Retro-Bit has announced that they’re dipping back into the Toaplan Genesis/Mega Drive well for another collection. The Toaplan Shooters Collection Volume 2 is a physical set of three Genesis/M?ega Drive games by the legendary de?veloper.

The games included are Twin Cobra, Grind Stormer, and Slap Fight MD. All of which are among the best of Toaplan’s output, which puts them up there on the ladder of shoot-’em-ups in general. But while Toaplan is perhaps best remembered for their pioneering efforts in the bullet hell sub-genre, none of the included games have reached that point (Batsugun is sometimes considered the first). Nonetheless, they’re a set of somewhat weird scrolling shooters that are something of a rarity on Genesis. In fact, this will be the first time Slap Fight MD is being?? released in North America, and I’ll get to the reason why that’s pretty cool in a minute.

Twin Cobra is the game that I’m most familiar with. That’s mainly owed to the fact that it got an NES port, but it was hardly scarce on Genesis. It’s one of the developer’s seminal games and helped establish their approach to the genre. It’s a vertical shooter where you play as a helicopter and fight tanks and other modern military hardware. It always felt to me like a bit of a midpoint between 1942 and Raiden.

Grind Stormer is a pretty goofy name, which is too bad because in Japan it was called V-V. Now that I look at it, that looks like an emoji, but is actually supposed to be pronounced V-Five. It’s pretty intense, but is still a bit more subdued than a true bullet hell shooter. It loses a bit of its visual arcade splendor on Genesis, but it’s made up for by including two modes: one exclusive to consoles and another that stic??ks closer to the arcade version?.

Finally, there’s Slap Fight MD, which is a name that never stops being funny to me. You might expect that this is another funny localization title, but no, that’s the original Japanese. It makes me think of something like Twinbee, with the titular character actually using its massive hands to slap enemies out of the air. Instead, it’s a 1986 vertical shooter where the main hook is being able to essentially overpower your ship. The Genesis version is particularly special, however, as it includes a sort of remake/remix mode. That’s cool enough, but Toaplan had Yuzo Koshiro contribute his take on the score. If you aren’t familiar, Yuzo Koshiro is a legendary composer responsible for the soundtracks of Streets of Rage, Beyond Oasis, and Actraiser. He’s actually working on a new Genesis shoot-’em-up right now, Earthion.

A few years ago, Retro-Bit released the first collection, which was a set of four games. That one included Truxton, Hellfire, Fire Shark, and Zero Wing. Unfortunately, they have stated that they won’t be producing ??another run of the first collection to go alo?ngside Volume 2. It’s a shame, since I missed it.

You can buy the games à la carte, or ?get the full collection with a slipcase, digital clock, interview with Masahiro Yuge, and a sheet of puffy stickers. Each one comes in a different translucent cartridge color and has a reversible sl??ipcover. I’ve received a few of Retro-Bit’s previous releases, and they’re very high quality with lavish attention to detail. Feels great in the hand and as expected in the console.

Pre-orders for Toaplan Shooters Collection Volume 2 start today and run until December 1st. If you miss the window, you’ll still be able to buy it from select retailers like Castlemania Games and Rondo Products.

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Twitter user playsegasaturn has posted images from Gamescom dis??playing a Sega Saturn arcade stick and a prototype wireless Dreamcast controller. These haven’t been officially announced by the company and seem?? to be in an early state, but they’re a good indication of future plans.

The arcade stick is somewhat similar to the console’s Virtua Stick (it’s displayed next to a Virtua Stick box) whil??e also being evocative of the Sega Astro City control panel. It has 8 buttons and (confusingly) labeled for both Switch and other platforms. There’s a large number of sync options on the dial for xinput, dinput, Switch, Sega Saturn, and so on.

Besides that, there is the wireless Dreamcast controller. It looks to largely be a similar form factor as the standard-issue console controller. However, there are additional face buttons and a d?ifferent stick and d-pad. Notably, there is no window for a VMU display. However, there is also what looks like the preliminary mold for something that would contain a?? VMU. Either way, it looks like a very early prototype, and it could change. I don’t know why it would have such a large face without the VMU window, so I imagine it just isn’t implemented yet.

Neither device has yet received Sega’s approval, so things may change to meet their vision. Retro-bit has previously released replica Genesis and Saturn controllers, and have even released a new wireless Saturn controller with added analog sticks.

I could honestly use a wireless Dreamcast controller. Living rooms have changed, and I have had to buy cable extenders for my wired ones. On the other hand, I don’t need a new stick. I’ve done modifications on the one I currently use to make it suit my preferences, and they take up a lot of space. However, if the design changes to something closer to a Sega Astro City panel, the?n I may be enticed.

No ??word on when we’ll see either?? of the controllers.

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The next retro re-issue from Retro-Bit has been announced. For this one, they’re going to be localizing the former Super Famicom Satellaview exclusive Kaizō Chōjin Shubibinman Zero to the SNES as Shockman Zero.

If this sounds familiar, Ratalaika and Shiyuden announced a digital version, Cyber Citizen Shockman Zero, not long ago. There was also a fan translation that reached completion last ye??ar. Th??is release isn’t related to either of those, with Retro-Bit’s featuring their own bespoke translation.

The Retro-Bit version comes on a translucen?t orange cartridge (they call the color “Shock Orange�?, packed in a hardcover case, and with an instruction manual. Notably, they have all new artwork for the release done by Moises Juarez (aka Danmakuman) that looks pretty great. I’ve covered Retro-Bit’s reissues before, and to reiterate on my opinion on their quality: fantastic. I’m happy to see Shockman Zero in a translucent shell since they often do a neat design on the circuit board.

If you’re unfamiliar with Shockman Zero, it’s something of a cross between Mega Man and a beat-’em-up. There’s action platforming, but instead of shooting enemies, you have to physically hit them. It’s the fourth in the Shubibibman (Shockman) series, and many fans say it’s the best of the bunch. It was originally only broadcast over the Satellaview system, which means it was next to imp??ossible to buy unless someone had left it written to a BS-X cartridge. In 2017, it got its first cartridge release by Columbus Circle, but only in Japan (also unrelated to this one). This makes this the first cartridge release in the West.

Shockman Zero will be up for pre-order June 25 to July 28, and will begin shipping out sometime in Q4 of 2024. It can be picked up through Limited Run Games, Rondo Products, and Castlemania Entertainment for $59.99. If you miss out, there will also be limited quantities at independent retailers once the pr?oduction is complete.

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Retro-Bit has announced the next in line for their retro reproductions. This time, they’re visiting Jaleco’s 1990 arcade classic-ish game, Rod Land, or as it’s known in Japan, Yōsei Monogatari Rod Land. Th??ey are re-issuing the N?ES version that was exclusive to Europe and Japan, as well as the Japan-only Game Boy version.

Rod Land is a fixed-screen action game similar to Bubble Bobble or The Fairyland Story. You play as either Tam or Rit. Equipped with magic, er, rods, they grab hold of enemies and smack them around or into other enemies. Sometimes, enemies drop v??arious explosive devices, which can be kicked to blow other enemies up. You can’t jump, but you can put up ladders to climb to higher ledges.

It’s a pretty good arcade title (available through the Arcade Archives series), and the NES and Game Boy ports are solid, as well. They both need to make changes for the limitations of each platform, but they’re still a lot of fun. The Game Boy version has some scrolling and you can attack from ladders. It has some additional power-ups, and the enemies will walk ??directly to you, making them easier to clear.

The NES version changes a lot of enemy behav?ior, adds some levels, and allows you to jump. It’s also a bit easi??er than the Arcade version, but the game continues after what would be the end of other versions. It helps to really extend the gameplay. It can also be played simultaneously with two players.

Both Retro-Bit versions come on sparkly silver cartridges. They come with instructions, keep cases with a m?agnetic flap, and the NES version also comes with an acrylic stand. I’ve covered Retro-Bit’s releases in the past and they’re pleasing quality.

Retro-Bit’s Rod Land reproductions will be a??vailable to preorder from June 4 to July 7, 2024 via Limited Run Ga?mes, Rondo Products, and Castlemania Games. The NES version will be $54.99 while the Game Boy is $44.99.

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I’ve written about Assault Suits Valken so many times now. More than I ever thought I would. When I played it under the name Cybernator as a kid, I didn’t think one day I’d be spouting novels about its stompy robots. But here I am with Retro-Bit’s re-issue of the title.

In fact, normally when Retro-Bit sends me one of their reissues, I write a whole, in-depth article talking about the game, but I don’t know how I’d do it a third time. I’ve told you it’s great �?twice �?and those articles are still available.

However, as a quick refresher, Assault Suits Valken (sort of sequel to Assault Suits Leynos or Target Earth) was localized by Konami in 1993 as Cybernator. Beyond giving a terribl??e name to an awesome game, they also censored part of it, cut some minor features (largely, the character portraits), and didn’t do the best job of translating it?.

Last year, Rainmaker Productions re-translated and re-released it as Assault Suits Valken: Declassified. It’s a solid but kind of expensive port to modern consoles, but at least it restored all t?he features and uncensored the ending.

Now, Retro-bit has not only re-translated it (separately from Rainmaker’s version) but has reproduced it as a sort of special edition SNES cart. So, no??w you can play a more faithful version on the original hardware.

Assault Suits Valken comes in “deluxe�?and “collectors�?editions. The collectors edition is the most basic with a ??cardboard keep cas??e and instruction manual. The cartridge itself is “Bronze Shielded,�?which is a coppery metallic finish.

I was provided the deluxe edition, which has the same gear as the collectors edition but with an “Aurum Armor Gold�?cartridge and a second case with a bunch of extras. It comes with a pretty neat translucent sta??nd that looks like a diagram of the ASS-117A Valken armor, a coin, and a “Soundbytes�?keychain that makes some of the power-up noises from the game. I could do without the knick-knacks, but the standee is kin?d of neat.

The quality is the same as Retro-bit’s previous releases, which is to say: pretty awesome. Rather than go for the appearance of an authentic product, Retro-bit aims to ?make them more like special editions, which is a great way to go about it. While the keep case is cardboard, it’s less like packaging and more like a hardcover book. It has a magnetic closure that makes it feel really solid. The cartridge has the same look, feel, and fit as an official cartridge. The color and big, expressive label with embossed features?? help make it feel a bit more deluxe.

I’m not a ??huge fan of either choice of cartridge color, but I’m happy they aren�?�t grey.

It’s hard to r??eally comment on the translation because ??I’m used to reading it one way, and any change from that is weird. It’s also going to be a matter of preference. Retro-bit’s release does not use the same translated script as Rainmaker Productions/M2’s. I found it better in some ways, but worse in others. The fourth mission is a good example. When one of the enemy pilots reports that they’re unable to halt their re-entry trajectory, in the Rainmaker version they say:

“My ve-vernier is broken! He-Help me!�?/p>

While in Retro-bit’s they say:

“I can’t increase the thrust of my ve-vernier�?H-help me…�?/p>

They're extremely similar and communicate the same thing (th??ough, I’m not sure why neither capitalized “Vernier�?. However, I think the Retro-bit version is slightly more natural than saying t??he expensive military hardware you're piloting is "broken." On the other hand, at the beginning of that same mission, the text crawl reads for Rainmaker:

�?.. all I can do is watch on the monitors as my external armor begins to glow red…�?/p>

But Retro-bit phrases it:

�?.. I watched my hot armor starting ?to?? burn on the monitors."

Here, I prefer Rainmaker’s version of the phrase because it paints the scene better. But neither compares with Konami’s version in Cybernator:

“The long ten seconds to death begins now...�?/p>

There really is no perfect translation.

One thing that is lost in Retro-bit’s version is the ability to name your pilot. This was in both Cybernator and Assault Suits Valken Declassified, but not in the Retro-bit re-release. They say this is because it would have caused issues with the displayed text. This means tha??t you’re going to have to play with ??the protagonist’s default name “Jake.�?It’s not a dealbreaker, but that does kind of suck.

Otherwise, it’s a more faithful version of Assault Suits Valken. If you haven’t played it, know that it’s a pretty stellar 16-bit sidescroller that feels like a precursor to something like Steel Battalion. In the future, war still sucks, but at least we have big robots. Limited continues make it extremely difficult to see the end, but the outstanding music, detailed art, and intricate controls make it all worth playi??ng.

An original copy of Cybernator has steadily risen in price over the last decade to the point where Retro-bit’s re-issue is a great value in comparison. It might not be as tantalizing as when they tackle a much harder to find title, but?? it’s not a bad value if you like to play on the original hardware like I do.

I got my copy early, and the initial preorders from Limited Run Games have ended. However, you’ll still be able to pick up both versions of Assault Suits Valken from retailers later in May.

It’s nice to see Assault Suits Valken get the respect that it deserves. While it’s not the absolute most obscure game in the SNES library, it’s not as well-recognized as it should be. It’s an absolute masterclass title that belongs on the podium with the generation’s best. It should be encased in actual gold, but I suppose gold-colored plastic is close enough. For now�?/p>

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Retro-Bit has announced that the next in their line of retro reproductions/reissues/special editions is 1995’s Majyūō (sometimes translated as Majuu O?u). Previously only released in Japan on the Super Famicom, Retro-Bit will be localizing the game for the first time in an official capacity.

It’s being localized as Majyūō - King of Demons, which feels pretty appropriate. This is perhaps Retro-Bit's raddest deep cut yet. You play as Abel, who is trying to save his daughter from demons. He starts off as this regular-looking dude with a pistol but gets transformed into different?? demon things when you pick a crystal up off of a boss.

