When you think of shoot’em-ups ( shmups for short), what games do you think of? Gradius? Xevious? 1942? All classic shmups have stood the test of time. While it’s great seeing these games getting re-releases on modern hardware and their arcade cabinets still getting used, there hasn’t been much in the vein of classic shmups in a long time.

Nintendo has a problem. Granted, Nintendo has quite a few problems, but there is one problem that’s persisted over the years…one that’s been plaguing them since the late 80s and has been a thorn in the side of many.

Many a Nintendo fan has waited patiently for Super Nintendo World’s arrival in the United States. The FOMO fans have experienced from watching vloggers and social media influencers cover the park in Japan has been excruciating.

On January 9th, 1999, the United States was formally introduced to the Pokémon Trading Card Game (PTCG) and parents have been angry ever since. All over the country, kids were begging and pleading with their parents to buy them Pokémon cards and starter decks.

Nearly every gamer alive has a story like this one. You’re at a family function, visiting with relatives you haven’t seen in years. The smaller kids are running around, and while you’re talking with a close cousin, you hear one of the kids say this.

The N64 games offered through the Nintendo Switch Online (NSO) service should have been the easiest slam dunk for Nintendo. Ever since NES and SNES games became available to play on the service, gamers were foaming at the mouth for N64 games.

In 2001, many die hard SEGA fans cried out in sadness. SEGA announced that they would no longer be making consoles of their own, but instead would become a third party developer and would make games for all consoles. This included their former arch rival Nintendo, and veterans of the 90’s console wars shuddered. “Sonic on a Nintendo console!? Blasphemy,” they would say.

This past week, the Pokémon Company finally released a more in-depth trailer for their upcoming games: Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet. While this trailer has taken the internet by storm and the announcement of some new Pokémon certainly has people excited, this old trainer still has some doubts.

Turning 16 is a big deal for some people. It’s when teenagers can get their driver’s licenses, earn more freedom from their parents, or throw the biggest party they can get away with. While Mario isn’t a stranger to big celebrations, one series has been quietly hanging out on the sidelines.

It seems when Nintendo isn’t giving fans what they’ve been dying for, indie developers step it up. Undertale did it for the Earthbound fans, Hollow Knight did it for the Metroidvania fans, and now *Astrodogs * is attempting to help out the *Star Fox * fans.

It might be hard to believe, but Nintendo’s first upgrade to the GBA is nearly 20 years old. March 23rd marks the 19th anniversary of the GBA SP’s release in North America; a platform that launched just 2 years after the GBA itself. Since its release, the GBA SP has become the go-to handheld for those who want to revisit the Game Boy Advance library, and thanks to backwards compatibility, it’s perfect for Game Boy and Game Boy Color games, too.

Tactical games have seen a big boom as of late. This year we’re getting Triangle Strategy, Metal Slug Tactics, Advance Wars 1+2 Reboot Camp, and a remake of Front Mission, all for the Switch. However, if you aren’t in the mood for a story-heavy tactical RPG, then Keith Burgun’s Gem Wizards Tactics could be for you.

Nearly every retro gamer alive can tell you that besides Sonic the Hedgehog, the SEGA Genesis is SEGA’s bread and butter. So many collections, so much merchandise, and even 2 different mini-consoles have been released under the Genesis moniker. While it’s great to see SEGA remember the Genesis with t-shirts, licensed merchandise, and said collections, it’s also SEGA’s problem.

The music from the Final Fantasy series has always been special. The first official video game concert held in the US was a Final Fantasy show at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles in May of 2004. While not the first video game concert to be held ever, it should be pointed out that the show sold out almost immediately and helped set the stage for more shows in the future.

Getting a video game printed in a physical format is expensive. You have to pay for disks/cartridges, covers, and cases. If the game is multiplatform then it’s even MORE expensive. Hence why many developers love digital sales and sometimes skip a physical release. Yet for us collectors who like physical copies, we may not get said physical copies of our favorite retro-inspired Indie games.

There are a myriad of ways for fans of the Sonic games to get mad. Be it a beloved game is a poor port, the new game doesn’t live up to expectations, or SEGA deciding to screw up what should’ve been a sure-fire hit. In the past few weeks it’s been the latter with the trailer of Sonic Origins and SEGA’s plans for the release of the game.

This past week, Sony announced what the new tiered system for their online services would be. Essentially it boils down to the more money you pay for the service, the more games you could play, with the Premium Membership being the one that has all the retro goodies.

On February 15, 2022 Nintendo made waves on social media, and not in a good way. They announced that in late March of 2023 they would be shutting down the Wii U and 3DS eShops for good. According to Nintendo’s website, you can still re-download games, play online, and get game/system updates after March of 2023.

Being in touch with current trends is business 101. It keeps a company in touch with their audience and keeps them relevant in the ever changing consumer landscape. Yet what happens when the popular trend of the day is met with so much scrutiny and criticism?

It’s hard to say wether or not 2021 will be looked back on fondly yet. Sure things have gotten a little better since the pandemic began, but things are still not completely the same. However us Retro gamers got some good and bad surprises throughout the year. This is a look back at some of the highlights of 2021.