Cocoon

Akin to Inception but with more otherworldly bug-like…things, Cocoon eases you in delicately enough with its world hopping, power unlocking, and puzzles. However, beyond the halfway point, you’re suddenly dealing with earth-shattering bosses, ascending through multiple levels of worlds while carrying others on your back and leveraging portals to enter and exit. It’s an experience unlike any other, delivered in roughly five to six hours and leaving you with more than a few questions when it’s over.

Guacamelee 

Developed by Drinkbox Studios, Guacamelee is a side-scrolling action platformer that puts you in the shoes of a wrestler who must become the man of the hour and embark on an epic adventure to save the president’s daughter. The game takes a lot of inspiration from Mexican culture, which makes the world look and feel rich with details oozing out of every frame. As for the gameplay, Guacamelee employs a simple but enjoyable combat system, but what makes it so special is the excellent understanding of when to dish out new obstacles and enemies – which is the true mark of a great platformer.

Minecraft: PS Vita Edition 

Minecraft might just be one of the most popular games of the last couple of decades, and you can enjoy this sandbox on almost every modern computing platform – which obviously includes the PS Vita as well. Minecraft on PS Vita looks and works about as well as you would expect it to, and it’s a perfect game to be played in short bursts. Minecraft is one of those games that puts player creativity at the forefront of its gameplay mechanics, which makes it a highly replayable and endlessly enjoyable experience. 

Mortal Kombat 

Mortal Kombat is one of the most prestigious fighting franchises of all time, and the long-running series has been through multiple timeline resets as of late. Mortal Kombat on PS Vita is the 2011 reboot of the series that was released in 2012, and it’s one of the best options if you are looking for a fighting game on the console. And that can be credited to the excellent mixture of a compelling setting, a diverse cast of fleshed out characters, and a combat loop that features immense depth in terms of its mechanics. 

Telltale’s: The Walking Dead: Season 1

Telltale is a developer that has proven itself more than capable of delivering compelling narratives that twist and turn depending on player choices, and Telltale’s The Walking Dead is strongly emblematic of those strengths. If you’re new to the series, Season 1 is obviously the perfect starting point – but it’s also one of the more emotionally charged and universally acclaimed narrative games on the PS Vita. The writing, character development, and choice and consequence mechanics are all top-notch – which makes it a consistently enjoyable experience through and through. It’s the perfect game to sit back and enjoy without having to be attentive to enemy attack patterns and the like, and it’s also highly replayable since you could do multiple playthroughs and reach quite different endings every time.

Hotline Miami 

Hotline Miami is all about embarking on a huge murder spree across a wide variety of labyrinthian levels, and it’s one of those games that have a very strong grasp on game design. Developed by Dennaton Games, Hotline Miami presents its world with a simple yet beautiful pixel art style and neon colors that really capture the spirit of Miami and its flamboyant party culture. The gameplay in a similar vein relies heavily on proper audio and visual feedback to make it look appealing, and it all works excellently in conjunction with one another. Hotline Miami can be a brutally violent game at times, but the satisfying gunplay and appealing visual presentation give enough reasons to make that sadistic pleasure of murdering dozens upon dozens of people justifiable.

Axiom Verge

Axiom Verge is yet another Metroidvania that thrusts you into an alien world where you must blast through hordes of aliens as you try to uncover the planet’s deepest and darkest secrets. The Metroid influences are pretty clear here, and the developer doesn’t shy away from revealing those inspirations. Axiom Verge is essentially the developer’s take on Metroid 2, and it’s a really amazing game that nails the sense of flow without compromising on the sense of mystery that comes from exploring an alien world. The visuals hearken back to the NES and SNES days, and it all feels like a rose-tinted nostalgia trip to the past.

Lumines: Electronic Symphony

Lumines: Electronic Symphony might look like yet another Tetris game at first glance, but what makes it so special is the sheer attention to detail in terms of visual and audio presentation. Each stage in Lumines has been crafted with the utmost care, and that results in a breathtaking experience for what is essentially a simple gameplay loop of matching the same colour blocks. In a similar vein, the audio also consistently impresses with the variety of tracks and its ability to match the tempo and themes of the currently playing stage. Of course, it’s a game that’s designed to be played in short bursts – which makes it a match made in heaven for a console like PS Vita.

