Category Archives: Retro Gaming

The good old retro games!

Game News, Retro Gaming

R-Type Tactics I • II Cosmos Is Out Now — The 16-Year Wait Is Over

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R-Type fans, the wait is finally, genuinely over. R-Type Tactics I • II Cosmos, the Unreal Engine 5 remake of both PSP strategy entries, launched today, 18 June 2026, in the West on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store. Published by NIS America, this is the first time either Tactics game has appeared on current-generation hardware — and critically, the first time R-Type Tactics II has ever been released in English.

R-Type Tactics I • II Cosmos – Release Date Announcement Trailer — via NIS America on YouTube

Sixteen Years in the Making

R-Type Tactics II: Operation Bitter Chocolate originally launched on the PSP in Japan in 2009 but never made it West. Developer Irem shut down its consumer games division not long after, and the sequel quietly became one of strategy gaming’s most notable localisation gaps. Granzella — the studio formed by former Irem staff — brought the franchise back with this full remake collection, and NIS America stepped in as Western publisher to finally close the English gap seventeen years on.

Both games have been rebuilt from scratch in Unreal Engine 5, far removed from the original PSP releases. The collection adds a brand-new post-game storyline on top of the original campaigns, meaning there is fresh content even for players who imported the Japanese version earlier this year.

What Is in the Collection?

The two games in the set share the R-Type universe’s distinctive aesthetic — humanity’s Space Corps versus the biomechanical Bydo empire — but play out as turn-based tactical strategy rather than the shoot-’em-up series it spun off from. Each campaign offers hundreds of ship units to deploy, branching mission structures, and the ability to play as both the Space Corps and the Bydo across separate playthrough perspectives.

  • R-Type Tactics I — remake of the 2007 PSP original, now in English with UE5 visuals
  • R-Type Tactics II: Operation Bitter Chocolate — the 2009 sequel, in English for the first time anywhere
  • New post-game campaign — an entirely original storyline added for this Cosmos release

Platforms and Where to Get It in Singapore

The game is out today on all major platforms available in Singapore: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, and PC (Steam and Epic Games Store). A Limited Edition physical bundle — including a 2-disc soundtrack, conceptual art cards, and two acrylic stands (Rwf-9A Arrow Head and Bwf-1Dα Bydo System Alpha) — is priced at USD 79.99 via the NIS America Online Store. Standard digital pricing is available directly on each platform’s store. Note the Limited Edition for Xbox Series X|S is no longer offered; that version is digital-only.

Japan, Asia, and Korea players have been able to play since 12 March 2026 — so today’s Western launch fills in the last major release territory gap.

Last Words

R-Type Tactics I • II Cosmos is a genuine occasion for strategy fans: a beautifully remastered pair of games that most Western players never got to experience properly, now on every current platform. For Singapore players with a PS5, Switch 2, or a capable PC, there is no excuse not to check it out — especially if you have ever bounced off the original shoot-’em-up series and wondered what the franchise looks like as a tactics game. It looks like this. Check out our Game News section for more launch coverage this week.

Game News, News, Retro Gaming

Onimusha: Way of the Sword — The Series Returns After 20 Years, Out 25 September

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Twenty years is a long time to wait. The last major Onimusha entry — Dawn of Dreams — released on PlayStation 2 in 2006, and the series went dark. Now Capcom is finally bringing it back: Onimusha: Way of the Sword releases on PS5 and Nintendo Switch 2 on 25 September 2026, and a free demo is live right now so you can feel the steel before you commit.

Onimusha Way of the Sword combat screenshot
Image courtesy of Capcom

Why This Is Such a Big Deal

For a certain generation of Singapore gamers, Onimusha is a PS2 bedrock title. The original 2001 game was a moody, atmospheric hack-and-slash set in a supernatural feudal Japan, and it became one of the system’s early standout hits in the region. Onimusha 2 and the Samurai’s Destiny sequel deepened the lore, and Onimusha 3 brought in Jean Reno. But after Dawn of Dreams in 2006, Capcom shifted its focus elsewhere, and the franchise fell dormant.

Way of the Sword is the first brand-new entry in nearly two decades. The stakes — and the hype — are real.

