Nostalgia for retro games has boomed in recent years, with an increasing number of compilations, miniature consoles, home arcade cabinets, and more. But in an industry that continues to focus more and more on digital games, part of the pursuit of nostalgia has been dampened by the reduced emphasis on physical games. That’s where Blaze Entertainment’s Evercade comes in. Originally released in 2020 as a handheld that played physical carts, the Evercade is now a dedicated home console. The Evercade VS is an affordable and impressive home console that plays cartridges filled with classic console, handheld, and arcade games in 1080p.

Evercade VS vs. Evercade

The original Evercade is a well-designed portable console that even has the capability of connecting to your TV to play in 720p. It was missing one key feature, though: multiplayer. The Evercade VS, as the name suggests, remedies that by providing two- to four-player multiplayer for supported games. But even if you aren’t going to play much multiplayer, the Evercade VS’ increased resolution makes it superior to its little brother for TV play.

Evercade VS

Though the two platforms have these major differences, they are unified in one key respect: Nearly the entire Evercade cartridge library is playable on both the handheld and the VS (Namco Museum collections only work on the handheld). Save states are stored on the cart, so regardless of which platform you’re using, you can pick up your game right where you left off.

Charming design

The Evercade VS has a simple design that helps it look like a retro system. It’s a sleek white rectangle with rounded edges that’s not much larger than the mini consoles from Sega and Nintendo. The VS takes cues from the NES by having front-loading cartridge slots located under a sturdy hatch. I say slots because one of the neat things about the VS is that it features a dual cartridge system. The actual Evercade carts are compact and match the white design of the console with box art on one side and the name of the collection alongside the back.

The VS connects to a TV or monitor via HDMI and is powered by microUSB (block not included). It has four USB slots in the front for controllers. Depending on which model you get, you’ll either have one or two controllers in the box. With a software update, you can use the Evercade handheld as a controller. The VS also supports other USB wired controllers as well as wireless options from 8BitDo and other third-party companies.

The Evercade VS has dual cartridge slots

Even though the official controllers are wired, I preferred using them over third-party wireless controllers. The Evercade VS controllers are wonderfully designed. The D-pad is rounded, giving you precise eight-directional control. The face button layout mirrors the Xbox controller and they have a cool translucent look. Despite being a compact controller, the VS has an ergonomic design that remains comfortable throughout hours-long gaming sessions. While not every game uses them, the VS controller has four shoulder buttons–two on each side. Though it would’ve been nice for the back shoulder buttons to more closely resemble modern triggers, all of the shoulder buttons still feel natural to press despite their relatively thin size.

As a console that aims to make players feel like they are having an authentic retro gaming experience, the Evercade VS absolutely hits the mark.

An eclectic library

The most unique aspect about the Evercade VS is its support for officially licensed cartridges. More than 20 carts are available now, with each cart costing a very reasonable 20 bucks. It varies widely by collection, but cartridges come with anywhere from two to 20 games. The low-end of that range is an outlier though, as that specific cartridge contains a pair of modern games: Xeno Crisis and Tanglewood. The majority of the cartridges come with at least 10 games, which gives you a lot of value on each cart.

One of the coolest things about the growing library is that it includes plenty of games that aren’t available (legally) for a remotely reasonable price. Blaze has partnered with a bunch of different companies to bring back some lovely retro games from studios such as Interplay, Piko, Jaleco, Technos, Data East, Code Masters, The Oliver Twins, The Bitmap Brothers, and more. In addition to developer-focused collections, Evercade has carts dedicated to classic systems, including Atari, Atari Lynx, and Intellivison.

You’ll find a ton of classics in the Evercade library, including numerous beloved Namco Museum titles like Pac-Man, Galaxian, and Dig Dug. Other well-known standouts across the Evercade library include multiple Double Dragon games, Super Dodge Ball, Worms, Burger Time, Asteroids, and Centipede. But for me, the main draw was playing retro games that I never had the chance to play as a kid, including entire platforms like Atari Lynx and Intellivision.

While the vast majority of the collections focus on games that are 20-plus years old, as mentioned already, the Evercade library has some modern games that were developed to fit the aesthetic of retro titles. For instance, there are two collections focused on Pittsburgh-based developer Mega Cat Studios. I found multiple games in those collections that I adored, including cool platformers like Dev Will Too and puzzle games such as Old Towers and Super Painter. The Evercade also has a neat Indie Heroes collection that includes gems such as the modern Game Boy horror game Deadeus and charming platformer Foxy Land.

Blaze aims to eventually have a catalog of 50 cartridges, which would create a truly expansive library. Even right now, the Evercade boasts more than 250 games, including 8-bit, 16-bit, and 32-bit titles.

