Retro Re-release Roundup, week of January 22, 2026
FF's finally back.
I've often complained about Sega not paying sufficient attention to their catalog, but if I'd known that focusing on catalog would lead to them systematically minimizing old releases in order to refresh them with "priced-adjusted" versions of dubious equivalence, I might've shut my yap.
ARCADE ARCHIVES / ARCADE ARCHIVES 2
Labyrinth Runner
- Platform: Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S/X (worldwide, ACA2) / Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 (worldwide, ACA)
- Price: $9.99 / €8.99 / £7.39 (ACA2), $7.99 / €6.99 / £6.29 (ACA), $2.99 / €2.99 / £2.49 (ACA-to-ACA2 upgrade)
- Publisher: Hamster / Konami
What's this? A vaguely fantasy-themed overhead run-and-gun action game, originally developed and distributed in arcades by Konami in 1987, with an international release under the title Trick Trap and a sole reissue via Microsoft's late-'00s Xbox 360 Game Room service; the player is tasked with rescuing a loosely-veggie-themed kingdom from an invading devil, a task fulfilled by defeating enemies with one of three shots (from a futuristic gun, mind) and traversing stages that vary from more standard run-and-gun stages to supposed mazes and an on-rails minecart ride.
Why should I care? The "labyrinth" part of the title leaves much to be desired, but the "runner" part is accurate enough: this game's quite quick and, outside of a few ugly sections, quite breezy relative to Konami's usual arcade standard, so if you're tickled by seeing just how quickly you can tear through this one, it might keep you entertained for a brief while. Props must also go to the music, which offers some of the earliest works of Junichiro Kaneda, a composer identified by both their soundtracks for US-facing games like Zen the Intergalactic Ninja and various TMNT titles and their formidable classical-style tunes across the Pop'n Music series (contributed under the alias Waldeus vön Dovjak )
Useless fact: I could not tell you how, if at all, the Trick Trap version differs from Labyrinth Runner, but it's not present here: there are Japanese and international (European, I would presume) versions of Labyrinth Runner, but not the Trick Trap version.
EGG CONSOLE
- Platform: Nintendo Switch (worldwide)
- Price: $6.49 / ¥880
- Publisher: D4 Enterprise / Cosmos Computer
What's this? An action-RPG themed around Greek mythology, originally developed by a group of students at Tokyo Institute of Technology and released in late 1984, with ports to various Japanese microcomputers produced in quick succession; players control the divinely-appointed hero Perseus on a quest to liberate an island of goddesses from the possession of an evil gorgon, a process that involves engaging in bump combat against various foes, leveling up Perseus' attack and defense stats and searching for quest items themed after the zodiac, or by rescuing the three goddesses who have been turned to stone.
Why should I care? The legacy of this game has been reduced to a footnote in the history of Hydlide, the much more popular, acclaimed and influential action-RPG released a month or so later, and while my inclination is to defend it on its own merits, I have to admit that it's thoroughly outclassed by Hydlide in every aspect... I mean, this game has a bigger map, I guess? Look, this is a student project that got swept up in a promotional war against other, better games, so let's try to be nice.
Language barrier? There's virtually no text in this one, so have at it.
G-MODE ARCHIVES+
- Platform: Nintendo Switch (Japan), PC via Steam (worldwide)
- Price: ¥1100 (Switch) / $10.99 or equivalent (PC)
- Publisher: G-MODE / From Software
What's this? The third entry in From Software's series of feature phone companions to their home 3D mech combat series Armored Core, originally developed and published for Japanese cellphones in 2007; this title offers an original story bridging the PlayStation 2 titles Armored Core: Nexus and Armored Core: Last Raven, and builds on the full-3D foundations of its predecessor while also now offering an AC3-series-compliant ranking and mission system to the mobile subseries for the first time.
Why should I care? The prior two Armored Core Mobile reissues were more historically significant than intrinsically enjoyable, but this entry benefits from some significant technical upgrades that might also allow one to pass it off as the real thing and, as with the previous game, being able to play this game outside of the confines of a cellphone number pad does wonders for its playability.
Useless fact: There are two more games in this mobile sub-series: a final numbered game that will almost certainly be reissued in due time, and an online-centric entry released before 3 that may or may not come back if G-MODE is ever willing and able to pursue reissues of network-dependent games.
