The biggest retro gaming stories between 6 and 13 May 2025 were not conventional re-releases or loosely retro-styled modern games. The week was dominated by new hardware for original consoles, unfinished games returning from cancelled projects, preservation work and community-led attempts to understand old software at source-code level.
Sega’s Game Gear received a new physical game, Songbird Productions revealed a lost Atari Lynx fighter, 8BitMods showed its ambitious Dreamcast VMU Pro and a new Sega Saturn emulator appeared in public development.
Elsewhere, cancelled Nintendo 64 project Dinosaur Planet entered the static-recompilation scene, Mario Party 4 reached a major GameCube decompilation milestone and Data East’s unfinished arcade fighter Tattoo Assassins was unexpectedly revived.
This expanded roundup replaces the original five-item article with a fact-checked account of the most relevant retro gaming announcements made or reported during the period.
Archival scope
This article records what was announced between 6 and 13 May 2025. Prices, release targets, project progress and availability are presented as they were described at the time. Later delays, completed releases and subsequent feature changes are not silently applied to the original news.
The Week At A Glance
| Date | Story | Why It Mattered |
|---|---|---|
| 6 May | Dangerous Demolition physical edition announced for Game Gear | A completely new cartridge game was created for Sega’s 1990 handheld. |
| 7 May | Songbird Productions revealed Ultravore | A cancelled Atari Lynx fighting game returned with its original source code and assets intact. |
| 8 May | 2025 World Video Game Hall of Fame inductees announced | Defender, GoldenEye 007, Quake and Tamagotchi were formally recognised. |
| 8 May | Ymir Sega Saturn emulator gained wider attention | A new open-source project joined the continuing effort to reproduce Saturn hardware accurately. |
| 9 May | Dinosaur Planet static recompilation reported | Rare’s cancelled Nintendo 64 project was being translated into a native modern application. |
| 11–12 May | Tattoo Assassins revival announced | Data East’s unfinished arcade fighter was being completed from original development material. |
| 12 May | 8BitMods detailed the VMU Pro | The Dreamcast memory card was rebuilt with colour display, rechargeable power and microSD-backed saves. |
| 13 May | Mario Party 4 decompilation reached 99.8% | The project became one of the first major matching-decompilation milestones for GameCube software. |
| 13 May | Defender Pro Kickstarter launched | A modern controller was designed around original PlayStation, PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3 hardware. |
| 13 May | Heber revealed Multisystem² | A new UK-designed, fully assembled MiSTer-compatible FPGA system entered the market. |
Dangerous Demolition Comes To Game Gear
On 6 May, independent developer Dr. Ludos announced a physical edition of Dangerous Demolition, a completely new game designed for original Sega Game Gear hardware.
The game combines the basic objective of Breakout with a top-down shooting system. Instead of waiting for a bouncing ball to reach the final remaining brick, the player can fire at the ball to redirect it or attack parts of the wall directly.
The extra weapon introduces its own risk. The ball can also collide with the player, so controlling its direction is part of both attacking the wall and staying alive.
Thirty Levels & Four Modes
The announced game includes:
- Thirty designed levels.
- An Arcade mode.
- A Time Attack mode.
- A Survival mode with procedurally generated levels.
- A Dodge mode.
- Saved progress and recorded best times.
Dangerous Demolition was developed using Sverx’s open-source devkitSMS and PSGlib tools. Physical publisher 2Minds handled the cartridge, case, box and colour manual.
Why The Release Mattered
The Game Gear was discontinued decades earlier, but developers are still producing software that runs on an unmodified original console.
Projects such as this are more than visual tributes to old games. They work within the real handheld’s processor, memory, display and cartridge limits and must be tested on ageing original hardware.
The 6 May announcement concerned the physical edition and its ordering period. Final production cartridges and customer shipping followed later, so it should not be described as though finished copies had already been delivered during this week.
Sources: Dr. Ludos’ Original SMS Power Announcement and Time Extension .
Lost Atari Lynx Fighter Ultravore Returns
On 7 May, Songbird Productions released the first public video footage of Ultravore, an unfinished one-on-one fighting game developed for the Atari Lynx in the early 1990s.
The project began at Beyond Games, the studio later responsible for BattleWheels on Lynx and Ultra Vortek on Atari Jaguar. Songbird acquired the rights more than 25 years before the 2025 announcement, but the game had remained dormant.
The Original Development Material Survived
Songbird confirmed that it possessed the complete source code and game assets rather than only a partially working ROM image.
