Image: Retroid

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.

"It Could Have Been Awesome" - The Nightmare Before Christmas Sequel You Never Got To Play

Recently, concept artist Ken Christiansent has told us about a Smash Bros-esque title featuring Disney characters from Activision, a pitch for a Rocketeer video game sequel that sadly went nowhere, and a Pirates of the Caribbean project that was reportedly inspired by Stormfront Studios' licensed Two Towers game. But these aren't the only projects he was happy to talk about.

He also informed us of a few other pitches he was involved with at Disney, including failed attempts to get a Nightmare Before Christmas game off the ground, prior to the release of Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's Revenge (for PS2 and Xbox) and Nightmare Before Christmas: The Pumpkin King (for the GBA) in the mid-2000s, and its appearance as a world in the Kingdom Hearts series.

Anbernic Shows The Upcoming RG DS Plus Running Nintendo DS, N64, PS1, Dreamcast And Saturn Titles

Anbernic has released hands-on footage of its new RG DS Plus in action.

In the footage, the system is shown playing DS, N64 and Dreamcast games (as well as others) under emulation, PC ports and Steam-based streaming. Netplay is also shown off.

"I Haven't Been Paid In A While" Admits Amico CEO While Insisting That Tommy Tallarico Is Still "Active" In Raising Funds

The "consultant" CEO of Amico (which, as you'll know, can no longer use the name Intellivision) has admitted he's working for no pay and that the firm has basically six months to determine its future.

Speaking to Scene World Magazine (thanks, Completely Unnecessary Podcast), Amico CEO Phil Adam says he and "a few other consultants" are working on the project without pay, with the ultimate goal of securing "back pay" if they can pull off some kind of unlikely resurrection.

White House Removes 'Build The Wall' Game Following Statement From The Tetris Company

The White House has removed its Tetris clone 'Build the Wall' from its Arcade.gov website this week.

This follows a statement from The Tetris Company about the game, which focused on erecting a structure to keep people from crossing the Mexican / US border illegally.

Crash Bandicoot Turns 30! What Are Your Favourite Games From The Mad Marsupial?

A King of Kings. An Idol to Millions. An Upside-Down Orange Triangle Guy. However you choose to describe him, there is no denying the irrefutable staying power of the one and only Crash Bandicoot. And this week, you should pour yourself out a tall, cool glass of Wumpa juice, as the madcap marsupial is celebrating his 30th anniversary.

"We're Genuinely Sorry" - The Neo Geo AES+ Has Been Delayed

Plaion has announced that it has delayed the highly anticipated Neo Geo AES+ until September next year.

The console – which is a recreation of SNK's 1990 original – was originally earmarked for launch on 12th November 2026.

"We know many of you have been looking forward to receiving your NEOGEO AES+ this year," says Plaion in a statement posted on social media. "We're sorry to say that the worldwide release will now take place on 16th September 2027."

Project Dream, Rare's Unreleased Banjo-Kazooie Predecessor, Leaks Online

Out of the blue this week, a user uploaded to the Internet Archive what appears to be a demo of the unreleased Rare title Project Dream for the SNES, the game that would later evolve into Banjo-Kazooie for the N64.

We've seen screenshots and footage of the unreleased game before (most notably in a featurette on the Rare Replay collection in 2015), but this appears to be the first time players have been able to try what's left of it themselves.

Retroid Reveals Pricing For Dual-Screen 'Pocket Duo' Hardware Alongside New Gameplay Video

This week , Retroid revealed the Retroid Pocket Duo and the Retroid Pocket Duo Lite.

The Pocket Duo will retail for $269 (€231) with a $20 (€18) discount for pre-order purchases. This model features 8GB RAM + 128GB storage capacity.

The Pocket Duo Lite is available in two models. The 4+64GB model retails for $149 (€128) with a $14 (€12) discount for pre-order purchases, while the 6+128GB model retails for $169 (€145) with a $14 (€12) discount for pre-order purchases.

Antstream Confirmed As The Developer Behind James Pond Legacy: The Pond Is Not Enough

Time Extension has learned from more than one source that System 3 isn't involved in the development of the James Pond Legacy collection, or in the creation of the assets which had engendered such a vitriolic reaction.

Instead, it has contracted the work out to Antstream, the company behind the popular retro gaming streaming subscription service. We've reached out to the company, and a representative has confirmed its involvement.

Antstream seems to be branching out aggressively into this market, as it is also responsible for the forthcoming Alien Breed: 35th Anniversary collection, which Commodore is publishing.

Dreamcast Sega Rally 2 Is Playable Online Once Again

Prepare to take another Very Long Easy Right Baby, as notable modder "Shuouma" has successfully restored online connectivity to the Dreamcast muddy mudripper Sega Rally Championship 2.

Originally ported to the Dreamcast in 1999, only the Japanese edition of Sega Rally 2 took advantage of the console's rudimentary online capabilities, leaving North American and European players spinning their wheels while their Asian compatriots battled it out in the game's time trials. The newly modded edition of Sega Rally 2 finally allows Western players to experience the title's four-player online action.

"It's Almost The Perfect Hardware For UrbX Warriors" - Gaming Legends Tony Warriner And Stoo Cambridge On Sega's Mega Drive

When two industry legends like Tony Warriner (Beneath A Steel Sky, Broken Sword) and Stoo Cambridge (Sensible Soccer, Cannon Fodder) come together to create a new game, it pays to sit up and take notice – and that's precisely what over 800 people did when the pair announced UrbX Warriors for the ZX Spectrum Next.

"We were excited at the idea of doing something for the Mega Drive, and when we looked at the specs we realised it's almost the perfect hardware design for UrbX Warriors, and that was pretty much the decider for us," say the pair in an exclusive statement given to Time Extension.

"Another great thing is the relative ease of producing new cartridges and, you know, as physical media goes, they are almost the perfect form. Everyone loves them. The idea of manufacturing a whole bunch of them is really exciting for us - especially given everything that's going on at the moment.”

TrimUI Brick Pro Review - Same Power In A Larger Frame (And Dual Analogue, Too)

If you cast your mind back to when I reviewed the TrimUI Brick back in 2024, you'll recall that I was quite taken with the Game Boy-style emulation handheld. Sure, it was perhaps a little too dinky for some people, and the lack of analogue input meant its ability to emulate N64 and Dreamcast games was slightly (but not entirely) pointless – but for the low price, it was a well-built, capable little handheld.

TrimUI is back with a revised version of the Brick concept, but before you get too excited, the 'Pro' at the end of its name is rather misleading. In a world where we've become accustomed to the 'Pro' designation meaning more power, this particular hardware refresh is sporting the exact same chipset as its predecessor, the Allwinner A133 Plus.