PLAYSTATION PLUS PREMIUM
January '26 update: Ridge Racer (PlayStation)
What's this? The first home entry in Namco's genre-leading arcade racing game series, originally published as a launch title for the Sony PlayStation in 1994 in Japan and 1995 elsewhere; this version offered a reasonably direct conversion of the 1993 arcade original, with a few additions that include a selection of alternate and/or unlockable cars with different attributes, additional nighttime-in-reverse and mirror-mode race options and a third-person behind-the-car camera option.
Why should I care? First off, let me say that one shouldn't balk at Ridge Racer's modest amount of content, given that the one-ish track is exceptionally well-designed and amply able to burn hours of your life, a fraction of a second at a time. Historically, I think this specific reissue is particularly significant given that we received the first ever authentic home reissue of the arcade original not too long ago, via Arcade Archives: now one can not only directly compare and contrast the contents of the port with the OG, it'll allow people to discover or refresh themselves on just what passed as a "miraculous" port in the early days of 3D consoles, and how many compromises were still necessary to bring cutting-edge games to home platforms in actuality. (Do also note that this port pre-dated PS' Dualshock and the reissue doesn't emulate NeGCon functionality, so you're stuck with digital controls.)
Standalone option? Yup, folks can buy this one directly for $10 or equivalent — no trophies, as per usual with Namco's PS reissues, and I can't currently confirm whether the PS Classics upgrade is currently working.
OTHER
- Platform: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, PC via Steam (worldwide)
- Price: TBA
- Publisher: Limited Run Games / Implicit Conversions
What's this? An emulated collection containing the two PlayStation entries in Core Design's Fighting Force series: the 1997 brawler Fighting Force (later ported to N64 and PC) and the 1997 single-player adventure Fighting Force 2 (later ported to Dreamcast); details are scarce on this one, but I presume it includes Implicit Conversion's standard feature suite, which include save states and rewind functionality.
Why should I care? You're interested in sampling one of the few halfway-credible polygonal brawlers released on PlayStation, or you stand together with most everybody else who ever played Fighting Force in not having ever played Fighting Force 2.
Useless fact: If anyone knows anything about this series, it's probably this factoid, but I'll throw it out there anyway: Core Design initially pitched Fighting Force to Sega as Streets of Rage 4 for Sega Saturn but were turned down, for reasons that may or may not include Sega's disinterest in continuing the series and Core's presumption that they'd be clear to port the game to PlayStation; there's a Saturn build of Fighting Force out there, should you care to dig it up.
Final Fantasy VII REMAKE Intergrade
- Platform: Nintendo Switch 2, Xbox (worldwide)
- Price: $39.99 or equivalent
- Publisher: Square-Enix
What's this? A port of Square-Enix's reimagining of their blockbuster 1997 PlayStation RPG Final Fantasy VII, originally released for PlayStation 4 in 2021 and in enhanced "Intergrade" form for PlayStation 5 and PC in 2021; these new ports include all the features and upgrades from the Intergrade version, including the Yuffie-centric INTERmission DLC expansion, and also sport a new "Streamlined Mode" that essentially juices all of the player's stats, allowing them to experience the game's story with minimal roadblocks. (This new mode will be patched into the existing versions.)
Why should I care? You need something to tide you over until Shadow Madness RE:BUILD.
Helpful tip: Digital "early purchase" versions, available until January 31, include a standalone port of the original FFVII, so be sure to check the store page for the appropriate version before you make your purchase. Additionally, the Switch 2 physical (which is a game key release, just so ya know) includes a FF-themed Magic the Gathering card of some sort, which makes me think it's probably already impossible to get and that this info's already reaching you too late, but it's worth mentioning anyhow.
- Platform: PC via Steam (worldwide)
- Price: $24.99 or equivalent
- Publisher: RS34
What's this? A remaster of Milestone's angsty cel-shaded vertical shooting game Karous, originally released for the NAOMI arcade platform in 2006 and brought to Japanese homes as the final officially-licensed Dreamcast game in 2007, with later ports to Wii as part of the US-released Ultimate Shooting Collection and the Japan-only Milestone Shooting Collection 2, as well as the Japan-only Sakura Flamingo Archives collection for Xbox 360; this crowdfunded remaster, produced by Milestone's successor studio RS34, offers enhancements that include high-definition visual assets, online leaderboards, a new and unabridged English translation and the option to play with a remixed soundtrack with contributions from luminaries Shinji Hosoe and Ayako Saso.
