falseprophet

After two long months, MAME 0.278 is finally ready. Of course, the big news is that the new sound system has arrived! The benefits it brings include:

Native WASAPI support on Windows and PipeWire support on Linux.
Support for sound input for emulated systems that have microphones or other audio capture hardware.
Support for multi-channel input and output.
Built-in effects, including a parametric equaliser and dynamic range compressor.
Better quality sample rate conversion and mixing, and lower latency.

As this is the first release of a major new component, it’s going to be rough around the edges in some ways. But we’re already thinking about some of the ways we can improve it further over the coming months.

We’ve been busy with the sound system, but we haven’t stopped working on emulation. There are some nice fixes for graphical issues in 3D systems, including Sega Model 2 and Taito Type Zero. But it doesn’t stop with 3D – the 2D classics are still getting love. Quite a few Konami games are looking nicer, including often-overlooked cocktail mode support, and all the missing graphics in the iconic IGS mahjong game Long Hu Bang are finally fixed.

There’s a long list of newly supported systems this month. We’ve got Exidy and Taito arcade games from the 1970s, LCD games from behind the Iron Curtain, and a whole pile of recently dumped TV games. On top of that, numerous additional versions of Gaelco arcade games have surfaced from the archives. In between, you’ll find rare Capcom arcade releases, music workstations and sequencers, game watches, casino games, and more. If you do play casino games, please be aware that some of the default input assignments for gambling games have changed in this release.

There’s lots of fun to be had with the computer emulation updates in this release. The Victor 9000 has had its floppy support overhauled and SASI hard disk support added. There’s been a bit of a flurry of updates for the Sanyo PHC-25. The POKEY’s serial communication support used by the Atari 8-bit computers has finally been implemented properly.

If you want to read about all the adventures in MAME development in these past two months, check out the whatsnew.txt file. As always, the source code and 64-bit Windows binary packages are available from the download page.

Embark on an emotional first-person narrative adventure where you control the story—and affect its outcomes—with your real-life blinks. With this innovative technique you will fully immerse yourself in a world of memories, both joyous and heartbreaking, as your whole life flashes before your eyes.

Play Store
Epic
Playstation
App store

Do you have the skills to raise a medieval town from nothing? You can find out when the new city builder Noble Legacy arrives next month

Concrete Jungle is a city planning deck-building game. Place buildings using cards in your deck and earn new ones as you progress! A genre-blending game packed with cool ideas that swaps micro-management for a more puzzle-like approach to city planning.

Itch.io

Humble Bundle has introduced a new game collection from the publisher Serenity Forge. It contains 10 indie games with good player ratings and a combined value of $171. However, the entire bundle can be purchased for only $12.

Storytellers bundle (Steam Deck-playable)

After Light Fades, produced by indie studio Orchid of Redemption, is now available on PC via Steam. The game will have a 10% discount for the first week after its launch, according to a press release. The game’s core genres are puzzle, Sokoban, and adventure, featuring a compelling narrative about letting go.

Game After Light

Imagine you're a 12 year old, suddenly in charge of the guard shed at the castle gate, where you decide if elves, goblins and 100+ other characters should be admitted. It's a wonderful combination of deduction, narrative and puzzle games.

Epic
GOG has discount
Nintendo

Tranquil Isle is a lo-fi strategic townbuilder. Create cozy little settlements on the sun-kissed shores of your very own island paradise.

A deep, interactive adventure about love and loss, beautifully depicted and offering an intense cinematic experience. What would you do to save the one you love?

New Life, New City, Same Demons.

Escaping a troubled past, you have finally found some solace with a new life, in a new city. This comfort is shattered when a call from an old friend drags you back into a world that you had tried to leave behind. Amidst sinister corporate entities, dark conspiracies and clashing titans of industry, you find yourself centre stage in a plan of vengeance decades in the making. The promises of the future have been broken, humanity remains rooted in darkness. Yet all it takes is one spark, and you can change everything.

Can you find a way out?

You find yourself in a strange room. There is a telephone, a mirror, a grandfather clock and some other odd objects you don’t recognise. It seems there is only one way to escape… become enlightened.

Samsara Room is a new atmospheric point-and-click adventure by the creators of Rusty Lake and Cube Escape series. This praised predecessor to the Rusty Lake universe is completely re-assembled with brand new puzzles, story, graphics and an immersive soundtrack by Victor Butzelaar.

Another good one for fans of point and click adventures, keep an eye on the upcoming The Mystery of Doomsday Valley.