Doom: The Dark Ages was a personally divisive title, and I can imagine some people will not stick with it long enough for it to experience the best of it. It feels completely different from the previous games in both good and bad ways. The game was already released under a dark cloud, but looking back after the credits hit, I had a lot of fun with the game. It just took far too long to show me how fun it could be. You’ll rip and tear until it’s done, you’ll plod along at some places, and go face-meltingly fast through some combat encounters, but at the end of the day you’ll still be playing one of the best modern boomer shooters to date. It seems every third Doom is born to be controversial but Doom: The Dark Ages just grabs the devil by the horns and kicks all kinds of ass…eventually.
Capcom Fighting Collection 2 is yet another fantastic collection of Capcom fighting games. The selection is a little more mixed in terms of overall quality, but I feel this collection especially has more of “something for everybody” than the previous two. This is an absolute must-buy for fans of classic fighting games. It may be slightly lacking in the stronger single-player content, especially compared to newer fighting games, but between the charm of titles like Power Stone and Project Justice and the intense action of Capcom vs SNK 1 and 2, you’ll lose just as many hours as you would credits in the arcade.
Super Technos World: River City & Technos Arcade Classics is the victim of having an unbalanced game selection. There are the two standout titles of River City Renegade and Super Dodgeball which are fantastic, but I wouldn’t say those two alone are worth the asking price. The rest of the games are more curiosities rather than must-plays, though I am still excited to play more baseball. Sadly, Super Technos World: River City & Technos Arcade Classics is the weakest of the collections from Arc System Works for the Technos titles. There is fun to be had here, especially if you can grab someone locally or convince a friend to pick the game up to play online, but otherwise, it may be worth looking into some of the other re-releases that have come out over the last few years.
Pocket Bravery is a fantastic homage to the art of ‘90s fighting games. It nails the fun factor and the sheer amount of content the games used to offer before online play was an option, while doing a fantastic job of replicating the fun of classic NeoGeo Pocket Color titles. This is certainly a title I would suggest any budding brawler puts the cash down on. I will say this likely doesn’t have the strongest player count on any format so if you are picking this up purely for online multiplayer you may be better off spending your money elsewhere, especially since the performance issues on the Nintendo Switch version make that version less than ideal. But all in all Pocket Bravery is a damn fine time aimed at a fighting game playerbase who are already eating quite well at the moment.
So has SNK learned from their previous games and made Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves a game worthy of the mighty Lone Wolves of Southtown? The answer to that is a resounding yes. In my humble opinion, this is the finest SNK game since King of Fighters XIII and does the legacy of Fatal Fury/Garou proud. It looks amazing, the new systems feel completely natural, it has an excellent flow to the matches, the roster is well balanced, and the free Season 1 DLC featuring Chun-Li and Ken Masters from Street Fighter are just a nice sweetener for that. The game just feels so good to play and string moves together that I can just see people getting hooked by it. As a fighter, it feels like the perfect combo of modern gaming and arcade gaming. For a casual gamer, I still believe there is a healthy amount of content here to grip and perhaps be your gateway game into the genre. This is the highest bar and likely the best game to convert anyone over to the series. The admittedly somewhat confusing marketing will undoubtedly create some curiosity in some gamers interested in its real life guest characters, but I expect them to stay for not only the best alternative to Street Fighter 6, Tekken 8 and Mortal Kombat 1, but for the game that has the best chance of winning the bout and becoming King of the Mountain.
The King of Fighters XIII Global Match should be the definitive way to play one of the best fighting games ever made, and unfortunately, it’s not in the shape it should be. It’s certainly not what I'd want anyone's first impression of King of Fighters XIII or SNK to be. If you don’t already own The King of Fighters XIII Steam Edition, then this is the only version you can now buy. I would still say if you don’t own the Steam Edition but are curious about the game, there is an amazing offline game here (CPU usage permitting) that you can take on. If like me you already owned the Steam Edition, there is currently no incentive to jump in and make the upgrade. I do hope the developers are hard at work with a patch to turn this around as I’m itching to play more, but currently, as a supposed upgrade for improved online experience, this more than misses the mark.
X-Out Resurfaced is a bizarre proposition. There isn’t anything particularly bad about the game, nor is there anything amazingly standout aside from the soundtrack or the opening cinematic, leaving it as little more to me than just a curiosity. I enjoyed my time with the game (and even more when I found out you can have more than one life), but I genuinely don’t think I’ll be returning to this one again due to it lacking much in the way of outstanding qualities. It’s a pick for inquisitive fans of the genre, but unless you’re starved for something to play or just HAVE to have every Shmup on the market, there isn’t much here with X-Out that you can’t get elsewhere with less bloom.
Under Defeat is a fine example of how when a good port is produced it can make a world of difference. I had this game on PS3 and it made such a little impression that I was apprehensive to cover it, but I am so glad I did. Clear River Games have absolutely knocked this game out of the park with all the available content and the clean-up job they have done, turning what was originally a “meh” game in my eyes into a top-tier shmup. It’s a hardcore shmup through and through, but with various control schemes, outstanding soundtracks, and various ways to play it through I’m absolutely in love with this title and would feverishly suggest that any fans of the genre pick this version up. It’s not only the definitive way to play the game but in my mind, the only way the game should be played. Bravo Clear River Games and City Connection for bringing this once dull gem out as a blinding diamond in the shmup genre.
I loved replaying The Thing. You can tell what a labor of love this was for the team at Nightdive who have a fantastic track record for not just porting titles to modern but making them a much more enticing product for everyone. Yes, the game still feels like an older title but it's both easier on the eye and easier to play. This makes The Thing: Remastered the definitive way to experience The Thing. There are so many nods and cameos relating to the original film you'd be hard-pressed to find such an impassioned love letter to a source material anywhere else.
