arcade

Update: We’ve now got a full list of the tracks in the base game! Original post: It feels like a new Theatrhythm has been a long time coming. It’s been eight years since Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call landed on 3DS in 2014, and while the series has had some …

Wonder Boy has a bit of an odd history. It sits alongside Alex Kidd as one of Sega’s more iconic second-string platformers (behind Sonic the Hedgehog, of course), yet inconsistencies with naming conventions, numbering, localisations gave the series a bit of a disjointed canon. Spotty appearances in other Sega compilations …

Red Earth. Released in arcades in 1996 as the showcase for Capcom’s new CPS3 arcade platform, this somewhat eccentric fighting game soon slipped into relative obscurity. A quirky little fighting RPG with just four unfamiliar characters was always going to struggle to step out of Street Fighter II‘s shadow, and …

In a lot of ways, Arcade Spirits: The New Challengers is a very different beast to its predecessor. The first was a funny, heartfelt, optionally romantic visual novel about the daily lives of a game centre operator and their eccentric regulars; The New Challengers is all about arcade esports: competition, …

I really want to like Ganryu 2. From the instant you load it up, its vibrant, detailed pixel art and slick character designs call to mind the twilight years of the Neo Geo arcade system, when SNK (and other developers) were really pushing that hardware as hard as they could. …

Slipstream isn’t the first retro-style racing game on Switch, but absolutely nails that ‘80s pseudo-3D arcade racer aesthetic. Back before 3D graphics were the norm, games like Hang-On and Out Run managed to simulate three-dimensional effects with sprite scaling; aside from being an impressive technological accomplishment for the time, it …

When you think of “Taito milestones”, what comes to mind? Space Invaders, surely, as one of the most influential videogames of all time? The inimitable charm of Bubble Bobble? The unique style and innovation of Darius? You’ll find none of these in Taito Milestones. This new 10-game compilation is touted …

Andro Dunos II feels like it could have come out 30 years ago, hot on the heels of the first game. That’s not to say it feels dated—it certainly doesn’t—but rather, that it feels authentic in a way that few “retro-inspired” games do. NeoGeo shmups have a unique feel and …

Halfway through the third stage of Castle of Shikigami 2, a boss called “Freyr” shows up. With a name like that, shoot-’em-up genre conventions, and the few other bosses under your belt by that point establishing the game’s dark fantasy style, you’d probably expect some huge, threatening mech or a …