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Gaming Chris

@retro.man90

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Welcome to the world of another 90s kid!
🎮 Gaming reviews
⭐️ Fandom • nostalgia • drawing
👾 Nintendo, Pokémon, gaming culture & more
🇩🇪 🇬🇧
Let's-a-go!

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My Nintendo Direct highlights from Sep. 9.
Plus one very special Zelda highlight from the Sep. 8 anniversary presentation!

🎮🎮🎮

Metroid Ravenous: Jan 28 2027

Kirby and the World Beyond: Spring 2027

Mario Kart World – free update: available now
10 additional classic race tracks from original Super Mario Kart 🥰

Tomb Raider – Legacy of Atlantis: Feb 12 2027

Switch Sports Resort: Oct 22 2026

And my personal highlight of the year:
Legend of Zelda – Ocarina of Time.
The epic adventure from 1998 gets a brilliant looking remake on Switch 2, coming out on Nov 5 2026. I'm really excited!! 💚

What was your personal highlight from the recent Direct?

#NintendoDirect #NintendoSwitch2 #Nintendo #GamingNews #ocarinaoftime by @retro.man90

Ready for another SpongeBob adventure?
This time, I took a trip through the strange and colorful Wishworlds of SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake!

Released in 2023 & developed by Purple Lamp Studios, TCS is a 3D platformer that sends SpongeBob & Balloon-Patrick through several alternate versions of familiar places. The plot: save their friends and restore Bikini Bottom.

🎮 Gameplay: 8/10
SpongeBob controls well and gradually gains a variety of abilities. Most movements feel quite precise. Occasional slowdowns & longer loading times slightly interrupt the otherwise smooth experience.

🎵 Sound: 8.5/10
A very enjoyable mix of familiar SpongeBob sounds and melodies with more cinematic, at times slightly epic music. It still feels unmistakably like SpongeBob, while giving the different worlds enough musical identity to make the adventure feel larger than an ordinary episode.

🎨 Graphics: 8/10
Colorful, expressive, full of detail. The characters are nicely animated and several scenes almost have a movie-like vibe. Some environments can feel a little overloaded with colors and objects, but overall the presentation is charming and polished.

🌍 Level/world design: 8.5/10
From Wild West Jellyfish Fields to Halloween Rock Bottom, the environments feel distinct and offer a nice mixture of platforming, exploration and side paths. The main progression is more linear than an open world, but revisiting worlds for additional missions and collectibles gives exploration more purpose. For some players at times a little bit repetitive.

🎯 Difficulty balance: 8.5/10
For me, it felt well balanced. The game's accessible without being completely effortless, esp. for casual players, and some later platforming combinations require good timing. Bosses + the ending might be too easy for experienced players.

⭐ Overall: 8.5/10

The Cosmic Shake may not reinvent the 3D platformer. Still, the worlds, moveset, charming presentation & strong atmosphere make this a very enjoyable adventure. Especially for fans of the series 🫶

#spongebobfans #thecosmicshake #gamingreview #nintendoswitch #spongebobgames by @retro.man90

🇬🇧🇺🇲
A little Disney excursion this time!

I recreated a classic Goofy illustration and then gave it a subtle anime-inspired polish with more detailed eyes, shading and material-based highlights. But the difference is not huge though. Goofy just gotta be Goofy 😁

Little fun fact: originally, Goofy was called "Dippy Dawg" 🐕
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🇩🇪
Ein kleiner zeichnerischer Exkurs nach Entenhausen!

Ein klassisches Motiv von Goofy von mir leicht überarbeitet: kleine Schatteneffekte, Highlights und etwas weniger knallige Farben. Zu viel wollte ich nicht verändern, denn Hauptsache, Goofy bleibt Goofy 😁

Kleiner Funfact: anfangs hieß unser Tollpatsch "Dippy Dawg" 🐕

#goofygoof #disneydrawings #disneyclassics #entenhausen #mickeymouseparty by @retro.man90

🇬🇧🇺🇲
Ninetales from the base set (1999).
This nostalgic card stands out with its simple, timeless design and elegant appeal, perfectly suiting this graceful Pokémon. It is one of those cards that instantly evokes the feeling I had as a child when I pulled it from a fresh-off-the-press booster pack. And 26 years later, it's back in my hands again. 🥰
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🇩🇪
Vulnona aus dem Basis-Set (1999).
Diese nostalgische Karte besticht mit einem schlichten, zeitlosen Design und einer eleganten Ausstrahlung, die perfekt zu diesem anmutigen Pokémon passt.
Es ist eine dieser Karten, die sofort dieses Gefühl auslösen, das man als Kind verspürt hat, als ich sie aus dem druckfrischen Booster-Pack herausgezogen habe.
Und 26 Jahre später liegt sie erneut in meiner Hand 🥰

#pokemontcg #nostalgia #pokefans #firetypepokemon #ninetales by @retro.man90

One of the most impressive games on the NES?
This game definitely has a strong case! ⭐

Kirby’s Adventure was released between March and Sep. 1993 for the NES, developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo.
It was Kirby’s only original adventure on the NES and introduced his now-iconic copy ability, which would become one of the defining mechanics of the entire series.

🎮 Gameplay: 8.5/10
Responsive controls, fun abilities and plenty of gameplay variety, but also occasional slowdowns and some ability-dependent secrets.

🎵 Music: 9.5/10
Playful, unconventional, unmistakably Kirby. The soundtrack offers an impressive number of different melodies & moods for an NES game, and it makes even 8-bit sound surprisingly good.

🎨 Graphics: 9.5/10
Colorful, expressive & really detailed. Seeing graphics like this on an 8-bit system impresses me again and again. Hardly gets any better on the NES.

🗺 Level Design: 9/10
Beautiful and atmospheric worlds, each with its own visual identity, mechanics and hidden secrets.

🎯 Difficulty: 8/10
Kirby games are often considered beginner-friendly. Some even say KA is too easy, but I found several stages and bosses genuinely challenging. Still, the game almost always felt fair.

⭐ Overall: 9/10

I played Kirby’s Adventure for the first time only recently, without any childhood nostalgia attached to it. Nevertheless, it immediately reminded me of other classic Kirby games from the 1990s.
Some players may consider it short or relatively easy, but that was not really my experience. Playing a few stages at a time instead of rushing through, it kept me entertained for several weeks.

#kirbysadventure #retrogaming #gamingreview #nostalgicgames #nintendogames by @retro.man90

A little drawing of Princess Peach 🌟
And Mario surely likes it 😉

Slide 1: Colorful background
Slide 2: Line-art
Slide 3: Flat colours
Slide 4: A little artwork
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Heute gibt es eine kleine Zeichnung von Princess Peach 🌟
Da freut sich Mario aber sicherlich 😊

Slide 1: Farbiger Hintergrund
Slide 2: Line-art
Slide 3: Fläche Farben
Slide 4: Mini Artwork

#princesspeach #mariodrawing #nintendodrawing #gamingarts #nintendoart by @retro.man90

Happy SpongeBob day! 🥳😁

#spongebobfans #spongebobday #bikinibottom #retrofans #spongebobsqaurepants by @retro.man90

💬 Gaming Thoughts #1 🇬🇧 🇩🇪

Sony recently announced that, from 2028 onwards, new PlayStation t1itles are planned to be released as digital-only. As someone who loves both retro gaming and collecting, this made me think.
I understand why publishers are moving towards digital distribution. It's more convenient, production and distribution costs are lower, and games are available instantly – most of the time.

But I also believe that physical games offer something digital downloads simply can't replace.

You truly own them.
They preserve gaming history.
They make collecting, sharing and the second-hand market possible.

