Hello! Welcome to the latest Geeky Brummie Games Release Roundup!

This week, ninjas fighting demons, classic RPGs and anime superheroes.

Re-Releases and Ports

Hamster having been steadily putting out a ton of excellent classic arcade ports for modern systems with their Arcade Archives series. This week they announced, via the Nintendo Partner Showcase, that they’re now doing the same with classic console games. The Console Archives series kicks off with Ninja Gaiden 2 (the NES one, not the Xbox 360 one) and Cool Boarders (the original PlayStation one) on the Switch 2, with PS5 releases following next week.

It’s a strange couple of releases to start with (why Ninja Gaiden 2 and not the first one, for instance), especially as they’re each available on one of the two systems already (NG2 through Nintendo Switch Online and Cool Boarders as an emulated PS1 Classic on PS5). Doraemon and Sonic Wings Special are also on their way, although no release date is currently confirmed.

Also shadow dropped in the Nintendo Partner Showcase, Super Bomberman Collection (PC, PS5, Switch, Xbox X/S) features all five Super Bomberman games with Super Famicom, NTSC SNES and PAL SNES versions all included where applicable. Since the fourth and fifth games previously never left Japan, they feature a fresh English localisation just for this collection. Also included are the Famicom versions of the first two Bomberman games. Physical versions of this release in August.

Early Access

Releasing in Early Access this week is PUBG: Blindspot, a top-down co-op tactical shooter set in the PUBG universe. Lead your squad into tense firefights in close spaces, relying on your shared knowledge to plan an effective operation. Developed by ARC Team and published by Krafton.

New Releases

Aces of Thunder (PC, PS5) is a combat flight sim where you get to pilot an assortment of aircraft from both World Wars. Available in VR form too. Developed by Gaijin Entertainment.

Tomb of the Bloodletter (PC) is a roguelike dungeon crawler where your weapon is your keyboard. Every monster encounter can be dealt with by typing words that make the best use of your beefed-up letters. A fun take on a fairly standard genre. Developed by Ethan’s Secretions and published by indie.io.

Hermit and Pig (PC) is a turn-based RPG staring the titular hermit and truffle-hunting pig. While out foraging mushrooms, the hermit finds himself wrapped up in the problems of a nearby village that sets him out on an adventure. Problem is, he is extremely socially awkward, and much of the gameplay is about dealing with that. Looks extremely silly. Developed by Heavy Lunch Studio.

YapYap (PC) is a co-op multiplayer game where you are the apprentices of a wizard tasked with destroying the tower of a rival. Use your powers to vandalise everything you come across but watch out for traps and beasts that protect the place. Developed by Maison Bap.

Remember Carmageddon, the game that got moral crusaders in the 90s up in arms for its vehicular carnage? Well it’s back, in roguelike form. Carmageddon: Rogue Shift (PC) takes place in a dystopian future where drivers enter a brutal race full of destruction and zombie crushing. Developed by 34BigThings.

My Hero Academia: All’s Justice (PC, PS5, Xbox X/S) is a 3D arena fighter that follows the story of the manga and anime My Hero Academia. Features a huge roster of characters from the show as they progress through the final story arc in 3v3 battles. Developed by Byking and published by Bandai Namco.

Dragon Quest VII Reimagined (PC, PS5, Switch, Xbox X/S) is a full remake of the PS1 outing of Square Enix’s legendarily popular RPG series (in Japan, at least). You play as a plucky fisherman’s son who dreams of what else might be out there in the world, thrust into adventure when he and his friends are flung back in time and discover a terrible secret about their world. And now it’s up to you to venture out and save it all. This remake features entirely new visuals, a streamlined story and improved gameplay mechanics.

Game of the Week

Game of the Week is Nioh 3 (PC, PS5), the latest in Koei Tecmo’s yokai-hunting Soulslike series.

You play as Tokugawa Takechiyo, an heir to the shogunate who finds themselves embroiled in a battle between humanity and the yokai. The only way to survive the onslaught is (obviously) to travel through time to some of Japan’s most significant historical periods and learn from what you find there. You’ll be switching between samurai and ninja skills to defeat the powerful yokai along the way.

I’m not much of a Soulslike guy, so this wouldn’t usually be my choice. But I did play the demo on PS5 and realised that, oh yeah, these are Team Ninja games, so they tend to be a bit more of the quick and breezy side compared to the work of FromSoftware. This is especially true when you’re using ninja skills, which allow some light teleportation and projectiles. Of course, this is still a Team Ninja game, so it is bastard hard, but that’s part of the charm at this point.