Congratulations to hacker alias xx_G30ff_xx for a new PB in Issue Avoidance at the 2023 Game Awards.
Things we missed last week: A quartet of old Telenet/Revelation shooters – Avenger, Granada, Gaiares (pronounced guy-are-us) and Psychic Storm – dropped alongside Pole Position II in the Archives.
As expected, there were no major announcements out of the 9th annual Winter Games Fest show (Nintendo skipped entirely for the second time in three years), nor did the host feel free to point out that the industry they were celebrating has had about 4-5x more layoffs than we have Switch games released this year. Considering the latter is over 2300 and might peak 2400 with a little under three weeks left in the year… yeah, you done goofed Geoff. (See also: Nothing about Palestine, to a lesser extent how Dave the Diver is an indie game when it’s literally published by a Nexon imprint.) At least one of the announcements was immediate without being a shadowdrop, as the Switch release date for Palia – the F2P life sim announced for Switch release in June – is going 1.0 on Switch this week. And aside from the most expensive game of the week being another Touhou-vania and a couple of strategy games in the Hammerwatch series, that’s it for major Western releases. And given that I’m enrolling in Blueberry Academy this week, that’s kind of useful.
I do want to cast my eyes down to the Japan released, which includes a trio of Taito laserdisc arcade releases… one of which is the infamous Time Gal.
North America
Digital
Koumajou Remilia II: Stranger’s Requiem (US$29.99/C$39.99)
Hammerwatch II ($24.99/$32.89: Tuesday)
Winter Games Challenge ($24.99/$34)
Hammerwatch: Anniversary Edition ($19.99/$26.35: Tuesday)
Metro Quester ($19.99/$27.99)
Pan’orama ($19.99/$27.99)
Never Be Afraid Slam Dunk ($19.99/$19.99: Saturday)
Math, BFF, and Notes ($19.90/not releasing)
Nekomin ($15.00/$25.00)
Raccoo Venture ($14.99/$19.99)
Yuletide Legends: Who Killed Santa Claus ($14.99/$19.49)
City Bus Driver Simulator ($11.99/$15.99: Monday)
Zumaji Deluxe ($9.99/$9.99: Monday)
Bulldozer Tycoon: Construction Simulator ($9.99/$12.99: Monday)
Super Bear Adventure ($9.99/$13.99: Tuesday)
Mechblaze ($9.99/$12.99)
Hirilun ($9.99/$13.99: Friday)
Sakura Agent ($9.99/$13.50: Friday)
Rising Dusk ($9.9/$12.99)
Poly Shooting Simulator ($7.99/$11.99: Friday)
Pony World – Color by Numbers ($6.99/$9.55)
Eggconsole Xanadu PC-8801 MkII SR ($6.49/$7.34)
Aztec Tiki Tailsman ($5.99/$8.00)
Hell Well ($4.99/$5.99: Wednesday)
Stickman’s Arena ($4.99/$5.99; Friday)
Western Slot Machine ($4.50/$6.21)
Toybox Christmas ($3.99/$5.24)
Palia (free to start)
Sales and Price Drops
Highlights: All WB games released before December 1 – yes, including that one, which now becomes $102/$136 too expensive at 30% off – are on sale until the 28th. PSPrices, DekuDeals
Europe
Digital
Koumajou Remilia II: Stranger’s Requiem (€29.99/£26.99)
Yukar From The Abyss (€24.99/£22.99: Sunday)
Hammerwatch II (€24.99/£19.57: Tuesday)
Trip World DX (€19.99/£17.99: Monday)
Hammerwatch: Anniversary Edition (€19.99/£15.45: Tuesday)
Never Be Afraid Slam Dunk (€19.99/£17.99: Saturday)
Yuletide Legends: Who Framed Santa Claus (€14.99/£13.99)
Zumaji Deluxe (€9.99/£8.99: Sunday)
Hirilun (€9.99/£9.99)
Sakura Agent (€9.99/£9.99)
Mechblaze (€9.5/£8.59)
Crashy Laps (€6.99/£5.99)
Pony World – Color By Numbers (€6.99/£6.29)
Aztec Tiki Tailsman (€5.99/£5.00)
Hell Wall (€4.99/£4.49: Wednesday)
Stickman’s Arena (€4.99/£4.49)
Toybox Christmas (€3.99/£3.70: Wednesday)
Palia (free to start)
Japan
Cosmic Fantasy Collection 2 (¥8580)
Railway Japan! RealPro Express Romance Car! Odakyu Electric Railway Edition (¥8580)
Trigger Heart Exelica (¥5280)
Ninja Hayate (¥4180)
Space Battleship Yamato (¥4180)
Time Gal (¥4180)
Hammerwatch II (¥3544: Wednesday)
Koumajou Remilia II: Stranger’s Requiem (¥2980)
Hammerwatch: Anniversary Edition (¥2801: Wednesday)
Metro Quester (¥2200: Friday)
Host Security Guard (¥1980)
Nekomin (¥1800)
Rising Dusk (¥1290)
Hirilun (¥1200)
Sakura Agent (¥1000)
Yuletide Legends: Who Framed Santa Claus (¥990)
Mechblaze (¥980)
Piyokoro (¥900)
Eggconsole Xanadu PC-8801 MkII SR (¥880)
Aztec Tiki Talisman (¥750)
Toybox Christmas (¥590)
Anime Puzzle School Trouble (¥500)
Hell Well (¥500)
Stickman’s Arena (¥500: Friday)
Palia (free to start: Friday)
