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Parasol Stars Is Coming To Modern Consoles

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🌈The Iconic Sequel To Rainbow Islands Is Coming To Modern Consoles on July 11th!

In 1991, TAITO released the third entry in its enduring Bubble Bobble series: Parasol Stars: The Story of Bubble Bobble III. Originally released on the PC Engine, the game followed the success of its predecessors, building on the foundations Bubble Bobble and Rainbow Islands laid down and continuing the story from where they left off. It quickly became a hit, later being ported to Atari ST, Amiga, Game Boy, and even NES, gaining huge popularity and its own dedicated fandom.

Some thirty-three years later, this iconic platformer is ready to land on modern consoles on July 11th for only €9.99 and can be pre-ordered for Nintendo Switch as of now. Xbox pre-orders will start on 19.06.2024. Both offers an additional 10% pre-order bonus until release! Hurry up! PlayStation®4/PlayStation®5 versions will also be out on the 11th of July 2024.

Game Features:

  • An enigmatic ensemble of enemies, each with unique abilities (and charm);
  • 2-player mode: double the fun with Bubby and Bobby!
  • Dazzling parasols with magical powers;
  • Power-ups galore;
  • 8 worlds to save, plus 2 unlockable ones!

And some quality-of-life options, such as save states and the ability to rewind gameplay – woohoo!

 

Replikator – Twin Stick Roguelite Shooter Releases This Friday!

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Twin stick shooter ready to duplicate itself all over consoles this week

  • Price: $9.99 / €9.99
  • Release Date: 26th May 2023
  • Platforms: XB1, XBX/S, PS4/5 & Switch
  • Genre: Overhead shooter/Twin Stick Shooter

Indie publisher Ratalaika Games and Meridian4 join forces with Indie developer R_Games to announce the forthcoming release of Replikator, a challenging, eventful and addictive overhead shooter. Launching on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Microsoft Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch on May 26th 2023, this roguelite presentation combines fast gameplay in an ongoing experience of discovering a mystery of a deadly saga of what occurred at a research complex.

Death Walks Beside you

Replikator offers shooter fans a sci-fi setting where gameplay centres around exploring the intricate labyrinths of space stations and fighting with hordes of enemies. Dozens of weapons and implants (passive skills) help the player but a sharp eye and evasive movement are also required to avoid hail of bullets and monsters that lurk. If the player’s character dies, then he will be reborn at the very beginning, but thanks to the resources found, he will be able to buy permanent improvements that will help him move forward in the next run.

Disaster Strikes

It appears that an accident occurred at the classified research complex, which led to the death of all personnel but all is not quite clear. A group of mercenaries led by the smuggler Khan will have to find out the reason for what happened.

To keep explosive action ‘unpredictably’ challenging, station mazes and items in them are generated procedurally, so each attempt is essentially unique. Gradually, the player will find blueprints of new items as well as finding entries from the crew of the complex which will reveal what happened here. At the same time, the player has the main goal – to get to the Replicator and defeat it.

Inside Information

  • Dynamic battles. You will have to constantly move and aim well to survive!
  • Danger at every turn. Many different enemies and traps will not let you get bored.
  • Dozens of upgrade items. Explore stations looking for new upgrades for your character.
  • Meta progression. In this game, each death will only make you stronger, because after death you will be able to buy permanent improvements for your character and the hub ship.
  • Procedural generation! The location of rooms, enemies and traps, as well as weapons and all items, are generated procedurally.
  • Space raccoon! and three more playable characters. All of them differ in starting characteristics, preferred weapons and special techniques.
  • Intriguing story. Explore the abandoned science complex and find out what happened here!

The player needs to complete 12 levels, including 5 bosses and as the player progresses the challenge becomes harder so many attempts may be required! Constant battles with ‘bosses’ with new attacks and moves as they become stronger will have to be faced! During the exploration of the stations, the player will find nanocubes that remain with him after death. They can be spent on the purchase of permanent improvements – for example, you can increase the maximum supply of ammunition or open access to a new workbench to improve weapons.

Replikator delivers masses of new content as the game progresses, and action is unashamedly fast, precise and deadly!. This twin stick shooter is red hot with hordes of crazy and blood thirsty enemies out to get you or one of the playable characters you select – of which there are 4! Top down action has never been so demanding, so can you win out?

‘The game is designed for one player. Approx 8-9 hours will be enough to defeat the last boss, however, it may take 30 or more hours to study all the content’ , R_Games.

