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.

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.

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:

Well, 2022 is already 2/3rds of the way done, and now that the "new" generation of consoles (that came out nearly two years ago) are finally starting to become easier to obtain at the suggested retail price, it seems that the time is finally right to discuss the best games from the prior year. Assuming you can still remember that far back, 2021 was actually another decent year for gaming. Even though the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 remained next to impossible to obtain at sane prices, they both saw the release of some great new titles and even the occasional exclusive (although in the case of the Series X, that term is somewhat generous). There were also a number of big releases for the Switch and PC as well. Please read on for a list of the best games of 2021 according to 12/12 Games:

Is it just me, or does it seem like this has been a pretty decent year for Nintendo so far? Pokemon Legends: Arceus, Triangle Strategy, Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Mario Strikers: Battle League, and now Live A Live AND  Xenoblade Chronicles 3?? Switch owners may not know what they did to deserve all this love but I'm sure they don't hate it. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is a continuation of the popular RPG series, both previous entries of which have also appeared on the Switch, and Live a Live is a modern remake of a Square Enix Super Nintendo/Famicom title that was never before released in the West.

Also out in the last 7 weeks, a fantastic collection of mid-90s Capcom arcade fighting game hits; a totally radical brand new, yet retro in all the right ways, TMNT game; and one of legendary shoot-em-up company Psikyo's single best games ever made. Live to fight. Fight to live. Then jump past the break to see more new releases from the last 35 days.

Well it's been quite a while but finally, Nintendo has seen fit to grant fans another Mario soccer/football game. The last one (not counting 2017's 3DS sports compilation game, Mario Sports Superstars) was 2007's Mario Strikers: Charged for the original Wii console. Clearly, it has been too long. Mario Strikers: Battle League looks to offer up a pretty decent game of footie. Here's hoping it was worth the wait.

Also out in the last 11 weeks, a Switch port of Obisdian's fantastic 2004 Star Wars title, Knights of the Old Republic II; and GOG ports of the incredibly terrifying and atmospheric 2014 sci-fi horror game, Alien: Isolation, and a handful of great Worms games. Battle soccer is back. Jump past the break to see more new releases from the last 77 days.

Let's kick shell! Konami has great news for all you '90s Turtles fans out there! They just recently announced that they will be releasing all the hit titles from the Nintendo Entertainment System, Super Nintendo, Game Boy, and Sega Genesis in one righteous package! The appropriately named Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Cowabunga Collection will be releasing sometime later this year for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Series X, and Steam.

For more information, you can visit the official website for the game, here, or you  can watch the totally radical reveal trailer that I've posted after the break.