That distinction gives the developer considerably more freedom. Source code can be rebuilt, corrected and expanded directly instead of relying entirely on disassembly and binary patching.
Work already completed by the announcement included:
- Health bars.
- Move-dependent damage values.
- New graphics.
- New audio.
Songbird also discussed possible music, additional environments and more fighters. A crowdfunding campaign was being considered if the scope expanded beyond the work needed to complete the original game.
No Fixed Release Date
The announcement did not provide a final release date. Songbird described the project as coming when it was finished rather than committing to a schedule before the required development work was understood.
That qualification matters because restoring an unfinished game is different from simply reproducing a completed cartridge. Missing systems, balance work, testing and content decisions still need to be resolved.
Sources: Songbird Productions’ AtariAge Announcement and Time Extension .
2025 World Video Game Hall Of Fame
The Strong National Museum of Play announced its 2025 World Video Game Hall of Fame inductees on 8 May.
The four selected games were:
- Defender.
- GoldenEye 007.
- Quake.
- Tamagotchi.
They were chosen from a field of twelve finalists that also included Age of Empires, Angry Birds, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Frogger, Golden Tee, Harvest Moon, Mattel Football and NBA 2K.
Defender
Williams Electronics released Defender in 1981. Its horizontally scrolling world, demanding control panel and aggressive difficulty demonstrated that arcade players would accept games requiring more than a joystick and one or two simple actions.
GoldenEye 007
Rare’s GoldenEye 007 launched for Nintendo 64 in 1997. Its four-player split-screen mode became one of the defining local multiplayer experiences of the console and helped demonstrate that first-person shooters could work successfully on a gamepad.
Quake
id Software’s Quake combined a fully three-dimensional world with influential network multiplayer, engine technology and community modification.
Its importance extends beyond the original game because its technology and development culture influenced later shooters, engines and competitive PC gaming.
Tamagotchi
Bandai’s Tamagotchi placed a persistent virtual creature inside a small keyring device. Players fed, cleaned and cared for it throughout the day rather than sitting down for a conventional game session.
Its inclusion recognised the impact of dedicated handheld electronic toys as well as arcade, console and computer software.
The Hall of Fame does not select games solely because they sold the most copies. The museum considers sustained popularity, influence on game design and the wider effect a game had on culture or society.
Source: The Strong National Museum Of Play .
Ymir Adds Another Sega Saturn Emulator
On 8 May, a work-in-progress Sega Saturn emulator named Ymir began receiving wider attention.
The project was at version 0.1.2 when it was reported. It was already running selected commercial games and included a graphical interface designed to make configuration and save management more approachable.
Features Available At The Time
The early public version supported:
- BIN and CUE disc images.
- IMG and CCD images.
- MDF and MDS images.
- ISO files.
- Automatic IPL or BIOS detection.
- Automatic region switching.
- Two-player controller input.
- Backup RAM and DRAM cartridge emulation.
- Save states.
- Rewind of up to approximately one minute.
- Turbo speed and frame stepping.
- An early debugger.
Why Another Saturn Emulator Matters
Sega Saturn software relies on interaction between several processors, sound components, video processors and the CD subsystem. Reproducing those parts accurately while maintaining compatibility and acceptable performance remains a substantial engineering task.
Ymir did not arrive as a finished replacement for established projects. Its developer explicitly described it as work in progress, and compatibility depended on the particular game and feature being tested.
A new open-source implementation is still valuable because it provides another body of research, another set of design decisions and another route for testing how Saturn software interacts with the original architecture.
Ymir has changed substantially since May 2025. The features described here refer to its early public state and should not be confused with later releases.
Sources: Ymir GitHub Repository and Time Extension’s 8 May Report .
Dinosaur Planet Gets A Native Recompilation Project
On 9 May, a static-recompilation project for Rare’s cancelled Nintendo 64 game Dinosaur Planet was reported publicly.
Dinosaur Planet began as a late Nintendo 64 project before development moved to GameCube and evolved into Star Fox Adventures. A December 2000 prototype preserves a version that remains recognisably different from the final GameCube game.
What Static Recompilation Does
The project uses N64: Recompiled to translate the prototype’s Nintendo 64 machine code into a native modern application.
This is different from running the game inside a conventional emulator and different from rebuilding the complete original source code by hand.
RT64 provides the rendering layer, allowing the project to add modern output and presentation features while preserving the original game logic.
Announced Features
The work-in-progress version included or targeted:
- Native execution on modern computers.
- Higher output resolutions.
- Widescreen support.
- Mod support.
