It’s yet another week of solid new releases with a double dose of major titles that are both competing for our time and dollars while many of us are still in self isolation. Whether you’re a fan of JRPGs, action-horror, retro arcades, choice-driven interactive movies, or simulation/puzzle games, there’s plenty to keep you busy over the next few weeks.

Persona 5 Royal (PS4) – Releases Mar. 31^st

Atlus has done it again, re-releasing a Persona game with just enough differences to call it “new” and make us all buy it over again. Not satisfied to just give us DLC, the team has insisted that the new content changes the game so much that there would be no way to incorporate it without starting all over again; whatever. Despite the obvious cash grab, the thought of playing through Persona 5 again has my heart soaring, as I found the original game to be an absolute blast to play through, cementing its place among my all time favorite video games. The core story of the game remains the same, in that a group of students band together to change the hearts of adults they feel are a blight on society. However they are now joined by a new colleague, a gymnast named Kasumi Yoshizawa. Her inclusion to the Phantom Thieves feels, according to some reviewers, a bit forced, so that’s something to keep in mind. Other changes include additional rooms added to each dungeon, new NPCs to develop relationships with, a grappling hook you can use to change floors easier, new activities to partake in, the ability to stay up late and perform extra tasks around the coffee shop, various new items and currencies, and a card game that seems to be a complete waste of time in a game all about time management.

One other change that has people a bit up in arms is the opening cinematic, which is a real shame, since the original is such a marvel of sight & sound. Let’s revel one more time in the opening of Persona 5…

Resident Evil 3: Remake & Resistance (PC/PS4/Xbox One) – Releases Apr. 3^rd

If 100+ hours of Persona 5 Royal seems a bit daunting, or you just don’t care for JRPGs, then let me introduce you to the brisk, 5 hour jaunt that is Resident Evil 3 Remake. Early reviews have been pouring in from almost every major gaming outlet, and the consensus seems to be that this game is fun but flawed. Those of you expecting a repeat of the wonderful Resident Evil 2 Remake will likely be disappointed, as this game falls short in just about every aspect of that title. A shorter playtime, less puzzles, less exploration, and way less replay value. If you’re thinking about making a choice this week over Persona 5 and RE3Make, go with Persona 5. However, there is one thing that might make this worth your time, particularly while we’re still cooped up in your homes, and that is the online multiplayer game Resident Evil: Resistance. In this 1 vs 4 online game, a group of survivors must band together to complete a task while one other player works against them. It’s a concept seen multiple times over the years from titles like Evolve, Dead by Daylight, and Friday The 13th, so don’t expect this to be groundbreaking or anything. Still, Resident Evil is a great property (most of the time), and any reason to jump back into that world is always a welcome treat.

Bubble Bobble 4 Friends (Switch) – Releases Mar. 31^st

The history of the Bubble Bobble series is kind of complex. Originally released in arcades in 1986, the game would spawn two sequels but would forego the Bubble Bobble name and instead be called Rainbow Islands and Parasol Stars. This then split the franchise into two, with an actual Bubble Bobble 2 getting released for the NES, and then ANOTHER Bubble Bobble II (AKA Bubble Symphony) released in arcades. Then we would get Bubble Memories: The Story of Bubble Bobble III, then four games released on handhelds (not to mention four more Rainbow Island games). What I’m trying to say is, is this Bubble Bobble 4 or is the “4 Friends” tag supposed to indicate that four people can play this game? I’ve been spending too much time indoors…I think I used to have a purpose…then again it might have been a dream…

The Complex (PC/PS4/Switch/Xbox One) – Releases Mar. 31^st

Hey, don’t fancy yourself a gamer, but more of a TV/movie junkie? Well the good people at Wales Interactive have published yet another FMV game to pad their roster of interactive movies. Following in the footsteps of The Bunker, The Late Shift, and The Shapeshifting Detective, comes The Complex. In this game you take on the role of two scientists who find themselves locked down in London in the midst of a biological weapon attack. With multiple choices to make that affect the outcome of the story, it is up to you to decide who lives and who dies, in a plot that is in no way reflective of our current world wide situation.

Cooking Mama: Cookstar (Switch) – Releases Mar. 31^st

I’m not seeing this appear in Nintendo’s eShop for the Switch, but both GameStop and Wal-Mart have it up for pre-order and releasing on March 31st, so let’s just see what happens. Built from the ground up for the Switch, this new Cooking Mama title will have you slicing, dicing, chopping, grilling, roasting, and of course boasting on the in-game version of Instagram, all about the fabulous foods you prepare. For the first time in the series’ history, players will have the option to play a vegetarian mode, much to the delight of Morrissey, I’m sure.

In Other Waters (PC/Switch) – Releases Apr. 3^rd

Not really feeling inspired here, let’s just let Steam do the talking, “Play as an Artificial Intelligence guiding a stranded xenobiologist through a beautiful and mysterious alien ocean. A non-violent sci-fi story, enter a world of wonder, fear and vulnerability, unraveling the history and ecology of an impossible planet. What will you discover together?“

Ports and Re-releases:

Ty The Tasmanian Tiger HD (Switch) – Releases Mar. 31^st

Where the fuck is the Croc remake?

