HAMSTER releases Tecmo’s original Bomb Jack in Arcade Archives form on Switch!

Posted by Shaun Player on January 28, 2019
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It has been quite the ride these past few months with retro KOEI Tecmo titles making their way onto the Nintendo Switch. With a bunch of NES titles hitting the Nintendo Switch Online service, as well as stunningly good arcade ports by HAMSTER – You can check out our review for Arcade Archives: RYGAR here.

HAMSTER now alongside KOEI Tecmo have released the original Arcade version of Bomb Jack. You can read below the official description of the release:

‘BOMB JACK’ is an action game that was released by Tehkan (Koei Tecmo Games) in 1984. Players control ‘Jack’, a superhero who can leap and glide, to collect all bombs in game stages. By retrieving the ignited bombs first, you can earn bonus points and fill up your Power gauge.

The game is out now on Nintendo Switch as part of the Arcade Archives series with a price of £6.29/$7.99 and can expect the usual Arcade Archives treatment (such as different screen types, save states, difficulty changers and more).

Are you happy to see more KOEI Tecmo retro goodness? What do you want to see next? Let us know in those comments!

>> Check out the official Arcade Archives website now!

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Overwatch and Romance of the Three Kingdoms join hands in Blizzard’s upcoming Lunar New Year Event!

Posted by Shaun Player on January 23, 2019
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In some rather different news, Activision Blizzard’s critically acclaimed Overwatch title is hosting it’s 2019 Lunar New Year Event, and to celebrate the characters of the game are all receiving skins based on Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

For those of you who enjoy the shooter, or are just interested in seeing our favourite Three Kingdom characters getting more representation, then this event is for you!

The Lunar New Year event itself runs from January 24th until February 18th. During this time you will be able to earn these Three Kingdoms based skins (alongside last year event’s skins as well). You can see the currently revealed skins below, and they do look pretty spiffy sporting these looks:



(Click to enlarge)

As you can see, there is Hanzo cosplaying as Huang Zhong, Reaper cosplaying Lu Bu, Reinhardt cosplaying Guan Yu and Torbjorn cosplaying Zhang Fei. More skins will be revealed and available throughout the event.

What are your thoughts on Romance of the Three Kingdoms getting represented in Overwatch? Are you a player of the game? Let us know in those comments!

>> Follow the official Overwatch Twitter for more info now!
>> Join the discussion on our forum now!

Dead or Alive Xtreme 3 Scarlet get’s a new trailer showcasing new invites Misaki and Leifang!

Posted by Shaun Player on January 22, 2019
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Dead or Alive Xtreme 3 Scarlet is a new and improved version of the original game released back in 2016. Last week we announced that Leifang was added as the second new character, and now KOEI Tecmo Japan have released a new trailer for the game showing both her and Misaki – The first announced new character – kicking butt and having fun on New Zack Island.

You can see the trailer below:

Dead or Alive Xtreme 3 Scarlet releases March 20th for Playstation 4 and Nintendo Switch in Japan. With the Switch version getting a free-to-play edition later in the year. Still no news on a western release but the game should hopefully be very import friendly as it’s original was in 2016.

Are you glad to see these two characters in DOAX3? Who else do you want to see added? Let us know in those comments!

>> Check out our Dead or Alive Xtreme 3 game page now!
>> Join the discussion on our forum now!

Ninja Gaiden (NES) gets a “SP” edition on Nintendo’s Switch Online service!

Posted by Shaun Player on January 22, 2019
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This month Nintendo added more titles to their NES – Nintendo Switch Online service, including Blaster Master and Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (and Joy Mech Fight for you Japanese users). Though what we didn’t know until the day of release was they added two additional “SP” special editions of games – which has become standard to see at least one each month so far = with one being none other than the original Ninja Gaiden (the other being Ghosts’n Goblins).

You can read below the official description for the SP edition of Ninja Gaiden:

Ninja Gaiden – The thrilling climax!

Dragon Ninja versus the demon!

This special version of Ninja Gaiden starts you right before the climax of stage 6-4. With the memories of his father Ken Hayabusa and sworn friend Walter Smith to guide him, Ryu faces the final fight as a true Dragon Ninja. Fight the masked devil Jaquio, Guardia de Mieux, who has awoken from his 700-year slumber. An emotional finale awaits if you manage to defeat all three of the demon’s forms!

This version seems to be targeted towards those who just want to witness the finale of the game, to instantly challenge the antagonist or for those who are unable to tackle the challenge that is Ninja Gaiden. Controversies of why these exist aside, it is nice to see KOEI Tecmo retro titles continue to get focus in the public eye.

As always to play the NES – Nintendo Online Switch service games, you’ll need to have an active Nintendo Online Service subscription. KOEI Tecmo also have Tecmo Bowl, Mighty Bomb Jack and Solomon’s Key on the game list. We hope to see more additions in the upcoming months!

What are your thoughts on this Ninja Gaiden SP edition? What other retro KOEI Tecmo games would you like to see added to the service? Let us know in those comments!

>> Check out our Ninja Gaiden (NES) game page now!

Nelke & the Legendary Alchemists follows suit with getting a Season Pass!

Posted by Shaun Player on January 21, 2019
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Gust Corporated – the developers of the Atelier Series – have announced that their upcoming Nelke & the Legendary Alchemists title will be getting a Season Pass. Not only that they have also announced that first print runs of the game will have the Season Pass included for free. Keep in mind that this is currently only confirmed for the Japanese release.

But what does the Season Pass offer you might ask? A fair amount of content to make the ride just that much more enjoyable. You can see the full list below:

Pack #1: Gust 25th Anniversary Background Music Pack 1 (120 songs) – Planned to release 31st Jan in Japan.
-A background music pack that lets you change the in-game background music. It includes 120 songs from Ciel nosurge: Ushinawareta Hoshi he Sasagu Uta and Ar nosurge: Ode to an Unborn Star.