Part of the charm here is the carts and boxes themselves. Each cart comes in a thick plastic case that mirrors the box design of old-school games. Games even come with manuals and select titles have bonus inserts like stickers. Blaze has numbered each of the games, so that you can easily arrange them on your shelf in chronological order by release date. It’s a nice touch that really nods to the “collector” aspect with the Evercade. With the VS, Blaze has released arcade-themed carts, so now there are two sets of collections with separate numbering systems.

The Evercade is aimed at those who may be a bit bummed about the digital present as well as the exorbitant prices of original hardware and cartridges nowadays, and the presentation of everything from the carts to the artwork to the boxes feels authentic.

Full list of all Evercade cartridges

It just plain works

If you’ve played any of the miniature consoles of recent years–Sega Genesis, SNES Classic, NES Classic, etc.–the Evercade VS’ straightforward menu system will feel familiar. After popping a cartridge into the console, cover art for each game displays on screen. Clicking on a game tile pulls up a screen with a description of the game, the controls, and how many players it supports.

By default, the console arranges all of the games from both carts (if you have two loaded) in alphabetical order. You can tinker with the menu to only show one cart’s collection and sort by release date or number of players.

Evercade home screen

Once you boot up a game, you can access the emulator menu at any time by pressing the big square button in the center of the controller. This is where you store and load your save states, check the controls of each game, and adjust display settings. In terms of display settings, you get a decent number of options, including original aspect ratio, pixel perfect mode, and full screen. You can add subtle or strong scanlines to mimic a CRT TV and tinker with the bezels to show different designs such as the company logo or game box art.

The Evercade VS emulation software is missing a few features that are found in some other retro consoles and modern emulators. It doesn’t have a rewind or slow-motion feature, and button mapping isn’t game specific. This means you have to change the layout on the dashboard, and it’ll apply to every game. While not a huge deal, it would be nice to be able to remap controls for each game individually.

While the VS does support a wireless network connection, it’s just used for software updates. It doesn’t feature online multiplayer or leaderboards–at least not at this time. Still, Blaze has released numerous firmware updates for the handheld Evercade since release, so the VS could get some new features over time.

Price

The Evercade VS is definitely reasonably priced. The $100 Starter Pack comes with one controller and a Technos Arcade cartridge. But the better deal is the $130 Premium Pack, as it contains two controllers and two carts, the aforementioned Technos cart as well as a Data East Arcade collection. Of course, most people who are interested in the Evercade VS will likely want more cartridges over time. At 20 bucks a pop, the Evercade offers great value, but this is a retro console you could end up spending $500 or more on if you buy into the collector aspect of the Evercade VS. Still, when compared to the price of original hardware and cartridges, the Evercade is an absolute steal.

The Evercade VS has been available in the UK since late last year, but the US release date was delayed due to the pandemic. You can preorder the Starter Pack or the Premium Pack at Amazon ahead of the VS’ February 11 launch in North America.

The bottom line

The Evercade VS is a wonderful little retro console that has a great design, an excellent gamepad, and a growing library of physical cartridges that span across every genre you can possibly think of. It brings back the joy of retro gaming in physical form, which makes it ideal for collectors and those who are nostalgic for decades-old classic games that are hard to find for reasonable prices nowadays. The Evercade VS is essentially plug-and-play, and experiencing both beloved classics and forgotten gems in 1080(on a physical cart!) is quite charming. Its cross-save compatibility with the original Evercade handheld is a nice touch. Even if you already have the Evercade handheld, the Evercade VS is worth picking up.

Steven Petite spent around 50 hours playing and tinkering with the Evercade VS. The console and various cartridges were provided by Blaze Entertainment for the purpose of this review.

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Now that January’s dual Community Day events are in the rear-view mirror, Niantic is wasting no time announcing the Pokemon Go February Community Day, which will feature a Johto-era Grass- and Flying-type Pokemon.

Hoppip will be the focus of the next Community Day, which runs from 11 AM to 5 PM local time on February 12. Not only will the Cottonweed Pokemon appear more frequently during the event, but any trainers that evolve Skiploom into Jumpluff–Hoppip’s second stage to its third stage–either during the event or up to two hours afterward will learn the powerful Charged Flying-type move Acrobatics.

Also available during the event will be a limited-time Community Day Special Research Story called “A Hop, Skip, and Jump Away”, which players can purchase for $1. Other Bulbasaur Community Day perks include:

Triple Catch Stardust for each Pokemon caughtAn Incense activated during the event will last three hours instead of 30 minutesLure Modules activated during the event will also last three hours instead of 30 minutes

Finally, the Item Shop will have two Community Day specials running throughout the event, with a special one-time-purchase Community Day Box available for 1,280 PokeCoins. The special bundle will include 50 Ultra Balls, two Super Incubators, six Star Pieces, and one Elite Fast TM.

The Hoppip Community Day follows January’s two Community Days, the first being a Spheal-themed event taking place January 16. The second, the first-ever Community Day Classic, took place six days later and featured fellow Grass-type Bulbasaur, the first Pokemon in the Pokedex. GameSpot recently spoke with Niantic about the Community Day Classic idea, as well as potential crossovers with Pikmin Bloom, and more.

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Platinum Games’ Sol Cresta was an unexpected project from the studio–to the point that it was believed to be an April Fool’s Day joke at first–but the retro-inspired shooter is very real and will be here in less than a month. As revealed during a developer livestream, Sol Cresta will now arrive on February 22.

The stream, which took place over the weekend and also includes information on vertical mode for Nintendo Switch and a look at gameplay, comes about a month after the game’s initial release date. Planned for December 9, 2021, the game was pushed to 2022, but now we know the new date wasn’t actually that far away from its original one. Platinum Games’ stream description said “technical problems” were responsible for the delay.

Hideki Kamiya, who is perhaps the most famous game developer working at Platinum Games, served as chief game designer and creative director on Sol Cresta. The game is a spiritual successor to another shooter, Moon Cresta, which released almost 42 years ago. That game got its own series of sequels, and it’s included in the upcoming Astro City Mini V arcade system alongside loads of other great shoot-’em-up games.

Sol Cresta is far from the only game Platinum Games has in the works, either. The studio is also making the long-awaited Bayonetta 3 as a Nintendo Swith exclusive, as well as the cooperative action game Babylon’s Fall. The latter includes members of the Nier development team, including producer Yasuke Saito.

Sol Cresta will hit Nintendo Switch, PS4, and PC on February 22. Check out the full video above for more information and a glimpse of gameplay.

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Ubisoft has confirmed that Watch Dogs: Legion’s 5.6 title update from September 2021 was its last. While the game’s online mode will still receive content for its upcoming fifth season, that mode will see the content from seasons 3-5 placed on a rotational schedule.

“TU 5.6 was our final update for Watch Dogs: Legion. However, you can look forward to reward tracks in the Online Mode, containing both new and returning rewards,” the game’s developers wrote in an update. “The game has grown by leaps and bounds, with a ton of content to explore, from a sprawling near future city to an action-packed Online Mode. We couldn’t be prouder of the game we’ve created, and we appreciate all of you who’ve joined us on this journey in London over the year. We look forward to seeing more of your adventures in Legion.”

Since its launch back in October 2020, Watch Dogs: Legion saw a steady stream of content released over several months. Besides several patches, the game’s DLC saw the return of original Watch Dogs protagonist Aiden Pierce, an Assassin’s Creed crossover, and a zombies mode allowed players to live out their own 28 Days Later fantasy.

Ubisoft’s still got several new games to focus on in 2022, having kicked off the year with Rainbow Six Extraction. As for the rest of 2022, the company still has Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, a remake of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, and Tom Clancy’s The Division: Heartland expected to release this year.

Beyond those games, development on the next Splinter Cell is being headed up by Ubisoft Toronto, the main studio that produced Watch Dogs Legion.

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Following leaks and rumors of another skin from the hit Netflix series entering the game, Arcane: A League of Legends Story is once again partnering with Epic Games, this time dropping the Fortnite Arcane Vi skin into the Item Shop.

Vi is the elder sister of Jinx–who was previously featured in Fortnite–and fights crime as an enforcer for the city of Piltover. The two’s tenuous relationship now carries over to the Fortnite island starting January 22 at 4 PM PT / 7 PM ET.

The Piltover’s Finest loading screen, available as part of the Arcane Vi bundle.

The Arcane Vi skin comes bundled with the Memories of Zaun back bling, while her massive Piltover Warhammer pickaxe and unique Punching Practice emote. All of these items will be available in an Arcane Vi bundle as well, which also adds the Piltover’s Finest loading screen seen above.

Arcane Vi will not enter the Item Shop alone, as Arcane Jinx makes her triumphant return to the shop. All of the items Jinx debuted with will be available again, including Jinx’s Dream Monkey back bling, Pow Pow Crusher pickaxe, and the Playground (Instrumental) lobby track. The Arcane Jinx bundle–which additionally included the Jinxed spray and two loading screens, Wreaking Havoc and Katchoo!–has also returned.

The two League of Legends-themed skins are part of a major partnership announced between Epic Games and Riot Games when the Jinx skin first debuted in November. Part of that agreement included League of Legends’ debut on the Epic Games Store, the first time the game could be downloaded outside of the game’s official website.

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