classic titles Archives

AppWizard

October 12, 2026

Steam Week in Review: The curious case of Wonder Boy in Monster Land’s dubious PC debut

Wonder Boy in Monster Land, originally released in Japanese arcades in 1987 and later on the Sega Master System, has been listed on Steam by Retro Maniac, a developer with a limited portfolio. The title is misspelled as "Wonderboy," raising concerns about the legitimacy of the release. The ownership of the Wonder Boy franchise is split between LAT Corp, which holds the intellectual property rights, and Sega, which retains the trademark. This dual ownership complicates any re-release under the Wonder Boy name, as seen with previous titles that successfully navigated licensing agreements. The original arcade version was released as Adventure Island in the U.S., leading to confusion about the game's lineage. Concerns about the Retro Maniac port were raised by the Wonder Boy Universe fan account and composer Shinichi Sakamoto, who noted it is not available in Japan and may be unauthorized. The port appears to be a ROM running within the MAME arcade emulator. The listing is reportedly facing a DMCA takedown process initiated by Sega or LAT Corp.

AppWizard

October 4, 2026

Time Crisis Arcade-Perfect PC Port Is Now Available for Download

An unofficial PC version of the arcade classic Time Crisis has been released as part of the “Namco System 22 games for PC” initiative, which aims to bring several arcade games to the PC platform. The namco22-decompile project currently supports five titles: Time Crisis, Rave Racer, Dirt Dash, Tokyo Wars, and Prop Cycle. These games run more efficiently than traditional emulators and support widescreen formats and resolutions up to 4K. The Time Crisis port features mouse control support and compatibility with light guns. Players need to supply their own ROM files to enjoy the games, as the project does not include in-game assets. Other unofficial PC ports include titles such as Super Mario 64, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and Donkey Kong Country games. September 2026 has seen various unofficial PC ports, including Zelda 2: The Adventure of Link, GTA: Liberty City Stories, and Super Mario Strikers.

BetaBeacon

October 3, 2026

Sifu brings its punishing kung-fu combat to Android, iOS on Oct. 12

Sloclap's kung-fu brawler Sifu is coming to Android and iOS on October 12.

AppWizard

September 27, 2026

The next retro games coming to Steam are a pair of extremely 1990s run-and-gunners where Spanish Goku fights mutants

Gaelco, a Spanish video game label from the 1990s, is known for its unique arcade games, including World Rally, Thunder Hoop, and TH Strikes Back. QUByte Interactive is set to revive Thunder Hoop and TH Strikes Back, launching them on Steam on October 8. Thunder Hoop features a genetically engineered hero fighting mutants unleashed by Dr. Genbreak, offering hand-blasting action and imaginative storytelling.

AppWizard

September 24, 2026

RTX 5090 and DLSS 5 Transform Classic Minecraft into 4K

A recent benchmark in Minecraft contrasts the original aesthetic with a modified version using the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 graphics card and DLSS 5 neural network rendering technology. The modified build features an AdaptiveVision shader, optimized ReShade post-processing presets, and material maps for roughness and reflectivity. DLSS 5 enhances textures without changing polygonal meshes, eliminating subpixel flickering and improving light and shadow gradients. The RTX 5090's video memory and tensor units maintain high frame rates during demanding path tracing and neural network computations. This project demonstrates the potential of machine learning technologies in enhancing classic games.

BetaBeacon

September 24, 2026

NAMCO LEGENDARY Mountains coming to iOS, Android on September 24

NAMCO LEGENDARY Mountains is a 3D puzzle game set to launch for iOS and Android on September 24, priced at .99. The game features classic Namco arcade games in voxel form, with players tossing, stacking, and merging Voxels to achieve high scores. Key features include dedicated stages and sounds from classic titles like DIG DUG and PAC-MAN, over 100 unique Voxels to collect, and online rankings for score attack.

AppWizard

September 19, 2026

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess PC Update 2.0 Released

The Dusklight team has released Patch 2.0.0 for their unofficial PC port of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, introducing several new features: - A built-in mod browser for easy mod management. - Randomizer options for shuffling items and dungeon elements. - A cosmetics mod for customizing character appearances and HUD colors. - Expanded mod capabilities for creators, including new actors and game modes. - Support for Japanese GameCube discs and a wider range of Wii discs. - A new Save Manager for importing, exporting, and backing up saves. - Performance improvements for smoother gameplay and faster transitions. - Audio upgrades supporting surround sound and improved audio settings. Players can download the update from the official site, where a trailer is available. The gaming community has also produced various unofficial PC ports of classic titles, including Super Mario 64 and Donkey Kong Country. Recent additions to unofficial ports include games like Gears of War 2, Diddy Kong Racing, and more.

AppWizard

September 9, 2026

Mid-week Android app deals and freebies: Loads of Final Fantasy games, Secret of Mana, more

Google Play has mid-week offerings featuring classic titles from Square Enix, including CHRONO TRIGGER, Secret of Mana, Legend of Mana, and FINAL FANTASY VII. Other notable games include Actraiser Renaissance, COLLECTION of SaGa FF LEGEND, Trials of Mana, Adventures of Mana, Romancing SaGa3, and CHAOS RINGS Ⅲ. Additionally, there is a significant price drop on the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and the Moto Tag 2 trackers is priced at .50. Other ongoing deals include discounted rates on various apps and games, exclusive offers on in-app purchases, and promotions on subscription services.

AppWizard

September 8, 2026

This PS3 emulator for PC can now play games straight from physical discs

RPCS3 has introduced a feature that allows users to play PlayStation 3 games directly from physical discs, compatible with Windows, macOS, and Linux. This feature supports specific Blu-ray disc drives from manufacturers like LG, Samsung, Asus, Sony, and Lite-On, with encouragement for users to experiment with other drives. The development comes as Sony plans to phase out physical discs by 2028, highlighting the importance of game preservation. Additionally, RPCS3 has optimized package installation times for PS3 game discs, achieving a 70 percent playable rate for games. A firmware mod named OmniDrive has also been released, enabling certain Blu-ray drives to rip games from Wii, GameCube, and Xbox.

AppWizard

September 8, 2026

Persona 1 and 2 remakes are something Atlus will ‘probably eventually do’, which is great, but the PS2-era Shin Megami Tensei games are sitting right there

Kazuhisa Wada, the producer of the Persona series, hinted at the possibility of remakes for Persona 1 and 2, emphasizing the importance of cultural preservation in gaming. Atlus recently remade Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne, but fans are curious about the future of Digital Devil Saga and its sequel. Shin Megami Tensei 4 remains exclusive to the Nintendo 3DS, while Shin Megami Tensei 3 and 5 are available on PC. Fans are urging Atlus to prioritize remakes of Shin Megami Tensei 4, Digital Devil Saga 1 and 2, and Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon.