EA has re-released 25 classic PC games on Steam and GOG, with some titles receiving new Anniversary Editions featuring quality-of-life improvements. As part of the effort, EA restored and re-edited FMV cutscenes for Wing Commander, sourcing material from Betacam tapes. The release covers a broad swathe of EA's classic PC catalogue brought back for modern storefronts. via gamesasylum.com
Time Extension has published a feature examining what Japanese action-adventure games looked like before The Legend of Zelda arrived on 21st February 1986. The piece argues that pinpointing a genre's true origin is difficult, since earlier precedents can usually be found with enough research. It notes that action-adventures developed alongside, and overlapping with, traditional turn-based RPGs in Japan, at a time when the RPG itself was not yet a clearly defined category there. The feature looks at titles from before Zelda's release to trace how the genre took shape. via timeextension.com
Developer Rake in Grass has announced Underkeep, a new first-person dungeon crawler for PC, alongside fresh footage of the game. The style recalls classic grid-based dungeon crawlers such as Dungeon Master, Eye of the Beholder and Ishar, a genre with a dedicated following among retro PC gamers. Underkeep is positioned as a modern entry in that lineage, aimed at players who enjoy exploring and fighting their way through dungeons from a first-person perspective. via indieretronews.com
The YouTube channel MetalJesusRocks has posted a video titled "EA Restored 1,500+ FMV Cutscenes + Revives 25 Classic PC Games!". The title indicates the video covers EA's restoration of over 1,500 FMV cutscenes and the revival of 25 classic PC games. via YouTube
Developer Laluigi has released Stack a Tower PSX, a homebrew arcade game for the original PlayStation. The goal is to build the tallest tower possible by pressing a button at the right moment to drop each piece onto the stack below. Any overhanging portion of a misaligned piece falls away, making precise timing essential to keep the tower growing. The game is inspired by the mobile title Stack Tower and includes online leaderboards, with the current build listed as version 1.1. via psxhomebrewgames.com
RetroRGB posted a livestream demonstrating how to install the ArcStation, an optical drive emulator. The hardware installation itself reportedly took under ten minutes, with the remainder of the stream devoted to SD card setup along with configuring cheats and cover art. Optical drive emulators let owners of original consoles load games from SD cards or USB storage instead of discs, avoiding wear on ageing disc drives. via retrorgb.com
Zero, a new anti-gravity racing game inspired by Nintendo's F-Zero, has been released for the Game Boy Color. It comes from developer Shane McCafferty, who previously created the first-person shooter Wolf and a Game Boy Color port of OutRun for the handheld. The game was first teased on social media in August before this full release. via timeextension.com
A browser-based version of Need for Speed: Underground 2 has surfaced, allowing players to race each other online without original hardware or an emulator. According to the report, thousands of players have been taking part simultaneously. Need for Speed: Underground 2 originally released in 2004 for PC, PS2, Xbox and GameCube, and remains popular among fans of early 2000s street racing games. via retrododo.com
Time Extension has revisited the Japanese television commercial for The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past from 1991, which features actors dressed as Link, Zelda, Gibdos and Stalfos dancing to a memorable rap track. The site had long assumed the song was written specifically for the advert, but says it discovered, via a Japanese music credit, that the track actually predates the commercial. A Link to the Past was originally released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1991. via timeextension.com
A Kickstarter campaign has gone live for Golden Age, a new print publication from Jaz Rignall, described as a successor to classic magazines Mean Machines and Computer and Video Games. Rignall writes that he launched and ran a string of best-selling publications during the 1980s and 1990s, including Zzap!64, CVG, Mean Machines, and the official Sega and Nintendo magazines. Golden Age is positioned as a continuation of that style of games journalism for a modern audience. via timeextension.com
A new print publication called Golden Age is being promoted as coming from the makers of three well-known British games magazines: Mean Machines, Computer and Video Games (CVG), and ZZAP! 64. These titles were prominent fixtures of UK games journalism in the 1980s and 1990s, covering Nintendo and Sega consoles, home computers generally, and Commodore 64 software respectively. Golden Age is positioned as a new venture focused on classic video gaming, following earlier teases of its launch. via kickstarter.com
Hamster Corporation has confirmed that Taito's 1987 arcade shooter Exzisus will join its Arcade Archives series on November 5, releasing on PlayStation, Xbox Series and Nintendo Switch platforms. The horizontally scrolling shmup lets players pilot a transforming mech that switches between a human form and a ship configuration while battling an invading army. The news was first reported by Japanese outlet Famitsu as part of Hamster's November Arcade Archives lineup. via timeextension.com
