Hello reader who is also a reader, and welcome back to Booked For The Week – our regular Sunday chat with a selection of cool industry folks about books! Once again, the dastardly autumn breezes have blown my schedule all out of whack, so no cool industry person this week. Instead, here is a short excerpt from another weird story I starting writing, also containing poultry for some reason.
Catching up with the DK crew.
Welcome aboard once again for this edition of Catch-up Crew, the series where the senior staff of the USS Nintendo Life do what every good crew should do on a seat-of-your-pants cosmic adventure – adjourn to the observation lounge for a conference.
Yes, we’re back at the table to discuss a classic video game that at least one of us hasn’t ever played. Last month we looked at F-Zero X. This time, we’re heading further back – Rareware’s Donkey Kong Country for the Super Nintendo is the subject of illumination. Available to play on Switch for anybody with a Nintendo Switch Online subscription, will it hold up nearly 30 years on from its 16-bit debut?
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
PlayStation’s classics are finally getting the love they deserve! @pushsquare dives into how PS Plus Premium is reviving forgotten gems just in time for the brand’s 30th anniversary.
“Like, why would anyone play this?” This flippant, out of context quote from former PlayStation bigwig Jim Ryan followed him everywhere. The executive had been speaking at a Gran Turismo event, where the latest in the series at the time, Gran Turismo Sport on the PS4, was being demoed alongside the PlayStation originals. “The PS1 and PS2 games look ancient,” he exclaimed. “Like, why would anyone play this?”
As frustration among PlayStation fans grew, these off-the-cuff remarks from Ryan took on a life of their own: many assumed Sony, under his leadership, hated its legacy. The executive later clarified in an interview with Axios Gaming that he “wasn’t trying to be disrespectful of our heritage”. He explained: “I guess my big learning from all of this is when [Gran Turismo creator] Kazunori Yamauchi unveils his next game side-by-side with its history, I will keep my mouth shut.”
But actions speak louder than words and many fans have been waiting for Sony to actually do something with its back catalogue that proves it cares about the games from its past. I believe, while far from perfect, PS Plus Premium is quietly amassing a catalogue of deep cuts from PlayStation’s history that fans absolutely should be paying attention to. And as nostalgia builds ahead of the brand’s 30th anniversary – with that sumptuous collection of new PS5 hardware available to pre-order soon – it’s something that both long-time fans and newcomers should be paying attention to.
For example, this week saw the release of Mister Mosquito on PS5 and PS4, a largely forgotten 2001 title from Japanese developer Zoom which encapsulates everything great about PlayStation first-party in the PS2 era. As its name implies, this game sees you buzzing around the unsuspecting Yamada family’s home, drawing blood without arousing suspicion in some of the zaniest gameplay you’re likely to find on any format today. The original was brought overseas by Eidos under license from Sony, but is reproduced with Trophies and various quality of life features here.
Many games are also making their European debuts as part of Sony’s hushed retro push. Earlier in the year, Level-5’s legendary PSP tactics game Jeanne d’Arc launched into PS Plus Premium, marking the first time it’s been officially available outside of Japan and North America; Sony famously passed on publishing the game in Europe, despite its story being loosely inspired by Joan of Arc and the Hundred Years’ War in the 15th Century. Similarly, cult PS2 aerial combat game Sky Gunner was ported to the PS5 and PS4 this week, marking another European debut.
While there’s clearly more Sony could be doing here, with its official emulator in particular lacking the upscaling capabilities of third-party rivals, I really appreciate how many games are being given a new lease of life with the inclusion of Trophies. The fan favourite PS2 TimeSplitters trilogy was updated this week to incorporate Platinums, and for many this is all the incentive needed to revisit old favourites. Iconic PS1 games like G-Police, Jumping Flash!, and Intelligent Qube all come with a list of achievements to unlock as well.
Even lesser known instalments from classic PlayStation properties are getting a second shot in the spotlight; I wouldn’t exactly recommend spin-offs like Secret Agent Clank and Jak & Daxter: The Lost Frontier over their mainline counterparts, but I like that they exist in an easily accessible form on modern hardware. The real goal for Sony will be to ensure the original trilogies accompany them; you can play all of the Jak & Daxter games with Trophies on the PS5 and PS4, but we’re still awaiting the original Ratchet & Clank releases.