When I think about buying games in my childhood, it was about having them, holding them in my hands, reading the booklets. This is not just a romantic, nostalgic feeling, this is what life is about.

For me, this isn't about rejecting progress. I enjoy modern technology and digital games too.
I just don't think we should lose the freedom to choose because publishers only focus on maximizing profit.
Physical and digital games don't have to compete. They can coexist.
What do you think?
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🇩🇪 Sony hat kürzlich angekündigt, dass neue PlayStation-Spiele ab 2028 nur noch digital erscheinen sollen. Als Retro-Gamer und Sammler hat mich diese Nachricht zum Nachdenken gebracht.
Ich verstehe, warum Unternehmen diesen Weg gehen. Digitale Spiele sind bequem, verursachen geringere Produktions- und Vertriebskosten (zudem keinen Verpackungsmüll) und stehen sofort zum Download bereit. Auch, wenn mein GTA V-Download damals etwa einen halben Tag dauerte – und Online-Stores irgendwann schließen.

Trotzdem bin ich überzeugt, dass physische Spiele Dinge bieten, die Downloads nicht ersetzen können.

Man besitzt sie wirklich.
Sie bewahren Videospielgeschichte.
Sie ermöglichen Sammeln, Tauschen und einen Gebrauchtmarkt.

Für mich geht es dabei nicht darum, technischen Fortschritt abzulehnen. Ich schätze moderne Technik genauso.
Ich wünsche mir nur, dass wir die Wahlfreiheit nicht verlieren.
Physische und digitale Spiele müssen sich nicht gegenseitig verdrängen.
Beides kann nebeneinander existieren.
Wie seht ihr das?

#sonyplaystation #gamingthoughts by @retro.man90

This little fandom post is a real nostalgic one.

I found these Dragon Ball manga volumes about 20 years ago during a house clearance. The owner allowed me to take them home for free, and they've been part of my collection ever since.

As a Dragonball fan, and although I never read mangas before, you would not believe how happy I was having them! This made me a Manga fan ever since and I loved Dragonball even more than before 🥰
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Vor etwa 20 Jahren fand ich diese Dragonball-Manga-Bände bei einer Haushaltsauflösung und durfte alle gratis mitnehmen. Als Dragonball-Fan war ich so glücklich an jenem Tag, das kann man sich kaum vorstellen – und das, obwohl ich bis dato keine Mangas las, sondern nur Anime-Serien schaute. Doch es änderte sich sehr bald!

Dieses Ereignis prägte mich nachhaltig, und solche Geschichten sind es, die viel mehr wert sind als die bloßen Dinge an sich. 🥰

#dragonballzfans #nostalgia #mangafan #animefandom #dragonballfan by @retro.man90

Everybody talking about Ocarina of Time?
So it's the right time for an review! ⚔️✨

And this game is nothin' but epic.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time was released between November & December 1998 for the Nintendo 64, developed and published by Nintendo.

Its legendary 99/100 Metacritic score still places it among the highest-rated games of all time.

My rating:

🎮 Gameplay: 10/10
Smooth controls, clever mechanics and groundbreaking gameplay for its time.

🎵 Music: 10/10
Pure atmosphere. Emotional, epic and unforgettable. Some tracks honestly feel more like compositions than simple game music.

🎨 Graphics: 9/10
A technical milestone for the Nintendo 64 and still visually charming today.

🗺 World Design: 9.5/10
An incredible world full of memorable places, dungeons, characters and secrets.

🎯 Difficulty: 9/10
Challenging and rewarding without feeling unfair. Some say it could be harder, but to me, it's fine. Water temple was confusing enough!

❤️ Timeless masterpiece bonus

⭐ Overall: 10/10

There are just very few 10/10 masterpieces, and I avoid spamming with top grades. But this one definitely deserves it.

This wasn’t just another adventure game. Ocarina of Time helped define what 3D action-adventure games could become. Revolutionary gameplay, atmospheric worldbuilding, unforgettable dungeons and one of the most iconic soundtracks in gaming history. Even today, it's still worth playing.

