Arcade Archives manages to sneak one last shmup in for 2022, in the form of Namco's sprite-scaling showcase Metal Hawk (1988). If you are unfamiliar, this one has something of an overhead perspective vibe similar to the helicopter missions found in Pilotwings (1990) on Super Nintendo, albeit with the gameplay action ramped all the way up. Apparently the big surprise release which Hamster were due to drop - as is tradition in the week before Christmas - was canned at the 11th hour, with Metal Hawk jumping up the release queue. You can get to da choppa on your Nintendo Switch or PlayStation 4 on Dec 22.
As for the final Arcade Archives title of 2022? Well, it seems that the arcade version of Bubble Bobble (1986) will finally make its way to the Switch on Dec 29, six years after its original ACA release on PS4. No further word on what, if anything, will be released on PS4 next week.
Imagine tucking away this transcendent piece of progressive vgm in a game designed to be played in a crowded, noisy arcade
Imagine doing it twice in the same year! (from Namco's Assault, 1988)