Retro Re-release Roundup, week of May 28, 2026
Namco x Namco hits G-MODE Archives.
Forgive me if I have missed or continue to miss any notable re-releases over the next week or so, dear readers: not only are we knee-deep in announcement season, but the makers of Shovel Knight just put out a new game and it's got Yuzo Koshiro tunes in it, so... y'know, priorities.
ARCADE ARCHIVES / ARCADE ARCHIVES 2
Ace Driver
- Platform: Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S/X (worldwide, ACA2) / Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 (worldwide, ACA)
- Price: $17.99 / €14.99 / £11.99 (ACA2), $14.99 / €14.99 / £11.99 (ACA), $2.99 / €2.99 / £2.49 (ACA-to-ACA2 upgrade)
- Publisher: Hamster / Bandai-Namco
What's this? A polygonal Formula 1 racing game in the grand Namco tradition, originally developed for Namco System 22 hardware and distributed in a few different configurations (including a deluxe projector-screen cabinet with force feedback wheel) by Namco in 1994, and never ported or reissued until now; players are challenged to defeat other racers and/or CPU opponents in completing three laps of the included course, with the option of either manual or automatic control and the selectable "beginner", "expert" and "expert (pro)" classes accommodating significantly different degrees of player finesse, from a streamlined experience to one that demands extreme amounts of precision. (The original releases supported up to eight-player multiplayer via networked cabinets; the Arcade Archives 2 version allows for four-player local split-screen multiplayer, whereas the original Arcade Archives version is singleplayer-only.)
Why should I care? As with some other recent Arcade Archives racing game reissues, the amount of capital-c Content available here is modest at best (and may very well be superseded in the future, if and when they reissue the enhanced revision), but what this game offers over those other recent games is a greater demand for mastery, veering far closer to a simulation-esque experience — the sheer amount of focus required to excel in the highest class set a new standard for Namco F1 games, and I do think this game holds up to a degree that might be absent in earlier iterations, beloved as they are. That said...
Helpful tip: ...Nintendo players might want to wait this one out for the moment: unlike Ridge Racer et all, Ace Driver has been released without the ability to use the right stick for acceleration/braking, which means that anyone playing with standard controls is limited to digital controls, which do not provide adequate control for anything beyond the beginner class. (At a glance, I don't see anything relating to force feedback support in the options, either... inessential, but still sorely absent.)
Tatakae! Big Fight
- Platform: Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox, PC via Xbox Play Anywhere (worldwide, ACA2)
- Price: $9.99 / €8.99 / £7.39 (ACA2), $2.99 / €2.99 / £2.49 (ACA-to-ACA2 upgrade)
- Publisher: Hamster / Nichibutsu
What's this? A horizontally-scrolling sci-fi shooting game, originally developed and distributed in arcades by Nichibutsu in 1989, with the global release titled Sky Robo; the game's defining mechanic is the ability to switch the player-ship from fighter form to mecha form, with the mecha form being larger but able to more easily attack in eight directions. (If you thought this already hit ACA, you're not wrong: this is specifically an current-gen ACA2 version/upgrade for the original release, which has been out on PS4 & Switch for a year or so.)
Why should I care? As a game, this one's mostly noteworthy for being Nichibutsu's final conventional game, and for eschewing their usual tendency to pack in a hundred different mechanics at once; as an Arcade Archives drop, it represents the first instance of Hamster going deeper into their back catalog to provide version upgrades, and while the necessity of those potential upgrades varies wildly from game to game, there are a good many ACA reissues that could stand to benefit from a refresh, so here's hoping they're able to keep at it.
Helpful tip: In case you missed it, this release is also hitting PC, a first for a non-Neogeo ACA release. Specifically, it's coming to Windows via Xbox Play Anywhere: not ideal, but better than nothing.
CONSOLE ARCHIVES
Geki-Oh: Shienryu (PlayStation)
- Platform: Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5 (worldwide)
- Price: $11.99 / €10.99 / £9.89
- Publisher: Hamster / Data East / Paon-DP
What's this? A 1999 PlayStation-exclusive remix of Warashi's 1997 arcade shooting game Shienryu, which received conventional ports to Sega Saturn and PlayStation 2 (localized as Steel Dragon EX); this version augments the standard game with a large handful of non-serious arrange modes, which include a mode with a laugh track in the vein of a Japanese comedy show, a horror-themed mode with a spooky soundscape and slower, more bullet-dense gameplay, an impossibly hard mode, a faux-LCD version in the vein of a PocketStation game and more. (This game was localized and released in North America by Natsume in its day but, as seems to be typical with Console Archives releases, Hamster's only offering the Japanese original; in this instance, you're only missing out on translated menus.)
Why should I care? Shienryu was and is a better-than-average shooting game in the Toaplan/Raiden vein (and a sequel in all but name to Athena's Daioh — same devs, same basic design), and one that warrants a more direct reissue at some point, but if you're a more casual player who won't perceive or will otherwise be unbothered by the compromises made to the core experience in the process of porting to PlayStation (audiovisual compromises, missing content including the second loop, lack of vertical display support, no memory card support whatsoever), you're likely to get a kick out of some of the silly arrange modes, if only the one time.
