The Bubble Bobble series wasn’t always just dragons blowing bubbles. Before Bubble Symphony and Bubble Memories came along, Rainbow Islands and Parasol Stars were the official Bubble Bobble sequels, and they starred Bub and Bob as humans instead of dragons. Parasol Stars: The Story of Bubble Bobble III was originally released on Turbografx-16...

The Bubble Bobble series utilizes a strange naming and numbering scheme in which there are multiple Bubble Bobble 2s and 3s. Parasol Stars: The Story of Bubble Bobble III was the first threequel in the series, originally released exclusively on Turbografx-16. Now, the game is coming to modern consoles as well via ININ, allowing a whole new generation to enjoy its colorful cooperative platforming and umbrella-based attacks.

Long before Bubble Bobble 4 Friends and Puzzle Bobble Everybubble, Taito released a unique pair of Bubble Bobble sequels that did not involve blowing bubbles: Rainbow Islands and Parasol Stars. After its inclusion on the Turbografx-16 Mini a few years ago, Parasol Stars: The Story of Bubble Bobble III is finally getting its own new release. The adorable platformer will be coming to Xbox, PlayStation, and Switch later this year courtesy of ININ Games.

When the Neo Geo Mini arrived in 2018, it kicked off a wave of miniature arcade cabinets that continues to this day. Although the unit featured a fairly good built-in arcade stick and buttons, the optional controllers were widely criticized for their lack of microswitches and inauthentic button layout. Five years later, 8Bitdo will finally offer a much better control option with its upcoming 8Bitdo NEOGEO Wireless Controller. The new controller will work with the NeoGeo Mini, PC, and mobile.

Update: After our story went live, Funbox informed us that the PlayStation store listing had incorrectly listed the game as being single-player. The PlayStation version does have 4-player local co-op, and its store page has now been updated! The Steam version really is limited to single-player due to the PC version only having mouse controls, the publisher explained.

Nintendo's Pikmin series of real-time strategy games didn't start out as a cooperative series. The first game was single-player only. That changed when Pikmin 2 arrived on the Gamecube way back in the innocent year of 2004, adding a cooperative Challenge Mode. Switch owners can now experience that classic co-op razzle dazzle, because Pikmin 1 and Pikmin 2 have just been released as digital downloads. Buy them individually (2 is the one to get) or together for a nice discount, play the heck out of them, and then you'll be ready for the upcoming Pikmin 4.

Way back in 2010, N-Fusion Interactive released a light gun-style rail shooter on Wii called Martian Panic. Earlier this year, Martian Panic returned on Nintendo Switch alongside the Martian Panic Alien Blaster accessory. The game features a deliberately corny retro vibe, lighthearted humor, and 4-player local co-op. Unfortunately, poor controls an...

Hamster's Arcade Archives series offers no-frills versions of numerous classic arcade titles. On Switch, the lineup even includes several arcade games from Nintendo! The Arcade Archives Nintendo titles never go on sale, which makes the current sale super exciting. Co-op classics like Mario Bros. and Ice Climber and non-co-op games like Don...

The Switch is no stranger to light gun-style games, but these games lack a certain authenticity when played without a prop gun. That's where the Martian Panic Alien Blaster from Fun Box Media comes in. Originally bundled with the game, Martian Panic, the blaster turns a Joy-Con into an alien blaster with lights and sounds. It's a unique accessory that works with games like The House of the Dead Remake, not just Martian Panic.

Japanese publisher Hamster is slowly but surely releasing a vast library of classic arcade games on modern consoles via the Arcade Archives label. The latest Arcade Archives release is Dragon Saber: After Story of Dragon Spirit. A vertically scrolling shoot 'em up that rarely gets ported to consoles, Dragon Saber lets two players become flying dragons to save a fantasy kingdom from monsters.