Retro Recap All The Classic Gaming News From The Past Week (January 25th 2026)

Welcome to Retro Recap, a regular feature we run each and every weekend which rounds up all of the best retro gaming news and content of the past week in one place.

Fatboy Slim Opens Up About His Smurfs Video Game Soundtrack

One of the biggest names in the 'Big Beat' revolution that swept global music charts in the late '90s and early 2000s, Fatboy Slim – also known as Norman Cook – has recently sat down for a chat with The Retro Hour Podcast, and he reveals he's actually something of a Luddite when it comes to video games and technology in general – and he talks about the Smurfs video game soundtrack he worked on which represents one of the lowest points in his otherwise glittering career in music.

Killer Instinct / Panel De Pon Myth Debunked

Once upon a time, it was reported that the Super Famicom puzzler Panel De Pon was to be localised for the West with Killer Instinct branding – but Time Extension can exclusively reveal that, if this was ever discussed, the developers at Rare certainly didn't know about it.

Tomb Raider's Lara Croft Almost Had An Anime Face-Lift

Ex-Core Design staffer Paul Douglas has revealed that Victor, the publisher of the game in Japan, asked for Tomb Raider's Lara Croft to be given an anime-style makeover to ensure she would resonate with the Japanese audience. Thankfully, Core Design refused, but the wide-eyed version of the character did make it into the Japanese PS1 and Saturn manuals.

Sega Announces Audio Drama 'The Chaotix Detective Agency'

Sonic the Hedgehog and Team Chaotix – Vector the Crocodile, Espio the Chameleon, and Charmy Bee – are about to star in a new hard-boiled audio drama, coming to podcast platforms on January 27th, 2026. The drama The Chaotix Detective Agency was announced on social media and sees "the world of Sonic the Hedgehog thrust into a not-so-dark, not-so-stormy, hard-boiled detective story".

A New Framework For Making Sonic Fan Games Is Coming

Keeping with the Sonic theme, a new framework for creating fan-made Sonic games is in development, thanks to Axanery, who is also behind a remake of the 1993 Sega CD Sonic CD under the name Sonic CDX. "The framework replicates 1:1 physics, objects, and behaviour from Sonic Mania," says the developer. "There are numerous additions to allow for smooth fangame development! I plan to release this framework within 2026. I hope that it becomes a valuable resource for Sonic fangame creation."

Feature Of The Week: Why 2DS Is The Perfect Embodiment Of Gunpei Yokoi's Core Principles

The 2DS is seen as an afterthought by many Nintendo fans, but to others, it's the purest example of the late Gunpei Yokoi's "Lateral Thinking with Withered Technology" ethos. How did this wedge-like device help Nintendo recover from the botched 3DS launch and propel the handheld to over 75 million lifetime sales? Read our feature to find out...