Keep Moving, Shoot Straight… Survive!💀
Explore the complex & reveal what happened to its denizens!



[press release supplied]

Zen Studios’ Pinball FX now on Xbox and PlayStation

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Being in a future timezone, we in Australia had to wait a few extra hours for Zen Studios’ Pinball FX to hit Xbox and PlayStation consoles!

The latest in the FX series, Pinball FX has graduated from early access to full release at the Epic Games store, as well as making its debut on PlayStation 4 & 5, Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One! Nintendo Switch fans will have to wait a bit longer.

This is a new era of digital pinball from Zen Studios, including a day-one, ever-expanding lineup of 86 tables, plus an impressive suite of new features, the revolutionary pinball platform is inching ever closer to the real silverball game. If you love playing pinball video games, then jump on this right now and enjoy the Wild West Rampage table at no cost, and check out the trial modes for all other tables.

All returning tables from previous editions have been fully remastered in Unreal Engine, with ray-tracing-enhanced, 4K-HDR visuals, as well as upgraded Pro Physics. Not lacking plentiful fresh downloadable content, Pinball FX also introduces three brand new releases: Borderlands®: Vault Hunter Pinball, Brothers in Arms®: Win the War Pinball and The Addams Family (itself including a never-before-seen enhanced play, as with all Williams classics). At the same time, console players can get their hands on more than 15 tables for the first time that Pinball FX Early Access players enjoyed in 2022, such as Star Wars Pinball: The Mandalorian, World War Z Pinball, DreamWorks Pinball, five Zen Originals, plus Williams classics World Cup Soccer and The Machine: Bride of Pin-Bot. Zen will release new tables regularly, many involving exciting new licensed IPs – most immediately, Legendary Pictures’ Godzilla vs. Kong.

Go on, get flippin’ peeps!


source: Zen Studios



Playing ‘The Last of Us’ Again

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By: D.C. Cutler, U.S.A.

After watching the HBO smash hit “The Last of Us,” I think I’ll go back and play the original game again. The popular series tells the story of a smuggler and a teenage girl in a zombie-infested world.

When I first played “The Last of Us” when it was released in 2013, I thought the action-adventure, survival horror game was captivating and enjoyable, but I wasn’t into it that much. I played it like crazy for about a week, and then I moved on to something else. I did start a new job around the time I bought the epic game, so that might’ve contributed to me losing interest.

The HBO series has an incredible production budget, and it unquestionably shows. You are in the series’ post-apocalyptic 2023. The attention to detail is impeccable. It’s been almost ten years since I’ve played the game; breaking the game out again after watching the show sounds fun.

The show has done an amazing job creating the look of the blind infected, the “clicker” zombies, from the video game. I can see several award nominations for the series on the horizon. They are even scarier in the television series. In Episode 2, when Joel fought with one of the “clickers,” the choreography was taken directly from the massively successful game.

“The Last of Us” television show has knocked it out of the park since its debut on HBO. I thought the zombie genre was sort of getting stale, but “The Last of Us” feels like a fresh spin on the genre. The cinematography of the first three episodes has been visually flawless.

According to the industry website gamesindustry.biz, the television series is drawing in new “The Last of Us” game players, too. After the show’s release, sales jumped in the United Kingdom. Sony has already sold 37 million “The Last of Us” themed video games since the release of the original.

With only a small sample of three episodes, I’m keeping my fingers crossed for a Season 2, in 2024 or ’25. By then, time allowing, I can be caught up on playing some of the franchise. It’s a rich world that the developers of “The Last of Us” series have created for new, different mediums.



Construction Simulator – Review

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We’ll be upfront, we haven’t played a ‘sim’ video game in a long long time, especially one like this one!

Our expectations in playing Construction Simulator (CS) on our Xbox Series S was coming off a low base. We honestly didn’t know what to expect, and weren’t thinking about getting hooked on such a game. Well, we didn’t have to wonder for too long, as we found Construction Simulator such a breath of fresh air compared to the plethora of other genres we’ve been playing lately. We even managed to drain our controller, which left our construction crew and company perilously close to failure, that’s how darn good this game is – it makes you care and take responsibility for the success of your construction empire.

