Out this week: Star Wars Outlaws, Monster Jam Showdown, Visions of Mana, Age of Mythology, Emio – The Smiling Man, more

It’s reassuring to see that even in these times of financial uncertainty, publishers still hold back releases to coincide with monthly paydays. For reasons unknown, save perhaps for gamescom causing a backlog, there’s a bumper bounty of new releases to tie-in with the end of August. Ubisoft has a new open-world adventure to explore. Star …

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CYGNI: All Guns Blazing review

The franchises Konami are known for often vary from one individual to the next depending on which era they grew up in. Today they’re commonly referred to as the publisher behind Metal Gear Solid, Contra and Castlevania. Two generations ago, they were on a winning streak with Pro Evolution Soccer, which yearly went up against …

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Tales from Toyotoki: Arrival of the Witch, Mika and the Witch’s Mountain, Stumble Guys, and Rise Eterna War hit the Switch

Last week two bird-filled sandbox adventures were on the agenda. This week, it’s witches. Mika and the Witch’s Mountain entails delivering packages to townspeople on a small island, with scope for exploration as you whizz around on a broom. Visually, it appears to take inspiration from Zelda: The Wind Waker. Tales from Toyotoki: Arrival of the …

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Farewell North review

Any decent video game, especially one story driven, should make you feel something while playing. Anguish, sorrow, joy – any emotion, really. Modern adventure games are pretty good at this, with most having professional script writers and hired voice actors. We’ve come a long way from being told aliens are attacking and to defend the …

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Atari 7800+ announced, coming this November for £99.99

We have a soft spot for the Atari 7800. It’s something of a peculiarity, featuring hardware that was advanced for the time – even able to outperform the NES in places – but held back by quirks such as using the same sound chip as the Atari 2600, while featuring a library mostly consisting of …

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Bloodhound review

It feels a little odd to compare this DOOM inspired first-person shooter to an arcade game, especially considering the genre was barely represented in the world of coin-ops, but I also couldn’t shake the fact that it would be right at home nestled between the likes of Mortal Kombat 4 and Mace: The Dark Age …

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Madden NFL 25 enters the UK retail chart at #20

The UK retail chart sees just one new arrival this week. Madden NFL 25 managed to enter at #20 in the all formats chart, and at #5 in both the PS5 and Xbox Series charts. Chances are it won’t stick around for long – Madden games usually sell reasonably well at launch before quickly exiting …

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Stepping into the arena with KIBORG

It’s always neat when a demo of an upcoming game has more to offer than just a level or two. I’m not referring to things like ten-hour trials, as beneficial as they are, but rather when a developer turns a demo into a standalone product, such as a prologue. That’s the case with KIBORG: Arena, …

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The Sirena Expedition review

The currently popular faux PS1 aesthetic works incredibly well for horror games. PS1 visuals were often distorted by default, and the texture warping synonymous with the system arguably amplifies the fear of the unknown. Silent Hill and similar titles were rife with mysterious shadowy creatures formed of twisted polygons, forcing the mind to take a …

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Antstream Arcade is coming to PS4 and PS5, complete with Net Yaroze games

During today’s Antstream Arcade Connect presentation, it was confirmed that the retro streaming service – which features over 1,300 titles from a large variety of formats – is coming to PS4 and PS5. Although a release date is yet to be announced, pricing has been revealed as £39.99/$39.99/€39.99 for an annual pass, or £99.99/$99.99/€99.99 for a …

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Tiny Pixels Vol. 1 – Ninpo Blast review

Visit the upgrade screen in this pixel-powered vertical shooter and you may be surprised by what’s available. Alongside the usual assortment of weapon upgrades, you’ll also find a score multiplier extension and the ability to unlock new backdrops; with the action taking place on a sole infinitely scrolling playfield before purchasing a wider range. Working …

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The UK top ten sees a double-whammy of Mortal Kombat

Discounts at online retailers are seemingly behind this week’s UK retail chart irregularities. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is the UK’s no.1 for a second week running, with EA Sports FC 24 holding onto #2. Then at #3 it’s the return of Mortal Kombat 1, up from #14. The bloody brawler also claims no.1 in both …

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