Overview
- Website
- namcoarcade.com
- Avg. Review Score
- 6.65/10
- Avg. Game Rating
- 7.42/10
- Part Of
- Bandai Namco
Latest Reviews of Namco Games
Mini Review Arcade Archives 2 TEKKEN (Switch 2) - A Welcome Throwback To The Iconic Original
Still the King?
It’s been 14 years since Tekken last showed up on a Nintendo console. Yet despite supporting the Wii U and 3DS with Tekken Tag Tournament 2 and Tekken 3D: Prime Edition, Bandai Namco has yet to grace the Switch 1 or 2 with a new entry or port. Enter Hamster. The company’s latest Arcade Archives 2 release revives the original...
Let's have a rave-up
There's part of me that still can't quite believe I'm playing Rave Racer on a home console. Namco's 1995 sequel to Ridge Racer never made it out of the arcades back in the day, despite promises that it would be ported to PC as part of NEC's push for its PowerVR graphics processor. For years, the game's legacy has been having...
Mini Review Arcade Archives 2 TOKYO WARS (Switch 2) - Another Polished But Wafer Thin Hamster Port
Tanks for the memories
Hamster Corporation's Arcade Archives series is back with another cabinet classic on Switch 2. I got to check out Jet Ski racer Aqua Jet back in August, which was a lovingly crafted port. This time I'm revisiting the destructive tank combat of Namco's Tokyo Wars, which served as inspiration for The 3DO Company's N64 classic...
Review Klonoa: Empire Of Dreams (GBA) - One Of The System's Best Still Plays Like A Dream
Wahoo!
This review was originally published in May 2014. We're updating and republishing it in honour of the game's arrival on Switch as part of the Nintendo Classics GBA lineup. Starting life on the PlayStation in 1997, at a time when Super Mario 64 had just brought the gaming world triple-jumping headlong into the era of 3D platforming, Namco's...
Mini Review Arcade Archives 2: Aqua Jet (Switch 2) - Classic Aquatic Racer Lags Behind Wave Race
Let’s Jet
Once upon a time, Jet-Ski games were all the rage. Arcade cabinets and fifth generation consoles were replete with these high-speed polygonal racers that sent you careening around tracks set in sunny locales with bobbing water physics. Aqua Jet was an early example of the trend and released the very same year as Wave Race 64. Now, you...
Review Arcade Archives 2 Air Combat 22 (Switch 2) - A Top Gun Origin Story
You can be my wingman anytime
Namco's Ace Combat series is one of the company's most enduring hits, and has been a solid part of its lineup for decades, selling over 20 million units in the process – yet the origins of the franchise are somewhat murky and certainly not as well known as, say, the Ridge Racer lineage. This is somewhat ironic, as...
Popular Namco Games
Tamagotchi Connection: Corner Shop 2 DS
- 27th Jul 2006 (JPN)
- 14th Nov 2006 (NA)
- 23rd Mar 2007 (UK/EU)
Blue Dragon: Awakened Shadow DS
- 8th Oct 2009 (JPN)
- 18th May 2010 (NA)
- 24th Sep 2010 (UK/EU)
Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean GCN
- 5th Dec 2003 (JPN)
- 16th Nov 2004 (NA)
- 1st Apr 2005 (UK/EU)
Latest Namco News
Random Star Fox Dev Thinks Star Fox Adventures "Was Too British"
"I think Star Fox is a very complex title"
The Star Fox series has been a bit of a mixed bag, hasn't it? There have been huge genre shifts, recreations, and attempts to capture that same magic that the SNES original — and the N64 sequel — captured. Now, in an interview with VGC, Dylan Cuthbert, a programmer on the original Star Fox and Star Fox...
News Bump Your Enemies Off The Edge In 'Motos', The Next Arcade Archives Game
Give it a push!
We've got our next Arcade Archives title hitting the eShop tomorrow, and it's 1985's bumper car arcade game Motos. This is the last of seven games to run on Namco's Super Pac-Man hardware while sharing a video system used in games like Mappy, Dig Dug II, and — last week's Arcade Archives addition — The Tower of Druaga. It's a...
News Pro Tennis: World Court Is The Next Ace In The Arcade Archives Line-Up
A forehand winner for the collection
It's our weekly Wednesday update on the Arcade Archives series. Except for last week, when the magic happened on Thursday. Golden Week, hey? This week, we've got something a bit different for Hamster's series; after weeks of shumps, platformers, racers, and puzzle games, we have a sports game coming to the eShop...
News Namco's Yokai Dochuki, Renamed 'Shadowland', Is The Next Arcade Archives Game On Switch
A platformer to close out Namco month
We're getting another Arcade Archives release on Switch tomorrow, as the Japan-only platformer Yokai Dochuki is the next game to launch in the series, but with a slightly different name in the West, however — Shadowland. Originally released in arcades in 1987, the game sees you platforming through jigoku...
News Action Adventure RPG 'Valkyrie No Densetsu' Joins Switch Arcade Archives Line-Up
More PC Engine arcade goodness
Valkyrie no Densetsu is the latest game coming to the Switch via Arcade Archives. This cult classic action RPG launched in Japan in 1989 but didn't see a western release until Namco Museum Vol. 5, where it was titled The Legend of Valkyrie. Developed by Namco, Valkyrie no Densetsu was greatly inspired by the Vikings...
