Portable Gaming Roundup

New Evercade carts bring James Pond, The Last Ninja and IK series our way

2026-09-26T17:10:00.780+01:00

Evercade continues to dig up the British classics, with 8-bit and 16-bit legends on the way in the latest post-summer reveal.

The James Pond Collection (console cart 54) features four 16-bit platforming classics (including Underwater Agent, RoboCod, and StarFI5H).

While the The Last Ninja & International Karate (IK) Collection (computer cart 12): brings a hefty 14-game across the two series, spanning Commodore 64, Spectrum, Atari ST and more with those legendary soundtracks and immense gameplay

Both cartridges land on December 4, 2026, priced £24.99 each with pre-orders having opened on September 24. More to go on the release list that's fleshing out nicely for 2026.

Muramasa Revenant Blade polishes up the Vita hit

2026-09-21T21:24:56.175+01:00

Just when you think there's no more Vita games to remaster, along comes Marvelous with an update to Murasasa Rebirth, now billed as Revenant Blade. With upscaled to 4K hand-crafted visuals, a new English voiceover and all the DLC plus new modes and gameplay, it should be a teriffic experience on PS5 and Switch 2.

With an extensive six storylines from the Vita version, that's a lot of adventuring on any screen from one of the best looking games of recent generations.

The growing gap between devs/pubs and gaming reality

2026-09-04T22:09:58.279+01:00

Achieving the Platinum trophy for Returnal has given me pause to think how gaming (or gamers) have changed, while game development and production has not.

For a relatively narrow-focused title, driven by repetition and gentle evolution, ignoring the luscious world, busy effects and the cunning game design, it took me 380 hours of play over four years to find the last bit of cipher. A feat I'm proud of, but one that creates more questions beyond the sense of satisfaction.

I don't chase Platinum trophies casually, my last few have been Returnal, No Man's Sky and Skyrim. Each title has been enjoyed over a few years, in-and-around real life, over which time I figured they merited completion.

Yet, most developers still build their game as if we're all going to race through it in the few days or weeks after launch, never considering we'll forget the plot, the next mission, or sometimes, even rarer control systems, mechanics or tricks.

As we peek around the corner at the PS6 era, hopefully, OS-level guides will paper over these cracks, but across gaming, developers need to look at the longer-term future of their games, considering:

Open-source multiplayer and modding capabilities that will take over the game when the developers have gone bust or moved onto other projects.
Incrementally friendly sign-posting for players that are getting lost (either geographically or contextually) within the world.
Ways to overcome gameplay blocks or dead-ends when players get stuck in one place or battle.
Extending rewards, be it trophies, procedural missions or other goodies for people who fall in love with a game and don't want it to end.

I know these wishes add complexity and cost, and require flexibility in APIs and service agreements, but if games are to live longer, can players at least be treated with a greater degree of respect and partnership.

Doom Collection revs up its chainsaw for an Evercade release

2026-08-06T19:22:33.671+01:00

Teased back in February, the Blaze team behind the Evercade range is going all out for The DOOM Collection Cartridges, arriving October, pre-orders live now.

(Update Doom Nexus handheld bundle sold out)

Not only does the cart feature the original game, plus Doom II packing in extra levels including TNT: Evilution, The Plutonia Experiment, Master Levels No Rest for the Living, SIGIL, and SIGIL II.

There's also the Doom: Deathmatch Pack, featuring maps specifically for multiplayer, along with a stack of Evercade-exclusive gameplay modifiers, violence settings, and multiplayer modes.

Game Modifiers include Turbo Monsters, Double Monsters, Vampire Mode, Explosive Deaths, Revenge Barrels, No Monsters mode, and many more. New violence settings allow players to increase blood effects or unleash devastating Shotgun Close Encounters and Chainsaw Massacre modes for even more over-the-top carnage.

If you want the full gib version, go all-in and grab the Limited Edition Evercade Nexus Doom Edition exclusively from Funstock. Pre-orders for the model, limited to 3,000 units, with extras go live on Friday for £199.99.

Retroid Pocket Nova delivers positive retro vibes

2026-07-28T14:54:39.263+01:00

I haven't bothered much with the Android retro pocket scene recently, but the Retroid Pocket Nova has caught my interest. As a reasonably priced (from $229-ish) unit capable of playing PS2 and GameCube titles and down the retro line, it is getting a lot of interest.

Available in a smart range of designs from Nintendo themed to Crystal (above) and Watermelon (below), whatever choice packs in a Qualcomm QCS8550 package featuring WiFi 7 and Kryo 7 CPU and Adreno GPU. Storage is 8GB or 12GB with 128 on SD with options including a dock and dual-screen add-on.

Powered by OS: Android 13, the unit crams in a 4.5-inch, AMOLED screen running at 120Hz, with a 5000mAh battery and active-cooling to keep things running smoothly. On the top we have 3D hall sticks and analog L2/R2 buttons.

Note that silicon prices could be shooting up again in the near future, so expect prices of everything to rise soon. I reckon the Pocket Nova is a bit of bargain, and as I squint at my Miyoo Mini screen, the display alone makes this a powerful upgrade, while not going overboard on size.

Choppa: Rescue Rivals airlifts in Saturday TV arcade fun

2026-07-28T13:22:43.968+01:00

The tight control and manoeuvrability of a helicopter has produced some classic games over the years from Airwolf to the Desert Strike family, and now Choppa: Rescue Rivals delivers some retro fun in as a mix of HERO and Battle Chopper.

Some seven years in development, with a manga-tinged art style, and delivering Saturday morning cartoon capers, Choppa: Rescue Rivals from Finland's Parta Games arrives in August for the Switch and Steam.

Using the environment and a range of Wacky Racers style tools, the pilot needs to rescue other craft and people in various predicaments, ahead of rival crews trying to steal your (blue) thunder.

According to the blurb, "Step into the cockpit with Rick, a legendary rescue chopper pilot coaxed out of retirement for one last, crucial mission on a disaster-ravaged oil rig. With his rescue pilot license freshly reinstated, Rick is thrust into an unexpected scuffle with Burdock, his former wingman turned adversary, uncovering a sinister plot led by the malevolent A.C.R corporation. As the stakes soar higher, Rick and his comrades from the Thunderbolt Rescue Foundation must outwit and outmanoeuvre their foes to thwart Burdock's dark ambitions."

PSP Emulator Adrenaline v8 pumps up the features

2026-07-27T17:14:08.881+01:00

The retro and emulator world never ceases to amaze, I've seen more news about the C64 in the past week than almost any other system. And coders keep improve the PlayStation Portable emulator ecosystem with a new Adrenaline for Vita owners.

Version 8 packs in huge numbers of tweaks and settings, that you can check out in the update log. But the highlights are 2x scaling filters, choice of custom firmware, overlay filters for PS1 titles, updated drivers for performance and the Epinephrine CFW with a host of compatibility fixes.

Take a look at Zealous Chuck's walkthrough below...

Xbox Comes to the Vita via Cloud Gaming

2026-07-27T12:52:34.921+01:00

Browse Twitter or YouTube and the Vita is suddenly in the news again, thanks to a homebrew app that provides access to Xbox cloud streaming games. Yep, team blue and team green running on the same box thanks to the power of the cloud.

Update: There's also a mod for hacked Switch owners, Green-Nx, bringing Xbox cloud gaming to Nintendo's portable play thing.

As Spawn Wave puts it, the Vita should not be doing this in 2026! I've added their video below as it provides a high quality guide to installing for new homebrewers, and some cool demos in action.

Remember this is streaming, and the Vita's ancient WiFi stack can go wobbly even with a PS4 in the same room, so your streaming mileage may vary with Microsoft's servers (and you need that Game Pass account to access the titles).

That said, the chance to play the original Halo and many other titles on the go with the minimum of fuss is a great addition to the Vita's legendary roster.

Imagine if MS caved in and added an official streaming app for the PlayStation Portal rather than relying on those £600(ish-TBC) streaming portables like the upcoming Lenovo C700? After all portable gaming was all about lower-cost fun compared to full-fat consoles portable monsters like the Xbox Ally and other devices.

Activision Super Pocket dashes in with a swoosh of retro colour

2026-07-07T16:06:18.736+01:00

I didn't think the Super Pocket range could top my sublime Neo Geo Edition, but in its primary way the newly revealed Activision model is just as impressive.

Packing in 34 Atari VCS-era games, featuring the likes of River Raid I and II, Pitfall! and Pitfall II: Lost Caverns, H.E.R.O and many more from the early days of console gaming it provides a highlights reel through the three available Activision Evercade cartridges, and at only £59.99 ($/€69.99) is still a bargain and an attractive extra if you own those carts or want to get into the Evercade world.

Arriving September, it can take any other Evercade cart, and pre-orders are live now. Along with the Spectrum and C64 clamshell models also coming soon, it provides a great journey into the origins of gaming for all players.

PlayStation Vita and PS3 stores finally closing for good

2026-07-01T13:27:42.130+01:00

Nothing lasts forever (in the cold July-ember Rain), but the Vita has had a good run and dodged shutdown by PlayStation a couple of times. But I guess this is the final countdown to extinction, with July 2027 the cut off date for new purchases on European and most markets.

By the end, Vita's store (what’s left of it - mostly a broken mess) will have clocked-up 15 years of live, introducing my to the likes of Bitmap Bureau, Flying Oak Games, Mike Bithell, and many more through a forest of great indies when the AAA activity died down. It has been amazing, and driven a great community of friends.

Then came the raft of fun physical releases that spawned the likes of Limited Run and many more, so - all things considered - gaming has a lot to thank the Vita for. I've still got my PS3 too with a mighty digital library to play, plus physical-only Ridge Racer on disc and a few others.

Consigned to Digital History

We'll still be able to download owned games. And while we've been here before, I doubt Sony will backtrack again. Talking of, Sony also has some news on new disc games, but that is currently borked, presumably as PS5 winds down, and when the PS6 arrives, games will go digital only.

