Arcade Archives - News
September2018
News Hamster Adding Even More Games To The Arcade Archives On Switch
Switch virtual arcade salons are receiving a major update
While all of us at Nintendo Life are still rejoicing over yesterday's confirmation of the puzzling adventures of a certain well-known dinosaur duo, Hamster overnight revealed the Arcade Archives release schedule for the Switch. If you want to be surprised on the eShop every week, you should...
August2018
News Kid's Horehore Daisakusen Joins Hamster's Arcade Archives Range On Switch Today
Travel to the 23rd century
Hamster has revealed the latest addition to its ever-growing Arcade Archives library on Switch, with Kid's Horehore Daisakusen being made available from today. Kid's Horehore Daisakusen is an action game that was originally released by Nichibutsu in 1987. Kid, who has been drawn into a space-time labyrinth from the 23rd...
July2018
News Hamster's Neo Geo Hot Streak On The Switch eShop Continues With Six New Confirmed Games
Will it ever stop?
Did you know that Hamster is the Switch's number one publisher when it comes to sheer volume of titles available on the console? And it's showing no sign of slowing down any time soon with the reveal of the next six upcoming titles. The King of Fighters ‘97 Prehistoric Isle 2 Metal Slug 4
Review Arcade Archives Renegade
The Kunio-kun origin story
Hamster is really spoiling us with this port, because unlike the PS4 version, this Switch offering manages to include both the original Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun Japanese release and the reskinned, The Warriors-inspired western localisation known as Renegade. While both games play essentially the same, it's nice...
June2018
Review Arcade Archives Donkey Kong
The true Original Edition
Released in 1981, Donkey Kong was Nintendo’s first big arcade hit, featuring the debuts of the titular ape, Mario and future mayor of New Donk City, Pauline. Despite its popularity, Nintendo has favoured re-releasing the cutdown (with one stage missing) NES port of this classic platformer over the...
May2018
Review Arcade Archives 10-Yard Fight
8-16-Nintendo 64. Set… Hut-Hut-FUMBLE!?
American Football! We don’t ‘get it’ on this side of the pond, but that’s okay because we do know that the sport translates to excellent video games. However, translating the action of gridiron to the hardware available in 1983 was no easy feat. Irem took on this task and the end result was the very...
April2018
Review Arcade Archives Ninja-Kid
The kid is alright
The online leaderboards that HAMSTER includes with their retro releases provide some replay value as you compare (then try to improve) your point-scoring against players from around the globe. They work better in some games than others and they work particular well with old arcade titles, where in lieu of an ending sequence to...
News Coin-Op Gridiron Classic 10-Yard Fight Is Coming To Switch Next Week
Hut!
Hamster is bringing Irem's classic 10-Yard Fight to the Switch eShop as part of the Arcade Archives range, it has been revealed. A listing on the eShop shows that the 1983 classic - along with its 1984 update, VS 10-Yard Fight, which includes a two-player feature - is hitting the digital store on May 2nd. If you were a NES fan during the...
Review Arcade Archives Punch-Out!!
Rumble, old man, rumble!
Fisticuffs were always a perfect subject for video games. However how to properly deliver the experience was a technical challenge due to limited technology the 80’s, with previous efforts opting for a side or top view of the in-ring action. Nintendo tackled this issue in Punch-Out!! by allowing players to control their...
Review Arcade Archives Moon Patrol
The bright side of the moon
Irem’s Moon Patrol is a simple game across two auto-scrolling levels. Control is limited to adjusting the speed of your vehicle (forwards to accelerate, back to decelerate) as it trundles along the surprisingly colourful surface of the moon. There are two cannons that fire upon pressing this button (one vertical, one...
News The Garment-Matching Madness Of Gururin Is Next Week's ACA Neo Geo Release
Shuffling people around
After some intense fighting and shmuping retro weeks, a change of pace is in order: a match-three puzzle game is on the menu for next week's HAMSTER Neo Geo release. Developed by Face, and published in 1994, Gururin sees you trying your best to match at least three people wearing the same colour vestments with a literal...
March2018
Review Arcade Archives Star Force
A shooter from older and tougher times
Released in 1984, Star Force sticks you in control of a space ship as you go through levels blasting a variety of enemy types. Yes, it’s yet another retro shmup on Switch, this time set across 25 levels and offering quite a stripped down shooting experience. In Arcade Archives Star Force your ship (the Final...
News Punch-Out!! Is Your Next Nintendo Arcade Archive, Releases Next Week
POW! Right in the kisser!
Things have been quiet on the retro Nintendo front after the release of Arcade Archives Super Mario Bros. VS, but that silence is now coming to an end with a bang. A right hook bang probably since HAMSTER is releasing the original Punch-Out!! on the 30th March on the Switch eShop! This double-screen monstrosity is not your...
Review Arcade Archives Heroic Episode
Middling experience
HAMSTER may not release titles in its Arcade Archives series as frequently as with its ACA Neo Geo one, but it does similarly seem determined to release whatever it can. R-Type is on the way, but before then there’s this lesser-known Irem title. Originally released in Japan as Yōjūden, Arcade Archives Heroic Episode puts you...
News HAMSTER Acquires Rights To Complete Video System Catalogue
Releases outside Neo Geo hardware games in the future
While we eagerly look forward to tomorrow's release of Aero Fighters 3, HAMSTER has announced it has acquired the rest of Video System's arcade game library and will be republishing some of the company's greatest hits in future Arcade Archives releases. The exciting possibility of the...
News HAMSTER Drops Next Batch Of ACA Neo Geo Titles (And The Mic)
SNK: The future is the past
Warning: Spoilers ahead! If you want to be surprised every week with upcoming Arcade Archives Neo Geo titles you should click onto the next article. If you're okay to living a life without weekly eShop surprises, read on. Coinciding with Nintendo Switch's very first anniversary, HAMSTER has revealed the upcoming ACA Neo...
February2018
News Sengoku 2 Arrives Next Week, Marking A Year's Worth of Neo Geo Ports On Switch
Severe cases of split personality ahead
Next week a rather unique feat will be accomplished by HAMSTER: the company has managed to release a Neo Geo game every single week for an entire year! You read that correctly, Nintendo Switch's first anniversary is coming up fast and there will be no less than 56 Neo Geo games available on the system! If you...
Review Arcade Archives Crazy Climber
Hi-rise hi-score chaser
HAMSTER has brought numerous retro titles to Switch, but Arcade Archives Crazy Climber is the furthest it's gone back in time yet, with a game that actually predates Nintendo’s first console. Arriving in 1980, the year before Jumpman climbed ladders to rescue Pauline from Donkey Kong, an unnamed climber scaled the sides of...
Review Arcade Archives Kid Niki Radical Ninja
A ninja throwback
Kid Niki: Radical Ninja is a bright cartoony platformer that has you run and jump through levels, dispatching a range of foes with your spinning sword attack before a showdown against a boss character. This Arcade Archives release also offers those thrills and adds in HAMSTER’s usual options and extra modes, but the interesting...
January2018
News Samurai Shodown II Slashes Its Way To The Switch eShop Next Week
February with a slice of 1789 swordplay
Hamster is bringing SNK's 1994 title Samurai Shodown II to the Switch eShop. If the first game was revolutionary this first sequel somehow managed to surpass expectations thanks to gameplay refinements such as the very welcomed inclusion of rolling and ducking which enable you to safely dodge...
Review Arcade Archives Double Dragon
Brief, flawed but enjoyable arcade action
Scrolling beat ‘em ups may be simple affairs that just have you moving along smacking groups of thugs in the face, but when they are done right they can be hugely entertaining. Before Streets Of Rage, before Final Fight the game that got people excited was Technos’ Double Dragon, which put you in control...
News Irem's Kid Niki Returns Next Week Thanks to Hamster ACA
Half radical, half ninja, full Niki
January 25th is becoming quite the notable date for retro gamers who own a Nintendo Switch and we now have word of yet another reason to be excited for next week; Irem's 1986 Kid Niki: Radical Ninja (also known as Kaiketsu Yanchamaru in the Land of the Rising Sun) will join the platform and have the radical honor...
December2017
Review Arcade Archives VS. Super Mario Bros.
