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I would happily play a full-length game starring Brucie and Jade as they investigate multiple cases that require their exorcism services, but as a bite-size adventure that simply shows a snapshot of their less-than-lucrative career, Physical Exorcism works well. If you’re in the mood for a horror game that is less about explicit scares or gore and more about psychological trauma and people being awful to one another, it’s a great choice for an evening’s entertainment — and it’s certainly got me curious about what the rest of the series has in store.
RefleX is a pretty magnificent shoot ’em up, all told. Its mechanics are simple, straightforward and easy to understand but hard to master, and the experience as a whole is fundamentally satisfying. It might have been nice to see some difficulty options — though the ability to practice individual areas and the gradually increasing number of continues you get with each unsuccessful clear attempt are both welcome features — but on the whole, it’s not hard to see why those deep into the shoot ’em up scene love and respect SITER SKAIN’s work, and why these games still hold up so well nearly 15 years after their original release.
Anyway, the long and the short of it is simple: I like HoloCure a lot more than Vampire Survivors, even though at the time of writing Vampire Survivors technically has more “content”. Passion projects like this are worth supporting and celebrating, particularly when they’re as high quality as this — and who knows? This could be just the thing to get those of you who have so far resisted the allure of VTubers to dive down the rabbit hole at last. Come on in, it’s nice and warm down here…
Would you ever want to go back to Nekketsu High School Dodgeball Club – Soccer Story after playing this, then? Well, perhaps; the unpredictable aspect that the weather system brings to the table might not always be what you’re in the mood for, so when you’re feeling that way and still fancy a kickabout, the previous game still has value. For the most part, though, Nekketsu Soccer League is the superior game in almost every regard — and, like its predecessor, is once again appealing and playable even to those of us who aren’t fans of the real-life “beautiful game”!
Ultimately, Daytona USA is a pleasant reminder of a bygone age of gaming: a time when Sega made blue-sky arcade games with hilariously wonderful soundtracks; a time when arcades were still alive and well (though in more recent years, arcade-style gaming is making a grand comeback); and a time when it was okay for a game to just exist without needing constant updates, DLC and additional “content” added on a regular basis.
In summary then, despite ALLTYNEX Second’s age, this is still a solid investment for any shoot ’em up fans looking for something new to try — and if you already own it and haven’t had a blast on it for a while, now’s the perfect time to fire it up and see if you’ve still got what it takes. SITER SKAIN’s work is consistently regarded in shoot ’em up enthusiast circles as being of very high quality, and while ALLTYNEX Second isn’t their very top-rated title — that honour seems to be commonly agreed as going to ALLTYNEX follow-up Kamui — it’s definitely a very strong game.
All in all, this is a good collection. It’s a shame about some of the flaws and omissions — particularly the rather raw deal Pac-Attack has ended up with — but perhaps the most troublesome issues can be patched. It’s certainly a decent celebration of the life and times of our spherical yellow hero — and the metagame element should keep you busy in the long term if the games included here aren’t already compelling enough!
Either way, this is probably one to skip. Eastasiasoft has much better lewd fare in their catalogue, so I would highly recommend that you go enjoy literally any of those instead of this.
If you’re not accustomed to this type of shoot ’em up action, Typhoon can easily become absolutely infuriating. Hell, even if you know exactly what it’s doing, it can be rage-inducing. But it’s a game that is worth investing some time and effort into, because the feeling of satisfaction you get from successfully overcoming a particularly challenging encounter is absolutely wonderful — and you’ll quickly get hooked on that feeling.
But if not, don’t sleep on Namco Museum Remix; it’s a great example of Namco paying tribute to some of its lesser-known games — and an even better example of the Wii playing host to a number of experiences you simply can’t get anywhere else!
While the Famicom isn’t particularly known or well-regarded for its lineup of fighting games — it was really the 16-bit console era where it really started to shine — Nekketsu Fighting Legend is an example of how an 8-bit fighting game can work well. It doesn’t overcomplicate things, it makes use of mechanics and conventions that will be familiar to those who grew up with the beat ’em up genre, and, like the other Kunio-kun games, is absolutely packed with personality and good humour.
So, do I recommend even if TEMPEST? Absolutely; just consider its weaknesses with its false choices in its gameplay mechanics, its slightly underbaked romances and its relatively short playtime — but know that its highs in its quality, writing, heroine and story more than make up for these shortcomings, making this a must-play otome.
Like I say, don’t come into Spacewing War expecting spectacular screen-filling bosses, super-slick parallax scrolling and thumping beats that will be stuck in your head for the next 30 years — rather, expect a loving homage to games on the classic Game Boy by people who clearly understand what it was that made that platform in particular so beloved by so many.
So long as you’re on board with the fanservice angle — and make no mistake, this is one of Compile Heart’s most fanservicey games of all time — then Seven Pirates H will keep you entertained for a good period. There’s plenty to do, but it doesn’t outstay its welcome, either — just the thing we all need for a palate-cleanser between more weighty fare!
Arcade Spirits: The New Challengers is a very good game and an excellent stand-alone sequel to the original. It features a solid cast of characters and plenty of pizza bagel-related facts mixed in, but the thing that I found most exciting was the way the writing had evolved since the first one. This is an ambitious game, with a narrative design that takes risks at almost every corner. Once again, I find myself excited by both the world and the story on offer from the developers at Fiction Factory Games.
These nitpicks aside, Pretty Girls Speed is a solid addition to the Pretty Girls series, and further evidence that Zoo Corporation and eastasiasoft are keen to develop and evolve this series in increasingly inventive and enjoyable directions. It makes sense; when announcing the physical release of the Pretty Girls Game Collection 4-in-1 bundle, eastasiasoft’s project lead Joshua Michael French noted that the Pretty Girls series are among the company’s most popular titles, and thus it stands to reason they’d want to keep bringing these characters back in new contexts — as well as develop spin-offs, such as the excellent Otoko Cross.
Grab some friends, though, and this is a raucously silly fun time that you’ll all have an absolute blast with. Follow up with some of the other Kunio-kun sports games and you’ve got an evening of quality group entertainment ahead of you. If you’re all on your tod, though, maybe stick to stuff designed specifically to be played solo like Downtown Nekketsu Story and Downtown Special Kunio-kun’s Historical Period Drama!
In short, Drainus is an absolute triumph for Team Ladybug, and should be considered an essential in any shoot ’em up fan’s library. Here’s hoping it gets a console release so those of us who enjoy collecting games like this can have it on our shelves one day…
In this standalone sequel, the character arcs are better written, the art style is even more pleasing on the eye, and the whole underdog premise makes it even more entertaining; it’s nice to see the energy and drive of the player character here in contrast to the rather troubled main character from the original game.
This aside, though, Nekketsu Hockey Club is a fun game that it’s worth spending some time with if you’re interested in enjoying the complete Kunio-kun saga. It’s definitely worth a pop if you’ve got some friends willing to give it a go, as like most of the other Kunio-kun sports games, Nekketsu Hockey Club is very much designed to be a fun video game rather than an accurate simulation of a real-life sport. Just how I’ve always liked it.