Onimusha: Way of the Sword – Official Release Date Reveal Gameplay Trailer — via GameSpot on YouTube

Setting and Story: Musashi vs the Genma

Way of the Sword is set in Kyoto during the early Edo period, in a dark fantasy version of the city where malevolent clouds of Malice have twisted the landscape and opened the gates to the Genma — supernatural creatures from the underworld. You play as Miyamoto Musashi, Japan’s legendary swordsman, who picks up the mystical Oni Gauntlet and gains the power to slay Genma. As he fights through the haunted streets and temples of Kyoto — including a memorable stage set at Kiyomizu-dera Temple — Musashi searches for his reason to fight and unravels the mysteries of the voice that speaks to him through the gauntlet.

Capcom modelled the protagonist’s face on the late, iconic Japanese cinema legend Toshiro Mifune, which gives Musashi an immediately striking, cinematic presence.

Combat: Every Strike Counts

Onimusha’s signature swordplay is back and rebuilt for modern hardware. Core mechanics include parrying and deflecting incoming attacks, the Issen critical strike (a perfectly timed slash that deals massive damage), and the Reflex Combo system that rewards consecutive successful dodges. The Oni Gauntlet unlocks two supernatural modes: Oni Strength lets Musashi break through enemy defences, while Oni Agility enables wall-running and faster traversal through Kyoto’s environments. Absorbing defeated Genma’s souls powers up your Oni abilities and fills your stats — a mechanic series veterans will recognise immediately.

Producer Akihito Kadowaki described the goal as delivering “a wide variety of action sequences, including the ultimate sword-fighting mechanics that realistically capture the impact of every strike,” as detailed in the PlayStation Blog.

Onimusha Way of the Sword Kyoto environment
Image courtesy of Capcom

Free Demo Out Now — Try It Before 25 September

A free demo is available on PS5 right now, offering around 30 minutes of early story content. Completing and saving the demo also unlocks the Charm: Kubi Akari item when you play the full game. There’s no better time to see whether the 20-year wait was worth it — especially if you never played the originals and want to know what the fuss is about. Keep an eye on the Nintendo Singapore page for Switch 2 demo details.

Editions and Pre-Order Bonuses

Three editions are available at launch:

  • Standard Edition — base game (SGD pricing to be confirmed)
  • Deluxe Edition — includes the Deluxe Kit with cosmetic charms, outfits, and weapon skins
  • Premium Deluxe Edition — adds the Premium Kit featuring companion outfits, additional skins, and a digital soundtrack

Pre-ordering any edition unlocks the Charm: Lion Dog and the Sword Appearance: Sealed Curse skin — a clean bonus for day-one buyers.

Last Words

Whether you were there for the PS2 originals or you’re coming to Onimusha fresh, Way of the Sword looks like a serious revival rather than a cash-in nostalgia trip. Capcom has rebuilt the combat from the ground up, set it in a gorgeously moody Edo-period Kyoto, and put 20 years’ worth of franchise ambition behind it. Singapore gamers on PS5 can try the demo right now; Switch 2 owners should expect more info soon. The full game lands on 25 September 2026 — and it’s been worth the wait just to say that sentence. Check out our round-up of other gaming news for more from the Nintendo Direct.

Game News, Retro Gaming

Donkey Kong 64 Is on Nintendo Switch Online — Play It Now

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After 27 years — and only one previous digital re-release — Donkey Kong 64 is finally on Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack, live from toda

With the Nintendo Switch 2 having launched in Singapore on 26 June last year at SGD $719, it remains a great time to assess whether the Expansion Pack subscription is worth it for you. Priced at SGD $69.90/year for an individual plan, the subscription grants you access to 40 N64 titles (now including Donkey Kong 64), along with GBA, Game Boy, NES, SNES, and SEGA Genesis libraries—plus added GameCube access on your Switch 2. The arrival of Donkey Kong 64 today only adds more value to the service. For the full library list, visit Nintendo Singapore’s Expansion Pack page.

y, 4 June 2026. Singapore players with the Expansion Pack tier can download and play the full 1999 N64 platformer right now, with no extra charge beyond the subscription.

Donkey Kong 64 – Nintendo 64 – Nintendo Classics – Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack — via Nintendo of America on YouTube

What You Get with Donkey Kong 64 on Nintendo Switch Online

Rare’s legendary 1999 collect-a-thon platformer lets you take control of five members of the Kong family — Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Tiny Kong, Lanky Kong, and Chunky Kong — each with their own special abilities and upgrades. Together they climb, swim, and puzzle-solve their way through treacherous worlds to reclaim DK Island’s Golden Bananas from the villainous King K. Rool and his Kremling army.

