Last year, we played a demo of Survivor Mercs, an upcoming bullet heaven (Vampire Survivors-style) shooter with a military theme. At the time, developer Wandering Wizard was targeting a summer release for the game. Well, sometimes things work out better than planned. Survivor Mercs is now due out on Xbox, PlayStation, and Steam (where it's currently in Early Access) on April 30. It's not much longer until we get to survive some mercs, baby!

We first ran across Japanese merchandise label Kumagumi when they released a cool line of Double Dragon clothing a few years ago. Well, now they're back with a similarly attractive array of physical goods dedicated to SNK's Metal Slug. Metal Slug, of course, is a series of run-and-gun shooters that began its life on the NeoGeo arcade hardware. The series is known for its attractive pixel art and memorable character designs, to say nothing of the challenging gameplay.

There are plenty of Vampire Survivors-style "Bullet heaven" games in the sea, but it's hard to care about the ones that don't have co-op. If you don't at least bring the same features to the table as the game you're inspired by, what's the point? Well, Survivor Mercs from Wandering Wizard is already out in Steam Early Access, and it's coming soon to consoles as well. Having tried the single-player demo on Steam, I'm excited for it.

Double Dragon is one of the most enduring beat 'em up franchises around. Limited Run recently announced physical copies of the Double Dragon Collection, Double Dragon Gaiden debuted to rave reviews in 2023 and later received online co-op, and River City Girls 2 is due to get Double Dragon DLC sometime this year. The arrival of fresh Double Dragon merchandise from Kumagumi (a Japanese merchandise label) is certainly appropriate, and there will be more to come.

Contra: Operation Galuga, the highly anticipated run-and-gun shooter, has just arrived on consoles and PC today. To celebrate the occasion, the Konami shop now offers a variety of Operation Galuga-themed products, including shirts, hats, posters, and more. Given that Operation Galuga is the best Contra in years (and supports up to 4-player local co-op!), we can see why series fans would want some matching merch.

Earth Defense Force isn't exactly obscure, but it remains a sleeper series in the gaming world at large. Earth Defense Force 6 recently launched in Japan, however, where it has outsold all previous entries. D3 Publisher has also released some choice EDF merchandise, including replicas of the items that every EDF player loves to collect: Weapon,...

Now that Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium is here, it’s time for us to finally review the first game. Capcom Arcade Stadium is a collection of 32 classic arcade games that were originally released from 1984-2001. The various titles can be purchased as a full collection or piecemeal, with the base software and 1943, a co-op shoot ‘em up, availa...

November 7th, 2002 was the last time a full fledged single-player and co-op MechWarrior experience was released. 17 years later we've finally been graced with MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries and the crew at Co-Optimus strapped in to our favorite metal beast for some good ol' metal-on-metal action.

Originally slated for a 2018 release, Piranha Games' MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries was bumped to 2019 this past June with the promise that a firm release date would be announced at the annual MechCon. Well this past weekend, the mechs descended upon Vancouver and revealed they'd be storming the world September 10 next year.

Look at you, sitting at home like a dunce, thinking you're all done with loot-based shooters.  You'll never be done crafting parts, collecting materials, and shooting bad folks.  You hear me?!  Never.

During this year's Mech_Con, developer Piranha Games announced that MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries will support four player co-op when it launches next year. The entire story campaign can be played with your buddies, meaning it won't be up to just you to lead your mercenary squad to glory.

In last night's Monday Night Stream, the crew took on the recently release M.E.R.C. on Steam. The early access title is part Ghost Recon, part Shadowrun, and reminds us a lot of the Commandos series, perhaps even the recently released Satellite Reign.