While I suppose I could criticise Sony for dragging its heels, I’d rather it do that than nothing at all. The catalogue of PlayStation classics on PS Plus Premium is growing, with many available a la carte on the PS Store if you don’t want to pay out for the pricey subscription. The emulation could admittedly be better, and the software could be coming quicker – but quietly the Japanese giant is embracing its heritage and making it available for veterans and newcomers alike.
If you’re thinking, “Like, why would anyone play this?”, it’s because, as we approach PlayStation’s all-important 30th anniversary, there’s a lot of love for its back catalogue. And gradually, month by month, Sony is actually beginning to acknowledge that.
Sammy Barker is the Editor of Push Square. He’s been living and breathing the wonderful world of PlayStation for decades now – and has the tattoos to prove it. You can find him on @_get2sammyb.
A unique collab ahead of Sonic X Shadow Generations.
The dark knight Batman this week is celebrating his 85th birthday, and in an interesting little crossover, Sega has teamed up to commemorate his origin. It’s not clear if this could lead to more, but the DC Comics description of this same video calls it a “partnership”. The following description is also attached:
“The shadows hold the key for what lies ahead…Happy Batman Day!”
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
“We have tons of ideas we’d want to implement”.
Earlier this week, Bandai Namco surprised Freedom Wars fans with the announcement of a remaster for the Switch and multiple other platforms. This game will arrive on 10th January next year and apparently it could open the door for a sequel.
Speaking to IGN, director Takashi Tsukamoto mentioned how he hopes the remaster can be successful enough to “take the next step into potentially releasing a sequel“. Unfortunately, there is no confirmation right now, but the team has “tons of ideas” if it does go ahead:
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Nintendo reconfirms.
In case you missed it, The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom will see the return of proper dungeons.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Now you’re playing with power!
Gaming peripheral company ‘8BitDo’ has launched a new line of NES-inspired keycaps, which can be used on mechanical keyboards. These are apparently the same designs from its retro keyboard, which was released in 2023 (thanks, The Verge).
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Homeworld 3 is condensing its release schedule for post-launch updates. Instead of free and paid content arriving into 2025, it will all – three free updates, and two paid DLCs – arrive together in a “one major update” in November.
The Finals‘ fourth season approaches. It’ll kick off on September 26th, with a new map, a new tutorial and the restoration of Cashout as the core ranked mode. There’s a new trailer below, which is worth watching even if you don’t play The Finals, says I.
Comic-style art appears across video games and board games. In the 1980s, my childhood was filled with several of these stylized games that integrated comic characters into their gameplay. While Steve Jackson’s cartoonish dungeon crawler Munchkin wasn’t around back then, it is certainly a game I find myself returning to for nostalgia and silliness here and there.
Munchkin is a cartoon foray into a dungeon featuring a cast of characters from fantasy and reality. The card game is filled with comical art and often witty banter that will have you laughing and probably rolling your eyes at some of the dad jokes.
Gameplay for Munchkin is fairly quick and simple. You start as an ordinary human with a few cards in your initial arsenal of goodies. The cards in your hand, along with others you’ll pick up as you play, help you navigate 10 floors of a dungeon by giving you attributes of a specific class and arming you to fight the monsters you’ll encounter. You’ll employ various zany antics and characteristics against formidable foes as you compete against other players, kicking in doors to fight monsters and gaining loot to increase your power throughout the dungeon run. Which player will reign victoriously in the end? The journey is yours to discover in Munchkin.
Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to battle your way through the dungeon and get to level 10 before your counterparts. Kick in the door and start fighting across plenty of different versions of comical shenanigans.
The base card game of Munchkin is a fantasy dungeon crawler that incorporates the types of characters that you might expect to help you along your quest. It also has a few that you might not expect, with fantasy monsters that go beyond dragons to plants and even lawyers.
While Munchkin has a considerable number of expansions, there are five that pair with any base game.
Contents: 112 more cards, including orc race, new armor, allies, new weapons
This expansion can be played with the original base game as well as Munchkin Conan or Munchkin Pathfinder. Unnatural Axe adds the orc race to the game, as well as new armor, new allies, and some zany new weapons.
Contents: 112 cards, including bards, gnomes, new monsters, new armor, five comic artist-created expansion exclusive special items
Clerical Errors adds gnomes as a playable race. It also adds my personal favorite of an archetype class – bards. There is new armor. There are new monsters. There are also five uniquely designed items, each designed by comic artists.
