New York Comic Con has come and gone for 2026 and some of us may be feeling the post-convention blues. It’s okay, I get them too. However, it’s really important to have things to look forward to after the convention has ended. Thankfully, Bandai Namco really helped with ensuring that there is plenty coming up in the near future to keep us all entertained.

On Friday evening, I had the opportunity to go hands on with not one, not two, but three games that Bandai Namco had brought to NYCC. I could have played all of the games they brought to the convention floor. However, one had me going back for seconds. And you’ve all already gotten your hands on ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE right?

DRAGON BALL XENOVERSE 3

I’ll write about these in no particular order, but let’s open up with DRAGON BALL XENOVERSE 3 which is due out in 2027 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Steam. The demo on display provided us with an opportunity to choose an Earthling or a Saiyan character. For this demo I chose an Earthling as I really wanted to feel well rounded where I could.

After selecting your race, we’re quickly told there’s a job for us and we join our squad in learning the basics of combat and taking out our enemies. The visuals are exactly what you’d expect and hope for from a DRAGON BALL game and so is the combat. This means that longtime fans of the series won’t be disappointed. We fought lots of nameless drones and other easy characters while mastering the combat along the way. I was feeling very confident in my ability to attack, move around, dodge when needed and use my powers.

That was until Broly showed up. Over and over Broly was making quick work of the team but thankfully there were mechanics to have yourself and your party members brought back to life. You would have a timer were your party could revive you or, if they missed it completely, you’d be met with a secondary timer before you revived. Broly’s attacks were so powerful and if you didn’t get behind any safe spaces, you were in for a world of hurt.

Thankfully, the team did manage to stop Broly before my time on the demo was over. I did enjoy this level of combat despite it feeling a bit tougher than other similar titles. It meant I couldn’t play sloppily and would need to be aware of not only my team, my enemy, but also my surroundings. This isn’t a mindless game for you to just power your way through. Bandai had another game if you needed something a bit lighter.

Hello Kitty Party Land

Next up is the adorable party game, Hello Kitty Party Land. I’ll be honest, I enjoyed this a bit more than I thought I would. Yes, it is adorable and it is fun to see all the Sanrio characters. But what really made the difference with this one was that you were able to not only design your avatar but also team up with your favorite Sanrio characters. You get to play in pairs which feels like a nice little addition to this genre.

Of course, I chose to be playing alongside Kitty herself. While I could’ve chosen the beloved Cinnamoroll or Pom Pom Purin, if anyone was going to carry our team into victory, why not allow it to be Kitty? During my demo time, it doesn’t seem to matter who is on your team besides just the visual and joy. I did see that there are also stickers to collect from over 140 characters to add to your sticker book. You find the characters just casually walking around town and a quick interaction with them gets you a sticker. Fun for those who want to get all of the collection but not fight too hard for it.

The demo itself consisted of three mini games, one in which you had to fish up stars, one in which you were jumping in the air to collect what looked like large rock candies, and finally, an age old classic, home run derby of sorts. All of these games were the perfect length. There was no worry that the games would feel stale. In the full game there will also be over 40 games to play and if each is roughly around 2 minutes, you’ll have plenty of time to try them all. It won’t be too long before we get to play all these games. Hello Kitty Party Land releases October 29, 2026 on Nintendo Switch and Switch 2.

GUNDAM ROGUE ORBIT

The first game I tried, and the last I’ll write about, is one that really surprised me. GUNDAM ROGUE ORBIT was something I did not expect to enjoy so much. Full disclosure, I am not typically a mech type of fan, I know, as an anime fan I should probably try again. This did mean that going in I had no real expectations about what the game should play like. The good news? It already hails itself as a new chapter which is a perfect entry point for new players. The last time Bandai Namco had such a daring statement was Digimon Story Time Stranger and I have to agree, it was the perfect point. Can they do it again in a different genre this time?

If the combat demo that I tried out is any indication? Absolutely.

In fact, I played twice to try out two of the three different weapons available. I started with the Assault Sword as this felt like it would be the easiest to learn. The sword was smooth and satisfying as it slashed through enemies. When it chopped off the arm of the big bad towards the end of the demo, it felt like I had gotten the hang of this strong machine and no one could stop me. I was piloting the Gundam, I was the one in control, and no monster, no matter how big was going to take me down.

Admittedly, I did have to get used to not always being up in the monster’s area though. Thankfully the shooting was easy and I just had to be able to keep up with the speed of my mech. Once those boosters went on I also had to be sure not to overheat. The speed is addicting though and its so easy to get lost in it.

I let the adrenaline wear off a bit before going in for a second run but with a different weapon. This time I tried the sword lance because, quite frankly, it looked very cool with the mech. Once I got a handle of flying up and thrusting the lance down upon my enemies for that multi hit, I loved it. Which also meant I wasn’t as good about dashing around as much and sustained quite a bit more damage than I should have. My second attempt I definitely got much closer to death, but it was worth it.

The final weapon which I did not try as part of the demo was the whip sword but it looked just as cool as the others. There is a chance, that GUNDAM ROGUE ORBIT could make a mech fan out of me. We’ll see when it releases March 5, 2027 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Steam.

Bandai Namco Continues The Strong Showing

Last year at NYCC Bandai Namco brought a really strong showing with Code Vein II, Once Upon A KATAMARI, and Digimon Story Time Stranger to name a few. This year the continue the strong showing, this time showing even more variety than in the past. Bandai Namco has really been a consistent force of not only video games, but also film/TV, collectible figures, GUNPLA kits, and trading card games over the years. They have been on a very successful run with all they bring to NYCC with no sign of stopping. I’ll be looking forward to their upcoming releases and already excitedly looking forward to how they top themselves in 2027.

A huge thank you to Bandai Namco for letting us get some time with their games at NYCC! Is there a game from Bandai Namco you’re really looking forward to? Were you in attendance and did you try out any of these games? Let us know in the comments down below.