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Konami's 1980s pool game Rack 'Em Up, which is known by the slightly cooler name "The Hustler" in Japan, is scheduled to join the Arcade Archives range of classic arcade games this week, on consoles.
So, if your idea of a good time happens to be playing decades-old arcade recreations of sports you can still play while holding a pint, then now is your time to come forward and make yourself known.
Released in the arcades in 1987, Rack 'Em Up is the follow-up to Konami's 1981 pool title Video Hustler (which is already available as part of Arcade Archives and allegedly inspired the graphics of the arcade classic, Time Pilot).
It was reviewed in the March 1988 issue of the UK magazine Your Sinclair, with the writer Ciaran Brennan describing it at the time as an "excellent pool simulation" and "the next best thing to playing the real thing" while noting the resemblance of the game's artwork to the Martin Scorsese film The Color of Money (with its pixel perfect recreation of Tom Cruise and Paul Newman.)
Since its original release, the game was made available on Xbox 360 and Windows computers in 2010 as part of Krome Studios' and Microsoft Game Studios' Game Room service, but, as far as we're aware, hasn't been reissued much, if at all, outside of that.
Here's the official description:
"Recreating the popular game of pool!
"RACK'EM UP" is a sports game released by KONAMI in 1987.
In this game, you can play pool (pocket billiards) with Nine-Ball or Rotation rules. A key feature of this game is the ability to check the positions of the cue ball and object balls on the 3D screen. The game appeals to a wide range of age groups."
Rack 'Em Up will be released tomorrow (June 11th) across Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PS4, PS5, and Xbox One Series X|S, and will be available in two versions: an Arcade Archives version (for Switch and PS4) costing $7.99 and a slightly expanded Arcade Archives 2 edition (Switch 2, PS5, and Xbox One Series X|S), priced at $9.99.
In addition to the above, Hamster, the company behind Arcade Archives, has announced the Console Archives release for this week, revealing that it will bring Koei's 1991 simulation game L'Empereur to PS5 and Switch 2 on June 11th.
This is an 8-bit game originally released for the Nintendo Famicom that reportedly "puts you in the shoes of the legendary Napoléon, aiming to save France from crisis."
You can watch a trailer for the game below: