SNK Playmore and Ignition Entertainment are has announced the upcoming release of SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1 for PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable and Wii. The pack includes 16 of SNK's beloved titles

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Few games appeal to adults and kids, but The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon could please both audiences. The younger group gets its beloved purple dragon and familiar platforming. The older crowd will like the depth in gameplay; among other changes, Spyro can now fly at any time.

After recently seeing a demo of the game, I was most impressed by its style and art; adults will find a lot of nuance here, too. Spyro mixes a lot of brightness and darkness in its style, reminding me of Fantasia or other old-guard Disney animations. Grasses leaned back as the wind raked over them, in a saccharine outdoor scene. But in another moment, sharp, muted stones matched the danger from an attacking monster.

via joystiq.com

If you're a role-playing fan who foolishly slept on last year's phenomenal Persona 3, you inadvertently made a wise decision -- now you can experience FES, a substantially enhanced yet value-priced new version. The core game hasn't really changed: By night, you're leading a ragtag party of demon-summoning school kids through a massive multifloor labyrinth, but your daily classwork and social engagements play out like a classic adventure game. The same sophisticated art design, addictive Persona-forging system, and expertly streamlined combat engine return, and a host of new story elements and side quests flesh out the journey.

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As far as plot and setting go, Mana Khemia: Alchemists of Al-Revis for the PS2 is basically an anime Harry Potter. You play as Vayne, a shy orphan unsure of his past who's thrust into enrollment at a special school that teaches alchemy to gifted children. It quickly becomes apparent that everyone is in on some kind of big secret about Vayne that he's clueless about. Within the first 30 minutes after orientation, he's flanked by his future companions: a quiet bookworm with pink hair and a feisty half-girl/half-cat monstrosity. The familiar plot is easy to swallow; it's the ridiculous dialogue -- each line is over-acted and blurted out with no regard for the one that came before it -- that makes every cut-scene an eye-rolling process of mashing the X button to speed up the text.

via 1up.com

All you need to do is whisper the name "Street Fighter" and folks will come out of the woodwork to see what you're talking about. Such is the overwhelming love game fans have for the Street Fighter series, which is a fact that publisher Capcom is taking to heart in 2008. In addition to being knee-deep in development of the upcoming Street Fighter IV, Capcom is putting the finishing touches on yet another downloadable SF game, Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix. At a recent Capcom press event, we got to catch up with the game's developers to see how this version of the game is coming along and try it out for ourselves.

via gamespot.com

The move from free internet diversion to retail is a daunting leap, yet PopCap has decided to swing across the chasm one more time, announcing a follow-up to last year's PopCap Hits for the PlayStation 2. While 2007's release included a pair of puzzlers in Bejeweled 2 and AstroPop, the sequel, planned for release sometime in June, will change things up a bit, partnering Zuma with the whimsical action sidescroller Heavy Weapon on a single disc.

And if that doesn't churn your butter, PopCap has promised a handful of lukewarm extras, chiefly in the form of development histories and tips, meaning the colorblind among us can rest easy knowing that we won't be burning up the phone bill calling the hint line for tips on how to master Zuma's ever-elusive chains. Still, it's impossible to get too worked up about this release, especially given the $19.95 asking price for what we can try -- and get our fill of -- for free through the magic of the world wide web.

via joystiq.com

Prepare to be confused, Final Fantasy fans. In a way, Revenant Wings is a sequel to last year's Final Fantasy XII. It features the same game world, the same characters and - to some extent - the same visual style, not to mention airships, sky pirates, and espers. It even has that disturbingly saucy rabbit-eared woman that I know some of you out there will have checked out at least once before wondering whether you might need urgent psychiatric work. Barring the obvious fact that Revenant Wings is hosted on the comparatively feeble DS, these things might lead you to expect more of the stuff you loved in last year's PS2 epic. You'd be wrong. While it has many RPG trappings, the new FFXII is more of a strategy game. In fact, just to confuse you further, it's not even a strategy game in the established mould of Final Fantasy Tactics, because here the action isn't turn-based but real-time. Is the world ready for something as strange as a Final Fantasy RTS/RPG hybrid on the DS? Well, Square Enix has clearly put a lot of time and effort into making its game ready for the world.

via trustedreviews.com

When it comes to the PlayStation 2, publisher Atlus USA is certainly not afraid to point out where its loyalties lie. The company indicated as much when we spoke to them last month, as Atlus PR front man Aram Jabbari called Sony's venerable console "a viable platform," adding that "there is no reason to abandon a veteran system just because it isn't the newest thing around."

What this translates to is that players can expect to continue to see Atlus' unique brand of niche Japanese titles coming stateside for some time. The latest to be confirmed of which is Examu's all-female fighting game Arcana Heart, which promises PS2 owners all the girl-on-girl 2D action they can handle when the game drops in North America on April 8.

via joystiq.com

Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli, the promising-looking racing game developed under the supervision on Bruno Senna (Ayrton's nephew), is getting a PS2 release to complement the PS3, Wii and DS versions. We've played the PS3 version and if the PS2 iteration is close to emulating it, it should give the platform a top-class racer.

Some 50 lovingly-recreated Ferraris will be available, along with the full complement of Ferrari Challenge series tracks and a comprehensive custom vinyl editor to rival that of Microsoft's Forza series. There will also be eight-player online play. Not bad at all for PS2.

via gamesradar.com

We honestly believe that when it comes to SNK, they believe that nostalgia is job one. Why else would the company continue to keep one foot rooted in the past by re-releasing countless compilations of old releases in lieu of anything truly new?...

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There are a few somewhat decent-looking titles this week, a welcome change from the mini drought that's been plaguing us since mid-December. But of all the titles on the list we're most looking forward to getting our hands on Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law...

via joystiq.com

Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity is the upcoming sequel to Sonic Riders and casts Sega's venerable hedgehog in a hoverboard racer with a selection of familiar faces. Yes, we know that Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and many other characters from the Sonic universe are a speedy lot and can even fly, but hey, it's the future and they need hoverboards now; roll with it...

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We begin with this frankly rather tame offering from point and clicker Runaway: Dream of the Turtle. Yes, it does look like Walt Disney doing Sports Illustrated but we wanted to make sure if anyone under 18 accidentally came through to this page we wouldn't corrupt them inadvertently - Runaway is rated 12+ if you're wondering...

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Gosh, this Rock Band release has been a bit dramatic, eh? We hope this is the end to Canada's Rock Band tribulations, as Joystiq has been informed by a Harmonix representative that December 20th is the final Rock Band release date for Canada...

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When the chips are down and creativity's glass feels half empty, we know we can always look to the mavericks at Atlus to come up with something just a hair shy of normal for an experience that is, if anything, unique...

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