EVERCADE EXPANDS

We go hands-on with Blaze’s upcoming releases

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Having firmly established the Evercade as part of the retro-gaming ecosystem, Blaze is just about to begin its most extensive programme of hardware releases so far. It is not only replacing its core consoles, but adding two new budget handhelds and even an entirely new category to its product range. With that in mind, we warmly welcomed an invite to the Blaze office to take an early look at some of the new products on the horizon.

The new Evercade Alpha tabletop arcade units were available to try ahead of their planned launch in November for £229.99 each. The Street Fighter unit has been designed to resemble the classic Street Fighter II: Champion Edition cabinet, and includes that game plus Super Street Fighter II Turbo, Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo and the three Street Fighter Alpha games. The Mega Man edition has brandnew side art, and includes Mega Man: The Power Battle and Mega Man 2: The Power Fighters, Final Fight, Strider, Carrier Air Wing and Knights Of The Round. “We did consider doing Evercade-branded arcades, but I think if you want an arcade unit, you want that feel and that look, the original games, really,” explains Blaze CEO Andrew Byatt.