As per always, I’ve found a way to fill an otherwise nondescript Thursday with surprisingly decent deals. Personally, I would trigger the NOS and beeline to that 13-buck Need For Speed triple pack on Xbox first. I’m also all about those (discounted basically everywhere) copies of No Man’s Sky. That new update for it is gorgeous, to the point where I’m seriously considering a fresh save to re-experience the thrill of Permadeath mode + PS VR2, but prettier. Because I’m an idiot.

In retro news, I’m commemorating the 34th birthday of Magic Sword, an arcade classic. In this Capcom hack ‘n’ slash side-scroller, you were cast as one of two He-Man-types and set loose on 51 floors of mummies, dragons, and…er, Easter Island heads? Nabbing keys and releasing prisoners would add an AI party member who basically acted like a side weapon pod. What hooked me: the thematically left-field inclusion of a ninja. Because, hey—anything in the late ’80s / early ’90s with a ninja in it was an instant must-play. Proper obsessed.

This Day in Gaming

Aussie birthdays for notable games.

– Magic Sword (ARC) 1990.

– Mario’s Picross (GB) 1995.

– Painkiller (XB) 2006.

– Dynasty Warriors 8 (PS3,X360) 2013.

– Shadowrun Returns (PC) 2013.