Contents: 112 cards, including 30 new kingdom cards featuring new elements
What fantasy game would be complete without trusty steeds to bring us to victory or defeat? The Need for Steed expansion adds dragons, tigers, giant mutant gerbils, chickens, and… Big Joe? Yeah, Big Joe might be a steed, or he might be a hireling. Use these steeds to help you to get to level 10 before your friends do.
Contents: 112 cards, including ranger class, new monsters, new armor, and new weapons
Ah, rangers. They’re either beloved or the butt of a joke in fantasy games. In Munchkin, they’re a little bit of both. Rangers can tame monsters and ride them to escape new monsters like the treacherous Telemarketer, Poultrygeist, or Undead Clowns.
Contents: 112 cards, including 40 dungeons
This expansion brings 40 new dungeons to life and 32 portals to get to and from each one. Each dungeon has different rules and variations to change up the experience. This expansion will open up the possibilities of where you can go and the monsters you will run into immensely. Proceed with caution.
There are 14 other versions of Munchkin to play. Like Fluxx, they are separated by theme. Pick a favorite and go from there. Below are four of my personal picks to consider.
Contents: 168 cards (including new dungeons) rules, and one six-sided die
Lovecraft lore fans will appreciate the Cthulhu spin on the game. There are also three available expansions for it to add to the cartoony horror spin on the Lovecraft Mythos universe. Those expansions are Cthulhu Sanity Check, The Unspeakable Vault, and Crazed Caverns.
Contents: 168 cards (including new dungeons) rules, and one six-sided die
Yes, Munchkin has comic art in the game, but this version includes superheroes. Comic book lovers will likely want to see how Munchkins can become superheroes and villains. There’s also one expansion available for this version called The Narrow S Cape.
Contents: 168 cards (including new dungeons) rules, and one six-sided die
The Steampunk version of Munchkin was done by a comic artist who did the Steampunk comic called Girl Genius. Each of the classes in this steampunk spin is unique to this version.
Contents: 168 cards (including new dungeons) rules, and one six-sided die
In most zombie spins of games, it’s you versus the zombies. The fun thing about this version is that you are the zombies in Munchkin Zombies, and your enemies are the human race. Several different expansions can be added to this one. Four of those expansions (Armed and Dangerous, Hideous Hideouts, Spare Parts, and Grave Mistakes) add additional cards. One adds Zombie Dice.
Dire Wolf Digital (makers of Clank!) created the digital version of Munchkin, which is available on Steam for $14.99.
While this version doesn’t come from the same team as the original, it’s a highly enjoyable game at the base level that plays well digitally. You can play against friends who also have a copy of the game or against the AI. Games outside of the tutorial can be played with 3-6 players. A single player can choose to go against two or more AI or combinations of AI and human players on the same machine or online.
One of the key differences between the digital version and the physical version is that you can choose to play without gender-connected items. In the original versions, gendered items (only two different ones in these games, which do not acknowledge the gender spectrum) are a big part of the game.
Currently, the Steam version is the only way to play Munchkin digitally. There was talk about it being a mod on Tabletop Simulator, but comments on the Steam community regarding things allude to potential licensing issues. A 2014 forum post on the Steve Jackson Game website also noted, “Our policy has been consistent and clear: people who want to create digital versions of our games must obtain a license to do so. I’m sorry that you feel this is disrespectful to our fans and customers. We feel exactly as disrespected by people who use our content without our permission.”
That said, I found the digital version to be worth playing. It also has an expansion called Unnatural Axe for an additional $4.99, which requires the base game.
Munchkin offers some cartoonish art often paired with witty and zany adversaries. In several ways, I’ve found myself enjoying the game. I know several friends who enjoy it for the most part as well. However, as I’ve aged and the years have passed, I’ve found that the game misses the mark in some ways, particularly at the expense of others where it shouldn’t. This seems also to be the case for others on Board Game Geek, as the current rating is only 5.9.
Gendered items and character designs can take away the enjoyment of some players. I liked how the digital version allowed me to step away from that a bit if I wanted. I wish other physical game versions did. The zany objects and fantastically witty text could be much better with more inclusivity.
Jennifer Stavros is a contributing freelancer for IGN, covering everything from comics, games, technology, and nerd culture. Follow her on Twitter or watch her on Twitch under the handle @scandalous.
