Just two weeks ago to the day, I published my DS Wishlist, which contained a consise list of some classic games and compilations I would like to see come to the DS.
I mentioned that I enjoyed the Namco Museum Collection GBA cartridge but […]

No one can deny that the Nintendo DS is hot right now. And when a game system is hot (especially when its from Nintendo), it can get away with having ports of older games and have them sell well.

So, just like I did with my XBox Live Wishlist, I’ve combined my personal […]

The Guilty Gear series has made great strides over the last few years to compete against the best from Capcom and SNK’s 2D fighter offerings.
I was fairly excited when portable versions of Guilty Gear were announced for both the PSP and Nintendo DS. However, I had a dirty feeling that both versions would be […]

Kotomi’s at it again. Yes, the French console modder that brought you the PS2-styled NES and the NES-Styled Nintendo DS is now showcasing a series of DS’s that are modeled after Nintendo’s vintage Game & Watch gaming devices.
So far, he has featured two Nintendo DS handhelds that have reproduced the style of the Donkey […]

E3 is a joyous time of seeing what is on the horizon in the gaming industry. With all the excitement about the new Nintendo Wii games, the gaming media overlooked a few interesting Nintendo DS titles that I’m sure many retro gamers will be interested in….
Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2
One of my favorite unsung […]

New Screenshots of StarFox DS

New Screenshots of Mario Vs. Donkey Kong 2 - Nintendo DS

New Screenshots of Yoshi’s Island 2 for Nintendo DS

After showing the PSP some retro love, SNK has recently announced that they will be bringing the King of Fighters series to the Nintendo DS.
Falcoon, series producer behind King of Fighters announced at a recent KOF event that a DS version of the game would be announced “in the near future”. (Possibly at […]

We have seen a number of Tetris “remakes” over the last decade, but none of them (consoles or portable) have really lived up to the standard set by the original Gameboy version of Tetris. That is, until now.
Finally, Nintendo has taken the time to carefully craft the perfect follow-up to the puzzler classic. […]

kotami, the console hacker behind the NEStation (NES styled after the PS2) and the Mini Sega MegaDrive/Genesis , is back again with a detailed re-creation of the original NES style on a Nintendo DS. (more pictures here)
His original post is in French, but I’ll do my best to translates his thoughts on the project. He […]

There is a lot of excitement around the upcoming Super Mario Bros game (only known as the New Super Mario Bros.) for the Nintendo DS. Instead of continuing the fashion of 3D platformers such as Mario 64 and Mario Sunshine for the Gamecube, The New Super Mario Bros. goes back to its 2D roots. […]

More pictures of Kotami’s NES-styled Nintendo DS

Here’s a Nintendo DS styled after the original NES controller. Not really my style. I’d rather see the controller style on the inside…

See larger pictures and more details here

DS Rumors are flying like never before.
According to the German site, Gamefront.de (translated by Babelfish):
“19.02.06 - Konami renewed the trademark protection for Snatcher Click Picture to 13.12.05 with the Japanese patent office. Possible way is that a reference on the fact that the Action/Adventure classical author by Metal Gear inventor Hideo Kojima is converted on […]

One the most anticipated Nintendo DS titles among the hardcore gamers is a 2D Fighter based on the popular anime/manga series, Bleach. This slick fighter seems to be inspired by the Guilty Gear series and is developed by Treasure — the brains behind such masterpieces as Gunstar Heroes, Ikaruga and Radiant Silvergun.
My friends over at […]

Those cute little worms are back in full force for some classic 2D brawls on your Nintendo DS and Sony PSP.
Multiplayer always was the most fun you can have with Worms, and the new versions won’t disappoint. PSP owners can enjoy hotseat matches if there’s only one copy of the game available, or if each […]

The original Tetris game for the original Gameboy is still one of the best mobile games IMO. When you remember its age, it is astounding how well the game holds up in the areas of pick-up-and-playablity, addictiveness, and pure fun the now not-so-little cartridge contains.
Now that we have progressed through a long stint with the […]

The most anticipated Action-RPG is here — the new Mario and Luigi takes the series to a new level while utilizing the Nintendo DS’s capabilities. So far, I’ve read nothing but positive reviews!
Buy at Amazon
Review Tidbits
“Not a guarantee that it’s a game for everyone, but rather a big fat A+ for Alphadream when it […]

This new 2D Platformer turns the tables on traditional Mario games — this time Princess Peach has to save Mario and Luigi.
US Release Date: February 27, 2006
Preorder At Amazon.com

Preview tidbits:
“This is the best old school Mario style game since Yoshi’s island and it will keep me happy until the new Mario game for the Nintendo […]

There’s a bit of a stir in the Metroid fan world today. According to 1Up.com, Metroid Dread, a 2D title for the Nintendo DS, was canceled today. On the surface, this is news that would bother me quite a bit, but as Matt at pressthebuttons.com mentions, this title may not have ever exisited. Dread was […]

I think I mentioned this idea to someone when the Nintendo DS first came out — the DS’s touch screen would be perfect for those great Lucas Art point and click adventure games like Monkey Island.
Well a few months later, we have a SCUMMVM emulator for Nintendo’s Dual Screen Wonder.
Can’t wait to see how this […]

It’s always fun to go back and read old articles that make predictions and see how acurate they are. I pulled this article out from the GameSpy archive. It’s an enjoyable read concerning the gaming genres that are dying in the modern gaming industry.
Here’s the list:
10. Space Shooter (Shmups)
9. Puzzle
8. Light Gun
7. Text Adventure
6. […]

While the emulation scene on the DS isn’t as great as on the Sony Playstation Portable, Nintendo’s dual-screened wonder has quite a retro-themed game lineup.
Here are some current and upcoming Nintendo DS games that retrogamers would enjoy
Mario & Luigi’s Superstar Saga
This sequal to the Gameboy Advance RPG hit looks to raise the stakes in terms […]

Namco has a new Dig Dug sequal for the Nintendo DS up its sleeves. Dig Dug Digging Strike looks to have a fresh spin on the series which incorperates various features and story elements from past Dig Dug and Mr. Driller games in addition to taking adantage of the DS’s dual screens and wifi capabilities.
It […]

E3 has brought some great announcements this year — including some excellent Sonic the Hedgehog titles. First, I’ll share with you Sonic Rush.
As mentioned in the GameSpot preview, Sonic Rush is a new 2D Sonic game that actually uses both of the Nintendo DS’s screens for fast-paced gameplay.
You can imagine my delight when I discovered […]

Not a lot is known on some of these titles yet, but there has been numerous retro-styled/themed games to be released on the Nintendo DS in the coming months.
Here’s a list of games that are upcoming along with their respective developers:
Capcom
Mega Man Battle Network
Viewtiful Joe

Konami
Frogger DS
Castlevania DS
Vandal Hearts
Marvelous Interactive
Lunar Genesis
Majesco
Nanostray
Mastiff
Space Invaders Revolution
Namco
Pac ‘n Roll
Nintendo
Advance Wars […]

The February 2005 issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly reveals the first solid info about Castlevania DS, along with some screens. Here’s a summary of the preview:

The game will be a direct sequel to the GBA game, Aria of Sorrow. You’ll once again play the role of Soma Cruz, and all of the surviving […]

Yes, you read correctly — 8 Players will be able to play against each other in an intense Bomberman tournament via the new Nintendo DS. Not quite up to the standard set by the Sega Saturn’s 10-player incarnation, but at least this is wireless. Plus the dual screens allow for more opportunies for […]