Gaming News — #gaming news

We believe it's about time we fulfill the desires of our old-school hearts. And by that, we mean more retro games and more handy dandy gadgets for you to splurge on for yourselves or your lucky dates. But let's be honest; there's no better way to bond than over gaming. Yes, both physical and emotional damage this week, so stick around, toughen up, and let's get started.

 

TROJAN

For any fans of the post-apocalyptic genre or anything that has the overall vibe of the Fist of the North Star but with swords, well, we got a treat. If you remember the 80s classic by RomStar and Capcom, the Amiga AGA is getting a sweet new port of the classic arcade beat 'em up, Trojan. For those unfamiliar, Trojan is basically what happens when nuclear war and the Odyssey have a weird, badass crossover.

Not much technology, and a whole lot of whacking people with a sword. Then you take on the role of Hero Trojan, a young warrior who's out to free the post-modern world from evil dictator Achilles. There's less Greek mythology to go around but more kickass beat 'em up of action to enjoy. Thanks to skyzoo73 and the old reliable Scorpion engine, the Amiga AGA will be getting its much-needed port. 

While the game is still a work in progress, there's already some working early footage going around, and it's just as good as it was in the 80s. So if reliving Homer's epic with demons and weird science is your jam, watch out for Trojan.  

FINAL FIGHT

Amiga users are eating well this month. We got another classic beat 'em up port that's worthy of the classic fan-favorite console. A rather infamous one at that. We got news that Brick Nash just dropped the enhanced 1991 US Gold version of the popular beat 'em up Final Fight for the Amiga. If you played this game back when it was originally released back in the 90s, you know its history. Just like Street Fighter II of the same vein, it just didn't kick as much ass as you'd expect. This enhanced version addresses those issues.

Rick Nash explains that after three solid years of learning how to code and 68000 assembly language, he managed to develop a passion project that takes place in its own universe separate from the Capcom timeline. Yes, this one's non-Capcom, and it features a number of changes and a few compromises that were necessary just to make the port happen.

Still, if you're a Final Fight fan and want to experience having a playable Maki in 2024, it's best to check this out.  

NINTENDO 3DS & Wii U

Now, on to some sad but inevitable news for all the 2000s handheld console players, both modern and retro. We already knew this time was coming but never really figured it would be so soon. It's recently been confirmed that Nintendo 3DS and Wii U's online services will be officially shut down at 4 pm PDT on April 8th, 2024. 

Last October, Nintendo dropped the news about the servers shutting down but didn't elaborate on when exactly. Now that we actually know, well, it's safe to say it stings a little bit.

According to their official statement, at 4 pm PDT on April 8, 2024, online play and other functionality that uses online communication will end for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U software. This also includes online cooperative play, internet rankings, and data distribution.  Nintendo also made sure to thank players for using these services through the years and apologized for the inconvenience.

The end of an era, ladies and gentlemen. While the Wii U wasn't as popular as it could have been, the 3DS was a daily driver for a lot of gamers, young and old. Either way, these two handhelds will be sorely missed and will forever be part of our collective gaming experiences.  

 

New year, new games and consoles. 2024 hasn't been the fastest of years to jumpstart, and it really feels like we're stuck in January for a while. And we were. All things considered, we're always quick to find some sweet recommendations when it comes to new releases, both in retro titles and gaming gear.

If you're searching for something shiny and new but vintage at the same time, you've come to the right place. We're starting the year right by delivering some much-needed action, just like we always do. 

Let's go! 

MIRACLE BOY IN DRAGON LAND

This year, Atari 520ST users can celebrate as you all will be getting an official sequel to an absolute classic. It's a work in progress, but hey, we all gotta start somewhere. When it comes to classic retro titles, we remember the arcade-like experience we got from Wonder Boy on the Amiga or even newer games like Monster Boy and The Cursed Kingdom.

Since good old Wonder Boy's been around for a while, we're getting something new from Samuel Blanchard, who just released a first public demo for the unofficial sequel, Miracle Boy in Dragon Land. And yes, it's coming out on the Atari 520ST. So far, the demo covers the first level, but we can get a clear idea of how it's gonna pan out.

Miracle Boy in Dragon Land is, in essence, a Japanese-style RPG made with a 68,000 assembler. Thankfully, if you have an Atari ST emulator like Steam, SSE, Hatari, or Saint, you're good to go. It's also worth noting that it'll be compatible with all Atari ST consoles, with at least 1 MB of memory. So, if you wish to recreate those Wonder Boy memories, we'll keep you posted on this game's development. 

 

CYBORG WARRIORS

Moving on to the Atari XL/XE because we're taking things to space. Vega, Kaz and Miker have just dropped their newest polished version of a 90s game called Cyborg Warriors, a cool extraterrestrial side-scrolling shooter originally released in 1991 by Superior Software for the BBC Micro. While simple in mechanics, you can't deny the old-school action that this title brings to the modern gaming space, which happens in space.

