River City Girls 2 is out now in Japan, but we're still waiting for the official worldwide release date. Something we always look forward to from WayForward games is their memorable introductions. We can already tell you that the animated River City Girls 2 intro does not disappoint. In fact, after watching the catchy opening, we spoke with Adam Tierney of WayForward about exactly how the animation was put together!
If you asked about my two most anticipated co-op games of the year, I'd answer with Warhammer 40,000: Darktide and River City Girls 2. The PC version of Darktide launches this week, thankfully, but things are slightly more complicated for the Misako and Kyoko, the tough girls from River City. WayForward has confirmed that the Japanese and Asian versions of River City Girls 2 will launch on December 1, but the North American release is due later in 2022. That's cutting it close!
Jitsu Squad, one of the fastest and flashiest beat ‘em ups in recent memory, is headed to consoles in December. Among Jitsu Squad’s standout features are gorgeous 2D artwork, a catchy soundtrack, and 4-player local co-op. To learn more about the original PC game and upcoming console versions, we interviewed Dave Baljon and Sebastien Rom...
Released to arcades way back in 1991 before migrating to consoles, Joe & Mac: Caveman Ninja is a classic 2D platformer starring two heroic cavemen who must rescue kidnapped damsels from evil cavemen and gigantic dinosaurs. 30 years later, Microids and Mr. Nutz Studio are unleashing an HD remake called New Joe & Mac: Caveman Ninja on all platforms. The PlayStation and Switch versions will launch digitally on November 24, followed by retail releases and digital Xbox and PC versions in December. Like the original, the remake will feature 2-player local co-op!
As the release of New Joe & Mac: Caveman Ninja fast approaches, things are looking good in the music department. The game itself is a gorgeous HD remake of the classic co-op action-platformer in which a pair of heroic cavemen battle evil cavemen and dinosaurs. Microids, New Joe & Mac's publisher, has recently launched its own record label, Microids Records, with the New Joe & Mac soundtrack among the label's first albums. Other freshly-released soundtracks include Syberia 2, Syberia 3, Arkanoid Eternal Battle, Horse Tales, and a Flashback tribute album.
In early 2021, Dutch studio Tanuki Creative successfully launched a Kickstarter campaign for a beat 'em up called Jitsu Squad. The game has been out on Steam for a while, receiving numerous updates, and now it's headed to consoles. PlayStation and Switch versions are due in December, and publisher ININ Games plans to release an Xbox version later on. That means "jitsu" for everyone!
If there's one thing retro gamers love, it's a good compilation of classic games. As it so happens, Atari and Digital Eclipse have recently released exactly such a game with Atari 50: The Anniversary Collection for consoles and PC. This one collects a staggering array of titles from Atari consoles and arcades past, plus offers some new games to boot. It's a wild mix of games that, thankfully, includes more than a handful of local co-op games.
Long ago, the studio that developed the incredible Bionic Commando: Rearmed broke up. Some of the remaining staff formed Might & Delight, which would go on to release games like Book of Travels and the Shelter series. Might & Delight's first game, though, was an ultra-hard platformer called Pid. Ten years later, Pid is about to find a new life on Nintendo Switch. On November 18, a whole new generation will get to face the game's beauty, challenge, and 2-player local co-op.
Earlier this year, WayForward and 13AM Games unleashed Dawn of the Monsters, a kaiju-themed beat ‘em up, onto consoles and PC. The game features four gigantic playable monsters and/or robots who must save the world from an alien invasion. With over 30 stages of brawling and citywide destruction, Dawn of the Monsters already packs a big punch. But the game will get even bigger when the developers add a new playable monsters - and fans can vote on the new character!
Quirky indie developer Mommy's Best Games recently revived one of its earliest shoot 'em ups as Game Type DX on Xbox and Switch. The 2D shooter involves the mysterious Hoodie Girl's battle against an evil army of online advertisements. It's charming, weird, and features 2-player local co-op. Sony fans will finally have a chance to join in the fun when Game Type DX arrives on PlayStation on November 17.
It's only a few short weeks until the release of Warhammer 40,000: Darktide, but its predecessor, Warhammer: Vermintide 2 is still going strong. Fatshark just gave out the Steam version for free, and now the same version has received a new free level. "Trail of Treachery" is set on a snowy mountain. It's a fun and challenging new level that adds even more to an already great cooperative experience.
When the highly anticipated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge launched in June, it boasted an impressive array of local and online co-op features. The Xbox, Switch, and PC versions allowed local and online players to join the same game, a feature we call combo co-op. PlayStation, however, did not support this feature. That finally changes with the latest update, which enables combo co-op in PlayStation. What's more, all versions of Shredder's Revenge just got a party code system to facilitate cross-platform co-op!