A new post by Sony says,

"After nearly two decades of supporting the PS3 console generation, we wanted to let you know we will be closing the PlayStation Store on PS3, as well as on PS Vita. PlayStation Store on PS3 will close in select markets starting this year, followed by global closures for PS3 and PS Vita next year. That means new content purchases will no longer be possible once the PlayStation Store closes on these devices. To ease the transition, players will still be able to download previously purchased content after the closing date for the foreseeable future.

As the PlayStation Store continues to evolve to support modern commerce systems, including updated payment processing standards, PS3 and PS Vita are no longer able to support these updates at the level required.

Sony burbles on, "As we continue to expand the PlayStation experience on newer devices that most of our users are playing on today, we need to focus more resources on delivering the best gaming experiences on these platforms as we look ahead towards the future.

To our amazing players, we want to give our heartfelt thanks for your ongoing passion and support, which has helped inspire us to shape PlayStation into what it is today. We are excited for the future ahead as we continue to push the boundaries of play. We look forward to having you on this journey with us as we explore new game worlds and new adventures that have yet to come."

Evercade adds 2 Visco carts to the arcade roster

2026-06-30T10:16:08.443+01:00

Where will Evercade go next? Is a regular question among us owners and fans, especially after the recent Activision and Neo Geo love in. And Blaze has pulled another left-field blinder, announcing Japan's Visco Arcade 1 and Arcade 2 collections. Arriving at the end of August, they bring together 16 arcade titles from the catalogue of the 90's Japanese developer.

Check out the updated release list for the full schedule.

Spanning shoot 'em ups, rally racing, fighting games, sports titles, and arcade curios, that also hit Neo Geo, there are some semi-familiar sounding names, but nothing that leaps out, making this a proper adventure for me, and I'm guessing many others.

For those new to Evercade or tempted to leap in, each cartridge includes the usual full-colour manual featuring game information, controls, and historical details, helping players discover the stories behind these arcade classics.

They are compatible with the full Evercade ecosystem, meaning you can play these on Super Pocket consoles, Evercade Alphas and everything in between with the same cartridge and access to your saved games.

Both cartridges will be part of the purple-coloured arcade game line. Visco Arcade 1 and Visco Arcade 2 will each be available for £19.99, $29.99, and €24.99, releasing on August 28th, 2026. Titles include:

Visco Arcade 1:

ASHURA BLASTER.
ASUKA & ASUKA
DRIFT OUT
EARTH JOKER: U.N. DEFENSE FORCE
GALMEDES
MAZE OF FLOTT
ANDRO DUNOS
GOAL! GOAL! GOAL!

Visco Arcade 2:

DRIFT OUT '94: THE HARD ORDER
BANG² BUSTERS
BANG BEAD
BATTLE FLIP SHOT
BREAKER'S
CAPTAIN TOMADAY
GANRYU
NEO DRIFT OUT: NEW TECHNOLOGY

“Visco's catalogue is packed with hidden gems and arcade favourites that deserve to be experienced by a new generation of players,” said Blaze Entertainment CEO Andrew Byatt. “These two collections showcase the incredible variety of games the company produced, and we're excited to bring them together on Evercade for the first time.”

Pixel Arcadia retro event launching August

2026-06-16T14:23:14.275+01:00

With plenty of true classics from Bubble Bobble to Out Run celebrating major anniversaries this year, retro is most definitely back. And with new hardware from the NeoGeo to Vectrex on the way, it is fast becoming a big business beyond awkward compilations and emulation.

Pixel Arcadia is going to corral all that news into a major event, bring retro gaming to the forefront this summer. Come the 24th August, 7PM UK time, the hosts will share new announcements for games and technology rooted in the past but still with plenty to offer young and older gamers.

The show will include new IP inspired by classics, the revival of a beloved titles, new games developed for retro hardware or even new-yet-familiar technology.

“Pixel Arcadia is a dedicated space for retro games fans, one that celebrates this important part of the industry by honouring the trailblazers of gaming past and looking ahead to evolutions of iconic franchises. By partnering with incredible sponsors who share our vision, we are able to support the retro space with true editorial value, allowing developers to keep their resources for making incredible games and connecting them directly with their core audience. In Pixel Arcadia every project shown gets the time, respect and storytelling it deserves." -says Al Hibberd, CEO of Pixel Helix

Persona 4 Revival trailer drags us back to the quiet backstreets of Inaba

2026-06-08T11:30:12.371+01:00

A year after the first tease with some empty streets of Inaba, we finally get a first look at the revamp of Persona 4 Golden in action at last night's Xbox event. TVs sucking characters into a whack-job alternate reality, check!

Arriving on February18th, 2027, there's a deep dive for newcomers into story, characters, battle system and more with the Persona 4 Revival Broadcast, airing Thursday, June 18th. Japanese PS5 players are getting a cool boxed LE, hopefully western gamers will also get some physical goodies.

Update: The English language voice cast has been announced, featuring:

You (Yu) is voiced by Nazeeh Tarsha
Yosuke Hanamura is voiced by Paul Castro Jr.
Chie Satonaka is voiced by Anne Yatco
Yukiko Amagi is voiced by Brianna Knickerbocker
Marie is voiced by Ari Thrash

Update: Western physicals including the LE and a Steelbook version now available for pre-order!

More on this as details emerge, it does look like there's no Switch 2 version, unless Atlus is waiting for the next Nintendo Direct (June 9th) to reveal that version.

As you may have heard, a little something called Persona 6 is also on the way, with a rather underwhelming teaser. Announced for PS5 and other platforms, it could easily be a PS6 launch game to neatly tie-in with the numbering!

Xbox Ally X20 bundle packs in OLED screen and AR glasses for Big Little Gaming

2026-06-01T19:59:28.655+01:00

A year on from Microsoft's original launch, the portable Xbox, aka the Republic of Gamers (ROG) Xbox Ally gets a new X20 bundle today. Offering a HDR OLED display and XReal Gaming AR Glasses it supports medium-small or super-large screen gaming on the go.

The new screen packs in a 7.4-inch Nebula HDR Display with a 120Hz refresh rate, 1,400 nits peak brightness, VESA Display HDR 1000 certification, Dolby Vision support, FreeSync Premium Pro, and an ultra-fast 0.2ms response time.

But, with competition in the portable over-priced gadget from the new Claw 8 EX AI+ (also, no price yet) packing an Intel Arc G3 Extreme processor and its own Xbox Mode, the market for the Ally is being squeezed further.

The new Ally model lives within a translucent black chassis featuring a vibrant gold internal structure, running an AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme processor.

Released as part of ROG's 20th birthday, it looks meaty and powerful, but with no word of a price, and hardware costs shooting up recently, I'm guessing this won't be a steal wherever it hits store shelves.

Review: Saros (PS5)

2026-05-22T14:56:44.739+01:00

Review: Saros

Price: £69.99 PSN (£63 ASDA)

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Dev: Housemarque

I picked up Returnal via PlayStation Plus many years ago, and despite it being as tough as old boots, stuck with Housemarque's epic shooter, lured in by the perfect bullet-hell mechanics, the comfortable-yet-deadly level design and fiendish upgrade system. It is fair to say, Returnal has been a constant companion through my PS5 journey.

It took perhaps a dozen tries to beat the first boss Phrike (hey, I'm getting less young!). Then, after three-years in-and-around other games trying to out-dodge Nemesis, I eventually cracked Biome 3. Finally, I'm near the bottom of the last underwater Biome and can hear the end calling.

But, while I really want to finish Returnal, I found a physical copy of Saros with few quid off out in the real world, and figured I deserved a treat. And Sony could do with the sales (according to some), so this is my ongoing mission to crack this puppy.

Note: this is more of a looking at the pretty scenery and wondering what that massive machines did review, rather than rushing through to the ending to meet some silly deadline.

And, here we go, an epic PlayStation 5 experience with Rahul Kohli, one of my favourite actors in the lead and an excuse to go screenshot grabbing crazy for the review (note will add more now a photo mode has been added in the latest update). That's something I don't do enough of, as it is typically impossible to enjoy the visuals in the middle of a raging battle zone.

Visitors to Carcosa Recommend Factor 50+ Sun Spray

Overcoming Returnal's mad science lady, Selene, talking to herself all the time vibe. Saros provides Arjun Devraj (Kohli) with a team of buddies to drive the narrative as he explores why a planetary mining/colonising project on the planet Carcosa has gone radio silent, and why his crew is vanishing.

Once Arjun, tagged as the team's Enforcer, has dabbled with the eclipsing prologue and set out into the wild unknown, there's a familiar feel to this strange sun-scorched land. Areas we can't access, hints of paths that go here and there, and not-so-secrets leading to caches of goodies.

But, from the outset, it is clear Housemarque's designers revel in the chance to show off a new, if broken city and world. There are huge vistas compared to Returnal's largely compact, inward-focused rooms that make up each Biome.

And in response to Returnal's pain-inducing difficulty, Saros makes life a little easier with constant upgrades across Resilience, Command and Drive. Plus broader balancing through the Modifier menu (which are the focus of the game's first patch, so expect further tweaking over Saros's long life). They make Saros easier or harder, help players of all ability roll to their strengths or create new challenges, aka a cunning design feature.

Fighting the Good Fight (Again and Again)

Gradually, Arjun's skills toughen him up and he inches forward past the mini-bosses, finds the keys to access the end of the first level, with plenty of memos guiding the story along no matter how long it takes to get there.

If you didn't play Returnal, you'll soon get used to the bullet ballet skills required to succeed, or at least survive, in Saros. The shield is the major new feature, helping block incoming streams and adding power to weapons, while allowing me to charge into battle, rather than cower behind a structure in my traditional style, or circle endlessly until dizzy.

Pausing the action for a moment, and taking a look at the screenshots, the detail in Saros is a wonder to behold. Both up-close in Arjun's wardrobe, and far across the landscape.

A couple of gripes. One is that having seen plenty of his movies, I know Kohli is a barrage of emotion and cheeky grins across his roles, but Arjun is annoyingly flat, even in the cutscenes - hoping he gets more expressive as his inner pain is revealed across the later acts. Also, why is holding his weapon in people's face in most in-game cutscenes, that seems deeply unprofessional.

I'm sure things look better on PS5 Pro (higher base render, PSSR at 60fps), but I'm more than happy with how the environment sears the retina on my little old launch PS5, and really wouldn't care if a remaster came along for the PS6 launch. A ceremonial bow at this point for Sam Slater's mecha-ethereal soundtrack is essential, driving the mood along with dark undertones.

All of which is vanishes into a blur as we crash into Prophet, the first boss monster in its icky lair. Here the game goes full bore ethereal-doom-ball-hell, with streams of ammo from its various "heads/sacs" requiring the hop, kill and jumping skills of a little rubber parkour legend to avoid.

The joy of killing this mega-critter is palpable, especially if you're not a player with spec ops skills. The tension as health bars crash to the bottom is stomach churning, remembering the patterns while looking for that last critical hit.

The question then, as new gear becomes available, do I rush on to explore the plot and pick up new weapons or go back and fill in those little blanks in the early maps? As with Returnal, powering up is key to success and the next challenge in the guise of the mighty Bastion.

Fortunately, Saros's early auto-aim helps keep Arjun's bullets on target, but further across the city, later weaponry removes the stabilisers to add to the challenge. The second boss, Bastion, really ups the volume of expanding rings, volley fire and Arjun really needs to have mastery of shields, dodging and return fire to stand a chance.

Another additional update between Returnal and Saros is the faint hope of some health among the chaos of the boss battles. I prayed for these during Returnal, but now they're here in Saros they add a distraction, which I could well do without during the keep yourself alive phases. But I guess they are welcome as the health bar ticks down to dead.

With so much more beauty, death and destruction to come, I'll leave the review here, thanks real world! And will update as I venture further, a world of massive but inert machinery (there's got to be an on button somewhere?)

Update: The Story Continues and Branches

Once the second biome boss, Bastion, is defeated, Saros opens up in a similar way to Returnal. A memory tree sends Arjun back into the nightclubs of his past where all sorts of weird stories come to light. And in the third biome, we can break into the nightmare strands to take on a collection of tougher beasties for extra equipment.

And the grapple gun appears too, so all those inaccessible areas in the earlier levels suddenly become available, but the story is dragging me on deeper towards the city, and the grim tales of the earlier colonists.

To make things clear, Returnal fans will love Saros, especially those who gave up due to the difficulty or got fed up of re-treading their steps - Saros has more flexible portals to alleviate some of those issues. Perhaps there's less cannon fodder than Returnal, but the intricate scenery of later biomes certainly makes up for it.

And new fans will find an amazingly toned sci-fi epic in and among the total chaos of the battlefield and darkness within Saros.

Score 5/5 (6/5 if I ever get to finish this and Returnal)

Evercade bumps up its Neo Geo and Activision roster with fresh carts

2026-05-15T12:48:01.621+01:00

Amusingly, in the year that NEOGEO comes roaring back to life with the near-as-dammit original hardware and carts, the platform has fast become one of the largest for Evercade, and fans who game on more of a budget.

Fresh off the press, and without us having to wait until November, arriving in June for just £19.99, NEOGEO Arcade 4 (trailer) is coming loaded with Metal Slug 4, Fatal Fury Special, King of the Monsters and more. Ideal for those of us clutching a NEOGEO Super Pocket.

The full roster, adding to the ever expanding Evercade release list includes:

3 COUNT BOUT– A classic arcade wrestling game featuring over-the-top moves, powerful grapples, and dramatic championship bouts.

BASEBALL STARS 2 – Fast-paced, arcade-style baseball action with accessible controls and competitive gameplay.

BLAZING STAR – A visually stunning horizontal shoot ’em up packed with explosive effects, power-ups, and intense enemy waves.

FATAL FURY SPECIAL – One of the most beloved entries in SNK’s fighting game history, featuring refined mechanics and an iconic roster.

KING OF THE MONSTERS – A cult-classic brawler where giant monsters clash in city-destroying battles inspired by kaiju films.

METAL SLUG 4 – The explosive run-and-gun series returns with new weapons, enemies, and signature hand-drawn animation.

ROBO ARMY – A side-scrolling beat ’em up starring powerful androids battling through mechanical enemy forces.

THE KING OF FIGHTERS 2002 – A dream-match entry in the legendary fighting franchise, bringing together fighters from across the series.

Bash the Buttons With Activision Collection 3

Not far behind on the collection count comes Activision Collection 3 (trailer), aka console cart 52 that crams in 13 games including Decathlon and Chopper Command. Also arriving in June,

The full list is:

Barnstorming – Race against the clock as you fly your stunt plane through a series of barns, avoiding windmills and pesky geese as you go.

Bridge – Play the classic trick-taking card game, Bridge, bidding and taking tricks to outscore your opponents.

Chopper Command – Pilot a helicopter to protect convoys from tanks and enemy aircraft in this action-packed shoot 'em up.

Dolphin – Play as a dolphin, battle a monstrous squid and gain magic powers from a seagull in this undersea action game.

Dragonfire – Sneak through castles to steal treasure while dodging dragons’ flames.

Ice Hockey – Fast-paced arcade hockey featuring simple controls and quick matches.

Kabobber – The chase is on to catch the fleeing Princess Buvsky and save the Rainbow Energy of Kabobberland in this unusual action-strategy game.

Kaboom! – Catch the Mad Bomber's explosives in this relentless, easy to learn but hard to master action game.

Keystone Kapers – Chase a crook through a department store filled with escalators and obstacles.

Laser Blast – This time, you're the UFO! Fire your lasers and take out enemy bases while avoiding their attacks.

Pressure Cooker – Build burgers according to the incoming orders, and make sure they get to the right customers in this fast-paced action-puzzle game.

The Activision Decathlon – Compete in ten Olympic-style athletics events, each of which will test your speed, timing, and endurance.

Thwocker – Help Thwocker complete his symphony and avoid the rival instruments in this colourful platformer.

Hot on the heels of the Spectrum and C64 clamshell handhelds, 2026 continues to roll along nicely for the Evercade brand, but here's hoping for more new publishers (like the mighty ID Doom collection) hitting the roster later in the year.

Steins;Gate Re:Boot Goes Big Screen TV

2026-05-07T15:22:29.189+01:00

Celebrating 4 million sales and having loved Steins Gate in its PSP and Vita forms, with its batshit, funny and traumatic tales of Akihabara time travel messaging. It seems only fair that we enjoy it on the big CRT screen (plus microwave and gooey bananas) via modern hardware.

With a proper on-cart release for Switch 2 in Japan and PS5, with Standard and Limited Editions, fronted by gorgeous new cover art.

Update: A new trailer reveals a new route and the "Gamma" worldline, twisting the timelines even further and creating more pain and suffering for would-be hero Rintaro

Update: Steelbook versions coming west, with an October release date for Switch 2 and PlayStation 5, with a highlighted new feature including, the ability to overpower enemies with new Crafts and S-Crafts! Link characters' attacks during Quick Battles with the new Brave Rush, and make full use of the orbment system for access to Arts.

Having not played Steins for a few years, and likely forgotten a fair chunk of the minor plot nuances, and the grind of the cat cafe, I'm definitely looking forward for another run through.

To celebrate, we have a new trailer (after last year's little teaser) and a peek at the E-mote Motion emotion tech that give the characters more animation and soul compared to the flat and still (but always lovely) characters from the originals.

Releasing in August on all formats, it is closer to the Elite release in terms of script and the new visuals should help keep players engaged in the early slow going that drags before the main story and the main twists and turns kick in.

Japanese release is set for August 20th, and if nothing else, people debating (moaning about) the art style and other changes will keep it in the news until then. On the plus side, great to see all the love for the originals popping up.

Review: Saint Slayer - Spear of Sacrilege

2026-04-30T20:18:58.299+01:00

Price: £8.99 PSN (£9.89 Nintendo eShop)

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Dev: Lillymo

Lillymo's latest venture into retro gaming sees the developer ditch the sci-fi realms of Habroxia and Twin Breaker, brewing up a Metroidvania challenge with a NES-era design style. Given my next "new" game is Saros, it is deeply satisfying to enjoy something generationally simpler-looking, but still packed with tricks and traps. He writes while cursing the devs to high heaven for yet another stupid death.

Saint Slayer's early running sees the dodgy-looking Rudiger, an ex-soldier rock up in a strife-torn Roman Empire-era village. With the plebs under threat from demonic dogs, cackling crows and skeletal hordes, he makes it to an ominous church where a vicious vicar has fallen under the spell of some far-out force.

Rudiger soon picks up a useful looking, multifunctional, spear and sets out to smite down some ne'er-do-well crypt-dwelling Catholics led by the over-powered Father Pacer. But half the fun is peeking in and around houses, looking for goodies. When he finds the Spear of Sacrilege (sounds like an Andy McDermott novel), his skills increase, a theme through the 20-plus levels across the game.

To the Pain

It isn't just the bad guys that stand in your way, Saint Slayer goes out of its way to lob obstacles at our hero. While the first few jars and switches might be friendly, they soon disgorge poison food, or trigger spiky scenery to collapse on the protagonist, leeching away his health.

Fortunately, there's plenty more to pick up, but in the tight and challenging levels, you will need every bit of roast chicken and other comestible that comes to hand as a growing roster of Ancient Evils line up to halt your progress.

With multiple endings, so many secrets to find and plenty of replay-ability in Saint Slayer, and lots of treasure to find. Plus vehicle levels and nods to other retro games, all of which makes this a major challenge that belies the simple style of imagery.

The Pointy End of the Spear

Any retro game is a divisive creation these days, and while I'm more cheered exploring the gorgeous 16-bit realms of Chasm or the upcoming Wolfhound, Saint Slayer looks okayish, but it is hard to recall stand out moments.

Among the annoyances are that you can't go into the scenery through big open gates. And I hate that you can pick up plenty of bags of money, but the only things you can spend in the shop are glowing currency.

I'm also a little worried about the game's obsession with entrails, slapping about on cart wheels, littering the floor and so on. Are the devs mocking early Nintendo family-friendly rules? And if you get stuck or fed up, play with the password system to boost your fundamentals and get an edge.

Whatever pleasure you find in Saint Slayer, rattling through the short and grisly levels, this is a well-crafted retro experience with some of the pain and frustration of the 8-bit era for oldies to warm up to and younger plays to sneer at.

