Author: arcadeloot

Balatro developer LocalThunk has released a complete timeline of the game’s development, from its inception in 2021 to its eventual launch on 20th February 2024. You can read the whole thing on LocalThunk’s website, but the developer states that the intention behind the post was due to “constantly forgetting major moments in development or milestones”. As such, this was a way to present fans with the full development timeline (or at least as much as possible), while ensuring that LocalThunk is kept honest when discussing details in the future. There are so many moments that resonate with us deeply, but naturally, it’s…

Nintendo has been absolutely relentless when it comes to Switch emulators, and for good reason: the company recently confirmed that the Switch 2 will be backwards compatible with the vast majority of Switch titles, so naturally, it doesn’t want folks accessing said games in other ways. As such, emulation projects like Yuzu and Ryujinx have been shut down following legal pursuits from Nintendo, but now, a third project called NxEmu is back after a three-year hiatus (thanks, RetroHandhelds). What’s more, developer ‘N3xoX1’ is approaching its revival with a firm view of avoiding a Nintendo takedown. In a blog post, the developer states…

Ever since it landed its PC port, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time has been granted some pretty wild mods. We’ve seen TOTK abilities like Ultrahand and Fuse make the jump to the N64 classic, and even other Nintendo franchises like F-Zero and Pikmin pop up in Hyrule. But this mod gives a whole new meaning to Master Quest (thanks, Gaming Reinvented). Yep, if the above headline hasn’t given it away already, modder notCHase’s latest project brings Halo to Hyrule, and the result is pretty hilarious. Master Chief himself doesn’t make the jump in this one, but a bunch of his gear does. Tired of using Child Link’s diddly Kokiri Sword? Now you can sub it out for John…

Our sheer elation when Activision announced Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 for Switch has sadly bailed in light of news that the fourth entry will be subject to some pretty seismic changes. In short, as confirmed by Kotaku (thanks, Push Square), Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 4 won’t offer the original Career Mode, meaning you can no longer roam freely and take on challenges at your own pace. Instead, challenges will work in the same way as the previous three titles, giving you a 2-minute time limit in which to complete as many as possible. As we understand it, a Free Roam mode will…

The Strong Museum in Rochester, New York yesterday announced the 12 finalists that will potentially be inducted into the World Video Game Hall of Fame in May, after receiving thousands of entries for consideration. The list, which is available on the Strong Museum’s website, contains a wide range of titles that span a variety of different genres and platforms. This includes everything from simple arcade action games like Frogger and Defender to electronic toys like Mattel Football and Tamagotchi, and hugely successful first-person shooters for PC & consoles such as GoldenEye, Quake, and Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. That’s in addition to the mobile game Angry Birds, the real-time strategy game Age…

We’ve recently heard the news that Acclaim is back from the dead. In light of this news, we thought it might be a good idea to revisit this feature, which covers the creation of one of the company’s most infamous releases. Enjoy! Misguided, crass, even tawdry. All valid criticisms of BMX XXX, which featured the unlikely pairing of BMX riding and gratuitous nudity with a side order of fart jokes and dog sex. The game was a flop on its release in 2002 but garnered a generous helping of infamy that ensures it’s remembered even two decades on, mostly by people wondering, ‘How…

Back in 1999, developer Sacnoth released the RPG Koudelka on PS1. Created, produced, written and directed by former Square staffer Hiroki Kikuta (who also composed the music), the game is unique in that it’s set in Wales, and its dialogue is spoken entirely in English. Kikuta—who recently reunited with Square on Visions of Mana—has been taken aback by the fact that people are still speaking about the game over 25 years later. The reaction was triggered by a social media post by game translator Kevin C Perez, who said: Koudelka’s writing and acting is one of the best I’ve ever experienced as a gamer. This scene…

The retro publisher InCube8 Games and British developer Elite are teaming up to reissue the 1991 Game Boy title Dragon’s Lair: The Legend both physically and digitally. The game, in case you’ve never heard of it, is based on the hugely popular 1983 arcade machine, developed RDI Video Systems, which featured animation from the legendary animator Don Bluth. However, it represents a massive departure in terms of its story and gameplay. Whereas the original Dragon’s Lair saw players watching an interactive movie filled with gorgeous graphics and expertly designed characters, this handheld offering instead cut out most of the supporting cast and…

Retro accessory maker Hyperkin has issued an apology on social media after a series of fumbled launches and heavily delayed releases. The company has an unfortunate track record of announcing products and then going quiet on them for ages; for example, the RetroN GX was revealed back in 2022 but is only now coming to market. Likewise, the Mega 95 portable Genesis was revealed last year but is yet to be seen. Fans have also taken issue with the recent announcement of recooked guitar controllers, which only work on Wii and PS3. Some have accused Hyperkin of simply reusing unsold stock, and the guitars have been compared unfavourably to…

In December, PlayStation architect Mark Cerny essentially confirmed the PS6 when he revealed Sony would be partnering with Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) on Project Amethyst. This initiative will see the two tech companies collaborate to achieve various mutually beneficial outcomes involving machine learning. Today is apparently Radeon Day, a holiday celebrated by our PC betters. It marks the launch of AMD’s futuristic Radeon RX 9070 XT and RX 9070 graphics cards. In celebration, AMD took the opportunity to hype up Project Amethyst and provide an update on its fancy new FidelityFX Super Resolution 4 tech (FSR 4), which these new cards will…