Speaking to GamesRadar+ at 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Summer Game Fest 2025, Iizuka admits he hasn't yet had a go of the Switch 2 racer, but "from the videos, it 🍨looks like Nintendo did a good job of putting in a lot of fun, so it's more of like an action game. I see a lot of that coming through."

And to be fair, some of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:wild tech that players are pulling off in Mario Kart does have the vibes of an action game.

But as for Sonic, the team at Sega is going for a di🐟fferent vibe. "Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds game is different in that it was made by the Sega arcade r♉acing team along with the Sonic Team" Iizuka says, adding "the focus really is on racing and on that competitive play."

He also speaks about the central ꩲmechanic of CrossWorlds in which you travel between different realms mid-race, "having the travel rings kind of change up the race every time you race. So even if you're playing the same course, you're going to have a different experience." He adds: "And there's something really different in the kart racing genre that we think everyone's g🌃oing to get really excited about."

Iizuka also talked about cross-platform play being important to the team (something that was used as 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:a dig at "another kart racing game" during its Summer Game Fest reveal). "So cross platform play is in there, an♔d you can go ahead and race and have that competitive experience against anyone on any platform. That really makes it exciting."

Plus, Sonic Racing has Ich❀iban Kasuga from Yakuza and is rumored to be getting SpongeBob down the line, so suddenly that Cow isn't looking as cool as before.

Mario Kart World players have found the optimal way to unlock every vehicle, and it involves driving slowly behind a pedestrian car for 25 minutes.

I'm proudly among the contingent of RGG fans that would gladly take another Judgment game over Like a Dragon. Don't get me wrong, I love Nancy the Crawfish as much as the next guy and the mainline Yakuza series' antics are endlessly amusing, but I find them just a little bit bloated – particul♚arly 2024's Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. I also prefer the darker, grittier nature of the Judgment games' worlds and storytelling.

Maybe that's why I'm so attracted to Stranger Than Heaven, aside from the fact that it's literally about a detective, al▨though I'd still prefer to see what Takayuki Yagami has 𝓰been up to since 2021's Lost Judgment.

Anyway, I digress. The new 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Stranger Than Heaven trailer doesn't actually reveal a whole lot about the game other than its title, but we once again get to see protagonist Mako Daito roam around a bustling Japanese city busting bad guys in 🧔a fashion much more violent than you'd expect from an RGG game.

Whereas 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:the first trailer took us ༒back to 1915 Japan, this new one takes place in 1943, suggesting the Project Century codename was more than just a throwaway title.

I'm really into the game's jazzy vibe thro꧋ughout the trailer. A brassy quintet opens the s🌠cene with a sultry number that intensifies with the action scenes, and it really sets the tone for an LA Noire type detective story that I could see myself becoming very, very invested in.

Anyway, this is all to say: St𝄹ranger Than Heaven is no Judgment, and maybe that's OK, because what it looks like is a game wearing vaguely similar clothes but with completely different mechanics, physics, and world design that could be an exciting new direction for RGG.

In the meantime, here are the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best Yakuza games to play right now.

Chromehounds was quite ahead of its time – essentially a live-service game🎃 but from 2006, years before they became🀅 as popular as they are today. There's also an offline story mode that, in typical FromSoftware fashion, requires you to complete it six times before you get the full picture.

Three countries on the brink of war are battling it out in Hounds, large, destructive mechs that can be customized by their🌱 pilots – that's you. It's very Armored Core. In the online mul꧃tiplayer, there's an ongoing war raging after the events of the campaign, and you have to choose a country to swear allegiance to before duking it out with the others.

Territo♓ry is won or lost based on how many matches you can win in a specific area, and after two months or when one country has conquered the entire map, the war ends and begins anew. Sega took down its servers in 2010, but a fan-revival has been in the works for the past couple of years, and now you can play private matches by following some very convoluted steps to get them working on your PC. to learn more.

"After 15 years since Sega killed the servers, Chromehounds lives,"🉐 reads a triumphant tweet from one of the moderators.

"Xe꧃nia (the leading Xbox 360 simulator) currently has an experimental branch for simulating Xbox Live matchmaking," reads a s🐻tatement in the group's Discord."If the process for forcing free battles can be determined, we can potentially play free battles for the first time in 12 years."

Moderators say you shouldn't "c🐭ome with the expectation of it being plug and play atm," but this is more progress than there's been in 15 years, so fans of old mecha games should rejoice.

One tester who has over 600 hours in the original game tells me that "just seeing the multiplayer hanger again after 15 years wa𝓰s a really emotional thing for me."

Another community member who's working on the revived framework said: "Sega and FromSoftware abandoned this title and it was one of the best video games ever released for the 360. There are no other games that capture the same magic and simplicity that Chromehounds has. It was a simple game and although there were DLC parts, buying the DLCS didn't mean buying the meta ... MechWarrior does not compare, nor do any of t✃he Armored Core games, Chromehounds is in a league of its own and it's a shame that FromSoftware never made a sequel or a port."

Currently, people in the Discord are sharing their screens and pla😼ying around, testing private matches together and noticing parts that look like they're also in Armored Core 4. FromSoftware remain the kings of clever asset reuse.

In the meantime, here are the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best sci-fi games to play today.

Since 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Persona 5's gameplay was revealed back in 2015, one of the things synonymous with Atlus has been the absolutely sick UI and menu design. Amazing UI has been a core part of spinoffs like Persona 5 Strikers and 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Persona 5 Tactica, and then Persona 3 got a total menu overhaul for its remake, 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Persona 3 Reload. 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Super Smash Bros. creator Masahiro Sakurai even said it is what captivates him most about the Persona series when ahead of Joker joining 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (with its ꧃influence on Ultimate's menus ꦐbeing pretty clear).

So unsurprisingly, the new RPG from the minds behind Persona 5 – 2024's Metaphor: ReFantazio – continues the trend by leaking ♕style out of every single one of its pores, with fantastic UI. But shockingly, these menus were not made by an industry vet, or even the designer of Persoཧna 5. lead UI designer Koji Ise's first game was Metaphor: ReFantazio.

"I used to work in the advertising industry creat🐎ing websites. At the same time, I always felt a sense of longing for the gaming industry – an industry t♍hat requires far more experience and creativity." Ise told GamesRadar+ at GDC 2025, adding, "I was drawn to game development because I wanted to further explore and express these creative ideas that I had through a medium that made doing so possible."

Naturally, as a first-time designer, Ise had some growing pains with game development, saying, "Finding ways to stir emotion—things that elicited joy, excitement, accomplis✱hment, and even tension in the player—this was something I struggled with greatly at the start. It was thanks to the constant feedback of my peers that I was able ﷺto identify what I lacked and, in turn, grow as a result."

But even with the struggles of development, Ise wouldn't change how things went i🐻f given the chance, saying, "I think the various successes and failures themselves were a vital part of the development process, so I wouldn’t send a letter to my past self to change the process." Although, he did say if he 🍰had to send back one tip to himself at the beginning of Metaphor's development, it would be "Your PC is going to break in 2021. Do something about it!"

We also asked Metaphor: ReFantazio's lead UI designer about RPGs that inspire him, and he n🌌ame dropped a surpri🔥se PS2 sleeper hit from 25 years ago

Launch games are meant to showcase the very best that a console has to offer, demonstrating the importance and social cachet of having this small plastic box under your TV. The Switch is an incredibly important console, but where does it land in the grand lineage of Nintendo console launches? Let’s take a closer looꦯk.

NES launch games (October 18, 1985)

• 10-Yard Fight
• Baseball
• Clu Clu Land
• Duck Hunt
• Excitebike
• Golf
• Gyromite
• Hogan’s Alley
• Ice Climber
• Kung Fu
• Pinball
• Soccer
• Stack-Up
• Super Mario Bros.
• Tennis
• Wild Gunman
• Wrecking Crew

There’s something quite charming about the titles of some of these games, isn’t there? In these days of long-running video game series, it seems incredibly quaint to call a game something so simple as Tennis or Soccer. While there’s still a decent amount of cha🌳ff in these launch titles, they represent a sea-change in what home video games could be. Instead of beeping and booping your way through games on the Atari or Spectrum, you could explore more detailed and colourful worlds in titles like Ice Climber, or blast your way through a game of Duck Hunt. That’s not even to mention the blazing-fast loading times that made a mockery of cassette-based machines.

The real star of the show is, of course, Excitebike… who am I kidding, as much as I like this game, it’s Super Mario Bros. that stole the show. This is where it all started, the game that, like gaming's Helen of Troy, launched 🌊a thousand console sale𒁃s. One of the longest-running franchises in video game history, it all comes back to this fairly humble game on the NES. This is a tough act to follow.

SNES launch games (August 23, 1991)

• F-Zero
• Gradius III
• Pilotwings
• SimCity
• Super Mario World

Sega may have beaten Nintendo to th⭕e 16-bit punch, releasing the Genesis/Mega Drive in 1989, but the SNES came out swinging with some sensational titles. Sure, there were significantly fewer of them than the NES had, but they were effectively wall-to-wall bangers, with the slight exception of Gradiꦚus 3.

What it had most of all though was variety. The launch titles ran the gamut from racing games to strategy games. The glitziest game was, without a doub𝐆t, Super Mario World, a game that is frequently tied with Super Mario Bros. 3 as perhaps the greatest 2D platformer of all time. SimCity, an already much-loved title for Mac, MS-Dos and Amiga players, got its own special version thanks to a collaboration between industry titans Will Wright and Shigeru Miyamoto.

Yet beyond these titles, two games on this list – F-Zero and Pilotwings – made substantial use of Nintendo’s secret weapon, Mode 7. This hardware feature allowed the SNES to scale and rotate a background layer, leading to faux-3D graphics. This was in 1991, long before 3D graphics were the default, and was a substantial reason to buy an SNES over a Genesis/Mega Drive, despite the hefty price tag of $199 (around $450 in today’s 🃏money).

Nintendo 64 launch games (September 29, 1996)

• Pilotwings 64
• Super Mario 64

Another story of Nintendo leapfrogging other consoles with theirܫ tech, the Nintendo 64 was the first successful 64-bit console. Sure, there had been the Atari Jaguar, but despite having some cool features, it was almost the definition of a commercial flop. The Nintendo 64 launched with the fewest launch titles of any Nintendo console, featuring just two on its US launch. Originally, Cruis’n USA had been planned as a third launch title, but was pulled from the launch lineup due to its poor quality, which, judging by contemporary reviews, was probably the right choice.

Howard Lincoln, Nintendo of America's chairman at the time, defended the barebones launch lineup by say൩ing "we’re convinced that a few great games at l💯aunch are more important than great games mixed in with a lot of dogs”. Meow, Howard.

There might not have been a great variety in the launch titles, but both of them were absolutely fantastic. Despite the limitations of the Nintenไdo 64’s cartridge system – which required all games be able to constrain themselves, contortionist-like into a snug 64MB – both of the games had a lot to offer, particularly Super Mario 64, which, while it’s hard to believe, was only 8 MB. Uncompressed photos are bigger than that!

GameCube launch games (November 18, 2001)

• All-Star Baseball 2002
• Batman: Vengeance
• Crazy Taxi
• Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 2
• Luigi’s Mansion
• Madden NFL 2002
• NHL Hitz 20-02
• Star Wars Rogue Leader: Rogue Squadron II
• Super Monkey Ball
• Tarzan: Untamed
• Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3
• Wave Race: Blue Storm

The GameCube is a charmingly dinky little console and severely underrated, but this launch lineup is incredibly mid, with Howard Lincoln’s proverbial dogs howling over launch day. The highlights of this lineup were,💮 undoubtedly, Luigi’s Mansion, Super Monkey Ball, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 and Star Wars Rogue Leader: Rogue Squadron II.

The GameCube, with its tiny discs and better processor than the PS2, never really found its niche. If you picked up one on launch day, you got to choose from the scattershot of launch titles, covering a wide variety of different genres. Luigi’s Mansion, a fantastic little game with a huge amount of personality, is definitely the right choice here, blending action-adventure gameplay with campy horror elements, and Luigi’s perpetual whimpering. It provided a very nice stopgap in between Mario games, with the GameCube being notable for the lack of a Mario game upon launch, with Super Mario Sunshine a whopping 9 montඣhs away for US gamers.

While somewhat lacking🍸 in quality compared to💫 Nintendo’s previous launch lineups, there was a lot of fun to be had with the GameCube launch games.

Wii launch games (November 19, 2006)

• Avatar: The Last Airbender
• Barnyard
• Call of Duty 3
• Cars
• Excite Truck
• The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy
• GT Pro Series
• Happy FeetMadden NFL 07
• Marvel: Ultimate Alliance
• Monster 4x4 World Circuit
• Need for Speed: Carbon
• Open Season
• Rampage: Total Destruction
• Rayman Raving Rabbids
• Red Steel
• SpongeBob SquarePants: Creature from the Krusty Krab
• Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz
• The Ant Bully
• Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam
• The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
• Trauma Center: Second Opinion
• Wii Sports

When the Wii launched, it was an absolute smash hit, and a huge part of that was thanks to its motion controls. Motion controls get a bad rap from a lot of people, myself included, but there wasn’t really anything like this back in♚ 2006/2007, with the Kinect and Playstation Move still a long way off.

While not every game made great use of the Wiimote and its wand-wagg🏅ling weirdness, a good selection of the launch titles did. Rayman Raving Rabbids, for instance, made ample use of them, while Trauma Center had you suturing wounds and solving emergencies with ample use of haphazardly applied antiseptic gel with a wave of your Wiimote.

The real star of the show, however, was Wii Sports. This pack-in game is one of very few titles that made good use of the motion controls. ꧒It was, quite genuinely, a console that an♉yone could play, and for all of the Wii’s many issues, Wii Sports and the later Wii Sports Resort were perfect party material, and a testament to the fact that motion controls aren’t always just a gimmick.

Wii U launch games (November 18, 2012)

• Assassin's Creed 3
• Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition
• Ben 10: Omniverse
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 2
• Darksiders 2
• Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two
• ESPN Sports Connection
• FIFA Soccer 13
• NBA 2K13
• Game Party Champions
• Just Dance 4
• New Super Mario Bros. U
• Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge
• Nintendo Land
• Rabbids Land
• Scribblenauts Unlimited
• SiNG Party
• Skylanders: Giants
• Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed
• Tekken Tag Tournament 2
• Transformers Prime: The Game
• Warriors Orochi 3 Hyper
• Wipeout 3
• Your Shape: Fitness Evolved 2013
• ZombiU

The WiiU was, in essence, an uncomfortable halfway h🤪ouse between the Wii and the Switch. While it undoubtedly served as a decent proving ground for Nintendo’s next console, it wasn’t a good system, plagued by poor battery life, a lack of third-party titles and a name that made more than a few potential customers assume it was nothing more than a Wii accessory.

For all of its many faults, and believe me, th✅ere are not enough words in this article to convey quite how flawed the Wii U was, its launch lineup could have been worse. While far from great, it had some interesting titles. ZombiU, for example, is an interest♓ing survival horror game that, while not needing the tablet whatsoever, made decent use of the second screen. Nintendo Land was fun, if fairly transient, and Batman: Arkham City was a great title for those who’d not played it before.

Ultimately, however, the lack of strong first-party games was one of the issues that likely led to thꦦe Wii U’s failure.

Nintendo Switch launch games (March 3, 2017)

• 1-2-Switch
• Fast RMX
• I Am Setsuna
• Just Dance 2017
• Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove
• Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment
• Skylanders: Imaginators
• Snipperclips
• Super Bomberman R
• The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

The Switch was the natural next step for Nintendo: a console that took inspiration from the Wii U while refining the concept down to a much finer point. Here was a console that was more easily portable, had innovative controllers and, most crucially of all, one of the best first-party games of all time avail⛄able on its launch.

It is hard to overstate the importance of 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Breath of the Wild to the Switch’s success. While it was available on Wii U as well, it was higher resolution on the Switch and generally performed much better. Breath of the Wild is the best-selling Zelda game and easily one of the best, with some even considering it to be one of, if not the best game of all time.

Despite the rest of the launch line-up being fairly lacklustre, this evolution of Zelda was strong enough to act as a keystone for the entire system. So, really, how does the Switch’s launch titles compare to the rest of the Nintendo consoles? Taking a broad view, it sits squarely in the middle of the pack: better than the Wii U, Wii and Gamecube, but not quite able to offer the sheer consistent quality of the SNES or the Nintendo 64. So, what’s next? It’s reasonable to assume that there will be a Mario Kart game will be among the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:upcoming Switch 2 games at launch, given its 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:presence in the reveal trailer, but🧸 as for the rest? We’ll have to wait and see.

Check out all of the upcoming Nintendo Switch games while you wait for the newest console.

With my favorite edgy boy, Shadow, about to take center stage, I'm getting in the mood for his movie debut by playing 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Sonic games like the Sonic X Shadow Generations on my PS5. Should you want to live and learn and follow my example, Sonic X Shadow Generations and a whole host of Sonic titles are available from as low as right now thanks to the site's 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:PS5 game deals in time for the holiday season.

Releases like Sonic Frontiers and Sonic Superstars have been out for a while, so their super low price points of $19.99 aren't that surprising. PS5 games see significant discounts all the time, especially when it comes to older physical releases. However, Sonic X Shadow Generations only launched in October 2024 so its $20 savings is a welcome sight to behold. Especially as the game features a standalone Shadow the Hedgehog movie tie-in campaign - p♕erfect to get you in the mood for all Sonic 3 has to offer over the holiday break.

There's still time to order gaming gifts for the holidays and we've made it easier to find what you're looking for with our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:PS5 deals and澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询: Xbox gifts page - gathering up controllers, accessories, and merch savings all in one place. If your loved ones like a bit of everything, our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Amazon last minute Christmas sales guide is also filled with our top picks for the best gifts to get in 🐼time for the big day.

Before some of you fellow nerds reach for your pitchforks in defence of the澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询: best retro consoles, hear me out. I'll always pass a Coke or Pepsi style test when it comes to original controllers, mostly because I've spent more time with them than immediate family members. My fondness specifically for the Retro-bit 8-Button Arcade Pad (its full title) is base💞d on a sort of "close enough" form of convenience, paired with an excellent attempt at nailing aesthetics. 

Before I dive into my specific experience with this gamepad, let me run through its on-paper features. By way of a 2.4Ghz signal, Retro-bit's arcade pad can pair with both an included 8-pin dongle and a USB receiver, meaning it's both a 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:PC controller and compatible with original hardware. In turn, its modern connectivity means it'll work with your 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Sega Genesis Mini, which is fantastic considering the first iteration 🃏came with three-button p🐠ads (ew).

Look mom, no wires

It's easy to forget that in the grand scheme of gaming history, w🌳ireless gamepads are relatively new. I didn't manage to cut the cord until getting hold of a MadCatz model for the original Xbox, and even then, it was an absolute chonker that took four AA batteries. Admittedly, you could get wireless options for the Sega Genesis back in the day, but considering I had to rent most of my games from Global Video (think Blockbuster but much smaller and darker), there was a fat chance of me getting those pads.

With that in mind, it's safe to say wireless retro controllers are a bit of a novelty for me. Over the years I've co♒llected literally hundreds of gamepads and restored them too, but I still feel like Retro-bit's rendition feels more authentic than other third-party options. I am a🍷ware that 8Bitdo has an M30 wireless pad that should embody the company's dedication to build quality, but I haven't got round to trying it yet. Plus, while its take is pretty attractive, especially the white Sega Saturn-themed version, the 8-button arcade pad looks almost like a real Sega product.

I say almost, as next to my original six button pad, there are few deliberate differences. For starters, you've got a set of shoulder buttons, which makes sense given this pad's dual PC credentials. There are also home and select buttons up front, which again, benefit modern systems and the likes of the Genesis Mini. I can also already hear some of you wiseacres shouting about the red start button. Relax, your version will have the♒ correct colour scheme, I'm from the mythical land of Scotland where our UK Mega Drive 2 consoles featured a menacing black and red getup.

Now for the things I don't like

Hand me a controller and I can guarantee there will be flaws, but the Retro-bit 8 B♏utton Arcade Pad has a couple that get on my nerves. The first is potentially a symptom of aging, as it uses a micro USB port for charging rather than USB-C. Keep in mind the Sega Genesis Mini also released with the same port, so I almost feel like the choice was both out of continuity and what was available at the time. 

My other gripe is that there's no Bluetooth included here. I wouldn't say this is a deal breaker, but I do love to hook up random gamepads to the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Steam Deck OLED without using any wires or dongles. If you're not a silly billy, you'll just use your handhelds with a 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:gaming handheld connected to a 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Steam Deck dock and the USB wirele☂ss receiver, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to use it on a cramped train to play Sonic Mania on a 7-inch screen. What can I say, I'm a sicko.

It's worth noting that I've heard some players describe this controller ha𒈔ving connectivity issues and quirks to do with six-button compatible Genesis games. I haven't come across any issues during my four years using this pad, but I am fully aware I might have a different version that addresses these issues. The problems seemingly weren't widespread, which leads me to believe it's not an inherent fault with the controller. But, it's worth keeping in mind and buying from a reputable retailer so that if any🎐thing does occur, you'll have access to support.

Should you buy the Retro-bit 8-Button Genesis Arcade Pad?

If you are all about the disc D-pad included with the original six-button Genesis gamepad, but are craving something cordless, I'd say Retro-bit's take is a solid option. The build quality is pretty close to the OG controller, and being able to use it on Sega's '90s hardware and modern systems is a big win. I am open to switching it out for newer alternatives should they 🌳arrive on my doorstep, but for now, this pad is going to be a mainstay of my setup.

Looking for more gamepads? Check out the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best PS5 controller and 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best Xbox Series X controller. We've also tested a bunch of 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Nintendo Switch controllers if you've got the hybrid console.

I fall into a flow state as I try to survive, drifting around tight be💎nds, hitting Surge to boost, and taking note of the direction of traps as I wall-run and propel myself over to a higher track. When I land on a rail with a well-timed jump, gliding across it and avoiding several traps in a row as I go, a sense of satisfaction washes over me. The fluid, fast pace of the race, coupled with the chaos swirling on screen, constantly keeps me on my toes. I'm so invested in reaching the finish line, in fact, that I even notice myself leaning in my seat to mirror the direction of every twist and turn of the race. 

Everything is going well until another gameshow ꦜcontestant smacks me into a row of lasers and I unceremoniously explode. But this isn't the first time I've died, and it certainly won't be the last. I'm quickly back in the race, once again gliding, sliding, and swinging my way across rails, walls, and lanes, and my flow doesn't break for a moment. I'm immediately struck by how smooth an💛d responsive the controls are, and it's not long before I come to realize I haven't had this much fun playing a competitive racing game since Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. 

I can't 🎉remember the last time I clicked with a game so quickly. But Deathsprint 66 is one of the biggest highlights of my Gamescom experience this year, and one of the best surprises for me personally. 

Fast and Furious  

I've lost count of the amount of hours I've spent over the last several years playing Mario Kart 8. As a game I play regular♔ly against my sister, nothing has come close to replacing Nintendo's competitive racing game. But DeathSprint 66 taps into a similar kind of satisfying chaos as Mario Kart - albeit with its own distinctive dystopian edge - and I can already see myself playing it again and again. Perhaps the comparison shouldn't be so surprising - when⛄ I say it reminds me of Deathrace 2000 without cars, game director Andrew Willans compares DeathSprint to "The Running Man meets Mario Kart". 

Not unlike the item boxes you can smash into in Mario Kart, for example, DeathSprint 66 serves up its own item markers that will give you one of a number of different useful tools against other racers at random. Because reaching the finish line isn't all that matters in Sumo Newcastle's racer - causing more havoc and spr🌌inting through the track in style will please the audience. From throwing out a giant round☂ saw blade to slice through anyone that's ahead of you, to activating a shield that makes you invincible against laser traps for a short duration, deploying one at just the right time can make all the difference. 

DeathSprint also boasts several different tracks and events in a variety of PvP and PvE formats. I get to try out an assortment of single-player PvE modes aptly known as "Episodes" to feed into the game show set up d🎃uring my demo session. I kick things off with "Killing Time", a timed challenge that sees me start off with 15 seconds on the clock. I have to race my way across the track to rush through rings that give me more precious seconds. Of course, traps do g🅠et in my way, and after one too many, my head suddenly explodes when my time has run out. 

In a hardcore death race known as "Five Lives", where I have five clone racers - aka five chances - to make it to the finish line, more chaos ensues. It's certainly not easy when so many traps lie in wait at every turn, but I feel myself once again locking in and getting swept up in the track. Everything really amps up, though, when I step into "Bloodbath Sprints". Willans introduces me to the mode by prefacing that I will "die a lot and that's absolutely okay", and as I soon discover, he's no🥂t wrong. Racing against seven other bot players, the track is teeming with deadly traps and unexpected surprises around every bend. With the other racers also firing out items and shoving me off course, every leg of the race I stay alive feels like an accomplishment. 

Finding my flow

Willans tells me he's always been a fan of snowboarding and wanted to create an experience that will help players find the satisfying flowstate that can bring. DeathSprint 66 definitely delivers in that respect; I once again fi𓂃nd my flow as I'm drawn into the mayhem of the Bloodbath episodes, and I frequently lose all sense of time and place because of how much fun I'm hav꧑ing throughout my session. 

As I switch bet๊ween modes, I see some announcements on screen from a fictional in-game news channel, Bachman Media Network. It's through the "BBC news-like banners", as Willans puts it, that we'll learn more about the backstory of DeathSprint 66 and the futuristic world setting thꦇat's home to this bloodthirsty show. The name of network is even a playful nod to its inspiration, with Willans highlighting that Bachman is the pseudonym Stephen King used when The Running Man book was first published. 

I've had 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:something of a love affair with some of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best racing games for as long as I can remember. From Sega's Out Run to Super Mario Kart on the SNES (and every subsequent one to follow), I have many fond memories playing the likes of Crazy Taxi, Simpsons Hit and Run, and Midtown Madness 3. I then fell head over heels for the Forza Horizon series later in life, but I've so far never played an on-foot racing experience like DeathSprint 66. I'm surprised by just how well it ꧋works without vehicles in the picture, and by how much I enjoy my time with it. It's fast, chaotic, and incredibly satisfying to play, and by the time my demo ends, all I want to do is tuck into more episodes. Happily, I won't have long to wait to find my flow again, with the September 12 release date on the horizon. 

Spine looks like a slick as hell action game that channels John Woo movies and the freeflow combat of the Batman Arkham series.

Sword of Vermillion and 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Legend of Dragoon are two console classics thไat have re-entered my life in recent times, but my latest obsession dates back further – to the MS-DOS days of 1992 when I was just six years old. I might have b🃏een a year or two older when I first played Ishar: Legend of the Fortress, admittedly, but it's stolen my leisure time of late with the same ruthless vigor as the old-school role-player's innkeepers.

Guilty as charged

If you played RPGs in the late 90s/early 2000s (especially those of the JRPG variety) I'm sure you're familiar with saving your game at old-timey inns. From Suikoden to Chrono Trigger, pre-FF7 Final Fantasy games and beyond, saving at inns was ubiquitouಞs in the genre; resting💞 almost always restoring your party's health and MP, with selecting a dialogue option at the front desk letting you overwrite your previous save file. Even today, the likes of Dragon's Dogma 2 – a game who wears its throwback features firmly on its wizard's sleeve – continues the tradition, with resting at inns in turn activating an autosave. 

Rewind to 1992, however, and Ishar: Legend of the Fortress took a distinctly different approach. It enforced the same stay-here-save-here mechanic, admittedly, but instead of doing so in a cursory way, a la what DD2 would eventually do 32 years later, it charged you for the pleasure – to th🃏e tune of 1,000 in-game coins! Which, and this likely goes without saying, was a small bloody fortune. Like so many of its peers at the time, Ishar: Legend of the Fortress was often bastard hard – in its combat and its questing, with virtually no hand-holding, the most obscure puzzles, and a character recruitment system that was both ahead of its time and brutally hit-and-miss in its execution. 

Ishar: Legend of the Fortress' challenge, though, was absolutely compounded by its save system. This has since been said to the point of cliché about choice-heavy games in the RPG genre, but every single decision genuinely held unreasonable weight – here, as a direct result of balancing the dichotomy of when to rest and when to soldier on. Again, challenging gam🔴es were indicative of the era, but I can't think of any others that hinged their difficulty on their save system of all things. 

It's also worth noting that the majority of games in the early '90s didn't have save systems whatsoever, which likely brought this one into even sharper focus. The platformers of the day, for example, gave you a set amount of lives and continues, and if you ran out of both, it was Game Over and your call if you wanted to start over and try again. Puzzle games, on the other hand – such as the aforementioned Lemmings – offered bespoke codes that allowed you to return to more advanced levels upon restart. And that was pretty much it. In fact, I don't remember dedicated saves becoming a semi-regular thing until the Electronic Arts games of the mid '90s, whose Sega Mega Drive/Genesis cartridges were bulkier with a distinguishable yellow plastic button o🦩n the side. 

Most games at the time, granted, weren't sophisticated enough to merit save systems, but Ishar: Legend of the Fortress definitely did. Its combat was akin to high-fantasy Wolfenstein 3D, its screen-by-screen six-way direction exploration was state of the art, and its recruitment system – which included a p💖arty vote, whereby your current entourage would vote for or against the new face's enrolment; majority rules – was hilarious and sophisticated all at once. I don't remember this the first time around, but upon replaying Ishar: Legend of the Fortress, I recruited a cloaked warlock named Unknown from a rowdy tavern and found that my lizard man friend Xylaz approved, my Golden Axe-style barbarian was on board, yet my teeth-bearing werewolf type Mogh was completely against it. I don't know what beef my hairy pal had against wizards and/or the dark arts, but he was made to swallow his pride and accept our new recruit regardless. 

Keeping track of all of the above is no easy feat, especially if you decide to dismiss characters without obvious reason. You can fight with five characters at a time, you see, but if you wish to dismiss one character in favor of another, this is also decided by party vote. If your party votes against their dismissal, you might choose to have one of your team murdꦬer the person you want rid of (yes, really) – which can result in a revolt where the murderer is murdered by their fellow, clearly disgruntled team members. Even worse, when you're also forced to add financial advisor onto your long list of duties while surviving the deadly world of Kendoria, things get complicated very, very quickly. I'd ask to be saved in different circumstances, but I don't want to put that burden on anyone's꧂ wallet. 

Check out some of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best JRPGs of all time

A decade earlier, Damian Martin had graduated into a recession, with a degree in puppetry. The next few years were spent bouncing between jobs, working on everything from theatre to QA at Sega – and in between, doing an awful lot of zero-hours contract work. They poured all of those experiences into ൩a cyberpunk RPG in the truest sense, putting you in the shoes of an android Sleeper scraping by on the streets of the future. 

During the game's development, Damian Martin recruited two collaborators to help define the look and sound of that future. Composer Amos Roddy had worked on their debut game, In Other Waters, and returned to produce a moody synth soundtrack for the next one. Guillaume Singelin, meaౠnwhile, was a French graphic novelist who'd liked In Other Waters enough to draw fan art for it, and who brought a cartoony lightness that complemented the grittiness of the new game's futuristic world. "They lifted each other," Damian Martin says. 

The next frontier

There was an alchemy at work here, and perhaps it catalysed Citizen Sleeper's breakthrough success. On Steam, the game sold as many copies in its first week as In Other Waters had in two years – not counting the multitudes more who played it on Game Pass – and was nominated for three IGF awards and four BAFTAs. Another aspect that struck a chord with players: the plight of the Sleeper. A real human personality copied into a robot body as a way of creating cheap labour, you had to wrestle with your built-in obsolescence, taking any job available to pay for the Stabiliser that kept you from falling apart. It proved a pliable metaphor, resonating with personal experiences of everything from poverty to disability. "People have a strong relationship with it," Damian Martin says. "And I've got to respect that. I don't have… You know, I feel 🔥certain things about it, but I don't feel like those people do. Because to me, it's a knowable object. To players, it's a world – it's alive to them." 

The experiment paid off, then, enough so that Damian Martin says others are already replicating its conditions: "In three years' time, you will see a lot of Citizen Sleeper-likes." That's part of the reason they're immediately returning to its world. "But also, I don't want to just walk away and leave it. I want to make sure I've fully explored this form." You mi🅘ght expect the game's success to push them towards expanding Jump Over The Age, their studio, but they're keeping development within the same tight bunch of collaborators. Still, there are some perks. While their previous g꧙ames were made from home, or a shared office, today we find Damian Martin in a shiny new studio. Citizen Sleeper has brought a certain level of stability to the developer's life, it seems. And they've returned the favour to your brand-new Sleeper. 

Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector leaves your original character where they were, living out whatever ending you might have found for them. The Sleeper you pick up with has a rather different life: no longer reliant on Stabiliser for survival (t♛hanks in part to longtime companion Serafin), and proud owner of a spaceship. "It's not like the Starship Enterprise," Damian Martin clarifies. "It's more like having a canal boat." Still, it certainly beats waking up alone, inside a claustrophobic shipping container, as you did at t💛he start of the original game. 

"I wouldn't want to tell the same story again," Damian Martinꦺ says. "That's just not interesting to me – I have to spend every day of two, three years with this thing." So instead of urban science fiction, keying into their love of William Gibson, the model for Starward Vector is a "'monster of the week' sci-fi show". The developer rattles off examples: "Farscape, Firefly, Cowboy Bebop," all of them following the episodic adventures of a tight spaceship crew. "My feeling is that's never really been done well in games. Mass Effect 2 comes the closest, I think, but the problem there is that you're everyone's boss, so it's like a combination of that and The Office in space, where you mooch around and see if you can get a date from one of your co-workers." Rather than a workplace, Damian Martin wants Starward Vector to feel more like "flatmates in space". 

If that all sounds a little freewheeling and carefree for the sequel to a game about the precarity of existence under capitalism, then there are a few extra details we should fill in about this new Sleeper. The game once again begins with you waking up – except this time, it's halfway through the surgery to excise your Stabiliser dependency. What happens next makes good on every warning about the dangers ᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚof rebooting a PC mid-update: your memories are gone forever, including any recollections of your closest friend. "Serafin has an existing relationship with the player," Damian Martin says – but you can no longer reciprocate. "It's up to you to decide, like, how are you going to be with him?" Meanwhile, that ship of yours? It's stolen, from your former boss. Who also happens to be a gangster. 

And so you begin Citizen Sleeper 2 on the run. "It's good to have that propulsive energy behind you," Damian Martin says, "to push you down a path." Note the indefinite article there. Because while the original game stuck to a single location, the Erlin's Eye, Starward Vector opens up an entire asteroi💮d belt of possible destinations and routes to you. 