The Nintendo Switch Online version comes with quality-of-life improvements: higher-resolution output, smoother ~30fps performance (fixing some of the N64’s notorious frame wobble), fully rebindable controls, widescreen display support, and save states — so you’re not forced to marathon every Golden Banana run in one session.

Donkey Kong 64 gameplay on Nintendo Switch Online showing Diddy Kong in a jungle level
Image courtesy of Nintendo

Four-player split-screen battle arenas return too, so you can settle Kong supremacy debates with friends locally.

How Singapore Players Can Access It

You need a Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack membership. In Singapore, the plan is priced at SGD $69.90 per year for an individual account, or SGD $119.90 per year for a family plan covering up to eight Nintendo Accounts. Once subscribed, DK64 is available inside the Nintendo 64 – Nintendo Classics library app directly on your console.

This addition brings the N64 catalogue on Switch Online to 40 titles, sitting alongside Super Mario 64, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, GoldenEye 007, and other classics. Switch 2 owners on the Expansion Pack also get access to the GameCube library — and the Switch 2 launches in Singapore on 26 June.

Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack June 2026 new additions including Donkey Kong 64
Image courtesy of Nintendo

Note: DK64 is not available on the base Nintendo Switch Online tier — the Expansion Pack upgrade is required.

Why This Matters for Nintendo Fans

Donkey Kong 64 is one of Nintendo’s most beloved — and most elusive — retro titles. After its Wii U eShop availability ended when that storefront closed in 2024, the game vanished from all legal digital outlets. This Switch Online addition is only its second official digital re-release, making it genuinely hard to come by for anyone who hasn’t kept the original N64 cartridge around.

For veteran Singapore gamers who grew up with the N64 in the late 1990s, this is a proper nostalgia hit. For younger players, it’s the first accessible chance to experience the DK Rap in its natural habitat — and to discover why this collect-a-thon’s scope still impresses nearly three decades later.

Last Words

With the Nintendo Switch 2 having launched in Singapore on 26 June last year at SGD $719, it remains a great time to assess whether the Expansion Pack subscription is worth it for you. Priced at SGD $69.90/year for an individual plan, the subscription grants you access to 40 N64 titles (now including Donkey Kong 64), along with GBA, Game Boy, NES, SNES, and SEGA Genesis libraries—plus added GameCube access on your Switch 2. The arrival of Donkey Kong 64 today only adds more value to the service. For the full library list, visit Nintendo Singapore’s Expansion Pack page.

General, Retro Gaming

Whoop Arena – A Unique Indoor Drone Arena

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A new indoor drone racing arena is here in Singapore! This pop-up store is now located at Sin Ming Lane Midview City. For the uninitiated, this form of drone racing is known as FPV (First-Person View) and Tiny Whoop is the small form of a quadcopter that has an inbuilt camera.

Image courtesy of Whoop Arena

So how do you fly this thing? Unlike traditional drone flying, the pilot takes the view of the drone via the onboard camera. See those colorful hoops at Whoop Arena? It is for you to fly your drone through it. Whoop arena also have different mode beyond just pure flying for added entertainment. For example you can shoot the drone with Nerf gun!

Image courtesy of Whoop Arena

Whoop arena also provide STEM & coding workshop and FPV flying experience for beginner. Be sure to check them out as the pop-up store will end towards the end of April 2021.

Details

Whoop Arena

Address: 18 Sin Ming Lane, #06-03, Singapore 573960

Shopee store: https://shopee.sg/product/87089220/9421315635?smtt=0.0.9

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/whoop.arena.sg/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whoop.arena.sg/

Game History, Retro Gaming

The Two Button Street Fighter Arcade Game.

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Picture credit: Arstechnica

Street Fighter is well known to have popularized the fighting game genre. It was the first fighting game to have a light, medium and heavy kick or punch instead of just a single punch and kick. It was a revolutionary idea at that time.

Most pro gamers of Street Fighter will have one of these; a six or eight button arcade stick.

Not many people know about the two button Street Fighter I arcade machine. When Street Fighter was first launched, there were two variants, the first one has a six buttons control while the other only have two buttons.

Both buttons of the two buttons variant were pressure sensitive. Depending on how hard you smashed the buttons, you would get different level of punch and kick (one button for kick and one button for punch). So to do a hard punch, you would have to literally throw a hard punch onto the punch button.

Capcom subsequently remove the two buttons variant and the rest is history. The six buttons variant is now what you see in arcades around the world. The removal was allegedly due to injury by fervent players who started smashing the buttons too vigorously.

Have you ever played the two button arcade machine before? If so let us know about it in the comments.