Zombie Army Trilogy (Switch) – Releases Mar. 31^st

I was less than thrilled with the new Zombie Army 4 that came out at the beginning of February, but if you’re a fan of that title, and prefer to do your Nazi zombie hunting on the go, check out the first three games in the series on your Nintendo Switch.

Notable Releases from 10, 20 and 30 years ago:

A trio of run and gun shooters make up our games of yesteryear; did you play any of these?

Mega Man 10 (PS3/Wii/Xbox 360) – Released Mar. 2010: Wiki Link

By 2010 we were just coming out of that 20 year nostalgia that we always seem to be repeating. While the NES was still going strong in 1990, it was about to be supplanted by the Genesis and the Super Nintendo, so it isn’t surprising that 2010 saw the release of the last 8-bit “de-make” of Mega Man. Following on the heels of the surprisingly well made and received Mega Man 9, part 10 sees the Blue Bomber once again taking on eight robot masters, only this time he is enlisted by his arch nemesis, Dr. Wily. You see, a deadly disease is infecting robots and causing them to harm humans and hinder their daily lives, but Dr. Wily has the cure, so it is up to Mega Man, and his brother Proto Man, to join forces with their sworn enemy in order to save humanity. I’ll let you guess what happens after you defeat the eight robot masters. Modern platforming masters Inti Creates was responsible for development of the game, and it was, like part 9, well received by critics and audiences. As with Mega Man 9, “box art” was created for the game that was an homage to the horribly inaccurate box art for the first two Mega Man games; behold its majesty:

MDK2 (Dreamcast) – Released Mar. 31^st, 2000: Wiki Link

After the breakout success of MDK, publisher Interplay was itching to make a sequel, but there was a problem. Shiny Entertainment, developers of the game, was not keen to start on a sequel to MDK, feeling that it would be inferior, similar to how they felt about Earthworm Jim 2, and besides, they were already long into production on Giants: Citizen Kabuto. Shiny asked Interplay to wait until Kabuto was done before starting on MDK2, but Interplay wasn’t having it, they needed a sequel right away because of, you guessed it, money troubles. With Shiny out, Interplay had to look for another developer, and wouldn’t you know it, but a small company in Canada called BioWare was just about to ship an impressive looking game called Baldur’s Gate, they probably had time. While some in the industry were a bit confused by this choice (remember, Baldur’s Gate hadn’t released yet), the team at BioWare was more than happy to take on the challenge. While they had been fans of the first MDK, they felt that there were places to improve, particularly in one area that the company would eventually be best known for, the narrative. Despite an incredibly impressive game (for the era), the first MDK wasn’t built to deliver a proper narrative, so BioWare felt that in order to fully realize the game’s potential they would have to use their own proprietary engine, and not only that, but to tell the best story possible they would increase the number of playable characters from one to three.

Each of these characters, original protagonist (and former janitor) Kurt Hectic, the four-armed robot dog Max, and mad scientist Dr. Fluke Hawkins, had unique gameplay styles, culminating in various level design choices to play off of their strengths. The game would pick up immediately after the events of MDK, in which the characters realize that the Minecrawlers have not been exterminated, quite the contrary, they were just warming up. Several alien spacecraft are heading to Earth, and after being captured, Kurt and team must work together to once again save humanity. The game was a smash with critics and audiences, however things were not good with Interplay. Despite the success of Baldur’s Gate and MDK2, the company was hemorrhaging money. The company avoided bankruptcy by going public, but the cash flow was still a problem, so Titus Software gave them two loans, which eventually led to Interplay being acquired by them. Over the next decade, Interplay/Titus would continue to flounder, selling off various franchises (like Fallout), and would struggle to find their place in the industry. In an odd turn of events, Titus would eventually go bankrupt and Interplay would acquire all their assets. Talk of an MDK3 has been floating around for years but leads to nothing each time it is brought up, making this once promising franchise fade from memory.

Super C (NES) – Released Apr. 1990: Wiki Link

The original Contra is one of those all-time classics on the NES, with just about every kid I know playing it at some point. Its sequel, however, doesn’t seem to resonate as much, at least for me, as that first game. This is a shame, because Super C is superior to the original game in just about every way (except maybe the music). Featuring higher detailed backgrounds, sprites, and animation, Super C is a graphical triumph for the NES, really doing its best to showcase the power of the machine in the back half of its lifespan. Picking up a year after the events of Contra, Bill and Lance find themselves once again fighting against the Red Falcon organization. The alien menace has taken over an allied military base, turning their former comrades into mutated creatures, forcing Bill and Lance to kill their once beloved friends (that’s pretty fucking grim). The NES version is a port of the arcade title, and subsequently has various differences, of course the graphics are changed, but the NES Super C featured three new levels, as well as updated weapons, like the fireball (which can be charged). Overall I’d say this is the far superior NES Contra game, but if you just stuck to the first one I wouldn’t blame you.