October2021
News Another Classic Namco Title Joins Hamster's Arcade Archives This Week
Rally-X returns
This week's arcade archives release from Hamster Corporation is the 1980 Namco "maze chase" classic, Rally-X. Here's some PR and screens: “RALLY-X” is an action game released by NAMCO in 1980. Players control a car and dodge pursuing red cars while collecting flags. Stall the red cars using a smokescreen when they get too...
News Check Out These Adorable Super-Deformed Dark Souls Figures
"You have a heart of gold"
Dark Souls is hard, right? It's brutal. A real test of your gamer credentials. So then, why are these officially-licenced Dark Souls figures so goshdarn cute? They're expected to launch in Japan this December, and the range includes a host of famous faces from the series. We want them all. There are two sets, each...
News Namco's Hack & Slash 'The Genji And The Heike Clans' Joins The Arcade Archives
Out now!
This week's arcade archives release from Hamster Corporation is the 1986 Namco side-scrolling hack 'n slash game, The Genji and the Heike Clans. Here's some PR and screens: "Players control the hero Taira no Kagekiyo on a mission to the capital city of Kamakura, to defeat the Demon Genji Clan's king Yoritomo. The player will face attacks...
News Adorable Hamster-Car Anime 'Pui Pui Molcar' Comes To Switch In Japan
Yes, we said "hamster-car"
[Update: Fri 8th Oct, 2021 13:00 BST] We have been informed that the hamster-cars are actually guinea pig cars. We regret the error. [Original: Thu 7th Oct, 2021 23:00 BST] Pui Pui Molcar is a must-watch if you enjoy stop-motion animation, fluffy things, or just want to find out more about an alternate universe in which...
News Bandai Namco Is Changing Its Logo In 2022
What do you think?
Every now and then, companies like to refresh, change and update their logos for marketing reasons, and the latest company to do this will be Japanese publisher and developer Bandai Namco - known for series such as PAC-MAN, Tekken and Tales. The new logo will come into effect in April next year, and will replace the current logo...
September2021
News Two Namco Classics Join Hamster's Arcade Archives This Week
A double serve of retro games
Hamster Corporation joined in on the Nintendo Direct celebrations earlier this week, with not one but two Namco game releases on the Switch eShop. First up we've got the original PAC-MAN title, released in arcades in 1980. The same rules apply here - players must clear stages by eating all the dots in each round...
News Disney Magical World 2 Is Getting Re-Released For The Switch
Mickey! Minnie! Donald Duck! It's basically Kingdom Hearts
One of the more surprising reveals of the Nintendo Direct, but one that probably not many people particularly cared about, was the re-release of Disney Magical World 2 for Switch. Originally, the game came out for 3DS as a sequel to the popular first game, also on 3DS, in 2016. It's...
August2021
Thanks for the memories
We always get a little teary-eyed whenever we hear someone has left a games company after working there for many years and today is one of those occasions. SoulCalibur VI, Tekken 7 and the Pac-Man 99 producer, Motohiro Okubo, has announced his departure from Bandai Namco after 25 years. In a message on social media, Okubo...
News Bandai Namco Is Giving PAC-MAN 99 Players A Free Splatterhouse Theme
Download it today!
If you haven't tried out Pac-Man 99 yet and need one extra reason to take a look, Bandai Namco is offering a free custom theme for the game. It's called Splatterhouse: Wanpaku Graffiti. To claim this theme, you'll need to head on over to the Nintendo Switch eShop and download it. It's about 3MB all up. Once you've done this, boot...
News Bandai Namco's Digimon Survive Has Been Rated In Australia
But when will it be released?
Digimon Survive has been delayed on multiple occasions but now we've got some more promising news about this long-awaited strategy RPG. While the game was recently spotted in TOEI Animation’s latest financial report under a section titled 'Fiscal Year 2022 Q3 and Beyond', it has now been rated by Austral
News Sakurai "Can't Count How Many Times" He's Thought About Quitting Game Development
"Making games is really tough"
Most Smash Bros. fans will already know how much effort game director Masahiro Sakurai puts into each title, but what's not been made quite as public is how often he's been pushed to his limits. While on the subject of "retirement" in his part two chat with the Tekken director Katsuhiro Harada, Sakurai spoke about how...
Video Bandai Namco Drops New Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot Story Trailer For Switch
Goku returns this September
After months of rumours, Bandai Namco finally confirmed Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot + A New Power Awakens would be coming to the Switch this September. Since then, it's been busy powering up this release by giving Dragon Ball fans a look at Goku and friends in action on Nintendo's hybrid hardware. In the latest western trailer...
Random Sakurai Doesn't Appreciate Being Featured In Some Memes
"I want them to stop using my face"
The first part of the Harada's Bar episode featuring Smash Bros. director Masahiro Sakurai has been uploaded. A lot of focus was on Sakurai as a person, rather than his work. In one section of his chat with Katsuhiro Harada (also known as the director of Tekken), Sakurai addressed the memes on the internet...
Random Krillin Can Now Apparently Revive Himself In Dragon Ball FighterZ
This is a Senzu Bean glitch, right?
As you may have heard by now, there's a new patch out for Dragon Ball FighterZ. It's the first one the popular fighting game has received since the start of the year. In the words of the game's community, there are some "absolutely massive" changes - including new mechanics and fighter adjustments. It seems to...
News Dragon Ball FighterZ Just Got An "Absolutely Massive" Patch
Download it today
Although Goku is coming to the Nintendo Switch in a new game this September, Bandai Namco is still showing support for the 2018 release Dragon Ball FighterZ. It's just rolled out Version 1.28 and this "absolutely massive" patch (in the words of DBFZ ambassador and host @zDamascus) has got the community rather excited. Pro Esports...
Video Here's A Look At Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot Battles Running On Switch
Goku is back this September
Goku and company will be returning to the Nintendo Switch this September in Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot. Ahead of the release of this action RPG, Bandai Namco has been drip-feeding Dragon Ball fans new videos of the game running on the Switch. In the latest Japanese trailer, we get a look at some fast-paced battles - it's all...
News .hack//G.U. Last Recode Has Been Rated For Nintendo Switch
Is an official announcement on the way?
The Bandai Namco and CyberConnect2 anime action-RPG series '.hack//G.U.' could be en route to the Nintendo Switch, based on a new rating in North America. According to the ESRB, the four in one collection .hack//G.U. Last Recode has been given a 'Teen' rating for the hybrid system. It contains the following:...
July2021
Video Here's Another Look At Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot Running On Switch
Reunite with Goku and friends this September
One of the highlights during Nintendo's E3 presentation this year was the announcement Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot would be coming to the Switch. This followed a number of rumours, so it was nice to see it finally confirmed. Since then, there's been no information really shared about this upcoming release -...
June2021
News Tekken's Kazuya Gets Added To The Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Mural
The latest DLC fighter joining the battle
Nintendo's E3 Direct this year kicked off with the reveal of Tekken's Kazuya for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. As part of this announcement, it's a Smash Bros. tradition to add the latest fighter to the game's famous (and stunning) mural, and he slots in nicely between Daisy and Byleth. More about Kazuya i
Guide New Pokémon Snap: Walkthrough - Tips, Hints, Complete Pokédex, Photodex
Every Pokémon, every map, hints and tips - it's all here
After many years of waiting, the original Pokémon Snap for the Nintendo 64 finally has a sequel. The imaginatively-titled New Pokémon Snap is a brand-new adventure with a host of new and returning Pokémon to catch in the region of Lental. In this evolving guide, we'll cover tips, Pokémon...
May2021
News Family Trainer Is Heading To Switch This Summer
Following last year's release in Japan
2020 brought a home fitness boom that helped Ring Fit Adventure go from being a relatively interesting and high quality Switch title to an in-demand hot-selling item. There have been various other fitness games stepping up too, and later this Summer we'll see Bandai Namco jump into the fray. The company has...
News Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom Is Coming To Switch
Proper tidy!
Awww yeah, we love it when a rumour turns out to be true — especially when it concerns the excellent Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom (or, to be honest, anything from Level-5). Yes, Ni No Kuni 2 is coming to Switch on the 17th of September, 2021, and even better, it looks like it's going to have a physical version, too. Now that's...
News Bandai Namco Just Registered Trademarks For The GameCube Exclusive Series Baten Kaitos
Is it time for a comeback?
Before Monolith Soft was developing the epic JRPG Xenoblade Chronicles, it was working with tri-Crescendo on Baten Kaitos. Since the GameCube era - which saw the release of Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean in 2004/05 and Baten Kaitos Origins in 2006, there's been no sign of a return, apart from a cancelled...
PSA New Pokémon Snap's Professor Mirror Is A Monster
"Fluffruit is soft" he says
Dead?! No, no, he's just stunned. Pinin' for the fjords, he is We didn't think we would have to say this, because you've all been to a zoo, right? You know the bit where it says "please don't feed the animals"? Well, the implication is also that you shouldn't LOB UNDER-RIPE FRUITS AT THEM, EITHER. And yet, here we are...
News E3 2021 Bolsters Its Line-Up With Square Enix, Sega, Bandai Namco And More
"All-virtual" event kicks-off this June
E3 might have skipped last year, but in 2021 it's making a comeback as an all-virtual event. In the latest update, several high-profile publishers and developers have been officially locked in. This includes tech, hardware, and streaming companies, too. So, who are they? There's Square Enix, Bandai Namco...