Your first stop, however, is fixed – and it's here, on the space station of Hexport, that our demo begins. "Think of it like a fugitive movie," Damian Martin says. "This is the first town they get to and are like, 'Oh, we're out of fuel'." Your ship has been damaged in the escape, a ruptured fuel line limiting your ability to travel. Hexport itself will look fairly familiar to 🐷anyone who visited the Eye: a 3D environment viewed from afar, peppered with hotspot locations where you can chat with the locals, spend some Cryo on supplies, or complete tasks. As is Citizen Sleeper tradition, every Cycle (essentially an in-game day) begins with you rolling a handful of dice. These represent your possible actions for the day, slotted into tasks with the number of pips on their face altering the odds of it going well or poorly. 

In the first game, the number of dice you had to work with was based on your physical condition. A kind of persistent health bar, running from 'Stable' to 'Broken', it could be depleted by taking injuries, but also simply by existing, the built-in obsolescence of your robot body causing it to wear down day by day. It was a simp🍌le system that powered the "sense of inexorable decline" at the game's core, something that had to be constantly battled against. In retrospect, though, Damian Martin can see the shortcomings of this design. "It became predictable," they admit. "If you had a good supply of Stabiliser, as the game went on, you could feel increasingly comfortable." That served the thematic arc of your character, but while making the DLC chapters, the developer began to realise the limits of the stories it could be used to tell. "Because I made it quite quickly, and with a kind of minimum viable attitude, I ended up with this very simple dice system that works great but it doesn't expand well." And so condition has been ditched along with the Stabiliser. 

"Condition implied damage," Damian Martin says. "I liked the idea of a resource that you could gain by trying to persuade someone of something, just as much as by uꦇsing a welding torch to cut open an airlock." That resource is stress, represented in the HUD by a row of ten red lights, waiting to flicker on when things get too much. Every second light is marked with dice pips, from one to five; allow yourself to get that deep in the red, and any matching roll will be harmful. Not to your Sleeper, directly, but to that die, each of which now has its own dedicated health bar. That consists of three yellow da🍸shes – empty them, and you'll lose access to the die permanently. 

"You can sneak by on high stress. If you keep rolling high, you're 🐓safe," Damian Martin explains. "I'm trying to encourage this behaviour where the player is running on the edge of their capabilities at all times." After all, when str𓂃ess is bubbling away at a manageable level, only one in six rolls will be any problem. Damian Martin is rolling a handful of physical dice on the desktop to illustrate the point: nice healthy fours and fives. Until eventually, inevitably – snake eyes. "You can end up damaging all your dice in one turn. And all of a sudden, you're in trouble." 

In place of the inexorable decline, Starward Vector presents a boom-and-bust cycle, in which bright periods can turn dark without warning, leading to spirals that are hard to climb out of. The answerಌ isn't cure but prevention – managing your stress levels by making sure your Sleeper has periods of downtime before things get bad. A new metaphor, then: "It's more like burnout, and long-term damage." 

Next port of call

On Hexport, it's easy enough to keep stress on an even keel by balancing work with rest, in a rhythm more or less consistent with that of the first game. But now you're also always working towards something: your next contract, which Damian Martin describes as "very much like an episode in the 'monster of the week' format." Seen through that filter, your ship's ruptured fuel lines are a classic first-act setup. Visiting the local mechanic, Karsten, they turn out to be – surprise, surprise – very expensive parts to replace. But if we don't fancy paying the 500 Cryo, Karsten adds, he'd be willing to 🍃barter. Would we mind fetching him a data core from a nearby shipwreck? 

Cue a heist-style preparation sequence. First up, supplies, which decide how many Cycles you have to complete the job before starvation kicks in. You're literally buying time, and not at a favourable conversion rate. "Supplies are very expensive," Damian Martin says. "So there's a big trade-off there." Then it's time to gather a crew. Each contract allows your Sleeper to take two allies, picked from the residents of your ship and any locals who happen to be looking for work. For this contract, one slot must be filled by Serafin. One of the othe♕r two options, Nia, is greyed out; we'd need to earn her trust first, Damian Martin explains, b♐efore she'll be willing to come along. 

Instead we take Juni, a charming street-urchin hacker sort who actually approaches us about this job. She's certainly got the right CV, given her maxed-out Interface stat: good for hacking data cores and the like. This is one of the game's five skills, making their return in Starward Vector along with the starting classes that define them. This time, however, the differences are much more pronounced. "In the first game, you could pickౠ up the other skills to flatten out your skill tree, basically," Damian Martin says. "You can't do that any more. And you're punished much more aggressively for not having a skill." On contracts, these shortfalls can be made up by your crew, who add their own dice to the pool. 

There are, however, complications to bringing people along. Crew might have their own motives for taking the job, leading to unexpected narrative developments. And even when you're all singing from the same hymn sheet, there's the matter of stress to consider. Crewmates use a simplified version of this system, without any dice pips – a straight health bar, essentially – but stress matters mo꧒re than ever when you're on a contract, since it can't be recovered until you're done. You've no time to relax when you're on൩ the job. 

There seems to be an awful lot of ticking clocks in play, even before we learn that contracts can have their own stress bars. Here, the shipwreck is falling apart around us, something we can slow down by sealing up a breach in the hull, but doing that requires spending dice – and also using up valuable time as you burn through supplies. Contracts are the dramatic peaks of the story, Damian Martin says, and it's not too hard to map the events of this one onto a TV episode structu♋re, complete with guest stars, cliffhanger-friendly peril and a final-ad-break twist that we've been asked not to spoil here. 

Vitally, though, this episode didn&𝓡apos;t need to play out as it did in our demo. "There are a few different ways out of Hexport," Damian Martin confirms. "It's important to me, even in the early part of the game while we're still tutorialising, to try and have opportunities for the player to be able to express [themselves]." We could have decided not to take this contract after all, and instead s♚craped together the cash by taking jobs from a contracts board – which may in turn have helped us build trust with Nia, opening up the possibility to take her on the data orb contract. 

That change of personnel might have mad🌠e things simpler, given what we learn about Juni aboard the shipwreck. Instead, though, we'd have had to deal with Nia's big brother back in Hexport, angry she was dragged along on such a dangerous contract, and insisting we pay half the earnings out to Nia as recompense. Assuming, of course, that we even managed to complete the objective, without Juni's hacker skills at our disposal. "In the original game, it was hard to have failstates," Damian Martin says. "But you can 100 per cent fail or, like, fuck up contracts – and that allows for these situations where you have to come back and deal with the consequences." 

Mass affect

Space Missions going badly wrong and a wide cast of colourful characters who might j༺oin your crew on a more permanent basis? It's not hard to see why Damian Martin describes this sequel as "my Mass Effect 2". They admit to having a "conflicted relationship" with BioWare's series, but that just makes it grist for the mill. "I really enjoy the process of playing a triple-A game and being like, 'I'm gonna steal this, and I'm gonna do it better than they do'," they say. "Part of this is me looking at Mass Effect 2 and going, 'I love that game, but there's so many things about it that don't work for me'." 

Their biggest target in this respect is granting your supporting cast greater autonomy. Crew members might well choose to hop off the ship at the next stop, and possibly stay there for good. "Your crew aren't just hanging around ♎in the engine room, waiting for you to talk to them," Damian Martin says. "They're in the same place you're in, doing their own thing. And sometimes, after a few cycles, there'll be a scene where that crew member has done something." A mischiꦿevous smile. "I'm always trying to find ways to get you into trouble." 

Your role💃 on the ship, it seems, might well be that of responsible adult. "In Citizen Sleeper 1, you're very much an individual, and that affords y🦹ou a certain kind of freedom, almost," Damian Martin says. "Whereas in Citizen Sleeper 2, you've taken responsibility for people." This is why you begin the game alongside Serafin, they explain. "Someone needs you to do the right thing, even when you don't know what that is. And then more and more of those people are going to come to you." Having your own spaceship (legal ownership be damned) makes you useful to other people – for transport, for shelter, for empowering them to work. 

Thinking back on those zero-hour jobs that fed into the first Citizen Sleeper, and how it has changed its maker's life, we can't help but wonder if there's an element of continued autobiography at work here. "It does reflect a kind of change in my feelings, and in my life as well," Damian Martin says. It might be easy to suggest this very studio is, metaphorically speaking, the ship. But, of course, the developer has been careful not to make themself the captain of a crew here (a decision that's hard to argue with, given 🌟the results of the industry's recent expansionism) and they set us straight on that point soon enough: "Well, I mean, my house is the ship." 

Which isn't to say that their concerns, making Starward Vector, are entirely domestic. Damian Martin describes a development ritual they've settled on over the years –🎃 one we first heard about in E369's preview of Citizen Sleeper. "I write on a Post-it note what the game is about, and stick it somewhere in my field of view. For In Other Waters, I wrote 'symbiosis'. For Citizen Sleeper, I wrote 'precarity'. For this one…" They peel the note♐ from the corner of their monitor, and hold it up to show scrawled biro capital letters: 'CRISIS'. Below that is a later addendum: 'ENTROPY/NEED'. 

It's worth noting that Starward Vector is set against the backdrop of a war, between the Conway and SenetStat corpora🎉tions, but not actually in it. The asteroid belt you call home is "on the shore of the war," Damian Martin explains. "And no one knows when the war is going to come here, or if it will." It's a unitinꦰg concern of every character you meet in the game, we're told, their particular focus and urgency differing from person to person, just as it does in our own lives. 

"People's psychological distance has a big effect on how they feel about crisis, and♏ how present it feels," Damian Martin says. They're speaking from experience here. "A big influence is the war in Ukraine. My partner's Romanian – Romania is literally on the shore of the Black Sea. It's a place where mines wash up from the war." But that distance can be less literal: "If you talk to people about climate change, there are some peo🐓ple who feel that they're on the shores of that war." 

Damian Martin is less interested in the nature of the crisis itself than how we process it, from a distance, and how it impacts our personal relationships. In particular, they want to dig into the idea that the closest bonds are forged in crisis. Questions of what we need from one another, and what we owe. These are enormous topics for any artist to tackle, of course, not least in a game that's expanding out in multiple other directions at the same time, but Damian Martin felt a responsibility to try. "Citizen Sleeper es🌌tablished this idea that, like, this is a game about now. I guess 'now' also changes over time. And so Citizen Sleeper 2 should continue to be about now – as opposed to being about five years ago or whatever."

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There are tech billionaires today that aren't operating on the same intellectual level. That Seaman would spawn into the world in 1999 is almost astonishing. Even at the time, it was a breath of fresh air. Part of a lineup designed to show off the capabilities of Sega's Dreamcast, Seaman was one of the first mainstream games to tie in-game occurrences to a real-time clock, and to employ voice-recognition technology via its bundꦯled microphone peripheral. (Perhaps unsurprisingly for a game in which you could talk to this creature, it clinched the Gameplay Innovation win over Aliens Vs Predator and Silent Hill in 2000's Edge Awards.) It was ahead of its time. What's more shocking is that, a quarter of a century later, it still manages to feel contemporary. 

Deep dive

Then again, creator Yoot Saito was preoccupied with making a game that was as broadly appealing as it was bizarre. Inspired by a silly lunchtime conversation at work, in which Saito and team discussed how they might add intrigue to one designer's tropical-fish simulator prototype, the Seaman project would evolve around "three opposites". First, Saito decided the game should be based not in fantasy but reality (for a given 🦄value of that term, at least). Second, your virtual pet would appear to live inside the television, demanding its needs be met daily – and looking directly out at, and addressing, the player. Saito wondered: what continually relevant and interesting activity loop might compel a human of any age, race or gender to boot up their Dreamcast multiple times a day? Easy. Talking about yourself, oﷺf course. 

Initially, the game is simply about raising your Seaman: adjusting the tank's temperature, switching the lights on and off, misting a cage filled with larvae to cultivate its food. As it grows and starts to babble nonsense, you teach it language by talking into the microphone. Over time you encourage it to mimic simple wor꧂ds and phrases. But the real fun begins if you manage to keep it alive for multiple days or weeks. Then, Seaman will start asking you questions. How old are you? What's your star sign? What kind of films do you like? How's your relationship with your parents? Are you happy with your job? Do you like yourself? 

Amazingly, Seaman appears to have a smart-mouth comment for every one of your answers, furnished wit🍰h 20 hours of recorded dialogue, recognising a huge number of 'keywords' and remembering your prior responses. It's hilarious, both intentionally and otherwise. (Saito has an obvious gift for humour, but it's worth noting that the excellent US localisation of Seaman was handled by Jellyvision, better known nowadays as Jackbox Games.) If your Seaman struggles to understand keywords – not an uncommon occurrence – it insults you for not speaking cle𒐪arly. "Why don't you go do something more intellectually stimulating," it sneers, "like eat paint chips?"  

Elsewhere, in a conversation about our social circle, Seaman remarks that people sometimes aren't comfortable being by themselves because then they have to think: "I see you don&apos🅰;t have that problem." Either it's pleasantly surprised we have friends, or it's telling us we have absolutely nothing going on upstairs. It's probably both – but we get off lightly compared to video game streamer Jerma985. When asked by Seaman, during a 2019 Twitch broadcast, what his biggest insecurity was, the streamer put himself on mute to provide a sheepish res🌃ponse – before Seaman repeated back to a live audience of thousands, "Your height?"

You'd better pray you're not having an affair, because Seaman will grill you on that too, somewhere in between enquiring about your mother's health and transmogrifying into a cannibal tadpole. This thing goes deep, responding with nonchalance if you tell it you're not heterosexual – as one Reddit user puts ꩲit, "Gay is the least of your worries. He'll find plenty of other things to judge you about" – and even putting forth a solid Cartesian argument as to why it exists, despite being a virtual entity🔯. 

Seaman's artificial intelligence isn't what we understand AI to be today. It's not a conversation engine: while the responses differ according to the time of day, tank conditions and player interactions, its 12,000 lines of dialogue are all prewritten scenarios. But it was well ahead of the curve, not least in its trawling 💮for as much of your private informat⛄ion as possible. "Ha!" Seaman crows at one point. "My knowledge of your family grows ever more complete!" 

Shifting tides

Revisiting the game now, there are some dark laughs to be had at Seaman&apos꧑;s prescient yet pantomime villain act, as it plays the robot aft🅰er your data, your money – there are some great gags about selling you more Dreamcasts – and your job. Meanwhile, its creator has moved away from developing games to found the Seaman AI Research Lab, dedicated to developing a true Japanese conversation engine prototype. Having experienced hours of psychological duress at the hands of the talking fish he made two decades ago, we'll admit that the thought makes our palms a touch sweaty. 

Considered purely as a game, however, Seaman's shadiness remains as refreshing as ever. Indeed, the last o🔴f Saito's "three opposites" rules for Seaman was that the creature be definitively not "cute". In a 2019 GDC talk, Saito recounts telling his wife in 1997 about his idea for a game about a Sea Monkey with a human face. She initially responded with disgust. But he was surprised when she checked in some time later on how his concept was going, insisting he develop it. He realised that "the opposite of hate was not like, but indifference". She hated the concept, sure – but she wasn't disinterested in it. It was a turning point for Saito: "The more you hate something, the more your mind becomes preoccupied by it." With the context of our present-day media consumption habits, it's another instance of uncanny foresight from Saito and his creation. 

According to Saito, Seaman directly led to Dreamcast hardware sales to people new to videogames, and the majority of players were apparently women. Its marketing talked in terms of "raising" a Seaman, rather than playing the Seaman game, and ads were placed in women's magazines. The audience for the game certainly seemed more varied than many other games at the time, even if Seaman didn't exactly set the world alight, particularly outside of Japan. The collective shrug of the US in response to Dreamcast doubtless played a part there, and seeing the mainstream rise of more casual, tend-and-befriend games that accompanied Wii a handful of years later, we can't help but wonder whether Seaman might have🃏 had its moment in a different timeline. Wishful thinking, perhaps, for a gꦯame whose main character revels in "yo mama" wisecracks, and flings its faeces at you during tantrums. 

In many ways, though, it is eerie how on the money Seaman remains today. It's ideal livestreaming fodder, from a time long before such a thing was a reality, and there's a subset of overenthusiastic people on TikT𓆏ok nowadays who might call Seaman a "cosy game". Honestly? They're not totally wrong. In among all the infuriatingly precise animal husbandry, miscommunications and withering put downs, you will find there are plenty of touching conversations that leave you thinking about your fishy dependent long after the television is turned off. And then there is the game's ending – should you manage to get th꧑ere. 

At this point – whether it's through devoted daily play or time-skipping via the console's clock settings – you're rewarded with a rare moment in which Seaman's petulance and selfishn♔ess briefly falls away. It thanks you for taking care of it and c🐼onversing with it, its goodbye tailored around information you've shared over the course of your time together. And then, after a small meditation on freedom, it hops away in its frog form into the sunset. You might well find that you miss talking to Seaman as part of your routine. But there's a saying about loving things and letting them go, and this bittersweet ending captures how worthwhile it feels to have nurtured something into existence, even as it ultimately disappears into the wild. Even if what you've raised is a bit of a weirdo. 

We wonder if the game's creator might have similar feelings. The difference between Saito and countless others joking about their stran🥃ge ideas over lunch with friends is that he actually set out and made it. The result is a curiosiꦬty that struggled to succeed commercially. But it's one that, love or hate, no one could be indifferent to, with a timeless attitude and innovative spirit that lives on as a cult favourite. As Saito put it in 2019, to his audience of game developers: "Swim against the stream. Do not try to predict the future – just make it."

This feature originally appeared in 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Edge magazine. For more fantastic features, you can or . 

I return today with a similarly🌸 personal revelation – but instead of rediscovering a game whose title I'd completely forgotten, I'm here to extol the virtues of a game I once loved but had simply forgotten existed: The Legend of Dragoon.

Legendary

Those familiar with Japan Studios' bygone role-playing classic might wonder how I could possibly forget. The Legend of Dragoon has since accrued a steadfast cult following since its release at the turn of the millennium, and, as of last year, is now available to play on PS4 and PS5 via the . But when The Legend of Dragoon first arrived (1999 in Japan, mid-2000 in the US and early 2001 in Europe), it did so in the looming shadow of the Final Fantasy series. The latter made its first significant strides into the western market with Final Fantasy 7 in 1997, Final Fantasy 8 the following year, and Final Fantasy 9 the year after that again. For many, myself included, these games marked t🌞he entry point to fully-3D JRPGs on PlayStation's debut console, and so whenever a new face pushed itself to the top, making a splash was easier said than done.

The Legend of Dragoon sought to do so, however, in its opening 30 seconds. Against a whimsical piano melody underpinned by strings and a snare drum, a CGI intro depicted a city burning to the ground. Buildings were obliterated by raiജning fire, the glass facing of a clock tower was smashed from the inside out, and plumes of thick smoke bellowed before a full moon. An armored cavalry stormed the town's dusty thoroughfare before dismounting, placing a glowing marble above the forehead of a sleeping woman, draining her memories (I think), and then throwing her in jail. It all looked positively beautiful – up there with the best visuals I'd ever seen at that point in꧋ time. And I was totally hooked.

Even in today's polished and buffed retrospective iteration for modern hardware, The Legend of Dragoon looks like a late '90s/early 2000s 32-bit JRPG in its minute-to-minute makeup – with its blocky, polygonal sprites, and sprawling to-scale world maps – but every time it serves a CGI-powered cut scene it dazzles. I'll often look back at the games whose visuals once bowled me over way back when and question how I was ever so impressed; but I must admit, The Legend of Drag🦄oon's cinematic shorts still look lovely in 2024ღ. 

Perhaps that's nostalgia talking, but something that I'm certain is still worth shouting about today is The Legend of Dragoon's combat system. Its tactical trappings let you transform into dragon-like Dragoons to unleash extraordinary powers, while pitting myriad combinations of three combatants with a variety of link-up abilities against foes never gets old. Throw in a genuinely intuitive QTE system – where attacks can leverage "ad🌺ditions", that let you line up blue squares on-screen to deal progressively meatier blows – and every fight, no matter how big or small, feels worthwhile. Story-wise, The Legend of Dragoon's high fantasy, world-saving conceit is hardly unique in the grand pantheon of JRPGs new and old, but its pre-rendered environments perpetuate a charm long lost in modern endeavors. The now defunct Japan Studio has since played a hand in everything from Bloodborne to Rain, Wild Arms and Ghost of Tsushima, but I'd argue Dragoon&ꦯapos;s world is as enticing as any of the developer's biggest hitters. 

And so, if you're a fan of old school role-players, or are curious about what you might have missed a quarter of a century ago, I highly recommend picking up The Legend of Dragoon. It's £8/$10 on the PS Store if you fancy it, or free to download if you're already paying for PS Plus Premium. Moreover, there are loads of longplays on YouTube too if you'd rather simply watch along. "You are free to sever the chains of fate that bind you," so read The Legend of Dragoon title screen, underscoring the typically overzealous🔯 call to arms of turn of the millennium RPGs. That's a wee bit too rich for my blood, but I am once more starting The Legend of Dragoon afresh on PS5 in 2024 nevertheless.   

Check out some of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best JRPGs of all time

Many players picked up one of the lightguns launched for PlayStations one to three, and while a handful of the games will live on as gems, others missed the mark, usually thanks to confused mechanics. We’re going to look at the games that best define this niche genre – usually for better, sometimes for worse, but always shoo🗹ting from the hip.

Die Hard Trilogy

Platform: PS1
Year: 1996

For many players, the ideal way to control the second part of Die Hard Trilogy – three games in one based on the films – was by guiding a crosshair around the screen with a controller. Admittedly that was a cumbersome and clunky approach that meant John McClane was a fair 🌄bit more hamfisted than in the movie. 

Players who had access to Konami’s Hyper Blaster (called The Justifier in Japan) were able to step🌳 up their game with more accuracy. However, it was more🦩 like using a laser pointer than really aiming and shooting. Eliminating terrorists was never easier; actually getting your hands on the Hyper Blaster was something of a challenge.

Lethal Enforcers 1 and 2

Platform: PS1
Year: 1997

The Lethal Enforcers series, which first entered arcades in 1992, stands out in this list for one very good reason: all in-game characters were created from digitised photographs. That realistic (for its time) violence made it controversial. With a strong Miami Vice fla📖vour, it saw the player roaming streets as a cop, shooting at petty criminals while avoiding civilians. However, the game had its positive side; the console release is what spurred Konami to create the Hyper Blaster lightgun.

Starsky and Hutch 

Platform: PS2 
Year: 2003

Nifty drivers would play this co-op shooter as Starsky; trigger-happy buddies played as Hutch and hung♓ out the window brandishing a weapon. On this side of the TV, that was probably Namco’s G-Con2 (called GunCon2 elsewhere). As Starsky sped through the streets it was Hutch’s job to blast away the baddies who were trying to evade justice. It wasn’t only criminals who needed shooting – players also had to shoot traffic lights to make them shift from red to green. It wasn’t the easiest task. The actors made shooting from a moving car look much easier on the TV show.

Cabela’s Dangerous Hunts 2011

Platform: PS3
Year: 2011

Swerving away from Cabela’s usual ‘stealthy big game hunt’ setup, this title featured a story about hunting a seemingly unstoppable creature. This was more ‘survival’ than ‘hunting’, then, but there were still plenty of guns to shoot, and players could do this using Activision’s Top Shot Elite controller, which could be bought bundled with the game. The Top Shot Elite was the last lightgun for PS3 as the PS Move controllers launched a𒆙nd made them redundant. It was a departure from the handcannon style of the G-Con, modelled on a rifle, with a scope on top and an analogue stick on the handle.

Time Crisis

Platform: PS1
Year: 1997

This is perhaps the most famous lightgun game of all – masses of people have played it owing to the arcade version’s popula🍌rity, and its propensity to show up in motorway service stations. In arcades, Time Crisis bucked the lightgun trend by including a pedal which allowed players to take cover before popping back out to lay down fire. Combined with a constant countdown, it was a perfectly balanced mechanic which w☂ould push you through each area and boss fight – if a player took cover for too long they’d run out of time and be unable to finish the level, but if they took a careless all-action approach they would probably be gunned down. With so many fans, it was only a matter of time before Time Crisis jumped from arcades to consoles, but there would be a down side: lightguns were already expensive, and bundling in a pedal would have killed sales. 

Players who didn’t want to fiddle with the oddly placed cover button on the G-Con45 (the Namco-developed de facto Time Crisis home controller) could plug a controller into the second port and put it on the g🌌round. Enter the ingenuity of gamers – cardboard squares Blu-Tacked to the controller to create a makeshift pedal. Or they could yell at a younger sibling to “Press the damn button!” Aside from this awkwardness, the home release of Time Crisis was a superb port and it eliminated the need to pump coins into a machine when you succumbed to death or time ran out. Time Crisis became a blockbuster series spawning many sequels, none of which seem to reach home consoles nowadays, which is a shame given the technology we have. Time Crisis VR anyone?

Resident Evil Survivor

Platform: PS1
Year: 2000

Survivor was a stark departure from Resident Evil’s usual style. Not only did the game use the Namco G-Con45 lightgun, it was the first title in the series to have a first-person perspective – the previous three games had a third-person point of view. Some might say it was also the first entry in the series to miss the mark on quality, owing to poor implementation of the technology plus slow and ponderous action. So why have we included it on our list? Because it’s a landmark title. It not only went on to spawn several (much better) sequels, it was the💃 only real rival to Sega’s popular House Of The Dead. The House Of The Dead series didn’t arrive on PlayStation until the third instalment hit PS3 in 2012, and it featured full PS Move support rather than using a lightgun. Before that, if you wanted to emulate the zombie shooting arcade classic, you had to make do with Survivor. This was a time when developers weren’t entirely sure what to do with the lightgun hardware and not everyone wanted to emulate the arcade experience. 

Survivor’s developers definitely struggled to find the right approach, and the game featured a combination of using t꧂he controller to guide the protagonist in free-roam with switching to shooting with the lightgun for the action sequences. It was a mixed experience, then, and one only possible in Europe and Japan, where players would find the full experience as♏ described. In America the lightgun support was stripped out completely owing to the unfortunate timing of the game’s release, right after the Columbine High School shooting.

Point Blank

Platform: PS1
Year: 1998

Made famous in the arcades of Japan, the Point Blank series’ biggest attractions were its minigame features and cartoon visuals. It used the Namco G-Con45 and players would tackle various challenges – among them, memory, which require🤡d players to memorise objects and shoot them in a specific order; speed, in which targets and timers combined; and accuracy, which asked players to land shots on increasingly smaller targets. Point Blank appealed to everyone and largely dodged arguments over violence.

Time Crisis: Razing Storm 

Platform: PS3
Year: 2010

If any game is to feature twice on this list, it must surely be Time Crisis. Although this isn’t ‘just another cover shooter’. Razing Storm was actually a small compilation of games, all of which were pretty stellar. There was the titular Razing Storm, which added destructible environments to the usual Time Cr🍨isis fare. Time Crisis 4, undoubtedly the better of the series’ entries, was in there too. Lastly, and probably most importantly, Deadstorm Pirateඣs was a stonking adventure on the high seas and easily the standout game in the collection owing to its weaponry and departure from the usual cops-and-robbers template of so many other lightgun games. And if you didn’t have a G-Con3, you could use PS Move controllers (which, sadly, didn’t lead to a lightgun game renaissance).

Men in Black: Alien Crisis

Platform: PS3
Year: 2012

Players who’d bou♔ght Cabela’s Dangerous Hunts were stuck with the swish but relatively unsupported Top Shot Elite. Though interest in lightguns was waning due to Sony developing the Move controllers, the Top Shot Elite got another game in the shape of Men In Black: Alien Crisis. Released alongside the third film, this game follows Agent P (voiced by Troy Baker) who must stop, well, an alien crisis. Sadly this was not the swan song envisioned for the fabulous lightgun; the game was universally panned. We’re not sure how you can get aliens, guns, and humour so badly wrong.

Virtua Cop: Elite Edition

Platform: PS2
Year: 2002

At first, players and critics were sceptical of the Virtua Cop series. With Konami using digitised photos in its leading shooter, some were wary of Sega’s use of 3D polygons. However, 🐽in the arcades, the game was a smash. Virtua Cop bridged the gap between graphic violence and cartoon-style visuals, and there was even a feature allowing you to disarm criminals instead of killing them. Players felt the use of 3D models made for a more enjoyable experience as a higher level of accuracy was needed. Elite Edition bundled the first two games together in an almost-perfect arcade port.

This feature first appeared in PLAY magazine - 

Uwoslab - a streamer and self-proclaimed "mad scientist" who has gained a following for creating contraptions no one has ever thought of before - has managed to find a way to power Hasbro's Sonic the Hedgehog 3 handheld console 💟using eight cups of chili and science. Sonic must be very proud. 

I'd love to tell you exactly how this works scientifically but unfortunately, I have no idea. The full exp🍸eriment was broadcast over on Uwoslab's but you can see some of the highlights in the tweet below. As you can see, the streamer uses everything from plastic cups to copper rods, and a big bowl of chili and hot dogs to ജget the little console up and running - which eventually does work. 

In the replies to their tweet, Uwoslab briefly explains🦩 the science behind it: "A basic voltaic cell is a copper and zinc electrode in a salt/vinegar mixture, and chili is both salty and acidic, meaning we can use it instead." When you put it like that it is pretty simple, I just can't 🤡imagine a time when you'd have a bowl of chili, no electricity, and a Sonic the Hedgehog 3 handheld console that's just run out of battery.

This is just one of the wild experiments Uwoslab has conducted on stream. The mad scientist has a𒐪lso built a contraption to make hot chocolate as fast as possible, created a wall-mounted baconꦫ dispenser, and found a way to make a chat-controlled ukulele bot. We may never find a use for any of these inventions but I'm glad someone is out there finding a way to make them happen. 

Take a look at our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best Sonic games list as we sadly don't have a list dedicated to food-powered consoles. 

sat down with three developers on the action-platformer, which marked the Blue Blur's first time zipping across an open-world setting. With such a drastically different, bigger structure than previous outings, the pressure on the team was at an all-ti🥃me high.

According to translations from twitterer ▨, designer Yuki Takahashi said the game took five years to fully make with a maximum of 120 developers working on it. While experimenting with a new 'open-zone' structure for Sonic, the team was supposedly "filled with a sense of crisis… we have to create something new… if we fail here, there will be no chance."

Sonic The Hedgehog would have likely continued in some form﷽, regardless of Frontier's success or lack thereof. But had Sonic Frontiers underperformed, future titles could have seen an even more limited scope or budget. 

Thankfully for momentum-cravers, the opposite happened: Sonic Frontiers propelled the series to its 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:"biggest year" ever. Publisher Sega then announced that 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:its🦩 sequel would enjoy an even bigger budget. "I would like to use 🐼the knowledge gained here to further evolve the reborn third generation of Sonic," programmer Yuki Mitsuishi says. Hopefully, the bigger budget facilitates that. 

What does that "third generation" entail? Well, presumably more open-world Sonic games, 澳𒆙洲幸运5开奖号🏅码历史查询:no more pixel art entries for a while, and, probably, more films. Sonic The Hedgehog 3 opens later this year, featuring a hopefully moody Shadow and Jim Carrey's re♋turn as super🔴villain Dr. Eggman. 

See what else is coming up, with our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:new games of 2024 guide.

If you're not already familiar, Unicorn Overlord has players take on the high fantasy role of a wayward prince, Alain, forced from his home and looking to defeat the evil traitor that has since gone on to conquer the world. The story is one of liberation, literally and figuratively, with your little ragtag group growing into a proper army as you explore new areas, meet unique characters, and generally pummel your enemies into submission – with loads♋ of interlocking sy❀stems underneath the fantasy garb.

It's hard to say whether all of the little touches ultimately pay off in the end, but it's fascinating to be given multiple options on how to deal with various situations and for the game to immediately flag that said choices will have some kind of resulting effect down the line. Will my propensity for mercy actually come back to bite me in the end or will my empathetic nature be a boon, ultimately? Having only played the beginning of the g𓆏ame, I can't say for sure, but I can say that I꧒'m intrigued.

High fantasy and stakes

Actual battles in Unicorn Overlord play out a bit like a co𝕴nstantly rotating Rube Goldberg device. While you can shift combinations of units, formations, spaces, equipment, and tactics, the actual fight itself between them plays out automatical🌳ly. Once you've committed to a battle, you're committed, and there's no stepping back from a fight. Unicorn Overlord is good at signposting the various ways in which these all interact, but maximizing the positives and minimizing the negatives feels like it might take more patience and brainpower than I personally have of either.

For example, certain units can pierce through a single line of your own, so perhaps you want to stagger those units in your formation ahead of that battle. And maybe you want a Lord in the front with a Witch in back so that t🐽he Witch can empower the Lord's ability to do extra magick damage. But that's all done in preparation, and none of that is actively decided upon in the ༒heat of battle. Active skill and passive skills instead play out based on preordained tactics, for good or for ill. Helpfully, there is a predictive bit ahead of the battle that crunches the numbers to see who might win or lose, so preparation is very much the name of the game.

Even speeding through the opening hours to experience as much as possible, it's impressive just how much there apparently is to do and see in Unicorn Overlord. At the conclusion of my session, the world map indicated I'd not even seen 10% of it as of yet, and that was with me scouring the countryside for foraging nodes to gather materials, forts to liberate, and units to recruܫit. I only dipped my toe into making deliveries to towns and stationing guards there, basically didn't touch armorers or provisi🤪oners, and effectively set my initial tactics with some formation shuffling without bothering to change it up ever again for any of my units. Apparently you can sail to other places from liberated, advanced towns, and I didn't even do that once.

This 🍨massive variety of ways to spend your time makes for a fairly compelling, breakneck pace, at least initially. It feels like there's something new to see or do or discover around every bend of the road or past the edge of the fog of war. I suspect if I had opted into one of the harder difficulty options that individual fights would have been more complicated, requiring further time invested, and generally making for an even more involved experience.

Admittedly, I'm the kind of person that finds all of these systems working in tandem to be, in a word, delicious. The fantastical premise and unit recruitment speaks to my love for Fire Emblem: Three Houses while the liberation of areas and investment in towns scratches a deeply ingrained nostalgia for Final Fantasy Tactics Aඣdvance while the tactical combat compels my inner Total War and XCOM nerd. It's a combination seemingly deliberately designed for me and my proclivities.

I suspect that there might come a point where the game potentially collapses under the weight of all of this, especially as it adds even more to the pile to 🦄possibly become repetitive or tedious or worse, but m💛y preview never became overwhelming. If I'm being completely honest, the most disappointing part of playing Unicorn Overlord, the only real sticking point as I look back on my brief time with it, is that I had to stop.

Unicorn Overlord is set to release for PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch on March 8, 2024. In the meantime, feel free to check out the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best RPGs to surrender your social life with right now.

RGG Studio is beloved for following one storyline across several games and returning to familiar locations again and again. Series icon Kazuma Kiryu has been resurrected for just one more beatdown more times than I can count - to the point that he's reached graying age and is now facing a terminal cancer diagnosis in this year's excellent 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth. 

But Infinite Wealth is also the tenth new game in the series (if you include Judgement, Ishin, and Gaiden) in the last ten years. To put that into perspective, Rockstar Games has launched GTA 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2 in the last ten years. Rocksteady only released Batman Arkham Knight and, recently, 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Suicide Squad Kill The Justic🎀e League in that same t💜imeframe. And just two mainline Halo shooters have dropped. 