- Further performance and presentation improvements as development continued.
The recompilation is specific to the December 2000 prototype. It is not a general Nintendo 64 emulator and cannot load arbitrary game ROMs.
Preservation & Completion Are Different
The prototype preserves a historical build, but it remains unfinished software. Recompilation can make that build easier to run, study and modify, but it does not automatically reconstruct every missing level, asset or system Rare might have completed.
Separate decompilation and modification projects can contribute knowledge and patches, but decisions about finishing cancelled content still involve interpretation rather than simple technical conversion.
Sources: Dinosaur Planet: Recompiled GitHub Repository and Time Extension .
Tattoo Assassins Is Being Finished
One of the week’s most unexpected announcements came from exA-Arcadia at EVO Japan. The company revealed that it was completing and modernising Data East’s cancelled arcade fighting game Tattoo Assassins.
Data East’s North American operation developed the game during the mid-1990s response to Mortal Kombat. It used digitised actors, exaggerated finishing moves and a deliberately absurd tone.
The original project missed its compressed development schedule and never received a normal commercial launch. Location-test cabinets and prototype software survived, but the available build remained unfinished and contained numerous faults.
Original Source Code Recovered
exA-Arcadia stated that it was working with the current rights holders and using the original source code rather than adapting only the publicly circulated prototype ROM.
The planned work included:
- Finishing incomplete parts of the game.
- Rebalancing the fighting system.
- Correcting bugs.
- Adding new content.
- Higher-resolution output.
- Modern display filters.
- Low-latency arcade operation.
An Arcade Release, Not A Home Remaster
The announced version was intended for the exA-Arcadia commercial arcade platform.
No conventional PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch or PC release was announced during the week. Describing it simply as a modern home-console re-release would therefore be misleading.
The value of the revival is not that the original prototype was secretly a completed classic. It is the unusual opportunity to revisit a cancelled commercial arcade project using surviving development material and authorised rights-holder involvement.
Sources: Arcade Heroes and Time Extension .
8BitMods Reveals The VMU Pro
During the weekend leading into 12 May, UK-based 8BitMods revealed the VMU Pro, a modern replacement for Sega’s Dreamcast Visual Memory Unit.
Sega’s original VMU acts as a memory card when inserted into a Dreamcast controller. Its screen can also display game information, manage saves and run small standalone applications when removed.
The VMU Pro retains the Dreamcast memory-card function while rebuilding the portable side of the device around substantially more capable modern electronics.
Colour Display & Portable Emulation
The announced unit uses a 1.5-inch, 240 × 240 backlit IPS TFT. The panel is capable of higher colour depth, with the system described as operating in 16-bit colour mode at launch.
8BitMods demonstrated emulation support for:
- Game Boy.
- Game Boy Color.
- Nintendo Entertainment System.
- Sega Game Gear.
- Sega Master System.
It was also designed to run original VMU mini-games and additional applications rather than functioning only as a tiny general-purpose emulator.
microSD-Backed Dreamcast Saves
The original VMU offers a limited number of memory blocks. VMU Pro stores virtual memory cards on a microSD card, allowing large collections of separate cards and save files to be managed from one device.
The announced features included:
- Automatic game identification for supported software.
- Multiple channels within virtual memory cards.
- Save management directly on the device.
- Transfer of saves from original VMUs.
- A rechargeable battery.
- USB-C charging and data transfer.
- Charging through a compatible Dreamcast controller connection.
- Wi-Fi connectivity.
- Music playback.
Pre-Order Information At The Time
Pre-orders were scheduled to open on 15 May at 6pm UK time. Contemporary reporting listed a price of £74.99 and an intended November 2025 shipping target.
A pre-order shipping target is not the same as a completed retail release. The November date and announced feature set represented 8BitMods’ plan during May 2025 and should not be used as proof of the project’s later delivery status.
Why VMU Pro Stood Out
Small emulator handhelds were already widely available, but VMU Pro was designed around the original Dreamcast accessory interface.
Its most important function was not simply running Game Boy or NES software. It aimed to provide a modern save-management system that could still be inserted into an original Dreamcast controller and recognised by the console.
Sources: Official 8BitMods VMU Pro Product Information , The Verge’s 12 May Report and The Dreamcast Junkyard .
Mario Party 4 Reaches A Decompilation Milestone
On 13 May, the Mario Party 4 reverse-engineering project was reported to have matched approximately 99.8% of the game’s US executable code.
This represented one of the first major matching-decompilation milestones for Nintendo GameCube software.