30 million Construction Sim fans can’t be wrong in loving this series, so better make that 30 million + 1 now. Aastragon Entertainment and Weltenbauer have ensured the player could build (pun fully intended!) a construction empire on a myriad of gaming systems, from the PC, PlayStation®4, PlayStation®5, to the Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S consoles. CS includes a co-op multiplayer for up to four players, the largest fleet of vehicles in the history of the series and numerous new and once again significantly expanded features in a completely revised, modern look. Coming in new to this series, we have to say, it’s been a pleasant surprise.

Will you become the next Multiplex or Lendlease? Or will you become a Grocon, where you start off all high and mighty, only to go down the building gurgler – your destiny is literally in your hands. Where else could we realise our childhood dreams of becoming a builder or using an excavator – thankfully, CS offers this in the comfort of our lounge room!

The extensive list of licensed vehicles, machines and equipment from the top manufacturing brands is quite impressive, as are the huge maps across Europe and the US with different and challenging campaigns featuring 90 jobs! It’s not just pure building, this is an all encompassing simulator, including maintaining your construction yard, refuelling and vehicle maintenance and renting construction gear from your dealer, just to name a few. We can’t really compare to real life as we aren’t in the industry, but the publisher assures us that the earthmoving systems and driving physics have all been revamped, making them very close to lifelike – which is great to know.

We’d go so far as to say that Construction Simulator is our fave ‘sim’ for 2022 so far! We have no doubt the 4-player co-op multiplayer mode would be even more fun than the solo campaigns, but nevetheless, this game is the complete package, no matter how you play it! Go and build and have some fun!



Disclaimer: Xbox Series X|S review code for Construction Simulator was provided by HomeRun PR.

Review: Wonder Boy Collection

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Let’s get one thing straight, we are checking out the digital version of the Wonder Boy Collection, which is vastly different from the physical boxed edition from Strictly Limited Games. Just so you guys are informed, this digital version contains 4 Wonder Boy games, whereas the Strictly Limited Games (physical) edition has all 6 of the classic Wonder Boy titles, plus every Master System, Mega Drive/Genesis, Game Gear and arcade versions of those games, both in English and Japanese, for a grand total of 21 games – so you see, there is a pretty big difference!

OK, we have got that out of the way, let’s get into the 4 games that you get in the digital version of the Wonder Boy Collection. First off the bat (and our absolute favourite, because we grew up with it) is the arcade version of Wonder Boy (1986). The next one is another arcade version, Wonder Boy In Monster Land (1987), with the last two titles being Mega Drive/Genesis ports of  Wonder Boy in Monster World (1991) and (Wonder Boy) Monster World IV (1994).

This is not a bad little collection, but it does feel incomplete if you are a hardcore Wonder Boy fan. Considering there other titles in the main series left off this compilation, coupled with the remakes and Adventure Island ports, this could have been such a stellar collection worthy to be in everyone’s games library. Anyway, we digress!

If you are reading this, then you will know what types of games these are. Wonder Boy is an out and out platformer with jumping and collecting items on the way to rescuing his girlfriend – sound familiar? Yeah, it is in the Super Mario Bros. ilk, which isn’t a bad thing. The rest of the collection take this formula and sprinkle RPG elements to spice things up in each of the successive titles in the collection.

All games have the option to save/load states, modify the controls, rewind speeds and importantly, the video, which includes options to change the display, scaling and shaders – ensuring that you can retro it up to your heart’s content. The arcade ports have the additional options to change the number of lives, bonus lives and difficulty level, with Monster Land having the option to change how you use your special weapon. It would be remiss of us not to mention a blaring error on the Wonder Boy (1986) selection screen where there is reference to Tom-Tom’s girlfriend as Tanya instead of Tina. Hey, we know we are being very pedantic, but come on, this is elementary detail that should have been a no brainer.

All games are faithful to their original content, with the emulation accuracy being quite good on the Nintendo Switch. As it stands, for AU$39.99 (US$29.99), you get four pretty good Wonder Boy titles, but you can’t help it think how much more awesome it would have been if they added Monster Lair and Dragon’s Trap to this collection.



Disclaimer: The Nintendo Switch eShop code for the Wonder Boy Collection was provided by PR Hound.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge – Review

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Cowabunga! Sorry, we really had to start with that!

How good do we beat’em up fans have it right now? Both Final Vendetta and TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge get released within a day of one another. The last time we had it this good, I had a mullet and the singing budgie, Kylie Minogue, was killin’ it with her Stock Aitken Waterman hits. Oh yeah, and we are late doing this review because this game is deliciously addictive, just like a capricciosa pizza (minus the anchovies)!