Score 4/5

Tetris Collection handhelds put block-busting on the go

2026-04-30T18:58:54.214+01:00

Wordtris remains one of my favourite games to go to sleep to (that "thuft!" sound is hopefully my Miyoo Mini softly dropping onto the duvet), helping me through the aches and pains of growing older. But there's always a little room for a Tetris in my life and My Arcade is putting up a handful of gizmos to enjoy the 8-bit version anywhere.

I'm not sure if many will go for all three versions, but from $19.99 to $34.99, they are eminently affordable and a good pick-up or gift in any form. The naming is pretty dumb too, with the Gamer V and Go Gamer offering a 2.5-inch screen, and the Pixel Pocket (1.8-inch screen) really losing the plot.

Running off batteries or USB C, there's also many bonus games, presumably variants to extend the gameplay factor. I'm guessing Tetris develop Alexey Pajitnov has a stake in the Tetris Holding Company which these are licensed from, so he still gets some royalties for his game racing into its fourth decade.

Spectrum and C64 clamshell handhelds pop open from Evercade

2026-04-30T13:35:53.812+01:00

Evercade's HyperMegaTech (aka the fun branch) brand has a double launch to celebrate today, with the announcement of ZX Spectrum and Commodore 64 themed handhelds. The 8-bit giants continue their revival with plenty of new games in development and endless love for those loading screens and pure gameplay epics, if not the loading times.

Both packing 25 games, the standard versions are £109 while limited editions come with cases and exclusive copies of Crash! and ZZap! 64 magazine for £129, all with superb retro detailing.

Featuring a 4.3-inch IPS screen, enough (rubber/plastic) buttons to cover common functions to stay true to the systems' origins. The units ship in October.

And, in a first for the company, there's an SD card slot, so we can drop in our own game files to extend play way beyond the originals on the list below. You can also plug in a USB keyboard for full control and to enjoy adventures, simulators and other key-heavy titles.

THE C64 version comes with A Pig Quest, Sam's Journey, Nebulus, Boulder Dash,Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe, Paradroid, Hunter's Moon Remastered, Knight 'n' Grail, Aztec Challenge, Krakout, Lee, Druid, Encounter!, Galencia, Ice Guys, Metal Warrior Ultra, Millie & Molly, Planet Golf, Shadow Switcher, Spherical, Squish 'Em, Steel Ranger, X-Out, Yeti Mountain, It's Magic 2

The Spectrum comes with Head Over Heels, Manic Miner, Skool Daze, Tiny Dungeons, Archon: The Light and the Dark, The Great Escape, Bounder, Switchblade, Nightmare Rally, M.O.V.I.E., Avenger: The Way of the Tiger II, Bugaboo the Flea, Devwill Too ZX, Hammerfist, Hammer Knight, Penguin Attack, Sinclair City, Shovel Adventure, Snake Escape, Sorcerer Kid Adventure, Splat!, Tourmaline, Where Time Stood Still, Zynaps and Starquake.

Flying Oak Games' Knuckle Paradise revealed today

2026-04-23T14:37:38.118+01:00

Among my favourite indie devs, Flying Oak stands tall with a couple of awesome titles in NeuroVoider and the more recent ScourgeBringer in their library. Some five years in the making, the next chapter is Knuckle Paradise, getting a reveal on indie showcase The Second Wind Games Show (stream available below), taking place around 9PM UK.

Update: And there's the English launch trailer with a deeper explanation of the techniques within Knuckle Paradise...

Earlier Update: And here's the official teaser trailer... no game can go wrong with an opening like "I was kidnapped,... I met a chicken." Who, based on the action in the brief clip, is your buddy in battle against raging teddies, sumo wrestlers and other thugs in a pixel/isometric combo-packed title.

It stars Jane as a retired boxer and her sidekick, Cocotte the warrior chicken. Fight everybody. Learn combos from a pirate. Fight harder. Level up your chicken. Find your kidnappers. Teach them a lesson.

Knuckle Paradise was just one of the many awesome-looking games at the event, do scan through the show replay below and fall in love with a host of new games.

Original article continues: There's a few early WIP clips on Flying Oak's Twitter feed from last year, but much has likely changed, so I won't even bother showing them. Knuckle Paradise will feature among 10 world premieres and 90 other games, so get your caffeinated beverage of choice on standby.

The Flying Oak team, who are working with ARTE Interactive these days, follow that up with a spot on Sunday's Games Made in France on Twitch (en français, naturellement).

Whatever Knuckle Paradise looks like on reveal, here's hoping Flying Oak keeps up with the bullet ballet theme that broadly defined the first couple of games. The joy of fluid movement and heavy firepower within tight pixel levels provided great challenge and fun across Vita and other platforms.

Will update with some impressions after the reveal!

OG Neo Geo hardware reborn for November

2026-04-16T16:59:00.007+01:00

To think, here's me, squinting at my dinky Neo Geo Super Pocket, when I could soon be playing the "real" Neo Geo AES+ on a huge screen, compatible with both original and remastered carts. Assuming I rob a bank or sell a kidney.