What Matching Decompilation Means
A decompilation project analyses the original executable and reconstructs human-readable source code capable of producing the same machine code when compiled with the correct toolchain.
Matching the original binary is important because code that merely behaves similarly may still hide incorrect data structures, compiler behaviour or implementation details.
The process is not the recovery of Nintendo’s confidential original source repository. It is a new reconstruction created through analysis of the released game.
Not Yet A PC Port
The milestone did not mean that a finished native PC version was available.
Porting a decompiled game requires additional work for graphics, sound, input, file access, platform compatibility and replacement of console-specific functions.
The project also did not distribute Nintendo’s game assets or complete game data. An existing copy of the game remained necessary.
Regional Versions
The work discussed during the week focused on the United States release. PAL and Japanese revisions required separate matching work because executable code, data layout and compiler output can differ between versions.
A successful decompilation can support documentation, preservation, bug research and future ports, but it does not automatically grant permission to redistribute copyrighted game assets.
Sources: Mario Party 4 Decompilation Repository and Time Extension’s 13 May Report .
Retro Fighters Launches Defender Pro
Retro Fighters launched its Defender Pro crowdfunding campaign on 13 May.
The controller was designed primarily for PlayStation, PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3 while also offering modern USB and Bluetooth connectivity.
Original PlayStation Compatibility
The campaign included a receiver for the original PlayStation and PlayStation 2 controller ports, alongside a 2.4GHz USB receiver and Bluetooth mode.
That combination was intended to let one controller move between original Sony consoles and newer systems without relying on separate adapters for every setup.
Announced Controls & Sensors
The campaign advertised:
- Hall-effect analogue sticks.
- Pressure-sensitive face buttons.
- A redesigned directional pad.
- Adjustable trigger behaviour.
- Programmable rear inputs.
- Motion support for PlayStation 3 functions.
- A 1,000Hz USB polling option.
- Black, grey, blue and red colour choices.
Why Pressure Sensitivity Matters
The DualShock 2 uses pressure-sensitive face and shoulder buttons. A number of PlayStation 2 games can detect how firmly selected inputs are pressed.
Many modern third-party controllers omit that feature, so including pressure-sensitive controls was important for closer compatibility with software designed around the original DualShock 2.
The Defender Pro was a crowdfunding project at this stage. Advertised specifications, delivery dates and final performance were subject to manufacturing and development changes, and backing a campaign was not the same as buying an in-stock retail product.
Sources: Defender Pro Kickstarter Campaign and RetroRGB’s 13 May Report .
Heber Reveals The Multisystem²
On 13 May, British electronics manufacturer Heber revealed the Multisystem², a fully assembled FPGA retro gaming system built around the MiSTer ecosystem.
The console was designed, manufactured and assembled in the UK and supplied inside a 3D-printed charcoal-black enclosure.
Cyclone V & 128MB SDRAM
Multisystem² uses an Altera Cyclone V FPGA with 128MB of SDRAM.
FPGA cores configure the programmable logic to reproduce the operation of older computers, consoles and arcade hardware. The system does not contain the original processors from each supported machine and should therefore be described as FPGA hardware emulation rather than original multi-console hardware.
Heber described it as backwards compatible with its earlier Multisystem and MiSTer Stack accessories and capable of running available cores that work with a single-SDRAM configuration.
Analogue & Digital Versions
Two models were announced:
- Multisystem² Analogue: includes analogue video support for vintage CRT displays, broader input and output connections and additional expansion options.
- Multisystem² Digital: focuses on a more straightforward HDMI-based setup.
The Analogue model includes 24-bit analogue video output, configurable to lower colour depths where required, alongside support for Heber’s controller and SNAC expansion hardware.
Expansion & Zaparoo
The new board provides:
- A cartridge expansion connection.
- A 50-way input and output expansion.
- Seven USB ports.
- I²C expansion.
- Compatibility with existing Multisystem add-ons.
Optional NFC-reader support through Zaparoo allows games or system profiles to be launched by tapping a programmed card or object.
What Buyers Still Needed
Although the console arrived assembled, Heber stated that users still needed to provide:
- A region-appropriate power supply.
- An SD card.
- An HDMI cable.
- A compatible controller or joystick.
Shipping was targeted to begin in August 2025, with orders intended to be fulfilled according to pre-order priority and production batches.
The August date was a shipping target at the time of announcement. It should not be treated as confirmation that every pre-order was dispatched during that month.
