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In some respects, I understand why World’s End Club didn’t get nearly as much attention as Uchikoshi’s other work. But I also think a creative, interesting, title that keeps you guessing like this deserves a bit more “cult” status than it has. So consider this me doing my part in telling you that if you enjoy Uchikoshi’s other work, World’s End Club is definitely worth spending some time with; just don’t go in expecting exactly what you’ve seen from him in those previous titles, keep an open mind… and protect Nyoro at all costs.
All in all, this is just a great game that deserves some recognition for not only being highly enjoyable on its own merits, but also for successfully paying respectful and intelligent homage to a wide variety of retro titles. A hearty thumbs up from us on this one.
And that’s the beauty of Tetris Effect. It challenges you, sure, particularly on its higher difficulty levels, but it also feels like a game that wraps you in a wonderful sense of warmth, love and supportiveness. It manages all this without resorting to rosy-cheeked “wholesomeness” tropes, and instead through more abstract, ill-defined but no less potent means. As the nights draw in and the weather gets colder, it’s the perfect game to play in a darkened room, sitting beneath a blanket and accompanied by the warm glow of Christmas lights.
Unfortunately, none of this gets us away from the fact that this game just doesn’t feel like a Turtles game — and even taken on its own merits, it’s neither satisfying nor fun, particularly for the solo player. It is, of course, a welcome inclusion in the Cowabunga Collection because it’s just as important a part of Turtles history as the more well-loved titles in the franchise — but it’s probably not one you’ll find yourself spending a lot of time with unless you’re particularly determined to find the fun buried somewhere within.
So if you’re after a shooter that’s great for firing up during a coffee break and you don’t mind it kicking your arse a bit, Fire Arrow Plus is a solid choice.
Sure, that learning process might take a little while if you are coming into this expecting “Squaresoft does Zelda” — but once you truly understand what makes Secret of Mana an RPG rather than an action adventure, there’s a consistently satisfying and enjoyable experience to be had. And it’s one I’m glad I finally made the time to explore to the fullest — even if I am a tad late to the party!
Final Fight has aged extraordinarily well for the most part. It’s still one of the most beautifully presented games in Capcom’s back catalogue, with detailed backdrops and enormous, wonderfully animated sprites. The basic gameplay is straightforward but solid — though fans of later beat ’em ups may find themselves missing slightly later conventions such as the ability to run — and the sound effects are satisfying. My personal weak point of the game is the music, which is unremarkable at best and a nightmarish cacophony at worst.
Of course, there are still similar experiences being put out today, with probably the most notable high-profile one being the Forza Horizon series — though the feel of open-world racers like that will always be notably different from the more structured gameplay of classics like Blur. Likewise, the indie sphere has also been exploring the arcade racer genre for a while now — though most tend to focus a little more on its “vanishing point” heyday in the 16-bit era rather than provide experiences similar to Blur. In other words, there really is nothing quite like Blur out there in 2022.
But, aside from the lack of in-game explanation, this isn’t necessarily a failing of the game itself; it simply requires a bit of an adjustment in attitude from many other shoot ’em ups. Specifically, Metal Black is a game where you cannot be too proud to use your special weapons; the beam is absolutely integral to success. And once you get your head around that, the game is a lot of fun. Still absolutely bastard hard at times, yes — particularly once you get beyond the first couple of stages — but a worthwhile journey to make, and a piece of Taito history that shouldn’t be forgotten.
Super Woden GP feels like the sort of racing game you’d play when you got home from school and stay glued to it until dinnertime, at which point your Mum would yell at you for not doing your homework. It rewards persistence and commitment — and both of those can sometimes feel like they’re in short supply these days.
While it’s not my favourite Capcom game to date, Hyper Dyne Side Arms is a historically significant one for the sheer number of times it’s been referenced in other titles from the company. And with that in mind, it’s worth giving a go at least once or twice — even if the difficulty spike ends up driving you away in frustration!
That little nitpick aside, Ringlorn Saga is an excellent game that I can recommend unreservedly to anyone who enjoys retro-style games. It strikes an excellent balance between paying homage to the classics of yore and bringing things up to date with modern sensibilities and conveniences, and it’s a prime example of why the indie sphere continues to be one of the most exciting sectors in all of gaming.
Can you imagine a company like Nintendo being so open and honest as we see the participants in this project being? I somehow doubt it, as fascinating as a Nintendo equivalent of Atari 50 would surely be. So for now we’ll have to enjoy Atari 50 as a standout, exemplary title that shows everyone else how interactive video game history and preservation should be done. Perhaps one day some other big players in the space will be open to letting us into their archives in the same way.
As unknown as it is, Dynasty Wars has its own important place in Capcom history, and it’s worth playing as a result. Plus it’s fun to see how someone other than Koei Tecmo tackles the Three Kingdoms period once in a while, too!
That said, for the solo player, there’s definitely fun to be had in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters for SNES — and a fair bit of it, too, what with all the different playable characters, gameplay modes and difficulty levels to challenge. It’s a game worth playing, even if you are, like me, not typically a fighting game sort of person. Who knows? This might even end up being the game that actually gets you into the genre properly!
It may look like a far cry from the graphical spectacle that the Final Fantasy series became known for in its later years — but it’s definitely still well worth a play today. And Collection of Mana is a convenient, accessible means of doing so — so what are you waiting for?
Alwa’s Awakening is a truly excellent game. While it’s true that we’re not exactly short on open-structure exploratory platform games these days, there’s enough that is distinctive about Alwa’s Awakening to make it stand out from the crowd. So what are you waiting for?
Finally, even its ending is as unnecessary as it is lazy. It’s the post-game cutscene from the original game, and it makes even less sense being inserted at the same moment after everything that transpired before it within the new scenario. I can’t fathom how anyone could possibly argue that this DLC is not one of the weakest additional content packages out there and the cheekiest in terms of its asking price. Do yourself a favour and wait for a sale if you absolutely must play it. Please. Lady Dimitrescu is not going anywhere.
I’ve been hard on Rule No. 1 because it really is a good idea. The addition of a radar display for situational awareness, a better sense of impact for the weapons, an in-game score display and a large piece of duct tape to put over the mouth of the main character would make it an infinitely better game. As it stands, this is just a mediocre shooter that largely misses the point of the things it’s trying to pay homage to.
At least I can fondly think of this as “the bi otome game” — even if its intriguing setup did deserve so much better.