Pre-orders are going live from a broad range of outlets including retail stores, so there's likely plenty of stock to avoid scalping, not that will stop some from trying.

Neo Geo is back, some 36 years after its original launch when only the clinically insane or wealthy could afford the $650 console and $120 per game cart. But the AES+ delivered the genuine arcade experience to living rooms, and was way faster than the later CD model with its infinite loading times.

Coming this November from Plaion, there's the as original as you can get, black model for £179 with no game, a white anniversary edition with Metal Slug for £269 or the ultimate edition with the first 10 cartridges, stick and pad for £799. And they can play original carts if you have any kicking around!

If that's not your fancy the new Evercade Nexus is coming around the same time, providing a great portable way to enjoy a similar roster of Neo Geo titles, for much less.

More carts should follow along if it sells well, with the initial roster highlighting the big hitters like King of Fighters 2002, Garou: Mark of the Wolves, Big Tournament Golf, Shock Troopers, Samurai Shodown V Special, Pulstar, Twinkle Star Sprites, Magician Lord and Over Top.

On the hardware front there's AV out for traditionalists or HDMI for those with modern screens, arcade sticks and gamepads, all faithful to the original hardware, with the same dimensions. And permanent high score saving to a memory card.

So, yeah, I'm excited, but realistically, think I'll stick with my under-£50 Super Pocket and whatever additional Evercade Neo Geo carts arrive!

Evercade Nexus revealed, a modern retro twist

2026-03-31T16:07:00.016+01:00

After the tease a week ago, Blaze is pretty quick out of the blocks with its latest Evercade reveal. And the new Nexus device is an ultra-modern looking new unit with a near-6-inch brighter screen, dual-sticks and wireless headphone support.

Update: Enjoy a new video, as Evercade shows off more of the Nexus and its luscious big screen...

Pre-orders on Amazon up here.

The stylish design is way more modern than the retro-vibe the Evercade brand has stuck with, so is it trying to compete more with the Android crowd or attract younger gamers? Guess we'll find out if there are any UI/library changes and other features en route.

No words on the innards (apart from WiFi 6 support), but the cooling vents on the back suggest something more sturdy. Also, no news on future releases that will benefit from the dual sticks, but that made sense given the reveal of the wireless pad a few weeks back.

Share and play gaming is offered by EverSync. This feature enables local multiplayer game support wirelessly between two Nexus handhelds with only one cart (didn't the Atari Lynx do something similar?).

One neat trick is you can change the light-up LED logo to any colour you like, or off hopefully.

The new device will hit stores in October (that's my birthday sorted) for £169 or equivalent (assuming memory prices don't soar further). With a LE N64 limited edition (2,000 units) for collectors at £189, shipping with the Banjo-Kazooie Double Pack cart and other goodies.

Pre-orders go live on April the 1st, no joke.

PlayStation Portal and PS5 prices rising next week

2026-03-27T12:26:00.003+00:00

Hardware prices have been rocketing recently thanks to the AI Rampant Greed Act of 2026 as demand for RAM and chips in new data centres surge. Now Sony is jumping on the bandwagon, likely out of necessity to protect slim profits.

From April 2nd, the PlayStation Portal remote player will kick up around £30 to

U.S. – $249.99
U.K. – £219.99
Europe – €249.99
Japan – ¥39,980

Anyone remembering when console prices used to go down over a generation should take a look at how screwed the world is today. Perhaps that gaming-cave bunker with years worth of food, water and power might be a better next investment.

Nintendo was recently talking about price pressures, but has yet to move. Xbox put their prices up a year ago, and may face more pressure given the brand's weaker sales.

For the PlayStation 5 range, UK prices will hit (for other regions, see the blog post)

PS5 – £569.99
PS5 Digital Edition – £519.99
PS5 Pro – £789.99

If these market conditions continue, they could also delay next-generation hardware including the next PSP, further to the end of the decade, which would make a fun streaming box all the more appealing

Evercade teasing Nexus, the next retro console?

2026-03-25T10:59:00.010+00:00

The word "Nexus", to me, means a way to connect people or a central resource like a library. To the folks at Blaze behind Evercade it is something to tease us with.

Update: Landing page here and a reveal set for 4PM UK on the 31st of March. Video event here.

It is most likely to be a new piece of gaming hardware, following on from the Alpha bar top and SuperPockets (like the upcoming Rare model).

But how about a PC or mobile app that provides purchase or pay-as-you-access to the mighty Evercade library?

That'd be a cool new way to spread awareness and market the hardware to those who don't yet feel the need for some legitimate portable or TV retro fun.

More Power for Modern Retro?

Or, it could offer another step for the hardware, to bring Dreamcast and more taxing 32-bit titles to the platform. Afterall, we've got the new wireless dualstick controller on the way.

That's assuming if enough of us are showing an interest in later-day retro fun? Not sure that's really what we need as a community, but it would widen the scope for new deals which is long-term good.

Or how about a full-size arcade machine for pubs and bars, with the retro-library crammed in? Licensing issues aside! Either way, I'm sure we'll hear more soon. (I do wish brands would put a countdown out with these teasers, so we can calendar in when to start hitting refresh!)