OlliOlli 2

Roll7’s OlliOlli series features some slick skateboarding action that rarely gets any stale, and OlliOlli 2 is a great choice for lovers of this adventure sport. But even if you are not super involved with skateboarding, OlliOlli 2 will be able to impress you with its creative suite of levels that consistently introduce new kinds of obstacles for you to overcome. Add to that a gorgeous art style, and you have a formula ripe for success.

Fez

Fez was developed by Phil Fish, and it’s a game that’s all about seeing the world from a bunch of different perspectives. These themes are beautifully reflected in Fez’s core gameplay loop that revolves around shifting the level and the perspective to reveal new things and ultimately find the solution to the obstacle. The levels look absolutely gorgeous, and a lot of that can be attributed to the excellent art direction on display. It’s definitely one of the best puzzlers that you can play on the platform, and if you haven’t tried it out – you owe yourself to give this one a shot.

Undertale

Undertale is a game that puts players in the teeny tiny shoes of a child by the name of Frisk who ends up being transported to a magical underground realm inhabited by monsters and talking plants. The story is pretty charming for the most part, but what makes Undertale different from its peers is how the combat is structured. Instead of having to whittle down an enemy’s health bar, players have to participate in a wide variety of minigames and use the power of love to turn the tables in your favor. It’s a fresh spin on the tried and tested formula, and it doesn’t really waste much time with meaningless exposition and dialogue dumps. It knows what it wants to say, and says that in a very brief timespan.

Both Hotline Miami and Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number can be bought individually, priced at $9.99 and $14.99 respectively, or together as a bundle priced at $19.99 in total.

The Hotline Miami games—especially the first one—have been subjected to widespread critical acclaim. Back when the title came out in 2013, it was praised for its psychedelic visuals, fast-paced gameplay, and bass-thumping soundtrack.

Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number was released in 2015, and featured quite a bit more content over its predecessor, including additional weapons and abilities used through animal masks.

The last time we got to talk about Hotline Miami was back in 2019, when the game, along with its sequel, were released on the Nintendo Switch.

As spotted by Gematsu on Twitter, Trophies of PS5 version of Hotline Miami and Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number have emerged on Exophase, indicating that an announcement and release could be close for current-gen ports for the two titles. Presumably, Xbox Series X/S will also be getting the ports, and presumably, they will arrive in the form of Hotline Miami Collection, which originally launched for the Nintendo Switch in 2019, and for Xbox One the following year.

Given the widespread love and adoration the Hotline Miami games continue to enjoy, over a decade on from the series’ inception, this would surely be exciting news for a great many people. How long it’ll be before an official announcement is made – assuming the two titles are indeed getting current-gen ports – remains to be seen.

Naughty Dog has emerged as one of the most renowned and critically acclaimed studios in the gaming industry. Some would put them up there with the likes of Rockstar and, in many ways, they have been the most influential of the current crop of Sony first party studios, as their Uncharted and The Last of Us franchises have helped create a sort of ‘in-house style’ for Sony’s successful hits. Co-President Neil Druckmann has been a key figure in all this and has been, in some ways, the face of the company. Now, he’s also made a sort of a wishlist for established properties he’d like to work on.

On Twitter, Druckmann was asked what established IPs he’d like to make a game for. He gave 5 somewhat unexpected and slightly off the wall answers. He had two Marvel superheroes here, The Punisher and the much less known Ghost Rider. He also listed the legendary Half-Life series and the indie sensation Hotline Miami, which got a cameo in The Last of Us Part 2. Maybe the one that is the most surprising is Cowboy Bebop, the beloved anime about space bounty hunters in the far future.

While we don’t know for sure what Naughty Dog is working on next (though some recent concept art could be pointing a certain way), it’s pretty doubtful that any of this is a hint or anything, so don’t get too excited for Naughty Dog’s take on Ghost Rider or Cowboy Bebop- but now I imagine you can’t get the thought out of your head.

https://twitter.com/Neil_Druckmann/status/1351286250842427393?s=20

Dennaton Games’ Hotline Miami 1 and 2 are now available for the Nintendo Switch as Hotline Miami Collection. You can purchase and download the collection from the eShop now. Check out the reveal trailer below which contains an adequate amount of synthwave and electronic music. Oh, and violence. Lots of violence.

