Est. 1998
Playing Out of Control Gaming

Retro reviews, vintage hardware, classic PC builds, and modern ways to keep old games alive.

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VERDICTS
Sega Master SystemR-Type4.0Sega Master SystemKenseiden2.5Sega Master SystemAlex Kidd in Miracle World4Game GearWonder Boy III: The Dragon’s Trap4.5PCAscend: Hand of Kul4.0Xbox 360Armored Core V3.0Windows 95/98Ares Rising4.0Midtown Madness ReviewDethKarz ReviewTomb Raider (2013) Review: Reforging a LegendMacAge of Wonders III: Eternal Lords3.5PCSherlock Holmes: Crimes & Punishments4.5PCMiddle-earth: Shadow of Mordor4.5PCDead Rising 33.5PCBioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea3PlayStation 3Destiny3.5PCLEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham4PlayStation 3Assassin’s Creed Rogue4PlayStation 3Watch Dogs2Xbox OneKiller Instinct4Sega Master SystemR-Type4.0Sega Master SystemKenseiden2.5Sega Master SystemAlex Kidd in Miracle World4Game GearWonder Boy III: The Dragon’s Trap4.5PCAscend: Hand of Kul4.0Xbox 360Armored Core V3.0Windows 95/98Ares Rising4.0Midtown Madness ReviewDethKarz ReviewTomb Raider (2013) Review: Reforging a LegendMacAge of Wonders III: Eternal Lords3.5PCSherlock Holmes: Crimes & Punishments4.5PCMiddle-earth: Shadow of Mordor4.5PCDead Rising 33.5PCBioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea3PlayStation 3Destiny3.5PCLEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham4PlayStation 3Assassin’s Creed Rogue4PlayStation 3Watch Dogs2Xbox OneKiller Instinct4

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Jun 7 2026
New Release
Halo: Campaign Evolved launches July 28 on Xbox, PC, and PS5
Halo: Campaign Evolved launches July 28 on Xbox, PC, and PS5. A full rebuild of Combat Evolved with new missions, weapons, and co-op. Included with Game Pass.
Jun 7 2026
Hardware
Xbox Series X25 Limited Edition brings translucent OG Green back for the 25th anniversary
Microsoft revealed the Xbox Series X25 Limited Edition: a translucent OG Green Series X with Duke controller callbacks, releasing November 2026.
Jun 7 2026
Hardware
RetroTINK 4K firmware v1.21.0 adds user-defined modelines via SD card
Experimental firmware v1.21.0 for the RetroTINK 4K adds support for user-defined modeline files loaded from the SD card, ending the previous four-slot limit for custom output configurations.
Jun 7 2026
New Release
Company of Heroes: Definitive Edition Announced, Brings 20 Years of Mods Forward
Relic's 2006 RTS gets a full 64-bit modernization with improved visuals and confirmed compatibility for its entire 20-year mod catalogue. Fall 2026, PC only. No price yet.
Jun 7 2026
New Release
Hack ’95 Announced: A Card-Based Hacking RPG Set in the Windows 95 Era
Village Studios' card-based hacking RPG channels Windows 95 nostalgia with deck-building mechanics and period-accurate OS aesthetics. Steam demo available now.
Jun 7 2026
New Release
Nightdive Studios Announces Thief: The Dark Project Remastered for Winter 2026
Nightdive's KEX Engine remaster of Looking Glass Studios' 1998 stealth classic. Includes the full Thief Gold mission set. Launches Winter 2026 on PC and consoles, including GOG.
Jun 7 2026
New Release
Crazy Taxi: World Tour announced for 2027, original creator returning
SEGA announced Crazy Taxi: World Tour for 2027, with original creator Kenji Kanno directing. Five cities, a story campaign, multiplayer, and The Offspring on the soundtrack.
Jun 7 2026
New Release
Spyro: A Realm Beyond announced for Spring 2027, first original game in nearly 20 years
Toys for Bob announced Spyro: A Realm Beyond for Spring 2027, the first original Spyro game in nearly 20 years. True dragon flight is the headline new mechanic.
Jun 7 2026
New Release
Gears of War: E-Day launches October 6 as an Xbox console exclusive
Gears of War: E-Day launches October 6 as a permanent Xbox console exclusive. The prequel covers Emergence Day across a single city, built from scratch in Unreal Engine 5.
The Vault
Games
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Every game we've written about — organised by series, platform, era, and verdict. The canonical POCG reference.
481
Games Tracked
116
Reviewed
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Previews
3443
News Stories
156
Series
49
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The Lab
Hardware
Database
Handhelds, GPUs, sound cards, and the machines that ran it all — tested, specced, and rated. The canonical POCG hardware reference.
6
Hardware Tracked
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Reviewed
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Categories
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Manufacturers
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Latest Reviews

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4.0Excellent
Irem / Sega · 1988
R-Type
Excellent
The SMS port of R-Type pushes the hardware to its limits with vibrant colors; despite slowdown, it remains one of the best shooters of the 8-bit era.
2.5Average
Sega · 1988
Kenseiden
Average
Kenseiden brings the Castlevania vibe to feudal Japan with stellar graphics and crushing difficulty, but stiff controls hold it back.
4Excellent
Sega · 1986
Alex Kidd in Miracle World
Excellent
Sega's bizarre Mario competitor replaces jumping with punching and features Rock-Paper-Scissors boss fights.
4.5Excellent
Westone Bit Entertainment · 1989
Wonder Boy III: The Dragon’s Trap
Excellent
A genre-defining 1989 classic with brilliant animal transformations and vibrant colors, despite a frustrating password system.
4.0Excellent
Signal Studios · 2013
Ascend: Hand of Kul
Excellent
3.0Good
FromSoftware · 2012
Armored Core V
Good
4.0Excellent
Imagine Studios · 1998
Ares Rising
Excellent

From the Series

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NOV
2014
POCG Editorial
The season of the day-one patch: the games that shipped broken in late 2014.
Late 2014 became the season of the broken AAA launch. Issue one of The Broken Games Report rounds up the…
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Score
Distribution
11
Masterpiece
57
Excellent
30
Good
11
Average
2
Poor
0
Broken
116
Reviews
Published
across 39 platforms
1997
June · 29 yrs ago
This Month in Gaming History
Shinsetsu Samurai Spirits Bushidou Retsuden
Shinsetsu Samurai Spirits Bushidou Retsuden — known in the West as Samurai Spirits RPG — is a 1997 SNK RPG set in the Samurai Shodown universe. Unusually, its Neo Geo CD, Sega Saturn, and PlayStation versions each carried different bonus content, making version differences a persistent topic for collectors and preservationists.
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