You’ve probably read (or watched) a ton of reviews about this game already, so we honestly don’t know what else to say that hasn’t already been said – if you are into scrolling beat’em ups (playing solo or co-op), then adding TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge to your games library is a no-brainer, GET IT RIGHT NOW!


source: DotEmu

For those that need an extra push that are asking, how darn good is this game, well let us tell ya! We played Final Vendetta before Shredder’s Revenge and called it the beat’em up genre’s magnum opus (it’s darn good), but we honestly reckon Shredder’s Revenge is just as good (if not better!). The main pull for us is the fact that this game oozes nostalgia with its beautiful full-colour pixel visuals, aural (yay Tee Lopes!) and play mechanics by transporting us back to early 1990 in the video rental store where we first played the 4P Konami arcade game which totally blew our mind. Shredder’s Revenge has blown our mind too! Obviously it is a step above the original arcade with ample levels that are choc-full of foot clan baddies to smash with satisfying moves, attacks and brutal combos – there are 21 in total. Some moves do consume your Ninja Power bar, so you have to be strategic when to use it. Being TMNT, there is also a radical mode (basically god mode) that can be unlocked to mow down everyone on screen. Oh yeah, you can also taunt your enemies before you unleash your fist of fury. Did we also mention that you can play with up to six players simultaneously? No? Well, we have now – it’s just so gnarly! What else can we tell you about this game that no one has said already? It’s so bodacious!

We love the fact that you can play Shredder’s Revenge in Story or Arcade mode, with the latter basically giving the player a harder challenge with limited lives, continues and no saved progression – just the way we like it. Both Story and Arcade modes offer an easy (chill), hard (okay) and tough-as-nails (gnarly) difficulty levels, so it all depends on your mood and skill level.

If you need more convincing, then perhaps this game isn’t for you. If you are sitting on the fence, we say get off it and get playing TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge on your chosen system ASAP, you’ll thank us for it! Seriously though, if we had a rating system, we would give this all the stars in the observable universe. Bravo and thanks Tribute Games and DotEmu for giving us a superb game.

image source: DotEmu



Disclaimer: The Nintendo Switch review code for TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge was provided by DotEmu.

Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium Launches In July

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Put Your Arcade Skills to the Test When Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium Launches This July

Get ready to relive some of your favourite arcade memories when Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium – chock-full with 32 classic Capcom games – releases worldwide on July 22, 2022 on Nintendo Switch™, PlayStation®4, Xbox One and Steam. Retro fans and arcade novices alike can experience (or re-experience!) arcade mainstays like STREET FIGHTER, SATURDAY NIGHT SLAM MASTERS, BLACK TIGER, MEGAMAN 2 – THE POWER FIGHTERS -, A.K.A. MAGIC SWORD and more. Friends and family can even get in on the action with local multiplayer available across a number of titles.

Similar to the original Capcom Arcade Stadium released last year, players can expect an abundance of customization and gameplay options in Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium, including:

  • Online leaderboards: Climb the ladder and see how you stack up against other players.
  • Display settings: A variety of display settings (Normal, Arcade, Full Screen), screen filters, arcade cabinet designs and frames to personalize every gaming experience and maximize the feeling of playing at your own home arcade.
  • Gameplay options: Including adjustable Game Speed (from “Very Slow” to “Very Fast”) and Difficulty Level to increase accessibility – or to give yourself an added challenge.
  • Rewind: This Rewind feature is available across all Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium games and allows players to jump back 10 seconds in time to save themselves (or a friend) from any unforeseen dangers. Whether you’re struggling to defeat a boss or want to practice a tricky segment of a game, the Rewind feature unlocks a whole new dimension of gameplay.
  • Invincibility mode: Play all the titles in the collection in an invincible state, available as free DLC!

All players start out with SONSON, the 2D side-scrolling platformer first released in 1984, for free. Players who pre-order or purchase Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium before August 5, 2022 will receive the “Display Frames Set 1,” which gives players access to 32 title-specific display frames that open new customization options for their digital arcade cabinets. Additionally, players who pre-order or purchase Capcom Fighting Collection™ before September 30, 2022 will receive Three Wonders, which packs three arcade games into one, as a bonus game for Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium.

With Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium, players have the freedom to build up their own personalized collections by purchasing individual titles. For maximum nostalgia, players can choose to purchase the “Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium Bundle 1” for access to all 32 titles.

