While I can’t be sure how everything fits together when played with others, even the solo play of Happy’s Humble Burger Cult is an enjoyable slice of job. It’s definitely not Overcooked in terms of depth, and the horror is pushed out of the way to make room for hijinks, but the care that Scythe Studios always put into the small details elevates it. Really, it’s not made from the freshest ingredients, but it’s a tasty sandwich that gives you what you paid for.
Agent 64 is successful in replicating a lot of the look, feel, and swagger of Goldeneye, but when it comes to putting it into practice, at least when it comes to singleplayer, it doesn’t come close. And for me, the fact that the actual mission design falls so short made all of its successes feel superficial, even if, on paper, it succeeds more than it fails. You can take from that what you want. Maybe if multiplayer is what you’re showing up for, it will scratch the itch. I’d rather just disavow any knowledge of Agent 64.
Meat Grinder’s gameplay isn’t enough to support the narrative, and the narrative isn’t enough to support the gameplay. The unfortunate part is that, with a little effort, either would be fine enough to stand on their own. And it isn’t difficult to imagine either being more than fine. Turning people into hot dogs is always a good time, but doing that, tacking on a transparent-thin story, and then calling it a day, isn’t appetizing. There’s very little meat on this bun. For that matter, there’s very little bun.
For a lot of The Mermaid Mask's runtime, I often reflected on how flawlessly it delivers on its intent. The art, animation, voice acting, and music are excellent in the ways that support the narrative, and the narrative itself is top shelf. You may not be given very much agency when it comes to solving the mystery, but it doesn’t feel that way, and the time spent with the quirky, whimsical, but believable characters is a delight. This is one that you’ll want to investigate.
In a world with games like Blippo+ and Squad 51 vs The Flying Saucers, it’s possible to imagine that Geppy-X could have succeeded in finding its niche, and maybe it still can. For its time, its focus on providing an experience rather than just a game makes it a rare thing. From an audio and visual standpoint it’s absorbing. Grand, over-the-top songs about Geppy fighting against evil are belted out behind an average shooter that takes a break to tell you not to pour salad dressing in your eyes. It feels appropriate that Geppy-X got a reverent remaster, because it absolutely deserves it.
But that makes giving an opinion on Wax Heads a bit difficult, because clearly, it had effective messaging overall. It got through to me on some level. I think its approach to retail is really creative. It’s full of likeable characters. It’s just the narrative is trite and idealistic to the point of being saccharine. And that was enough to turn me off it completely. I appreciate Wax Heads, but I don’t see myself playing it again, and I don’t know that I recommend it. It’s time to find a different job.
I wasn’t hating my time with MOLE. Getting from beginning to end was mostly breezy, barring a few encounters with that pointless monster. It’s just I don’t feel I got a lot of nutrition from it. While it doesn’t outright copy anyone, its adherence to its inspirations is so stark that it seems like it doesn’t have its own voice. It’s buried somewhere in there. Deep down. I’ll get my shovel.
It’s somewhat of a high pricetag for four simple arcade experiences that you can burn through in a couple of hours. That’s often the nature of arcade ports, though. However, all four of these games are worth playing, two of them allow you to rope a friend in, and they’re all readily replayable. Personally, I think Space Gun alone makes it all worth it. It helps that most of these are relatively obscure. Except Operation: Wolf. Everyone’s heard of Operation: Wolf.
And if you haven’t played R-Type III before, you absolutely should. This is a solid way to do it, if only because it removes the slowdown endemic to the SNES version. R-Type Dimensions III is a loving renewal of an outstanding shoot-’em-up. I do wish that they found a balanced middle-ground for easing the difficulty beyond its all-or-nothing approach. As it is, you either feel pain or nothing at all.
The console release gave me a terrific excuse to replay this fantastic compilation. Having it on Switch feels like being able to take one of my favourite books along with me. Anthology of the Killer is just something special, and while this compilation has the feeling of finality to it, I kind of hope that this isn’t the last we see of BB or the world she exists in. But, if you haven’t yet played Anthology of the Killer, then count yourself lucky because there’s still so much to experience. And then you should play it. You should play it right now.
Retro Rewind accomplishes small things with accuracy. It doesn’t lean heavily on asset stores to fill out its world (though, I would like to talk to whoever made the arcade cabinets 3/4 scale on risers, wtf), it’s not as janky as a lot of its peers, and it maintains a tight scope. There are places where it can grow (they’re adding video game rental in the future), but not a whole lot to complain about. It might not blow you away, but it might suck you in. And it might also make you pine for the days of Blockbuster Video. We didn’t know how good we had it.
Crabmeat’s horror atmosphere is breathable. Its crabbing manages to claw its way out from under the darkness without compromising it. Its outstanding work-a-day gameplay alongside a great attention to detail creates a very involving experience all around. The restraint it shows in certain areas, especially when it comes to narrative and runtime, allow it to succeed in just about every facet. I can’t remember the last time I found a horror game so satisfying, which is a weird thing to say about horror. I’m a little afraid.
Which means you should probably check it out. I’ve never seen anything quite like it, and there’s a substantial chance we’ll never see anything like it again.
Anyway, that’s a long way of saying that I appreciate that the gen-AI art has been ripped out, but the rest of the experience should have been left alone. Still, as it stands, should you play Future Racer 2000? Yep. It’s short, it’s relatively cheap, and it still manages to be a unique horror experience in many ways.
There are glimmers of brilliance in Dead Format, and a lot of it shines through. Unfortunately, the whole thing is uneven. Parts of it needed more refinement, or rather, needed to be rethought. Just brought entirely back to the drawing board. It’s breaking my brain trying to reconcile the high highs and low lows. I’d like to compare it to a B-movie, but it’s difficult. It’s mostly like Street Fighter: The Movie where I’m glued when Raul Julia is on-screen and then pull out the Rubik’s Cube every time he isn’t.
It lacks some of the frills that would normally make a roguelite into a long-term experience. There isn’t a tonne of unlockables, and it barely has a story, which also means no side diversions. While it lasts, it’s entertaining. It doesn’t know any tricks, but it’s still a good boy (or girl). Yes it is. Oh, yes it is!
A solid remaster of a decent game. I’m not going to make a The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly reference, but here’s a fistful of review points.
It’s a fun game to see, even if the whole thing is sloppy and dumb. Its humour certainly isn’t sharp, but it’s entertaining enough to stand out. The brevity is, at least, offset by the rather reasonable pricetag that Ratalaika has given it. $6 greenbacks or $9 Canadian loonies (fewer loonies on Steam for some reason). That’s, like, a Blockbuster rental circa 2005. I miss game rentals, but I… Sorry, I got distracted there. You could treat this like a rental for that price, is what I’m saying. Make it a bakage night.
But regardless of how other people might feel about it, Chulip is among my favourite games. I can hear and understand the criticism toward it, but I don’t care. And that’s how I feel about Stray Children. I’m not ready to put it among my favourite games. That will become clearer with time. For me, I know that despite all the trials, I walked away feeling I gained something. I’m not happy. I’m moved. The walls of my heart have been broken.
If GameMill had taken the Cruis’n Blast approach and added extra challenges and cars, it would be much easier to recommend. If they had tuned the game to offer something more than what you’d get with a pocketful of dollars at the movie theatre, it might be worth it. As it is, the fun in Fast & Furious: Arcade Edition is gone in sixty seconds.