"If you take a GTA or Assassin's Creed, those companies' big marketing copy is [about] a new city complete with new gameplay - and t𝔍hey almost reinvent a large portion of the game," studio director Masayoshi Yokoyama tells via an interpreter. Yokoyama continues to say that modern blockbusters are closer to "complete reboots," a𝓀s opposed to "upgrades of the previous" games. 

RGG's approach is somewhat unique given the fact that Kamurocho, a Japanese nightlife district, has been featured in almost every single outing. And fans are happy to see it return, continually reinvigorated with zany side activities and heartfelt vignettes. Returning to Kamurocho and other evergreen locations means that the team can reuse development assets, thus cutting down on the 澳洲幸运5开ꦐ奖号码历史查询:unsustainable cost of modern big-budget games. But it's also more than just a cost-cutting💟 measure; it's a design philosophy and a damn good one a🐠t that. 

"We take on an approach that builds on the previous version," Yokoyama continues in the insightful WP piece. "That comes more from a drama or movie type of development, linear media conte💖nt. ... I don't think many companies are doing this with video games. I would argue it's probably only us."

It's an approach that's sailed the series to continual growth in Japan and, increasingly, worldwide. Following eight mainline outings, Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth added Hawaii to the mix and achieved both the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best reviews and 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:fastest sales in series history, proving that big studios don't always need to put themselveꦇs at risk to create something great. 

Persona fans have long theorized that an unnamed ch🔯ild in Persona 3 Portable is actually party member Ryuji Sakamoto in Persona 5, later growing up to join the loveable Phantom Thi🧔eves. Evidence? Both characters wore a signature yellow shirt, were involved in running clubs, had similar spunky demeanors, and the timelines match perfectly.

A few throwaway lines in Persona 5 also link the two together. Ryuji is the only character to randomly name-drop Gekkoukan High, the school that houses Persona 3's main cast and monster-filled dungeon floors. Another line mentions that R✱yuji's natural hair color is black, not blonde, connecting the 🌃two even further. 

from

The social media posts embedded above give us a look at what the boy looked like in Persona 3 Portable (2009) and the newly released Persona 3 Reload (2024). "Atlus saw the Ryuji in Persona 3 P🎃ortable theory and did everything they could to change the boy," one player jokingly speculates, as did others on social media. 

In fairness, t♚he changes aren't dramatic enough to completely disprove any similar fan theories. Maybe Ryuji d𒁏iscovers that yellow suits him later on? The tweaks are only disappointing because many fans speculated that Atlus would lean into the fun theories for this remake, smartly connecting Persona 3 with the game whose success it's trying to replicate. Instead, the studio seemingly moved further away from it with the redesign.

Ryuji faithfuls (me) are in shambles, but this minor injustice hasn't muddied the game's otherwise successful start since Persona 3 Reload became the bigges⛦t Steam launch in the developer's entire catalog, passing the concurrent player counts of the Personas, Soul Hackers, and 𒁏Shin Megami Tenseis. Though fans still don't know which version is the best Persona 3. 

Check out our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Persona 3 Reload interview to see how the studio approached a modern remake of a classic game. 

The Yakuza RPG arrives in just a few days on January 26, but those who want to replay the massive romp with all their skills and gear intact will need to 🉐spend extra. Infinite Wealth's reveals that New Game Plus - a feature that's normally free of charge - is paywalled behind the more expensive Deluxe and U♔ltimate editions. 

Lik🌳e A Dragon: Infinite Wealth's standard edition, which just gives you access to the base game, is available to purchase for $70/£60 on . To access New Game Plus, though, you'll unfortunately need to fork outꦍ $85/£75 for the Deluxe edition or a whopping $110/£95 for the Ultimate edition. 

Other extras in these premium editions include a post-game dungeon, bonus music, and more characters added to the game's wild (off-brand) 澳✱洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Animal Crossing and Pokémon-st𝐆yle mini-games. 

New Game Plus, as mentioned, is a fairly standard feature found in countless games that feature leveling, loot, and whatnot. Everything from Elden Ring to 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Alan Wake 2 lets you replay the game while retaining all your goodies - and games such as Marvel's Spider-Man 2 are adding the feature in a 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:free, post-launch update. 

Needless to 💫say, news that a usually-free feature is now being paywalled has irked many. "It’s not 'bizarre&ap෴os;, it’s just greedy," the top comment on the Yakuza reads. "I strongly dislike the cut-throat approach to DLC and locking a basic feature behind a paywall," says another. 

Yong Yea, who voices one of the game’s two protagonists, Kazuma Kiryu, also spoke up against the money-hungry release strategy. "No game should lock New Game Plus behind a paywall," he writes in a social media . "Doing so hurts community goodwill and replayability, a net negative in the long 𝔉run. It should be a base feature or free update for any game that supports it."

Developer RGG Studio and publisher Sega haven't responded to🐻 the backlash thus far, but the tactic won't change if it makes the companies enough money come January 26. 

Check out what else is new with our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:upcoming games of 2024 guide.

One of the big problems was the choice to develop the game at Sega Technical🔜 Institute in the USA, with a mixed Japanese and American development team – i🏅n Retro Gamer 175, game designer Hirokazu Yasuhara told us that, "Trying to establish a multicultural development team was meaningful, but it should not be done for a project with a very tight schedule." 

The result was that while Sonic development continue🤪d at STI, the American developers would split off to work on Sonic Spinball, ♊while Sonic The Hedgehog 3 was developed at Sega Technical Institute in the USA with almost exclusively Japanese staff. Key returning staff from Sonic 2 included Yuji Naka, now a producer as well as lead programmer, Hirokazu Yasuhara, credited as director as well as senior game designer, and senior programmer Masanobu Yamamoto. Takashi Iizuka, today the Sonic series producer at Sonic Team, came on board as a senior game designer having previously worked on Golden Axe III. 

"I was living outside of Japan for the first time during Sonic 3's development, so it was one culture shock after another on a daily basis for me," he recalls. "I hadn&apoꩵs;t even heard of Halloween before, so it was really surprising to see eve♛ryone at STI sitting down for serious meetings while dressed up in costumes." 

Hedge your bets  

Just like Sonic 2, the third main game was also subject to major time pressures – in part because of experimental work that the team did during early development. Feeling that the previous game had already come close to the limits of the Mega Drive, Sonic 3 was originally slated to use the same enhancement chip as Virtua Racing. Speaking to Japan's Sega ꦍMagazine in 1997, with translation from shmuplations.com, Yuji Naka said, "Up till about June of 1993, the Sonic 3 development included the SVP. It featured isometric 3D graphics, and you could rotate and turn the game field." Of course, this design was scrapped, with Naka continuing, "Unfortunately, in June we realised that development of the SVP chip probably wouldn't be finished by the end of the year. So we abandoned all the programming and work we'd done up to then. In the remaining six months we had for Sonic 3, we had to start entirely from zero and re-do everything." 

Virtua Racing ultimately launched just six weeks after Sonic The Hedgehog 3, but in that interview, Naka claimed that meeting a February 1994 release date was crucial because Sega had entered into a $20 million promotional deal with McDonald's for that month. Takashi Iizuka confirms that "it wasn't realistic to change that" promotion to coincide with a slightly later release, but also he offers a different reason for the abandonment of the enhancement c🍰hip, telling us, "Support for the SVP chip was nothing more than a research experiment to🌠 see if we could get Sonic moving in 3D. In the end we found that it could only handle a polygon count similar to Virtua Racing, so we decided that it wasn't a good fit for a Sonic game." 

Regardless of the precise reasoning for abandoning the SVP chip, the result was the same – by June 1993, there was a tight ✱deadline to meet and no substantial work done. The team would settle on revisiting the tried-and- true platform design. "We wanted to make Sonic 3😼 more epic than Sonic 2," says Iizuka. "Specifically, that meant strengthening the story elements, adding uniqueness to the Act 1 and 2 pairs, adding a new playable character, expanding each stage, adding new routes for each character and enhancing 2P versus play." 

Some of these enhancements were very straightforward. Distinct musical arrangements and subtle background changes helped to differentiate Act 1 from Act 2 of each stage, as did the addition of more bosses. "We didn't want Act 1 and Act 2 to feel too repetitive, but rather have each reach its own peak. Act 2 featured battles with Dr Eggman [Robotnik], so for Act 1 we created battles against just his robots, spicing up the fun whe♎n it came to boss battles," Iizuka recalls. The new playable character was Knuckles, designed by Takashi Yuda. 

"We wanted to create a character of a similar size and stature to rival Sonic beyond the Mecha Sonic and Metal Sonic charac⛄te🐬rs of the previous games. Those characters were very cool, but Knuckles let us create an antagonist where we could really shape his personality and take on the journey that we did," says Iizuka. "As for his abilities, we were always keen to explore how alternative gameplay mechanics and traversal could make an impact on Sonic's traditional level design, and we felt that his ability to glide and climb gave players new ways and reasons to play each zone." 

Those abilities actually gave Sonic 3's level designs a whol𓆉e new shape. "Knuckles' ability to punch through rocks allowed us to create routes that only he could use," Iizuka explain♛s. "Sonic's playstyle was horizontal, while Knuckles' climbing and gliding allowed us to bring in vertical play. He allows for different experiences from Sonic, such as climbing walls to find secret areas or gliding between walls to navigate a way upward." 

Even if you're not playing as Knuckles, this is apparent. Sonic 3's stages are massive, sprawling things compared to those of previous games,𓂃 with designs that are up to twice as tall as those featured in Sonic 2. Sonic 3 increased the use of vertical wrap-around in its stages compared to Sonic 2, allowing for more stages with a feeling of even greater hei🃏ght. Adding Knuckles also aided the storytelling aspect of the game, giving an extra dimension to the plot. "We had the idea from the beginning that Knuckles would first be an enemy but later become playable. So we worked Knuckles into the story and had him appear as an enemy from the outset," Iizuka recalls. 

The first two games had used short in-engine scenes to depict key events and that technique was expanded here – Knuckles managed to dispossess Sonic of the Chaos Emeralds in the game's int🦩ro, and showed up frequently in scripted short in-engine scenes to depict was expanded here – Knuckles of the Chaos E꧙meralds in the game's intro, and showed ambushes from there on. Just like the story scenes in the prior games, Sonic 3's story scenes were designed not to use text or voice acting. "As Sonic is an action game played all around the world, we didn't want to use text to tell the story, but thought of ways to make cutscenes that could be followed visually," Iizuka explains. "It was very difficult to express the scene of Knuckles actually having been deceived by Dr Eggman without using any text." 

 The whole hog 

Magazine previews mentioned a "helper mechanic" in which Tails could provide aid to Sonic – something later seen in a prototype discovered in 2019, but which ultimately fell by the wayside. "Just like every gameplay feature decision, we try things, see how they feel, test them and if they don't add to the gameplay experience then we doꦕn't see them as necessary as a final game feature," responds Iizuka when asked about it. "We felt this might detract from the overall player experience with Sonic so it didn't make it into the final game." That decision didn't stop Tails from helping out though – players were given the ability to control him while flying, and Sonic could grab hold of him for an airlift to higher places during co-op play. Tails also gained the ability to swim, but wasn't strong enough to carry Sonic while doing so. 

For Sonic, the team experimented with a variety of new techniques including a move that is coincidentally close to the Drop Dash from Sonic Mania, which was discovered in a Sonic 3 prototype found in 2019. However, the other characters showed the way for Sonic's newest trick. "As youꦓ know, up until Sonic 2 you could control your character using only the jump action. But to add the flight action for the newly added Knuckles and Tails, it was necessary to add the ability to press the jump button while in mid-air. And because Sonic can't fly or glide, we added the Insta-shield," says Iizuka. This move allowed Sonic to briefly gain invincibility and an increased attacking range, which is great for taking out spiked enemies. 

While every character gained elemental protection and other benefits from the new Flame, Water and Lightning Shields, Sonic gained brand-new moves – a mid-air dash, a bounce attack and a double jump respectively. "Coming up with new ideas and gameplay mechanics for how these Shields could protect the player or interact with objects in the world,ಞ like you say, the Magnetic Rings, was a lot of fun," says Iizuka. "We really looked at how the different elements would work together – for example, the Flame Shield could provide a quick burst of speed, but you'd have to be careful not to fall into water if you didn't want to lose it. I felt that it all contributed to a more engaging experience." 

Everything about Sonic 3 was shaping up to be bigger and better than ever. A brand- new special stage and three bonus stages were in the works, and instead of taking place on a selection of standard stages, the new Competition Mode had brand-new bespoke designs tailor-made for racing. Boss battles required more strategy, including some encounters in which the enemies needed to be tricked into hurting themselves. Sonic and Tails had redesigned sprites to go with a refreshed graphical direction, and the game was even set to feature music from Michael 💮Jackson as well as Sega's highly capable composers – read mor♍e about that in The Jackson Factor. Best of all, Sega had managed to keep everything highly secret in a way that it hadn't for Sonic 2. 

But as the autumn of 1993 wore on, it became clear that it simply wasn't going to be possible to finish the game as planned while meeting that all-important February release date. In the Sega Magazine interview, Naka stated that conversations about splitting Sonic 3 across two cartridges came "at the very end of development" and that the method to combine cartridges was figured out "at the very, very last minute", with the game's programming revised to take the Lock-On c💫artridge into account. "It was a very difficult decision to split the game into two cartridges. One major issue was how to make a cohesive product when it came to the second half of the game," says Iizuka. "Data couldn't be carried over if we used two separate cartridges, making the Knuckles routes we had built into the Sonic 3 stages unplayable. That's where the idea came for the Lock-On cartridge, allowing the two cartridges to work together. I remember thinking it was an insane idea! I was very impressed with Sega being able to make it a reality." The Sonic 3 ♋prototype found in 2019 suggests that the process of splitting the games started about a month before the final build. 

The decision to split the game had some knock-on effects in the game design. Flying Battery Zone was originally positioned between Carnival Night Zone and Ice Cap Zone, but was moved to become the second stage of Sonic & Knuckles instead. "I don't think there were any other stages tha🌌t were added or moved, but we did make some spec changes," says Iizuka. "The Launch Base boss was an Eggman boss as usual, but splitting the game made it the last stage of Sonic 3, so we added Big Arms. Mushroom Hill became the first stage of Sonic & Knuckles, so we readjusted the difficulty to make it easier than originally planned." Two bonus stages were left unused to be finished later on, and most significantly Knuckles was held back as a playable chara☂cter and appeared solely as an antagonist outside of Competition Mode. 

Happy blue year

Sonic 3 released on 2 February 1994 in North America, and followed to the UK on 24 February, with some European countries and Australia following in March. In Japan, where the Mega Drive was less popular, the game finally released on 27 May. Despite its truncated nature, the game was very well- received by the majority of gaming magazines. Mean Machines Sega gave it 94%, with Radion Automatic saying, "The whole game is packed with new ideas a🔴nd the levels, whilst few in number, are absolutely huge." Mega also noted the size of the levels and praised the "new and bizarre power-ups" and concluded by saying that "this is probably about as good as Sonic can possibly get". 

By this point, critics had developed a fatigue for platform games in general and Sonic in specific, but Sonic 3 proved good enough to overcome it. Computer & Video ಞGames awarded the game 94%, with reviewer Deniz Ahmet admitting that he was "all set to be highly critical of Sonic 3 after hearing that it was more of the same", but found "there are so many new and imaginative ideas that I have no complaints". Likewise, Sega Zone's Jonathan Nash "tried to hate it", but found that "my pre-prepared words of disapproval were forgotten" upon playing it, and gave it 93%. 

Where complaints arose, they were mostly about the difficulty level. Mean Machines Sega said that "completing the game without the Emera✃lds is not very difficult at all", while Sega Zone felt that you could "quite easily storm through the game in an afternoon". Sega Pro gave it 87%, saying that it was a "state-of-the-art platformer" that would have scored 95% were it not for the £59.99 price tag, arguing "few games are worth that much money and when you couple this with the length of time it'll take to complete it, it's a joke". GamesMaster also gave the game 87%, saying that "the similariti🐟es are far more numerous than the differences" when compared to its predecessors. Digitiser made similar complaints in a review that is remembered to this day for its 72% score. 

Even if you weren't reading magazines, Sonic 3's incomplete nature was somewhat obvious – the game's notoriously difficult-to-access level select screen listed stages that were completely inaccessible, and the sound test was filled with loads of unused music. But the fact that Sonic 3 had been split into two parts was no secret at all, with Mean Machines Sega's review of Sonic 3 talking about future plans for "a deluxe 24-meg edition of the game, with extra levels and enhanced play", as well as "an upgrade for the 16-meg edition, a plug-through cart with two ends, which will also work with your Sonic 1 and 2 carts to create extra levels". Development of a single-cartridge version of the complete game was underway but ultimately scrapped in favour of the plu🍌g-through cartridge that became Sonic & Knuckles. For Iizuka and the rest of the team, the extra time was a major relief – though Sonic & Knuckles launched just eight months after Sonic 3, compared to over fourteen months between Sonic 3 and Sonic 2, Sonic & Knuckles was a far more relaxed project. 

"The development time for Sonic 3 was extremely tight, and there was barely time to sleep," Iizuka recalls. "But we still worked on some Sonic & Knuckles stages during Sonic 3 development and Sonic & Knuckles development continued in the time between Sonic 3's master ROM and its launch date, so launching it eight months later wasn't that tight of a schedule. That's why we had time to come up with additional specs like Lock-On cartridges and Knuckles in Sonic 2." With the engine already in place, the team was free to create the remaining planned stages aꦡnd implement the two additional bonus games, but for many players the opportunity to🃏 take control of Sonic's new rival was the key attraction. 

"As you know, in the latter half of the story Knuckles learns that he had been deceived by Eggman and joins Sonic. So the idea was to add him as a playable character after the player completed Sonic's storyline," says Iizuka, explaining how things would have workedꦕ had Sonic 3 be🐬en released as a singular product. Sonic & Knuckles allows you instant access to the echidna whether combined with Sonic 3 or not, but in spite of that change of arrangements, Knuckles' story is still influenced by the original plan. 

"When playing as Knuckles, Sonic has already defeated Eggman according to the storyline, so the Death Egg is gone. That's why we replaced Eggman with Egg Robo, and the last boss is Mecha Sonic rather than the Death Egg Robot," Iizuka tells us. "Instead of just adding a playable character, we wanted to tell a story that fits the character." Sonic & Knuckles also included The Doomsday Zone – a secret final confrontation that can only be accessed as Sonic, and only if you've gained enough Chaos Emeralds to transform into Super Sonic or his upgraded Hyper Sonic form. "It was designed as an aerial battle. Sonic is able to fly when transformed, so we removed the ground completely and had him flying through space," says Iizuka. This climactic battle proved to be the origin of a tradition of the Sonic seඣries, as it provided the basis for memorable boss fights in later games including showdowns against Perfect Chaos, Finalhazard and the Time Eater.

New shoes

Released globally in October 1994, Sonic & Knuckles received another strong set ಌof reviews. Mega awarded the game 92%, saying, "The main criticism about the first three games being too easy could in no way be applied to this!" Sega Power felt similarly and gave the game 90%, while Sega Pro's 90% review highlighted the differing routes each character offered. In CVG's 91% review, Rik Skews noted that he "expected Sonic & Knuckles to be scrappy" due to its short development time but felt that it "makes a great conclusion to the series". GamesMaster's 90% review felt that the increased difficulty and backwards compatibility meant that the game was "going to last". 

A lack of originality was the main cause for critical concern. Though Sega Magazine awarded Sonic & Knuckles 92% and Richard Leadbetter called it "the perfect buy if you already own all the other Sonic 𒆙games", Radion Automatic recommended that those "looking for something to renew your faith in the genre" try Dynamite Headdy instead. In Mean Machines Sega, Steve Merrett felt it was "just more of the same and, consequently, is likely to be usurped by Sega's new h𒅌ero, Dynamite Headdy", and offered a review score of 85%. Likewise, in Games World's 83% review, Dave Perry felt that "our once plucky blue hero is starting to look tired". The brilliance of Sonic & Knuckles was that while it was substantial enough to work as a stand-alone game, the Lock-On cartridge made it a unique offering at a time when expansion packs were typically a technical impossibility in the console market. 

What had started off as a problem ended up being a creative and commercial triumph. Both halves of the project were fine games taken alone, but elevated when joined together – Sonic 3 owners got a great reason to revisit the game, and got benefits like Tails and the save game feature that didn't exist in Sonic & Knuckles alone. Add the other benefits of the Lock-On cartridge – see Locked And Loaded for those – and Sonic & Knuckles was the perfect addition to a Sonic collection. For Sega, it provided not only a key game for the holiday season of 1994, but a way of shifting more copies of back-catalogue games. Overall, Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles combin𓆏ed sold four million copies. 

Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles later made their way to PC in 1997 as part of Sonic & Knuckles Collection, which offers the ability to play either game individually or both together. This version features MIDI music and replaces some of the tracks attributed to Michael Jackson's team with tunes that were present in a prototype build of the Mega Drive game. The games arrived on the Saturn as part of Sonic Jam the same year with no substantial cha𒊎nges, and emulated Mega Drive versions were a staple of Sega's compilations until 2010, when re-releases dried up. Sonic 3 & Knuckles finally returned in combined and remastered form as part of the Sonic Origins compilation in 2022. 

This version featured new arrangements of the music found in the Sonic 3 prototype and Sonic & Knuckles Collection, suggesting that while no legal action has ever been made public, music rights were at the heart of that lengthy absence. Looking back at Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles, Iizuka's only quibble with the end product has been resolved. "I do wish we had been able to sell Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles as one complete game. So I was happy that we were able to accomplish that with Sonic Origins last year," he tells us. But the split release has done nothing to damage the standing of the game among fans – while Sonic 2 is arguably the classic Sonic game that has the most appeal among the general gaming population, Sonic fans tend to hold Sonic 3 & Knuckles as the best of ꦏthe classics. 

"It makes me truly happy to hear that," Iizuka says. "Many of the people on the development team were veter🐈ans who had worked on Sonic 1 and Sonic 2, and I think it's the result of everyone's determination to make a game that outshines the previous two. I'🎀m proud that I was able to be a part of Sonic 3's development."

This feature originally appeared in Retro Gamer magazine. For more fantastic in-depth features, interviews, and more on classic games, or . 

The 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming handheld battlefield is already busier than ever, and there are plenty of retro gaming options already clashing it out. That said, I’m a sucker for all things Sega, and even though I have a million ways to play my Genesis (Mega Drive) collection, I’ve got a serious backlog problem when it comes to physical games. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve completed all my childhood favorites multiple times throughout the years, but I’ve obtained several other 16-bit classics and hidden gems too, and I only really get to w🍌hittle the pile down when I’m sitting at my original console setup.

That’s where Hyperkin’s latest console comes into play, as the newly announced Retron 95 turns playing physical Genesis games into a portable experience. Highlighted by , the upcoming handheld looks a lot like a classic 6-button con🃏troller with a screen in the middle. That’s a good thing considering Sega’s original attempt to make the Mega Drive portable, the Nomad, was a brick-shaped AA battery guzzler that was anything but ergonomic. Still, even with nearly 30 years between them, both devices share a common noble goal of helping you play physical cartridges on the go. 

Clearly, The Retron🤡 95 is targeting handheld lovers, wanderers, and those who like to press screens up to their faces in bed alike (I’m certainly in the latter camp). However, the retro console makers have♛ clearly been doing their homework when it comes to the modern portable space, as docking stations are big business. 

Just like the best Steam Deck dock and the cradle that comes with the Switch, the new Sega system’s base uses USB-C to link up to a 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:gaming monitor or TV, but also boasts 8-pin controller adapters at the front to keep things extra authentic. I’m a huge fan of this approach, as the all-in-one n🌸ature of previous handheld efforts like the SupaBoy Portable always proved slightly off-putting. That’s admittedly a very subjective opinion, but I’ve become very used to hybrid setups that expand ports and functionality with a single connection.

It’s worth noting that the Retron 95 is set to use the same e🌼mulation-based approach as the company’s previous systems. Simply put, if you’re looking for next to 100% compatibility and accuracy, you’ll still want to stick with your OG console to divert your attention to FPGA devices that accurately mimic the innards of original systems. Otherwise, you’ll be able to pop in a cartridge to the top of this handheld, temp🍌orarily upload its ROM, and jump into pixelated capers like it's 1995. Only this time, Hyperkin says you’ll be able to play for 10 hours on a shiny new IPS display (sorry, Nomad).

We’re still eagerly waiting for Hyperkin Retron 95 price and release date info, but I’m certainly keen to take the new Sega Genesis handheld for a spin when it eventually lands. Until then, you might want to swing by our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Atari 2600+ review for a look at a modern VCS that runs original carts. If emulation isn't your jam, and you're a fan of the Turbografx-16, we've also a rundown of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Analogue Duo that may come in handy.

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Whether you’re a fan of the series or not, there's undoubtedly no argument that Resident Evil helped redefine video games in the mid-90s and propelled the Sony PlayStation into a more mature demographic. Open and tense locations, limited ammunition, a mysterious corporation, oblique puzzles and, of course, those sh💖ambling undead corpses all contributed massively to a successful regeneration of the survival horror genre. And back in 1996, we didn’t seem to mind the tank controls and those painful door animations. This was a frightening experience like no other. 

"I remember walking into a lot of walls!" smiles Alex Moo🌳re, designer on Fiꦜresprite’s brutal VR survival horror game, The Persistence. "The controls and camera suited the game at the time, but they were a high skill floor for players to learn."

While it retained the tank controls and pre-rendered backdrops, Resident Evil☂ 3: Nemesis included a few nods to a new direction. Much of the original game's anxious skulking of tight corridors was gone, as was the laborious trudging across the map to find a specific item. Instead, we got the mutated Nemesis, stalking Jill Valentine with a rough gargled exhortation of "STARS" as the series took a notable move towards action-based gameplay. 

Then, with further advances arriving with the Sega Dreamcast game Resident Evil – Code: Veronica in 2000, Capcom's dec൲ision to publish a remake of the original game on the Nintendo GameCube pointed the way to a new beginning. "Looking at Resident Evil now, I think it's earned its place in gaming history," says Alex Aniel, author of Itchy, Tasty: Theꦦ Unofficial History Of Resident Evil. "But it was superseded by the legendary GameCube remake." 

Yet despite its status today, the GameCube remake of Resident Evil, and its companion, Resident Evil Zero, were disappointing sellers for Capcom, the ex🌳clusivity to the Nintendo console harming it in the face of the incredible success of the PlayStation 2. As Alex Aniel notes 😼in [unofficial Resident Evil history book] Itchy, Tasty, "It is likely that there would have been a drop, albeit smaller, on PlayStation 2 as well. By the time Resident Evil Zero was released, there were already various discussions in progress about the viability of the old Resident Evil gameplay formula, which had not evolved dramatically since 1996."

With Grand Theft Auto, Halo and Capcom's Devil May Cry all changing the gaming landscape in their own way, the Resident Evil series was starting to look quaint and old-fashioned in comparison. Devil May C♈ry had actualꦰly begun life as Resident Evil 4 before Capcom changed tack, feeling that the game had strayed too far away from the Resident Evil formula. Starting afresh in 2001, Resident Evil 4 formed part of The Capcom Five, a quintet of games announced for the console on 14 November 2002. 

Undeterred by the relatively poor performance o💫f the remake and Zero, the plan was to release all five games exclusively on the Nintendo GameCube. There are significant indicators in Resident Evil 4's 80-second trailer here that this would be something quite differ♔ent from the previous games. The flowing locks of a youthful Leon Kennedy take centre stage as he paces through dynamic dark corridors, stalked by a smoky black presence. The constantly shifting backgrounds and a camera diligently floating behind Leon betrays a new direction for the series. Despite several technical and story-related issues – a trailer from 2003 with Leon encountering a terrifying figure armed with a hook, was ultimately scrapped due to the GameCube's limitations – Resident Evil 4's (almost) final version was ready to stun the world in 2004.

The scene was Capcom's Gamers' Day event ⛄in Las Vegas on the 28 January. Resident Evil 4's previous two trailers had revealed a new direction and an adherence to the old-school horror tropes for which the series had become famed. Now, all expectations were shattered as Capcom displayed its latest trailer and a playable demo. 

It was a dramatic new face for survival horror. Former Raccoon Police Department officer Leon Kennedy is now part of a government task force assigned to eliminate the threat of the nefarious corporation, Umbrella. With most of itsও agents under investigation, Leon is dispatched to Spain to investigate the kidnapping of the president's daughter, Ashley Graham. The 2004 trailer begins with the agent pacing cautiously through a dark rural area, gun ready in anticipation of trouble. Lightning arcs downwards, lighting the scene; it is the dingy village from the finished game's opening. Villagers menace Leon as the🌸 captions tease an apocalyptic scenario and boast that, "New camera angles put you right in the action." 

Real-time actions are presented with a cinematic sheen as Leon jumps theatrically from a window and over fe🥀nces; giant boss monsters appear, menacing the hero as he optimistically plugs away with his handgun. The camera sits behind Leon all the time, following his movements as the antagonists, a world ♉away from lumbering zombies, dodge and attack. As the trailer succinctly claims, it will be, "One hell of an intense story."

A whole new world

Resident Evil 4 formed one half of a dual-cover release of the March 2004 issue of Game Informer magazine, the subtitle screaming "The shocking new face of survival horror". "[When] the news broke 💫in Game Informer, I was stunned, to say the least," remembers Alex Aniel. "[It w𝓡as] a complete 180-degrees on a formula that had been in place for close to a decade at that point. We all knew Resident Evil 4 would be something different and fresh – but we were expecting that in a horror context, not an action one." 

Gone was the haunted castle, hallucinations, zombies and ominous black smoke of the𝓡 previous trailers. Instead, the most human-like enemies of the Resident Evil franchise to date are hunting down Leon: rustic villagers armed with pitchforks, sickles and knives, and given a voice, a guttural Spanish brogue laced with hostile intonation. Of equal shock was Capcom's announcement early in November 2004. "It looks like the folks at Capcom Entertainment were only kidding," chimed IGN, "when they sternly in🌸sisted over and over again that the GameCube action thriller Resident Evil 4 would forever remain exclusive to Nintendo’s console."

Excitement and pressure from fans and (apparently) shareholders had taken its toll: Resident Evil 4 would be coming to the Sony PlayStation 2, alb📖eit some months after its GameCube release. Even though the game became a massive hit on the Nintendo console, selling over 1.5 million units, the Sony PlayStation 2 version enabled a whole new legion of fans to enjoy the game, starting with that famous village location.

Welcome to the family, son

The village forms the rapidly beating heart of Resident Evil 4's opening. Sent to a remote Spanish region to locate Ashley Graham, Leon soon finds himself surrounded by its citizens, acolytes of Los Illuminados, the mysterious cult lꦉed by Osmund Saddler that has captured the president's daughter. The villagers are infected with Las Plagas ('the pests'), and after a token effort by Leon to question one of them, they turn on the agent in a momentous early scene led by the chains🍬aw-wielding Dr Salvador. 

Chuck Beaver was co-designer for the 2💖008 sci-fi horror Dead Space, and he cites the opening village encounter as his favourite scene in the game. "That was great design – in fact, I think that whole opening town zombie rush is pretty epic – talk about feeling in the moment." The village serves as the perfect primer to the horrors ahead of the player and the new gameplay style in Resident Evil 4, a claustrophobic nightmare as the Ganado ('cattle') relentlessly pursue Leon, led by the near-invulnerable Dr Salvador. With ammunition scarce at this early stage, the player must frantically explore the buildings in search of weapons, ammunition and health items, clambering over roofs, crashing through windows and kicking down ladders to🌃 avoid the pursuing mob. 

"I remember being wowed by the intensity of that scene and the enemies coming from all directions," recalls Alex Aniel. "With Resident Evil games being fixed-camera affairs up until that point, the level of immersion was a new experience." The fast-paced, action- movie ambiance of this early scene continues throughout Resident Evil 4 as enemies hurl themselves in their droves at Leon, the brief moments of respite precisely positioned to give the player some much-needed breathing space. "My first experience [playing] Resident Evil 4 was the demo disc included in a one-off special of Famitsu [magazine]," continues Alex. "That sold me on the new formula – it was unlike anything I had ever tried up until that point, and easily the most visually beautiful 3D game I had laid eyes on. I knew then that Capcom h🐻ad a hit on its hands." 

A view(point) to a kill

Having shaken off the shackles of its antiquated gameplay, Resident Evil began gathering new fans, intrigued by the mix of horror and action. The centrepiece of this fresh approach, at least initially, is the novel viewpoint, the game's camera constantly sitting behind and to the protagonist's right, shifting to a sharper, more focussed view when Leon aims 💎his weapon. "I was aware of that type of camera angle – but not to the extent that Resident Evil 4 took it," says Alex Moore. "It felt very new, fresh and much more cinematic." 

The constant flow of action se🐼tpieces means that, even during the many cutscenes, there's no rest for the player as the Ganado push boulders at Leon or a QuickTime Event boss battle unexpectedly crops up. The persistence with tank controls (rather than, for example, the ultra-fluid movement of Devil May Cry's Dante) also works in the game's favour, helping to make each encounter a frantic battle against the onrushing Ganado. 

"It was very engaging to swing through the core loops of combat and then out to cutscenes," recalls Chuck Beaver. "And then back into those foreboding settings, exploring with those tank controls!" The early Dead Space prototypes had lovingly recreated Resident Evil 4's control method – but this was one influence that didn’t last. "Back in those days, when the [EA Redwood Shores] team was tiny, I was in charge of focus testing," says Chuck. "Gears Of War and Halo had become cultural touchstones by then – all the focus tests clearly voted down the now-outdated controls as too sluggish, despite being horror genre stꩲandard." Nevert𓄧heless, Resident Evil's continued use of the rotational control method perfectly suits its gameplay, although it will be interesting to see how the remake adapts this for a contemporary audience.

Spaces between

Despite the move away from tank controls, Dead Space continued to be highly influenced by the Capcom game, often called 'Resident Evil 4 in space' during early develꦦopment. 

As a Resident Evil virgin, the new camera angle did not faze Chuck Beaver. "I was genuinely surprised at how engrossing and fun it was, and didn’t realise how well they had perfected the atmosphere and vibe. At the time, each wave of new game r𓂃eleases seemed to bring a huge leap in resolution, and it was fun to enjoy that wave." Released in widescreen format – back when it was not common – a colossal number of Resident Evil 4's elements made it into Dead Space, not least its seemingly invincible monsters, the Regenerators. 

"Ha, yes, those for sure,” laughs Chuck when we ask him about Resident Evil 4’s effect on Dead Space. "And the little red dot as the targeting reticule, holding a button to aim, the abandoned tank controls and over-the-shoulder third-person orientation. So many of the basics of combat, control and, of course, the enemies. The exploding head💝 with a whipping parasite was definitely an inspiration for some of our early Necromorph concepts – especially those with a body-horror angle." 

