It’s a rather RPG-centric week for new releases, and that’s despite Echoes of Aincrad skipping Switch 2 at launch. Knowing Bandai Namco, it’ll appear on the system within the next year. A good example of the publisher’s tardiness is Digimon Story Time Stranger, which this week hits both the Switch and Switch 2 after debuting …
Blaze’s line of Evercade-compatible Super Pocket handhelds must be performing well, as they’ve just announced a new model – bringing the current total up to eight. The Super Pocket Activision Edition sees a price hike to £59.99. It does however feature 34 games – a far higher amount than usual. It has a bespoke paint job …
By far the easiest way to convince gamers to invest in a new console is to show off its visual clout. Both Sony and SEGA knew this in 1994, with Sony readying Ridge Racer and showing off Tekken for the PS1’s launch, while SEGA heavily promoted Virtua Fighter and Daytona USA. All four games had …
A little later than expected, football fever has finally hit the UK retail (physical) chart. In other words, EA Sports FC 26 is no.1 this week. All it took was the England team reaching the quarter finals, eh? Football Manager 26 is also no.1 in the PC physical chart (#6 in the all formats chart), …
It’s a fine idea, really. The Sword Art Online series has never fully captured the imagination of western gamers the same way as in Japan, and so the latest entry of this anime adaptation has re-branded itself as Echoes of Aincrad – a fantasy affair more seasoned to western tastes, complete with monsters to slay, …
When the almighty PS1 launched, Takara’s Battle Arena Toshinden gained a lot of press attention, even taking the front cover of various gaming mags. With its vibrant visuals, anime-style characters, over-the-top special moves, and upbeat music, this early polygon-based beat ’em up managed to dazzle. Then, just a few months later, Namco’s Tekken made the …
For a second week running, we’re being treated to a new first-party release from Nintendo. While this may seem peculiarly timed, Rhythm Paradise Groove (Rhythm Heaven Groove in the US) is for the original Switch, and aimed at a different demographic than last week’s Star Fox. A slightly different demographic, at least. This is the …
Clarity, or to use its full name, Clarity: The Seven Demons of Vanguardia, from developer Team Quantum Games and publisher eastasiasoft, is pretty descriptive. It’s down to you to defeat the titular seven demons across a sprawling map in the grand Metroidvania style, even if it is actually not much more than an ordinary platformer. …
The NeoGeo collections are proving popular for the Evercade, so it makes sense that Blaze are keeping that momentum going with Visco Arcade 1 and Visco Arcade 2, licensed from Pixel Heart. The connection here is that later Visco releases ran on NeoGeo hardware. “Visco’s catalogue is packed with hidden gems and arcade favourites that …
Now is a great time to own a Switch 2. In addition to Nintendo putting out new releases regularly, publishers are porting the cream of the past generation’s crop to the system, often at enticingly low prices. Rise of the Tomb Raider is a great example: a rich and varied third-person narrative adventure, with a …
Nintendo’s well-received Star Fox 64 remake has shot straight in at No. 1 in the UK retail (physical) chart. This means it was able to fend off EA Sports FC 26 amid World Cup fever. It wasn’t the only new release in the all-formats top 40, either. Rayman: 30th Anniversary Edition – published by Atari, …
Ubisoft appears to be focusing on smaller projects of late, as evidenced by this year’s slate of Rayman revivals, next week’s Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Re-Synced, and this week’s multiformat Monopoly: Star Wars Heroes vs. Villains – which throws 2v2 and 3v3 modes into the mix. Curiously, this isn’t the first time the two properties …
I love me a turn-based game, having cut my teeth on UFO: Enemy Unknown (aka XCOM) on PC and the likes of Final Fantasy Tactics Advance on GBA. That last one is still resident in my GBA SP, as it happens. Though I should probably get an IPS screen conversion as that display has aged …
You’d think a combination of the World Cup, the scorching summer heat, and a big-name Switch 2 release from Nintendo themselves would result in a quieter-than-usual week for the eShop. If anything, though, the opposite has occurred – it’s a blistering week for new releases, especially if you’re a Switch 2 owner. That major new …
We always envisioned Hamster launching Arcade Archives 2 Tekken to celebrate a milestone. Somewhat surprisingly, it’s out tomorrow – meaning it’s about to go head-to-head with Dead or Alive 6 Last Round on the digital services. Curious timing indeed, although we can’t grumble too much considering Tekken is much requested. This is the arcade version …
