After nearly 7 years working with the team at Nintendo Life, I'm stepping away to try something new ✨ I'll miss my colleagues, this community, and the freedom that Nintendo Life gave me to cover whatever I found important. It's truly been a dream come true, so thank you ♥

Stellar SFC artwork! 🥲

"Which is your favorite/definitive version of the original Prince of Persia?" 💾As promised-- after 35 years, here's a proper blog post with my thoughts, and the story behind Prince of Persia's multiple 1990s ports. www.jordanmechner.com/en/latest-ne...

Hey, this is really cool! Includes an interview with Alexander O. Smith and Steve Anderson, with new insights on the localization process.

'Our goal was to capture the sheer variety and texture that was in the Japanese script, but in a way that sounded like it was written in English to begin with—not like it was “translated.”' An absolute MARVEL of an article by @timeextension.com on FFIX's loc 🤍 www.timeextension.com/features/int...

I've just been looking through the SNES Music demo ROM I worked on at Software Creations and wanted to share some interesting facts about the music in PLOK! The audio samples total 50K ( Bytes ) The SPC-700 music driver is 8K Each level tune is between 2K and 4K The sound effects use 4K. Amazing!

"They Were Pretty Sure It Was Not Going To Do Well" - How Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Was Brought To The West.

Thank you @timeextension.com for interviewing Stephen Shaw, one of the original lead designers for Outlaws! "I'm glad to see it get remastered, especially given the big following it has on the Facebook Outlaws Group where they play multiplayer a lot." www.timeextension.com/news/2025/09...

Last December, I interviewed Phil Ramirez, a sculptor on the Video Game Superstars line. Since then, I've put together a more complete history, with even more interviews and some cool artwork from the development of the X-Men vs. Street Fighter & Resident Evil toy lines.

This is an amazing bit of localization history, touching on A Link to the Past, Super Mario 64, Pokemon, and Animal Crossing!

Interview: "We Did Try To Keep 'Forest' In The Name" - How Mario 64's Princess Peach Helped Bring Animal Crossing To The West.

The Making Of: Geoff Crammond's Formula One Grand Prix Series.

Fascinating read of one of my favorite childhood video games. I remember @jmechner.bsky.social telling me on a Facebook exchange years ago that he never played this version. I wonder if that's changed. Thank you so much for this quality article!

It’s the best port of Prince of Persia. It controls like a dream, all the added content is an asset to the gameplay experience, and it has incredible graphical and musical improvements. If you’re going to try a version of the original PoP, this is the one to play.

Back in 2022, I bought as many copies of Mario Paint as I could get my paws on 😅Not because I thought they’d become rare or pricey, but for the original artwork that may be lying dormant inside each and every one 🎨 Three years later and that mission is complete 🍄 youtu.be/aHuQZVtzdIo 🍄 #MarioPaint

"Like A Completely New Game" - The Untold Story Behind Prince Of Persia's Impressive SNES Port.

Don't miss this amazing interview with one of FFIX's English translators, talking about the process!

This is a great interview with Brody Phillips, one of the translators that worked on Final Fantasy IX's fantastic localization. Absolutely worth a read! www.timeextension.com/features/int...

Via @timeextension.com, an interview with FFIX localization specialist Brody Phillips on the loc. team's methods in developing the English version, including why 'Salamander' was renamed 'Amarant', and more: www.timeextension.com/features/int...

Interview: "Localization's Come A Long Way In The Last 25 Years" - The Incredible Story Behind Final Fantasy IX's Epic Translation.

The Making Of: The Operative - No One Lives Forever, Monolith's Classic Spy-Themed FPS Trapped In Licensing Hell.

Casual reminder that it was shortly after the release of Tales of Xillia that Tales games actively stopped crediting their English localizers. Bonus fact: Did you know that it's basically the only best-selling JRPG series to have this issue?

"We're Going For A Cross Between Mega Man X, Gunstar Heroes, & Kirby 64" - This Upcoming Indie Platformer Deserves To Be On Your Radar.