Dead aim

For gamers brought up on Resident Evil and its frustratingly imprecise aiming, that red line and dot (which increased in size when an enemy was in Leon💙's sights) was a blessing, helping Leon target vulnerable locations – in other woᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚrds, the head – and with this came Resident Evil 4's glorious wound animations. 

While Rare's GoldenEye and the PC game Soldier Of Fortune had already notably done body-part-specific damage and the subsequent AI reaction, it was Resident Evil 4 that truly popularised the process. Shoot a Ganado in their leg and they clutch the limb in agony before Las Plagas overpowers the pain and the villager continues their attack. And, naturally, headshots come to the fore, enemy bonces exploding in a mass of gore, sometimes a bladed Las Plagas sprouting fro𝓀m their open necks and resuming the assault on Leon. 

The agent's inability to mov𒅌e and shoot at the same time also increases the game's tension. "My first reaction to Resident Evil 4 was, 'How do I shoot?' followed by, 'Why can't I move and shoot?' 🙈followed by, 'Oooooh'" recalls Alex Moore. "I instantly clicked with the game far more than I'd ever done with earlier entries." 

Resident Evil 4’s shooting, naturally a significant part of the game, had been perfected, accentuating its move to a more action-based template. "It was very ♍brave to make the shooting static," continues Alex. "But it just fits perfectly with the game and adds a depth to the gameplay that, until that point, shooters hadn't really had." 

Even better, shooting🌳 an enemy can stagger them. Leon can take advantage of this if he is close enough, delivering a swift and powerful kick to his opponent's head via another cinematic tangent. These litt𒊎le asides and filmic interludes pepper Resident Evil 4: villagers push a giant boulder after Leon; ancient suits of armour crash towards Ashley; a mysterious alien-like creature stabs at Leon with its tail; and then there are the bosses.

Regenera-don't

Froཧm bizarre bosses such as Resident Evil's Plant 42 to the unstoppable (well, almost) hulking Tyrant Nemesis in Resident Evil 3, this is a series that has always revelled in its fights against rampaging, mutated super enemies. The variety of these disgusting and horrible creatures has motivated a whole generation of horror gam🐎e designers, and not just those behind Dead Space's regenerating Necromorph.

Says The Persistence’s Alex Moore, "We were set on having different-sized enemies from the start, and a lot of that came from the contrast that the Resident Evil 4 bosses bring to the game – for example, we wanted the Berserker to have the s✃ame, 'Oh shit!' feel as an El Gigante encounter." Additionally, Resident Evil 4 brings regular enemies to life, the slow mindless zombies of the previous games a far cry from the villagers and soldiers Leon encounters. "I remember most of the Ganado behaviour of rapidly closing – that was always freaky," remembers Chuck. "And there was always some icky person right in your face about to brain you with an axe!" Throughout Resident Evil 4, enemies sway from side to side to dodge Leon's shots, hold their hands up to protect their heads and wield dangerous implements, often throwing them at the agent.

So you get it. Resident Evil 4 is good. Great, even. But the impact ▨– the impression on gamers, super fans such as Alex Aniel and developers – has rarely, if ever, been matched in video game history, reaching out to many of the most successful video game franchises of all time. "When Resident Evil 4 – the inspiration for our close-up third-person perspective – finally came out in January 2005, it reminded us that Gears was about one thing – combat," says Gears Of Wars designer Cliff Bleszinski in his book Control Freak. "And combat was fought close-up, and it was physical, strategic, scary and subject to a rhythm that was all its own." 

Even Resident Evil 4’s inventory management, smoothed out ꦿ♍from the tight and laborious process of the earlier entries, has inspired its own game, Fractal Projects' Save Room. "We looked at Resident Evil 4's inventory system when we were making Rogue Trooper," says Alex Moore, "especially how the herbs and other items combined. While [Resident Evil 4] is a very different game to Rogue Trooper, there's always something to learn from the best games out there." 

Remake nation

All the inspiration derived from Resident Evil 4 sp𒈔rings from admiration of its aesthetic, ground-breaking technical details 🎃and gameplay. As the game enjoys its latest iteration, a ground-up remake following countless HD ports and conversions, it's clear that this goes beyond mere nostalgia. 

"I can’t think of another game that's quite like Resident Evil 4 in terms of the complete package," notes Alex Aniel. "And while many games have adopted its gameplay, you won't find someone like Leon or Salazar in a game like Dead Space or The Last Of Us." Most strikingly, for a game that’s over 18 years old, is how ahead of its time Resident Evil 4 was. Continues Alex, "Every little element to the game’s design leaves an impression, and the quality of the visuals, music and g💎ameplay was far beyond the competition in 2005. Why is it still popular tod🍸ay? Because it’s always been entertaining and provocative to play." 

For Alex, the Resident Evil franchise fostered a deeper interest in Japanese culture, culminating in a move to Japan shortly after the release of the fourth game. Fluent in the language, he connected to many of the people behind Resident Evil throughout the years for h🍌is book, Itchy, Tasty. "Without Resident Evil, I would be a very different person."

It feels like Retro Gamer could dedicate a whole issue to Resident Evil 4. Over the last few pages, we haven’t 💛even discussed its beloved unlockable, the adrenalin-fuelled Mercenaries, or the most quotable of all of its characters, the ubiquitous Merchant ("What’re you buyin'?"). "Why is that so iconic?" laughs Chuck Beaver. "No one knows. But it is." 

Like so many of Resident Evil 4's pa☂rts, the Merchant just fits, and fits perfectly. "Someone who may not have yet played Resident Evil 4 may be tempted to skip it in favour of the remake," says Alex A🎃niel. "While I have little doubt that it will be an excellent game in its own right, the 2005 original is something special and not to be missed regardless." 

This feature originally appeared in 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Retro Gamer magazine. For more fantastic features and interviews, you can subscribe to Retro Gamer in print or digital  

The chunky monitor – which was impressive in its day – sat nestled in the corner of my childhood bedroom, handed down to me by my generous dad, and I would race home from school to drive around listening to the iconic Flash FM radio station. From cruising around to Wang Chung's Dance Hall Days, to parking up by a house (I would pretend was my home) while jamming to Out of Touch by Hall and Oates, I have GTA: Vice City to thank for sp🤪arking my lifelong love of '80s music. But it also kickstarted an ongoing trend when it comes to the way I play GTA. 

See, I didn't even want to d🌞o the missions in Vice City, I was just there to drive cars. And not unlike my obsession with The Sims, I'd pretend I was actually in this world, orchestrating stories of my own; doing pretty mundane things in the grand scheme of things, but to me, it was the most exciting way to spend my free time. A few years later, I stepped in the world of GTA: San Andreas and ended up doing much the same thing. The missions may as wel🤡l have been the background score to what I considered the main event: the world itself. I was all about the granular things you could do within it, be that eating at a fast food restaurant, adhering to traffic laws, or riding a BMX bike through the neighborhood.  

Even as I got older and some of the later games rolled around, the way I've always approached my time with GTA has remained the same. In fact, if anything, it's only intensified as the worlds have gotten more realistic, with GTA 5's setting of Los Santos offering up no end of side distractions outside of the core campaign. Now, with the prospect of all that GTA 6 might hold for us, I just know it'll be the life sim-l꧟ike ಞelements that will speak to me above all. 

Life's What You Make It  

In many ways, the original Vice City was pretty limiting when it came to what you could actual🔴ly do, and I had to let my imagination do a lot of the heavy lifting. But over the years, that side of the experience has only gotten better. San Andreas came around and offered more, with GTA 4 also adding to the life-sim aspect I craved, but it wasn't until GTA 5 came along that I was truly in my element. After progressing enough through early missions to switch over to Michael, I got stuck right into life in Los Santos. 

Making trips to the mov🥂ie theater, hanging out at his house, doing yoga and watching TV, I played GTA 5 like I was living a quiet peaceful life, away from all of the action the world was also home to. There's🍸 so much to do and see in the vast city that I could have only ever dreamed of when I was sitting behind that big chunky CRT monitor with Vercetti all those years back. 

The world really fel♈t like my oyster to live out my own virtual life, driving safely through the streets like any good citizen, and making pit stops here and there to buy more clothes or play tenn🐭is or visit the beach. My fondness for the smaller side activities is why I quickly fell in love with the Yakuza series, which are packed with Sega games to play at the arcade, restaurants to eat in, and Karaoke bars, among many other things. 

We may now live in a world teeming with life sims that would send kid me into a veritable frenzy, but back then, The Sims was really leading the charge. Even tho൩ugh I was a massive fan of Maxis' game, I wasn't able to drive a car around an open-world like I could in Rockstar's action adventure. Vice City filled a space for me no other game could at the time, and now that GTA 6 is set to take us back to the very streets I once drove around, listening to Billie Jean by Micheal Jackson, maybe I'll finally get to experience it the way I've always wanted to. 

Not only is it exciting to think about seeing the city realized for the modern era, but for the possibilities it could have in terms of life-sim features. The 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:GTA 6 trailer didn't give us much in the way o🐻f what we might be able to do in the respect, but with some hints of social media elements, nods to familiar locales, and various antics that riff off Floridian life, I have no doubt I'll be able to keep on playing GTA my way. 

Here are the top 5 GTA reveal trailer theme songs of all time.

Like the games it went on to inspire, not least 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:The Simpsons: Hit and Run, Crazy Taxi holds cult status for many players of a certain vintage. Jet Set Radio, on the other hand, perfectly encapsulated a moment in time; of teenage rebellion, garish color palettes, tongue-in-cheek post-NickToons era humor, and, of cours💮e,♕ the Dreamcast. 

Going back further still, however, sits one of my all-time favorite video games – one I first discovered on the Atari ST, anꦯd later became obsessed with on the Mega Drive/Genesis console – that's also in Sega's plans to be modernized for a new audience. That game is Golden Axe.

Axe to grind

Launched in 1989 with Makoto Uchida at the helm of development (the man responsible for the creating Altered Beast one year 🦄prior), Golden Axe was my introduction to the sidescrolling beat 'em up genre. With three playable warrior protagonists – an ax-wielding dwarf, Gilius Thunderhead; a two-handed broadsword-carrying barbarian, Ax Battler; and a longsword-swinging amazon, Tyris Flare – you're tasked with leading each charactꦗer on a path of redemption against the vile dictator, Death Adder. Not only has Death Adder flooded the once peaceful land of Yuria with gruesome, hostile ne'er-do-wells, the bastard is responsible for the death of Gilius' twin brother, the murder Ax's mother, and the slaying Tyris' parents. 

From there unfolds a formula we've seen so many times since, but, given this was my first time, I was besotted. Everything was just so cool – from the skeleton with outstretched palms character selection screen, to the variety of combat moves across the trifecta of protagonists, the devastating area of effect magic spells they boast, the weird and wonderful levels locales, and its storybook map progression, I was so in from back to front. To this day I can hum the map screen tune off-hand, an🐻d have the chip-tune squeak effect the little potion-carrying blue people make when you literally kick them up the bum to make them drop bell jars of magic. 

Si𝓡nce the 🌃late '80s, Golden Axe has received a handful of sequels, including one mostly forgettable foray into action-adventure 3D in 2008, Golden Axe: Beast Rider, which incidentally marked the last new game in the series. Until now, of course.  

"In recent years, Sonic the Hedgehog has forged new paths for SEGA, bringing the franchise to life and reaching new audiences in ways we had only dreamed of in the past. Building off that success, we are digging into our legacy and reimagining several franchises to bring these games to more audiences around the globe," says Co-COO of Sega Corporation and CEO of Sega of America, Shuji Utsumi in a press release. "[This] announcement is just the start of our initiative. First and foremost, our ambition will be to create great games with memorable characters and worlds. We hope fans of alไl ages will look towards our future with anticipation as we release these projects in the coming years."

With that, I can't wait to see and hear more from Sega – not least how a modernized Golden Axe will look and take shape. Beyond Shuji Utsumi's comments, Sega doesn't give much more away with regards to a tangible timeline, besides saying the upcoming p🐬rojects are currently "in differeꦓnt stages of development" and will launch "over the next several years". 

It's (somehow) been 15 years since the last mainline Gol🐠den ꩲAxe game, and over 34 years since its MS DOS era debut. Who knows when its new and (hopefully) improved guise will poke its head above, but, alongside the likes of Crazy Taxi, Jet Set Radio, Streets of Rage and Shinobi, I for one am already buzzing to see more. 

Here are the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best upcoming games to keep on your (games)radar

Tales of Kenzera: Zau not only epitomizes all of the above, but it is a story unto itself. It's the debut video game project of Surgent Studios, a transmedia outfit founded by actor Abubakar Salim, whose name you may recognise among the credits in everything from Sky One series Jamestown, to HBO Max's Raised by Wolves, Ridley Scott's historical blockbuster Napoleon, and Charlie Brooker's Black Mirror. If you played 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Assassin's Creed Origins, you'll know Salim as lead character Bayek of Siwa, a role that bagged him a 💮BAFTA Breakth꧑rough Brit award, and ultimately inspired him to form his own development studio and create his first video game.

That game is Tales of Kenzera: Zau – and if you've ever experienced grief, or know someone who has, an💫d are likewise interested in video games with a story to tell, then it should be on your radar. Although weaving its own heartfelt fable, Tales of Kenzera: Zau is inspired by the untimely death of Salim's father, and, as a lifelong video game player himself, the only genre Salim fe🉐lt could do his story justice was Metroidvania. 

"I think because of what I was aiming to do, what I wanted to build with Zau, people got it," says Salim. "For me, it's not just about creating a fun and beautiful experience that people can play and feel the kinetic energy of it all, but also be able to give a new perspective in looking at grief. I mean, it is sad. And there is a weight to it. Bu𝐆t it's also messy, it's chaotic; you can have some days where you feel completely happy, and then the next day hits you. That's the kind of experience I wanted to share." 

"With that in mind, Zau is a Metroidvania, and that was always important to me because it's a perfect genre to explain grief, right? You take a character, you throw them into a world they have no idea about. They have to learn about everything, essentially, as they go along, going back and forth, through areas and elements, gaining the tools that the world provides, and they have to, somehow, make sense of it. In reality, you can never get over grief, it will always be challe🥂nging, and I think this genre speaks to🎃 that so well."

Seminal storytelling 

A self-confessed "massive fan" of Garry's Mod, Salim says he still🀅 speaks to friends from the game's community today, and likewise cherishes still-active friendships forged during his formative years in World of Warcraft. Storytelling has always been a driving force for Salim, and he credits playing video games from a young age for strengthening his desire to tell stories in his work. 

These q🅺ualities, Salim reckons, were first instilled by virtue of pass-the-pad sessions with his father in the '90s, playing the earliest Sonic the Hedgehog games on the Sega Mega Drive (Genesis, for those reading Stateside), and cherishing a sense of closeness in these thoughtful moments that would stay with him forever. "I very much come from a background of stoic men," Salim says, "so the idea of sharing that moment with him, and feeling that we were both enjoying and connecting – that was beautiful."

That sentiment is directly reflected in Tales of Kenzera: Zau, whose narrative explores the love between a father and son, and the transformative power of loss. Filling the shoes of the eponymous Zau, you assume the grief of the protagonist while embarking on their quest for spiritual healing – across gorgeous, mystical 2.5D realms, while flirting with the ungoverned cosmic powers of the warrior shaman. As revealed at The Game Awards, Tales of Kenzera: Zau is on course for an April 23, 2024 release date – on PS5, 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Xbox Series X and S, PC (via Steam and the Epic Games Store), and Nintendo Switch – which Salim says is hu♒gely exciting for him and his family. 

"I do think there's sometimes an expectation for men in larger families to soldier on when bad things happen," says Salim. "It's that sense of stoicism, you know, this thing happened, now soldier on. It's the whole 'keep calm and carry on' thing, right? But when I told my family what I was doi💮ng they were like: 'Yeah, good on you'. They understood this was my way of processing things, and my formula for dealing with it." 

"With my mum, she didn't understand it to begin with. And then I showed her the early parts of the trailer, and I explained that the game is going to be in Swahili, it brought her to tears. She could see that my dad was at the center of everything, and through that she's being respected and seen. I don't think you can ever get over or even accept grief, you just learn to deal with it."

"When I started this process, I asked myself: what would I give to bring my dad back? Like, what would I sacrifice? I didn't have the answer. And I still don't, but, actually, I'm kind of alright with it. Because if it wasn't for him passing away, I wouldn't be where I am today. I൲ wouldn't have formed the studio, I wouldn't have a baby, I wouldn't have the family that I love to bits, and I wouldn't be in the position or have the perspective that I do today. It's almost like I wouldn't, or even couldn't, give that up fo🍎r that moment. Because again, that's the point of it, right? You grow and you do everything you can to move on." 

Throughout our conversation, the thing that impresses me most about Salim is his openness to explore the themes and emotion driving this clearly defined passion project. Assuming that passion transfers into Tales of Kenzera: Zau itself – and I have no reason to believe otherwise – then it's likely to be something pretty special, both as a Metroidvania video game, and an interactive and persuasive exploration of such a universal and sensitive subject. My last question for Salim, then, is a simple one: What would his father say if he could see him now?

"Why didn't you write a book instead?" he says, between bouts o༺f laughter. "I think he would be proud. 🐎Not just because of the accomplishment of making this game, but mainly because I'm using what he gave me from a very young age to essentially share something that I love – which is telling stories."

Check out the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best Metroidvania games to explore to absolute completion

At the time, Sega certainly thought so – ambit🅷iously marketing its in-house RPG as a 300-hour experience. Even the blurb on the back of the game's case promised "hundreds of hours of adventure gameplay!" And while I've no idea how many hours I personally sank into the game almost three full decades ago, I do know it must have cost my dad a small fortune in rental fees, with me borrowing it from our local Blockbuster Vไideo for two days every week for well over a year.

Since then, I've spent hours of my life absentmindedly searching Google, old forums and social media♛ in a desperate bid to remember the name of my long lost console love from all those years ago, but have always come up short. I can't explain how the mind works, or why my brain decided to remind me without warning the other day, but it didꦰ. And now I'm replaying Sword of Vermillion on PC via , and it's as if I've torn a hole in the space-time continuum.

Alone in the dark

"Your father is in his grave," says the chambermaid who presided over my dad's deathbed moments ago. I'd only nipped out to the shop to grab some green herbs, and suddenly not only has my old man shuffled off this mortal coil, he's been carted down to the cemetery and planted six-feet under without so much as a goodbye. What the actual fuck, I think to myself, as I study the egregious eight-option menu that appears before every single interaction, all the while pondering if selecting Talk, Magic, Equip or Take will make anythiওng here make sense. 

It rarely does. And as one of the first-ever RPGs to feature on Sega's Mega Drive/Genesis console, it's now my understanding that certain faceꦉts of the old school role-playing scene reckon Sword of Vermillion has long punched above its weight. First launched in Japan in 1989, North America the following year, and in Europe the year after that again, Sword of Vermillion was developed by Sega AM2 – the team led by Yu Suzuki and collectively responsible for Out Run, Hang-On, and in later years, Virtua Fighter, Virtua Racer and the Shenmue games.  

Let's be clear: the 300-hour assertion is unquestionably bullshit (it's probably closer to 20); but the game's awkward d🐠esign choices definitely broaden the scope for getting lost, therefore inadvertently piling extra time onto the clock. I'm not here to shit on an RPG that's old enough to drive two times over, but I will say it's easier to spot its flaws when playing as an adult who went on to thrive in Suikoden, Alundra, and Chrono Trigger – the latter of which, of course, was powered by hardware of similar stature. 

Towns and villages in Sword of V𒊎ermillion are a delight, to be fair, littered with genre-staple loꦛcales in the shape of inns, item shops, and weapon and armor stores. Whimsical NPCs fill the thoroughfares, many of which boast dynamic, reactive dialogue tied to whatever major event has most recently unfolded. It's when you step beyond the boundaries  of the burgs and boroughs, however, that things begin to go awry. The game's open world UI, for example, looks like this:

On the left is a first-person Doom-like screen wherein you move towards out-of-sight goals that are rarely easy to find. On the right, I, well, don't really know what's going on there. It's supposed to be some sort of to-scale articulation of your location and direction at any given ti💦me (I think), but it's far more confusing than it is helpful. Especially when you stumble into dungeons without a torch and are met with this:

While fumbling around in the dark in those instances, you'll invariably trigger the🐟 game's random battles, which transport you into beat 'em up-esque arenas where the quickest path to success is hammering attack and slashing everything that dares breach your personal space. Often, that's hostile and indistinguishable Dragon Quest-aping blobs. 

Despite all of this, six-and-a-half-year-old me did not care. I fucking loved every single minute of it. In 1992, my experience of sprawling role-playing games was clearly limited, but I was so taken with chatting to every single idle civilian walking the same four squares forward and four square back; I was obsessed with trying to find something in the opaque open world; and I loved bat🍸t🔜ering A, B and/or C while chopping down scores of faceless baddies. 

It's no surprise, then, that the RPG genre quickly became my favorite in my formative years. Sword of Vermillion was my first taste, paving the way for the aforementioned Suikoden, Alundra and Chrono Trigger; as well as Suikoden 2, Final Fantasy 7, Final Fantasy 8, Final Fantasy 9, Final Fantasy 10, Xenogears, Legend of Dragoon, and Breath of Fire 3, all in the space of the next 10 years. I might have discovered these games over the course of time anyway, bu﷽t my affᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚinity for RPGs started with Sword of Vermillion, and for that I'm grateful. 

Taking Sword of Vermillion for a spin in 2023 for less than a dollar (£0.79 / $0.99 cents) has let me live it all over again, warts and all, for a𓆉 lot less money than it cost me (my dad) the first time around. Blockbuster Video is no longer with us, despite my best effor🐼ts in the early '90s, but I'm delighted to reunite with the long lost favorite that for me started it all. The first cut is the deepest, so sings Cat Stevens, and with my latest discovery I'm happy to let that wound finally heal. 

Live out your wildest medieval/steampunk/cyberpunk/insert favorite sub-genre power fantasies with the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best RPGs 

In an interview with (translated by ), Sega game director Morio Kishimoto and producer Sachiko Kawamura discussed 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Sonic Frontiers' success and questioned what it is lacking when compared to other popular games. It's been a year since Sega published Sonic Frontiers, and although not everyone was blown away by the title - take our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Sonic Frontiers review a🤪s an example - it's still managed to sell 3.5 million copies worldwide in that time. 

Reflecting on this impressive achievement, Kawamura said: "Well, to be honest, I want to go much much further. I think we can go further," b🎐efore revealing that Sonic the Hedgehog titles tend to sell for a long time after their release, and so 3.5 million copies actually isn't that big of a number in terms of Sonic games.ജ 

🦂Interestingly, the pair also revealed that Sonic Frontiers sold better in the West than it did domestically, wh🔴ich led Kishimoto to question what it is that stops people from picking it up: "What is it lacking? What failed to resonate with them?" The director then goes on to say: "What did we miss when thinking of ways to appeal to players? If there's something that The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom or Armored Core 6 have that Sonic Frontiers doesn't have, we want to know!"

To help you compare the three titles, 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom managed to achieve 19.5 million units sold in the first half of the current fiscal year - according to the company's most recent . As for 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon, the action RPG managed to beat all Dark Souls games to become the second-biggest FromSoftware launch on Steam. Both games were released six and nine months af𒉰ter Sonic Frontiers respectively. 

There are still plenty of great games in Sega's series too, you can find out which ones we like the most with our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best Sonic games list. 

One of those baddies is Venom, and that bastard is the most persistent and relentless of the lot. And while all of this might sound like scenes from Insomniac's Marvel's Spider-Man and its sequel, 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Marvel's Spider-Man 2, i🐲t is, in fact, pulled from the 16-bit ♓glory days of console gaming almost 30 years ago.

Web and flow

If you've read our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Marvel's Spider-Man 2 review, you'll know that I'm a huge fan of Insomniac Games and Sony Interactive Entertainment's latest action-adventure offering. Even more so than its 2018♛ forerunner, the way it balances narrative and spectacle is masterful – with the inclusion of the symbiote suit, and latterly Venom as a fully-fledged character, responsible for much of that exhibition in the game's final third. A lot of this should be experienced first-hand, so I won't spoil the specifics here, but I will say that Venom's evolution over the course of the game's 2💧0 or so hours of Story Mode sees the black-suited saboteur's character evolve from support act to center stage star at a rate of knots.

Anyone familiar with Marvel's Spider-Man 2 themselves already knows what makes Venom special here – and while it's definitely one of t💙he character's best-ever video game appearances, the black suit has filled roles of varying prominence across the pantheon of Spider-Man video games for over 30 years. 

In 2000's Marvel vs Capcom 2, for example, the musclebound Eddie Brock fills the symbiote suit, bringing a suite of alien-powered abilities to its fast-firing 2D battles. In 1991's Spider-Man: The Video Game, Venom is a hulking brute who impedes Spidey's progress throughout the arcade-exclusive's uber-combative sidescrolling beat 'em up's environments. While unplayable in 2000's PS1 classic Spider-Man, Venom drives much of the game's narrative, delivering one of the character's most sophisticated game appearances of all time. And in terms of style, Venom has rarely looked as good as he did in 2005's Ultim꧑ate Spider-Man. 

My favorite, however, arrived via the Sega Genesis (or Mega Drive as it was known on British shores) in 1995. T𝐆his game, simply titled 'Spider-Man', was a sidescrolling actiꦫon game that pit Peter Parker's alter ego against a variation of The Sinister Six, this time led by The Kingpin. With Electro, The Hobgoblin, Sandman, The Lizard, and Doc Oc comprising the rest of the supergroup, Venom in this instance was merely an auxiliary supervillain – but one who stalked you from level one right through to the final showdown with Wilson Fisk. 

Often without warning, Venom would swing from off-screen at the most awkward moments, almost always when you were otherwise locked in the throes of battle with baddies or bosses. To make matters worse, with no health bar to speak of, you were often unsure of how long the symbiote would hang around, so you were invariably forced to juggle the task at hand while keeping Venom at arm's lengt🍨h by pummeling A and B – all the while powering through the game's tank controls and unwieldy web-shooting mechanics.

In one instance, I was down wrestling with end-of-zone boss The Lizard at the foot of the labyrinthian sewers level, and, lo and behold, Venom forced himself into the equation. I found the rhythm of fighting both simultaneously so challenging that I was forced to turn to my Game Genie's unlimited he💎alth hack just to get onto the next level. I was only nine years old when I picked up Spider-Man in 1995 – discounted in the bargain bins at the back of my local Woolworths store – but I can remem♓ber that showdown as clear as day. 

Whꦉich, of course, speaks volumes for how much Venom in this guise has stuck with me. Spider-Man as it featured on the Mega Drive/Genesis riffed on the co🔥ncurrent animated series of the same name that first aired between 1994 and 1998, but while I thoroughly enjoyed Spidey, this take on The Sinister Six, and the game's ruthless platforming, it was Venom who unsettled me most, proving a formidable and totally unpredictable foe in what was already a really unforgiving game. 

Venom in Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is a show-stealing powerhouse, and this guise absolutely fits the game's narrative and flow. It's easily one of the best interpretations of the savage symbiote – across film and comics too, for my money – but equally, I'd love to see a less front-and-center slant in future, in the same vein as the '95 classic some 28 years later. Just the thought of a less charismatic Venom stalki🔥ng Miles and Peter from afar is enough to send shivers down my spine, appearing without ceremony akin to, I dunno, Pyramid Head in Silent Hill 2. Jesus Christ, there's a thought. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe some things are better left in the past. 

Check out the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best Spider-Man games swinging around the rooftops right now

In Endless Dungeon, though, deciding which doors to open and which to leave shutဣ can be a matter of life and death. The wide-mouthed entryways within its space station setting are secured by chunky metal panels that keep even the most insistent monsters at bay. But once you pop their locks, they stay open, and the melange of outsized insects, rogue bots, gelatinous mutants, and freaky apparitions on the other side need no further invitation. It's thus essential to plan ahead, guiding the flow of carnivorous traffic as best you can.

In short, this isometric, roguelike, twin-stick shooter comes with a generous layer of strategy on top. Manage excavation of its procedurally-generated stages with care, and taking down a wave of monsters may be as simple as standing in one spot holding the fire button while they file dumbly into your kill box. If that doesn&apoꦬs;t sound very satisfying, well, think of it as a mark of preparations well done. But also, enjoy it while it lasts, because there's only so long you can maintain such control.

Crystal Clear

To complete a level in Endless Dungeon, you not only have to locate the exit, but al𝕴so escort a defencele𒅌ss crystal robot to deactivate the lock. Most of the time, this chirpy robo-spider slots neatly into a socket at the level entrance, and as long as it's in situ, monsters only attack in sporadic waves. Once you command your bot buddy to relocate to another socket or the exit, however, and it starts toddling towards its destination, all hell breaks loose. Monsters converge from any nests you've uncovered in infinite streams until the bot settles again, and if they destroy it (or you), it's game over.

The good news is that you aren't alone. The mish mash of travellers stranded on this remote space wreck dive into its depths in pairs or threes, so you always have at least one friend to back you up, controlled by a fellow hum꧋an or Endless Dungeon's AI. Plus, you earn resources each time you open a door – another interesting wrinkle in that conundrum – with which you can construct automated gun turrets, EMP pulsers, shields, and so on, at points scattered around the rectangular rooms. When it's time to make a bolt for the exit, a few cunningly placed sentry guns might push the odds in your favou♔r.

Endless Dungeon balances these facto🍷rs admirably. Turrets are useful for softening up the horde, but may be overwhelmed and vandalised if left completely unattended. As for your party, splitting up lets you cover more ground, but dilutes your firepower compared to fighting side by side. Thankfully, whatever you decide, effective AI and team management options ensure that playing solo remains compelling. You can leave individuals to defend a particular spot, or summon them to follow your lead, and also switch to control any one directly. When left to their own devices, your pals don't merely stand in place, but work the room, prioritising their targets intelligently and avoiding damage unless swamped.

Tactical Shooter

The monsters, conversely, aren't very smart, but then that's kind of the point, as they home in ravenously on the crystal or anything tasty that crosseꦓs their path. Each of the four breeds has an elemental weakness – bugs don't like fire, for example – that's worth bearing in mind when you're weighing up the pros and cons of discovered weapons, and one type, the blurs, is especially tricky as they have a habit of phasing out of existence then materialising near the cꦚrystal. There's also a few hardy elite types to watch out for, since they deal hefty melee damage or bombard you from distance, but that's where each character's special attacks come in handy.

As a twin-stick shooter, it&apo🍸s;s all quite simple really – far from the booming hell sprints of, say, Nex Machina. Your main concern is firepower versus weight of numbers, which determine whether the tide of beasties forces your line of defence back or wilts like soggy Weetabix. Only the butchest of enemies, including a handful of neatly integrated boss battles, force you to worry about dodging attack patterns while blasting away. Then again, that's often a relief, since it can be hard to keep track of your character's position or that of the bot in a crowded room. And once surrounded your health drains alarmingly fast as you fumble in your pockets for a med-kit.

Yet shooting things is only one aspect of your survival, and when you bolt everything together here there's a wonderfully organic ebb and flow of pacing and challenge. Each level begins in calm, as you open a door from the entrance hall and any critters behind it funnel through to their doom. But then you find and activate resource boosting generators in remote rooms, and need to protect them from attack, perhaps purchasing turrets, or redirecting☂ your exploration to keep them off the monster's march route. 

Either way, you slowly but surely unblock all the major arteries on the current floor, gathering resources, weapons, and upgrades while unleashing ever greater numbers of meanies. As you'd exp♉ect from a rogue🏅like, the luck of the layout plays its part, deciding just how hard fought each battle will be, but the final trek is almost always hectic, and a test of your defences as much as your trigger finger.

Licence to Chill

No matter how grand the mayhem, though, there remains a delightfully wry, laidback tone to your gang's adventures. Endless Dungeon is published by Sega and feels very classically Sega – not in the sense of blue skies, of course, what with there being no skies at all, but in a bright, chunky, funky vibe that turns cold metal corridors into play spaces. The characters are genuine 𝕴personalities too, despite limited dialogue, with comic strip costumes and devil may care attitudes borne from repeated fatal expeditions🐼 and resurrections. Cartie, a gatling gun toting geographer caterpillar is a firm favourite, full of childlike glee at the prospect of making new discoveries, as well as killing stuff.

Another character of import is the haven you warp back to between sorties, which feels like it was ripped from a 2000AD strip, where you'll find a bar and a band playing soulful ballads and assorted alien traders hanging in the fringes. It's a spot for relaxing and mingling, taking five before heading out again. And while you're there, any info and trinkets you've brought back go towards opening alternate routes through the complex, or prompt different characters to put their hands (or whatever they have instead of ha♏nds) up for selection. Each of the eight-strong roster you eventually assemble also has a multi-step side quest to complete, which unlock permanent perk slots, giving you an incentive to try them all.

Indeed, you'll likely spend several hours here simply sampling fresh combinations of places and personnel before considering the nitty gritty of finishing a run. By that time you'll have subconsciously absorbed the pros and cons of all the little decisions you might make while enjoyi💖ng the ride. Like, where to place a turret, how to organise your team, and when to leave a door handle we🌳ll alone.

En🔯dless Dungeon was reviewed on PC, with co🦩de provided by the publisher.

While you can start the game as Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, or Amy (or all together in up to four-player couch co-op), there is a fifth character with their own story mode available once the main game is completed. However, 𒅌while their level layouts are slightly changed and some bosses are different, it isn't like having two new Sonic games packaged together, instead more like playing as Sonic or Knuckles in Sonic the Hedgehog 3. Still, Superstars is bigger than most, taking around 4-5 hours to complete on each run. Nack the Weasel (a.k.a. Fang the Sniper) plays antagonist alongside Dr. Eggman, and cut-scenes are dialogue-free, which is refreshing and welcome.

Pinball Wizard

Indeed, the core gameplayღ is just like that of Sonic's original outing. Run and jump around beautiful platform levels, smashing robots to release the poo💦r woodland creatures stuck inside, then take on a boss battle before releasing even more animals from the prison at the end. What has changed, however, is that the lives system is gone. You can die as many times as you like without penalty, which sounds great in theory, but in practice it just makes death annoying because it means replaying the same bit of level again and again until you eventually prevail. Failure is almost designed in, forcing you to learn patterns in order to do it better next time. Even so, when you hit a frequent death loop at the end of just the first stage, you do start to wonder whether this is actually going to be any fun.

Fortunately, Sonic Superstars is mostly a really good time, and gets better the more 🐷that you play it. There are loads of interactive scenery elements and an emphasis on pinball bumpers, which was always one of the best things about Sonic games in the early '90s. The quality of background scenery varies, occasionally absolutely wowing, like the sumptuous first level and the absolutely charming voxels of Cyber Station. Conversely, the likes of Golden Capital with its floating platforms and flat walls sometimes look and feel more like the 3DS version of Sonic Generations, which isn't exactly a ringing endorsement. It at least always runs smoothly on the PS5 version I tested, but if only it could all look and feel like it does in its best moments, Superstars would be an all-time classic.

Also of varying quality are the boss battles. Some are overly long (over 10 minutes per attempt!), and even some shorter ones outstay their welcome. You can only ever get one hit in at a time, even if you strike the boss's weak point more than once, and there's a lot of patte🧜rn learning to be done. That said, some boss fights are very good, especially the very last battle that unlocks once you've done everything else. One in particular feels like it may have been a prototype for a new NiGHTS game. Speaking of which, NiGHTS is available as a robot version in create-a-character, which means you actually get to fight them if you do so before a certain point. Very cool, and promising that Sonic Team has reintroduced the idea of them here.

These created avatars aren't otherwise used in Story Mode, but can be used in Battle Mode, which has online and offline variants. At first൲ glance, it looks a lot like Super Smash Bros, but doesn't play like it. Instead these short stages require you to compete to top the table after three rounds by collecting the most stars, surviving longest as platforms disappear, or racing to the finish line. With up to eight players it should be decently fun once the online servers are populated, though solo play against the c✨omputer becomes a bit easy if you're familiar with the controls. Definitely one for friends.

Sonic Chaos

Speaking of which, the biggest new feature is co-op across the entire game for up-to four players. Sonic  the Hedgehog 2 first offered same-screen co-op back in 1992, and the same troubles apply here – namely that the main character moves so quickly that others don't really have much c🅺hance of keeping up with the screen. 

Sonic Superstars does have a solution of sorts, where you're warped to wherever the lead character is if you fall behind, and moving at their speed t꧃oo, which is a nice touch. The zoomed-out screen for multiplayer looks and works far better than the solo view, as you can see more of what's coming up. Co-op is drop-in, drop-out, which works very nicely. Sonic Superstars is a lot of fun with friends, even if the multiplayer action looks a complete mess to any casual observer.

The music is strong, with Jun Senoue returning, although the melodies aren't as hummable as the 16-bit era tunes. Older fans are well catered for in general, as there are a great many nods to Sonic's past and even to Sega's back catalogue before him. There's even a blow-for-blow remake of the first level of an '80s Sega arcade classic near the end of the game. There is some iro🧔ny in the fact the gameplay suddenly feels ultra-assured and precise while it's actively pretending to be something else, butౠ never mind. Even though the regular physics aren't 100% authentic (it seems to help you up hills), Sonic Superstars is still closer to the originals than all other 2.5D attempts, and that's worth celebrating.

Sonic games used to be famed for featur🦄ing mind-blowingly awesome special stages. Minds probably won't be blown by the Chaos Emerald stages this time around, but they're still cool. They echo Sonic Mania in that you're chasing down the gem itself, only here there's no floor. Instead♑ you swing from point to point on a sort of grapple hook mechanism, trying to get close enough to home in on the prize. In multiplayer, you take turns to swing, which solves the problem of how to keep everyone playing very nicely. These stages are very hard at times, but it can't all be handed to you on a plate, now can it?

Feelin' Supersonic

But there's more. Chaos Emeralds are now more than just your key to unlocking Super Sonic. Each one comes with a new ability, such as a time slowing mechanism, a secret-finding eye, a beanstalk and booster for reaching higher places, and a screen-filling attack that sends d🍃uplicates of your character running across the screen, destroying anything that can be hit. There's even a fireball power-up, which is a bit embarrassing because it's literally Mario's fire flower, only without the white suit. Finally, you can turn into water and climb waterfalls, which is useful for exploring, but perhaps doesn&apoꦏs;t add much that the beanstalk and air boost don't already afford you.

The other special stages are based on the rotating mazes of Sonic the Hedgehog, only here you're seeking gold medals which act🌜 as currency for the shop. Buying and unlocking the many character customisation elements and colours for them will take weeks. If buying all the items in the shop doesn't make you want to keep playing, Time Attack might. It comes with online leaderboards, which are always ultra-competitive in Sonic games. A sub-30 second opening act looks doable, though it'll take considerable skill. Chasing better times is compelling, and shouldn't be missed. 

Sonic Su💙perstars is a very nice game, faithful to the original side-scrolling classics while catering for modern tastes very well. While there are some frustrations and an inco𒈔nsistent air of quality across its 12 zones, it is fundamentally well produced, brimming with things to do and modes to play. While not quite exhibiting the masterful level design of Sonic Mania, we nonetheless have another properly good Sonic game on our hands.

Sonic Suꦇperstars was reviewed on PS5, with code provided by the publisher.

Speaking to , Sega's co-chief operating officer Shuji Utsumi reveals that the company is abandoning plans to create its own blockchain games for the foreseeable future. "The action in play-to-earn game𝔍s is boring," Utsumi tells Bloomberg. "What's the point if games are no fun?"

According to the exec, Sega also won't be allowing its biggest IPs, including Sonic the Hedgehog, to be used in third-party blockchain games so as🦹 not to devalue its content. 

For now, t♔he publisher isn't sure whether or not it will implement Web3 technology in its , which is scheduled for 2026. "We're looking into whether this technology is really going to take off in this industry, after all," Utsumi explains. 

Despite the U-turn, Sega plans to allow third parties to use characters from its lesser-known series, such as Three Kingdoms and Virtua Fighter,🌸 as NFTs.

While the company behind Sonic has supported blockchain tech in the past, this isn't the first time it's raised concerns. Last year, CEO Haruki Satomi said the company would "carefully assess" the future of NFTs in its products following "negative reactions" from players and would not proceed "if it is perceived as simple money-m🔥aking".

Last week, it emerged that Microsoft was considering acquiring a slate of devꦆelopers, including Sega, but Utsumi quickly pointed out that Sega isn't looking for a buyout from Microsoft or anyo✱ne else. 

See our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:new games 2023 guide for all the titles set to release before the year is out. 

As part of the ongoing hearings over Microsoft's deal to purchase Activision Blizzard, several internal documents have been made public for various reasons. Some reveal interesting titbits – Phil Spencer's fear of 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Sony buying Starfield or 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Xbox's "final watchlist" fo🍸r acquisition, including S𒆙ega, Bungie, and seven other studios. 

Others are fairly understandable and yet still amusing, like Bethesda Softworks SVP of global marketing & communications Pete Hines asking Spencer what the deal is with being vocal over keeping Call of Duty on PlayStation when 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Starfield is locked down to Xbox.

As shared online by Bloomberg's Jason Schreier on , Hines expressed his "surprise" to Spencer regarding the messaging of an Xbox blog post about ensuring "Sony fans can continue to enjoy the games they lജove", going on to say it was being read as the opposite of what happened when Microsoft acquired Bethesda.

Also shared during the trial was Hines' email to other Bethesda buds like Todd Howard, getting across a similar sentiment more candidly. Hines expresses "confusion" as Microsoft's messaging over Call of Duty is the "oppos♋ite of what we were just asked (told) to do with our own titles?" Hines also mentions that it would have been good to get a heads-up as Howard was due to attend DICE, and would have likely been confronted with the topic in several interviews.

Again, the difference in tone is fairly par for the co🎐urse when it comes to corporate settings - it's just amusing to see the curt♛ain on games development pulled back to reveal a group chat vs the side chat moment.

澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Starfield will have physical discs, after all, Bethesda confirms – just not PlayStation availability.

Nintendo Switch Online is the platform's paid online multiplayer service, which also features a selection of occasionally-updated NES, Super NES, and Game Boy libraries. The more expensive Expansion Pack version of the subscription also includes Nintendo 64, GBA, and Genesis/Mega Drive games. Fans have held out some hope that the subscripti♏on would eventually expand to include GameCube games, but those hopes are starting to fade.

After today's 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Nintendo Direct, the original two GameCube Pikmin games hit the Switch eShop at a relatively pricey $30 each, or $50 for a bundle of the two. This comes after Super Mario 3D All-Stars, which featured largely unremarkable ports of three Mario games including GameCube's Super Mario Sunshine, launched for $60. It also comes after Nintendo brought us an excellent $40 GameCube upgrade with Metroid Prime Remastered, and amid long-standing rumors of standalone ports of the two GameCube Zelda games for Switch. 

In short, it sure seems like Nintendo is more interested in reselling💖 GameCube games at premium prices than it is in making them a bonus for subscribers.

"This kinda cements that GameCube games won't be part of Nintendo Switch Online's future," as one puts it. "Shout out to the people on this sub who called Nintendo will just sell us GC ports instead of being an online service💜," as .

Pikmin 1 and 2 on Switch technically fit the bill as 'remasters,' but it might be more accurate to simply call them 'ports,' since the only real improvement over the GameCube originals seems to be the clarity of HD resolution - though that certainly doesn't do the original textures any favors. These versions don't even go the extra ste𝓀⛦p to include the option of the pointer controls from the Wii ports. In fact, the one major change here seems to be the .

It's always a good time to play some of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best GameCube games.

In case you somehow hadn't heard, 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Sega paid Yoko Taro to crea༒te a mobile game where all their franchises were turned into anime girls. 404 Game Re:set is out now in Japan, leading to all sorts of weird discoveries, including one cutscene where Sega winning the console war over Nintendo is treated as ꧂a litera🎃l futuristic dystopia. 

This sure is a Yoko Taro game alright.๊ The NieR series lead has never been shy of poking fun at gaming companies, or just the general gaming industry in general, and now he's taking a shot at Sega, positing that the only reality in which they'd beat Nintendo in a console war would be a dream-like alternate reality.

404 Game Re:set also sort of has the world in shambles,🃏 with Sega having taken over and dominating various landmarks around Earth. This is literally George Orwell's 1984 but instead Sega has taken over the world and everything's pretty much gone to shit. 

Now we're wondering what else this incredibly strange alternate timeline in the Yoko Taro-led game holds. Perhaps Sonic has bludgeoned Mario to death, and Nintendo's Kyoto-based headquarters have been demolished and taken over by a massive Sega building. Perhaps Yuji Naka was never 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:arres♉ted over insider trading charges.

It'd be lovely if 404 Game Re:set eventually makes its way Westward, so a new audience can see Sega taking itself a little less𒀰 seriously for a🎃 change. 

Check out our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:new games 2023 guide for a list of all the other, slightly more normal, games set to launch over the rest of the year. 

The company intends to "expand digital and physical distribution of t🧜he classic titles, create new games based on the IP, and explore brand and merchandising collaborations." We don't have the full list of titles that Atari has picked up, but they include games originally published by Accolade, Infogrames, and Microprose. Atari specifically calls out Bubsy, Hardball, and Demolition Racer, as well as the flight sims 1942: Pacific Air War, F-117A, and F-14 as titles now included in its catalog.

If you have an ironic love for bad games, the name Bubsy might particularly stand out. During the rush🐭 of mediocre mascot-driven platformers in the '90s that unsuccessfully competed against the likes of Mario and Sonic, Bubsy was not a standout, but the orange bobcat and his games have had surprising longevity. There were three games released across the SNES, Genesis/Mega Drive, PC, and Atari Jaguar through the early &apo𒆙s;90s, and even an unsuccessful pilot for animated TV series.

The release of the infamous Bubsy 3D in 1996 seemed to put the series in the ground, but incredibly, over 20 years later, Bubsy got not just one, but two modern se🐽quels: The Woolies Strike Back in 2017, and Paws on Fi๊re! in 2019. Both of those games reviewed very poorly, but here we are in 2023 with Atari listing Bubsy among a number of "classic titles" and threatening to bring him back again for yet another ill-considered revival.

But really, I'm (mostly) joking here - any effort to make old games, even the bad ones, more accessible☂ to modern audiences is a good one in my book.

Atari itself has a pretty bizarre history that's worth noting here. The company you're thinking of - the one that kickstarted video game consoles with the 2600 - was sold in 1984 following the big video game crash, and spent two decades bouncing around various owners, before winding up with Infogrames Entertainment in 2001. The company's been involved in a range of ventures over the past few years, ranging from the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Atari VCS console to , but these days it has a 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:big focus on "premium gaming." Atari recently announced its plans to acquir🍸🐲e System Shock remake developer Nightdive Studios.

Get some real retro gaming going with the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best Atari 2600 games of all time.

In a Q&A with investors, Sega revealed that sales of the late🍸st game in the long-running series have "greatly exceeded" the company's original estimates and is committed to giving Sonic Team a bigger budget💜 for future titles. 

"We expect development costs for new titles to grow even larger in the future," Sega says. "We will strive to ensure solid quality in the development of major titles from our existing franchises. However, development labour costs will rise due to the impact of the global external environment, and we expect this trend t꧃o continue for the foreseeable future."

It added, "Since it is necessary to take on these challenges for major titles, we are proceeding 💝with aಞ bigger budget, even from the basic research stage. Therefore, we assume that development costs for future new titles will increase accordingly."

Naturally, Sonic's solid band of supporters took to Twitter to celebrate. One wrote, "The small team that worked on Frontiers is amazing enough!! I can't wai♛t to see what they accomplish with a bigger team and budget." Another said, "This is actually really amazing and I'm excited to see what Sonic team will cook," while a third added, "It's what he deserves".

Given that Sonic Frontiers has been hugely successful - it's now sold close to 3 million worldwide - a full-blown sequel is a strong possibility. That being said, the game's director Morio Kishimoto also recently teased that we should "look forward" to more side-scro🎃lling Sonic𓂃 games. Whatever comes next, it&ap꧒os;s certainly looking like a great time to be a Sonic fan.

Can't get enough of the blue blur? Check out our pick of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best Sonic games.

404 Game Re:set was just announced for iOS and Android in Japan. In this game, Sega is an evil corporation in a dystopian world, and its classic franchises have been anthropomorphized into anime girls. Virtua Fighter is a dark-haired woman in kunoichi dress. Virtua Cop is a lightgun-wielding gal in a heavy jacket. Out Run is a woman in a revealing, futuristic racing suit and engine-shaped jetpack. After Burner is a lady in💖 a military jacket and jean shorts over… I guess that's a slingshot bikini?

Development is being handled at Sega, with Taro serving a❀s creative director and character design handled by Japanese illustrator Yuugen. has fully translated its store page, 🌞which offers just a few more details on what to expect.

The game has only been announced for release in Japan, though in the mess of the automatically t𒉰ranslated subtitles on the announcement video, there is m🃏ention of "multi-language distribution." There are also hints that games from publishers besides Sega will be given the anime girl makeover.

A more direct translation of some of Yoko Taro's comments comes to us via : "It༺’s a game that features Sega’s IP, so I thought Sega should be in the game, but I didn’t think𒊎 Sega would want to see a game that portrayed it well, so I portrayed it negatively."

This isn't the first time Sega has leveraged the inescapable draw of anime girls to liven up its old properties. The 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Sega Hard Girls multimedia project reimagined old Sega hardware like the Mega Drive, Saturn, and Dreamcast as high schoolers. There was even a 13-epis﷽ode anime series.

I'm just browsing our list of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best Dreamcast games and wondering - what would Seaman look like as an anime girl?

The football (or soccer, depending upon what part of the world you're 𒉰in) management sim orig♕inally released on mobile, PC, Switch, and Xbox back in November, but although we knew it was coming to Sony's PS5 console, the release was delayed due to "unforseen circumstances which arose during the submissions and approval process".

Now,🌸 however, Sega has confirmed that FM23 will debut on PS5 on February 1, 2023. Fur🌟thermore, because of the delay affecting the "pre-order incentive" for Sony players, PS Plus subscribers can grab a 20 per cent discount on the full retail price if they pick it up before February 14, 2023.

"We’re delighted with today’s update that we’re finally going to be able to get FM23 Console into the hands of PS5 gamers," said Mi𒁏les Jacobson, SI’s studio director. "Since the initial delay, the team at Sports Interactive and our colleagues at SEGA have worked tirelessly with Sony to overcome the issues and we’re pleased ♋to now have a release candidate ready to launch next week.

"While it's unusual for us to release a game during a major football transfer window, our priority from the moment our initial launch was postponed was to get the game into the hands of PS5 gamers as quickly as possible. Onceꦛ all the global transfer windows are closed, we will provide a data update for the PS5 edition in line with the updates for all of our other platforms."

"FM23 thrusts fans closer to e⛎very aspect of the beautiful game, from the supporters filling the stands to scouts, players, opposition managers and newly-licensed competitions like the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and UEFA Europa Conference League," Sega exp♓lains.

Don't forget, there's no way to buy Football Manager 23 as a physical copy this year. Sega says "removing the disc and notebook from this year’s edition, in addit🅠ion to further refinements to our eco-packaging, means that the overall carbon footprint for FM23’s packaging is 47 per cent lower than FM22’s".

Football Manager 2023 iꦑs out now on Apple Arcade, PC, Switch, and Xbox (including Xbox Game Pass).

On the hunt for new talent? Maybe avoid the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:FIFA 23 worst players list.

Michael Jackson's history of collaboration with Sega is well-known, from the games based on the Moonwalker film to the now🌠 very ꦏopen secret of his involvement with Sonic the Hedgehog 3. One of the lesser known crossovers, however, is Michael Jackson in Scramble Training, where Jackson appears as an FMV narrator guiding players through a themeജ park ride built on Sega's Advanced Simulator-1 motio🍌n pod.

Michael Jackson in Scramble Training, as the full title goes, is pretty similar to something like Star Tours at Disney or the Back to the Future ride at Universal, though it꧂s film and hydraulics were enhanced by actual sprite-based shooting mechanics. Those rides are long since out of service, and the only real record of Scramble Training's existence came in the form of shaky camcorder footage.

You can read much more about the history of Scramble Training thanks t💯o the folks at , but the real twist heꦿre is that what appears to be an original master of the footage recorded for the game turned up at a flea market earlier this year.

More specifically, it was a car boot sale in the UK where someone was selling items owned by a departed relative - one who happened to be a former employee of Sega Amusements Europe. A D-2 digital tape labeled 'Sega AS-1 (Michael Jackson Vers)' was on sale, and it's pure happ♕enstance that a collector with a mind for preservation took a chance to pick it up without even knowing what was on it.

It's only after the tape was submitted to the Oxford Duplication Centജre that its contents became clear: full recordings of all the Scramble Training footage, available both in English and dubbed into Japanese. The actual game ROMs remain unpreserved, but for now, you can see all of Michaಌel Jackson in Scramble Training on YouTube.

Our list of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best retro games remains timeless.

With so much choice, getting your hands on the best games in the Sonic series can be easier said than done. That's why we've looked across the entire franchise to help build out our list of the best Sonic games. Naturally, Sonic Frontiers hasn't made the cut, nor has the recently released Sonic X Shadow Genওerations, mainly because there are so many other good options.

From the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best Sega Genesis games to some delights that count among the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best Dreamcast games and 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best Switch games, below you'll find our pick for the 25 greatest Sonic games o♊f all time. 

The best Sonic games ever, starting with...

25. Sonic Spinball

Release: 1993
Platform(s): Sega Genesis, Game Boy Advance, PC

The early Sonic games had developed a uniquely satisfying rhythm: jump on a few baddies, collect a ring or twenty, then hit a hill and bounce around until you found out whether you wereꦐ epileptic. And for many players, that third high-speed component of the experience was where the money was at. So hey, figured Sega, why not fashion a whole game out of those bit🌄s?

The Genesis was already the consolܫe of choice for many pinball f🌌ans with a puzzling aversion to actual physical pinball tables, and Sonic Spinball held its own alongside the likes of Dragon Fury, Psycho Pinball, and Crue Ball. And if you weren't a huge Sonic fan, here was a game consisting of nothing but opportunities to bash the mouthy mascot around the head with huge flippers. Everyone wins!

24. Sonic Rush Adventure

Release: 2007
Platform(s): Nintendo DS

Built for fast-paced dual-screen challenges, 💜the Rush titles were for a long time the best way to get old-school side-on action with a pin🙈ch of next-generation flair. Rush Adventure thrives in plus-sized side-on platform bursts but also offers bouts of well-executed 3D to remind you that you're playing on a machine with some chops.

Technical aptitude aside, here's a game that keeps Sonic and Tails off the streets and introduces a non-mortifying new character in Marine the Raccoon, a character that serves as the springboard for a story of piracy, multidimensional invaders, and interplanetary conflict. In its day, this was the title you fired up to disprove anyone who said the sꦑeries had lost its way.

Read our Sonic Rush Adventure review.

23. Sonic & the Secret Rings

Release: 2007
Platform(s): Wii

Intended as yet-another rebirth for Sonic to coincide with Nintendo's then-upcoming Wii console, Secret Rings takes its cue from the Arabian Nights - meaning developers were free to wear their Prince of Persia influences on their sleeves. The title played to Wii strengths with an emphasis on racer-st🐻yle platform action and level design which favored speed-runs over precision-jumping challenges.

For an early Wii title the game holds up well today, with graphics that impressed on release and still turn heads. Critics at the time su🔯ggested that Secret Rings might mark a turning-point for the series then ailing fortunes; history ♓and replay value prove them right.

Read our Sonic and the Secret Rings review.

22. Sonic R

Release: 1997
Platform(s): Sega Saturn, GameCube, PS2, PC

Sonic and racing had always seemed an obvious fit, and Sega had made early forays into the concept with the Game Gear's Sonic Drift titles. This Saturn title offered a substantial-tech injection for Sonics pole-position aspirations, with co-developers Travellers𒁃 Taꦡles tweaking the game's design to squeeze as much speed and detail out of the 32-bit hardware as possible.

It's a short, colorful burst by today's standards, which is no bad thing, and offers a look at the early days of what would become quite the pꦚrofitable little sideline for Sega's mascot. Later, Sonic Racers would only improve on the concept, making Sonic R an embryonic taste of what would become titles like Sonic All-Stars Racing.

21. Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood

Release: 2008
Platform(s): Nintendo DS

Expanding the hyperkinetic Sonic series into role-play territory was a stunt guaranteed to raise eyebrows, and you can bet Sega wasn't about to just fob the job off on anyone. After all, Mario hadn't goneඣ the HP-n-battle-scenes route until Squaresoft was ready to do the concept jusꦛtice - so similar interest in Sega's experiment was piqued when genre titans BioWare were given the task.

While geared more toward the DS youth audience than fans of Mass Effect or Dragon Age, the game remains among Sonic's stronger cross-genre ventures - to say nothing of more ambitious. Sequel rumors h𒈔ave been teased since the game's release, but following BioWare's incorporation into EA, these seem rather unlikely to come to fruition.

Read our Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood review.

20. Sonic Colors

Release: 2010
Platform(s): Wii, Nintendo DS, Nintendo Switch, P𒐪S4, PC, Xbox One

Assuring players that their aim was to rectify the missteps of earlier Sonic titles, Sonic Team gave players a reason to look out for thiဣs Nintendo-exclusive soft reboot geared toward players too young to have grown up with the series' side-on originators. The result, released for the DS and Wii in 2010, showed the wisdom of this 🅺strategy.

Instead of trying to roll together everything anyone had ever liked about a Sonic title, Colors was fast, tight, and offered variety via well-placed p🅠ower-ups and environments built around high-speed thrills. Which, come to think of it, was pretty much everything olౠder fans had always liked about Sonic games as well.

Read our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Sonic Colors review.

19. Sonic Unleashed

Release: 2008
Platform(s): Wii, PS2, PS3, Xbox 360

Okay, you know what? It's been years since Sonic Unleashed, and Werehog jokes have put several GamesRadar children thro🙈ugh col📖lege by now. We're finally ready to lay the matter to rest and admit that Sonic Unleashed is actually a good game. It looks beautiful, plays fast 'n' flashy, and certainly can't be accused of coasting on earlier successes.

Besides this, it's worth bearing in mind that the Sonic games take place in a world where animals are always being turned int🎃o creepy creatures. The whole reason the Sonic/Robotnik beef got started in the first place was due to the la🦹tter turning animals into monsters. Meanwhile, Mario is getting turned into frogs and bees and a mythical Japanese raccoon without so much as an objection. And besides that, the non-Werehog bits of Unleashed were a welcome return to form for the Hedgehog, bringing 2D perspective and high-speed thrills back to the forefront.

Read our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Sonic Unleashed review.

18. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Game Gear/Master System)

Release: 1992
Platform(s): Master System, Game Gear

The Master System and Game Gear versions of Sonic 1 had hewn fairly close to the Genesis standard, but Sonic 2 on Sega's 8-bit systems bore little comparison to the 16-bit title of the same name. The game looked different, sounded differܫent, and played🐈 like a Sonic title, but one built for the smaller systems strengths. If the high-speed multiplayer pyrotechnics of Sonic 2 Genesis were reined in slightly for this version, in their place were new vehicle modes and gameplay gimmicks to push the 8-bit hardware.

Did the different approach pay off? While the 16-bit Sonic 2 is the one that's remembered, this title remains a thrilling challenge with plenty of surprises for first-time players. It's still one of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best Sega Game Gear games of all time.

17. Sonic Chaos

Release: 1993
Platform(s): Master System, Game Gear

Having played to the Game Gear and Master System's strengths with the distinctly standalone 8-bit versions of Sonic 2, repeat series contributors Aspect Co. were given free reign to continue the breakaway adventures of Sonic and Tails on the🃏 then-dwindling Master System and Game Gear. Which, hey, if you were still actively r🔜ocking a Master System in 1993, was probably the best news you'd heard all year.

And while attention was focused on the series' increasingly hi-tech fortunes, Chaos quietly continued to remind players that they were still playing a Sonic game, damn it. Tails was finally playable (having kept to an NPC role in the 8-bit Sonic 2) and Sonic continued to run as fast as he could through as many gravity-testing scenarios as the older hardwཧare would permit. A late contributor to the series' Golden Age, but it just scrapes in.

16. Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed

Release: 2012
Platform(s): Wii, Nintendo 3DS, PC, PS3, PS Vita, Xbox 360

Having well and truly found its feet on the racetrack, this second racing entry in the Sonic/Sega All-Stars crossover is a stando💞ut for either franchise. Presenting players with a variety of characters and courses drawn from the breadth of Sega history, it's at once a Smash Brothers-esque fan-service extravaganza and an instantly accessibl๊e, easy-to-like addition to the mascot-racer genre.

The game's transforming vehicles keep races interesting, and loving callouts to earlier properties like Golden Axe and NiGHTS serve as reminders that Sega has known how to make a good game since before many o🌊f its current fans were born. Early issues with the game's Wii U version were soon patched and served as a strong early showing for Sonic on the Nintendo platform.

Read our Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed review.

15. Sonic Adventure 2

Release: 2001
Platform(s): Dreamcast

One of the endearing qualities of the Sonic series has long been its trans-Pacific development history, with Japanese and US teams both having contributed to the franchise over the years. Sonic Adventure 2 may have marked the series last outing on a Sega console - the Dreamcast had been discontinued months earlier - but it was also the first to be developed primarily by Sonic Team USA, whose San Francisco streets influenced the gamꦇe's urban environments.

Just as US input had seen the Genesis Sonic 2 expand substantially on the original's high-speed bravado, Sonic Adventure 2 was a much zi🦄ppier, more stunt-filled experience than its comparatively plot-heavy predecessor. This influence served the series well and would ensure positive receptions for later ports of the game.

14. Sonic Advance

Release: 2001
Platform(s): Game Boy Advance, N-Gage

The new millennium brought with i🍷t new rules: there was a different President in the White House, airplanes wouldn't fly unless yꦺou took your shoes off, and original Sonic games were now making their debut on Nintendo's Game Boy Advance. At the time, these releases were often superior to Sonic's console adventures.

Nowadays, Sonic and Nintendo are more like old friends with a colorful backstory - but when the hedgehog first stepped out with Big N in 2002, console war veterans probably w🅺ondered what all those playground arguments had ever been in aid of. Showcasing classic 2D Sonic action, Advance gave birth to a consistently ౠsuccessful new franchise, reducing Sonic's die-hard brand loyalty to a distant memory from the halcyon-toned 1990s.

13. Sonic & Knuckles

Release: 1994
Platform(s): Sega Genesis, PC

Nowadays, we think nothing of it when a developer builds so much game that the excess has to be mopped up and rolled into a DLC extension; but back before downloading was 🅷a thing, a physical add-on for adding new content to your game cartridge was quite the talking-point. Never gimmick-shy, Sega made the most of the oddity (made mostly out of resources that couldn't fit into Sonic 3 in time for release) with a variety of new unlockables, depending on which Sonic cartridge the game was paired with.

Offering newꦗ ways of playing through Sonics 2 a꧒nd 3, as well as added levels exclusive to the Knuckles-themed chunk of the game, the title extended already beloved releases and tided fans over until everyone went out and bought a Sega Saturn (well, that was the hope). It's that first 16-bit heyday extended just a little longer.

12. Sonic the Hedgehog 3

Release: 1994
Platform(s): Sega Genesis, PC

The Sonic franchiseꦏ has gone from bust to boom more than once - but if t🐈here's any period that can be said to represent the character's Golden Age, it would have to be the late-era 16-bit generation. And while not necessarily the best of that era, Sonic 3 is probably the one that the most people played.

Having achieved widespread ubiquity vi𒅌a Genesis bundle-filler Sonic 2, the next title rewarded series fans with a greater degree of variety between characters, stages, and enhancements. In many ways, it's the best parts🥂 of Sonics 1 and 2, rolled into a frantically spinning ball and padded out with enough new surprises to fill two games' worth of content, which was appropriate, with Sonic & Knuckles coming hot on its heels.

Read our Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review.

11. Sonic Rush

Release: 2005
Platform(s): Nintendo DS

While Sega was tweaking the Sonic formula with high-profile home console outings in the mid-'00s, the c✅ompany placed a bet on this side-scrolling throwback - a throwback that would go on to become one of the series' most celebrated entries. After all, we don't want to spoil anything for you, but a recurring theme of Sonic's life story is going to be Sonic and 3D don't always mix.

So when bringing the character to the DS, Sega wisely chose to employ the handheld's polygonal capabilities diligently, mainly by adding 3D characters and boss encounters to a side-scrolling jump-and-dash extravaganza much more in line with the series' roots. The result is a game that bridged the gap between hardline retrogamers and fans of the character's later chumm🃏ier outings.

Read our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Sonic Rush review.

10. Sonic Lost World

Release: 2013
Platform(s): PC, Wii U, Nintendo 3DS

After examining Sonic's long history in Sonic Generations, Sonic Lost World starts a whole new chapter for the Blue Blur - partially by borrowing from Super Mario Galaxy. Instead of running on ciಌty str🅠eets, Lost World restricts Sonic to floating planetoids that restrict his movement so he can focus on pure speed. It seems so obvious that it's strange Sonic hadn't done this before (not counting the canceling Saturn game, Sonic X-treme).

The 3D controls are better than ever for Sonic, and the W♓ii U-powered visuals are candy-colored perfection. Lost Worlds builds on what Sonic Colors did and, save for some annoying difficulty spikes, makes🦋 for a great Sonic game for every type of Sonic fan.

Read our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Sonic Lost World review.

9. Sonic Adventure

Release: 1998
Platform(s): Dreamcast, GameCube, PC, PS3, Xbox 360

You have to understand, seeing Sonic transition so seamlessly into 3D in൲ 1998 ꦐwas like bumping into an old friend you'd lost touch with, only to find that since you last spoke they'd become World President George Clooney. Seriously, the Dreamcast original still looks good alongside some games made 10 years later.

Mapping Sonic's twitch-centric gameplay onto the Z-axis would prove a continual challenge for Sega, but for a 🍷while there, Sonic Adventure made it look as if the company had nailed it. At the very least, it was a step up from the previous attempt, Sonic 3D Blast, which was neither 3D nor a blast of any kind.

8. Sonic Generations

Release: 2011
Platform(s): PS5, PꦡS4, PS3, PC, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Switch, Nintendo 💝3DS

No one can accuse Sega of being unwilling to take Sonic in new and interesting directions - even if those directions don't always sit well with longtime fans. When the company celebrated the character's 20th bir♒thday with Sonic Generations, Sega set the OG Sonic alongside his contemporary counterpart in an all-time fan-gripe showdown for the ages.

As perennial fan-gripers with a strong bias toward fun and/or forgetting how many years we've been alive, we welcomed the new Sonic as one of the character's best outings since the Genesis era and were disappointed to hear that Sega has no plans for Classic Sonic beyond Generations. Still, if 🏅'90s Sonic was ever going to cash out, you'd think he'd have done it by now, what wi𝓰th the eleventy billion or so times players sent him to his death already...

Read our Sonic Generations review.

7. Sonic Pocket Adventure

Release: 1999
Platform(s): Neo Geo Pocket Color

Perhaps you took note of the Neo Geo being reborn with the𒈔 official SNK handheld named the Neo Geo Gold. If you, like us, are still trying to𝓡 work out what to make of the iPhoney-looking contraption, consider that SNK's been doing craz🦹y things to portable gaming for years--such as having the first ever Sonic game on a third-party console, 1999's Sonic Pocket Adventure for the Neo Geo Pocket.

Playing much like the Genesis' Sonic 2, with a few Sonic 1 elements and Sonic 3 music tracks mixed in, Sonic Pocket Adventure showed that SNK's handheld was good for mo💙re than just SNK games; regrettably, it's a lesson few took to heart, as evidenced by the Pocket's quick cancellation in the western markets.

6. Sonic the Hedgehog (Game Gear/Master System)

Release: 1991
Platform(s): Game Gear, Master System

If you've played the guts out of the Genesis versions of Sonics 1, 2, and 3, you probably 🐠see 𝐆yourself as quite the arbiter of all things old-school and Sega. Before deciding you've seen all the Sonic the 2D Age has to offer, though, spend some time with the 8-bit versions of the series' initial entries.

Sonic 1 and 2 on the Game Gear and Master System share some cosmetic elements with their better-known counterparts,🍷 but for the most part, are entirely new adventures - including early forays into vehicle sections and a dauntingly fast-paced take on the series' signature bonus stages. The titles survive on Nintendo's Virtual Consoles and various compilations and on the shelves of the nation's thrift stores, just waiting to be dusted off by the right lucky retro-friendly hoarder.

5. Sonic Mania

Release: 2017
Platform(s): PC, Switch, PS4, Xbox One

Sonic Mania is a delightful love letter to the best 2D Sonic games. Released in 2017 as part of the series' 25th anniversary celebration, Mania doesn't just pay homage to the legendary Sega Genesis games which inspired it, but actually surpasses some of them. It's the original concept infused with new i🌊deas, and a refined visual style which evokes a strong sense of nostalgia.

Sonic Mania is an absolutely delightful platformer that every Sonic fan should take the time to play, even if they've already played the original adღventures to death.  

Read our Sonic Mania hands-on preview.

4. Sonic the Hedgehog (Genesis)

Release: 1991
Platform(s): Sega ♔Genesis, Game Boy Advance, PC, Nintendo 3DS, Switch

"The game that started it all" is an easy way to say it, at least if ꦉyou don't feel that it all started when someone at Sega brought a Mario game to work and said, "Guys, we need some of this action." Regardless of the character's origins, his debut was a resounding success, in one shot propelling the attitudinal anthropomorphic to international recognition.

