Tech-Gaming Technology, Gaming, and Culture
As many gamers are taking the leap toward the next-generation of consoles, this week’s release of Pier Solar and the Great Architects is poised to usher players back to the 16-bit era with a title that was originally built for Genesis/Mega Drive hardware. While the HD definition version upscales the game’s enchanting pixel art, beyond that visual upgrade, the title still offers the type of turn-based battles and dialog sequences that are capable of transporting us back to the Clinton years. So round up your pogs, crank up the Spice Girls, grab a Zima, (or an ice cold can of Jolt if you’re a teetotaler), and dig right in.
OUYA
Pier Solar and the Great Architects HD ($TBA)
PlayStation 3
Alawar Arcade Bundle (PSN, $3.99)
Falling Skies: The Game (PSN, $39.99)
Invizimals: The Lost Kingdom (PSN, $29.99)
Namco Museum (PSN, PSone Classics, $5.99 Each, 5 Volumes)
Natural Doctrine (PSN, $39.99)
Persona 4: Arena Ultimax (Also on PSN, $TBA)
Pier Solar and the Great Architects HD (PSN, $14.99)
Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments (PSN, $49.99)
Short Peace Ranko Movie (PSN, $39.99)
The Incredibles (PSN, $9.99, PS2 Classic)
Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate (PSN, $49.99)
PlayStation 4
Chariot (PSN, $14.99)
Futuridium EP Deluxe (PSN, $12.49, Cross Buy)
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor (Also on PSN, $59.99)
Middle-Earth Shadow of Mordor Digital Deluxe (PSN, $84.99)
Natural Doctrine (PSN, $59.99)
Pier Solar and the Great Architects HD (PSN, $14.99)
Second Chance Heroes (PSN, $14.99)
Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments (Also on PSN, $59.99)
Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate (PSN, $59.99)
Wii U
Angry Bunnies: Colossal Carrot Crusade (eShop, $8.99)
Darts Up (eShop, $2.49)
Hyrule Warriors (Also on eShop, $59.99)
Mario Golf: Advance Tour (eShop, $6.99)
Xbox 360
Forza Horizon 2 (Also on XGS, $59.99)
Persona 4: Arena Ultimax (Also on XGS, $59.99)
Pier Solar and the Great Architects HD (XGS, $14.99)
Xbox One
Forza Horizon 2
Forza Horizon 2 Day One Digital Edition
Forza Horizon 2 Day One Deluxe Digital Edition
Forza Horizon 2 Day One Ultimate Digital Edition
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor (Also on XGS, $59.99)
Pier Solar and the Great Architects HD (XGS, $14.99)
3DS
Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL World Duel Carnival (eShop, $19.99)
PS Vita
Futuridium EP Deluxe (PSN, $12.49, Cross Buy)
Invizimals: The Alliance (PSN, $24.99)
Natural Doctrine (PSN, $39.99)
Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate (PSN, $39.99)
PC
Cosmochoria (Steam, $TBA)
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor (Steam $49.99)
Pier Solar and the Great Architects HD (Steam, $TBA)
Outland (Steam, $TBA)
Shadow Puppeteer (Steam, $TBA)
Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments (Steam, $TBA)
Super Win The Game (Steam, $TBA)
TinyKeep (Steam, $TBA)
Robert’s Pick: OK, let me make an embarrassing confession. Although I’ve read the Lord of the Rings trilogy and have seen the films, I feel my knowledge of Tolkien’s mythos is a bit substandard. Blame fantasy-based films, books, and games for reusing and tweaking his tropes so much that the source material has been muddled.
With that deficiency, I expected my appreciation for Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor to be affected. Yet, following an hour-long, surprisingly unrestricted E3 demo, I found the game to be a masterful take on Mercenaries formula. Players are provided with a large toolset and a deliciously open world in the quest to take down an Orcian chain of command. Instead of being an unbendable army, the Orc dominion changes, with combatants changing roles or growing stronger depending on your interactions. It’s the type of system that was pledged at the dawn of the new hardware generation- this week we’ll see if Monolith Productions makes good on the declaration.
Gonçalo’s Pick: I absolutely love old-school Sega. To me, the Master System, Sega Mega Drive and Sega Saturn are three of the finest consoles ever created by man. With that in mind, I’ve been following Pier Solar and the Great Architects for over a year, going as far as having a physical cartridge pre-ordered since January 2014.
Forza Horizon 2 seems like it has too many editions. Regular, Day One, Deluxe, Limited. Once again MS doesn’t seem to know what they are doing.
“Writing for IGN, Luke Reilly said that the game had “comprehensively updated” the standards for open-world racing games and that it was “Test Drive Unlimited, PGR, Smuggler’s Run, and Forza Motorsport all crammed into a T-shirt cannon and fired into your face”.
Sounds like IGN is cozy with Microsoft. And that T-shirt cannon reference WTF?
Yeah, they made a TV to make things easy for TV watchers then they put out god know how many editions for Forza Horizon 2. Good going, Microsoft.
Picking Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is a shock. No love for Persona 4: Arena Ultimax ?
How much you wanna bet NOLA shows up and tells us how excited he is for Invizimals. Gaw, that guy is so predictable!
LOL. He’s shilling for Invisimals AGAIN? Sony has him in their pockets. No doubt.
3rd person NOLA is my favorite NOLA.
No question is the game called Pier Solar and the Great Architects HD or just Pier Solar HD? I see both around.
I think the full title is Pier Solar and the Great Architects HD, but most people call it “Pier Solar HD”
STORY TIME!
A long time ago, long before kickstarter, when I was still in college, Watermelon Games asked for donations to make a Sega Genesis game (Pier Solar). Backers would receive a first printing edition of the game with a cover in the style of whatever region you liked best: PAL Mega Drive, JPN Mega Drive or US, Red-band Genesis. I, of course, opted for the US version because I AM A REAL A-MER-I-CAN.
Fast-Forward several years (4 years I think?) and I see on twitter that Pier Solar has finally been released….except I’ve moved 4 times since I paid for my copy and never thought to update my profile. I contacted WMGames and they told me that they sent the game to the address they had (which I think might have been to the mailroom at Tulane?) and that it was not returned. They couldn’t send me a redband Genesis case, since they were already out of print, but they DID send me a second-printing version for free! The second edition is in the style of the early, black-box Genesis games, and it looks much better in my opinion.
Anyway, so the moral of the story is don’t forget to update your profiles when you move, but if you forget, the Watermelon guys are really cool, and will still send you stuff.
Well, hows the game, or should I ask the guy in Tulane? 😉
Yeah, tell us how the game is.
It’s good! It looks and sounds great. I’ll admit that I haven’t played all the way through it (it’s very long for a Genesis game) but what I played was a lot of fun.
Loli in New Release picture. Everything is OK!
But is it a elf guy or a lady?
It’s a lady, that’s Alina from Pier Solar.
Loli streak preserved. Thank the underage gods wearing short skirts.
Good to know that someone still plays Yu-Gi-Oh! I was so into that about 6 years ago.
Are their fewer Steam releases are are you just not listing the smaller stuff?
Not like any one has enough money to buy all the games.
I might pick up Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments. Looks cool.
I hope Forza Horizon 2 doesn’t have too much super expensive DLC.
I’m thinking about picking up Persona 4: Arena Ultimax. Love the characters, but I am a fighting noob.
Forza Horizon 2 was 200 cars and their not DLC. Cool enough for me.
30% off a second games at Target is enough incentive for me.
I might pick up Pier since I love old school rpgs. New ones don’t have the charm just flashy graphics.