Useless fact: Alongside this release came an announcement from Hamster that they've acquired the game catalog of developer Warashi, save for the late-Dreamcast-era shooting game Triggerheart Exelica, which is owned elsewhere; that said, the vast majority of their catalog consists of Japan-only licensed mahjong games, Japan-only Simple 2000 releases or both, and Hamster has indirectly acknowledged the reality that there's not a lot they can independently do with most of the games they now own.
EGG CONSOLE
Hercules (PC-88)
- Platform: Nintendo Switch (worldwide)
- Price: $6.49 / ¥770
- Publisher: D4 Enterprise / Kogado Studio
What's this? An overhead puzzle-action game with a Greek fantasy motif, originally developed by Kogado Studio and distributed via mail order and Takeru vending machine service in 1986; players control Hercules in their endeavour to complete several dozen "trials", which require them to not only dash and use collectible weapons to take out the various, deterministic enemies that populate each stage, but also to meticulously manipulate bricked walls in order to both defeat enemies and create paths to the next stage.
Why should I care? You have a particular appetite, or at least a tolerance, for games that make little attempt to thread the needle between thoughtful, logical puzzles and a loosey-goosey real-time action interface.
Language barrier? Nope!
G-MODE ARCHIVES+
- Platform: PC via Steam (worldwide), Nintendo Switch (Japan)
- Price: $7.99 / ¥800
- Publisher: G-MODE / Bandai-Namco
What's this? A tactical RPG with an all-star cast of classic Namco characters, originally produced and published for Japanese feature phones by Namco in 2010 via their Namco Games subscription service. Themed around two original characters who are sucked into the world of videogames and fated to defend it against the mysterious "Black Valkyrie", players are tasked with assembling and equipping teams from among the Namco cast (now sporting designs by Boogiepop creator Kouji Ogata) and engaging in a variety of turn-based skirmishes; the game is presented as three separate campaigns, and the order in which they are selected will affect certain elements of the story. (This release also includes a full suite of the summon-style card items that originally required one to spend real money, jump through hoops on a web service or otherwise inconvenience oneself outside of the game.)
Why should I care? You're nostalgic for the Project X Zone games (and, perhaps, forgetful to their many flaws) or old enough to remember pining for, but never getting, a global release for Namco x Capcom — this game is very much in their vein, with Super Robot Wars-esque gameplay in a compact package that mercifully forces them to cut a little of the cruft inherent to those series, and a wide array of Namco characters and cameos with fantastic pixel-art battle animations and fresh designs you won't see anywhere else. Also, Sharon from Numan Athletics is top-tier. (Reminder: G-MODE Archives releases remain in their original Japanese.)
Useless fact: Namco x G-MODE Archives game #3 has already been determined: it's Pac-Man. Not some weird phone-exclusive remix, mind; just plain ol' Pac-Man.
OTHER
- Platform: PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox (worldwide)
- Price: $24.99 or equivalent
- Publisher: Red Art Games / Schnibble Productions
What's this? A collection containing first-ever console ports of the first five mainline entries in the long-running Gobliiins series of point-and-click adventure games, originating on the Commodore Amiga and Atari ST and jumping to PC, WIndows and Mac in the early '90s, with a revival in the late '00s and a second revival just a few years ago, resulting from a successful crowdfunding campaign; this collection contains what looks to be ScummVM implementations of most games (save for the polygonal Gobliiins 4), offering the ability to mix and match visuals, audio and other content from the floppy disk and CD versions, alongside art and music galleries and an interview feature with series creator and steward Pierre Gilhodes.
Why should I care? My first-hand knowledge of this series begins and ends with recognizing the box art, so y'all tell me. I can say that it's particularly notable for being the first commercial reissue of Gobliiins 4, which isn't currently available for purchase outside of this collection.
Helpful tip: There exists a sixth game, released just a few months ago.
Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar
- Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox (worldwide)
- Price: $49.99 or equivalent
- Publisher: Marvelous USA
What's this? A current-gen console port of last year's remake of the 2008 Bokujou Monogatari game subtitled Youkozo! Kaze no Bazaar e, originally developed for the Nintendo DS and published globally in 2010/11 as Harvest Moon DS: Grand Bazaar; this version offers completely new graphics and a contemporary art style, voiced cutscenes, a significantly increased volume with regards to side-activities/collections like fishing and trophies, guest characters from other entries, additions to mobility including gliding on the wind and much more.
Why should I care? While the original DS version was originally seen as the series' tipping point into complacency and lack of ambition, the remake (after a few patches) is widely considered by series devotees as the best game released under the Story of Seasons title, and one of the few that can ably stand next to any of the many popular games in the genre released post-Stardew Valley.
Helpful tip: These ports are coinciding with a "ver1.50" update on existing platforms that adds several convenience features including "the White Wonderstone, a new item which players can use to increase windmill performance temporarily, and the ability for organized farmers to stack or group items of different quality levels." (thank you, press release), as well as a new set of paid DLC costumes for the bachelors & bachelorettes.