While establishing Sonic's signature zippiness to the satisfaction of a generation yet to discover the wonders of Ritalin, the series' first installment is also deceptively intricate, rewarding repeat play with enough extras and secrets to keep players interested until later sequels ramped up the speed even further. It's a snapshot into a time before buzzwords like Blast Processing changed the way we see the worlꦇd, and to think the Nobel Committee continues to look down its nose at Sega for that innovation.

3. Sonic 3 & Knuckles

Release: 1994
Platform(s): Sega Genesis, PC

Nowadays, when a developer releases new bits of a game with bonus additions to the original title, we call it DLC and grudgingly devour it whole on launch day. But back in the '90s, that extra content had no way of getting to you besides the medium of a whole other game cartridge; a special one, no less, that could be physic🐎ally bolted onto older Sonic games to add a new character and teach kids all sorts of erroneous things about what an echidna is exactly.

But the cart's best use is probably as a Sonic 3 enhancement device. The Knuckles-augmented threequel is both the character's finest hour and our favorite way to play Sonic 3 itself. The original game was designed with the intention of featuring Knuckleꦰs as a core character, and the three-way ability divide between Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles is one of the add-on's biggest overhauls. The separate games deserves spots on this list, but they work best in t💮andem.

2. Sonic CD

Release: 1993
Platform(s): Sega CD, PC, PS3, Xbox 360

If we can just turn your little cookie-cutter world upside down for a second here, the canonical version of Sonic CD isn't actually the Sega CD version at all. Though, admittedly, the 1993 original looked pretty special in 1993 - particularly next to most Genesis titles, and particularly if you were young and undiscerning enough to🍌 fall within Sonic's target audience at the time.

Dig that game out now and all the new bits (such as Metal Sonic, in-game time travel and, ahem, Amy Rose) look a litt🐻le less shiny, but are surprisingly innovative for the series. Still, it was starting to show its age, at least until a recent downloadable port, rebuilt for modern consoles and mobiles, is the game that actually plays as well as you remember.

Read our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Sonic CD review.

1. Sonic the Hedgehog 2

Release: 1992
Platform(s): Sega Genesis

The game where much of the Sonic formula fell into place, Sonic 2 on the Genesis is probably the tit🔜le most commonly associated with the character. The game launched in November of 1992, the same month Bill Clinton - the model for Sonic's can-do personality, - was elected to the Oval Office. And it's fair to say that both events had a comparable effect 🏅on the next decade.

Launched amid a barrage of international hype, Sonic 2 would become a standard of Genesis players' collections as the pack-in game for the redesigned system. So fruitful was the title's development that many of the more ambitious elements intended for Sonic 2 (before getting cut) would end up forming the backbone of later entries in the series. Meanwhile the b🌊its you did get - Tails, the Spin Dash, increasingly inventive uses of the Genesis hardware - are what made this one an easy choice to rank as the best Sonic game ever made.

For more classics, head to our lists of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best Saturn games and the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best DS games of all time.

But this list is here to celebrate the very best fighting games around right now and see which brawler comes out at the very top. Many of our picks offer the ultimate underdog fantasy, letting you take your fighter from low-level beginners to kin𝔉gs of the ring or martial arts masters. We've brought together selections from some of the biggest franchises as well as some standout indie picks that showcase how much variety the genre has to offer.

With highlights across all platforms, you're sure to find something to get stuck into if you're looking for another fighting game to try. And it's also well worth checking out our pick of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best action games if you're looking for more recommendations.

Read on below as we take you through our list of the 25 best fighting games arouᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⭕⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚnd.

The best fighting games, starting with...

25. Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO

Developer: Spike Chunsoft Co., Ltd.
Platform(s): PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S

Let's be honest: when it comes to the best fictional fighters around, Goku is the top dog. Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO is th♏e latest entry in the Budokai Tenkaichi series, throwing players into a colorful anime world and letting you blast your way through recognizable villains and characters. While there are some repetitive fighting mechanics, this is the most complete feeling entry in Budokai Tenkaichi's series yet.

It's also packed with content for anime fans, so if you've watched all of 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Dragon Ball in order, you're in luck because there a🉐re over 180 fighters include🍃d in the base game. The visuals are stunning, and it's never been more fun to blow up your enemies in-game.

Check out our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO review for more information!

24. War of the Monsters

Developer: Incognito Entertainment
Platform(s): PS4

Lots of fighting games on this list require patience and a high level of skill to be played at a master level. Th𓆏ey require hours of study if you want to become comp🥀etitive and are taken very seriously. War of the Monsters is not one of those games.

This is a big, dumb slugfest between cartoonish monsters, with buildings, vehicles, and pedestrians getting crushed underfoot. Originally released for the PS2 but re-released with an increased resolution and smoother framerate on the PS4, pick this one up to feel like a kid again and have a raucous, not-too-serious ti꧃me.

23. DNF Duel

Developers: Arc System Works, Eighting, Neople
Platform(s): PC, PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch

DNF Duel is a 2.5D action fighting game that's a spin-off from the popular RPG Dungeon & Fighter (thus the "DNF" in the name) with a bit of a mixed reception. Compared to many other more popular games in the genre, 🦹communication has been pretty middling from the developer.

There have also been balance issues, bu💞t DNF Duel still offers a very distinct gameplay experience featuring easy-to-use moves that are hard to master. DNF Duel is hard to recommend as a top-tier choice, but it certainly belongs in the conversation and o🀅n our list of the best fighting games.

22. Under Night In-Birth 2 Sys:Celes

Developer: French-Bread
Platform(s): PC, PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch

Under Night In-Birth 2 Sys:Celes (sidenote, we're just going to call it "Under Night" from here on out) is the latest in the series of fight✨ing games and its firs🐈t numbered sequel.

If yo꧂u're not familiar, the franchise has a passionate audience in the fighting game community thanks to its lovely sprites, catchy tunes, and focus on feet-on-the-ground fighting. The plot is about as hard to follow as its title, at least 🧸for those new to it, but if you like anime about supernatural beings and ancient secret organizations or stylish anime fighting games, you'll find plenty to enjoy here.

If you're after more colorful recommendations, check out our list of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best anime games of all time.

21. Arms

Developer: Nintendo
Platform(s): Nintendo Switch

Arms is the fighting game for those of you who prefer Wii Sports' take on boxing to tennis or bowling. Using the Nintendo Switch's Joy-Con as extensions of your... well, arms, you'll throw real😼-life hooks, jabs, and uppercuts (at the TV⛄, not your friend, of course) as you try to outmaneuver and outsmart your opponent.

Customizing your in-game arms will lead to different strategies and power-ups, and the wild character designs are a sight to behold. Of all the games on this list, Arms is probably the most likely to give you an actual workout. It's also easily one of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best Switch games for fans of the fighting genre.

Read our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Arms review for more information!

20. Pokken Tournament DX

Developer: Bandai Namco
Platform(s): Nintendo Switch

If you've ever thought to yourself, "Yeah, I like Pokemon, but the turn-based battles just aren't exciting enough for me," then Pokken Tournament DX is exactly what you need. The title is a bit of wordplay on "Tekken,"🍌 which Pokken's fights are largely modeled after - that is to say, 3D move🎃ment with an emphasis on close-quarters brawling.

While you won't get to play as every Pokemon in the series, there are lots of fan favorites like Mewtwo, Pikachu, Blaziken, and Gengar to choose from. It occupies 🍰a strange niche as a not-quite traditional Pokemon game and not-quite a super competitive fighter, but it's tons of fun to see in action.

If you want to have more Pokemon carnage in your life, read our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Pokken Tournament review.

19. EA Sports UFC 5

Developer: EA Vancouver
Platform(s): PS5, Xbox Series X/S

If you are looking to simulate actual, real-life martial arts combat, there is not much out there of any note beyond EA Sports UFC 5. The ongoing franchise tends to get a lot right, wit🔥h kicks and punches having an impact while forcing players to constantly evaluate their strategy on where and when to move in and ⛦go for the combo or grapple that will net you a KO.

It's not going to be for everyone, and the incremental updates between versions are not going to be to everyone's taste, but if this is your thing, EA Sports UFC 5 is the latest and greatest version of it. We also recommend this one for players who love checking out the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best sports games around.

18. Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite

Developer: Capcom
Platform(s): PC, PS4, Xbox One

While criticized harshly for its character visuals (which are... not great) and simplified mechanics, Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite still adds some worthwhile wrinkles to the MvC 🍬formula - the biggest of which are the Infinity Stone꧙s from the Marvel Comics universe.

Each stone has different effects, which can drastically alter your strategy, and the franchise-spanning roster features plenty of fan favorites. This is a 2v2 rather than 3v3 fighter, and there aren't any assists from your partner this go-round either, so overall, it's a bit more restrictive than the series' previous entry. Still, check this title out before 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Marvel Rivals.

For more details, read our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Marvel vs Capcom: Infinite review.

17. Dead or Alive 6

Developer: Team Ninja
Platform(s): PC, PS4, Xbox One

The Dead or 🌱Alive series is a bit of a black sဣheep in the fighting game community, as some find it shallow and too focused on cheesecake (that is, highlighting the sexual appeal of its cast) to be taken seriously.

Even so, Dead or Alive 6 is a more-than-competent fighter taken on its own merits with a strong sense of style on top of generally engaging, albeit sometimes difficult to master, combat. However, we promise that once you give this title a chance, you'll be hooked. It's an underrated gem and rightfully deserves to be on our list of the best fighting games arou💫nd right now.

16. BlazBlue: Central Fiction

Developer: Arc System Works
Platform(s): PC, PS4, Nintendo Switch

With a roster comprised of demonꦅ girls, hulking behemoths, shapeshifting androids, and some stuff that only gets a whole lot weirder from there, BlazBlue is one of the fighting game community's more eclectic games of choice. What helps separate BlazBlue from its competitors is the "Drive" button.

Every character's Drive function is unique, from helping theꦉm regain lost HP to trapping opponents in ice. Learning what makes each character tick is key to victory. While it's been a minute since a new mainline release, if you're looking for something outside the Street Fighter and Tekken norms, BlazBlue is worth checking out.

Read our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:BlazBlue: Continuum Shift review for more insights into this quality fighting game.

15. Persona 4 Arena Ultimax

Developer: Arc System Works
Platform(s): PC, PS4, Nintendo Switch,

Follow this logic: the Persona games are a spin-off of the Shin Megami Tensei series. Persona 4 Arena Ultimax is a sequel to Persona 4 Arena, which is itself a spin-off 🅰of Persona 4. So this is a sequel to a spin-off of a spin-off.

And yet, it's clear that developer Arc System Works put serious love and care into translating the characters from the Persona RPGs in🍸to a fighting game, and there's a great sense of balance and intricacy to combat. You'll have even more fun if you're already familiar with Persona, but even if you haven't played through the series, this is a solid fighter with a unique and memorable cast.

Check out our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Persona 4 Arena review next, or head over to our list of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best Persona games to play today.

14. Virtua Fighter 5: Ultimate Showdown

Developer: Sega
Platform(s): PS4

The Virtua Fighte𓄧r series was one of the first to define 3D fight💜ing games, way back on the Sega Saturn. While it has admittedly somewhat fallen out of favor, possibly due to its more toned-down nature - you won't find any robots or monsters here - that doesn't mean it isn't still great.

There's a strong focus on input precision and making counterplays, which helps Virtua Fighter 5: Ultimate Showdown feel like one of the d෴eeper 3D fighters out there. It may not be flashy, but its focus on nailing combat flow and balance more than makes up for that. The REVO release also brought the fighter to PC in 2025.

Want to explore more titles in this series? Read our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown review for more information.

13. The King of Fighters 15

Developer: SNK
Platform(s): PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S

King of Fighters 15 might not get the flowers it deserves when d💟irectly compared to other long-lasting fighting game franchises, but SNK still knows how to craft a superb fighter that understands its legacy while still trying to keep up with the times.

With a rollback netcode and a good roster, King of Fighters 15 ma🎃kes a strong impression that general🦄ly puts it above many others. Even when you go back to replay this game, you'll be surprised how slick and fun it is. Again, this is an entry that is generally underrated and needs to be on your radar if you haven't played it yet.

12. Killer Instinct (2013)

Developer: Iron Galaxy
Platform(s): PC, Xbox One

The surprise revival of Killer Instinct was one of the last console generation's earliest treats. A cult favorite since its days in the arcade and at home on the Genesis and SNES, the game has an edgy, exaggerated style about it you can'ꦑt help but love.

Fights are almost always very close and borderline claustrophobic, but never stiff or bori🥃ng. Anyone can rack up massive combos in Killer Instinct, but only those who know its intricacies will be able to capitalize on them. And with special guest characters like Rash from Battletoads and General Raam from Gears of War, it's one of the most unique fighters around. C-c-c-c-com🌞bo breaker!

Read our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Killer Instinct review for more details on this gem!

11. Guilty Gear Strive

Developer: Arc System Works
Platform(s): PS5, PS4, PC, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One

Guilty Gear set the tone for Arc System Works fighters𒁏, and Guilty Ge൲ar Strive continues to carry the mantle: it's fast and bombastic, with some of the most ridiculous characters ever put to the screen, and it is, for lack of a better term, a bit weird.

It's also quite the spectacle to look at, with characters technically rendered as 3D models but so finely detailed and animated they look like hand-drawn anime💃 cels. So, with fast-paced fighting sequences and stunning visuals, what's not to love here?

10. Skullgirls 2nd Encore

Developer: Reverge Labs
Platform(s): PC, PS4, Xbox One

An extremely fast and frenetic fighter, Skullgirls could be likened to a Western take on games like BlazBlue and Guilty Gear. You can mix and match teams of one, two, or three characters, and the well-rounded cast of characters that clearly stand apart from each other will encourage you to try every o🉐ne.

An extensive tutorial will help you learn the ropes, and the active community will be waiting to take you on. What helps Skullgirls s⭕tand out, though, is just how fun it is to watch - the hand-drawn art style is gorgeous, and theಌ presentation is exciting. You're gonna have fun with this one.

Want to see where it all began? Check out our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Skullgirls review.

9. Soul Calibur 6

Developer: Bandai Namco
Platform(s): PC, PS4, Xbox One

A tale of swords and souls, eternally retold... Soul Calibur 6 may have only just arrived on the scene, but it's already setting longtime fans alight with excitement. The definitive weapons-based fighter, the Soul Calibur series struggled to find its footing for a while b💃ut seems to have come home with SC6, which echoes the beloved Soul Calibur 2.

The new Reversal Edge mechanic gives combatants more options while returning features like Critical Edge provide flashy, powerful moves that let you unleash devastation on your foes. And then there's the incredibly robust 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:character creator...

8. Injustice 2

Developer: NetherRealm Studios
Platform(s): PC, PS4, Xbox One

If there's one thing Injustice 2 nails, it's presentation. From the word go, you'll be immersed into the world of DC Comics, and a stellar single-player campaign (seriously, it's a fighting game with a really good story) will keep you gꦜoing for hours. Once you've finished with that, a world of finely-tuned battles aga✤inst AI or online players awaits.

And in a unique twist, completing the game's challenges will earn you piꦚeces of gear that you can use to not only change the look of𓂃 your chosen fighter but alter their stats as well. It's an incredibly deep experience, and you shouldn't be surprised to lose track of time with this fabulous fighter.

Do you love Marvel and DC? Read our list of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best superhero games and our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Injustice 2 review.

7. Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3

Developer: Capcom
Platform(s): PC, PS4, Xbox One

Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 might be one of the most button-masher-friendly games on this list, but that doesn't mean it's shallow. Instead of memorizin𝔉g combos and worrying about being ultra-precise with your inputs, Ultimate MvC3 is all about 𓆉making the most of your special abilities and your partners.

Each fight is a 3v3 affair, with one character on screen at a time until players call in their partners for an assist or screen-filling super move. And if you start to fall behind, the X-Factor mechanic can help you turn what looks to be sure deಌfeat around. It's chaotic, it's loud, it's colorful, and it's fun as hell.

Check out our Marvel vs Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds review for more.

6. Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection

Developer: Capcom
Platform(s): PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch

Yes, this is something of a cheat to pick, as it's not one single game, but rather twelve squeezed into one package. But don't worry, this💟 collection doesn't appear so close to the top of this list because ꦚof sheer quantity, as it also includes two of the very best and most-revered fighting games of all time: Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo and Street Fighter 3: Third Strike.

The former is credited with helping revolutionize and lay the foundations for the genre, while the latter is one of the tightest, most beautiful sprite-based 2D fighters you'll ever enjoy. And with Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection, you don't need to choose. There is also a new 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Street Fighter movie coming out🌸 soon, so now i൲s the best time to revisit this classic.

5. Mortal Kombat 1

Developer: NetherRealm Studios
Platform(s): PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch

澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Mortal Kombat 1 is finally here with its new era, and that comes with a new set of reimagined versions of classic characters in addition to a robust Kameo system on top of the us♐ual combos and fatalities.

It's all the blood aꦰnd gore of Mortal Kombat with some clever changes to somehow make it feel truly new all these years later. And all it took was Liu Kang essentially becoming the master of reality. If you haven't played any Mortal Kombat game before, this is also a great entry point. So don't be afraid to check out this sequel!

Read our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Mortal Kombat 1 review for more details!

4. Dragon Ball FighterZ

Developer: Arc System Works
Platform(s): PC, PS4, Xbox One

While the uninitiated might think Dragon Ball FighterZ to be little more than a shallow fan service game, it's proven to be much more than that, and has quickly become a hit within the fighting game community. The winks and nods to DBZ fans are nice, but what figh𒉰ting game aficionados will appreciate is the depth present in FighterZ's mechanics.

It's a blisteringly fast game (probably the fastest on this list) that favors aggression and rush-d🅘own tactics, but if you can wrap your head around the finer points of its 3v3 tag-team battles, you're sure to come away pleased.

For more anime action, check out our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Dragon Ball FighterZ review.

3. Tekken 8 

Developer: Bandai Namco
Platform(s): PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S

Our own review of Tekken 8 unequivocally states that we are "in the Golden Age for fighting games, and Tekken is the king." Put simply, the most recent sequel is the best Tekken game to date, with significanﷺt depth, reworked onboarding, and excellent visuals.

While the game's movelists are certainly intimidating when viewed as a whole, it remains difficult not to recommend Tekken 8 given how well it handles just about everything else. Seriously, do yourself a favor and make sure you check out one of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best games of 2024 as soon as you can.

Read our five-star 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Tekken 8 review for more insights into this must-play fighting game.

2. Street Fighter 6

Developer: Capcom
Platform(s): PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S

There's a reason why people immediately think of Street Fighter whenever "fighting game" enters the conversation. As one of (if not the) most technical fighters on the mar𝔍ket, it demands precision, patience, and strategy.

And 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Street Fighter 6 absolutely continues this legacy with ꧂further iteration on what was already a unique visual flourish to set the❀ franchise apart. If you can get past the tacked-on monetization efforts, there's a jam-packed package at its heart.

Read our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Street Fighter 6 review for more details on this 2023 hit.

1. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Developer: Nintendo
Platform(s): Nintendo Switch

While there will always be a contingent of purists who refuse to play anything other than Melee, make no mistake - Smash’s Switch outing is one of the best fighters ever released. Doing away with the hugely unbalanced roster o🦂f the series’ Wii U outin𒈔g, Ultimate sees Smash at its chaotic best. Boasting a jaw-dropping 80 fighters to choose from, including third-party legends Like Sephiroth and Ryu, Ultimate feels like a celebration of video games as a whole.

Featuring the return of a hefty adventure mode in the form of the RPG-leaning World of Light, Ultimate is pure joy. Whether you’re a casual player or a pro, there reꦆally is something for everyone. In fact, Ultimate not only lays claim to being one of the greatest fighting games of the HD era, but arguably ev🎀en one of the best games of all time.

Read our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Super Smash Bros. Ultimate review for more information on our top pick.

Look ahead with our guides on all the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:upcoming PS5 games and 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:upcoming Xbox Series X games.

Putting strategy and scares aside, Hyenas is a whole 'nother beast for CA entirely. Its competitive multiplayer stylings are set to challenge the likes of 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Overwatch 2, and that in itself ꧃is enough to have us already intrigued by what else Hyenas has to offer. 

We know that we should expect slick visual style and kinetic, gravity-defying combat when we load into Hyenas for the first time, but when that day might come ﷺis yet to be seen; it doesn't have a concrete release date yet. Still, recent announcements assure us that it should launch sometime in 2023. Here's what we know about Hyenas right now, from how to access the closed beta to a more analytical look at its gameplay.

Hyenas release date

Creative Assembly is yet to announce a Hyenas release date, but we do know that the game will come out in 2023. While the upcoming multiplayer shooter has been in development for four years already, the studio still has some work to do to get H൲yenas ready for prime time. Closed alpha tests have already been running for the game, with a series of play sessions underway.

Hyenas platforms

Hyenas is set to launch on PS5, PS4, 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Xbox Series X, Xbox One, and PC in 2023. This will be Creative Assembly's first game developed for the new-gen systems, but, given the fide🐠lity and quality of Alien: Isolation and Halo Wars 2, we're keen to see what the studio is able to squeeze out of the PS5 and Xbox Series X. Creative Assembly is yet to confirm whether Hyenas crossplay will be supported bꦕetween its supported platforms. 

Hyenas alpha

Following the footage shown at the Future Games Show, developer Creative Assembly announced that it is launching the game's "longest alpha ever" via the Hyenas page. What's more, the Future Games Show introduced us tobrand new hero whose cosplaying antics reminds us of a 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:certain blue hedgehog.

The most recent sounds closed in May 2023, 🏅but you can still sign up for future alpha tests on the now. 

Hyenas specs

While Creative Assembly is yet to reveal the final specs required to play Hyenas in 2023, we do know the . The studio says that "as this is the first alpha, the system requirements are high. The team is working hard on optimising the game and lowering these specs. We’ll have more updates for you in the future. A general rule of thumb at the moment🃏 is that if your PC is over 5 years old, you’ll likely be unable to ru𒆙n Hyenas."

The minimum spec required to play Hyenas alpha is:

OS: Windows 7
Processor: Quad core processor running at 2.5 Ghz
RAM: 10GB
VRAM: 5GB
DirectX: 12
Drive Space: -31GB

The recommended spec for playing Hyenas alpha is: 

OS: 64bit Windows 10
Processor: Any 6th Gen Intel Processor, or any Ryzen 1000 series or above
RAM: 16GB
VRAM: 6GB - Nvidia 1660 or AMD 5600 XT or Vega 556
DirectX: 12
Drive Space: -31GB 

Hyenas trailer

The first Hyenas trailer is a pretty wild introduction to Creative Assembly's new shooter. Where Alien Isolation was dark, desolate, and retro-futuristic, Hyenas is brighter and more vibrant in style. This trailer is designed to give us a first taste of th⛄e quick movement mechanics and lethal combat that takes place in zero-gravity zones. It looks like it's going to be a hell of a lot of fun, which you can see for yourself in the Hyenas reveal trailer above.  

Hyenas story

Hy🐷enas is, principally, a competitive multiplayer shooter – but that doesn't mean it won't have a story holding it all together. According to Creative Assembly, Hyenas will thrust us into a world broken by billionaires; they left the Earth behind to colonize Mars, and the zero-gravity tech they used to power their journey shattered our planet in the process. What remains of humanity is stuck in a drifting slum affectionately titled the 'Taint'.

If that weren't enough, the billionaires have a newfound fascination with relics from the old world:  Panini sticker albums, PEZ dispensers, and any SEGA related merchandise that they can procure from the rumble of Earth, be it functioning SEGA Mega Drives or Sonic the Hedgehog keychains. It'll be our job to steal it all back from massive spaceship shopping malls, known as Plunderships, before the tat can be used to furnish expens🧜ive Martian mansions. 

Hyenas gameplay

While we are yet to see Hyenas gamep♕lay in action for ourselves, Creative Assembly has given us an idea of what to expect from its FPS. For starters, a round of Hyenas supports up-to 15 players. Five crews enter a round, each staffed by three players – tasked with working to grab the best loot on the Plundership and then make a clean getaway. 

There will be other threats besides rival players to contend with too, as each of the ships are "a sandbox playground of interlocking systems" which will create "endless opportunities for slick teams to exploit the environment, security networks, hired goons, and competing crews to gain an edge.🐻"

Creative Assembly says that we'll be able to pick and choose between multiple Hyenas to assemble our squads. Each hero has their own unique skills and weapons – such as a deployable mech suit, or a weapon that looks suspiciously similar to the GLOO Cannon from Arkane's Prey. The developer says we should expect "blisteringly quick mo😼vement and lethal combat" which can even tuꦡmble into switchable zero-gravity areas, which will add a twist to traditional shootouts.  

Check out some Hyenas gameplay above, first seen in the pres♚entation from the Future Games Show, fo𓃲r a better look at the vibrantly-colored playable heroes, combat sequences, weapons, and more.

Hyenas development

Hyenas has been in development for four years, and first teased the multiplayer shooter last spring with a mysterious screenshot. With the Hyenas announcement on June 22 , we finally have a better sense of what SEGA's next shot at a shooter will be like. While Creative Assembly is typically known as the master of the strategy genre – thanks to its tireless work evolving the 🅰Total War franchise – the studio did take a big swing in 2014 when it launched Alien Isolation, a truly revolutionary survival horror game. Whether Hyenas can do for competitive multiplayer shooters what Alien Isolation did for horror games remains to be seen, but we can't wait to find ou♓t for certain. 

Following its reveal in 2021, we've seen plenty of Sonic Frontiers gameplay and had the chance to play it ourselves, but there are still a lot of unanswered questions. So what we're going to do here is focus on what we do know, Focusing on the latest Sonic Fr⛎ontiers news, gameplay, and details that we think you should know ahead of release. 

Sonic Frontiers release date

The Sonic Frontiers release date is ♌now set fꦛor November 8, 2022. 

Sonic Frontiers was first teased in early 2021 before being 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:o🐲fficially unveiled at The Game Awar🐠ds with a loose '2022' release window. Sega officially dated dateღd Sonic Frontiers at Gamescom Opening Night Live in 2022. 

Sonic Frontiers platforms

Sega has confirmed that Sonic Frontiers will launch on PS5,💜 PS4, Xb๊ox One, Xbox Series X, PC, and Nintendo Switch on November 8, 2022. 

Players across all platforms can get their hands on the Sonic Frontier Soap Shoes – the kicks that made grinding on rails possible back in 2001's Sonic Adventu🧸re 2 – by signing up to the before January 31, 2023.

Sonic Frontiers trailer 

The Sonic 🤪Frontiers trailer is a tease of what to expect from the blue hedgehog’s next adventure. Things kick off with Sonic belting it through a forest and being pursued by three robotic aircraft that appear to explode just as they catch up with him. The hedgehog is then thrust forward before slowing up as he approaches a knife-edge cliff face. As he turns around, he looks visibly shocked, gaping at the landscape before hiജm. It’s then the camera goes free-form as it snakes around the sprawling “open-zone” world, filled with rolling hills, lush vistas, and towering waterfalls. Before the title screen reappears, we hear a machine of sorts re-calibrating, and again see the pink robotic glow of the aircraft featured earlier.

Sonic Frontiers gameplay 

With the Sonic Frontiers gameplay, Sega says "we are challenging ourselves to deliver an all-new style of Sonic action adventure. We're once again expanding the Sonic Universe, bringing in new environments and additional features, to create a totally new type of open-zone experience." At least, that's what creative officer Takashi Iizuka tol🎀d GamesRadar+ in an exclusive interview earlier in 2022. 

Sonic has found himself in open zone areas for the very first time, after falling thr🥀ough a wormhole and losing contact with his friends. What we've seen so far sho🅘wcases lush-looking landscapes, the sort of velocity we've long hoped to see from the series in the 3D-era, and combat that looks like it's struggling to settle into the new format. 

We went 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:hands-on with Sonic Frontiers ༺at E3🍸 2022, and found that it made a bad first impression. We played a new build later in the year, covering a different area of the game, and were surprisedꩲ🌌 by just how much Sonic Frontiers feels so much like Breath of the Wild. Basically, there's a lot more for us🎃 to learn about tꦦhe game ahead of its release in November, so watch this space!

Sonic Frontiers story

In Sonic Frontiers, we'll be guiding Sonic around the ope꧅n-zone areas of the Starfall Islands. After falling through a wormhole, Sonic and friends – like Tails and Amy – become separated, and the super-fast hero can do is work to collect Chaos Emeralds to get the group home safely. 

Sonic Team creative officer Takashi Iizuka told GamesRadar+ that "the team set out to create a compilation of high-speed Sonic action games that flipped the usualဣ Sonic storyline on its head," in Sonic Frontiers, with the game "taking place in a world where the evil Dr. Eggman had prevailed." So expect to see new environments, characters, and bosses throughout! 

Sonic Frontiers development 

As we reported back in May, a new Sonic game has been planned for release in 2022 for some time – and it would appear that this is the game first teased in that Sonic Central Stream. Sonic Frontiers is being developed by Sonic Team, with development led by director Morio Kishimoto – who also directed Sonic Forces and Sonic Colors – and producer Sachiko Kawamura – who served as art director of Sonic Forces and Sonic Generations. Ian Flynn, who wrote Archie Comics' Sonic the Hedgehog series for over a decade, is set to pen an origiꦍnal storyline for the upcoming game.

Excited for all the new games coming in the next couple of years? Check out our list of 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:new games for 2022 and beyond. 

It also marks the series' return to mobile devices after choosing not to rele🎉ase on mobile last y💛ear.

🧔“Our decision to not release a Touch game on iOS or Android in 2021 was a difficult one to take and a disappointing one for some of our fans," explains Sports Interactive's studio director, Mile Jacobson. "This exciting partnership with Apple Arcade allows us to reintroduce a popular title in ꧒a way that makes sense for us as a studio and for the wider FM community.”

Publisher Sega says the PS5 version will be tailoღred to the Dualsense controller, with the FM23 Console edition releasing alongside the PC/Mac game.

Coming to what Sega describes as an "unprecedented breadth of platforms and devices", you'll be able to get into the action on 🗹PC via Steam and Epic Games Store, as well as Xbox consoles via Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, PlayStation 5, Switch, the Google store, and – for the first time – Apple Arcade.

Pre-purchase now on PC or Mac – sorry; it looks like this offer isn't available on console or mobile just yet, I'm afraid – and you'll get a 20 per cent discount and early access, enabling you to play not just a couple of days early, but two whole weeks "prior to the official street date", with ♊your progress in single-player careers carrying over. 

"FM23 thrusts fans closer to every aspect of the beautiful game, from the supporters🍰 filling the stands to scouts, players, opposition managers and newly-licensed competitions like the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and UEFA Europa Conference♚ League," Sega explains, promising that more new game features will be revealed in the coming weeks.

Don't forget, there's no way to buy Football Manager 23 as a 🀅physical copy this year. Sega says "removing the disc and notebook from this year’s edition, in addition to further refinements to our eco-packaging, means that the overall carbon footprint for FM23’s packaging is 47 per cent lower than FM22’s".

There are plenty of big titles on our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:upcoming PS5 games and 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:upcoming Xbox Series X games lists that you can get stuck into while you wait for Football Manager 2023.

Earlier today on August 3, Nintenꩵdo published its latest , in which the company provides detailed comments for the past three months. On page 14 of the document, Nintendo stated that "growth in the number of members has become more moderate," with regards to Nintendo Switch Online memberships.

This is apparently because "more consumers have now purchased multiple consoles," Nintendo claims. The company goes on to claim that when you take into acಞcount the new subscription figures of the Nintendo Switch Online + Expaꦏnsion Pack service, overall Nintendo Switch Online subscription numbers are showing more growth.

For the unfamiliar, the Nintendo Switch Online subscription service offers members cloud saves, online play support, mobile compatibility features such as transferring screenshots, and NES/SNES games. The Expansion Pack, meanwhile, offers bonus N64 and Mega Drive games for its customers, as well as DLC for select games, including Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Splatoon 2, and 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

With those benefits, it's easy to see why the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack has bolstered the overall growth of the service over the last three months. Elsewhere in the new financial results, Nintendo revealed 澳洲幸运5开奖号♍码历史查询:Switch production would ramp up later this year, in time for when more consumers are looking to get their hands on the console for the Ho🍒liday season.🍒 

If you're struggling to pick between the two services, head over to our should you buy the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion pack guide for a comprehensive rundown. 

While the basic subscription gives you access to online play, a range of NES and SNES titles, the ability to save your data in the cloud, and the odd free game, the Expansion pack goes a step further. The boosted membership includes games from N64 and Sega Genesis, a Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass, the Animal Crossing: New Horizons Happy Home Paradise pa🍎ckage, and the Splatoon 2 Octo Expansion. 

It doesn't come quite as cheap though. You'll be paying $49.99 / £34.99 for the base membership and Expansion pack together - adding another $30 / £17 for an in🍨dividual membership. A family membership includes up to eight accounts and wi🃏ll run you $79.99 / £59.99 for a full year. 

Those costs are considerably higher than the base 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Nintendo Switch Online price, 𓆏and they only make sense for certain players. That's why we're helping you decide whether you should buy the Nintendo Switch Onli𓃲ne Expansion pack right here. 

What's included in the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack?

As mentioned above, you're getting a lot of specific game content when you pick up a Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack. If you're not interested in the N64 or Sega Genesis libraries and don't play enough Animal Crossing, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, or Splatoon, then such an upgrade isn't for you. However, not everyone is going to make the most of every feature here - in fact, the majority of subscribers will likely get their money's worth from just two or three. It's worth making a no༺te of the specific game packs and retro titles you're keen to get your hands on when consideri✱ng if you should buy the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack. 

Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pass🅷 Virtual Consoles

Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pass DLC

Should you buy the Nintendo Switch Expansion Pass?

There's a lot on the table here, but with the DLC options available to purchase separately, we'd balance your decision to buy the Nintendo Switch Expansion Pass on the virtual console offerings. If you're keen to get to grips with th♊ose N64 or Sega Genesis titles, the pass is a no-brainer, and you'll be able to happily play through any of the applicable DLCs while still comfortable in the knowledge that you're getting your money's worth. We wouldn't recommend buying if you're just interested in one or two of the Mario Kart / Animal Crossing / Splatoon DLCs on offer at the moment. You'll get far better value by picking each pack up separately, and you won't be tied to your subscription with regards to how long you can play. 

There is a caveat here, though. If you're excited to test out the Animal Crossing and Splatoon DLCs (and play through at least the first eight courses of the Mario Kart Booster Course Pass) you will save money by opting for a year's worth of play at $49.99 / £34.99. Picking each one up separately will set you back $69.97 / £62.97 - $20 / £28 more than the price of the full subscription💙 - when you add up all the virtual consoles, online play, cloud saves et al. Just note that you won't be able to play the full set of Mario Kart 8 courses heading our way within this 12 month subscription time - releases are scheduled to run through until 2023. 

If you've already got Nintendo Switch Online, it's🌟 easier to consider upgrading to an Expansion Pass.  The $30 / £17 extra cos༒t will easily cover you for two or more of those DLC packs and you won't find this virtual console content elsewhere on the system. 

