Oh man, where do I even start with this craziness? So, this one morning, the BBC — for reasons only they know — decided that you could shove NES games into a Super Nintendo. I mean, did anyone call up Greg Leahy first? Perhaps not. Anyway, Donkey Kong Bananza is basically hogging all of Nintendo nerds’ brainpower this week — there’s a review cooking up somewhere, so stay tuned or whatever.
But, hey, since we’re dwelling in this twisted Nintendo circus, ever thought of mixing Pac-Man with exploration? Yeah, it’s a thing, and oddly enough feels like a bigger deal than Montreal’s Shadow Labyrinth — don’t ask me why. If you snag it on Switch, the upgrade’s free, so yay for that. And then there’s The Wandering Village, aka city building on a giant beast’s back. I mean, sure, why not?
Thinking about what else we might have tripped over while not paying attention? HunterxHunter’s got a fresh ArcSys fighter. Maybe it’s decent, maybe not. And can you believe Neverwinter Nights 2’s making a comeback? Plus, some old-school Golden Tee games — with, alas, no trackball love. Oh, and God Wars found a new publishing buddy.
Speaking of things that slipped under the radar… did anyone catch the Archives title, Super Dimension Fortress Macross II? No? Me neither, really. Also, there’s this Aussie Rules football game that’s out, but with no licenses, good luck setting up that dream Grand Final battle between St. Kilda and the Gold Coast. Yeah, not happening.
And then, there’s the GREAT “FIVE DIMITRIS ALERT” — mark this: Pineapple: A Bittersweet Revenge. Now, why this game costs a mere eight bucks in some places but eighty Canadian dollars is beyond me. Maybe imported maple syrup’s to blame. Or not.
North America
Switch 2’s got its line-up — Donkey Kong Bananza tagged at $69.99 in the US, and a soul-crushing C$99.99 up north. Pac-Man: Shadow Labyrinth hitting the shelves this Friday at $29.99. Switch 1’s got HunterxHunter Nen Impact on Tuesday for $59.99, plus a whole jumble of games with price tags that depend on where you live, your astrological sign, and maybe your shoe size. Seriously, it’s all over the place.
Europe
Everything’s priced in euros and pounds, quite variably. Donkey Kong Bananza at €69.99 or £58.99. Pac-Man struts in for €29.99. And so on. Lots of titles out there — you pick what confirms your existential gaming crisis.
Japan
Over in Japan, they’ve got Donkey Kong Bananza listed at ¥7980, and it keeps going. Games are abundant, and if I tried to list them all, I’d be stuck in this endless loop of yen and slightly odd game names.
So yeah, gaming chaos is what’s up. Grab what makes you happy right now, because, who knows, tomorrow might bring a new madness. Or just, you know, more overpriced Canadian pineapples.
