Switch
Here we have all the games in the Switch Section.
Switch
Shoot Em Up
M2 hears Genki’s cry for a Super Easy mode to go with the Arcade difficulty. The graphical style looks superb with the foreground vehicles lovingly realised and the Gothic style to the chacters making this ooze its STG style.
Switch
Shoot Em Up
Claustrophobic caverns and tunnels under gigantic bosses as they skim overhead make for an intense experience. A feel of Darius’ organic amphibious bosses and superb attention to pixel perfect detail.
Switch
Shoot Em Up
Claustrophobic caverns and tunnels under gigantic bosses as they skim overhead make for an intense experience. A feel of Darius’ organic amphibious bosses and superb attention to pixel perfect detail.
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Shoot Em Up
Horizontal old school shoot ’em up with incredible parallax scrolling, imaginative and vast boss battles, and more pyrotechnics than Sydney Harbour Bridge on New Year’s Eve. A true gem given a wee dab of polish and positively sparkling to be back and firing on the Switch.
Switch
Shoot Em Up
Another superb shmup release in the series with the human character used, as opposed to mechanical ship, adding much to the connection between player and intriguing character. It also seems to help create a greater sense of vertical depth. A real labour of love.
Switch
Shoot Em Up
Back once again after the delightful PS2 and 360 versions and bursting with ideas and inventiveness, enough to put the spark back into the most jaded of veteran gamers, if not a pink bullet or two. Checking out the abilities of online players may just make you want to hide away in a deep, dark mountain in Genki’s case, but the game is full of wholesome Cave loving and sunshine.
🥇Game of the Week
Game of the Week Switch
Shoot Em Up
To truly celebrate the 40th anniversary of Gradius (or Nemisis) comes this mighty compendium tribute to the master blaster with Gradius, Gradius II, Gradius II, Life Force, Salamander, Salamander II and Salamander III. A true labour of love for the series fans with the different regional versions plus plenty of modes included such as training, easy mode and a tour of the graphics that make up the series.
Switch
Simulation
Stunning tribute to the saucy Saturn title with four adventure games making up the bumper limited edition pack. This cos-play inspired dating simulator came with a yellow label warning on the Saturn. Hats off to City Connection: its great to see these memories being revived.
🏆Brilliant!
Brilliant Switch
Shoot Em Up
Highly unusual graphical style with psychedelic characters and brash colours make this feel like a manga dream gone awry. Full of vibrant fun and originality from first credit to game over.
🥇Game of the Week
Game of the Week Switch
Shoot Em Up
Truly crazy psychedelic shoot ’em up – think Jet Set Radio meets Shibuya street style with some seriously colourful colour schemes thrown in for good measure as Mebius throws a full roster of projectiles at players. A real cult following since its Wii days and well worth a look for those looking for a shooting blast off the usual scale.
Switch
Puzzle
Funky, colourful and vibrant graphics bring the indie band and love quest elements of this devilishly simple puzzle game to life.
Switch
RPG
Plenty of platform action in this RPG with combat sequences that are very reminiscent of Guardian Heroes in appearance with big, bold and brash protagonists. Very colourful and fast-paced.
Switch
Shoot Em Up
Image Fight, Image Fight 2 and X Multiply make up a trio of highly cherished shoot ’em ups to grace this compilation. Hardened shooters veterans may well have sampled Image Fight and its PC Engine sequel on the PC Engine, but X Multiply is well worth a look as an old school coin-op with imaginative, organic levels.
Switch
Shoot Em Up
Image Fight, Image Fight 2 and X Multiply make up a trio of highly cherished shoot ’em ups to grace this compilation. Hardened shooters veterans may well have sampled Image Fight and its PC Engine sequel on the PC Engine, but X Multiply is well worth a look as an old school coin-op with imaginative, organic levels.
Switch
Shoot Em Up
Gunforce, Geo Storm and Air Duel are the trio that launch the second instalment of Irem Collection with all guns blazing. Gunforce is a take on the mighty Contra licence, but this time with mech style power suits and massive adversaries to test the architecture to the limits. Tough like Konami’s opus with one hit kills, yet some supreme weaponry soon gets players in the necessary gung-ho spirits. A few tactically placed vehicles also help – its always a joy to tear through enemy lines in motorised, marauding machine. The two-player mode also lifts moral with a bit of teamwork. The coin-op sequel feels like it inspired Metal Slug with its further use of vehicles and some sublime parallax scrolling to boot. Arcade Air Duel looks initially like a 1942 vertical scrolling tribute, before the developer reveals their license to go off the rails with imaginative adversaries.
Switch
Shoot Em Up
Irem does have a sublime line of arcade shoot ’em up heritage to raid and this third instalment proves there is plenty still to come with the PC Engine fave Mr Heli, coin-op exclusive Mystic Riders which utilises a broomstick for close up blast encounters and finally Dragon Breed which utilises the shield element of the dragon’s tail in its blasting escapades. Really bring the flavour of the arcade era home to savour.