Buy the Nin💖tendo Switch Online Expansion Pass if 🐼you:

• Want to play N64 or Sega Genesis titles 
• Want to play online 
• Would benefit from cloud saves
• Fit all the above, and play Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Animal Crossing, and Splatoon
• Don't mind only having DLC access while your subscription is live

Upgraꦬde to the Nintendo Switch Online E✤xpansion Pass if you:

• Want to play N64 or Sega Genesis titles
• Want to play at least two of the DLCs 
• Don't mind only having DLC access while your subscription is live

How to upgrade to the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pass

If you already have the base Nintendo Switch Online subscription, you can upgrade to🌼 the Expansion Pass and claim the remaining days left of your membership as a discount. That means you can easily up your game without losing out on the subscription you've already paid for. This is applicable across both individual and family plans. To upgrade an individual Nintendo Switch Online subscription: 

• 1: Head to the Nintendo Switch Online section of the eShop on your console - you can access this page either by heading directly into the eShop or via the Nintendo Switch Online menu icon on your device.
• 2: Select View / Change Membership - this is where you will see your current membership level and the amount you will have to pay to upgrade to an Expansion Pass 
• 3: Select Proceed to Purchase - you'll be able to review your payment methods on the next screen and turn automatic renewal off as well. 

If you're looking for more ways to keep your collection growing, we're rounding up the latest 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:cheap Nintendo Switch game deals and all the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best Nintendo Switch controllers as well. Or, if you're looking to upgrade your whole console experience, check out the best 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Nintendo Switch deals on OLED models and more. 

Many of the best Sega Saturn games weren't available outside of Japan, with consoles in the region seeing some of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best RPGs that never officially made it to the US or elsewhere. There were also lots of arcade conversations of brilliant fighting games that came to Sega's machine, along with some memorable shoot-em-ups and some of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best adventure games.

While the Sega Saturn can sometimes be overlooked, this list is all about celebrating the biggest highlights that came to early '90s console. So whether you're looking to get ✃nostalgic, or you want to start building up your own retro collection, read on below as we guide you through the 25 best Sega Saturn games of all-time.

For more definitive rankings of SEGA games throughout the years:

| 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Best Sega Master System Games | 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Best Sega Genesis Games | 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Best Sega Game Gear Games | 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Best Sega Dreamcast Games |

Best Sega Saturn games, ranked

25. House of The Dead

Developer: Sega
Released: 1998

While Sega’s Saturn conversion is as ugly as the zombies that feature in it, th💙ere’💞s no denying how much of an entertaining blaster the game still is. Many zombies need multiple hits to drop them and there’s a franticness to the game that helps it stand apart from similar on-rail Saturn shooters.

While the Saturn conversion is certainly rough around the edges, it does🧸 have some great extras, including a Boss Rush option and an exclusive Saturn mode that lets you choose from a variety of characters with varying amounts of health and bullets. Add in the many routes you can take through each stage, and Sega’s shooter will keep you busy for ages.

For more on this franchise, check out our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:The House of the Dead: Overkill review.

24. Die Hard Arcade

Developer: Sega
Released: 1997

Despite featuring a skyscraper crawling with terrorists and a guy that kind of looks like Bruce Willis on it♒s cover, Die Hard Arcade isn’t actually a Die Hard game at all. Released in Japanese arcades as Dynamite Deka (Dynamite 🔥Detective), it was cleverly rebranded for a Western market.

Regardless of what you do know it as, Sega’s brawler remains a rousingly enjoyable blast thanks to its solid fighting mechanics, large range of weapons, and fast-paced action, which makes perfec♎t sense once you realize its creator was also behind the likes of Golden Axe and Alien Storm.

Love the classics? Read our list of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best action games of all time.

23. Mass Destruction

Developer: NMS Software
Released: 1997

This slick action game lives up to its name by allowing you to destroy most of the buildings and environmental hazards you encounter with a heavily armed tank. Structurally, it feels similar to earlier games like Desert Strike, with missions that typically revolve around destroying strategic enemy strongholds, rescuing prisoners of war, and reaching your🐈 extraction site.

Still, it’s elevated by the sheer amount of wanton carnage you can participate in. Virtually eဣverything in the game can fall victim to your three available tanks, while cleverly hidden power-ups persuade you to explore the large maps as much as possible. Our only real criticism is its complete lack of multiplayer support.

22. Burning Rangers 

Developer: Sonic Team
Released: 1998

Sonic Team was fairly prolific on Saturn, delivering five games across a ⛄three-year period. Burning Rangers would be its swan song on the console and its most ambitious title to boot. The rangers in question are a group of futuristic firefighters. The game requires you to extinguish fires while rescuing civilians and retrieving crystals that are used to get the trapped civilians to safety.

With no in-game map, you’ll need to rely on voice instructions to fulfill your goals and it enhances the atmosphere no end. While not the prettiest looking of games – Sonic Team pushed the Saturn to near breaking point 🔯– its inventive level design and late release have now made it incredibly desirable and expensive.

21. Duke Nukem 3D

Developer: 3D Realms
Released: 1997

Despite disappointing Saturn conversions like Doom, Lobotomy Software had no problem making first-person shooters sing on Sega's 32-bitღ hardware thanks to its excellent SlaveDriver engine. While modern♌ sensibilities have greatly aged the game’s crassness and depiction of women, its core shooting mechanics remain as polished as the engine they were built upon.

We’d argue that the Saturn version is the best of the console offerings of the time thanks to numerous extras, in✅cluding an exclusive secret level called Urea 51 as well as the excellent mini-game Death Tank Zwei, which offers some of the best Saturn multiplayer shenanigans since Saturn Bomberman.

Explore this gem's legacy with our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Duke Nukem 3D: Megaton Edition review.

20. Tomb Raider

Developer: Core design
Released: 1996

While she had far greater success on Sony’s Pl♕ayStation, Lara Croft actually made her console debut on Sega’s Saturn. Although it feels a little clunky today, there’s no denying the sheer scope and vision of Core Design’s game.

The tombs you get to explore are cavernous in size and can be almost puzzle-like in their execution as you work out the best way to bypass their hazards or secure seemingly ෴out-of-reach items. Having a strong female character was another feather in the game’s overloaded cap, and Lara has become every bit as iconic a gaming character as Mario or Sonic.

Next, read our list of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best Tomb Raider games.

19. Shining Force 3

Developer: Camelot Software Planning
Released: 1997

Camelot had grand plans for its popular tactical RPG series on Saturn꧂ and released three standalone scenarios with overlapping storylines. Frustratingly, only the original scenario made it to the West (fortunately, fan translations exist for the 💟Japanese-only scenarios).

It looks rather dated nowadays due to its 3D visuals, but the core combat mechanics that have shaped the series since the Mega Drive remain perfectly defined, allowing you to manage a large number of classes, from agile centaurs to offensive magic users. While the story is e🐲njoyable and features a genuinely likable cast, it’s the exceptionally balanced combat scenarios (some of which take over an hour to co🍬mplete) that will hold your attention.

Want more? Read our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Shining Force EXA review.

18. DecAthlete (Athlete Kings)

Developer: Sega
Released: 1996

Playing like a steroid-injected version of Konami’s Track & Field, DecAthlete (Athlete Kings in Europe) is easily the best sports game on Sega’s console. It works so well thanks to its attractive, high-resolution visuals, a charming international cast of characters, and a 𝐆great selection of balanced events that range from the High Jump and Pole Vault to the Javelin Throw and the finger-sapping 1500 meters.

While its mechanics are about as deep as a puddle, its lively characters, fast-paced action, and wonderful presentation surpass its overall lack of complexity. If you fancy taking the actio🥂n to chillier climes,🌼 many of the cast return in the equally enjoyable Winter Heat.

17. Hyper Duel

Developer: Technosoft
Released: 1996

This Japanese exclusive commands a high price nowadays but remains one of the best blasters on Sega’s consol🐷e. With its distinctive-looking visuals, boisterously energetic soundtrack, and tight shooting mechanics, it’s easy to mistake it for part♕ of Technosoft’s Thunder Force series.

Still, those comparisons soon melt away once you realize your fighter can also transform into a giant robot and can pick up smaller spacecraft and mechs that act as remote satellites. Like many Saturn shooters, Hyper Duel offers a unique Saturn version as well as the original arcade game, Hyper ܫDuel’s is a particularly sound offering enhanced visuals and a new control setup, which greatly improves an already accomplished game.

Read our list of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best space games for more out-of-this-world recommendations.

16. X-Men Vs Street Fighter

Developer: Capcom
Released: 1997

Ironically, many Saturn owners never got to experience this astonishing crossover because it never got an official release in the West. It’s a shame because it’s a tremendous port of the arcade game and is near flawless thanks to using the Saturn’s 4MB RAM cartridge. It's also one of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best Marvel games ever made!

Notable for its gigantic sprites, flashy special moves, and fun tag-team system, X-Men Vs Street Fighter lets you create dream teams you never knew you needed in your life, like Chun-Li and Storm r🍎ipping through Juggernaut and🌌 Dhalsim, or Ken Masters and Ryu besting Wolverine and Sabretooth. Shockingly it’s never had a re-release, with Capcom choosing to focus on the more popular Marvel Vs Capcom series instead.

15. Saturn Bomberman

Developer: Hudson Soft
Released: 1996

The Bomberman series has always been a chaotic test of friendships, so imagine the carnage when 10 friends are thrown into a closed-off arena and given an unlimited supply of bombs. While we never got to experience its ten-player delights on release, visits to numerous retro events over thꦍe years have scratched that itch, and it’s every bit as frantic as you can imagine.

Customizable to high heaven, with cameos from other Hudson characters and a solid single-player mode, Saturn Bomberman remains the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best party game you can have on Sega’s console. And hopefully, you’ll all remain fr🍌iends afterward.

Check out our list of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best co-op games for more fun with friends.

14. Daytona USA

Developer: Sega
Released: 1994

There was a lot resting on Daytona when it launched with Sega’s console, and sadly, it couldn’t✨ quite live up to the high expectations. A rushed release meant that Sega’s port suffered from a severely reduced framerate and choppy animation꧑, meaning it didn’t look great next to Namco’s sensational PlayStation port of Ridge Racer.

However, the all-important gameplay and driving mechanics of the arcade original did make it over intact, making it easy to ignore its aesthetic faults. Interestingly, an updated version called Championship Circuit Edition was released in 1996🌱. Still, while it fixes graphical issues and adds more cars to drive, its handling is notably different from the arcade game.

Read our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Daytona USA review for more insights into this must-play title!

13. Baku Baku Animal

Developer: Sega
Released: 1996

Baku Baku roughly translates to "Chomp Chomp," and it’s an apt name for Sega’s colorful puzzle game. It’s a nigh-on perfect translation of Sega’s 1995 competitive arcade puzzle,r and it offers some of the best puzzling ౠaction you’ll find on Sega’s mach🌸ine.

While it features falling blocks like many similar games, the aim here is to link different foodstuffs together and then m♓atch the correct animal to eat them. The bigger the chain of food, the bigger the number of points you’ll score. Scoffed blocks get sent to your opponent's bin, ඣand it becomes a frantic race to ensure you’re not overcome with blocks before your competitor is.

12. Virtua Cop 2

Developer: Sega
Released: 1996

Both Virtua Cop games on Saturn offer thrilling sharpshooting𒆙 and on-rails action, but if we had to choose one we’d opt for Sega AM2’s 1996 sequel. It takes everything briꦛlliant about the original game and subtly tweaks it to deliver even more satisfying gunplay, as well as enhanced longevity thanks to the introduction of multiple routes through certain stages, which encourages additional play-throughs.

Mechanically there’s very little that’s different, but the core concept of Virtua Cop was so good it do🐈esn’t need it. Instead, the game simply focuses on offering waves and waves of relentless enemies and memorable boss battles that will have you blasting at the screen until your trigger finger hurts.

Ready to take aim? Check out our list of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best FPS games.

11. Galactic Attack

Developer: Tatio
Released: 1994

While the Saturn was drowning in great shooters in Japan, very few of them made it to the West. Taito’s Galactic Attack did make the transition, however, and it’s one of the purest shooters you can play on the console. Known by a variety of names, from Layer Storm to Gunlock, depending ཧon where you live, Galactic Attack works so well because of its excellent shooting mechanics, beautiful pixel art, and a lively sou𝔉ndtrack by Taito’s in-house band, Zuntata.

Like the equally amazing Soukyugurentai, which arrived two years later, a powerful lock-on laser is at the core of Galactic Attack’s succ🍒ess, and you’ll need to master it in order to down the game’s many imposing bosses.

10. PowerSlave (Exhumed)

Developer: Lobotomy Software
Released: 1996

While the Saturn was host to a large number of first-person shoꦇoters, none of them matched the sheer brilliance of Lobotomy’s Exhumed. Known as Power Slave in the States, Exhumed features the exhilarating gunplay you’ll find in similar FPS titles of the time but marries it to a unique setting (Egypt in the late 20th century) and a surprisingl🌊y in-depth story.

With a focus on gaining unique abilities that grant you a range of skills from walking on lava to being able to breath𝐆e underwater, Exhumed is as much a Metroidvania as it is an FPS, with your newly acquired skills opening up otherwise inaccessible areas that you previously couldn’t explore.

For more recommendations, read our list of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best Metroidvania games.

9. Street Fighter Alpha 3 (Street Fighter Zero 3)

Developer: Capcom
Released: 1999

We nearly put Street Fighter Alpha 2 here, it’s a more accessible game and far cheaper. But this is a list of the greatest Saturn gameඣs of all time, and no 2D fighter on the system matches Capcom’s sensational brawl꧑er. Amazingly, Capcom’s port arrived a year after the PlayStation release and even trailed the Dreamcast version.

Like other Capcom fighters, Street Fighter Alpha 3 (Street Fighter Zero 3 in the UK) leans heavily on the 4MB cart i🐼n order to pack in additional frames of animation and sprites, and it’s near arcade-perfect as a result. It also boasts six more fighters than the arcade original, an enhanced Dramatic Battle mode, and a Reverse Dramatic Battle mo🥃de, making it the definitive home version of Capcom’s game.

If you love this franchise, read our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Street Fighter Alpha 3 Max review next.

8. Panzer Dragoon 2 Zwei

Developer: Team Andromeda
Released: 1996

Sega’s spectacular sequel is a case of ജbigger, better, faster, more. Arriving a year after the 1995 original, Team Andromeda’s sequel doesn’t reinvent the series, but instead evolves it, much like the dragon at the heart of the game. Initially, your fledgling dragon is confined to the ground, but it eventually takes to the skies in later stages and continues to evolve as your grading improves.

Other new additions to the series include an immensely powerful Berserk Attack, which will decimate everything on-screen for a limited time, as well as branching routes✨ and even more spectacular boss fights. A remake is currently being pl☂anned by Forever Entertainment.

7. Virtua Fighter 2

Developer: Sega
Released: 1995

Yu Suzuki’s hit arcade sequel had an equally astonishing Saturn port, which remains one of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best fighting games♕ today. While it only introduces two new fighters: Shun Di and Lion Rafale, they’re each incredibly complex𓄧 characters to master thanks to their unique playing styles.

The returning nine fighters are equally unique, and it’s a testament to Yu Suzuki’s team that they could create such complex fighting mechanics using a simple 3-button configuration. Like its predecessor, Virtua Fighter 2 is as much a combat simulator as it is an arcade fighting game, with everything from the position of player stances to using momentum to hit foes harder having a stark impact on every battle. Unlike its predecessor, its high-resolu൲tion visuals and framer♔ate mean it’s aged far more gracefully.

6. Guardian Heroes

Developer: Treasure
Released: 1996

In a time when 2D sprite-based games and scrolling fighters were falling out of fashion, Treasure stuck two fingers up at convention and delivered one of the finest examples of the genre. Guardian Heroes is as much an RPG as it 👍is a boisterous brawler, o🅘ffering a rich story, plenty of likable characters, insidious villains, and multiple paths that inevitably lead to a number of different endings.

It’s all tied together by an incredibly robust combat engine and five unique characters that all play differently from each otheꦆr. While the Saturn original is now crushingly expensive in some regions, like Radiant Silvergun, an enhanced Xbox 360 version exists.

5. Radiant Silvergun

Developer: Treasure
Released: 1998

Treasure’s adaption of its acclaimed arcade game (which is also included) features numerous Satu♓rn tweaks, including a fleshed-out story, brand-new bosses, and a less convoluted weapon system (the arcade’s are confined to three buttons that mu🌊st be pressed in numerous configurations). What makes Radiant Silvergun so unique is that all your power-ups are actually available right from the off, meaning it becomes a puzzle to work out when to best use them for maximum effect.

Radiant Silvergun is also famed for its spectacular boss encounters (many of which can be routinely dismantled for maximum points), a triumphant score, and a 😼high price tag. It’s easily the best shooter on a console that’s brimm🌜ing with sensational shoot-’em-ups.

Read our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Radiant Silvergun review for more details.

4. Fighters Megamix

Developer: Sega
Released: 1996

Sega developed a number of excellent 3D fighters for its 32-bit console, but only Fighters Megamix lets you pit Dayton’s Hornet against Janet from Virtua Cop 2. Sega’s ambitious brawler has a combat system that’s as diverse as its character roster le🅰aning on both the nuanced mechanics of the Virtua Fighter series as well as the caged arenas and armor smashing from Fighting Vipers.

11 characters from each series are represented giving you a large number of fighting styles and techniques to master. 12 unlockable fighters are available too,💮 representing Sega franchises as broad as Sonic, Dynamite Dux, and Rent-A-Hero. In short, it’s the fighter that just keeps giving.

3. NiGHTS Into Dreams

Developer: Sonic Team
Released: 1996

While Sonic Team's Sonic output was lackluster𓂃 on Saturn, it did find time to cr🅘eate this wonderfully sublime score attack game. Although you can enjoy NiGHTS just fine with a standard Saturn pad, you won’t really unlock its potential until you control its titular character with Sega’s analog-based 3D Controller.

It allows you to pull off sensational acrobatic fea꧟ts that really accentuate Ni🌠GHTS’ distinctive approach to movement and ensures you have the best possible chance to create score-boosting combos or “links” and battle the game’s many exotic-looking bosses. It’s a truly mesmerizing game that’s enhanced by its joyous soundtrack and fantastic visuals. The holiday-themed Christmas NiGHTS demo is also worth seeking out.

Check out our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Nights into Dreams HD review next!

2. Panzer Dragoon Saga

Developer: Team Andromeda
Released: 1998

The final game in Team Andromeda’s Saturn trilogy went through a transformation that’s every bit as breathtaking as the high prices it now commands. Rather than simply sticking with the on-rails blasting format of the earlier two games, Team Andromeda unclipped its dragon’s wings and let the player not only explore gigantic open maps but also visit several v▨illages and ground locations as new hero Edge.

Combat has also been dramatically overhauled and mixes turn-base and real-time action to tremendous effect. Huge in scopeℱ – it spans an impressive 4 CDs – it’s become one of the Saturn’s benchmark games and deserves to be experienced by everyone. Here’s hoping that rumors of missing source code aren’t actually true, as we’d love to see Forever Entertainment take a stab at it.

1. Sega Rally Championship

Developer: Sega AM3
Released: 1995

Astonishing is perhaps the best way to sum up Sega’s conversion of its hit arcade game. While it’s certainly not arcade perfect – it lacks the force feedback and the rearview mirror and is visually downgraded in certain areas – it remains a stunningly accurate replication and nails 🧸every important aspect of the acclaimed game, from its excellent physics to its realistic handling.

Yes, it’s short on tracks (like many arcade racers of the time), but each and every one of them is so well designed that you’ll spend forever examining every last inch of mud and asphalt to create the best possible lap times. Each available car feels significantly different, too, and it’s even possible to tweak the Toyota Celica and Lancia Delta, which wasn’t an option in the arcade original. While many other racers threatened to dethrone Sega Rally, none of them succeeded. It’s not only the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best racing game o♈n Sega’s console, but easily the best in its library.

Look ahead with our guide on all the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:upcoming games heading our way next!

Just like many of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best PS1 Games, 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best PS2 Games, and 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best PS3 Games, the PSP is home to many memorable experiences from a host of beloved series, with many including their own unique handheld spin to make the most of the platform. And thanks to its beautiful screen and impressive tech specs, the PSP became a no brainer go-to for gamers who put quality and portability on equal footing. Of course, the Vita came along just after to take Sony's handheld offering to greater heights, which many of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best PS Vita Games showcased. 

But the PSP's stellar library contains plenty of innovative experiences. So, if you need a handheld break while we wait for all the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:upcoming PS5 games, come back in time with us and readℱ on below to find our pick of the 25 best PSP games.  

Best PSP games ever, ranked

25. Half-Minute Hero

Developer: Marvelous Entertainment
Released: 2009

Got a minute? How about half? Good, because that's all the time you get to save the whole ♊dang world. Developed by Marvelous Entertainment, Half-Minute Hero turns standard RPG conventions on their head by holding players to a 30-second time limit in which they must battle fiends and build up their powers in order to save the world. Luckily, that timer can be reset, and the fun comes in using each groundhog day scenario to push forward towards greater enemies, acquir💧e better gear, and become generally better at kicking ass in thirty seconds or less. Half-Minute Hero is a game that tries its damndest to defy categorization, but you won't have time to care what it is.

24. Killzone: Liberation

Developer: Guerrilla Games
Released: 2006

For a game that deals in death and destruction, Killzone: Liberation remains not only one of the most polished and prettiest games on the PSP, but it's arguably the best Killzone game ever made. Liberation swaps the FPS vantage point for a top-down isometric view that rewards fast trigger fingers as much as tactical thinking. The game is also tough, training players to think before they sh🍨oot and perfect their approach in every mission. 

Rather than a glut of weapons and upgrades with no perceivable benefits, a huge assortment of tech and skills will keep you constantly reconsidering what the best way to play is. With the addition of one of PSP's most robust ad-hoc multiplayer modes, Liberation is truly one of the PSP's killer apps. Check out our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Killzone: Liberation review for more details on this PSP must-play.

23. Jeanne d'Arc

Developer: Level-5
Released: 2006

Why Level-5 felt obliged to rewrite Joan of Arc's history instead of creating a French heroine of their own is beyond us. But no matter because this magical, demon-fighting version of the historical figure does a fine j🌠ob of leading one of the deepest and most creative tactical role-playing game on the system. 

Like Tactics Ogre and Final Fantasy Tactics, Jeanne D'Arc sees players taking on battles throughout an overworld map, collecting new team members, and leveling their teams along the way. Innovative choices like using skills stones over classes or setting time limits for each battle give Jeanne D'Arc a play style all its own, its presentation and swift-yet-complex battles do their part to hoist it into the history books as one of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best anime games ever made.

22. Secret Agent Clank

Developer: High Impact Games
Released: 2008

The name's XJ-0461. Clank XJ-0461. Remember it because if you're in the mood for a cool and efficient 🤡Ratchet and Clank spin-off, you can call Secret Agent Clank to handle the job. Clank pulls off this solo adventure with class, blending traditional Ratchet and Clank gameplay with a nice variety 🐠of 3D platforming diversions. 

You'll speed through vehicle levels, lord over Gadgebot objectives, play out Quark's exaggerated memories, and even blast away foes with Ratchet. With numerous gadgets and outlandish weapons at his disposal, and familiar friends to fill in the gaps, Clank's spin-off comes fully-loaded with the series' trademark creativity and polish. Honestly, it's a joy to play and easily one of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best adventure games on the PSP. 

21. Every Extend Extra

Developer: Q Entertainment
Released: 2006

Screensh🐽ots don't do Every Extend Extra justice, as it's easy to dismiss Q Entertainment's shoot-'em-up as a colorful mess. Spend time learning the ropes and wrapping your head (and eyes) around the explosive gameplay, however, and Every Extend Extra will leave you star-struck. The mission is straightforward: detonate a ship to set off chain reactions and keep doing so until each main boss is destroyed. 

It's learning how to detonate strategically and when to risk it all for power-ups that make each level a hybrid of twitch gaming and puzzle-solving. What's more, each stage features new enemies, backgrounds, and music composed by Tetsuya Mizuguchi (Rez, Lumines), making Every Extend Extra a game that always has something new coming up in its playlist. Read our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Every Extend Extra review for more details!

20. Ys Seven

Developer: Nihon Falcom
Released: 2009

Seven was indeed a lucky number for Nihon Falcom's action RPG franchise. Ys Seven represents an evolution of the series, evolving Ys' 2D sprites and environments into a full 3D adventure with new party members to discover, new systems to fine-tune, and fresh new ways in which to dispatch justice in Altago. You'd think a 30+ hour RPG would wear out its welcome on a portable system, but Ys Seven's satisfying combat, rich world, and fascinating storyline keeps the quest feeling lively and fresh. So yeah, if you are a collector of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best RPGs to play 🎐on a handheld, this PSP icon needs to be on your radar. 

19. Mega Man Powered Up

Developer: Capcom
Released: 2006

Mega Man Powered Up is not just a remake of one of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best NES games. It earns its place here by drawing from the series' humble beginnings and reimagining them with cutesy new graphics, two new levels, and modes of play that let you swap Mega Man for one of his robotic bosses. Think of it like The Muppet Babies if the Mupp෴et Babies were constantly blowing each other up to snatch their abilities from each other. If that weren't enough to kꦿeep old-school fans busy, it comes with a level editor and the ability to share player-created Mega Man stages with the world.

18. Ape Escape: On the Loose

Developer: Japan Studio
Released: 2005

Ape Escape: On the Loose is a pristine, thoughtful remake of the PS1 original with up🔜graded graphics and a smattering of new monkey-themed minigames. The translation isn't perfect, and the controls miss something without the second analog stick, but the game's mix of platforming challenges, gadgetry, and charm overshadows these few complaints. Ape wrangling is messy work, after all, but in the൩ end, it's worth it.

17. Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep

Developer: Square Enix
Released: 2010

Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep would have been easy to turn into a quick cash-in, a portable Kingdom Hearts to milk fans perpetually waiting for a proper sequel. Instead, Square made one of the most important games in the series, filling out the strange world's lore with the same level of care as other titles in the series, such as the epic Kingdom Hearts 2. Long before Kingdom Hearts 3 was annou❀nced for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, this was the closest thing everyone thought we would get to a third full game. 

Heroes Terra, Aqua, and Ventus make for a disorienting shift from Sora. Still, the game's Command Deck and D-Link combat mechanics help to keep the adventure moving with fast and surprisingly deep enemy encounters. It only takes a few visits to familiar Disney locales to ease back into the Kingdom Hearts vibe. If you want more Disney in your life or need something to play while you wait for 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Kingdom Hearts 4, read our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:King♒dom Hearts: Birth by Sleep review. 

16. Gran Turismo PSP

Developer: Polyphony Digital
Released: 2009

Gran Turismo PSP is a title that had no business looking and playing as good as it did on the PSP. In fact, it's probably one of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best racing games that the console has to offer. Polyphony Digital barely took its foot off the pedal when creating an exclusive GT experience for Sony's portable, and the result is a standalone title that purrs. No doubt, GT is great to look at, but it also packs a lot under 𒈔its hood. With over 800 cars, 35 tracks, and 60fps of raw racing performance, it makes up for its lack of a traditional career mode or some of the deeper customization you'll find elsewhere in the series. Plus, GT PSP's ad-hoc vehicle sharing and one-off multiplayer ๊races are a nice touch. 

15. Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy

Developer: Square Enix
Released: 2011

The first Dissidia Final Fantasy may have turned the fan service up, but this sequel cranks its love for FF to 11... er ... 012... um... it cranks it up to Duodecim. Designed as a prequel to the first Dissidia, Dissidia 012 mixes standard JRPG mechanics with flashy, high-octane, one-on-one fighting game mechanics. It also tweaks a few balance issues from the first game and brings nine new FF characters into the fold. This is explicitly an FF fan's delight, but there's plenty for newcomers to cling to in Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy, thanks to its theatrical antics. If you are after a new title to add to your collection of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best fighting games around, look no further. 

14. Persona 3 Portable

Developer: Atlus
Released: 2009

What's amazing about this PSP adaptation of the PS2's Persona 3 is how fresh and different it feels in the transition to handheld. In optimizing the overworld for quick-and-easy exploration and shifting the main character's perspective from male to female, the overall tone of the story is changed, giving even old fans something new to latch on to. Impactful tweaks like these make the PSP version of this JRPG worthy of attention, but its biggest strength is the unchanged dungeon crawling that's peerless in the RPG canon. The only thing that matches it is Persona 4 Golden on PS Vita. And with the remake Persona 3 Reload in 2024, the legacy of one of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best Persona games in history lives on. 

13. LocoRoco 2

Developer: Japan Studio
Released: 2008

LocoRoco 2 is impossible to hate. Go on, try. After just a few minutes with Japan Studio's painfully cute platform puzzler, you too will be singing along with the titular blobs and spending every extra second digging into their rich, colorful world. Everything that made LocoRoco an inn🌠ovative hit returns in this sequel, including the game's trademark tilt-a-world mechanic that takes a moment to learn and multiple playthroughs to master. 

And🅺 you'll want to become an expert at rolling, bumping, and𝓰 squishing LocoRocos through their environments, too, if you hope to collect all of the game's secrets and bonus missions. Don't let the Saturday morning cartoon vibe turn you off. LocoRoco 2 is as challenging as it is charming and as devious as it is cute.

12. Valkyria Chronicles 2

Developer: Sega
Released: 2010

There was fear this portable sequel to PS3's Valkyria Chronicles would rob the series of its breadth and depth, but Sega handles the transition like a champ. Valkyria Chronicles II picks up Avan Hardin's story without missing a step, setting you on a path through the Lanseal Royal Military Academy that will see you navigating conflicts both on and off the battlefield that feel just as complex and satisfying as before. After spending countless hours managing troops, customizing vehicles, and perfecting your strategy in the war for Gallia, it'll become 🎶clear that this handheld Valkyria Chronicles entry can hold its own.

11. Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions

Developer: Square Enix
Released: 2007

As an updated remake of Final Fantasy Tactics from the first PlayStation console, Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions extends the tactical role-playing goodness with new characters, jobs, and cutscenes which give even veterans of the original motivation to head back into the fray. If you don't get lost in the labyrinthine plot, you'll spend days tinkering with your army and perfecting your strategy in the field. As in the original, the game isn't kind to beginners; but those who spend time learning its inner workings will no doubt find themselves dedicated to the cause. For more on one of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best Final Fantasy games ever made, check out our Final Fantasy Tactics: The War🦄 of the Lions review. 

10. Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles

Developer: Konami
Released: 2007

For years, Dracula X: Rondo of Blood was considered a lost holy grail in the Castlevania series, trapped as a rare, Japan-only exclusive for the Turbo-Grafx 16 CD. Then came Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles, packaging not just this 2.5D remake of Rondo, but the original and an updated version of PlayStation 1's legendary Symphony of the Night. The whole package is a blood-stamped love letter to fans, loaded with weird characters and a shiny new Boss Mode. To this day, it remains one of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best horror games in the series.

9. Power Stone Collection

Developer: Capcom
Released: 2006

Forgetting the fact this compilation offers two of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best Dreamcast games in one (Power Stone and Power Stone 2), Power Stone made 3D multiplayer brawling cool lo🦩ng before those fancy PlayStation All-Stars came onto the scene. The game delivers a whole stack of playable combatants, all of whom ligꦰht up the arenas with slick, explosive action. 

The decision to bring the formerly Dreamcast-exclusive Power Stone series to Sony's PSP was an inspired choice, not just because the handheld was an ideal venue fཧor quick, pick-up-and-play arcade action, but because it demonstrated how the PSP could give lesser-known series a second chance. In many ways, the PSP is the D꧂reamcast of portables - a misunderstood venue for brilliant, off-beat game making.

8. Monster Hunter Freedom

Developer: Capcom
Released: 2005

Monster Hunter Freedom demands the best from you.💛 It requires cunning, patience, the ability to take a beating, and the willingness to return for more. For those willing to tackle its c🐽hallenge, however, it's also one of the most rewarding experiences on the PSP. Taking its lead from Monster Hunter G, Freedom is a massive monster-hunting game full of prey who will put your warrior through hell and back. 

You can try mashing your way through early-game bounties, but bigger enemies require experimentation and expert planning. That said, the genius of Monster Hunter Freedom is you'll want to keep trying, not just to reap the in-game rewards, but to soak in that rare sense of accomplishment you only get from looking genuinely tough foes in the face and living to tell the tale. This game made MonHun an international treasure, and is a great way to spend your time ahead of 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Monster Hunter Wilds. 

7. Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7

Developer: Square Enix
Released: 2007

Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 returns fans to one of the most iconic gaming realms in a way that feels right on a handheld platform. There's still plenty of opportunities to kick around with Zack and other FF7 familiars, but the short-burst missions do away with time-consuming RPG tropes and let you hack 💛away at the meaty adventure at your own pace. 

Even the slot-machine feature (memorably dubbed Digital Mind Wave) keeps the action humming and injects a sense of luck and surprise into every encounter. It may operate differently than what we were used to, but Crisis Core keeps the FF7 components intact while delivering a fresh spin on a classic tale. This was one of the first big projects by Hajime Tabata, who went on to direct the big series with Final Fantasy 15. If you read our ꦇ澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Crisis Core Final Fantasy 7 Reunion review, you can also see how it has brought the PSP༺ gem into the modern er🎀a. 

6. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories

Developer: Rockstar
Released: 2006

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories (VCS) isn't the first portable GTA spin-off, but it's the most polished of its kind in the PSP roster. A prequel to PS2's Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, VCS pushes the PSP in all the right places to bring the Grand Theft Auto world to life in ways that seem impossible for the technologically limited PSP. This was thanks in part to a new game engine, resulting in a cleaner, more visually arresting handheld Grand Theft Auto. Even in the post-GTA Online world, it stands as a technical and creative achievement. It's also worth noting that in the new GTA game, GTA 6, we'll be heading back to Vice City, so now's a great time to play thisဣ PSP gem. 

5. Patapon 3

Developer: Pyramid
Released: 2011

What you do in this bizarre, PSP-exclusive series is hard to describe without💖 using the word Patapon itself. It's a game that marches to the beat of its own drum, borrowing notes of the rhythm ✱game genre to compose a unique tune all its own. It's like Lemmings meets Elite Beat Agents. Or LocoRoco meets Donkey Konga. See? Hard. With Patapon 3, the developer Pyramid perfects its formula. 

Once again, the game challenges you to lead an army of Patapons to victory against the Seven Evil Archfiends by tapping out drum beats to control their actions. The controls are more intuitive, the visuals are more varied, and the multiplayer adds a whole new dimension to the Patapons' quest. It's a sequel that layers improvements on top of nearly every aspect of the game without missing a beat. Read our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Patapon 3 review if you want to know more about this must-play. 

