Moe Waifu H Genius (PS4, PS5, Switch)
Well I’m not sure what the “Moe” means but “Waifu” is what you hook your internet up to, right? Nah, I’m just joking. I know it means like a pretend girlfriend or something. Anyway, in this game you can unlock pictures of fantasy anime ladies in different outfits by playing a memory game. They’ll play a pattern and you must memorize and repeat it. So yeah, it’s pretty much Simon. It’s available on current PlayStation and Nintendo consoles but reviewed on PS4 here.
Yars Rising (PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, X/S, PC)
As you all may know, I love retro gaming. Heck, I grew up during the Atari and NES days, so it’s part of my childhood. But I do have one retro game that’s on my ‘wall of shame’ because up until now, I never figured out how to play it. And that game is Yars’ Revenge. Oh sure I’ve tried many times to figure it out, especially when I would get a new Atari collection that it was on. And I understand the significance of the game, as it was the best selling game on the Atari 2600 that WASN’T an arcade game first. And the reason why it is called “Yars” is because that’s the name of Atari’s CEO at the time spelled backwards (way to butter up your boss, Howard Scott Warshaw)! But yeah, I’ve never figured out how to really play the game. That is until now, thanks to a new game in the series called Yars Rising. Strangely enough, Yars Rising is actually a “Metroidvania” title mixed with blocky, Atari 2600 style mini-games based on the original Yars. And it was made by WayForward, which really tells you all you need to know about the quality (yeah it’s good). Yars Rising is available on all current consoles and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here.
Cash Cow DX (Switch, PC)
Help a cow grab all the gold in this action game that looks like it came from the 80s golden age of arcades. This game is kind of a mix of Sonic the Hedgehog (there’s even loops on one stage), combined with the platform gameplay of something like Miner 2049er. Cash Cow DX is available on Switch and PC, but reviewed on Switch here.
Kiki: A Vibrant 3D Platformer (PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, X/S, PC)
Kiki may be vibrant, but it’s still a pretty bare bones 3D platformer. View the action in first person perspective as you jump over pits, avoid obstacles like sawblades, and collect stars and trophies as you make your way to the exit. Kiki is available on all current consoles and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here.
Aero the Acro-Bat 2 (Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, X/S)
About a month or so ago I reviewed a re-release of Aero the Acro-Bat, a 16-bit 2D mascot platformer. I rented the game back in the day and honestly didn’t like it very much. But I was glad to be able to review it again because I’m always willing to give a game a second chance. Unfortunately, since I didn’t like the game when I first played it, I never bothered with the sequels and spinoffs so I never got a chance to see how they may have improved. So I’m glad I got a chance to try Aero the Acro-Bat 2. In the game, Aero finds a magician’s box that transports him to all sorts of different worlds and it’s up to him to save the day again in new environments. I believe this re-release is still the SNES version, and it’s available on all current consoles but reviewed on Switch here.
Mining Mechs (PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, X/S, PC)
Bare Butt Boxing (Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, X/S, PC)
Bakeru (Switch, PC)
Well this game certainly took me by surprise, as it’s one of the best games I’ve played this year so far! Bakeru is set in an alternate version of Japan, where fairy tale heroes are real. You play as Bakeru, a shape-shifting tanuki who attacks enemies with taiko drumsticks in his human form. You’ll travel around this cartoony version of Japan in a 3D platformer style adventure. The Japanese themes remind me a lot of games like Okami and the Goemon games (Mystical Ninja in the US). In fact, Good Feel made Bakeru, and one of the guys who founded that company used to work for Konami and made a lot of the Goemon games. So many people say that Bakeru is like a spiritual successor to those. Good Feel also made many games for Nintendo, some of which include Wario Land: Shake it, Kirby’s Epic Yarn, and Yoshi’s Woolly World. And Bakeru is just as good as anything Nintendo has produced this year so far, and it’s available on Switch and PC, but reviewed on Switch here.
Cooking (Switch)
This game may have the most unoriginal title ever, but at least you know what you’re getting. Cooking on Switch looks and plays nearly identical to a game I reviewed a few months back called Tokyo Cooking, except they improved on it in every way. Kind of makes me wonder why they released that one first when they could’ve just done this one. Anyway, you can probably guess what kind of game this is.
SokoPenguin (PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, X/S, PC)
Pengo was one of my favorite arcade games and was one of the few that could pull me away from Pac-Man. So I’m drawn to any type of game starring a block pushing penguin. SokoPenguin is more of a puzzle game where you must push blocks around to make a path so a little penguin can reach its igloo house. It’s available on all current consoles and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here.