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Shoot Em Up
Much-cherished Milestone shoot ’em up gets a Switch reboot and there are Hitchcock overtones for this crow related shooter. Utilises power ups for the shot, sword and shield giving it a strategic element. Known as also ‘Crows’ and ‘Karous’.
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Shoot Em Up
Much-cherished Milestone shoot ’em up gets a Switch reboot and there are Hitchcock overtones for this crow related shooter. Utilises power ups for the shot, sword and shield giving it a strategic element. Known as also ‘Crows’ and ‘Karous’.
Switch
Shooter
Few will forget their first blast on Kikikaikai. The initial barrier was to be able to pronounce it to the local importer in the pre-internet days. And despite being just the early nineties, few gamers were sufficiently cross-pollinated with games of its ilk to understand the ensuing cultural chaos. Not that it requires understanding with fast paced shooting fury the order of the day. Yet a randy raccoon tanuki friend that can deflect shots with his tail did raise a few eyebrows. The Shinto inspired Japanese blaster draws on mythology as necks extend inexplicably and one-eyed umbrella ghosts hop past. Cultural references aplenty all in a luscious sprite-based world driving gamers on to see more. Unrelenting pace as you the priestess battle against all the evil of underworld armed with nothing more than a purification branch. A Super Famicom classic well-worthy of this fine update and hopefully new and old audience with new playable characters. Known in the West as Pocky and Rocky Reshrined.
Switch
Shoot Em Up
Horizontal and vertically scrolling shooting action besides a bit of free style 360 blasting courtesy of the mecha suit levels. Looking just as lush as you would expect from one of the biggest licenses in gaming, the attention to graphical detail and avatar input is astounding and squeezes so much out of the system and Macross license.
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Shoot Em Up
Mamoru Kun has a dedicated following from its Xbox 360 days and its easy to see why with appealing artwork, colourful characters and pick up and play shooting gameplay that hides devilish edge. Well worthy of reviving for the Switch – a haven for shoot ’em up fans.
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Shoot Em Up
Mamoru Kun has a dedicated following from its Xbox 360 days and its easy to see why with appealing artwork, colourful characters and pick up and play shooting gameplay that hides devilish edge. Well worthy of reviving for the Switch – a haven for shoot ’em up fans.
Switch
One on One Beat Em Up
A veritable dojo of martial artists and super heroes with the full roster being made of: X-Men, Marvel Super Heroes, X-Men vs Street Fighter, Marvel Super Heroes vs Street Fighter, Marvel vs Capcom, Marvel vs Capcom 2 and The Punisher. Only The Punisher hasn’t featured on Genki in previous format releases being a coin-op, but the Final Fight format will feel very much at home to Capcom connoisseurs and cognoscenti.
Switch
Action
Attaining new levels with its all out action gameplay as the player’s mech is often dwarfed by the ginormous bosses that need to be taken down. The sense of destruction and the all out pyrotechnic action make for an adrenalin filled, explosion-a-minute thrill.
Switch
Platform
The beautiful, timeless anime look of Valis is revived to celebrate her thirty-fifth anniversary and the gameplay is just as wholesome and rewarding now as it has been on many a retro platform over the decades. Valis parts one to three show the bishojo is definitely back.
🏆Brilliant!
Brilliant Switch
Shoot Em Up
Mushihimesama was developed by the hardcore’s most coveted Cave and welcomed to the Switch with open arms. Yet the love of the developer by it hardened crew is rarely reciprocated as cruel patterns of projectiles spray across the screen – a hard love that’s for sure. The title translates as Insect Princess and a genetically enhanced horde of creepy crawlies await the pretty princess. As you’d expect multiplier mayhem awaits those prepared to go easy on the smart bombs with the seasoned vet soon clocking up massive scores.
Switch
Action
Six Ninja Ja Ja Maru games from 1985-91 well worth investigating and not just for the superfluous number of ninjas. Our wee ninja leaps around the platform levels dispatching shurikens to clear a path to rescue his beloved. Smashing though platforms to get a shortcut and grabbing the ghosts that rise from bosched opponents are all part of the fun.
🏆Brilliant!
Brilliant Switch
Shooter
Four fabulous shooters from the coin-ops of old whose charm would no doubt lure you in through the tobacco smoke and neon. Operation Wolf needs no introduction and its sequel Operation Thunderbolt is also included which is like Wolf but as driven along in a 4×4 wheel drive. Space Gun is also a light gun game, but with self-explanatory out of this universe setting. Night Striker is a real gem cherished by many of the Playstation and Saturn as what looks like Michael Knight’s KITT car takes on the role of drive and gun blaster.
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Platform
Tomba is full of mischievous spirits and tumbles around on screen belly laughing, riding around on unsuspecting creatures, balancing on ledges whilst peeking round the corner in fine, early 2.5D platform fashion. Full of innovation and sheer gaming joy that makes the series a really treasured retro romp now revived from the Playstation original to make the Switch.
Switch
Action
Plays like a souped up King of Monsters with giant kaijyu tossing opponents into skyscrapers that they dwarf. As with all gaming, its great to be able to enjoy a bit of improper action in tossing around the various items in the city arenas.