Hello there! We're not even to May yet and already one of the heaviest hitters of the year has landed! Of course, I am talking about none other than the just-released, Star Wars: Jedi - Survivor, Respawn's hotly-anticipated follow-up to their incredible 2019 smash hit, Star Wars: Jedi - Fallen Order. Early reviews are looking good, but honestly, as long as it plays anything like the previous game, I'm pretty sure it will do nicely.

Also out in the last 9 weeks, Nintendo's long-awaited Advance wars compilation, Capcom's hotly-anticipated modern console remake of Resident Evil 4, and a PlatinumGames-developed prequel to their bewitching Bayonetta series. Stand against the darkness, then jump past the break to see more new releases from the last 63 days.

3D Stereoscopy has experienced something of a recurring fad since its discovery, beginning with stereoscopic photograph viewers, all the way back in the mid-1800s. 3D films first rose to prominence in the 1950s, before mostly dying out and then enjoying a somewhat brief resurgence in the 1980s, and then again from the late (20)00s to early '10s. That most recent period of renewed interest in 3D films also gave rise to some new 3D technologies and devices as well, including televisions and, perhaps most notably, the Nintendo 3DS

For decades, Nintendo had invested in and experimented with various types of 3D tech, including their infamously ill-conceived Virtual Boy system, which they released to the public in the mid-90s (before quickly cancelling it within a year's time) Despite their failures with that much-maligned gaming device, Nintendo eventually opted to try one more time, with the successor to their wildly successful DS portable. In order to avoid one of the most common complaints associated with the vast majority of stereoscopic displays (the need for glasses), as well as to try and avoid any more disastrous product failures, Nintendo wisely invested in a somewhat novel approach for what would become their 3DS system. By utilizing a parallax barrier inside the screen of the 3DS, Nintendo was successfully able to generate 3D images completely free of the usual glasses requirement.

Despite this groundbreaking approach to 3D gaming, the 3DS, not unlike its earlier 3D predecessor, got off to a pretty slow start sales-wise (though not nearly to the extent of the Virtual Boy). Luckily for Nintendo, they were able to mostly turn things around with an early price cut and the announcement of incoming downloadable NES and Game Boy Advance classics for the system, some of which were made available at no cost to early adopters. The 3DS eventually went on to become a moderate success for Nintendo, selling more consoles than the GameCube and the N64 combined (though still only managing to move about half as many the record-holding original DS system). As would be expected of just about any Nintendo device, particularly one with such unique stereoscopic 3D capabilities, the 3DS boasted some pretty uniquely excellent games to match. Here are 12 of the very best titles that the 3DS had to offer.

Well, we may have already received a fantastic Kirby game just 11 short months ago, but Nintendo has graciously decided to bestow another title upon his adoring fans. This time around, it's an enhanced remake of the excellent 2011 installment, Kirby's Return to Dream Land. With spruced up visuals and extra content, this Deluxe version of the game must now surely be the required way to experience the superb multiplayer-friendly fun. Anyway, who could say no to another helping of quality Kirby platforming action?

Also out in the last 4 weeks, a sequel to the hit 2018 Square Enix RPG, Octopath Traveler; a Switch remaster of the best-selling 2002 GameCube title, Metroid Prime; and a brand-new beautiful-looking apocalyptic adventure title called Season: At Letter to the Future. Help the mysterious Magolor fix his broken ship, then jump past the break to see more new releases from the last 28 days.

Happy 2023 everyone! It's only January and the hotly-anticipated 2023 releases have already begun to arrive (although I do need to round up a few of the late 2022 highlights as well). The big release this month is none other than the slick new remake of Dead Space. Featuring updated visuals, redesigned (nearly) everything, and a few slight tweaks to the story and soundtrack, this remake of Dead Space seems to be scratching a particular itch in ways that it's spiritual sequel, last year's The Callisto Protocol, couldn't quite manage to.

Also out in the last 8 weeks, another installment to Nintendo's beloved Fire Emblem series; a more comprehensive Wonder Boy collection (than the one that came out just last year); and Hi-Fi Rush, a pretty cool-looking brand new rhythm/action game from Tango Gameworks. Humanity Ends Here. Jump past the break to see more new releases from the last 40 days.

Well, it's December and that means that all the big new releases are just about done with for the year. Typically, they would have already been done since October, but this year we were fortunate enough to receive a not insignificant number of titles that were apparently running a little late to the party. This very week, in fact, saw a couple of fairly big releases, including the new Marvel-based strategy RPG from Firaxis Games. In (Marvel) Midnight Suns you get to create a new original hero and take them into tactical battles along with famous Marvel heroes such as Wolverine, Iron Man, Blade, and Ghost Rider. It sounds pretty interesting, to say the least.

Also out in the last 5 weeks, The Callisto Protocol, a spiritual sequel to the Dead Space games by one of the very co-creators of that series; the long-awaited next installment to the epic God of War franchise; and another non-Mania entry to the otherwise uneven Sonic the Hedgehog series. Darkness falls. Rise up. Then jump past the break to see more new releases from the last 35 days.

