Catch up on the latest shmup news, including BIRDCAGE, Gley Lancer: Overdrive, and Metal Crisis. I’m not committing to doing this weekly, but there was enough shoot’em-up goodness that I felt it was warranted to make one large post to shine some light on these interesting releases. Well, at least they’re interesting to me! First […]
Author: Mike
News & Stuff
Sep 28, 2026
KONKR Pocket BLOCK Launches at $79, Full Specs Revealed
Back in May of this year, Ayaneo CEO Arthur Zhang first revealed the Konkr Pocket Block. Maybe it was quickly ushered from your memory as it was being touted as the “world’s first AI-powered handheld”. Today, there is no mention of AI in their marketing of the device over on their product page. Fast forward […]
Podcasts
Sep 25, 2026
Retro World Order – Episode: The Beginning
Welcome to the first episode of Retro World Order! This is a joint endeavor featuring CapnMikeM from On Second Thought with Mike & Matt, and Los from The Talking Place! Their love for tinkering, shiny new handheld devices, and talking games brought them to this station, so we’ll see how far the train goes! This […]
Podcasts
Sep 25, 2026
Retro World Order – Episode One
Remember when I said last episode was the official first episode? Yeah, well, I lied. THIS is the first episode! So welcome to the Retro World Order! Listen on: Podbean Mike (On Second Thought with Mike & Matt), and Los (The Talking Place), are hyper focused this week! They only get distracted for about 20 […]
Podcasts
Sep 25, 2026
Retro World Order – Episode Two
Episode two of Retro World Order is here! It’s been a while, so place your bets on how many new handhelds Mike is now holding captive in his basement! Listen on: Podbean They’re catching up with a bunch of stuff that’s been going on over the summer. Los has been hard at work trying to […]
News & Stuff
Sep 23, 2026
Razing Core: A New Shoot ’Em Up for the SEGA Master System
Yes, you read that right, its 2026 and there are still developers out there making games for systems like the SEGA Master System. Released on September 8 is Razing Core Bad Computer. While I haven’t tested this out yet on the Retroid Pocket Nova, a post on BlueSky caught my eye, and therefore, I wanted […]
News & Stuff
Sep 23, 2026
Battle Princess Overdrive Hits TGS 2026
I’m probably like a lot of people who have a bad habit of scrolling socials before bed. Can anyone resonate with that daily routine? Over the last few days, a game that has caught my attention at night has been Battle Princess Overdrive from Monster Bath Games Inc. The Tokyo Game Show wrapped up recently […]
News & Stuff
Sep 22, 2026
Spleunky 2’s “Ana” joins Blood Dungeon
Blood Dungeon is one of those games I just can’t put down. I’ve been playing it on the Steam Deck, AYN Thor, and now the Retroid Pocket Nova. Regardless of where, I’ve been having a helluva time with it. I’ve also made my podcast host, Matt, a fellow Blood Dungeon sycophant. For those not yet […]
News & Stuff
Sep 20, 2026
MYCOPUNK leaving Early Access on October 20
Devolver Digital had a busy day today at the PC Gaming Show Tokyo Direct. I’ve already posted about Ball x Pit, and now I’d like to introduce you to MYCOPUNK. Maybe some of you are already familiar with this title, as MYCOPUNK entered Early Access on July 10, 2025. For those not familiar, MYCOPUNK is […]
News & Stuff
Sep 20, 2026
BALL x PIT: Risen Ballbylon Expansion Launches November 12
Devolver Digital came out swinging at the PC Gaming Show Tokyo Direct today. One update in particular that caught my attention was a new expansion for BALL x PIT called Risen Ballbylon. I have many many hours invested in BALL x Pit, across various systems. It’s the ultimate “I have 10 to 15 minutes to […]
News & Stuff
Sep 20, 2026
Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse demo releasing on October 1st
Two weeks before the game releases, on October 1st, Konami and Evil Empire are releasing a demo for Castlevania: Belmont‘s Curse. It’s always a positive sign when publishers feel so strongly about their game that they’ll let potential consumers get some hands-on time before the actual release date. Capcom recently did this with Pragmata and […]
News & Stuff
Sep 20, 2026
Retroid Listens: Meet the Duo Lite+
A Saturday night surprise announcement from Retroid! Just updated across their socials and Discord page, Retroid announced that after listening to community feedback, they’re releasing the Duo Lite+. Price wise, this model sits between the Duo and Duo Lite. Not considering pre-order discounts, the Duo retails for $269, and the DuoLite+ is now $219. The […]