Seafoam Gaming
HomepageSeafoam Gaming's Reviews
I definitely recommend this to fans of old-style SRPGS, but with the high MSRP and some minor freezes here and there, I do feel it may be best to get it on sale or wait for a bit more patching before giving it a spin.
Seeing other aspects fall short of even the versions available via Sega Ages just really disappoint me, and while I don’t think a kid jumping into the Sonic series for the first time via this set will come away disliking any of the games, I do feel that compared to the Mega Collection I grew up with, the spit and polish to make this feel like the ultimate museum for a celebrated franchise is just not here.
Still, outside of that infuriating input bug, this is still a really good port of the Japanese Gimmick; the godly OST is perfectly intact, the input lag is very minimal, and the QOL with rewind and save states make this a great version for newcomers like myself to experience this outstanding Sunsoft gem, and I am so happy to have played it and have had as much fun as I did. I just wish this release had a bit more extras and the PAL version of the game was included.
Still, the stuff you get here is top notch, and M2 nailed everything they could; from play control, emulation, DIP Switch settings, and the quality of the HD remasters, Ray’z Arcade Chronology may be a pricey package, but one that’s well worth the cost at the end of the day, especially if you’re a fan of scorechasing shooters.
Eagle Island Twist is two experiences in one, and both are rather enjoyable, but the Twist levels were the huge highlight for me, being perfect for pick up and play experiences and just pure fun to go through. The main game on the other hand, while fun and sporting a satisfying progression loop with new unlockable abilities, feathers, and stages to traverse, definitely can feel a little repetitive and drawn out at times, and even the randomization elements aren’t enough to keep me too interested in it for long, making it one I just couldn’t click with after a while, especially near the endgame of it.
Honestly, after how brilliant the Breakers Collection turned out, and with how long the gap has been since the last Qubyte Classics drop, I was a little hopeful that some sort of refinement to this wrapper would have taken place: faster menus, some bonuses, or at the very least the removal of that godawful input lag. But no, unfortunately it all returns in stride here, and some cool key art on the store page isn’t enough to really save this package.
Dawn of the Monsters is a really fun time, both in solo and especially in co-op, being a pretty good brawler that’s both a serviceable tribute to the Toku days and one with a decent amount of depth, with lots of great combos and augments to mess around with, and a fun combat system to keep stages interesting as you work towards those S+ Ranks.
Here though in Boosted? I say Batsugun is definitely the best Saturn Tribute title by far in terms of featureset, though it doesn’t hold a candle to either M2’s careful curation or Bitwave’s near instantaneous input times, it still manages to be a ton of fun, with the soundtrack customization alone getting many, many kudos from me, and makes this a must-own for any fans of the game’s score.
I cannot say the same about this port, since it is plagued with a lot of annoyances and problems that make this one of the last places I’d advise you play the game. From audio pitch glitches, barebones options, the lack of save states or an autofill password feature, and a tiny smidge of input lag, this is an incredibly barren port, and for the $10 price, double that of an old NES VC title from back in the day, it is honestly pretty upsetting to see such a fantastic game presented in such a barebones fashion.
I am pleased to say that this still is an outstanding puzzler, from the best, most engaging puzzle mode in the franchise, a fantastic scorechaser world, and decent online multiplayer, Puzzle Bobble Everybubble still shows that Taito can nail a lot of aspects that make the franchise fun to play.
Bugged credits aside, I am pretty impressed with how this game was brought over after all this time, and the treatment here really does give me hope that the other 3 games will follow suit. The original Shockman is rather janky, but it still has a lot of charm to it and is pretty decent fun in co-op, and for the price point + extras, this is definitely a PCE classic worth playing through at least once, especially if you are fond of the sequel that did make it over back in the day.
Magical Drop VI’s core gameplay is still fantastic, and honestly did a damn fine job at bringing back the frantic gameplay that made me addicted to III all those many years ago, polishing it up with a great new coat of paint. Unfortunately, MDVI’s idea of replay value is not that of scorechasing or online, but needless amounts of padding to unlock the full current roster.
Gematombe is a really clever blend of two puzzle genres, and in concept, it works out remarkably well, with a lot of addictive potential. Sadly, the pacing of the game is a really big issue, and even when the difficulty is cranked up, the game never feels as frantic or speedy as it should have been. I feel like if this game style was played in say, a Super Turbo style of speed, I’d be singing a lot more praise for this competitive brick breaker and go back to it a lot, but as it stands now, Gematombe has a long way to go and is rather content lite.
Still, with how beautifully this game runs on Switch (hardly a hitch or dip to be seen during my 3.5 hours of play), I’m very pleased to have experienced this tribute, as Lunark is definitely one done with a lot of love and attention to the genre, even with all the genre-bound frustrations.
Not a bad port job, but horrible in value, so much so to the point I can only in earnest recommend this at a steep discount or if you are that desperate for a physical edition. The fact they couldn’t even throw in as much as a scanned flyer in-game speaks volumes.
Just, maybe play this game on anything that isn’t the Switch for the sake of not having a bad framerate or godawful scrolling, since after finally giving it an honest marathon session, I easily can see that being a dealbreaker for some like it was for me, and no matter how many times I tried to throw myself at this game in hopes the performance would be something I could get around, it just came back like a recurring nightmare.
Sure, it definitely feels steeply expensive compared to stuff like the great Gleylancer port, but with how stellar the core game is and the sheer amount of effort poured to include nearly everything imaginable, this just might be the new gold standard of a standalone retro port. Definitely a case where the price reflects the quality.
80’s Overdrive on 3DS is a pretty decent racer, with only the 3D effect really going for it as the huge reason to play it on the 3DS over any other console. But on other platforms, it got a little bit of extra polish and rebalacing, and honestly, if you can get past the rough patches and difficulty spikes, this 3DS version is still a worthy 3D showcase before the shutdown in a few days, and is still pretty darn fun to play once you get over those initial hurdles.
A great gameplay loop, a variety of fun characters to toy around with, awesome remixes, loving tributes to Jaleco as a whole, and all sorts of fun stages to replay and scorechase like the Hell content and the Ranking stage, The Great Yokai Battle + Hell is a definite must-own, and is easily the best entry in the entire Jajamaru franchise, both serving as a loving tribute to the five famicom games it pulls from, and being a fun way to modernize a very simple arcade-style game and add so, so much depth to it.
What you see is what you get, but as a fitting end to the Wii U eShop reviews, I feel Block Paradise is a good afternoon of puzzling action regardless of where you play it, and definitely worth spending that last bit of eShop cash.