Retro Re-release Roundup, week of November 7, 2019

Between Terry Bogard's arrival in Smash Bros., the imminent release of Kojima Productions' Death Stranding and the assuredly long-awaited release of Just Dance 2020 you're probably good for games for the next year or so, but here's one more new-but-relevant game you may want to consider: Stay Cool, Kobayashi-san! A River City Story, a sci-fi-themed Kunio-kun spinoff and the third Kunio-kun game released in three months. I don't know who's asking for around-the-clock Kunio but I sincerely hope you're happy.

ARCADE ARCHIVES


TNK III

What's this? An overhead tank-shooting game, developed and distributed in arcades by SNK in 1985 and heavily arranged for the NES as Iron Tank some years later; this was the first of many SNK arcade games designed around the rotary "loop lever" control stick, which the player could twist as well as tilt in order to facilitate simultaneous 8-way aiming and movement.

Why should I care? There's both a CONGRATURATIONS and a corny pun waiting at the end.

Useless fact: His participation is acknowledged only in supplementary material but TNK III's protagonist is none other than future Ikari Warriors star Ralf Jones.


PLUG-AND-PLAY HARDWARE

Capcom Home Arcade plug-and-play arcade stick

What's this? A two-player arcade stick in the shape of a giant Capcom logo, pre-loaded with 16 CPS1 & CPS2 arcade games; produced by Koch Media under license from Capcom, this device includes authentic high-end Sanwa parts and is powered by USB, with HDMI output at 1080p, a modest selection of display options and onboard wi-fi that currently only serves to facilitate online leaderboards, as well as an external USB port that currently serves no function. (The emulation itself has been nebulously derived from the open-source emulator FinalBurn Alpha in collaboration with programmer Barry Harris, to some controversy.)

Which games are included? Capcom Home Arcade includes 16 classic and cult titles, including a few that have never been reissued: 1944: The Loop Master, Alien vs. Predator, Capcom Sports Club, Captain Commando, Cyberbots: Fullmetal Madness, Darkstalkers: The Night Warriors, Eco Fighters, Final Fight, Ghouls 'n Ghosts, Giga Wing, Mega Man: The Power Battle, Street Fighter II Turbo: Hyper Fighting, Strider and Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo. (These games are restricted to specific ROMs and their version listings have been surreptitiously removed from the Capcom Home Arcade website.)

Why should I care? You're willing to pay a lot of money for a high-quality pair of sticks with an unwieldy form factor that will probably be permanently tethered to a rather small and unadorned collection of games, or you're just really, really desperate to play Alien vs. Predator.

Helpful tip: For the space-conscious among us, know this: the unit's 74x22x11cm and comes with 2.5m HDMI & micro-USB cables; additionally, reports on powering the system via TV USB have been spotty due to the system's increased power draw relative to more popular mini consoles, so you may require a USB wall adapter and a spare outlet to power the system.


LAST OF THE TRUE HUSTLERS

Just Dance 2020

It's just as simple as it was a decade ago, it's an unabashed content-swap for a years-old product and it's available in several other, more convenient and feature-packed formats but Just Dance has managed to sustain a presence on the Wii for an entire decade, long after most customers and all other publishers stopped paying attention and certainly longer than any other franchise, with a run rivalling known cockroach franchises like FIFA, Pro Evolution Soccer/Winning Eleven and Madden, and an achievement like that deserves commemoration, if not enthusiasm.


DISCOUNTS & DEALS


Terry Bogard ACA Neogeo sale on Switch

SNK's wild wolf has finally made his way to Smash Ultimate and to celebrate, select entries in Terry Bogard's extensive gameography are available at half-off: from the Fatal Fury series, the original game, the dream match Fatal Fury Special and the final entry, Garou: Mark of the Wolves are all discounted, and from the prolific The King of Fighters series, years '95, '97 and 2000 can be had for cheap. (KOF95 was specifically discounted due to it being Smash director Masahiro Sakurai's favourite entry — it's far from the best one but it is the game that debuted Iori Yagami, who Sakurai seems especially fond of.)