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All in all, Splatoon 3’s single-player mode hasn’t disappointed so far, and I anticipate it’s going to be a fun experience for the few hours it will probably last, going by my experiences with the previous games. It’s perhaps not as substantial as a Nintendo game designed entirely for the single player such as Super Mario Odyssey — but if you’ve typically shied away from Splatoon on the assumption that it’s a multiplayer-only affair, I’d encourage you to give the single-player mode a shot.
Whether you’re an adventure game veteran from the ’90s or a younger gamer who simply enjoys narrative-centric experiences, Brok is a title you shouldn’t miss. It’s a textbook example of the passion independent developers bring to their projects, and how that passion, when leveraged correctly, can produce not only compelling narratives, but also excellent video games.
HoloCure’s new update doesn’t fundamentally reinvent the game, but it does refine it nicely. A number of the sprites have been redrawn, additional enemy types have been added and the greater variety of ways to play mean that each run can be quite a bit different from the last. The game’s in a good state now — and if subsequent updates continue to be this substantial, the future for HoloCure is very bright indeed.
Cut to the Core deserves to be dissected and scrutinised for your viewing pleasure — or horror, it’s a mix of the two really! It’s absolutely vile, terrifying and unforgettable. And that’s why I love it.
The important thing to note is that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game shouldn’t be written off just because it’s an NES port of a technically superior arcade game. Rather, it should be looked upon as a distinct experience that has its own value — and plenty of enjoyment to offer, even for a modern audience.
However you choose to play it, Galaga ’88 is worth experiencing. For those who struggle to engage with the older fixed shooters, it’s a nice game to bridge the gap between those classics and more modern shoot ’em ups. And for those who have been happily following the series since its earliest days, it’s a fascinating and well-designed evolution of the formula. It’s one of Namco’s best arcade games — and one that doesn’t get talked about nearly enough these days.
So in answer to the question in the headline, yes, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for the NES is eminently worth playing today — just maybe consider playing it as part of the Cowabunga Collection rather than on an original NES, and you’ll probably find yourself having a much better time than you might expect!
For now, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles arcade game remains a noteworthy game from a historical perspective, and is definitely still worth playing today. Just be ready for the things it does a bit differently from the norm — and aware that some of its follow-ups provide an arguably superior experience, particularly if you’re playing alone.
Anyway, I think I’ve made my point for now. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Cowabunga Collection is a prime example of how video game history should be preserved and celebrated. With the wealth of additional material bundled in alongside the games — plus the solid recreations of the games themselves — this is the closest you’re going to get to an interactive “textbook” on the history of Konami’s Turtles games, and I sincerely hope we see more releases of this astonishingly high quality from Digital Eclipse in the future.
IMMORTALITY has a thought-provoking narrative; it features unassuming but difficult to master gameplay design, and there’s a harrowing truth to discover, plus plenty of additional mysteries to uncover over subsequent playthroughs. It’s an incredible experience, and I urge you to try it for yourself.
So if you’re a fan of the emergent arena survival genre, then this one is most definitely well worth adding to your collection. Just don’t come complaining to us when you find your play time well into the triple digits… or more!
I may have some complaints about the game’s overall design choices and gameplay mechanics, but I will certainly give it another playthrough or two and may well change my mind. If that ends up being the case, you’ll all be the first to know, as there’s a ton of potential here. And in the meantime, if you like what you’ve seen and heard so far, you’ll almost certainly find something of worth here — so I encourage you to check it out for yourself.
And once that scenario editor is released — and perhaps some more popular user-made scenarios are translated into English — there’s potentially limitless dungeon-crawling fun on offer right here, making Wizardry: The Five Ordeals a fantastic investment for those who like nothing more than getting the graph paper out and splattering some monsters across the nearest wall.
A single run through Zengeon will probably take you an hour to an hour and a half if you make it all the way through, and the game is relatively on the easier side for the genre — you’ll likely clear the game’s easiest difficulty on your first or second attempt without too much difficulty. There’s plenty of replayability, though, with how different the playable characters feel and the inherent variation in the randomised equipment you acquire from the chests on each run.
That said, despite the obvious erotic potential in a game like this, Strip Poker Night at the Inventory is not a game you should go into primarily as a piece of pornography. Instead, you should go into it in the hope of seeing how an incredibly varied cast of characters interact with one another in a somewhat erotically charged situation — and enjoying how the whole thing somehow manages to feel delightfully supportive and inclusive rather than sleazy, all while keeping most of the characters admirably authentic to their source material.
It’s a pity that no physical releases of Lair Land Story seem to be planned right now, but Circle Entertainment has been known to partner with some of the limited-press houses for some of their other titles in the past, so never say never. For now, though, rest assured that Lair Land Story is a game that will put a smile on your face from the moment you start playing — just do your best to make sure you keep a smile on Chilia’s face also. You never know when you might need a magical girl.
Despite never having come across this game prior to trying it in Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium, I’m now very much convinced that this is a proper hidden Capcom gem. Like most arcade games from the era, it’s got a bit of a learning curve — but stick with it and you’ll find an interesting, rewarding and enjoyable game that is quite unlike anything else from this period in gaming!
Thankfully, it’s easy to enjoy Gaplus today either through emulation or via the aforementioned official “demake” by Namco. Like most fixed shooters of the era, it’s a challenging game, for sure — but the few extra features over its predecessors may well make it a bit more accessible to those who have previously struggled a bit with the genre.
Pretty Girls Klondike Solitaire remains the weak point in the collection — it’s by no means bad, particularly if played in handheld mode with the included stylus, but its lack of immediate titty gratification and buggy controller support is a bit disappointing when surrounded by the other titles.
So if you’re after a stiff challenge with a lovely, cheerful, colourful atmosphere and a touch of mild fanservice along the way — fans of armpits and feet will find themselves particularly well catered to, I have to say — then Super Bullet Break will keep you entertained for quite some time. So what are you waiting for? Lock and load!