As I never had a Nintendo 64, I didn't play it as a child. Nevertheless, this game made me ultimately fall in love with Zelda games.

Ocarina of Time isn’t just one of my favorite Zelda games. It’s one of the most important and influential games ever created. Few games shaped their franchise as profoundly as OoT. Its events became the cornerstone of Zelda lore and the origin point of the series' branching timeline.

So yeah, I am excited for a remake to come on Switch 2 😍😍😍

#ocarinaoftime #nintendo64 #retrogaming #gamingreview #legendofzelda by @retro.man90

Here comes my first Kirby drawing!

Working on this Kirby's Dream Land 3 tribute was real fun. The funny thing: I only discovered this awesome, sweet game last year for the first time. Sadly, Kirby somehow stayed below my radar for many years.

But better late than never 😏

Slide 1: Digital colored version
Slide 2: Scanned original + white background
Slide 3: Sketch / original drawing in details
Slide 4: A little digital artwork
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Meine erste Kirby-Zeichnung!

Diese Version eines Artworks von Kirby's Dreamland 3, die ich möglichst ans Original annähern wollte, ist eine kleine Hommage an ein wirklich tolles Spiel, das ich im letzten Jahr für mich entdeckt habe.
Leider blieb Kirby bislang immer unter meinem Radar, und als Kind hätte ich es mit Sicherheit geliebt.

Aber besser später als nie 😏

#kirbyfanart #kirbysdreamland3 #retrogaming #nostalgicgames #nintendofanart by @retro.man90

This is not just a “special” game.
This is the game that made me fall in love with Nintendo.

Donkey Kong Country was released in November 1994 for the Super Nintendo, developed by Rare and published by Nintendo.

This game wasn’t just visually impressive for its time, it completely changed how platformers could feel on the SNES.

Back in 1996, it was one of the first three games my parents gave me for my 6th birthday, together with the SNES — my very first gaming console ever.

It truly felt like my first big adventure: traveling through atmospheric worlds with Donkey and Diddy, my first childhood heroes, surrounded by danger, secrets and unforgettable landscapes.

🎮 Gameplay: 9.5/10
Fast, smooth, and incredibly satisfying. The controls still feel great today.

🎵 Music: 10/10
Absolutely legendary. Atmospheric, emotional, and unforgettable. The ambient sounds, echoes, and weather effects made the soundtrack feel way ahead of its time. Props to David Wise 🙌

🎨 Graphics: 9.5/10
Groundbreaking visuals for 1994. Rare pushed the SNES to its absolute limits.

🗺 Level Design: 9/10
Creative and memorable, even if later entries refined the formula further.

🎯 Difficulty: 9/10
Challenging, rewarding, and rarely unfair. Six-year-old me managed to beat it, so it definitely wasn’t impossible 😄

❤️ 100% nostalgia bonus

⭐ Overall: 9.5/10

DKC is an unpolished masterpiece, and not just one of my childhood favorites.

It’s one of my earliest gaming memories and, personally, a Top 10 all time title.

I honestly can’t put into words how much this game means to me 🥰
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Dieses Spiel ist nicht einfach nur "besonders". Es ist DER Grund, warum ich Nintendo-Gaming so liebe. 🦍🌴

Nachdem das von Rare entwickelte Spiel 1994 erschien, schenkten meine Eltern es mir einige Zeit später zum Geburtstag. Meine erste Spielekonsole, eins meiner ersten Spiele.

Es sah damals nicht nur unglaublich aus, es veränderte das Gefühl von Jump’n’Runs auf dem SNES komplett.

Dieses Gefühl von Abenteuer in einer atmosphärischen Welt ist pure Gänsehaut. Damals wie heute ❤️

#donkeykongcountry #retrogaming #nintendo #rareware #gamingreview by @retro.man90