Becoming absorbed in a good book while soaking up the sun at the beach is a joyous pursuit. Sure, you could take a Kindle or similar along, but that’s risky business knowing sand gets everywhere – charging ports included. Noticing a demand for a book at the beach, Tiny Bookshop casts you into the role …
Considering its relative obscurity, Jaleco’s Goal! series has quite a confusing history. Different regions gained versions under different branding, with examples including Super Goal! rebranded as Super Cup Soccer for the Japanese market, and the Famicom sequel ditching the ‘2’ in the title – making it appear the same as the US original. Then there’s the …
Billed as the lovechild of Metal Slug and Earthworm Jim, this side-scrolling shooter makes good on that fascinating fusion. It has the explosive weaponry of Metal Slug along with hostage saving side-quests, while from Earthworm Jim it borrows not just its warped sense of humour – with our hero being a human haphazardly fused with …
From fixed camera horror games to retro-style first-person shooters, indie developers have successfully brought back numerous previously defunct genres over the years, all of which were once deemed no longer profitable or popular by the biggest publishers out there. One genre indie studios don’t get much credit for reviving is the humble single-screen platformer. There …
Do you know why so many Marvel video games were released during the ‘90s? The answer is…video games. Rather than buying comic books, American youths started spending their precious quarters playing the likes of Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter II in the arcade, while buying mags such as EGM, GamePro and Nintendo Power to keep …
Acclaim of yore cast their net wide when it came to publishing deals, putting out a diverse range of products. There was no ‘house style’ – which led to a varied catalogue of wrestling, arcade racers, children’s licensed platformers, and even rugby sims. Modern Acclaim, which relaunched last year as an indie label, are clearly …
I was on the cusp of adulthood when Neopets hit the internet in 1999, and so I wasn’t exactly in the target demographic despite owning a Tamagotchi just a few years earlier. That said, I was following the development of a late (2003) PS1 3D platformer based on the franchise. It was running so late …
What’s in a name? A lot in this case. During the early ‘90s, Jaleco released a trilogy of scrolling beat’em ups for the Super Nintendo. This series could have been poised as their answer to Capcom’s Final Fight or SEGA’s Streets of Rage, but pesky regional localisation meant that each entry was given a unique …
Even as a console owner in the ‘80s and early ‘90s, I knew that the Last Ninja trilogy was held in high regard amongst owners of the C64 and ZX Spectrum. It was often championed in the multiformat magazines of the era and could be seen riding the UK sales charts high. Even when the …
Something forever fascinating is hearing about indies that have become sleeper hits, selling vast amounts despite little in the way of promotion and barely making a whisper on social media. Earlier this year, I learned of Castle of Heart, a 2.5D action platformer that shifted over 300k units on Switch alone. Even more impressive is …
As the first console to reach 100m sales, the PS1 had a long life, with new games appearing as late as 2005 – at which point the PS2 was well established. Even the UK Official PlayStation Magazine, known for running far past the console’s prime, no longer existed by then. Many late PS1 games were …
A comedic horror game that ends before the joke ceases to be funny? That’s an idea daft enough to work. And it does, for the most part. Weary city goer Matthew heads to his buddy’s riverside holiday home to recuperate for a few days. While tidying up a mess left by unruly teens, a wheelie …
We last crossed paths with Kain and Raziel in 2024’s robust and lengthy Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered double-pack. This brought together the technically accomplished 1999 original, which pushed the ageing PS1 hard, and the slightly disappointing combat focused sequel from 2001 – a relatively early release for PS2. Defiance is often heralded as a …
A certain controversial billionaire would have us believe that mankind’s salvation lies within the stars. The developers of this slow-life settlement builder clearly feel differently, believing that the solution lies within mountains once deemed inhospitable. Through a combination of nutrient rich soil, fresh streams, and precious mineral reserves, everything is at hand for a modest …
After fulfilling the role as a PS1 launch title, the Ridge Racer franchise went down two different routes. Arcade goers were treated to Ridge Racer 2 and Rave Racer in 1994 and 1995, respectively, while PS1 owners gained the meatier Ridge Racer Revolution, Rage Racer, and finally 1998’s Ridge Racer: Type 4. It’s easy to …