Retro Re-release Roundup, week of October 22, 2026
Capcom's premier horror game comes to PlayStation Plus.
A quick question, while we're all here: where do y'all stand on the "Exoprimal should've been a Dino Crisis sequel" debate — d'ya think Capcom squandered what might've been their last chance to bring the series back outside of reissues, or are you relieved that the series didn't die a second death?
ARCADE ARCHIVES / ARCADE ARCHIVES 2
Ace Driver: Victory Lap
- 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 3D F1 racing game, developed for Namco's System 22 arcade hardware and distributed in arcades in 1996 and never ported or reissued until now; this game succeeds the earlier (and recently-reissued) Ace Driver and builds upon that game with refined controls, remodeled vehicles, a new and persistent soundtrack, additional circuits and more. (As per usual, the 2/4-player local split-screen functionality is exclusive to the Arcade Archives 2 version.)
Why should I care? You bought the first Ace Driver a few months back and have been dying to play a version with more than one track, or one with ever-so-slightly-less-exacting steering... or, you sensibly deduced that if you just waited, you could pick up the more fully-featured revision.
Helpful tip: There are secret button commands that'll let you select the specific BGM tunes that play during a single-player race — they're a little too cumbersome to list here, but they're outlined in the digital manual.
CONSOLE ARCHIVES
Raiden Project (PlayStation)
- Platform: Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5 (worldwide)
- Price: $11.99 / €10.99 / £9.89
- Publisher: Hamster / Seibu Kaihatsu
What's this? A two-pack containing ports of the original arcade versions of Seibu Kaihatsu's genre-leading military-themed vertical shooting games Raiden and Raiden II, originally released as a launch-window PlayStation title in 1995; these versions offer faithful reproductions of each game with the option for arranged BGM, some basic controller and game setting options (including a native vertical display option, albeit one that only rotates one way) and a quaint polygonal frontend menu. (This reissue only includes the Japanese version, but the differences between it and the internationally-released versions are not overly substantial.)
Why should I care? You want a convenient way to sample two of the most popular and influential arcade shooting games of all time, and are a relatively casual player who isn't going to balk at the minor inaccuracies of these ports that were and still are, in most respects, eminently respectable. (I cannot guarantee the Console Archives release isn't crippled by excessive additional input lag.)
Useless fact: Raiden II was announced for release via Arcade Archives many, many years ago, and as far as I'm aware, it is still in the works; why it has yet to eventuate, I couldn't tell ya, but between the notoriously difficult copy protection and the numerous undocument per-region and per-era ROM revisions, one can imagine why an authentic arcade reissue might not be so simple...
EGG CONSOLE
- Platform: Nintendo Switch (worldwide)
- Price: $6.49 / ¥770
- Publisher: D4 Enterprise / Compile
What's this? A fixed-screen shooting game, originally contracted to and developed by Compile for the MSX in 1983; players are tasked with defending the cities of the world from an alien invasion, which requires them to not only move left and right and fire shots or obstructive mines at invading UFOs but to ensure the cities depicted along the bottom of the screen are not struck by enemy attacks.
Why should I care? You respect any and every deviation from the basic Space Invaders/Galaga/Moon Cresta format.
Language barrier? Not even a little bit.
PLAYSTATION PREMIUM
October '26 update: Dino Crisis 2 (PlayStation)
What's this? The second game in Capcom's short-lived Dino Crisis series of dinosaur-themed action-horror games, originally developed and published for Sony PlayStation in 2002 and ported to Windows in 2002 and again quite recently; this sequel offered a bold change from the original, going in a more bombastic and action-packed direction that minimized the Resident Evil-esque tension in favor of bombast and a more agile and frenetic score-based combat system.
Why should I care? You want to experience the definitive Dino Crisis game and Capcom's first meaningful deviation from the Resident Evil format for 3D "adventure action" — think of it as an important step between RE and the likes of Devil May Cry or Onimusha, or a what-if take on Resident Evil 6's Mercenaries mode as interpreted via the technological and design precepts of the year 2000. (You might also be curious to see what Ace Attorney creator Shu Takumi was up to pre-AA: he was directing this bad boy.)
Standalone availability? You can buy this one right now for the equivalent of $10.
