Soccer was key for Taito even before it made video games. An early electro-magnetic game of Taito's was for soccer. Maybe the first "original" Japan-developed game was, too. And it all led to Football Champ, an association soccer game where you can running knee dudes in the back without penalty.

Sure, there are fouls in Football Champ. But only if you get caught by a ref who often runs too slow to see you punch a dude in the face or knee a guy in the back. Kicking a ball so hard it sends the keeper flying through the back of the net is also allowed; reality isn't what makes this one work.

Sure, there are fouls in Football Champ. But only if you get caught by a ref who often runs too slow to see you punch a dude in the face or knee a guy in the back. Kicking a ball so hard it sends the keeper flying through the back of the net is also allowed; reality isn't what makes this one work.

you ever think about how the wii nunchuk is literally just the middle handle of this thing but with an extra button

Happy 30th to the Nintendo 64 and its controller, which is good, actually.

wrote about Bio Force Ape for Retro XP 🦍 and it won’t even cost you 2K monies to read… 🧈

It's guest feature time at @retroxp.bsky.social, and my ex-Paste colleague @mads.haus is here to tell you the good word of unreleased NES action title, Bio Force Ape. The game, the story behind the prototype eventually being unearthed, and its focus on wrestling and impressive character animations.

That's true

SimCity on the SNES somehow was an excellent conversion of the computer original, but it also changed and improved the formula in a number of ways that would end up sticking in the series. And, of course, Dr. Wright is there.

The original SimCity was great, but then Nintendo got its hands on it, released it for the SNES, and made it even better in ways that changed the series going forward. Despite this and the fact it's still an excellent play decades later, it's not available on Nintendo's modern platforms.

SimCity on the SNES somehow was an excellent conversion of the computer original, but it also changed and improved the formula in a number of ways that would end up sticking in the series. And, of course, Dr. Wright is there.

Gulkave constantly asks you to decide if risking a weaker weapon is worth it if it means your shields can recover, and that combined with smooth parallax scrolling that hides the MSX's inherent choppiness makes it an impressive 1986 release from Compile.

Compile was not known for its horizontal shooters, but in 1986 the studio released one, Gulkave, for the MSX and SG-1000 in Japan. It built off the idea of Gradius' power-up bar for its own unique system, one which makes you think and act in a far different innovative way than Konami's did.

Gulkave constantly asks you to decide if risking a weaker weapon is worth it if it means your shields can recover, and that combined with smooth parallax scrolling that hides the MSX's inherent choppiness makes it an impressive 1986 release from Compile.

Before Tsuneki Ikeda became a household name in STG circles, he was a young programmer at Toaplan. His first-ever credit came on V-V, aka Grind Stormer, which, in hindsight, very obviously had his influence all over it. With Ikeda retiring this week, why not check out where his career began?

Happy 40th to Dragon Quest, a game so foundational that its use of passwords to "save" progress was considered a huge leap forward at the time of release. Here's me on this classic from back in 2022.

Riverhillsoft and Rika Suzuki were pioneers in the graphic adventure genre, and J.B. Harold Murder Club, the first game in what would become a series, played a significant role in that thanks to its large cast of varied, well-written characters, and a layered mystery to unravel.

Today at @retroxp.bsky.social is an esteemed guest, @garrettmartin.bsky.social, writing about an Atari 2600 game that fits right in thematically with our ideas of sci-fi in the present. Here's Garrett on Imagic's Cosmic Ark.

Even back on the Atari 2600, there were apocalyptic sci-fi games geared toward building a new future. Here's guest writer @garrettmartin.bsky.social on Cosmic Ark, the middle game in an unfinished trilogy.

If D4 keeps putting out Compile's Disc Station games through EggConsole, then you are going to get to keep reading about Compile's Disc Station games. Here's Wonderland of Carbuncle, a Donkey Kong 3-esque STG with plenty of its own quirks and ideas and charm.

Wonderland of Carbuncle is another Compile Disc Station release that has reemerged in the present, and this platforming STG is not only a charming good time but had me thinking about what an experience like this means to me in 2026, when "Forever" and "More" drive so much of game dev and discourse.

If D4 keeps putting out Compile's Disc Station games through EggConsole, then you are going to get to keep reading about Compile's Disc Station games. Here's Wonderland of Carbuncle, a Donkey Kong 3-esque STG with plenty of its own quirks and ideas and charm.

Paddle Mania isn't tennis despite its flyers and marquee. It's... well, it's Paddle Mania, which is decidedly not tennis for reasons including but not limited to Pong, air hockey, volleyball players, and sumo wrestlers.

I didn't play Paddle Mania for years because it presented as a tennis game in a lot of ways, and I had other tennis games to get to first. It turns out Paddle Mania isn't tennis at all, though. There are surfers and volleyball players and a sumo wrestler, and you compete against them at Not Tennis.

Paddle Mania isn't tennis despite its flyers and marquee. It's... well, it's Paddle Mania, which is decidedly not tennis for reasons including but not limited to Pong, air hockey, volleyball players, and sumo wrestlers.

Happy May Day, here's an extensive look at the themes of Red Faction: Guerrilla, and its excellent joining of gameplay and narrative into a cohesive masterpiece focused on player freedom and revolution.

Red Faction: Guerilla isn't just a game with an impressive destruction mechanic or a rifle that makes you say, "Wow, cool gun!" It's Volition at its most explicitly pro-worker and anti-capitalist, reacting to a financial crisis with a still-resonant tale of a violent and necessary worker uprising.