Review: Tiger-Heli (Atari 7800) - There Are Better Ways To Play, But That's Hardly The Point.

Dev Reveals Secrets Behind Stunning New "3D" Platformer For The ZX Spectrum.

Now seems like a good time to re-share the Making Of Chibi-Robo article I wrote for @timeextension.com a while back...

"The Higher-Ups Did Their Pitch & It All Just Stopped" - Banjo Kazooie Almost Got A TV Show, Here's Why It Didn't.

Tired Of Waiting For A Standalone Chao Garden Game, These Sonic Fans Are Making Their Own.

The Making Of: Earthion - "Working On It Again Reminded Me Just How Incredible The Mega Drive Really Is".

Review: Heretic + Hexen (Switch) - Two FPS Cult Classics Masterfully Revamped.

"He's A Much Loved Character That Kind Of Lost His Way A Little" - Two Classic Monty Mole Games Are Getting Remakes Next Year.

"When I Was Kid There Was Nothing Bigger Than Pac-Man" - Pac-Man Voice Actor Confirms Return To Role After Almost 20 Years Away.

For the evening crowd: I’m launching a new oral histories site called designroom.bsky.social. Won’t be much there for another month or so, but follow now to get in early!

In collaboration with id Software, we're excited to announce the definitive re-release of Heretic + Hexen — available NOW on all platforms! 💥 www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqH3...

Just realized I didn't do a post about this. If you like Jet Set Radio, you might be interested in this story about the making of the GBA port from last week, featuring an interview with its lead designer Robert Gallerani.

Cool aside to this story - through this, I learnt that an NWA-founding member ended up becoming a QA tester at Fox Interactive in the early 2000s.

"It Started To Get Really Uncomfortable" - Before Roles In GTA & Def Jam Fight For NY, Ice-T Starred In This Supernatural Action RPG.

I have added a new section to my website: a gallery of company logos with the names of their respective designers. vgdensetsu.net/companylogog...

The Story Of Jet Set Radio's Unexpected Journey From Dreamcast To Game Boy Advance.

I now have my fingers crossed that an ex-Vicarious Visions dev will somehow dig up this Halo GBA tech demo.

Utopia is one of those games that, for whatever reason, is firmly lodged in my brain even though I didn’t play too much of it. I put it down to the awesome @barryleitch.bsky.social soundtrack.

Amazing stuff from @jackgyarwood.bsky.social here

My latest feature for Time Extension is on Gremlin Graphics and Celestial Software's Utopia: The Creation Of A Nation - an often forgotten sci-fi city builder from the '90s, inspired by SimCity. It includes a new interview with Graeme Ing, the co-creator of the game, so please give it a read!

The Making Of: Utopia - The Creation Of A Nation, Gremlin Graphics' SimCity In Space.

"We Made The Warthog Like A Skater" - Tony Hawk GBA Studio Once Pitched Handheld Versions Of Halo & The Simpsons: Hit & Run.

I love speaking to devs about games they worked on that have fascinating backstories, but that barely anyone brings up anymore. I think Wings of Glory definitely fits that bill, so I got in touch with Warren Spector, Bill Baldwin, & Whitney Ayres to revisit it 30yrs after its release.

The Making Of: Wings Of Glory, Warren Spector's Forgotten Flight of Fancy.

3 years ago, I did an interview with and Edge of Soul composer Masahiro Ohki (A.K.A Benten-Maru) about the making of the fighting game anthem. Since then, I've been trying to contact the track's lead singer Mickie-Phoenix & was recently able to make a breakthrough. Here she is sharing her story...

Interview: Urban Strike's Agent Ego On EA, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, & Rebooting A Capcom Classic.

I am delighted to announce that I've 3D scanned the complete Super Mario Land keshi figure series, originally released by Bandai in Japan in 1989! All 21 of these vintage Mario toys--from Daisy to Tatanga, and everyone in between--can now be downloaded here: archive.org/details/kesh...