News Pac-Land Is The Next Arcade Archives Game Coming To Switch
Walk-a-walk-a-walk-a-walk-a-walk
Another week, another Arcade Archives release. This week's game features a name that'll be familiar to many but in an entirely different format. Pac-Land, the 1984 game, is the next title being added to the Arcade Archives line-up. Yes, this is your chance to discover exactly where that Smash Bros. for Wii U stage...
News Side-Scrolling Beat 'Em Up 'Wonder Momo' Is The Next Arcade Archives Game
Peachy
Namco's beat 'em up parody of Ultraman, Wonder Momo, is the next game coming to the Arcade Archives series on Switch, according to @ohfivepro on Twitter. First released in 1987 in Japanese arcades at a time when female protagonists were uncommon, Wonder Momo got a faithful PC-Engine port two years later. The game stars a young girl who is...
News Namco's Dragon Spirit Is Coming To Arcade Archives On Switch
Arrives in early March
Namco's 1987 fantasy-themed shmup Dragon Spirit is joining the Arcade Archives series on Nintendo Switch, it has been revealed. Notable for fusing traditional shmup mechanics with dragons and other mythical beasts, the game shares similarities with another Namco classic, Xevious, in that the player has a standard shot for...
News More Klonoa Trademarks Have Surfaced Online
Is Bandai Namco up to something?
Update [Thu 23rd Dec, 2021 02:30 GMT]: Following on from last week, trademarks have now been filed in Canada on 17th December and Europe on 20th December for 'Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series' (via Gematsu). Update [Sat 18th Dec, 2021
News Trademark Discovery Suggests Klonoa, Mr. Driller And Splatterhouse Might Be Making A Comeback
Bandai Namco is up to something...
Update (Wed 18th Sep, 2019 03:15 BST): GoNintendo reveals the page listing for Klonoa on Wii was updated on Nintendo's UK website three days ago (see for yourself). Update: It would seem that Bandai Namco is planning t
News Fan Releases English Translation Patch For Namco's Famicom Game Youkai Douchuuki
Fight through Hell
Long before Level-5 launched its Yo-Kai Watch video game series on Nintendo hardware, there was an old school Famicom game released in 1988 about the supernatural monsters, creatures, spirits, ghosts and demons commonly found in Japanese folklore. The game we're referring to is Youkai Douchuuki. It starred a young boy named...
News Katamari Damacy Is Rolling Onto The Nintendo Switch This November
Na naaaaah na na na naaah na na naaaaah na na na na na naaaaaaaaah
The Katamari series is finally rolling onto a Nintendo platform this year with the announcement of Katamari Damacy Reroll for Switch during the latest direct. The Namco game was first released on the PlayStation 2 in 2004. The story is about the king of the cosmos who makes a prince...
News Producer Of SoulCalibur VI Open To Game On Switch If It's Actually Possible
Focused on initial launch right now
The Switch is already home to a number of iconic fighting game series, so what are chances of Bandai Namco's Soul Calibur series making the transition? In a translated interview with DualShockers at this year's Gamescom, SoulCalibur VI producer Motohiro Okubo said the game was currently not in development for...
News Get Namco Museum For Free With This Lovely WaterField Pro Switch Case
Retro games in the bag
We're big fans of WaterField Designs premium Nintendo Switch cases, as demonstrated by Alex in the video below. The lovely folks over at WaterField Designs have teamed up with Bandai Namco offer a complimentary eShop download of Namco Museum with the purchase of a WaterField Designs MultiPlayer Pro Switch Case which retails...
News Bandai Namco Files a Patent for Pac-Man Maker
Hmm...
It seems like a rather odd oversight that it took Nintendo so many years to finally put out a level editor for the Super Mario series, but when it finally got around to it, the final result was something to remember. Super Mario Maker was a fantastic success on the Wii U (and on the 3DS to a certain extent), offering gamers the chance at...
News Namco Founder Masaya Nakamura Dies Aged 91
The man who spoke out against Nintendo and Hiroshi Yamauchi
One of the most influential names in the Japanese video game arena has passed away, it has been revealed. A former engineer in the Japanese navy, Masaya Nakamura established Nakamura Manufacturing in 1955 after purchasing two mechanical horse ride for $3,000. Due to the intense competition...
News Waka-Waka-Well I Never, Pac-Man Turns 35 Today
Everyone's favourite pill-popper is all grown up
Mario and Sonic may be two of gaming's most recognisable faces but even they are young pups when compared to the true elder statesman of interactive entertainment: Pac-Man. 35 years ago, Namco released Toru Iwatani's seminal title in Japanese arcades and began a gaming legend which endures even to...
Review Mappy-Land (Wii U eShop / NES)
Cats vs. Mouse
Mappy, a plucky mouse detective, is one of many arcade game mascots lost to time, having only starred in a few games over the years. While the character has guest-starred in various Namco games over the years (and makes a clever cameo in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS), the biggest role Mappy's had is in a web series from the...
Review Namco Museum (Wii U eShop / GBA)
Does it deserve to be exhibited on your Wii U?
Originally released for the Game Boy Advance in 2001, Namco Museum is part of a long-running series (which goes by the same name) that saw regular releases over a 15-year period all the way up until 2010. This game is a compilation, featuring five classic arcade games: Ms. PAC-MAN, Galaga, Galaxian,...
News Pac-Land and Pac-Man Collection Chomp Onto North American Wii U Virtual Console
Part of Nintendo's 30% off E3 eShop promotion
Hot off the heels of Pac-Man's announcement as a playable character in the new Super Smash Bros, two Pac-classics have popped up on the North American Wii U Virtual Console, and you can snag 'em for 30% off as they join