OTHER
Azure Striker Gunvolt Trilogy Enhanced
- Platform: Nintendo Switch 2 (worldwide)
- Price: $49.99 or equivalent, $9.99 upgrade from Switch version
- Publisher: Inti Creates
What's this? A Switch 2 port of last year's Azure Striker Gunvolt Trilogy Enhanced, a remastered three-pack of the mainline games in Inti Creates' Azure Striker Gunvolt series of technical side-scrolling action games which originated on Nintendo 3DS in 2014; in addition to offering all three games with enhancements, tweaks and system changes standardized and/or back-ported from a decade's worth of updates, new and/or revised multi-language localizations and the inclusion of a wealth of supplementary media, some of which was localized for the first time, this new Switch 2 version introduces "Gunvolt GX", a new Gunvolt/Copen tag-team mode that promises to tie together many of the disparate and/or dubiously-canon branches of the current story.
Why should I care? You're someone who felt let down by the original Gunvolt releases due to their unintuitive, one-layer-removed score-centric focus but feel they're owed a second chance: Inti's done everything possible to make these games more immediately approachable, and to save Gunvolt himself from being the most unwelcoming element of his own series, and I do think the series is at a point where the average casual Mega Man X enjoyer might finally be able to appreciate them as they were intended to be appreciated.
Helpful tip: The Gunvolt GX content is also available as $10 DLC for the PS5 and PC versions of Trilogy Enhanced
- Platform: PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2 (worldwide)
- Price: $29.99 or equivalent
- Publisher: Clear River Games / Rocket Studio
What's this? Current-gen console ports of Cotton Reboot, the remaster of the first entry in Success' goofy halloween-spooky shooting game series Cotton that made its way to consoles and PC in 2021; in addition to all the content from the initial release, which includes a recreation of the expanded Sharp X68000 version of the original game alongside a new, redrawn HD arrange mode, these new console ports also include a maximalist "Nightmare Mode" that promises to take advantage of the more modern consoles' extra juice. (These ports are coming courtesy of a different publisher, so there's no upgrade path of any kind from the previous-gen versions.)
Why should I care? Your mind is boggled by the many new and old Cotton games that have been releasing over the last few years and you want to start with the most conservative choice: that is, a release that's equal parts vintage and modern, with a relatively simple game system and none of the technical or design baggage that might come with other Cotton reissues. (Ideally, you're also very tolerant of absurd amounts of items covering the screen at any given moment.)
Helpful tip: These ports are dropping alongside Cotton Reboot High Tension, a brand-new original Cotton for PS4/5/Switch by the same team that builds on the foundation of Reboot's arrange mode, and one that I'd argue is more fun overall... but maybe you'd rather wait for the inevitable PC and/or Switch 2 version, now that the precedent has been set for fashionably late ports.
- Platform: PC via Steam (worldwide)
- Price: $14.99 or equivalent
- Publisher: Atooi
What's this? A fresh port of the second and last game in Renegade Kid's Dementium series of first-person horror games, originally developed for the Nintendo DS in 2010 and given a touched-up, HD-compliant PC port by Memetic Games in 2013; this new version replaces the previous PC port and essentially seeks to transplant the original DS experience with adjustments for single-screen play and mouse/keyboard or controller inputs, as well as the option for either the original, primitive DS flashlight effect or a more convincing modern implementation, resolution options and more.
Why should I care? You, like everyone else, were thoroughly unimpressed by the older and incredibly shoddy "HD" version, produced without the assistance or consent of the original developers, and would like to finally experience a more authentic version outside of the confines of the DS (and you're prepared to accept that this isn't necessarily an experience that transcends the novelty of being a mature-minded independent game developed for a platform that was lacking in both).
Helpful tip: Owners of the previous Steam release can claim this one for free — that older release is now delisted, but Indiegala and other key resellers are still selling keys for pennies.
- Platform: PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox, PC via Steam (worldwide)
- Price: $5.99 or equivalent
- Publisher: Shinyuden / Ratalaika / Masaya
What's this? An emulated reissue of Masaya's Sega Mega Drive mecha war strategy game Vixen 357, originally published exclusively in Japan and recently translated and officially reissued on Mega Drive-compliant cartridges; this digital release includes the new localization alongside Ratalaika's usual feature suite, which includes save states, rewind, button and screen options, cheats, art galleries and more.
Why should I care? You want to play a game that could be considered a very loose antecedent to the Front Mission series, and you set yourself some very modest expectations.
Useless fact: Among the many previous false-start attempts to bring this game to global audiences was a proposed remake by the team that brought you (or didn't) the infamous homebrew Genesis brawler Paprium.