It’s so awesome, but it’s hard to describe why. It uses this charmingly low-detail art style with surprisingly high-detail animations. It might just be because I really like SNES horror games, and Majyūō kind of gives off Demon’s Crest vibes. It’s a bit on the short side, however. Nothing? too egregious for the platform, but you could probably beat it over a weekend rental.

The original Super?? Famicom version sells for a pretty high price on the collector’s market, but it got a 2017 reproduction which also was exclusive to Japan. Retro-Bit will be producing the cartridges with what looks like? a transparent black shell with a red PCB underneath. They call the color scheme “Demonic Heart,�?which is pretty great in its own right. It comes with a magnetic cartridge box, manual, and an embossed slipcover.

Retro-Bit is doing a full translation of Majyūō - King of Demons for this release being done by their team. That’s important since there’s ??an in-game s?tory and dialog, which wasn’t all that common in action games at the time. Aiming to keep with the tone of the Japanese text, Retro-Bit warns that there will be cussing.

Full disclosure: Retro-Bit has been sending me their releases, and I typically cover them in my column. I love their selection of obscure games, but I give bonus points ?when a company goes the distance by localizing a previously Japan exclusive. The quality of their products is great as well, going for a more lavish feel than an official release rather than trying to just replicate the product as it originally was. They? show a certain reverence to these niche little titles with good attention to detail. I feel a certain kinship.

Majyūō - King of Demons will be available for preorder on February 6, 2024, on SNES via Castlemania Games, Rondo Products, and Limited Run Games for $59.99. Preorders will run until March 12, 2024. It’s planned to then ship in Q3 202??4

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As with El Viento, I hadn’t heard of Sol-Deace before Retro-Bit’s reproduction of it was announced. However, it’s a good partner since, like El Viento, it was developed by Wolf Team.

Sol-Deace has something of a confusing history. It was originally released in Japan in 1990 on the Sharp X68000 where it was called Sol-Feace. It would then be ported to the Sega CD in 1991, but when it arrived on a Genesis/Mega Drive cartridge in 1992, it was named Sol-Deace. I don't know why the name changed, but the story uses Feace and Deace as surnames, which maybe they are. Weird words to me, so I'm not sure why they chose them. If I ?had to guess, I’d say the words probably sound cool to the Japanese ear. However, my only basis for that is the theory that I have no other explanation.

We had it coming

Sol-Deace is a horizontal scrolling shoot-’em-up. Humankind created the AI GCS-WT in the 31st century, and, predictably, it backfired. It rightfully decided it was superior to humans (as if that was a high benchmark) and demanded their subjugation. Humans, not knowing what’s good for them, went to war with the GCS-WT and got their asses handed to them. Some of them retreated to Sirius where they went to work developing �?and you can probably guess this part �?a single high-tech figh??ter to combat the AI. 

Listen, I’m? not a scientist, an engineer, or a warmonger, but I’d think a computer virus would be more effective against an AI than a solitary space jet.

In any case, the Sol-Deace is piloted by Ship Navigator E??ric and Weapons Commander Misao. Oo-la-la. Do you think they’re smooching in there? I bet they are.

The Sega CD version tells a different version of the story. Dr. Feace hacks into the GCS-WT and deletes “the data�?from “the data bank,�?which forces the AI into a recovery period and gives them an opening to attack with the Sol-Feace. You see? That’s what I was saying. I’m not sure why Dr. Deace didn’t think of that. Maybe that sort of logic doesn’t fi??t on a Genesis cartridge.

Top-of-the-line

Sol-Deace loses some cutscenes and a??udio fidelity from the Sega CD version, but the games are the same.

It’s tempting to call Sol-Deace a boilerplate shoot-’em-up, but it does have a number of mechanics?? that make it unique. The core feature is the fighter’s stacked weaponry. While you start with the standard issue pea shooter, you fly into upgrades that stick to the top and bottom of your ship, giving you three-tiered firepower.

What’s unique about this is that they can each be a different weapon, and you can change how they’re aligned. If you speed up without firing, the weapons open up, giving you an angled spread. If you slow down, you can close them again. You can also stagger their alignment so only the top or bottom is shooting at an angle, but I found that difficult to work out in the midst of battle. It’s a bit like the option system from Gradius, but it ??also gives you some control as to whether you’re focusing more on defense or offense. There are also moments where you can set your s?pread in a particular way to take out multiple targets at once.

You’ll probably find these moments because Sol-Deace is a rather difficult shooter. I’ve found that a lot of console titles in the genre lean on limited continues to extend their runtime out of rental range. However, Sol-Deace doesn’t. You can try a ?level as many times as you’d like. That tak??es some real guts.

Put your hands together if you want to clap

You’ll need those continues. Sol-Deace isn’t a bullet hell shooter, but you’ll constantly be fitting your ship into small gaps, because there is always an unconscionable amount of things on screen. The variety o??f enemies is dizzying, but the developers also favored giant, rotating sprites. The screen is almost constantly full, even at the expense of the framerate. 

In fact, Wolf Team was so dedicated to jamming everything they could into the game, that everything seems to be fighting for the same sound channel as your ship’s weaponry. The soun??d of your “pew-pew-pew�?gets cut off constantly in favor of something else going on, leading to a sputtering noise. This happens in both the Sega CD and Genesis versions.

On the other hand, they also mana?ged to cram in some little details I thought were cool. If a smaller enemy gets up behind you, you can destroy them with your thrusters. You also don’t immediately die if you hit a wall. Your ship will just bounce off it in a shower of sparks.

Speaking of the sounds, I could instantly tell Motoi Sakuraba was behind the soundtrack. How? He’s the only Genesis composer I know of who makes extensive use of a clap as a percussive noise. It stood out to me in El Viento, and you can hear that sample as early as the first level. It’s charming ?in a retro kind of way.

With or witho??ut the clapping, the soundtrack is awesome. It helped ease the fact that I was trying the same levels repeatedly trying to make progres?s.

That may sound frustrating, but Sol-Deace manages to hit a pace that really ma??kes you want to get better at the levels. You’re constantly learning from your mistakes and discovering new strategies to get by the road bumps you hit on the way to the boss. There’s a certain level of memorization required for each stage, and finally, toppling a boss feels earned. It’s satisfying to make progress in a way th??at I’m not sure I’ve ever felt in a shoot-’em-up.

What really matters

The Retro-Bit reproduction of Sol-Deace is once again a pretty lavish treatment. As with their other Genesis/Mega Drive reissues, it comes in a clamshell case with reversible cover art and an embosse??d slipcase. The cartridge ??is translucent black with little sparkles in it. It’s a pretty great way to play on original hardware with a bit of extra pizzazz.

Mostly, I appreciate their work bringing the work that companies like them do in bringing some of these games back from obscurity. Renovation-published games like Sol-Deace ar??e also available through Antstream Arcade and Evercade’s Renovation Collection, but for those of us who like to bond with games through physical contact, Retro-Bit does a good job of re-issuing them without making them feel like affectionate tributes rather than counterfeits.

In the last care package I got from Retro-Bit, it was the shoot-’em-up, Gley Lancer, that stood out to me most. With this set, it’s the shoot-’em-up again. Sol-Deace seemed a bit plain on the surface, but the more I played it, the more I began to love it. I really dig the confident challenge of it, and it has a number of small touches that make it shine. It isn’t quite as aesthetically impressive as Gley Lancer, but it does have what really matter??s: the clapping.

For other retro titles ?you may have missed, click ri?ght here!

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The Hammerin�?Harry/Daiku no Gen-San series continued from 1990 to the last game, Hammerin�?Hero, in 2009. However, only the first game was released in arcades. After the original Hammerin�?Harry, the series shifted entirely to home platforms.

Whether or not a game in the series would be released in the West, however, was another matter. In fact, only the arcade original and the aforementioned Hammerin�?Hero would reach North America, though two other titles would at least find their way to Europe. The second Famicom/NES title, 1993's Daiku no Gen-san 2: Akage no Dan no Gyakushō was not one of them.

That is until Retro-Bit translated and reissued it. It was given to me as part of the Hammerin�?Harry Concrete Collection, which I was rather excited to try. I covered the first Hammerin�?Harry last week, so n?ow it’s time to dive into the more elusive sequel.

Robo-fitness

Hammerin�?Harry 2: Dan the Red Strikes Back seems like a pretty straightforward sequel when you start out. You once again play as the eponymous carpenter, and his sprite, moveset, and even powerups are the same as they were in the first game. The first level even takes place at the Needless Markup?? Mall, which was under construction in the original game. However, it doesn’t stay all that reminiscent.

The story this time around is that the ti�?the sub-titular Dan the Red is harassing Harry to try and get revenge, while Dr. Parallel seems to pull the strings in the background. Apparently, Harry’s girlfriend, Donna, has been abduc??ted, but I don’t remember it coming up very much. I think she was in distress in the first game, as well, but that sort of just felt like a formality in mimicking the typical �?0s protagonist motivation.

After going through some construction areas, Hammerin�?Harry 2 begins to shift more and more into sci-fi. There’s a factory, then you’re on some train in an underground tunnel, then there’s a bunch of secret base stuff. The bosses are typically Dan riding on some sort of giant robot shaped like an animal. But that’s? really only the start of where things differ.

The wrong tool for the job

What struck me most is that Hammerin�?Harry 2 places more emphasis on platforming than combat. While there was a balance of this in the previous game, a lot of its fo??cus was placed on enduring attacks from enemies. With the sequel, you’re more likely to be killed by the edge of the screen than wav??es of foes.

It’s fine. The controls are solid enough to make platforming enjoyab??le, but I feel that when you’re wielding a big hammer, the ?game should be more focused on providing nails. Toward the end of the game, there were very few enemies, leaving you to hop around in complete isolation. If there was anything that would simply take a chip off your health bar, it was usually lasers or spikes; things that aren’t as receptive to a blunt weapon. I feel like some of the identity is replaced by something less satisfying.

A lot of the expressiveness of the first game isn’t there, either. I remarked that the art in Hammerin�?Harry, wh??ile obv??iously suffering from the NES�?limitations, is very detailed, but much of that is lost in the sequel. It’s not completely devoid of life, nor does it look bad, but in comparison, there’s a lot less love in its presentation. 

Everything looks like a nail

On the other hand, it still gets pretty creative at times. I mentioned the tunnel train earlier on, and the quickest way for a game to reach my heart is by train. For some reason, moving trains are my favorite stage setting, whether you’re on them, in them, or driving them. This one has robots on it. They do sit-ups and shoot lasers like Rock 'Em Sock 'Em robots working on their beach bo??ds. It’s just too bad the level isn’t that much fun.

Later on, there’s a pair of scrolling shoot-’em-up stages where Harry hops in a rocket mallet. It’s a charmingly amusing segment, but unfortunately, they’re not much fun either. There’s only a handful of po??orly thought-out weapons, and enemies will only spawn in at maybe two at a time, assumedly not to push the sprite?s numbers into flicker territory. They’re pretty boring.

To its credit, Hammerin�?Harry 2 is a bit longer at eight levels over the previous game’s five. The fact that it’s also not as much fun as its predecessor means that, by the time it’s all over, you’re not exactly hungry for more. That’s damning with praise, so I will try and lighten that statement by saying it’s not all that bad. It’s just while Hammerin�?Harry had a lot of charm that made it stand out despite its weaknesses, Hammerin�?Harry 2 just doesn’t.

Solid

Retro-Bit’s translation is pretty solid, but there wasn’t a tonne of text to change to begin with. It sticks pretty close to the previously existing one of the first game. What I did find weird is that they left the voice clips in their original Japanese instead of changing them to be like the localization of the first game. S??o, instead of his trademark “Let’s get busy,�?Harry says “Ikuze!�?like a large portion of Japan’s early video game protagonists. More confusingly, however, is that the end level voice screams “GEN-SAAAAN!�??instead of “H’MM’RNHRY.�?I guess if you’re buying this game, you know Harry’s original name, but it feels a bit out of place.

If it was as easy as simply changing the voice clips, I assume that Retro-Bit would have just done it, so there’s likely a reason why they were left as is. To make up fo??r it, the text does contain a heaping of ha??mmer puns. A+ right there.

The production of the physical cartridge is as good as it was with Hammerin�?Harry. You can reference that article for a broader overview. This time around, the cartridge is made to look like concrete, and it’s a bit more convincing than the woodgrain of the first game. Both are pretty fine physical reissues. The cover for Hammerin�?Harry 2 isn’t really great, but it’s pretty much what the Famicom version looked like, so it is what it is?.

Dangit!

It’s nice to be able to play a localized Hammerin�?Harry 2 in an official capacity, but the game itself is less than spectacular. I think my main issue is that, just a week ago, I said that the first Hammerin�?Harry “might not be the console’s best sidescroller, but it’s definitely not boring.�?This time around, I’m more of the opinion that Hammerin�?Harry 2 might be far from t?he console’s worst sidescroller, but it’s defi??nitely boring.

It’s a shame, because I was hoping that the series would be more of a fixture for me on the console. I was hoping for a more Duck Tales/Duck Tales 2 situation where after playing one, the closeness in quality makes playing through the second one an obvious choice. Here, I’m not so sure. There’s more of a gulf in enjoyment. I will, however, have to look into the later games in the series. Especially, perhaps, the SNES and PSP games that would follow. As for Hammerin�?Harry 2, it is, unfortuna?tely, not the sharpest tool in the box.

For ot?her retro titles you ??may have missed, click right here!

The post Hammerin’ Harry 2 for NES doesn’t quite nail it appeared first on Destructoid.

