Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

A classic arcade name just got a surprise revival on Switch

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • A classic arcade name just got a surprise revival on Switch

    Is the name Psikyo familiar at all? It's fine if not - it's been well over a decade since the Kyoto developer was a going concern, and even in its heyday its appeal was limited by its chosen genre; fine-tuned shmups that were a mainstay in Japanese arcades in the late 90s. The Psikyo name gets my heart aflutter, though, thanks to a handful of admirable Dreamcast ports of some of its greats. Gunbird 2! Zero Gunner 2! Cannon Spike!
    Okay, maybe not that last one so much. Cannon Spike was a fairly tepid shooter whose saving grace was its oodles of Capcom fan service with starring roles for the likes of Cammy, Mega Man and Darkstalker's Baby Bonnie Hood, but it's notable for being one of the last PAL releases for Sega's Dreamcast. Desirable, too, so much so that I turned in a healthy profit on my own copy earlier this year and put the money towards my own Switch fund, so it was a pleasant surprise to see two of Psikyo's older games pop up on the eShop this week.
    Strikers 1945 is the archetypal Psikyo game - and probably its most famous title, too - developed as it was in the studio's infancy. You can see some of Psikyo's heritage there - the team was formed from members of Aero Fighters developers Video System, and by some delicious kink of fate the sequel to that particular game is also out on eShop this week - as well as some of its latter identity taking shape. What is it that makes Psikyo games stand out? For me its the elegance to be found in their simplicity; these are shmups that stop short of the chaos of many of their contemporaries while maintaining a complexity of their own. They're slick, sturdy things that never feel mean-spirited, and have oodles of style.
    Read more…


    More...
Working...
X