Hello again. I hope everybody had a nice Thanksgiving! Well, it's been too long since our last GOG sale post and we very nearly missed being able to post this one, but if you're reading this, and it's on or before the 30th, you're not too late to take advantage of some pretty crazy holiday deals.

That's right! Everybody's favorite DRM-free online game store has a Black Friday sale going on from now until the end of November. They're advertising discounts on over 4,000 titles and have even offered up a free giveaway or two! So be sure to go check it out before it's over. Or, you can always jump past the break for a short list of some of the best deals we've seen so far.

Well, it's late October, which means Halloween's nearly upon us. What better way to get in the spirit of the season than by playing a brand new title starring everybody's favorite Umbra Witch, Bayonetta! Though most people are no doubt at least somewhat aware of the supposed controversy surrounding Bayonetta's voice actress shake-up with this third installment, it's probably best not to worry about it too much. It seems like a lot to untangle and, at the end of the day, it's more Bayonetta, the critics seem to love it, and Jennifer Hale is awesome.

​Also out in the last 13 weeks, an enhanced Switch port of Persona 5, one of the very best games of 2017; the much-anticipated follow-up to 2019's best period horror stealth game, A Plague Tale -Innocence-; and a multi-console release of the 2020 My Little Pony inspired indie fighter, Them's Fightin' Herds. Beauty becomes the beasts. Jump past the break to see more new releases from the last 91 days.

Right around the same time that Nintendo released their 8-bit Famicom game console in Japan, the original version of what would eventually be released in the rest of the world as the Nintendo Entertainment System, arcade developer Sega released a competing console that they called the "SG-1000". Then, a year later, they released a redesigned version called the "SG-1000 II". Neither system was particularly successful. So after another year, Sega decided to make a few upgrades, most notably to the graphics chip, which would be based off of their System 2 arcade board. They then released this newly overhauled version which they dubbed, the "Mark III".

Unfortunately for Sega, they still couldn't stand toe to toe with Nintendo, even after multiple hardware revisions. At least, not in Japan. So Sega then decided to try their luck in the Western markets. The Mark III was rebranded as the "Sega Master System" and given futuristic-looking facelift. Once again, Sega managed to sync their release to Nintendo's, launching the Master System right around the same time that the Nintendo Entertainment System came out. Never let it be said that Sega was one to shy away from a fight. 

Although the Master System was technically more powerful than Nintendo's console, with the exception of Brazil and a few European markets, it never really managed to come close to the impressive sales numbers of the NES. One major reason for this was a lack of software, primarily thanks to Nintendo's shrewd licensing requirements, that forbade third-party developers from releasing their NES titles on competing platforms. To Sega's credit, they did still manage to snag a few high-profile third-party titles, here and there, even despite this rather gargantuan obstacle. Additionally, being a (then) up-and-coming development house themselves meant that their console would at least have a stellar selection of first-party titles to choose from. So, even though Sega's hardware couldn't compete on quantity, that doesn't mean it didn't still have plenty of quality. Read on for a list of 12 of the best games that the Sega Master System had to offer.

In 1984, the video games market was virtually non-existent in the West. While Atari and it's competitors had been making money hand over fist just a few short years earlier, a steady stream of poorly made and wildly unpopular titles, coupled with the rise of personal computing alternatives, led to the infamous video game crash of 1983. Many believed that the dedicated video game console was merely a fad that had already passed and would never turn a profit again. Meanwhile, in Japan, Nintendo had found great success with the release of their new 8-bit Famicom system, actually managing to reach the number one spot in game console sales in a still-thriving Japanese market. This newfound success, in addition to the complete non-existence of any would-be competition in the West, gave Nintendo the confidence to see if they could reignite game console sales in that market as well.

Nintendo first decided to test the waters with their newly-created Vs System, arcade cabinets housing slightly modified, localized versions of already existing Famicom titles. In addition to generating additional revenue via the arcades and giving Nintendo a way to gauge the popularity of various titles, this strategy also had the added bonus of creating buzz and fostering awareness of those titles ahead of the console's launch. Furthermore, when it came time to release the console, Nintendo opted to start out with a limited test market launch, first in New York, and then in Los Angeles, in order to make certain that the system would in fact sell. Nintendo's strategies paid off, and on September 27th, 1986, they finally released their rebranded Nintendo Entertainment System nationwide in America. The video game console was back and here to stay.

In order to help restore consumer confidence and avoid another flood of low quality titles on the market, Nintendo also enacted strict controls on product approval and game licensing for their console. This was made famous by their official seal of quality that could be found on virtually all game cartridges produced for the system; and the NES had quality titles in spades. In fact, it was mostly thanks to its strong stable of games that the system was such a spectacular success. Here are but 12 examples of the best titles that the Nintendo Entertainment System had to offer: