While Arc System Works is best known for games like Double Dragon Revive and the BlazBlue series, they also make non-punching games from time to time. DAMON and BABY is just such a game. It stars a future demon king named Damon who is bound by a curse to a mysterious baby (more like a toddler, really). In 2-player local co-op games, the second player gets to be Damon's dog! The game has just launched on PlayStation, Switch, and Steam... Poor Xbox doesn't get to hold the baby.

King Arthur is known to be a valiant warrior, so defeating him won't be easy. It will be especially tough in SWORN, a Hades-style roguelike in which Arthur and his knights have been corrupted into monsters. Suppose that a player was brave enough to fight all of those once-gallant knights all in a row. Why, that is now possible thanks to the game's recent Version 1.2 update. It adds a Boss Rush mode, new cosmetics, an enemy Corruption system, and more.

It seems like only last month that Limited Run games was announcing MARVEL MaXimum Collection, a compilation of 13 classic games featuring Marvel characters. Hey, that actually was last month! Well, the collection must have been nearly ready in February, because MARVEL MaXimum Collection will land on all platforms on Friday, March 27. That's so soon!

Dotemu's Absolum broke all kinds of sales records when it debuted on PlayStation, Switch, and Steam last year. The developers even promised a big Version 1.1 update which came along in February of this year. All the while, Xbox gamers had no choice but to look on from the outside and long for the coveted Absolum beat 'em up roguelike experience. It wasn't easy, I can tell you. Thankfully, those long months of yearning are finally behind us. Absolum came out on Xbox Series consoles today, and it's even on Game Pass. It's time to get absolumming, boys and girls!

We are currently enjoying a beat 'em up renaissance, and that doesn't just include licensed brawlers like Scott Pilgrim EX. Even classic series like Jaleco's Rushing Beat (originally localized as Rival Turf) are making a comeback! The fourth game in that series, RUSHING BEAT X: Return of the Brawl Brothers from City Connection and Clear River Games, has just arrived on not just Switch and Steam, but Xbox and PlayStation too! It features 2-player local co-op, just like previous entries.

If you asked me about my most-anticipated shoot 'em up(s) at the beginning of the year, I'd have answered "the Raiden Fighters Remix Collection from MOSS and H2 Interactive." But when the 3-game collection arrived at the end of February, fans like me were dismayed to discover that it suffered from problems like a too-high frame rate and a scarcity of visual options. Thankfully, MOSS has acknowledged fan feedback and is working on a fix to implement the proper frame rate.

Scott Pilgrim VS. The World: The Game was a fairly successful video game adaptation of the Scott Pilgrim franchise, so it’s not too surprising that it would receive a sequel. Okay, it would be surprising if Ubisoft released a sequel since they haven’t had their act together in years. Instead, Tribute Games, which consists of some of the...

SUPER BOMBERMAN COLLECTION, Snow Bros Classic Collection, God of War Sons of Sparta, Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition (for Switch 2), RAIDEN FIGHTERS REMIX, Tales of Berseria Remastered: these are ONLY the co-op titles released this month that rely heavily on nostalgia to bait you into buying them. The complete list is at least two times longer.

The Switch 2 feels a bit sturdier in handheld mode than the original Switch, but it could be sturdier still. That's part of what an accessory manufacturer called Abyxlute wants to address with its two upcoming Switch 2 controllers, the Abyxlute N6 and Abyxlute N9C. Both controllers look to offer a sturdy experience with pro-quality controls, and there's a Kickstarter campaign running for both of them through the end of March.

It has been, I assume, six years since Bus Simulator 21 brought online co-op bus driving to the world. A lot has happened since then: tariffs, The Muppet Show special, and a third Tron movie, just to name a few things. Well, bus driving games are finally about to catch up, thanks in no small part to Bus Simulator 27 from Simteract and Astragon Entertainment. The upcoming bustravaganza promises more licensed buses than ever, playable coach buses for intercity travel, and 4-player online co-op.

Way back in the innocent days of the Xbox 360, a collection called Raiden Fighters Aces allowed gamers to experience the tight gameplay and peppy soundtracks of the Raiden Fighters series. That collection is sadly not backwards compatible, but Raiden Fighters has finally become playable on some modern platforms. The Raiden Fighters Remix Collection from MOSS and H2 Interactive Co. is out now on PlayStation and Switch, and each game on the collection features 2-player local co-op.

March pretty much belongs to Scott Pilgrim EX, but what will beat 'em up fans play in April? We're glad you asked! He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: Dragon Pearl of Destruction, the beat 'em up from Bitmap Bureau and Limited Run Games, is due on consoles and PC at the end of April. It will feature 2-player local co-op. Games about He-Man have been surprisingly scarce over the years, though there was an OpenBOR fan game a few years back. Seeing a new He-Man game and a new film on the horizon certainly makes us nostalgic...