Retro Gaming Australia

Pokémon Trading Card Game, titled Pokémon Card GB in Japan, is a video game version of the super popular tabletop trading card game based on the Pokémon video game series. Pokémon Trading Card Game released in 1998 (2000 outside Japan) for the Game Boy Color and was received well by both Pokémon fans and industry critics alike. It is no surprise that game received a sequel, entitled Pokémon Card GB2: Great Rocket-Dan Sanjō! (Pokémon Card GB2: Here Comes Team Great Rocket!) – sadly, it was Japanese-exclusive and never saw a western release.

Enter Pokémon Trading Card Game 2: The Invasion of Team GR!, an English fan translation of Pokémon Card GB2. ROM hacker Artemis251 has completed the patch which enables English-speaking fans to finally play the Pokémon Trading Card Game sequel, featuring a new group of baddies called Team Great Rocket, the ability to play as a female character and cards exclusive to Japanese vending machines.

All you need is the original ROM file for Pokémon Card GB2: Great Rocket-Dan Sanjō! and the fan translation patch which you can download here, and you’re good to go.

Source: Retro Collect

You may recall that The Ratchet & Clank Trilogy: Classics HD was delayed last month. Originally the title was scheduled for release in Europe on May 16, and then retailers listed it for June 7 (which has come and gone) – but now it the Playstation Blog has announced the official dates for the HD collection’s PAL release.

The Ratchet & Clank Trilogy: Classics HD – which bundles the PS2 classics Ratchet & Clank, Ratchet & Clank 2: Locked & Loaded and Ratchet & Clank 3: Up Your Arsenal, will be available across Europe on June 27, in Australia and New Zealand on June 28 and in the UK and Ireland on June 29.

Check out the new launch trailer above.

Square Enix has just released another port of the 1987 RPG classic Final Fantasy and this time it is for Windows Phone.

Final Fantasy for Windows Phone is based on the iOS version, and therefore includes the Soul of Chaos and Labyrinth of Time additional dungeons as well as featuring the enhanced sprites of the 2007 PSP Final Fantasy remake.

Final Fantasy for Windows Phone can be had for AU$7.49. Not too shabby.

Source: Siliconera

Zelda fans have been clamouring for a remake of The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask for 3DS since the release of the popular The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D last year. The remake has been hinted at by Nintendo representatives, however the series creator Shigeru Miyamoto has also expressed a desire to remake or recreate The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (my personal favourite Zelda game <3). Speaking with IGN recently, Miyamoto has indicated that Nintendo are currently in deliberation. “We haven’t quite decided yet, whether we’re going to do A Link to the Past, because there’s also the possibility of doing a remake of Majora’s Mask,” Miyamoto explained. “This is something we’ve certainly been talking about and doing a little bit of experimenting with, to figure out which way we’re going to go.”

Unable to make any announcements at present, Miyamoto said that fans will have to wait “just a little while longer” for information regarding Nintendo’s decision. He went on to say “[Nintendo are] always looking at expanding our audience and giving people the opportunity to get their hands on 3DS and see what kind of fun gaming experiences they can have. And now, we’re also tasked with pushing the Wii U. So we have lots of good opportunities in terms of thinking about which Zelda game is going to be best for which purpose.” It would appear that the question is not only which Zelda game to remake, but also on which system it should appear.

So, which game should be remade, Majora’s Mask or A Link to the Past? Both!

Sonic Blast for the Sega Game Gear is set for re-release in Europe via the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console service.

Released in 1996, Sonic Blast was the last Sonic game to appear on the handheld. Players reprise the roles of Sonic and Knuckles and are tasked with collecting five Chaos Emeralds and defeating Eggman. Sonic Blast imbues Sonic with the ability to double jump to reach higher areas.

Sonic Blast releases on June 14 in Europe, so it should be available in Australia later today.

Source: Siliconera

Back in April, Nintendo teased us with the announcement of the then undetailed anniversary collection disc for the Wii to celebrate Kirby’s 20th birthday. Nintendo has now finally revealed the contents of the newly titled Kirby: 20th Anniversary Special Collection (in Japan) in Famitsu this week.

Kirby: 20th Anniversary Special Collection will feature the first 6 Kirby titles – excluding spin-offs. Fans of the series can look forward to once again playing Kirby’s Dream Land (Game Boy, 1992), Kirby’s Adventure (Famicom/NES, 1993), Kirby’s Dream Land 2 (Game Boy, 1995), Kirby Super Star (Super Famicom/SNES, 1996 – called Kirby’s Fun Pak in Europe), Kirby’s Dream Land 3 (Super Famicom/SNES, 1997) and Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards (Nintendo 64, 2000).

The game compilation will be accompanied by a special booklet, soundtrack CD and on disc calendar looking at the series’ history.

Kirby: 20th Anniversary Special Collection will release in Japan on July 19 for 3,800 yen.

UPDATE: The collection will be titled Kirby’s Dream Collection: Special Edition in North America and will be available in September, however there is no word on price or contents at this stage.

Source: Andriasang, IGN

A demake project for The Curse of Monkey Island is currently underway, giving the 1997 classic LucasArts adventure game a pixelated makeover.

The fan-made remake seeks to recreate the third instalment in the Monkey Island series in the style of the first two games The Secret of Monkey Island and Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge. This entails an overhaul of The Curse of Monkey Island’s art, animation and interface.

The demake has been underway since May 2010, was cancelled in late 2011 and has now been resurrected by a Spanish programmer. The project is still a work in progress and no date for release has been given, but an English version has been confirmed.

Source: Retro Collect

Final Fantasy Dimensions, a old-school styled turn-based RPG, is set for release on iOS and Android devices.

Final Fantasy Dimensions was released in Japan as Final Fantasy Legends: Hikari to Yami no Senshi in 2010 for mobile devices. The game was developed in the style of Final Fantasy V and features 2D sprite based visuals, Active Time Battle system, random battles, job system reminiscent of FFV and party of five members played in two parties – the Warriors of Light and the Warriors of Darkness.

The iOS and Android Final Fantasy Dimensions includes touch-based controls and will be released in 13 episodes (each approximately 3 hours long) commencing this July.

Source: IGN

As part of celebrations for the 25th anniversary of the iconic Final Fantasy series, some pretty cute merchandise is being released.

A Chocobo Plush and Chocobo and Crystal themed Mug (pictured above) will be released in August. Preorders currently open at NCSX.

The well-loved Shantae, a Game Boy Color classic, is planned for release on the Nintendo 3DS’s Virtual Console “soon”.

Shantae is a platformer developed by WayForward Technologies, which was released in North America in 2002. In the role of the half-genie Shantae, players journey through Sequin Land to challenge Risky Boots and his gang of pirates and thwart their evil plans. The games sequel Shantae: Risky’s Revenge was released in 2010 via DSiWare to critical acclaim – however the title was not released in Australia or New Zealand for unknown reasons.

Shantae is currently being rated by the ESRB, and upon its classification Nintendo will determine the release date for North America. There is no word on a PAL release at this stage.

Source: Nintendo World Report