Why Multisystem² Was Important
MiSTer FPGA systems are frequently assembled from separate boards, cases and expansion modules. Heber’s approach packaged the platform into a complete console-style product while retaining access to original controllers, CRT video and specialist expansions.
The Digital and Analogue split also recognised that HDMI users and original-display enthusiasts require different connections rather than one simplified output arrangement.
Source: Heber – Revolutionising Retro .
What This Week Showed About Retro Gaming
The stories from 6–13 May covered very different machines, but they shared several themes that now define active retro gaming.
Original Hardware Is Still Receiving New Software
Dangerous Demolition was developed for the real Game Gear rather than only copying its visual style on a modern platform.
New cartridge projects keep original consoles useful while also encouraging documentation of their processors, graphics systems, cartridge formats and development tools.
Cancelled Games Are Becoming Recoverable Projects
Ultravore and Tattoo Assassins survived in very different conditions, but both returned because source code, assets, rights information and prototype material had been preserved.
Preservation does not automatically create a finished game. It creates the possibility of one.
Reverse Engineering Has Moved Beyond N64
N64 recompilation projects had already demonstrated that original machine code could be converted into native applications. The Dinosaur Planet project applied that process to unfinished historical software.
Mario Party 4 showed that matching-decompilation efforts were also making significant progress on GameCube.
Modern Accessories Are Solving Original Weaknesses
VMU Pro targeted the Dreamcast VMU’s battery life, limited save capacity and monochrome screen without removing its original memory-card role.
Defender Pro attempted to preserve pressure-sensitive PlayStation 2 controls while replacing ageing analogue-stick components and adding modern wireless connections.
FPGA Systems Are Becoming More Complete Products
Multisystem² packaged the MiSTer ecosystem into a ready-assembled console with options for both modern HDMI displays and original CRT hardware.
It demonstrated a move away from FPGA retro gaming being limited to exposed development boards and user-assembled stacks.
The most important retro gaming developments are increasingly about access: access to original hardware, surviving source code, accurate documentation, modern replacement parts and software that would otherwise remain unfinished or difficult to run.
Sources & Further Reading
This roundup prioritises announcements from developers, manufacturers, museums and project repositories. Contemporary reporting is used to establish when stories became public and how the projects were described during the week.
-
Dangerous Demolition – Developer Announcement
Dr. Ludos’ original 6 May post covering the game, modes, save support, development tools and 2Minds physical edition. -
Ultravore – Songbird Productions
Original AtariAge announcement confirming the surviving source code, assets and planned restoration. -
2025 World Video Game Hall Of Fame Inductees
Official announcement from The Strong National Museum of Play. -
Ymir Sega Saturn Emulator
Open-source project repository and current documentation. -
Ymir – May 2025 Coverage
Contemporary description of version 0.1.2 and its early public features. -
Dinosaur Planet: Recompiled
Project repository explaining the December 2000 prototype, N64: Recompiled and RT64. -
Tattoo Assassins Revival Announcement
Contemporary report from EVO Japan covering the exA-Arcadia project. -
8BitMods VMU Pro
Official hardware features and Dreamcast save-management information. -
VMU Pro – 12 May 2025 Report
Contemporary coverage of the announcement and pre-order date. -
Mario Party 4 Decompilation
Project repository documenting regional versions, matching status and the absence of distributed game assets. -
Mario Party 4 – 13 May 2025 Report
Contemporary reporting of the 99.8% decompilation milestone. -
Defender Pro Kickstarter
Original crowdfunding campaign for the PlayStation-compatible controller. -
RetroRGB – Defender Pro
Launch-day report covering the controller’s connections and announced controls. -
Heber Multisystem² Announcement
Official specifications, model differences, expansion support and original August 2025 shipping target.
Final Thoughts
The week’s strongest stories came from people building around hardware and software that mainstream publishers had left behind.
A new Game Gear cartridge, an advanced Dreamcast memory card and a complete MiSTer-style console showed that original systems can still receive practical new products rather than decorative tributes.
At the same time, Ultravore, Tattoo Assassins and Dinosaur Planet demonstrated three different routes through which unfinished games can return: surviving source material, authorised commercial restoration and community-led recompilation.
Ymir and the Mario Party 4 project showed the value of long-term technical research. Emulator development and decompilation do not provide instant results, but they create increasingly detailed records of how ageing hardware and software work.
Taken together, the news from 6–13 May 2025 showed an active retro gaming scene focused not only on replaying old games, but on preserving, repairing, documenting and extending the machines that run them.
More From Retrolize
Explore restored consoles, modern retro gaming accessories and more detailed technical articles from Retrolize.