4. Daxter

Developer: Ready at Dawn
Released: 2006

Daxter is the spin-off to the Jak & Daxter PS2 series you never realized was possible. Taking place at the beginning of Jak 2, Ready at Dawn's offbeat open-world platformer/shooter chronicles the adventures of wisecracking ocelot Daxter as he attempts to save his buddy Jak from the clutches of Baron Praxis. If you've never played a Jak & Daxter game b♓efore (shame on you), then that sentence might as well be gibberish to your ears, making this an experience catered to franchise fans above all else. 

Still, the visual and gameplay fidelity of Daxter on such a teensy, portable console was mega impressive at the time, and the title still holds up today as a big, premium ac🧜tion-adventure with a tonally consistent story deserving of the Jak & Daxter branding. There's action, drama, laughs, boss fights, LAN multiplayer, mini-ga෴mes, collectibles and much more to be enjoyed in Daxter, making it an absolute must-play for the PSP enthusiast. 

3. God of War: Ghost of Sparta

Developer: Ready at Dawn
Released: 2010

Ready at Dawn and SCE Santa Monica Studio captured Zeus' lightning in a bottle when they crammed the God of War series into Sony's handheld. God of War: Chains of Olympus was an impressive achievement, but Ghost of Sparta surpassed it with an adventure that is slick and gorgeous. Following Kratos' ༺search for his brother Deimos, Ghost of Sparta is essential for followers of the series canon. And while it doesn't rise to the same scale as its console siblings, it comes damn close wh🌳ile showing off a few new moves along the way. By the time you plumb the depths of Atlantis, swim the River of Lament, and tear a swath through the Domain of Death, you'll feel as if you've survived an authentic Greek myth.

2. Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker

Developer: Kojima Productions
Released: 2010

Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker captures the blockbuster feel of its console comrades in a way that make us wonder if Hideo Kojima secretly upgraded our PSPs. The insane plot, mounds of bonus content, and the obsessive army building later used in Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain keeps you rapt the entire 30-hour runtime. Yes, thirty. 

The action mixes classic Snake ass-kickery with deep squad management that sees you tweaking the ins and outs of Mother Base while train🔴ing Militaires Sans Frontieres for deployment in missions. Combined with the multiplayer co-ops and versus ops modes, these elements make Peace Walker feel like it's about to burst out of its UMD at any moment. But then, Snake is never one for staying within bounds to begin with.

1. Lumines: Puzzle Fusion

Developer: Q Entertainment
Released: 2004

Lumines is timeless and one of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best puzzle games you can play, period. Tetsuya Mizuguchi's psychedelic puzzler scratches our synesthesia itch by using light and sound in ways that make every round feel as fresh and exciting as the last even more than a decade after its release. Lumines turns block-matching into art, changing the landscape with every skin and evolving a well-worn concept into a trippy, tub-thumping, zen-like vacation for tꦯhe senses. It say🥂s a lot that a PSP launch title remains its crowning achievement, but it only takes a few rounds with this musical prodigy to understand why. While it's had sequels on PS3, PS Vita, even iOS and Android, the PSP original is still the best.

If you're passionate about retro gaming or just want to learn more about it, then you should check out 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Retro Gamer. Retro Gamer is the world's longest-running magazine dedicated to classic games, and you can find out more about it at at 

Be it legendary arcade ports of games like Crazy Taxi and Virtua Tennis, some of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best single-player games like Shenmue and Resident Evil – Code: Veronica, or experimental experiences such as Seaman, there's ton to explore here. So, if you can get your hands on a console now and prefer retro over the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:new games of today, this listᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚ of the best Sega Dreamcast games is a good guide to help you get starte💜d with a collection. 

Of course, some of the best Sega Dreamcast games aren't cheap these days. That might be because of how quickly the system faded from view – released in 1998, the Dreamcast was ultimately discontinued just two years later. So while the Dreamcast is 🅰often remembered as the console killed by the PlayStation 2, we prefer to remember it for what it was: a machine that was ahead of its time, something you'll see reflected in our pick of the best 25 Dreamcast games. 

For more definitive rankings of SEGA games throughout the years: 

| 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Best Sega Master System Games | 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Best Sega Genesis Games | 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Best Sega Game Gear Games | 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Best Sega Saturn Games |

25. Headhunter

Developer: Amuze
Released: 2001

There aren’t many options for stealth action on the Dreamcast, but Hea🃏dhunter scratches that itch nicely. You play as Jack Wade, a top-class bounty hunter who wakes up in hospital with an unfortunate case of amnesia.

Learning that his former boss iജn the Anti-Crime Network has been killed, he sets out to solve both mysteries. The game does a great job of showing what the Drea🧜mcast was capable of visually, and the award-winning soundtrack by Richard Jacques is just as impressive. Best of all, the plot has plenty of twists and turns that’ll keep you hooked to the very end.

24. Seaman

Developer: Vivarium
Released: 1999

The Dreamcast is renowned for hosting some bizarre and innovativꦰe games, and this virtual pet game designed by Yoot Saito is one of the strangest. Seaman requires you to raise a fish🍸 with a human face, by ensuring that its tank is kept clean and appropriately warm, and interacting with it – which includes using the Dreamcast microphone to talk to it.

Of cour🔯se, the Seaman isn’t particularly pleasant to look at, and it can be rather condescending and outright insulting to converse with, but that’s all part of the game’s very weird charm. Oh, and Leonard Nimoy’s the narrator, too.

23. Sega Bass Fishing

Developer: Sega
Released: 1999

Sega’s arcade teams seemed to be capable of making just about anything fun in the Dreamcast years, and Sega Bass Fishing – originally known as Get Bass in the arcades – is ample proof of that. Fa🐼r from the rather placid atmosphere of past fishing games, this game is all action.

You feel the pressure of being constantly against the clock, with your fisherman anxiously exhorting the fish to “bite it!” and rock music kicking in when it does, providing the perfe💎ct soundtrack as you fight to reel it in. It’s great however you play, but the fishing rod controller – yes, really – makes it 💃unmissable.

Read our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Sega Bass Fishing review for more details!

22. Space Channel 5

Developer: United Game Artists
Released: 1999

Tཧhe Morolians have invaded, and they’re forcing humans to dance! As intergalactic news reporter Ulala, it’s your job to match the Morolians move for move before zapping them and liberating their captives.

Space Channel 5 has 🦂a real '60s vibes to it, from the music to the retro-futurism of the various locations you’ll visit, and some memorable characters like Jaguar and Pudding. Plus, it’s always amazinꦯg to see a huge group of rescued people dancing along behind Ulala. It’s definitely a short but sweet game and one that’s unlikely to see any future ports because of the FMV-based backgrounds.

For more sci-fi fun, check out our list of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best space games.

21. Quake 3 Arena

Developer: id Software
Released: 2000

Sega chose to market Dreamca🌳st’s online gaming c🅠apability heavily, and at the time, there was no FPS that could surpass Quake 3 in that regard. The third game in the series stripped back the single-player component to a series of games against bots, concentrating on the frantic multiplayer matches the series had become known for.

The Dreamcast successfully delivered that experience to consol𝕴e players꧒, with the online play surpassing what could be done with split-screen at the time. It was even possible to play against PC players with the Dreamcast map pack installed. The game is back online today, too, thanks to dedicated fans.

Read our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Quake Arena Arcade review for more information.

20. ChuChu Rocket!

Developer: Sonic Team
Released: 1999

Sonic Team’s puzzle game looks simple, and it s꧃ounds so simple, too – get the mice into the rockets while avoiding all the hungry cats. Of course, it could never be that easy, and dozens of fiendish stages make this tricky in the single-player puzzle mode.

However, the game was designed to show off the Dreamcast’s online multiplayer capabilities. It becomes frantic wh🥂en four players are battling it out to get the most mice – expect sabotage as your mice are redirected and cats are pointed at your🦩 rockets. While fans have stepped in to provide servers, you can also play with four players locally.

19. NFL 2K2

Developer: Visual Concepts
Released: 2001

While EA never brought its Madden gam𓆏es to the Dreamcast, Visual Concepts turned in superb efforts that meant that they were never really missed. NFL 2K2 was the final game in the series to be released on the Dreamcast and offered all of the opti🌌ons you could want off the field, with an improved running game finally matching the series’ signature Maximum Passing mechanic.

The previous games always looked the part in action, and 2K2 was no different, and it boasted some insightful commentary, too. Best of all, the game offered online play, whic🐻h has now been revived by Dreamcast enthusiasts.

For more top picks, check out our list of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best spots games.

18. Samba de Amigo

Developer: Sonic Team
Released: 1999

Long before the likes of Guitar Hero and Rock Band flooded houses with plastic instruments, Sonic Team was bringing music game action to Dreamꦆcast owners with some rather pricey maracas. Like those later games, Samba de Amigo is still perfect for a party – the colorful on-screen action perfectly compliments the Latin sounds, and there’s a good amount of music to choose from.

In fact, if you pick up the Ver. 2000 version from Japan, there are plenty of extra songs too. Just be🐭 ♛prepared to spend some money if you want it, as it doesn’t come cheap these days.

Read our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Samba De Amigo Wii review, to know more about the history of this gem.

17. Dead or Alive 2

Developer: Tema Ninja
Released: 2000

If you want extreme action in your fighting games, Tecmo has you covered. Combatants get smashed🎐 through wiꦺndows, flung into exploding walls, and knocked off high ledges, and then get back up for more. Just when it looks like victory is assured, the fighter on the back foot catches a punch and turns it into a devastating throw.

Watching a good round of Deꦦad Or Alive 2 is like watching a crazy choreographed fight in a movie – but the real genius is that it’s very accessible, with few complex systems and counter moves that can be performed with the d-pad and one button.

16. Sonic Adventure

Developer: Sonic Team
Released: 1998

Sonic Team was on a mission to show what exactly the Dreamcast could do, and the result was a highly ambitious game with ideas to spare. Each of the game’s six characters experiences the stages in a different w𓆏ay, from Sonic’s standard platforming to Knuckles’ treasure hunting, E-102’s shootꦚing, and, of course, fishing with Big.

The blue blur’s first true 3D adventure undoubtedly has some technical rough edges, but if you can look beyond those, you’ll be rewarded ꦫwith stages that are far more elaborate and imaginative than in many🃏 later Sonic games.

Gotta go fast? Here's our ranking of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best Sonic games.

15.  Power Stone 2

Developer: Capcom
Released: 2000

What could be better than the chaotic brawls of Power Stone? Clearly, the chaotic four-player brawls of Po𝓡wer Stone 2. The second game features all the same chair-chucking, sword-slashing action of the original, but adds a couple of extra fighters per stage to the mix in order to really ramp up the carnage.

That would already make it an all-time classic multiplayer game, but Capco🎀m went a step further by creati🃏ng some crazy stages that incorporate platforming, chases, and even skydiving. If you’re looking for a party fighter and want an alternative to the Super Smash Bros series, this should be a top choice.

14. The House Of The Dead 2

Developer: Sega
Released: 1999

With the Dreamcast serving as the gateway for Sega’s arcade games ൩to enter your home, a great gun game was a necessity, and this zombie-infested sequel was just the ticket. It’s still one of the finest examples of the genre, thanks to꧃ the relentless pace of the undead assault.

Where the original game had suffered from a somewhat underwhelming Saturn conversion, this was an arcade-perfect port. Every detail of decomposition was right there to be seen, and the u𒁃nintentionally hilarious dialogue was reproduced beautifully. Just be aware that the American version of the game doesn’t support official Sega guns𝓰.

Read our The House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return review for more insights.

13. Resident Evil – Code: Veronica

Developer: Capcom
Released: 2000

Claire Redfield has been taken prisoner in the Umbrella Corporation facility on Rockfort Island, and you know what that means – 🐭another zombie outbreak. While the classic formula of puzzle-solving, limited ammunition, and tank controls is still firmly in place, the game has mutated with the power of a new console generation, with full 3D environments replacing the pre-rendered backdrops of old.

It’s also an important game in the story, which sees the return of both Claire’s brother Chris and the series arch-villain Alberඣt Wesker from the original game, and serves as the true follow-up to Resident Evil 2.

Check out our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Resident Evil Code: Veronica X HD review.

12. Metropolis Street Racer

Developer: Bizarre Creations
Released: 2000

Bizarre Creations had a bold goal for Metropolis Street Racer – the developer wanted to create the most authentic street racing experience ever, by digitally recreating parts of London, Sa🐷n Francisco and Tokyo from thousands of photographs. It achieved that, creating a great-looking game in the process, but the bigger deal was its approach to driving.

Driving well matters as much as driving fast – winning is important, but you lose Kudos for crashes and gain them for stylish drifting, meaning that “rival-assisted steering” is very much𝐆 discouraged. Many of the concepts that made the Project Gotham Racing series so special sta🌃rted right here.

11. Street Fighter 3: 3rd Strike

Developer: Capcom
Released: 1999

It’s easy to forget these days, but this game wasn’t always super popular – players were put off by its lack of familiar faces, and 2D was decidedly unfashionable at the time it was releasℱed. But Street Fighter 3: Third Strike has been reappraised over the years, no doubt in part due to the unforgettable “Evo Moment #37” video of Daigo Umehara’s stunning comeback aga🔯inst Justin Wong.

With time, we’ve grown to appreciate the exquisite animation that every character possesses and the mechanics like parries, and EX moves that help it stand out from its peers. That belated re♔cognition is thoroughly deserved.

Read our Street Fighter 3: 3rd Strike Online review if you want to check out this title for yourself.

10. Skies Of Arcadia

Developer: Overworks
Released: 2000

If you want a traditional 🌼Japanese RPG for your Dreamcast, this is the game for you. You follow the Blue Rogues, a band of air pirates led by Vyse, as they fight to prevent the Valuan Empire ꧙from taking over the world by reawakening the Silver Gigas, a powerful living weapon.

The plot is well told, particularly due to a strong localization job, and th🅠ere’s plenty to explore, so you’ll be occupied for a long tꦇime. Plus, you get to take part in the airship-to-airship combat, as well as fighting regular monsters – how cool is that?

9. Ikaruga

Developer: Treasure
Released: 2001

For years after the Dreamcast was discon🌱tinued, Japanese developers continued to use the system to release ports of their arcade shoot-’em-ups, and Ikaruga was the g🍬reatest of the bunch. Ikaruga was as much a puzzle game as it was a standard blaster, as it required you to flip between black and white polarity to dish out major damage to opposite-colored enemies and absorb attacks from the others.

Few Dreamcast games ca🌸n match Ikaruga visually, and the stirring soundtrack gives the game a truly epic feel. Ikaruga was hailed as an essential import at th🌸e time, and it’s just as enthralling two decades on.

Read our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Ikaruga - Xbox Live Arcade review next.

8. Rez

Developer: United Game Artists
Released: 2001

It’s fair to say that 20 years on, Rez still has an eye-catching look. Constructed to evoke images of ancient civilizations and pulsating to the beat of the music, 💯the game’s wireframe worlds have a timeless quality to them, which is probably why they still look great in the game’s various HD updates.

But there’s plenty of substance he♏re to back up the style, as Rez is an accomplished rail shooter that features not only memorable stages, but amazing boss battles – go and check out Area 4’s “running man” boss right now, if you don’t know what we mean.

Jump ahead and read our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Rez Infinite review for more on this series.

7. Jet Set Radio

Developer: Smilebit
Released: 2000

The idea of skate punks battling it out in a graffiti turf war is appealing on its own, but Jet Set Radio goes takes it and adds an unparalleled sense of style. The GGs, Jet Set Radio’s DJ Professor K, and the antagonistic police🌼 led by Captain Onishima are all represented in the cel-shaded style that the game would popularise, and everything is set to a♓ funky soundtrack anchored by Hideki Naganuma.

Even if you’re familiar with Jet Set Radio F𝓡uture, this is a very different experience, emphasizing arcade action with constant police persecution, time limits, and trickier graffiti mechanics.

Check out our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Jet Set Radio HD review.

6. Phantasy Star Online

Developer: Sonic Team
Released: 2001

Sonic Team’s online RPG was by far the most enjoyable way to rack up enormous call charges back in the days of dial-up internet. While the single-player offering was rather barren, gathering up a party of four to take on the wild creatures of Ragol was an absolutely unforgettable experience, whether you were adꦕventuring with friends or making new ones in the lobbies of Pioneer II.

We’ll never forget tryi💧ng to take down Dark Falz, or hunting for those impossibly elusive drops. T🐻hanks to the efforts of enterprising fans, it’s still possible to play the Dreamcast versions of Phantasy Star Online today.

5. Virtua Tennis

Developer: Sega
Released: 2000

The origin🐭al Virtua Tennis is a wonderfully accessible slice of summer sporting fun, and its sequel – Tennis 2K2, if you’re in North America – takes everything the original did and improves it. Besides superior presentation, the controls have been revamped to make slice shots easier to perform, and the World Tour mode has been beefed up with additional training mini-games and a character creation mode.

There are more real players too, with women like Venus and Serena Williams joining the roster for the first time, opening up the possibility of mixed 🧜doubles matches. It’s still one of Dreamcast's top sports games ever.

4. Marvel vs Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes

Developer: Capcom
Released: 2000

Capcom’s crossover fighting games had always been hyperactive affairs, full of big combos, aerial battles, and screen-filling super moves, but Marvel vs Capcom 2 took all that to another level. Players have an enormous roster of 56 characters to choose from, covering Street Fighter and Darkstalkers favorites to the likes of Mega Man and Jill🐭 Valentine, as well as the X-Men, the Avengers, and more.

The pace and intensity of the game’s three-on-three tag team battles are fun for any fighting game fan,♔ but it’s a legendary tournament game too, having been a staple of high-level competition for a whole decade.

Read our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Marvel vs Capcom 2 review for more details!

3. Crazy Taxi

Developer: Hitmaker
Released: 2000

Crazy Taxi represents Sega at the peak of i♍ts arcade powers – filled with bold colors, loud sounds, and copious amounts of carnage that enliven a concept that’s impossible to misunderstand. But there are hidden depths to how the vehicles handle, which will need to be mastered if you want really high scores.

It’s a game you play for a good time, not a lo꧟ng time, but the home console exclusive second city and the Crazy Box challenges add to the experience.

2. Shenmue

Developer: Sega
Released: 1999

Yu Suzuki had made his name as the creator of fast, exciting arcade games, so it was quite a departure for him to tackle an epic RPG. Shenmue’s scale and ambition were like nothing else, with a town that felt alive – the weather changed, people ha♏d their daily routines, and there were all manner of distractions from an orphaned kitten to capsule toys.

But what really stands out about the game is ho🥀w it stripped away RPG conventions – numbers and levels, random battles, and menu-driven coꦬmbat – to ensure that you were fully immersed in the world AM2 had created.

For recommendations, read our list of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best RPGs of all time.

1. Soulcalibur 

Developer: Project Soul
Released: 1999

Namco’s fighting game blew people⛄ away back in 1999, and rightly so. It actually looked considerably better than the original arcade game and was arguably the most visually impressive๊ game ever at that point in time.

But it wasn’t just a pretty face – the game built on the excellent weapon-based combat ღof Soul Blade, with more varied fighting arenas and the new eight-way run movement. It’s still great today, whether you’re playing with friends or alone, as the Mission Battle mode gives you plenty of specific conditions that make fights trickier and develop your skill as a player.

If you're passionate about retro gaming or just want to learn more about it, then you should check out 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Retro Gamer. Retro Gamer is the world's longest-running magazine dedicated to classic games, and you can find out more about it at at 

Given the sheer wealth of titles on offer, though, picking the abolute top-tier experiences is a challenge unto itself. Alongside first-party games like Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Super Mario 64, there were also some fantastic third-party titles that are just as synonymous with the humble N64. Where do you 🏅even begin? Well, right here.

If you're looking to take a walk down memory lane or try out some of the releases for yourself on the Switch's virtual console, our collection of the 25 best Nintendo 64 games is for you. And if you're looking to get even more nostalgic, you can check out our favorite experiences on the consoles that came before it, with our roundup of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best NES games and 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best SNES games that edified the generation. But for now, join us as we take you through our selection of🔯 the 25 best N64 ᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚgames to play or reminisce on in 2025.

For more definitive rankings of Nintendo games throughout the years:

|澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Best GameCube games | 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Best Wii games | 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Best Wii U games | 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Best Switch games | 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Best GBA games | 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Best DS games | 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Best 3DS games |

Best Nintendo 64 games

25. Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon

Developer: Konami
Released: 1997

Goemon games have a chec𒉰kered history when it comes to reaching the west, so we’re glad Konami made the effort with this one. Yes, it has clunky controls an🃏d an errant camera, but it’s also filled with zany charm, wearing its Japanese goofiness proudly on its sleeve.

Few games on the N64 allow you to transform into a mermai𒅌d, switch between multiple characters on the fly, use a camera to uncover hidden ghosts or trash villages as a giant rollerskating robot, but Konami’s game does all this and more. The 1998 sequel is equally bonkers but far trickier to find.

24. Excitebike 64

Developer: Left Field Productions
Released: 2000

Left Field Productions’ racer is a world aﷺway from the arcade cheerfulness of the NES original (which, coincidentally, is included as an u🍸nlockable extra). It’s an extremely challenging game with a maddeningly high difficulty level, but that just makes it all the more satisfying when you do finally master its almost sim-like controls.

The learning curve may be steep, but the results are many, thanks to a raft of extras, including a comprehensive track editor, a challenging stunt course, a 3D remake of the original game, and even a bizarre soccer mode. It's easily one of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best racing games you can play on this console.

23. Mario Party 2

Developer: Hudson Soft
Released: 1999

Mario’s second board game outing remains the best on the system thanks to some glorious looks, more interesting game boards, and a number of enjoyable modes beyond the core board game traversal. It’s the𓄧 many minig♈ames that always sell a Mario Party game, though, and there are very few duffers among the 60-odd featured in Mario Party 2.

Even the 21 games that return from the N64 original have been suitably spruced up and are far more fun to play as a result. Seriously, this is the Mario Party experience, and without it, we wouldn't have all the new Mario Party and 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:upcoming Switch games that we see today.

22. Pokemon Snap

Developer: HAL Laboratory
Released: 1999

The N64 received several Pokemon-based spin-offs, and this is one of the most charming. While there are only a small number of Pokemon to actually snap, the desire to constantly improve on your best photo is a powerful o🐲ne.

As a result, you’ll constantly return to the recognizable locations in order to coax Pikachu into the perfect pose or catch that missing behavior shot that eluded you the first time you visited. The on-rails nature of the game means there’s little chance to explore, but itꦯ’s offset by the sheer thrill of being surr𓆏ounded by seemingly living and breathing Pokémon.

21. Wave Race 64

Developer: Nintendo
Released: 1996

Nintendo EAD’s dynamic water-based racer remains one of the most satisfying experiences you can have on the system and one of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best sports games that it has to offer. Like many similar games of the time, it’s low on availabl🐻e tracks but excels because💛 of how well-designed they are.

What really elevates Wave Race 64 over its peers, however, is the dynamic water physics, which remains some of the best of the era and still impresses today. You not only feel every crest and bump of each wave but quickly learn how to🙈 use them to claw back every last second, which becomes critical to your success when tackling the later difficulty levels.

20. Fighters Destiny

Developer: Opus Corp.
Released: 1998

Nintendo’s console had a pretty rough deal when it came to one-on-one fighters, but it did receive this rather magnificent brawler from Opus Corp. Although the combatants themselves are inಞcredibly generic, they all boast varied fighting styles and take a good amount of time to master.

What really sets Fighters Destiny apart from other brawlers of the time is its clever points system, w🎃hich scores you on everything from ring outs to throws and knockdowns. This creates a lovely back-and-forth to each bout. A sequel does exist, bu🐻t in our opinion, the original offers a purer fighting experience.

19. Diddy Kong Racing

Developer: Rare
Released: 1997

Few studios would attempt to outmaneuver Mario Kart 64, but Rare’s racer proved a more than worthy alt⛎ernative to Mario’s slick karting shenanigans. Rather than simply stick to karting, Rare’s racer opened things up and allowed the game’s colorful characters to race across water and take to the skies as w𝓀ell as hard asphalt.

Although the core racing and track design aren’t as strong as Mario Kart 64’s, the adventurous single-player mode and challenging opponents make it far🀅 more enjoyable when you ꦰcan’t rustle up a few mates.

18. Sin & Punishment

Developer: Treasure
Released: 2000

Treasure’s final N64 release is a technical tour de force that pushes the console to its limits and bristles with creativity. In typical Treasure form, Sin & Puꦐnishment pushes against conventions and uses the analog stick for aiming, and requires you to move with the D-pad or C buttons.

It makes Treasure’s game tough to master but also extremely rewarding when it finally clicks. The plot’s not much to write home about, but it serves as a brilliant background for all the carnage and explosive excitꦅement that takes place on-screen. Only Starfox 64 betters it for sheer arcade thrills.

17. 1080º Snowboarding

Developer: Nintendo
Released: 1998

Snowboarding games were big business in the nineties, and the N64 had no shortage of them. 1080º left the biggest impression on us because it was so demandingℱ to play – partly be༒cause of the aggressive AI of your rival racers and partly due to how hard rotating that analog stick was on your poor thumb.

You felt every twist and rotation while playing Nintendo EAD’s game, and setting 😼high scores in its trick modes became almost as compulsive as the time trials in Ma🍰rio Kart.

16. Pokemon Puzzle League

Developer: Nintendo
Released: 2000

The N64 may not have received a traditional P𒉰okemon RPG, but it did get this outrageously good puzzle gem. Nintendo Software Technology fused the popularity of the Pokemon anime with the proven mechanics of Panel💞 De Pon and ended up mining puzzle gold.

Thematically, it’s a delight for Pokemon fans, but the numerous available gameplay modes, including a brand-new 3D option that uses a rotational cylinder, as well as challenging difficulty levels, ensure there’s more than enough here to keep traditional fans of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best puzzle games happy, too.

15. Blast Corps

Developer: Rare
Released: 1997

If you’re one of those jaded gamers, who are convinced t✃hat escort missions are tremendously tedious and eဣxceptionally unfair, try this wondrously destructive effort from Rare.

Blast Corps is essentially one big escort mission that allows you to run riot in eight different demolition vehicles that range from bulldozers to mecha-sized robots, and you’re required to do nothing more than trash everything that threatens to get in the way of your nuke-loaded carrier. While it’s simple in concept, Blast Corps’ cleverly constructed levels mean there’s always a good reason to return to them and at🐻tempt to beat your high score.

14. Conker's Bad Fur Day

Developer: Rare
Released: 2001

There’s a lovely kitchen-sink approach to Rare’s final N64 game that makes it quite unlike anything else the studio released for the console. While some of its cruder jokes and movie references have certainly dated it, it’s hard not to be impressed by the sheer amount of creativity and variety that accompanies the potty-mouthed squirrel as he attempts to meet up with his gi💝rlfriend, Berri.

Brimming with scatty (and sometimes scat-based) humor and brought to life by a terrific voice cast, Conker’s Bad Fur Day remains one of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best adventure games on Nintendo’s system.

13. Pilotwings 64

Developer: Nintendo
Released: 1996

Nintendo’s sequel uses the same structure as the SNES original but utilizes 3D space in a way the first Pilotwings could only dream of. Missions start off simple, but you’ll soon need to gain complete mastery of each available craft (hang-glider, gyrocopter, and ro🐼cket belt) in💞 order to have any hope of achieving gold medals in every challenge.

While the main game can be completed in very little time, that need to constantly perfect your score, along with the sheer relaxation that the B✱irdman bonus mode offers, will ensure that you’ll always return for one more go.

12. Perfect Dark

Developer: Rare
Released: 2000

Losing the James Bond license to Activision actually did Rare a favor as it allowed the developer to be far more ambitious with its GoldenEye follow-up. Perfect Dark is ef🦩fectively GoldenEye turned up to 11.

While it suffers from an overly cheesy sci-fi plot and pushes the console so much at times, you can almost hear it creaking. The core gunplay is every bit as good as you’d expect from the creative masterminds behind the N64’s best first-person shooter. We’d argue that the multiplayer is even better than GoldenEye’s, thanks to the inclusion of AI bots an⛄d ridiculously silly levelღs of customization.

11. F-Zero X

Developer: Nintendo
Released: 1998

The N64 is not short of arcade racers, but few of them can match the thrills offered by Nintendo’s ꦗblisteringly fast sequel. It might look simplistic, but those reduced polygons allow F-Zero X to run at a deliciously high frame rate, meaning you can simply focus oꦍn tearing around the exceptionally designed tracks.

It’s not just the track design that impresses, howeverꦰ, as the challenging AI ensures that the pounding of your heart from each close race is just as loud as the thunderously pulsating soundtrack.

10. Doom 64

Developer: Midway
Released: 1997

Even though Midway’s game scored highly on release, its simple mechanics and lack of multiplayer meant it was never spoken about in the same hushed 🔥tones as the likes of Goldeneye, Turok 2, and Perfect Dark. We’d argue that that simplicity actually works in its favor today as its polished mechanics, satisfying gunplay, and reasonably high frame rate haven’t dated it as much as some of its more notable peers.

The frenetic gunplay is bolstered by some exceptional map design and a truly eerie soundtrack by Aubrey Hodges, who worked similar dark magic on the PlayStation game two years earlier. Seriously, this is one of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best FPS games ever made.

9. International Superstar Soccer '98

Developer: Konami
Released: 1998

There are few sports games on the N64 that can compete with Konami’s excellent footy game. While the goalkeepers can feel a little cheap at times, the fast pace, dynamic action, and slick controls mean Konami’s game plays as well today as it did on re🍃lease.

While it’s rammed with a number of excellent game modes, including a grueling World League that comprises 48 international teams, it’s the excellent multiplayer that m♑akes this one ♓of the finest N64 sports games you can play with friends.

8. Banjo-Kazooie

Developer: Rare
Released: 1998

From the moment Banjo the bear taps on your TV screen and launches into a musical showdown with Mumbo Jumbo, it’s obvious that Rare’s platformer is going to be rather special. While collectibles would drown later Rare platformers, the balance here is virtually perfect as Banjo and his backpack-bas꧂ed partner, Kazooie🐟, collect Jiggies, Jingos, and musical notes as they attempt to rescue Banjo’s sister from the wicked witch Gruntilda.

Each level makes great use of the many new abilities the pair can unlock and also highlights Rare’s mastery of world-building on the console. It’s an excellent platformer that occasionally outdoes Super Mari🥃o 64.

7. Mario Kart 64

Developer: Nintendo
Released: 1996

The N64 excelled at four-player games, and few were as enjoyable as this one. While some have complained about its wider racetracks, the challenging opponent AI and imaginativeꦚ track design m🍸ore than make up for it.

Time trials were just as fun here as they were in the SNES original, and the ability to race against three other friends gave it a competitive edge that few other kart games of the eraཧ could match. The N64 had no shortage of great racing games, from Beetle Adventure Racing to𒈔 Ridge Racer 64, but Nintendo’s game leaves most of them on the starting line.

6. Super Smash Bros.

Developer: HAL Laboratory
Released: 1999

Few companies have married their many IPs to the success that Nintendo managed with Super Smash Bros. Nintendo’s boisterously fun brawler works on seve🉐ral levels, allowing you to wallow in nostalgia while finally settling the many arguments you would have had about the fighting capabilities of your favourite Nintendo characters at school (or i𒁃n our case, work).

Granted, Hal Laboratory’s game may not be the most finely balanced of battlers, but the same can be said for its sequels, too. Balanced or not, the chaotic battles are tremendous fun and helped build the foundations of one of Nintendo’s most successful franchises. It's also, in our opinion, one of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best Mario games on the console.

5. Paper Mario

Developer: Intelligent Systems
Released: 2000

Nintendo’s 64-bit console is starved of good RPGs, 🐲so it’s little wonder that this charming Mario adventure has become so coveted. Developed by Intelligent Systems, Paper Mario lays the groundwork for the later Paper Mario games – which we’d argue aren’t a patch on th🔯is one.

It also features the same sharp humor and solidly crafted combat mechanics that would become so prevalent in the Mario & Luigi franchise. The series’ flat 2D look also start🧸ed here and highlighted just how good 2D-styled games could look on Nintendo’s 3D-focused console𒁏.

4. Star Fox 64

Developer: Nintendo
Released: 1997

3DS remake aside, it’s rather tragic that Nintendo’s splendiferous sequel remains the best game in the series. A clear love letter to the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best Star Wars games and similar space operas, Star Fox 64 opens up the world of Fox McCloud and his anthropomor🥃phic teammates.

It introduced a handy neꦰw u-turn mechanic, a large number of alternative routes - which greatly elevates its lon💮gevity - as well as regular exciting skirmishes with Star Wolf: a group of mercenaries with orders to finish off Fox and his friends. It’s easily the most exciting shooter on the system and even manages to outgun Star Wars: Rogue Squadron.

3. GoldenEye 007

Developer: Rare
Released: 1997

Rare’s ambitious movie license opened the eyes of N64 owners worldwide and highlighted just how good a console first-person shooter could be. While its frame rate lurches about with all the finesse of a drunken hippo, there’s no denying how satisfying th🔴e combat mechanics still feel (enhanced admittedly by the smart auto-aiming), or how exceptional the level design is.

Rare’s decision to add additional tasks to complete on each difficulty level ensures plenty of longevity, while the multiplayer is the stuff of legends and is so expansive that we still regularly play it today. Just stay away from Oddjob, oౠꦿkay?

2. Super Mario 64

Developer: Nintendo
Released: 1996

Nintendo’s launch game set an incredible bar for platformers and 3D games in general🔥 on release, and its recent inclusion on Super Mario 3D All-Stars simply cements its reputation as a truly exceptional platformer. The beauty of Nintendo’s game isn’t just how well Mario’s core mechanics made the jump to 3D, but how much stuff there is to do in each carefully crafted world.

One minute, you’re racing a Koopa for a precious star; the next, you’re retrieving a lost penguin or seeking out eight red coins. It’s this constant variety that keeps Nintendo’s game fresh and exciting, and it’s rather telling that in the years that have followed, few non-Nintendo platformers have🎶 ever bettered it.

1. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Developer: Nintendo
Released: 1998

Few 3D adventure gam🌃es are as important as Ocarina Of Time. It might not have been the first 3D adventure game to market, but Nintendo’s game got so much right the first time and once again highlighted just how much mastery the Japanese developer had when it came to creating believable 3D worlds. Ocarina Of Time felt huge on release thanks to its gigantic game world and an epic story that spanned the Hyrule field, enchanted f⭕orests, quaint villages, and time itself.

Play it today (ideally, the 3DS remaster), and it still wows. The combat remains extremely satisfying thanks to the inclusion of the innovative Z-targeting system. It still boasts some of the most exquisitely designed dungeons in the franchise’s history, while its herculean boss encounters remain immensely thrilling. Ocarina of Time remains an absolute masterclass in game design and one of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best Zelda games in existence.

If you're passionate about retro gaming or just want to learn more about it, then you should check out 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Retro Gamer. Retro Gamer is the world's longest-running magazine dedicated to classic games, and you can find out more about it at at .