Namco's 1995 arcade racer Cyber Cycles is getting its first home release, arriving on August 20 as the ninth System 22 title in Hamster Corporation's Arcade Archives line, Video Games Chronicle reported.
Cyber Cycles sits between Ridge Racer 2 and Rave Racer in Namco's arcade output and shares their look, with the difference that players ride futuristic motorcycles rather than drive cars. It has been described as Ridge Racer on motorbikes. Riders choose from three increasingly powerful and increasingly difficult machines, with two more to unlock, across two circuits: the easier Green Hill and the more advanced Neo Yokohama.
Two versions, two feature sets
The game ships in two forms. The Arcade Archives release covers Switch and PS4, while an Arcade Archives 2 release covers Switch 2, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.
Every Arcade Archives game includes Original Mode, High Score Mode, in which play continues until Game Over, and Caravan Mode, which asks for the highest score inside a time limit. The Arcade Archives 2 versions add Time Attack Mode, which times a full run through the game, and VRR support for what Hamster calls a more accurate reproduction of the original arcade experience.
The Arcade Archives 2 build also adds split screen for two to four players, replicating the arcade cabinet's ability to link four machines together.
Pricing and upgrades
The Arcade Archives version costs $14.99 on PS4 and Switch, and the Arcade Archives 2 version costs $16.99 on PS5 and Switch 2. Buyers of the cheaper version can upgrade to the newer one later for $2.99.
Hamster's Namco run continues
Hamster has been working through the library of Namco's System 22 board, which marked the company's move into polygonal games, and the more powerful Super System 22 board. Cyber Cycles is the ninth of those games to reach Arcade Archives, joining Ridge Racer, Air Combat 22, Aqua Jet, Tokyo Wars, Rave Racer, Cyber Commando, Ace Driver and Armadillo Racing.
The publisher signalled in June that its Namco plans reach beyond System 22 when it added the original Tekken as an Arcade Archives 2 title. Tekken ran on Namco's System 11 board, raising the prospect of further System 11 re-releases such as Tekken 2, Soul Edge, Dunk Mania, Xevious 3D/G and Pocket Racer.
