Joystick Port is a new site dedicated to retro and retro-inspired gaming.

Here you will find news, reviews and articles on retro games and retro hardware covering a range of platforms and genres from over the last 30 years. In addition, we will also be covering retro-inspired modern releases and remakes as well.

Kirby: Planet Robobot (Nintendo 3DS) Review

When I first heard about Kirby: Planet Robobot before its release last year I was a little bit skeptical about the whole idea of combining the traditional Kirby formula with giant mechanical suits. When I finally got a chance to pick this one up more recently however, I was pleasantly surprised as it's an idea that actually works really, really well.

The first thing that struck me about this game is that it really does look fantastic and makes some of the best use of the platform's stereoscopic 3D effect that I have ever seen. The backgrounds are jaw-droppingly gorgeous and the way the 3D is used for many of the puzzles... [Continued]

Is the original NES Metroid still worth playing ?

Konami's seminal masterpiece Castlevania: Symphony of the Night may have been responsible for popularizing the term 'Metroidvania', but that word would mean nothing without the game that started it all - Metroid.

First released on the Famicom Disk System in 1986 and then later in North America and Europe in 1987 and 1988, the original Metroid was a remarkable achievement on many levels. Instead of offering the linear level design of so many other games from the era, Metroid focused heavily on non-linear exploration with hidden paths, secret items and obstacles that could only be overcome when the correct items or weapon ... [Continued]

Hey! Pikmin (Nintendo 3DS) Review

Representing something of a departure from the first three Pikmin games on the Gamecube, Wii and Wii U, Hey! Pikmin is an action/puzzle platformer featuring series protagonist Captain Olimar who has, yet again, managed to crash-land his spaceship on a hostile alien planet and has to collect 30,000 'Sparklium' to get home. As luck would have it however, the Pikmin are on-hand to save the day.

The graphics here are attractive, with subtle watercolor-style backgrounds and sharp, colorful sprites. Oddly though, despite being on the 3DS, the game offers no stereoscopic 3D at all. Sound-wise, the game delivers too, offering a ... [Continued]

Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion (Nintendo 3DS) Review

The spiritual successor to the Sega MegaDrive/Genesis classic Castle of Illusion, Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion on Nintendo 3DS certainly hits all the right notes in terms of presentation but trips up in the gameplay department, both due to its slow-paced platforming and because completing the entire game takes little more than four hours.

The graphics in this game are undeniably gorgeous. Sticking to the 2D pixel art style of its 16-bit predecessor, Power of Illusion is awash with attractive and colorful backgrounds and sprites that look like they have been taken straight out of a cartoon.

The gam... [Continued]