Hotline Miami introduced the series’ brand of ultraviolent, overhead gameplay in 2012. While fairly difficult, the title was also praised for its presentation, soundtrack and mind-bending story. It also birthed many “Do you like hurting people?” questions at developer panels. Hotline Miami is also available for PC, PS3, PS Vita, PS4 and Android.

Its follow-up, Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number, released in 2015 and included much more content. This meant more songs, more characters, more masks and more ways to murder enemies. Though not nearly as acclaimed as the original, it’s still a great follow-up for fans. You can pick up the sequel on PC, PS3, PS4, PS Vita and Android along with the recent Switch release.

Travis is back. With the Nindies Summer Showcase 2017 coming to an end, Nintendo suddenly announced that Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes would be releasing in 2018 exclusively for the Nintendo Switch. It will be developed by Grasshopper Manufacture and directed by Goichi “Suda 51” Suda. Check out the trailer below.

The premise of the game is interesting as it sees Bat, the father of Bad Girl (who Travis assassinated in a prior game) taking revenge. Travis will be fighting for his life in six games. In fact, one of the games he’s pulled into in the trailer is Hotline Miami and it seems Grasshopper will partner with other indie developers for the others.

A new No More Heroes title was teased during the Nintendo Switch reveal event in January this year and interestingly, the final title had been hinted at. Still, seeing Grasshopper Manufacture teaming up with other indie developers to bring their games into the universe is pretty cool.

The sequel to one of the greatest indie games of all time, and one of the best games period, Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number is now finally out on PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation Vita, after multiple delays and a long development cycle.

The sequel, which ups the hyper violent and stylized action from the previous game, while expanding on its addictive gameplay, and on its delightfully profound premise, is available on Steam, GoG, and the Humble Store on PC; to celebrate its rocking soundtrack, fans can also the Digital Special Edition that includes the exclusive Hotline Miami 2: Remix EP featuring six select music tracks remixed by M|O|O|N, Scattle and Carpenter Brut. The full 49-track official soundtrack is also available to purchase on Steam and includes high quality MP3 and FLAC versions of each song.

Stay tuned to GamingBolt for more coverage and information on the game, including our upcoming review.

Australia’s rating board system for video games is a mess, a fact that came to light recently yet again when the highly anticipated sequel to cult indie hit classic, Hotline Miami, was refused classification in the country, effectively leading to a ban on its sale within the country. To Australian fans of the first game who were looking forward to playing the long delayed sequel to the the first game, which has been promised to be everything the first game was and more, this probably comes as terrible news. But the developers of Hotline Miami and its sequel have come up with a solution for Australian fans- a solution that is probably the first time something like this has been officially condoned by the gaming industry.

What does the developer have to say? Just pirate the game. No need to worry about it, just torrent the game, and enjoy. Don’t believe me? Check out the email conversation for yourself above (click on the image to see it in full resolution).

So… I mean, yeah, guys, you’re not out of options. Even options that might have seemed morally suspect to you are now officially being sanctioned by the developers of the game. Which, coming from the developers of Hotline Miami, is strangely fitting in a way.

Overkill Games’ heist focused action game from last year, Payday 2, will be getting some new DLC this month. But while most Payday DLC has focused on expanding the game with new costumes, new heists, new weapons, and the like. But this new DLC that it is getting, this is different. You see, this DLC will be crossover DLC for the cult hit indie action game, Hotline Miami (which, incidentally, gets a sequel later this year).

Of course, you might be wondering how this crossover even makes sense, and why it happening and why now of all times, I mean come on, can’t you all make some sense? “Because we at Overkill fucking love Hotline Miami,” the developer, Overkill, explained in its Steam Community FAQ.

… Well, okay. I guess that’s good enough for me.

You can play Payday 2 on PC, Xbox 360, and PS3. Hotline Miami is on PS3, PS4, PS Vita, and PC, with a sequel hitting those same platforms later this year.