Tim Stamper Teases Release of Unseen Career ‘Relics’

Tim Stamper Teases Release of Unseen Career 'Relics'

Tim Stamper, co-founder of Rare and Ultimate Play The Game, has reappeared on X and Instagram after more than three years of silence. His post teases the opening of a "vault" and includes the phrase "It's Coming...", accompanied by an image of keys bearing his trademark. The message suggests unseen relics from his more than 40 year career in game development may soon be revealed. Stamper and his brother Chris founded Ultimate Play The Game before going on to establish Rare, the studio behind numerous Nintendo classics. via timeextension.com

ClayFighter: Sculptor’s Cut Rerelease Gets Purple Cartridge

ClayFighter: Sculptor's Cut Rerelease Gets Purple Cartridge

ClayFighter: Sculptor's Cut has returned in physical cartridge form for the Nintendo 64. The new release comes on a purple cartridge with restored packaging, and is priced well below what the original rare cartridge commands on the collector's market. The original Sculptor's Cut version of ClayFighter was notoriously difficult to find, making this rerelease a more accessible option for N64 collectors. via console-classics.com

The Birds & The Bees Remade for Commodore 64

The Birds & The Bees Remade for Commodore 64

Developer Technician Ted has released The Birds & The Bees, a name-your-own-price Commodore 64 remake of the 1983 ZX Spectrum action game of the same name. The expanded version spans twelve levels across four seasons, following Boris the Bee as he goes about his busy work. The original Spectrum game was developed by Adrian Sherwin with graphics by Matthew Smith. The remake was made with AI-assisted code and graphics. via itch.io

The Island Bridge Released as Free C64 Strategy Game

The Island Bridge Released as Free C64 Strategy Game

Developer xMartV has released The Island Bridge, a free turn-based strategy game for the Commodore 64. Written in 6502 assembler using C64 Dev Machine, the game has players guide three explorers along a path of island tiles toward the mainland while playing against the computer. Cards are used to move figures forward to matching tiles, with players collecting tiles left behind and paying to cross stretches of the sinking path. via itch.io

Wizball Enhanced Edition Aligns Spectrum Version with C64

Wizball Enhanced Edition Aligns Spectrum Version with C64

Wizball Enhanced Edition is a fan-made update to Ocean Software's 1987 ZX Spectrum platformer Wizball. The release brings the Spectrum version's visuals, music, gameplay balance, menus and collision detection closer to those of the original Commodore 64 edition. Wizball was known for its colourful bubble-popping gameplay and was one of Ocean's more technically ambitious Spectrum titles of its era. via console-classics.com

Mind Trap ZX Spectrum Classic Remade for Windows

Mind Trap ZX Spectrum Classic Remade for Windows

Developer TCKSOFT has released a free remake of Mind Trap, Mastertronic's 1989 ZX Spectrum dice puzzler, for Windows and HTML5. The game challenges players to turn cogs and sort dice across 100 levels before time runs out, playable in-browser including on mobile or as a Windows download. It was originally created in 2014 as part of the #1GAME/One Game a Month challenge. TCKSOFT has previously remade other classic 8-bit games including Aquaplane and Anarchy for modern platforms. via itch.io

Retro Song Bird Turns Game Boy Carts Into Music Player

Retro Song Bird Turns Game Boy Carts Into Music Player

Retro Song Bird is a new device that turns Game Boy cartridges into a music player. It plays back music and sound effects stored on original cartridges and can export the audio as WAV files. The device can also create mixcarts, back up save data, and works with the Game Boy Camera cartridge. It joins a growing field of homebrew accessories built around classic Game Boy hardware. via console-classics.com

Escape from London Revived for C64 and Plus/4

Escape from London Revived for C64 and Plus/4

Developer 8bitSquad has released Escape from London, a name-your-own-price text adventure for the Commodore 64 and Plus/4. The game originally appeared on the C64 in 2013 but was shelved, and has now been rebuilt more than a decade later using Daz's ALF adventure engine. It casts players in a chaotic London where the trains have stopped and the Army has taken over the Tube, tasking them with finding their wife and catching the last evacuation train. The project uses AI-assisted code, graphics, sound and text. via itch.io

Cauldron Scare Attack Pays Homage to 8-bit Classic on PC

Cauldron Scare Attack Pays Homage to 8-bit Classic on PC

Developer Sunteam has released Cauldron Scare Attack, a fast-paced single-level score attack shooter for Windows. The game is built as a modern homage to Palace Software's classic Cauldron, drawing direct inspiration from the original title created by Steve Brown, Tony Barber and Simon Dunstan. Cauldron was originally released in 1985 for 8-bit home computers including the Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum, and became known for its witch-themed shoot-em-up and platform gameplay. via indieretronews.com

Saturn Shiro Spotlights Phantasmagoria Port

Saturn Shiro Spotlights Phantasmagoria Port

Sega Saturn Shiro's #BestOfSaturn series has featured Phantasmagoria, known in Japan as Phantasm, a 1995 Sierra On-Line PC horror adventure game that received a Japan-exclusive Saturn port in 1997. The spotlight notes it is best experienced using the Shuttle or NetLink peripherals. Phantasmagoria was notable in its original PC release for its extensive use of full-motion video and live-action actors. via segasaturnshiro.com