Yearly Archives: 2025

Arcade rallying seems to be making a comeback. Whilst titles like Old School Rally specifically aim for that 90’s vibe, Rally Arcade Classics aims for something slightly more modern. Netk2 Games are at the helm and what they’ve delivered is an addictive, compelling racer. It does initially seem light on […]

Rally Arcade Classics – PS5 Review

September 9, 2025 in PS5 / Reviews tagged drifting / group b / legally distinct hatchbacks / netk2games / point to point / racing / rally arcade classics / rallying / stages / time trial by Mike

9 Lives to Defend is the latest auto-shooting rogue-lite to hit PSN following its release on Steam over a year ago and it comes to us by way of solo developer Goldarait Games (Felipe Cecato). By now you’ll know the formula. You’re put in an arena, of sorts, and tasked with […]

9 Lives to Defend – PS5 Review

September 8, 2025 in PS5 tagged 9 lives to defend / auto-shooter / cats / rogue-lite / survivors by Richie

Overpowered 1 – Mars Infestation might be marketed as a ‘survival shooter’ and looks as though it’s the latest entry into PSN’s growing list of Vampire Survivors clones but this is actually a twin-stick shooter. You know, those things we used to get tons of before the auto-shooting rogue-likes took over the […]

Overpowered 1 – Mars Infestation

September 6, 2025 in PS5 by Richie

core.sys, rather than an critical Windows system file, is a nifty little puzzle game from dev nipobox and publisher eastasiasoft. Ostensibly you’re hacking a security system across sixty-four levels. The first few levels are more of an orientation than anything else, just to get you used to the basic movement. […]

core.sys – PS5 Review

August 29, 2025 in PS4 / PS5 / Reviews tagged core.sys / eastasiasoft / hacker / nipobox / puzzle by Ian

While classic retro gaming often focuses on shooting things or jumping on platforms, the act of avoiding rocks in tunnels was pretty popular in the 1980s. Namco’s classic Dig Dug is the obvious example, while us real ones might prefer Mr. Do but every single format back then had some sort of […]

BOULDER DASH 40th Anniversary – PS5 Review

August 29, 2025 in PS5 tagged boulder dash / dig dug / gravity / mr. do / retro by Richie

Arcade racers feel like an endangered species at times. Any that do release seem to come from indie developers. Cyber Clutch: Hot Import Nights is one such game. Coming from Gunpowder games, the neon-soaked, custom car racer tries to look the part but it lacks on-track excitement and variety. The […]

Cyber Clutch: Hot Import Nights – PS5 Review

August 17, 2025 in PS5 / Reviews tagged arcade racer / cyber clutch hot import nights / cyberpunk aesthetic / futuristic / gunpowder games / hatchbacks / online multiplayer / power ups / racing by Mike

From Polish developer Kautki Cave and publisher Untold Tales comes a game originally released on Switch in 2023, in this case Flame Keeper. There’s a rogue-lite element to the game too. You play as the titular flame keeper, in effect an ambulatory ember. In the game lore, they’re known as […]

Flame Keeper – PS5 Review

August 16, 2025 in PS5 / Reviews tagged burning down the house / firestarter / flame keeper / i am the god of hellfire / polska / switch port by Ian

Toaplan Arcade Collection Vol 1 is, as the name very much suggests, a compilation of games originally published by legendary developer Toaplan and it includes eight of their most beloved shoot ’em ups, ported over by Swedish studio Bitwave AB. Before we get into the eight shoot ’em ups offered here, […]

Toaplan Arcade Collection Vol 1 – PS5 Review

August 13, 2025 in PS5 tagged compilation / retro / taoplan / vertically-scrolling shoot em up by Richie

There’s still a sense of novelty are massive online player counts. Even with battle royal taking those numbers until triple figures, I wonder how any game of that size can play out. Holdfast: Nations At War takes the concept and lets the community run wild with it. On the face […]

Holdfast: Nations At War – PS5 Review

August 12, 2025 in PS5 / Reviews tagged anvil game studios / class warfare / cross-play / holdfast nations at war / mass player battles / napoleonic wars / proximity chat / role playing / the great war / trenches / world war i by Mike

Maiden Cops is a proper old-school scrolling beat ’em up and it comes to us from indie developers Pippin Games. And while this two-man studio are Brazilian, you’d be forgiven for thinking they were absolutely Japanese when playing this game. Set in Maiden City, a place where everyone is female and […]

Maiden Cops – PS5 Review

August 12, 2025 in PS5 tagged anime / Beat em up / japanese / maiden cops / retro by Richie

I’m not one to buy into soulslike fatigue. I think, as long as the execution is good, I will persevere with it. Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is an effort from Chinese developer Lenzee. It has it’s own twists on the blueprint with some solid level design. Unfortunately, it also frustrates me […]

Wuchang: Fallen Feathers – PS5 Review

August 8, 2025 in PS5 / Reviews tagged action rpg / chinese mythology / deliberate combat / exploration / lenzee / magic / manchurians / melee / soulslike / wuchang fallen feathers by Mike

God of Weapons developed by Hanoi-based dev Archmage Labs and published by Ultimate Games is an autoshooter set in a D&D style dungeon. Ostensibly you go up floors of a tower tackling waves of enemies as you go, though one murky dungeon is indistinguishable from another if we’re honest. It […]

God of Weapons – PS5 Review

August 4, 2025 in PS5 / Reviews tagged archmage labs / autoshooter / god of weapons / ultimate games / vietnam by Ian