Super Mario Bros. rejigged
Nintendo released Super Mario Bros. in 1985, making a lot of people very happy due to the superb platforming action it provided and selling a lot of NES systems in the process. Numerous sequels have followed, but that first game has remained available on various machines over the years, sometimes adding things like updated...
News The Original Double Dragon Brings Street Justice To The Switch Next Week
Double the Dragons, twice the fun
Billy and Jimmy Lee's original arcade adventure will bring the pain next week to the Switch eShop at the usual price point. HAMSTER's Arcade Archives send off to 2017 is none other than Yoshihisa Kishimoto's sequel to Renegade (Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun in Japan, Kunio's debut video game), a coin-op that...
Review Arcade Archives Traverse USA
A basic but fun highscore chaser
The Switch may still lack a Virtual Console, but HAMSTER is keen to fill that void. Having released many Neo Geo titles (with more appearing regularly), the company has now started to bring other retro delights to the system. It's already released one of Nintendo's own games and now here’s the first offering from...
November2017
News VS. Super Mario Bros. Arcade Archives Release Set for Festive Arrival on Switch
HAMSTER has more arcade goodness on the way, too
Since the arrival of Arcade Archives Mario Bros. back in September, the series of six additional confirmed games has gone completely quiet. The Nintendo classics are being produced by HAMSTER, which has brought us plenty of Neo Geo titles in the ACA series on the Switch eShop. Based upon a...
October2017
News Art of Fighting 3 Is Your Next HAMSTER ACA Release on Switch
Skiping AoF2 and straight to the finishing line
Further evidence that HAMSTER simply does not care about continuity, next week the Switch eShop will be graced with none other than the final episode of Ryūko no Ken, better know among us westerners as Art of Fighting. We assume we will see Art of Fighting 2 somewhere in 2018. Despite the cast...
News The King Of Fighters '95 Is Your Next HAMSTER ACA Release on Switch
"Break a spine, R..."
HAMSTER's strange and random time-hopping will return in the coming week when The King of Fighters '95 joins the Switch eShop line-up on 12th October. The second game in the series brings a rather welcome option that would go to become a series staple: You are not confined to pre-determined teams, so you can pick any...
September2017
Poll Nintendo's Switch Arcade Archives - Is It the Retro Gaming You Want?
They're fresh options, but questions remain over a Switch VC
Nintendo often finds a way to surprise its fans and throw a curveball, and so in the most recent Nintendo Direct it didn't unveil the Switch Virtual Console, as such, but the 'Arcade Archives' series. It started this week with Arcade Archives Mario Bros., and the following are still on the...
Reminder Arcade Archives Mario Bros. is Out Today
Already available in Europe
The standard Nintendo Download day may be Thursday, but Arcade Archives Mario Bros. has arrived - as promised - already. It's the first of a series of releases that'll include a range of Nintendo arcade games reproduced for the current-gen hardware. The releases are being produced by HAMSTER, which has done sterling work...
News Urban Champion Joins The Arcade Archives Roster On Switch
Along with Wrecking Crew and Excitebike, thankfully
During last week's Nintendo Direct we heard about the Arcade Archives range which is headed to the Switch in the near future. These will be arcade versions of classic games - produced by HAMSTER - and where appropriate will support multiplayer with Joy-Con controls. The original Mario...
News Mario Bros. to Kick Off 'Arcade Archives' Range on Nintendo Switch
Balloon Fight! Ice Climber! Punch Out! More!
Nintendo used its Direct broadcast to confirm the beginning of retro downloads on the Switch, but they're not quite the Virtual Console you were expecting. Branded as the 'Arcade Archives' range, we'll see arcade versions of classic games - produced by HAMSTER - and where appropriate will support...
August2017
News Joy Joy Kid - Also Known as 'Puzzled' - Arrives on the Switch This Week
It's not a joy con
If you're not a fan of Neo Geo fighting games (and why not, dare we ask) this week's new Arcade Archives (ACA) release might be your thing. Hamster is bringing Puzzled to the Switch eShop on 24th August, known in Japan by the much funnier title Joy Joy Kid. At first glance this 1990 release looks like a general Tetris clone, with...
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