General, Retro Gaming

Who is Street Fighter M.Bison?

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Who comes into your mind when you see this name?

Does the evil psycho kinetic general comes into your mind first or the heavy punching slugger type boxer?

For most people, they may associate the name with the former. However for some, M. Bison is a boxer.

Take a look at the screenshot from Street Fighter 2. It was a match between E.Honda and Vega. Yes Vega, not M. Bison. So who is M. Bison then?

This is M. Bison, the all-too-familiar boxer from Street Fighter. But wait…

M. Bison is now the General and Balrog is the boxer?

Both versions of the Street Fighter II are authentic. The first version we have shown you is the Japan version while the other is the US version.

The boxer in Street Fighter was originally named M. Bison. The ‘M’ refers to ‘Mike’ and hence Mike Bison. Sounds familiar? Because it is. Mike Tyson, Mike Bison, both names even rhymes.

When Capcom localized Street Fighter II for the US, they decided to rotate the name of the bosses in Street Fighter II for fear of legal liability of M. Bison the boxer. So the name of the boxer was changed from M. Bison to Balrog. In fact three characters name were swapped.

Photo credit: ringsandcoins.com

In the latest Street Fighter V, the Japanese version still keeps the same naming convention.

So don’t get confuse by the names. Just understand the history.

Retro Gaming

The curious case of the front loading Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)

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If you ever own a Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), you would have encountered the problem where the system cannot read the game cartridge. Sometime all it takes is a few quick blow into the console. Otherwise, you would likely need to send the unit for repair. only to encounter the same problem a few years later.

The reason for this is due to a design decision made by Nintendo when they launch the NES in America. Unlike many gaming console, both before and after NES, the NES was likely the only console with front loading cartridges.

Most other consoles loads their cartridge from the top. The mechanism needed for front loading known as the Zero insertion force (ZIF) connector, was prone to wear and tear unlike the simpler connector used in the top loading consoles such as Sega Genesis and the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES).

A NES ZIF Connector Credit: thevintagegamers.com

So why did Nintendo op for that design which was in fact a pricier option then?

When Nintendo was launching the NES in America, it was during the 80s video game crash . Basically, it was a time when there was an oversaturation of video game consoles in US. Even Mattel (the maker of Barbie) has a gaming console of their own. Games were not selling well and Atari even resorted to burying their unsold game. It was not a good time to launch a video game console.

In order to entice retailers to carry the NES and for buyers to be more acceptance of the console, Nintendo tried to masquerade it as a toy. Being front loading would mean people can stack it up just like a regular VCR. It looked less like a game console at the same time. Eventually Nintendo did try to fix this issue by releasing the NES 101 which is top-loading.

So the next time your NES breaks, blaming it on the design decision that was made 20 years ago.

 

Retro Gaming

Game Series: The Then and The Now

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Ever wonder how the game you love looks like when it first came out?

Here is a list of popular game video compilation over the years! Check them out! PS: Some videos could be rather long. Watch it when you have the time.

Halo

Metal Gear
Part 1

Part 2

FIFA Soccer

Final Fantasy
Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Street Fighter
Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

History of games are never boring! 🙂

Gadget, General, Retro Gaming

Defining Mobile Gaming

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The Beginning…

Ten years ago, if you ask anyone what mobile gaming is and they would probably think you are referring to the ‘Snake’ game on their Nokia phones. Java game  came next with the release of color phones (for the younger reader, yes phone use to come with monochrome screen – see picture below) and little developer house started to mushroom developing these cool java games. Around the early 2000s,  the Symbian OS becomes dominant and a good number of Symbian games sprouted out amongst the java games.

Nokia’s N-Gage

Mobile gaming took off fairly quickly in Japan. By 2003, there were already a wide-variety of games available on the Japanese handset. For the rest of the world, we have Nokia N-Gage at that time. It was one of the first Mobile Device dedicated for gaming. However, with it’s high price tag and limited library of games, N-Gage didn’t really take off. Ok, try naming 10 popular titles from N-Gage. Erm Tomb Raider, Rayman…? Now name 10 popular games from Nintendo GBA. Pokemon, Legend of Zelda, Wario…You get the point.

Furthermore, portable gaming devices such as Game Boy Advance greatly outsold the N-Gage at that time. People still prefer to have a separate device for gaming. So Nokia decided to stop producing handsets dedicated for gaming and instead overhauled N-Gage changing it into a gaming service compatible with several of its smartphone such as Nokie N96 and N85 by 2007.