I have really been looking forward to Retro-Bit’s NES reissue of 1991’s Hammerin�?Harry. However, in retrospect, this is partially due to me getting it confused with Don Doko Don, a 1989 arcade game in Taito’s single-screen ?format.? If I knew what I was thinking about, I’d be even more excited.

Hammerin�?Harry is a port of Irem’s 1990 arcade game, which was called Daiku no Gen-san: Beranme-chō Sōdōki in Japan. While Irem is perhaps best remembered for their R-Type series, their back catalog is built from an extremely colorful mix of titles on both arcade and consoles. There are a lot of underappreciated greats like Undercover Cops and Gekisha Boy which, to be fair, are largely unknown in the ??West because they were never localized.

Hammerin�?Harry was, technically, localized, but it was only released in the tumultuous NES PAL region. Because of its late release in a limited market, it tends to resell for an extremely high price. However, Retro-Bit has sent me a copy of their recent retro re-issues to try out. It is both a meaty morsel to s??ink our teeth into and something simultaneously insubstantial.

The nail that pops up

If you’re unfamiliar with the arcade version, there’s not much to say. It’s a sidescroller where you play as a beefy carpenter dude who wields a big mallet. A rival construction company tears down his house for no reason, and he heads out to file a complaint with their bo??ss. 

It’s a pretty routine affair where you travel the six levels while bopping enemies. You can also (sometimes) deflect projectiles back a??t them, bash the ground to stun enemies, and bop upwards. Then there are boxes and other objects in the environments that you can send flying at enemies, as well as power-ups that give you a bigger mallet or protect you from an additional hit. In the arcade version, you’re dead i??f you even brush elbows with an enemy.

While I say that the arcade version of Hammerin�?Harry is rather routine, it’s still pretty good. There’s a lot of variety in the levels and bosses, but more importantly, the graphics are very detailed and expressive. It’s also got a lot of pedigree, involving at least two staff members from the Metal Slug series: designer Susumu and sound composer Takushi Hiyamuta (HIYA!). I say “at least�?because, like in Metal Slug, everyone in the credit??s is listed under pseudonyms that aren’t well attributed to actual people, even today. Any one of them might be hidden beneath a different alias.

On the other hand, the difficulty sways like hung laundry in a tropical storm. Harry’s lethal ??need for personal space doesn’t help, but the level hazards are inconsistent, as are the bosses. It’s not completely unfair, but the first time through can drain you of precious quarters.

Stop! Hammer time!

The 1991 NES versi??on is reasonably faithful. The levels and bosses have been changed a lot to accommodate the more limited hardware to the point where they're all essentially brand new. There are only five levels instead of the arcade version’s six, but one of them is completely new. Rather than die in a single hit, Harry has?? a health bar. There are now bonus rounds between levels where you smack as many enemies as possible, kind of like whack-a-mole.

However, it’s the same where it really counts. Harry has all the moves and power-ups he does in the arcade, but more importantly, the graphics are still extremely detailed and e?xpressive. Obviously, the NES can’t match the arcade game, but it’s not a lazy facsimile. The art is overall very impressive, even for a 1991 title.

I’m not sure how you feel about me spoiling a 30-year-old game, but the ending is the best part of the NES version. While the arcade has Harry climbing the evil construction company’s headquarters and bashing the boss until he changes his ways, the consol?e version has that same boss flee the fight. In his place, his receptionist bursts in, transforms into, like, the Ultimate Warrior, and tries to take you down. You then follow the boss to his house, which is the completely new level.

H’MM’RNHRY

Surprisingly, the console version of Hammerin�?Harry preserves the voice clips of the arcade version.?? Each time you begin a level or continue after a death, Harry shouts, “Let’s get busy!�?When he dies, he exclaims, “Ouch!�?When you complete a level, someone shrieks, “H’MM’RNHRY!�?It’s surprisingly clear, even if it still sounds like a drive-thru speaker.

One place where it should have deviated from the arcade title is in its length. While it makes sense to keep a game short in the arcade, since people are usually standing to play, it leads to really short console games. In all, Hammerin�?Harry took me around 45 minutes to complete, and this was my first time playing it. I died plenty of t??imes, but there is no limit on continues, so there’s nothing to stop you from brute-fo??rcing your way through it.

Hammerin�?Harry is far from the shortest game of the era. Off the top of my head, The Little Mermaid on NES and Kirby’s Dreamland on G??ame Boy are roughly the same runtime. However, that’s hardly a complimen??t. It feels insubstantial, especially if you don’t have the Japan-only sequel to move on to.

What's in the box?

Thankfully, I do have the sequel to segway into. Retro-bit sent me the Concrete Collection which comes with their reissue of Hammerin�?Harry, and their localization of Daiku no Gen-san 2: Akage no Dan no Gyakushō, which has been translated to Hammerin�?Harry 2: Dan the Red Strikes Back.

For Hammerin�?Harry, Retro-Bit got creative with the cartridge. It’s encased in a wood-grained textured plastic. The feel of the cartridge is a bit smoother than an official NES game, but the construction is solid. I took it apart, and there’s a clean-looking PCB solidly fixed in there. These are the first NES games I’ve received from them, and it’s nice to see they get the same treatment as their Genesis titles. They feel like quality in your h?ands, but there’s no way anyone would mistake them as an original ??production.

The box it comes in is a lot like the one Battletoads and Double Dragon came in. It’s cardboard, but it’s not the flimsy boxes original NES cartridges came in. It’s a lot more solid and has a magnetic flap that makes it easy to open and close without the risk of creasing. It comes with an instruction manual and an acrylic stand. I prefer to display my games on shelves ?like a library, but if you prefer the look of a store or place of worship, they’re pretty nice.

Unfortunately, the cover is based on the arcade artwork rather than the incredible European NES cover.

The only thing I wish for with these releases is a non-limited run. Like many boutique game publishers, pre-orders are taken in advance and manufactured based on sales. I absolutely understand how important this is when it comes to producing for demand and minimizing loss, but with the way it is, I can only talk about these games long after pre-orders have ended. The only lesson I can really?? teach is that Retro-Bit does some mighty fine re-issues.

Tenderized

On the other hand, it gives me an excuse to talk about some obscure titles, which fits neatly with the intentions of this article. I appreciate Retro-Bit’s efforts in giving new attention to rare and u??nlocalized games through its re-issues.

Hammerin�?Harry was an exceptionally fun one to visit. As I said at the start, it’s been on my radar for quit?e a while. Beyond just being a short but enjoyable platformer, it’s also an infectiously lively game with terrific art design packed with humorous flourishes. It might not be the console's best sidescroller, but it’s definitely not boring.

While there was only one Hammerin�?Harry arcade game, the series stretched on across many platformers throughout its lifespan. Only the arcade title reached North America, but the Game Boy game, 1992’s Hammerin' Harry: Ghost Building Company, did get a release in Europe. That is until the 2008 PSP title, Hammerin�?Harry finally crossed the globe. It m??akes sense since the games are steeped in the culture of Japan. It’s just a shame that it’s taken until now for us to get an official release over here.

For other retro titles yo??u may have missed, click right here!

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Someone once told me that the Sega Saturn controller (the Japanese one, not the chunky American one) is the best 2D controller ever made. I don’t remember who it was, but it happened. The claim ?stuck with me.

I’m not sure I agree, but game controllers are a very personal choice. For years, we�??�ve essentially been using different configurations of the same thing. To me, four face buttons feel like the optimal number for my thumb to handle, so my preference is the SNES c??ontroller, but I can respect anyone who prefers Sega’s six-button design.

And for those people, there’s now Retro-Bit’s Sega Saturn Wireless Pro Contro?ller, which, beyond just being a rather faithful wireless translation of the c?onsole’s input, slaps a couple of analog sticks on there so you can also use it for modern games.

You know, if you want to.

I had planned on starting to import Sega Saturn games, but that was before the Analogue Duo shifted my attention to the?? PC-Engine. However, the Retro-Bit Sega Saturn Pro Controller isn’t exclusive to that console. It works with a bunch of different consoles and PC through Xinput and Dinput. For that matter, one of the consoles I tried it on was the aforementioned Analogue Duo, and it worked just fine.

This is something I’m pretty used to when it comes to modern controllers. It seems that this generation has resulted in a renaissance in third-party controllers. Back in my day, third-party controllers w??ere generally what you bought w??hen you didn’t want to shell out for an official one but still wanted multiplayer. You’d hand them off to your friend, who would complain the buttons stick. It would get stuck in a drawer and somehow seemed to disintegrate just sitting there.

Now, whenever I need to use a controller, I have a tonne of choices. For 2D games, I usually use my 8BitDo SF30 Pro or M30. For 3D, I use the console’s native controller or a PS5 Dualsense on PC. My SF30 has analog sticks, but I usually only resort to them if a game is largely 2D with 3D sections or if, sacrilegiously, a 2D game doesn’t use the D-Pad. It’s just not as comfortable as a handled controller. Then, of course, there’s my arcade stick ??and racing wheel, which no girl should be without.

The Sega Saturn Pro Controller has a few drawbacks. The first is the fact that it currently only has a 2.4GHz version for wireless. To be fair, a lot of gamers seem to prefer this because,?? in most cases, it has the least amount of input lag. It also means you don’t have to worry about constantly pairing the controller. However, it does mean that you’re shackled to a dongle. Even while re-pairing with Bluetooth can be a pain, physically moving a dongle isn’t that much better. Also, if you want to change between the Saturn and USB dongle, you have to clear the pairing before you can pair it with the other adapter, so it’s not great.

The second is that the joysticks kind of suck to use. They’re very small, and reaching to the middle of the controller isn’t exactly ergonomic. This is essentially the same problem I have with the sticks on my SF30 Pro. The symmetrical design doesn’t work very well on a controller that doesn’t have ha?ndles, and because?? they’re small and very recessed, you need to be mindful of how your thumbs are sitting. Like the SF30 Pro, I will likely only use them when it’s absolutely necessary. However, there is a positive to them that I will get to.

The build quality is also very faithful to the original’s, which can be disappointing if? you’re used to the 8BitDo M30. That controller has a nice matte finish and a solid feel, while the Sega Saturn Pro Controller feels like a controller from the �?0s. If you’re interested in this controller, there’s a good chance that you want it to feel as close to the original as possible, and it really does. Over the years, Retro-Bit has gotten a lot better about matching the original version of whatever they’re reproducing, and that shows here.

The shoulder buttons have a bit of a different click to t?hem, and the D-pad has a bit more wiggle to it, but neither of these things makes a practical difference in gameplay. Nothing about it made me want to switch back to an orig?inal Saturn controller.

What I do appreciate, however, is its ability to function as a Sega Saturn analog controller. I’m pretty sure the only games I have that support this are Nights into Dreams and Christmas Nights. I thought they were fine with the D-pad, but now that I’ve experienced them in analog, yeah, they’re a lot better. I’m actually surprised by the difference. It’s worth mentioning that the triggers are not analog, but off the top of my head, I can’t think of a game besides Panzer Dragoon Saga that uses them, and even then it doesn’t use them for any?thing important.

Switching to analog takes a button combination, but it’s not too difficult. Unfortunately, you can’t use the symmetrical sticks in Virtual On to mimic the dual-stick contro??ller, but Retro-Bit notes this saying, “This feature is not available, but we like the idea.�?It may be added in a later firmwar??e update.

One thing I noted about using the controller is that there are four shoulder buttons as opposed to the Saturn’s usual two: R, L, ZR, and ZL. The manual says that R and ZR both map to the Saturn’s R butto??n, which would allow you to choose where you want your index fingers to lie, but that’s not correct. R actually maps to the Z face button. This seems like a mistake and?? maybe will be fixed in future firmware.

It’s also a bit disappointing to use on Switch, which maps Z and C to R and L. This is mostly Nintendo’s fault. The controller would be great on the Genesis and N64 (another 6-button face) channels, but, for some daft reason, Nintendo doesn’t let you remap controls for their systems. You can do it in the settings menu of the Switch, but then you’d have to keep fiddling around with it whenever you wanted to?? play something normally.

This isn’t a prob??lem with the Sega Saturn Pro Controller, however. The 8BitDo M30? has the same problem. Nintendo could do a lot better when it comes to supporting third-party controllers.

Aside from some “wish?? it had�?features, the Retro-Bit Sega Saturn Pro Controller is exactly w?hat it says it is: It’s a Saturn controller with symmetrical analog sticks. It’s faithful to the original form factor with additional functions. How much use you’re going to get out of the sticks is dependent on your preferences and situation.

For me, I’d probably just stick to the 8BitDo M30 without the analog sticks. It’s cheaper, more modern, and has Bluetooth version. However, 8BitDo doesn’t make a Saturn receiver. Not yet, anyway. So, by default, the Retro-Bit Sega Saturn Pro Controller is my new favorite Sega Saturn controller. Even if I could use the M30, I’d still probably break out Retro-Bit’s solution for Nights into Dreams.

But if the Sega Saturn controller is to you what the SNES controller is to me, this might be exactly what you’re looking for. The sticks might not be comfortable for modern games, but even retro-inspired games sometimes don’t pay proper tribute to the D-Pad. For those occasions, they’re nice to have. The build quality and faithfulness to the original control are admirable in the Sega Saturn Pro Controller. However, as I said in the opening, controllers are an en??tirely personal choice, so there’s a good chance you already know if this is the controller for you.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the hardware provided by the publisher.]}

The post Review: Retro-Bit Sega Saturn Wirele?ss Pro Controller appeared first on Destructoid.

Retro-bit has announced what they have next in their line of retro re-issues; Eliminate Down for the Genesis/Mega D??rive. Pre-orders will run from today November 28, 2023 to January 2, 2024.

I know, Eliminate Down sounds like a weird medical term for a bowel movement, and it doesn’t help that you may no??t have heard of it before. It was only released on the Mega Drive in Japan and South Korea, and it’s believed that the production run only consisted of a few thousand units. It’s one of the few releases from developer Aprinet. It has never been released digitally, and actually snagging a cartridge from its first run will run you upwards of $500. Some sort of re-release is well overdue.

When it was released in 1993, Eliminate Down failed to really impress the Japanese press. It got rather lackluster reviews. However, more recent impressions from Western importers are a lot more favorable, and, for that matter, I think it’s a pretty excellent game, as well. If anything, it’s just not that original being a horizontal shoot-’em-up in space with a transforming ship. In quite a few ways, it reminds me of Gley Lancer, another game re-is?sued by Retro-Bit. There aren’t many bells and whistles, but it presents a l??aser-focused experience.

Retro-Bit’s release will feature a lenticular slip-cover, classic Genesis/Mega Drive clamshell case with reversible art, a manual, and it will be encased in a sparkly, transparent green shell that they refer to as “Emerald Nebula.�?While I’m not usually a fan of transparent cartridges, I have some of their previous re-issues, and they go all the way with them. For the Valis and Gley Lancer cartridges, they even print the game’s name on the back of the circuit board. I?t’s a pretty deluxe way of enshrining obscure games.

Also of note, Retr??o-Bit snuck in a "secret code for those who feel the game is a bit too di??fficult" which can be found in the manual.

If you want to nab Eliminate Down, pre-orders will open today and run until January 2, 2024. They base how many they’ll produce on how many are pre-ordered. It will be available from Limited Run Games, Castlemania Games?, and Rondo Products for Nort??h America, and will run you $59.99 USD.

The post Eliminate Down is getting a Genesis/Mega Drive re-issue fro??m Retro-Bit appeared first on Destructoid.

It’s been? a long? time coming, but Retro-Bit has announced that their Sega Saturn Pro Controllers are finally up for pre-order. These were teased quite a while back and then shown off at the Portland Retro Game Expo last year, but they’re ready to go now. Almost.

This is the latest in Retro-Bit’s collaboration with Sega. They’ve previously released reproducti?ons of Sega Genesis/Mega Drive controllers, as well as wired and wireless variants of the Sega Saturn controllers themselves. These ones are different from your standard Sega Saturn controllers because of the addition of dual analog sticks, rumble, and extra shoulder buttons to make them more functional with modern consoles and games.

The controllers come in both classic black/grey and original Japanese white. I mean the sleeker version, not the chunky one that North American got at first. I doubt there's much demand for?? a reproduction of that monstrosity. The only listed compatibility is PC. Mac, and "other USB-enabled devices." The sticks are said to utilize hall eff?ect, and I’ve heard that thrown around a lot, but I don’t really know what it means—one second.

Oh, okay, that’s neat.

Not the chunky one

Its full name is the Sega Saturn 2.4 GHz Wireless Pro Controller, and, yeah, they don’t use Bluetooth, which is a bit of a bummer. A lot of people swear by 2.4 GHz, as it often reduces input lag, but I find it a lot harder to work around when connecting it to anything other than its included adapter. However, I’ve seen a few people recently posit the Sega Saturn controller as the apex of controller design with its six face buttons and exposed D??-pad. I’ve always been more of a Super Nintendo gal, but that might be just because of how I was raised.

As mentioned, the Sega Saturn Pro Controller is just the next in a line of collaborations between Ret?ro-Bit and Sega. I’ve used their ?Sega Genesis controllers, and they felt pretty spot on. I’ve had someone tell me that there are discrepancies when it comes to performance, but while that’s completely believable, I haven’t experienced that. I’ve heard similar things about 8bitdo’s controllers but haven’t experienced problems there, either. Maybe there’s some luck of the draw.

Preorders for the Sega Saturn 2.4 GHz Wireless Pro Controller are open right now for $49.99?. The final product is expected to ship in Early December.

The post Retro-Bit’s Sega Saturn Pro Controllers slaps some sticks on your (possibly) favorite controller appeared first on Destructoid.

The Sega Genesis/Mega Drive received three games from the Valis series. Thus far, I’ve covered Valis, a port of a remake, and Syd of Valis, a bizarre chibi version of Valis II. However, I while I find them somewhat charming, I don’t love them. However, what I’ve been told, both in the comments and on other publications, is that Valis III is where the series actually got good.

Certainly, it’s got the best narrative of the bunch, though that wasn’t a high bar to?? clear. It also has some neat added features, better level design and bosses, and a new bra for Yuko, so yeah, it’s pretty good. It’s all right.

I got Valis III as part of a care package I received from Retro-Bit. They did a pretty swell job with a re-release through Limited Run Games. I outline the production values in my Valis write-up, but to sum it up: damn. I’ve seen a lot of reproduction and homebrew titles in my time, but Retr?o-Bit really takes it to the next level. I especially love how the game’s name is etched on the?? back of the PCB, visible through the translucent case. Nice little detail.

The bad guy this time around is an evil tyrant called Glames. He’s different from the pr??evious evil tyrants because he rules over the Dark World. The only reason he��s invading the Dreamland is because the Dark World is being absorbed into the nether and will soon cease to exist. So, really, he’s just trying to save his world, which is�?exactly what Yuko is trying to do. I guess he’s bad because he�?has bigger, pointier shoulder pads.

Cham shows up and tries to steal the Valis Sword so she can?? take on Glames herself, then immediately sucks and gets captured. Yuko sa?ves her, so she becomes a second playable character. Cool! The two venture off to the Vecanti to save Valna, Yuko’s sister, who becomes the third playable character. Rad!

Yeah, one of the new features of Valis III is the ability to switch between three characters. Each one controls the same, but Cham has a whip, and Valna has magic projectiles. Sometimes you’re locked out of character switching, but for the majority of the game, you can play ??as whoever you want. Dialogue between characters will even change depending on who you’re activel??y playing at the time.

Valis III plays a lot better than the previous titles. The movement is still slow, and the jumping remains floaty, but the level design feels more like it takes this into account. The weird thing about jumping, though, is that you have to hold up on the D-pad to jump extra high. It was this way in the first Genesis Valis, but it still kind of bothers me.

The bosses are a lot better, as well. In previous games, you could largely just hack away at them, but some of them here require a bit more gumption. They’re still a little clumsy when paired with the movement p?hysics, but better is better.

However, what drives me up the wall is that the cutscenes still have slow-ass text. They at least have better movement, and a lot of it looks great, but a lot of the time, I found myself just waiting for the words to crawl across th??e screen. I’m also moderately sure now that you can’t speed it up. You can only skip it entirely.

You can hurry along the in-game text, but it has a new, unique problem. The text boxe?s don’t have any? indication of who’s talking, so you kind of have to figure it out for yourself. That, or just go by the idea that the characters are talking to themselves.

I’m also not sure about the translation here. It’s never been great, but it gets really confusing in Valis III. It talks about Nizetti as the “closest of the countries to being perfect.�?/p>

What? We’re talking countries now? Are Dark World, Dreamland, and the Human World considered countr?ies, or is Nizetti a country within the Dreamland? I’m guessing this is a mistranslation of “kuni,�?which, in Japanese, can mean country?, world, or, perhaps more accurately, land.

I think my favorite confusingly translated phrase is in the narrative recap at the beginning. It s?ays:

“Dreamland and the Human world are in danger!! Cheer up, Yuko!!�?/p>

Fantastic. I’m?? again making an assumption here that “Cheer up, Yuko!!�?is a weird way to translate “Ganbare Yuko.�?Ganbare is, like, a word for cheering someone on. It’s often translated to “good luck�?or “you can do it.�?Hold on, I can actually check on this.

Nope, I’m wrong. It says, “Stand, Yuko!!�?I can honestly say th??at I’m not familiar enough with Japanese idioms that I can be certain if that��s a way of saying “cheer up.�???Sounds dumb, though.

The other big problem I have with Valis III is that the difficulty spikes spectacularly on the sixth level. It’s your typical ice stage, but just to make things extra difficult, they throw in a whole bunch of movi?ng platf?orms, bottomless pits, and spikes. There are three parts to it and a boss, and if you lose all your lives, you’re repeating the whole thing over again. It’s excruciating.

The end boss is no pushover, either. I was stuck on him for a while, but the trick seems to be trying to keep all the power-ups you collect throughout the seventh stage. If you lose a life on him and have to repeat from the last level, you lose all your power-ups and the last fight becomes extremely difficult. You’ll probably die on him a lot, h?owever, and that means repeating the last stage over and over again. Eventually, you’ll get it memorized enough to power through it and be sufficiently pumped for the fight against Glames.

Speaking of the ending, though, I want to spoil a part from the last cutscene. It’s actually the last line of text that occurs after Yuko returns to the Human World. It says, “Nobody has seen Yuko since then... nobody.�?/p>

What the hell kind of ending is that? What happened? I thought she went back to her normal life. Did she appear back in the Human World in the middle of the ocean? I guess I’ll have to wait to play Valis IV to find out. Which never had a Genesis version.

Valis IV was the last in the series, by the way. Unless you co?unt t??he, erm, pornographic spin-off.

While Retro-Bit’s reproduction cartridges sold out on Limited Run games, you can still play the Valis series via a pair of collections on the Switch. It’s also the best way to play the PC Engine CD-ROM² versions of some of the games, since that’s supposedly wh??ere they were at their best. Original copies of ?the Turbografx-CD go for astronomical prices.

Valis III is definitely the best of the series on the Genesis by a pretty wide margin. Even if it just told basically the s?ame story over again, the sense of continuity between the games is still rather enjoyable. Plus, the design, in general, is just a lot better. It’s still not great, but it’s definitely more with playing.

For o?ther retro t??itles you may have missed, click right here!

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Retro-Bit has announced that the next in their line of retro reissues is Cybernator under the name that the Gods of Nomenclature intended: Assault Suit Valken.

Not only is Assault Suit Valken adopting the name of its original Japanese release, Retro-Bit is also going to the effort of retranslating it and restoring the content that was censored in the Western release. Back in March, Rainmaker Productions partnered with M2 to make a similar re-release happen on Switch as Assault Suit Valken: Declassified. However, this release won’t be using the same script. Also, as stated in the press release, they weren’t able to maintain the protagonist name entry function, so, as Retro-Bit puts it, “everyone gets to be Jake!�?/p>

The new release will come in two flavors: the Deluxe Edition, which comes with an embossed slipcase and some extra swag for $79.99, and the Collector’s Cartridge, which just includes the game, a hardcover box, and an instruction manual for $59.99. Both will be limited production runs based on the number of preorders they rack up. Retro-Bit recently sent me a care box of some of their releases, and I can tell you that their reissues are ?pretty deluxe.

I’ve written about Assault Suit Valken more times and in more depth than I thought I ever would. It is a pretty excellent title, and one of the absolute best side-scrolling mech games to ever have been produced. Its North American release as Cybernator cut back a few features, such as character profiles, and censored th?e ending. These weren’t drastic changes by the standards at the time, but a lot of fans swear by the original version.

Pre-orders for the Assault Suit Valken reissue will be open from October 3rd to November 5th, 2023 on Castlemania Games and Limite??d Run Games. The finished produce is expected to ship Q1 of 2024.

The post Retro-Bit is reissuing Cybernator ?on SNES as Assault Suit?? Valken appeared first on Destructoid.

Looks Sol-Deace-ent

Retro-Bit has announced that they’re bringing the rather obscure titles �?Sol-Deace and El Viento �?back to the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive this year. Pre-orders are n??ow open.

Sol-Deace was originally released exclusively in Japan in 1990 on the Sharp X68000 as Sol-Feace. It would then receive a port to the Sega CD worldwide and the Genesis in North America. I have no idea why the Sega CD version is called Sol-Feace and the Genesis version is known as Sol-Deace. To my knowledge, neither “Feace�?nor “Deace�?are actually words??. Hold on, let me look that up.

No, the dictionary thinks I mean �?a href="//jbsgame?.com/weekly-kusoge-the-flintstones-bedrock-bowling-ps1-pc-retro/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">feces�?and “deuce,�?respectively, which is actually pretty amusing but not helpful?.

Anyway, Sol-Deace/Feace is a horizontal shoot-’em-up. Developed by Wolf Team, the word I’ve seen most applied to it is “typical,�?but also that it�??�s pretty nice looking. I haven’t played it, but you can color me curious about t??he Retro-Bit reproduction.

[caption id="attachment_389041" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Retro-Bit[/caption]

Hungry like the Wolf Team

El Viento, on the other hand, is a sidescrolling action game released in 1991. Also by Wolf Team, it has the rare distinction of having a female protagonist. It’s actually the first game in a trilogy, of which we only got this and Earnest Evans. It’s usually described as janky but fun, w??ith many contemporary and more recent reviews looking on it rather favorably.

[caption id="attachment_389042" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Retro-Bit[/caption]

Both games are rather obscure titles, so I’m happy to ?see that they’re given new life by Retro-Bit. Especially because both games are rather pricey on the collector’s market. Personally, I’m considering checking them out because they look just so early Genesis.

Both of the games come with the full gamut of a slipcover, clamshell case, Genesis/Mega Drive cartridge, and? manual. Pre-orders ar??e open on Retro-Bit's store from now to July 30 for $54.99 USD each. They’re expected to ship out Q4 2023.

The post Sol-Deace and El Viento are? getting physical Genesis re-releases this year from Retro-Bit appeared first on Destructoid.