Having played other titles from Team Ladybug, I had a feeling that Blade Chimera was going to be good, but I wasn’t expecting it to forcibly inject its way into being one of my favorite Metroidvania titles of all time. A good (albeit rather clichéd) story perfectly carried by a bloody trio of fantastic combat, smooth and responsive controls, and some of the smoothest sprite work I’ve ever seen in my life creates an almost perfect storm for fans of the genre and those tempted to dip their toes in.
DoDonPachi SaiDaiOuJou is a hardcore shmup title to its bones. If you’re new to the genre then this probably isn’t going to be the title that converts you; rather it’s a love letter to ship-flying, credit-popping, bomb dropping gamers who love to hit the wall of Level 3 over and over again, maximizing those scores and using the smallest of windows to avoid colorful death. The lack of an English translation beyond a few menus does a major disservice to this release, but as a whole, it is great to see such an obscure and highly sought title in a more convenient to purchase and play package. It’s a game I’ll be returning to night after night trying to push ever closer to the mythos that is the one-credit clear true last boss which, much like this title, has never been more attainable.
I have a lot of pure nostalgia for these games, but I also feel that maybe Soul Reaver 1 aging so damn well carries the package here. While not a flawless ride by any stretch of the imagination, the world-building, the writing, and the atmosphere are still unrivaled. Aspyr has developed the ideal way to play a stone-cold classic (and the sadly lacking follow-up).
Little Big Adventure – Twinsen's Quest was such a pleasant surprise when it got announced. The original game is one of those titles that I adored back on release but haven’t thought too much about aside from whenever Little Big Planet got mentioned. While I loved replaying Twinsen’s tale in Little Big Adventure – Twinsen's Quest, I can see the many flaws with the game for both newcomers and hardcore fans. But for someone like me? It’s still a great way for me to get my nostalgia fix in a slightly easier way to play it. It’s lacking that charm in places and it is distinctly old school in difficulty, puzzles, and pacing, but there is still quite the gem hidden under all the dirt. It’s an interesting oddity, one that you’ll likely either love or hate this one with little middle ground. It's left me looking forward to the remaster of Little Big Adventure 2 and hope it brings Twinsen and his wacky world into more gamers' hands.
Metal Slug Tactics is a game that caught me by surprise in a few ways at first. I wasn’t sure at first what to make of the roguelite aspects, and even fifteen hours down the line with the title I still feel it is one of the weaker aspects of the game. The game’s performance on the Nintendo Switch is damning for the title and the user interface being as intrusive as it was didn’t give me the best welcome to the game. I will say I did enjoy the game with the issues put aside. I just wouldn’t suggest picking it up on the Nintendo Switch and would rather opt for either the PC or Playstation/Xbox console versions, which hopefully alleviate the main issues I had with the game and give gamers a much more pleasurable Metal Slug experience with a heavy slice of roguelite tactics.
Arc System Works has once again provided a new, old-school experience with a unique twist on a familiar tale. I enjoyed my time with Kunio and friends in the world of The Romance of the Three Kingdoms once again. The original game had such a strong foundation which carries over to the sequel, but there isn’t much here that will seem new to those who played it. On top of that, some parts such as how dialogue is handled and the lack of the China Heroes mode are a step back for the Saga sub-series, as fun as it still is.
I absolutely love Killing Time: Resurrected and couldn't be more surprised, when I saw the fact this has similar origins to the horrendous PO'ED as a 3DO shooter. I went in expecting the worst and came out with a new game for my top 10 classic first-person shooters list. It's quirky, it's fun, and in my personal opinion, it pushed the envelope at the time. The game isn't going to be for everyone. It's almost punk in how janky and strange it looks and plays. But, if you can go in with an open mind and just allow yourself to get absorbed by the Water Clock and its mystery, you've got yet again another banger remaster by the kings and queens of remasters Nightdive Studios.
I cannot say enough positive things about Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO. In my opinion, there hasn’t been a better representative for the product in the whole history of the franchise. It has more depth than a traditional arena fighter, and that goes such a long way to staving off the repetitive nature of the genre. While your mileage may vary somewhat depending on how much you like the source material, I feel it would still be very fun even if you didn’t know what was going on, and if you love Dragon Ball you’ll be hard-pushed to find a better celebration of this much-loved franchise than in Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO.
For me, Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster plays exactly how I remember Dead Rising, but without the annoyances that the original had. Almost all of the changes have been made for the better, and it's an absolute joy to play from start to finish, infinity and beyond. I can see some old school gamers being annoyed at the changes in the game but I feel what they changed would have been very problematic in today's climate. I highly suggest any fans of Dead Rising or even just zombie pop-culture in general pick this up. Even if you just fancy a fun sandbox that rewards experimentation and exploration with an enjoyable and sometimes tongue-in-cheek story with a unique sense of humor, you need to run down to your nearest store, fight off a zombie horde, down a smoothie and grab this game as soon as possible. Your 72 hours start now!
Earth Defense Force: World Brothers 2 is hands down my favorite EDF title of all those that I’ve played. I have already put so many hours into this title, even setting down Earth Defense Force 6 in its favor. The pick up and play nature and the unadulterated fun just keep me coming back. The art direction and way unlocks work won’t be for everyone, but if you’re already part of the EDF cult you’d be doing a massive disservice in missing out on this title over something like visual style. For parents, this is also a potentially fantastic way to introduce a younger teen audience to the series, and certainly converted my kaiju-loving child into the next generation of the Earth Defense Force.
MARVEL vs. CAPCOM Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics is a phenomenal package for both casual players and fans alike. There are several high-quality, coveted games here and plenty of bonus content for those of you who only dabble in fighting games, along with some of the strongest online options around. This collection will have you going for “one more match” long into the night.