Cyborg Warrior sees players shooting and flying to the right, dodging or shooting just about everything. Gameplay takes place on strange planets featuring a variety of alien lifeforms, both big and small. Of course, you'll be thoroughly equipped with several weapons that you and a fellow player can choose from. Two-player action in space? Sounds like a party. Especially on an Atari. So, if space shooting is more your speed, cyber wars just might be up your alley.  

ANBERNIC RG556

Now, when it comes to news about the newest and potentially best retro gaming consoles, we can never dismiss rumors. After all, we want to get all the info we can to fuel the hype in our old-school hearts.

So, since Anbernic's latest creation is making rounds on the internet, it's about time we chimed in. Anbernic's upcoming ergonomic RG556 console has yet to hit your local markets, but a few photos have been circulating online, and we gotta say, we're just a bit excited about it. With what looks to be one of their most comfortable and powerful handhelds, the retro console competition of 2024 has officially begun.

So far, we see a 5.5-inch screen, which is rumored to be an OLED panel, a Unisoc T820 chipset running on Android, some full-size triggers, and comfy ergonomic grips. Pretty sweet, to be honest. Given its new chipset, we can expect a power boost that can run more modern retro titles from the likes of the PlayStation 2 and Nintendo's GameCube and Wii.

Yes, they're actually considered retro at this point. As for the usual fan-favorite titles from the 90s and earlier, you shouldn't expect any problems. Still, it's best to take this early news with a grain of salt. A lot could happen in the following months. As for its potential release, it's anyone's guess. Mid-2024 or Q4 would be our best bet. So don't expect this comfy console to come out any time soon. But still, it's best to keep the Anbernic hype going.

 

2023 was a great year for gaming! But what does 2024 have in store for us? Let's take a look at at some hot new gaming trends, and see what games we can get excited about!

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Rest assured, we do what we can to comb through the updates and bring you the ones we deem fit to suit your cultured tastes. As such, we cap off the month with even more creepy unsettling retro games that pack the right amount of punch when it comes to action and new upcoming console that pays tribute to the classics the best way it knows how.

If you're just about as ready as we are for the yuletide season, just around the corner, Stick around as we bid spooky November farewell and brace ourselves for the first days of snow. 

Let's go! 

SHADOW MAZE

Now, the CPC Retro Dev 2023 brought us a lot of potential bangers, and Rayon Studio just might have a game you'll find quite interesting, especially if you own an Amstrad CPC. Shadow Maze is a game that finds players traversing a dark tomb, only illuminated by precious glowing stones. There's a lot of darkness and a lot of exploration. Two things that don't really mix, but make for a good game mechanic.

In this title, you portray Gwydion, a young Celtic magician who finds himself in a temple to find a way to craft a potion of invincibility. Things won't be so easy, though. As Merlin, your rival looks to foil all your plans and transform the temple into a dark tomb, and seal you inside for all eternity, like all evil villains do.

It's a race against time to escape the dark tomb, follow the luminous stones, and craft that badass potion as destiny foretold. If you're into finding your way out of the dark and enjoy exploring while you're at it, Shadow Maze is a game to get hyped for.  

TOWER OF EVIL

This time, we take a look at another title for the Commodore 64. It's a nice part of the old-school classic game Tower of Evil, a title which first came out on the Commodore 16, plus/4, ZX Spectrum, and VIC 20 way back between 1984 and 1985, thanks to Creative Sparks. This top-down action game sees you playing the role of Andross, a hero banished years ago by a terrible king and can only return once he rescues the kidnapped princess and finds the king's lost treasure.

This would all seem nice and easy, but with an evil necromancer standing in your way, well, you'd be dead wrong. You explore the game by going through each floor, searching the rooms, looking for treasure, and battling various creatures until you manage to find the princess. It's an intense gauntlet of stages where you must be on your toes or fall flat on your face.

Pretty intense, given how high the stakes are. You're saving the princess and saving the world, after all. Looking to climb the Tower of Evil? then check hitport out. 

ANALOGUE POCKET CLASSIC

Now we're looking at a classic design handheld that'll tug on your heartstrings and bring back many fond memories of childhood. Yes, Analogue just unveiled yet another special limited edition run of their insanely popular Analogue Pocket Classic.

Last time, we had a glow-in-the-dark and transparent. Now, we're getting a variety of pretty colors. And by pretty colors, I mean red, green, blue, yellow, pink, orange, indigo, and silver. Yes, the Analogue Pocket Limited Edition is definitely a whole lot of eye candy, with a generous 3.5-inch LCD panel with a 1600x1440 resolution in a 10x9 format. You can see where this is going. 

Yes, the sweet devices are all modeled specifically after your favorite classic Game Boy Pocket and Game Boy Advance colorways. If you're a 90s kid, then you know exactly what I'm talking about. Aside from playing original game cartridges for Game Boy and Game Boy Advance, you can emulate using ROMs thanks to the dedicated FPGA chip and microSD card slot. Definitely a modern classic. As for pricing and availability, the limited edition Analogue Pocket Classic is now available with new colorways retailing for $ 249.99 each and limited to two per order. If you want to snag one of these colorful bad boys, best to check out Analog's official website. 

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