Happy May Day, here's an extensive look at the themes of Red Faction: Guerrilla, and its excellent joining of gameplay and narrative into a cohesive masterpiece focused on player freedom and revolution.

Space Invaders to Galaxian to Galaga is an accurate enough zoomed-out view of the early history of fixed shooters, but one that ignores stepping-stone titles like Phoenix, which filled the gaps but have been comparatively forgotten by history due to a lack of re-issues and living in Galaga's shadow.

Taito distributed Phoenix, an early fixed shooter nestled in between the eras of Galaxian and Galaga, in Japanese arcades. Centuri handled that process in North American arcades, and Atari took care of the Atari 2600 port. Who made this bird-focused shoot 'em up, though? Well. Uh. Here's the thing.

Not an endless runner, not really a platformer, and not a racing game like you'll often see it labeled. Atari Games' 1985 arcade release, Road Runner, is a chase game. And one that delightfully adheres to Chuck Jones' "rules" for a Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner short. This one is a joy to play.

A canceled LaserDisc arcade game became a System 1 gem when Atari Games used its Warner connections to create the "chase" game, Road Runner, in 1985.

Who wants to read about yet another arcade game that Warner Bros. has forgotten it has the rights to? Max RPM is a 1986 drag racing game where you basically need to be perfect to keep on racing, but is fun enough that you won't mind giving perfection a few tries.

In 2000, SNK decided to make a crossover fighting game featuring a bunch of its women fighters from various franchises. Like with other Neo Geo Pocket Color fighters, a chibi style was used, but don't let that trick you into thinking the visuals or depth are lacking. SNK Gals' Fighters rocks.

Resident Evil recently turned 30, so I dove into its development and what made and makes it such a genre-defining success decades later. This game is a masterpiece, and its 2002 remake that allowed Shinji Mikami and Co. to show off the entirety of the dream of survival horror is even better.

It's difficult to overstate how important Resident Evil is to horror and to Capcom. The original recently turned 30, and both it and its 2002 remake are all-time classics, even as they differ from the direction the series would eventually go. Here's a look at its development and what makes it work.

Final Zone isn't perfect by any means — anyone familiar with Wolf Team's early work inherently knows as much — but the things it does get right make it easier to overlook the oddities. This isometric mech shooter has a deep weapon system and killer soundtrack on Genesis hardware; that's a good start

WiZMan's World originally released on the DS in 2009 as a Japanese exclusive, but the Jaleco joint has now made its way to international regions in a revamped form, WiZman's World Re;Try, to the Switch and Playstation 5. If you have a particular RPG itch, this one can scratch it.

Alex Kidd in Miracle World was a pre-Sonic the Hedgehog attempt at developing a game that was popular as Nintendo's Super Mario Bros. That uh, didn't work out. But that's fine, Miracle World is a weirdo with plenty to offer, and via its Sega Ages release is the most accessible it's ever been.

D4's EggConsole is releasing Compile's Disc Station games now, games like Carbuncle Pi, which is a variant of another Disc Station game of theirs, Nyanpi. None of those words are in the bible sure but they are in today's Retro XP.

D4's EggConsole is releasing Compile's Disc Station games now, games like Carbuncle Pi, which is a variant of another Disc Station game of theirs, Nyanpi. None of those words are in the bible sure but they are in today's Retro XP.

Knuckles Chaotix' wasn't supposed to be a 32X game, but the add-on needed titles and this one, originally slated for the Saturn, was just going to have to do. It's a shame it's not a better game, because it does have some fascinating bits!

Wario's Woods is more than just the answer to a number of NES-related trivia questions. It's also a fine game in its own right, even if, for whatever reason, reviewers from its release reviewed it like they were bored with the concept of puzzles.

Wario's Woods is more than just the answer to a number of NES-related trivia questions. It's also a fine game in its own right, even if, for whatever reason, reviewers from its release reviewed it like they were bored with the concept of puzzles.

Scurge: Hive originally released on the Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS back in 2006, and was brought back on modern platforms in 2025. The isometric metroidvania wears its inspirations on its sleeve, but a rock-paper-scissors combat mechanic and constantly ticking infection meter make it stand out

Scurge: Hive originally released on the Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS back in 2006, and was brought back on modern platforms in 2025. The isometric metroidvania wears its inspirations on its sleeve, but a rock-paper-scissors combat mechanic and constantly ticking infection meter make it stand out

Namco, through its home-console arm, Namcot, released the sliding block puzzle game Megapanel on the Mega Drive in 1990. It includes a whole bunch of pin-up art to reveal, explaining the bunny girl on the box art, but you need to be wired for 15 puzzle (and patience) to unlock any of them.

Namco, through its home-console arm, Namcot, released the sliding block puzzle game Megapanel on the Mega Drive in 1990. It includes a whole bunch of pin-up art to reveal, explaining the bunny girl on the box art, but you need to be wired for 15 puzzle (and patience) to unlock any of them.

In 1983, Irem used their arcade sensibilities to design a football game where every first down was the difference between winning and losing even more so than in actual football. And it's a hook that still works over four decades later.

Kid Icarus sometimes plays like it has no interest in your success, and that's because it doesn't. You have to take that initiative on your own, to concern yourself with what's needed in order to progress, and it's that refusal to budge on what it is that makes it so intriguing nearly 40 years later