Rise Of Touch-based Game on iPhone and Android

When iPhone came out in 2007, mobile games started to take off. It gave birth to companies like Rovio (makers of Angry Bird) and HalfBrick (maker of Fruit Ninja). Casual gaming is brought to a whole new level.

The entire keypad is removed. So playing games on mobile is via the touch screen which in some sense remove the barrier for the casual gamers who are not used to the idea of playing with a game pad. My mum can’t handle a PS3 controller but she plays Angry Bird with ease on her iPhone, swiping and launching bird off the catapult.

The PlayStation Phone!

Meanwhile, while every one is happily playing games on their touch screen Android, iPhone and iPad, gamers like me who is used to playing games on physical controller has to carry two devices with them, a PSP and a mobile phone. So when rumours of a Playstation Phone surface way back in 2006, I was excited about the handset. However, it took a while when Xperia Play finally launched in Singapore last April in 2011. Finally a handphone with a dedicated solid buttons for gaming! Not to mention the all familiar PlayStation X/O/Square and Triangle button!

The Xperia Play (Aka, the PlayStation Phone)

What we love:

The gamepad! The D-pad and all-familiar PlayStation buttons will make any PlayStation Fan (myself included) feel right at home! While I have a bit of problem with reaching my finger out to the shoulder button, overall, the keypads and buttons feels really good for the hands.

The speakers of the phone, to our surprise, produces quite good sound quality as well!

What we don’t like:

Instead of two analog stick found for PS controller, Sony placed in two circular touchpad. When I tried playing games with the touchpad, I find it a bit cumbersome for us as we need to slide over it a couple of time to turn our characters around or sometime the in-game camera will spin around too quickly for FPS game. It doesn’t work that well.

The 4-inch LED-backlit LCD screen, well not stellar, should be good enough for most people. However, with iPhone’s Retina Display and Samsung’s AMOLED,  this older LED-backlit screen seems to lose it luster of yesteryear.

Games

I got a chance to try out some of the games on a Xperia Play. Among them were PES 2011, Minecraft and Battlefield Bad Company 2. While the game library isn’t impressive at the moment, with the device being PlayStation certified, there is a chance that more classic PS games may start to surface for Xperia Play. Love to be able to replay FFXII on the Xperia Play!

PES 2011 on Xperia Play is definitely a better playing experience than on a normal Android phone which lacks the keypad. Playing PES2011 on a standard Android Phone which uses a on-screen keypad is really a nuisance as my thumbs block out about 20% of the screen. Ok may I have fat fingers but I am just not a fan of on screen keypad. On the other hand, the Xperia Play’s entire suite of buttons really improves the experience for PES 2011. . At times, you would feel that you are playing a PSP only to realize that you are playing on the phone when someone calls you and the phone rings. However, the touchpad were really quite bad for playing the game and I end up using the D-pad.

When I was playing Battlefield Bad Company 2, I  had problem with the two circular touchpad again. Either I move too much to the left, or my crosshair just have problem going to where I want. This is the major complain that I have. Other than that, after playing it for a while, I got a hang of it and the game play gets better.

Cloud Gaming

OnLive on Xperia Play! For those who don’t know about OnLive (it is currently only available in the US and UK), it is a cloud gaming solution. Basically, with an internet connection, you can get to play titles like Assassin’s Creed Revelation, L.A. Noire on your mobile devices. In cloud gaming, the servers in the cloud do the hard work of graphic processing while delivering the rendered results as a streaming video to your connected devices. Your mobile devices simply act as an input device, of which your inputs are sent via the internet, and a display.

Although OnLive is already on Android, having it on Xperia Play would mean that you can play your favourite console games with a decent gamepad on your mobile! Isn’t it cool? While the only thing is that it is not available yet in Singapore. Keeping our finger crossed on that one.

Last word…

Gaming on your Mobile Phone has come a long way since the time of playing Snake on Nokia Handset. With better graphics and processing power that are inbuilt in today’s modern smartphone, gaming on your mobile phone is now gaining pace. Furthermore, people are spending more time now with their smartphone.

With PS Vita now released, there are times when I just wish Sony could smack in a GSM module into the beast and have cellphone functionality for PS Vita. Well waiting for that to happen, Xperia Play would be a good choice for Android users who is keen on a better gaming experience.

Perhaps for the casual gamers who are happy with smashing the angry birds or slashing fruits with their finger, a standard touchscreen Android Phone or iPhone should satisfy your mobile gaming needs.