I don’t need to tell you this, since the Venn diagram of Tiny readers and Retronauts listeners is probably one tiny Tiny circle inside another much larger circle, but what’s the point of having a website if I can’t use it to brag on my co-editor when he kills it on a podcast?
Sure, the latest Retronauts episode tackles the relatively morose topic of things to get on Wii U and 3DS eShops before they die, but it’s a really delightful listen, as Eric, Jeremy Parish, and Chris Kohler drop important recommendations and personal memories of these dying consoles.
If you like it, be sure to let Jeremy know you did, and perhaps that you’d like to hear more from us on the podcast!
Gotta Protectors is back and a little weirder on Switch ⊟
Pretty excited to play the next iteration of Ancient (and Yuzo Koshiro’s) Gotta Protectors, the Famicom tribute game that’s also a legit action-tower-defense-that’s-still-cool-if-you-don’t-like-tower-defense!
This time, in addition to rad music, meta humor and wild musou-esque combat, there’s… a castle on a train? Collectible NES parody cartridges? This looks like it ramps up the distinctive frantic silly Gotta Protectors-ness in just the right way.
I’ve been obsessive about retro compilations on Switch recently. I want to gobble them all up. Even so, I’m unconvinced about Taito Milestones, the collection of 10 mostly ancient, mostly historically interesting arcade games.
Without knowing a price, I’m not sure how into Alpine Ski or Wild Warriors I’ll be, or how willing I am to try a different version of the Bubble Bobble precursor Chack'n Pop (I have the Famicom cartridge). But The Ninja Warriors is cool, and Qix is always fun. Also, I want everyone to keep making these collections.
No longer will you have to keep your PAC-PASSION repressed. There’s a place for people like us, and it’s the Pac-Man Museum+. I may sound like I’m joking, but anything that includes Pac-Man Battle Royale, one of my all-time favorite games, stokes the flame of my PAC-PASSION.
Though it seems weird to do a furniture collection and room layout minigame while still playing Animal Crossing daily, I also really, really want to design my own arcade in this thing.
I’ll be picking up the Switch version on the May 27 release date, but if I had an Xbox I could get it on Game Pass that same day. What a dang deal!
When Moto Roader originally came out on Turbografx-16, it totally failed to get my attention, my brain just filing it away in the “sports games I’m not interested in” category next to Takin’ it to the Hoop.
But now, with the benefit of time, I know that any TG16/PC Engine game I get to discover for the first time is precious and wonderful. And so I’m pretty stoked about Moto Roader MC, the formerly Japan-only, PC Engine CD-only sequel, which I just played on my dang Nintendo Switch.
It’s a top-down single screen racer, sort of like a Super Off-Road deal, with weapons and increasingly weird gimmicky tracks. My favorite feature allows you to toggle between control schemes at any time. I can never play these top-down racing games because my brain doesn’t understand whether to push left and right to turn or to push the direction I want the car to go on the screen. With this game, I can do whichever makes sense to me at the time.
There’s also a rewind feature, visual options, and the other nice modern stuff. In all, this seems like a weirdly small game to give such a treatment… and that’s cool.
Is there anyone else out there who would make an original song and animation for a port of a Super Famicom Kunio game? In fact, River City Girls Zero also includes a whole new soundtrack by Megan McDuffee and DEMONDICE.
I’m trying to imagine anyone who would treat a niche retro port like this so seriously and so lovingly. I mean, I would, if I had the resources, and/or the talent.
Attention me and all me-like people: Valis collection on Switch today ⊟
I am precisely the kind of person who has been waiting for ports of the Valis games to Switch, and the kind of person who missed both the Japanese release and the announcement of Limited Run’s physical version.
I can’t be the only person out there with both a) a lifelong fascination with these PC Engine games and their now-vintage color-rich anime aesthetic, and b) a lot of things going on that make it hard to keep up with all eShop news despite c) kind of sort of having “niche eShop news” as their whole deal.
That’s Food Delivery Battle, from “VTuber and streamer friendly” developer STPWorks. What that entails for this game is that you can use 3D models from VRoidHub and therefore BE your VTuber character in game… in the PC version.
I don’t see that functionality here in the Switch version, but that’s fine because what I do see is a $4 competitive anime bike food delivery game, with weapons.
This is an Animal Revolt Battle Simulator blog now ⊟
This is a really interesting eShop release week in a lot of ways; Banjo-Kazooie is on Nintendo Switch Online’s Expansion Pack; Windjammers 2 is out!; SNK vs. Capcom Card Fighters’ Clash; To Be or Not to Be, the Hamlet interactive fiction from Ryan North; … Baby Storm…
Those are all very worthwhile things that I couldn’t possibly think about for one second because I saw this video for Animal Revolt Battle Simulator, the game where you build, customize, and add weapons to a variety of animals real and mythical, alive or extinct, and make ‘em fight.
Create your own custom monsters by combining different body parts and weapons.
Enjoy ultimate flexibility! Attach as many body parts and weapons as you want, anywhere you want!
Something this weirdly freeform is almost certainly not perfect, and in fact this game is in Early Access on Steam, and I’m not sure how that works for the Switch version, but once again, I don’t care. Just thinking about this is better than pretty much anything I’ve played year to date.
JOIN CLUB TINY AND OUR DISCORD WHERE WE TALK ABOUT ANIMAL REVOLT BATTLE SIMULATOR ONLY AS OF RIGHT NOWSupport Tiny Cartridge!
Taito Egret II mini cabinet is a) blue, b) gorgeous, and c) available for preorder ⊟
Depending on how much Doh you want to put in, you can get one of threedifferentbundles, plus extra pad, joystick, and $140 trackball/paddle controllers (the last of which including an SD card with 10 additional games on it). Basically everything in every bundle is amazing, from mini instruction cards to display on the top of the unit, to Zuntata soundtrack CDs, to a cup and tableside cupholder with the Taito Station arcade logo. I love every single bit of it.
It dooooooooes start at $229.99 plus shipping though. Plus that trackball. Taito/ININ will sell 5,000 units of this limited blue version worldwide (including this here western release). For what it’s worth, a non-blue, non-extras-havin’ Japanese release is about $150 plus shipping right now.
I’m torn between my need to feed and clothe my family and a really accurate way to play Arkanoid. Like, both are good.
Am I emotionally, spiritually, physically ready for a Kirby 3D platformer? ⊟
I don’t know! I have until March 25 to find out. In the meantime, we can all enjoy this trailer showing off the co-op play and new copy abilities.
We can also enjoy the excellent Kirby 30th anniversary wallpaper, including the more verbose Japanese version which I enjoy quite a bit, and have included here:
For some reason, I get a faint Sonic Adventure vibe from this 2D-3D transition? I don’t think it’s going to play anything like Sonic Adventure. Maybe it’s the music?
I love a fictional handheld, and this series of three “Game Buddy” games is extra cool. Not just because they appear to be excellently accurate pastiches of early Game Boy games, playable on Switch. And not just because WOW is Oumuamua a really inspired theme for an Arkanoid-alike.
The coolest thing for me is that all of these were created using Pixel Game Maker MV, which I guess is pretty capable software!