Original Capcom Arcade Stadium players also receive bonus content in Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium, including:

  • Capcom Arcade Stadium Music & Lights: Players who have save data from Capcom Arcade Stadium receive access to this new feature that allows you to change the colours and music for the menu screens.
  • Instruction Card Backgrounds: Anyone who purchased at least one title from Capcom Arcade Stadium will be able to set instructions and key art from  past titles as their background for the game.

Lastly, to celebrate Capcom’s 39th anniversary and the first year since the release of Capcom Arcade Stadium, we are making Street Fighter II – The World Warrior – available to download for free in Capcom Arcade Stadium through July 21, 2022.

The full game list for Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium is below. Prepare yourself…it’s a long one!

  • 1943 Kai – Midway Kaisen –
  • A.K.A. BLOCK BLOCK
  • A.K.A. KNIGHTS OF THE ROUND
  • A.K.A. MAGIC SWORD
  • A.K.A. THE KING OF DRAGONS
  • A.K.A. VAMPIRE SAVIOR – The Lord Of Vampire –
  • BLACK TIGER
  • Capcom Sports Club
  • DARKSTALKERS – The Night Warriors –
  • ECO FIGHTERS
  • Gan Sumoku
  • Hissatsu Buraiken
  • HYPER DYNE SIDE ARMS
  • HYPER STREET FIGHTER II – The Anniversary Edition –
  • LAST DUEL
  • MEGAMAN 2 – THE POWER FIGHTERS –
  • MEGAMAN – THE POWER BATTLE –
  • NIGHT WARRIORS – Darkstalkers’ Revenge –
  • Pnickies
  • Rally 2011 LED STORM
  • SATURDAY NIGHT SLAM MASTERS
  • SAVAGE BEES
  • SONSON
  • STREET FIGHTER
  • STREET FIGHTER ALPHA 2
  • STREET FIGHTER ALPHA 3
  • Street Fighter Alpha – Warriors’ Dreams –
  • SUPER GEM FIGHTER – MINI MIX –
  • SUPER PUZZLE FIGHTER II TURBO
  • The Speed Rumbler
  • THREE WONDERS
  • Tiger Road

NOTE: Press Release & Images supplied by Capcom Europe



20 Years of PlayStation: 1994 – 2014

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We say better late then never!

This 8 year old infographic by Reddit user Adiost (aka: Dmitry Pankin) celebrates the PlayStation timeline from its beginnings in 1994 with the groundbreaking PS, all the way through to the PS Vita Slim in 2014 – 20 years of awesome play (well, 28 years, but who is counting)! 😉

image source: imgur



FIFA Football Stays the Same

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By: D.C. Cutler, U.S.A.

Some video game franchises are so iconic, like the changing seasons, there will always be a new one. FIFA Soccer, or FIFA Football, depending on what country you’re in, is one of those franchises; but lately it feels like the popular game has become complacent and somewhat stale.

EA Sport’s FIFA Soccer 2006 is one of my favorite sports games. When it was released almost two decades ago; I couldn’t wait to get out of class and play a match, before I would work on my homework. On the weekends, I would play FIFA so much that I would lose track of time and realize it was suddenly Sunday. I found it difficult to put down my controller and turn off the addictive game.

The glorious EA Sports FIFA 2006!

FIFA 2006 doesn’t seem that much different than FIFA ’22. There haven’t been many radical changes to the franchise in years. Perhaps that’s why FIFA is the bestselling sports franchise, generating more than $20 billion in sales over the last twenty years. FIFA is such a popular game because gamers who love the franchise don’t particularly like big changes to the familiar gameplay and graphics. In all fairness, EA Sports’ Madden hasn’t changed that much in the last decade either.

The last EA Sports FIFA will be the ’23 edition

I like watching the PS4 Tournament Open Series. I get more enjoyment watching FIFA tournaments online than I do other EA Sports games on the market. Madden tournaments are fun to watch on television, but they’re on all the time. FIFA tournaments are less frequent, which makes them more entertaining and pleasurable when I happen to find one.

FIFA ’28 (or EA FC by then) will likely look a lot like FIFA ’22. The sports franchise is a gaming institution that’ll still be going strong decades from now. The players will change, but the game modes and graphics will not change dramatically.

It was recently announced that FIFA and EA Sports will end their successful partnership. The game will not change because of the breakup, most of the world’s popular clubs and players will still be playable because of separate licensing deals.

image source: clutchpoints