(Ed: Sorry, I didn’t have a chance to post this on it’s normal Monday date. Enjoy.)
Just this week Microsoft announced their “Summer of Arcade” release schedule. This is a list of five potential XBLA blockbusters that’ll carry us into the Fall gaming season (including Castle Crashers, FINALLY). Not to be outdone, Sony and the PS3 are dropping a classic rhythm action title on us, as well as the beautifully rendered third installment to the PixelJunk series. Then there’s Nintendo…which, yeah…doesn’t really bring much to the table this week.
Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 (XBLA, 800 Points): The first of Microsoft’s “Summer of Arcade” releases, Bizarre Creation’s Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 is the sequel to one of the biggest titles on XBLA. Packed with new games modes, four player local co-op (no online, sorry kids), and the same bright, flashy colors we’ve all come to enjoy, Retro Evolved 2 is a must-have for any 360 owner.
Chase H.Q. (VC, 600 Points): Released back in 1988, this arcade racer from developer Taito has a very strong cops-and-robbers vibe to it. Behind the wheel of a black Porsche 928, your mission is to intercept wanted criminals in high-speed chases. The game was well-received and spawned two sequels with multiple iterations on the Sega Genesis, Super Nintendo, and TurboGrafx-16.
Art of Fighting 2 (VC, 900 Points): It’s another of the early SNK fighters released for the Neo Geo back in 1994. Now, I’ve played Art of Fighting 2, as well as several other 2D brawlers for the Neo Geo, and my advice to you would be to save your money. There are a dozen fighters on that console that haven’t seen a release yet that’ll better warrant your 900 Nintendo dollars (and they also don’t look like they’ve been molded out of clay).
Pong Toss: Frat Party Games (WiiWare, 800 Points): It is my sincere wish that history does not record JV Games’ Beer Pong Pong Toss: Frat Party Games as the first in a long line of college idiocy related titles. The classic sport of bouncing a ping-pong ball across a table into a plastic cup has been recreated here for up to four players in the game’s two available modes: Championship and Speed Pong. I say just keep holding out for Mega Man 9. It’ll be here one of these days.
Parappa the Rapper (PSN, $22.99): One of the early rhythm games for the original Playstation is now available via PSN. From developer NaNaOn-Sha, the game has you timing button presses to bizarre hip-hop tracks, some of which feature a material artist with an onion for a head. The title has been a bit of a cult classic since its original release back in 1996, and it’s good to see it living on through PSN (and PSP).
1942: Joint Strike (PSN, $9.99): We all remember Capcom’s shoot’em up remake from last week with its release on XBLA. This title never earned that slot on my line up though since, after playing the demo, I started having terrible flashbacks to my time with the Dreamcast top-down shooter Ikaruga. Sure, they’re both legendary titles, but I find that the bullet hell shooters just drive my patience (and my controller) to a breaking point.
PixelJunk Eden demo (PSN, free): Hoo boy, I’ve been hearing a lot of positive buzz surrounding Q-Games’ latest title. From what I’ve seen, you play as a tiny dot with the ability to stick to and swing from the various plants which grow and change as you navigate the level. It’s a bizarre title, that’s for sure, but an interesting one that I definitely want to check out soon. Look forward to the game’s full release later this week.
[via Gamasutra, Kotaku, and PS3 Fanboy]