Pack #2: Gust 25th Anniversary Background Music Pack 2 (110 songs) – Planned to release 7th Feb in Japan.
-A background music pack that lets you change the in-game background music. It includes 110 songs from Nights of Azure, Nights of Azure 2: Bride of the New Moon, and Blue Reflection.

Pack #3: Gust-chan (Town resident) – Planned to release 14th Feb in Japan.
-Gust-chan becomes a resident of your town and will lend a hand in town-building. Gust-chan will also have her own dedicated events.

Pack #4: Atelier 20th Anniversary Celebration House (Special Building) – Planned to release 21st Feb in Japan.
-A familiar barrel-shaped house featuring Punipuni and the 20th anniversary logo.

Pack #5: Statue of the Alchemist of the Mysterious Book (Town Statue) – Planned to release 28th Feb in Japan.
-Sophie, who won the “Thank You for 20 Years of Atelier Character Poll,” in statue form.

The season pass and packs will also be release separately at a later date. We can only hope that a similar system will be launched alongside the western release of the game – as it seems Gust is really going out to celebrate the Atelier lineage with this.

Nelke & the Legendary Alchemists launches on 26th March (US) and 29th March (EU) for Playstation 4, Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam.

What are your thoughts on Nelke getting a Season Pass? Do you hope we get the same treatment in the West? Let us know in those comments!

>> Check out our Nelke & the Legendary Alchemists game page now!
>> Join the discussion on our forum now!

Playstation VR title Horror Sense: Daruma-san ga Koronda releases in Japan this month!

Posted by Shaun Player on January 17, 2019
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A while back we did an article covering KOEI Tecmo’s endeavours into the VR space with their VR Sense machines, including an assortment of KOEI Tecmo IPs getting spin-offs developed specifically for this function. For visitors and residents of Japan, you would find these VR Sense machines scattered around numerous Arcades, train stations and the like.

Now on of those titles known as Horror Sense: Daruma-san go Koronda is releasing through Playstation VR via the Playstation Store in Japan on January 25th. You’ll be able to purchase the game and get your freaky horror on that takes many inspirations from the Japanese children’s game of the same name (more info here), and using the same engine behind the most recent Project Zero / Fatal Frame title.

Explore two scenarios, where you will have to explore and find hidden notes to reveal the true lore behind the horrid spirit infesting the locale. The game itself consists of being stealthy around your environment, and if caught you have to play a version of “The Daruma Doll Fell Over” game we mentioned above to escape it. If you fail this you get an instant game over so be sure to be on your toes!

You can check the game in action via the VR Sense video below:

No word if this game will be making it’s way to the West, or any English support at all for that matter, however you can purchase it for 2,138 yen via the Japanese Playstation Store from any region.

What are your thoughts on VR Sense games getting official releases on the PSVR / PS4? What other of the VR Sense games would you like to see come next? Let us know in those comments!

>> Check out the VR Sense official site now!

Dead or Alive Xtreme 3 Scarlet invites Leifang to join the party!

Posted by Shaun Player on January 14, 2019
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Back when Dead or Alive Xtreme 3 Scarlet was first announced, KOEI Tecmo Japan teased that there would be two new characters coming to the game, with the first being Misaki from the free-to-play Venus Vacation. Now the second new character is confirmed and is veteran fighter Leifang, getting her tan on at the beaches of New Zack Island.

You can check her out in the trailer below:

Dead or Alive Xtreme 3 Scarlet will be releasing March 20th in Japan on Playstation 4 and Nintendo Switch. With both systems being region free and – still yet to be fully confirmed – the hopeful English support in the Asian release, you can import your own copy of the game. Though keep in mind the PS4 version will be censored while the Switch version will remain untouched.

Dead or Alive Xtreme 3 Scarlet will also be receiving a free-to-play version later in the year for Nintendo Switch.

Are you glad to see Leifang make a return to the series? Will you import the game in March? Let us know in those comments!

>> Check out our Dead or Alive Xtreme 3 game page now!
>> Join the discussion on our forum now!

The Dead or Alive 6 Playstation 4 Online Beta is now live!

Posted by Shaun Player on January 12, 2019
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For all you Playstation 4 players out there with an active Playstation Plus subscription, you can now access the PS4 Beta for Dead or Alive 6. The Beta is live from now until Monday 14th January, so be sure to give it a go if you want to get your tournament fighting on!

You can check the official press info below:

KOEI TECMO Europe and Team NINJA are excited to announce the official launch of the PlayStation®4 DEAD OR ALIVE 6 Online Beta Test. The Online Beta will be exclusive to PS PLUS subscribers through the PlayStation Store, and will be playable from the 11th January 2019 beginning at 15:00 GMT and run until the 14th January 2019 at 14:59 GMT.

The Beta will consist of Online Versus mode and will feature four iconic characters from DOA’s past, including Kasumi, Ayane, Hayate, and Hayabusa, as well as one of the most-anticipated newcomers to the roster, “The Uncrowned Street Hero” Diego. All fights will take place on the main stage of the DEAD OR ALIVE 6 tournament — the DOA COLOSSEUM – complete with exploding ring ropes.

There is a fair amount available to test out, and will be good for KOEI Tecmo to get the game tested for balancing and server capacity. There is no news if/when the Beta will arrive for XB1 or PC via Steam.

Dead or Alive 6 will be releasing 1st March for PS4, XB1 and PC via Steam.

Will you be checking out the Dead or Alive 6 Beta on PS4? Let us know in those comments!

>> Check out our Dead or Alive 6 game page now!
>> Join the discussion on our forum now!