Why should I care? Of all the veteran outfits that have doggedly developed commercial shooting games across the last quarter-decade, Milestone/RS34 are by far the most idiosyncratic and progressive — and potentially the most appealing to people outside of the genre's general audience, one might wager — but the reach of their games outside of Japan has been repeatedly stymied by poor localizations and dishonest publishers, so this self-published and self-localized PC release, produced in conjunction with reputable allies, should hopefully secure an international audience for classic and new games from RS34 for the foreseeable future. As for the game itself, the game systems share a post-Compile, caravan-on-steroids sensibility with the rest of Milestone/RS34's oeuvre and one that's quite distinct from the usual Cave/Touhou precepts, but the game's aesthetic and worldview takes the creator's usual below-the-surface bleakness and brings it all to the forefront, with as much '00s adolescent ennui as one can stomach. (Both versions of the soundtrack are laced with top-class drum-and-bass/breakbeat tunes, too.)
Helpful tips: There are Switch and PS versions of this port out in Japan that should be making their way to international storefronts in due time; additionally, the crowdfunding campaign that funded this port was the first step in an initiative to revive Karous as a series, with Karous 2 now confirmed to be in development.
- Platform: Nintendo Switch, PC via Steam (worldwide)
- Price: $6.99 or equivalent
- Publisher: Ankake Spa
What's this? A remaster of doujin circle Ankake Spa's overhead 3D action game Youyou Kengeki Musou, originally released for PC in 2011; this version adopts visual assets from their most recent game, Touhou New World, and sports a new offical English localization, changes to selecting character skills, tweaks to the difficulty (including softer consequences for failing a platforming challenge) and other adjustments.
Why should I care? You understand that this game was and still is a predecessor to their other games — it's still very much a linear action game with RPG trappings, with little of the full-blown Falcom-isms present in their later works, and it doesn't necessarily suffer for lacking those elements. (You, the player, might suffer whenever you're expected to jump onto something, but ya get used to it...)
Useless fact: The international home port of the successor to this game, subtitled Scarlet Curiousity, was one of the first big victories for publishers being able to release Touhou-derivative games on consoles... and it's very nearly Retronauts-worthy at this point.
- Platform: Nintendo Switch 2 (worldwide)
- Price: $19.99 or equivalent
- Publisher: 3goo / Dimps
What's this? A Switch 2 version of Dimps' 2005 arcade fighting game The Rumble Fish 2, which saw a Japan-only revision for the NESiCA arcade platform in 2012 and made its way to home platforms for the first time in 2022; this version offers all the changes and additions of the previous home port, which was based on the 2012 revision and further adds a detailed training mode, 16:9 playfield and online play with rollback netcode, and throws in some Switch 2-specific enhancements that include crossplay with OG Switch, higher-res visuals and an exclusive team battle mode.
Why should I care? You're looking to experience or rediscover a very specific flavor of classic fighting game made by folk who cut their teeth during the Neogeo era of SNK and would be tapped to make Street Fighter IV just a few years later, or you're intrigued by the game's distinctive "Smooth Model Animation" system, which essentially adopts 3D tweening effects to 2D character visuals in a manner rarely seen in commercial games of this era, and certainly not matched or replicated by non-commercial games using similar techniques in engines like Flash. (it should also be noted that the playable bosses seem to be available by default — these characters were free in arcades but only available as paid DLC in the other ports, and it seems their reaction to that unpopular decision was to throw them in for "free" on Switch 2, but jack the price up by five bucks to compensate.)
Upgrade path? Yes, it'll cost ya $5.
YAKUZA DELISTINGS, PT.DEUX
Yakuza 3 Remastered (PC, PS4, Xbox) delisting scheduled for February 12, sort of
Sega's remake-plus-expansion of Yakuza 3 (for which they just released a demo, by the way) is set to hit PC and consoles in just a few weeks, but when it does, it'll be at the expense of the remaster of the original version, which will be removed from individual purchase — strictly speaking, you'll still be able to buy it if you so desire, but only as part of the "Yakuza Complete Series" bundle, which generally sits at around $130.
