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Arcade Classics is a really fun package with a ton of addictive score chasers with only one of them being not as fun to play (Haunted Castle) unless you’re a really dedicated player. The overabundance of shooters may seem a bit off at first, since Konami had other fun games that weren’t shooters, (Roc N Rope, Track N Field and Shaolin’s Road to name a few favorites) but all of these shooter picks are quality choices.
Awesome Pea is a generic mess. Clunky level design, repeated setpieces, inconsistent level lengths, this platformer honestly feels like something thrown out the door in a few months with little care. As a Game Boy throwback it fails, and as a quick platformer it fails, so considering how this game asks $6 for two hours of unsatisfying content, I just cannot recommend this game in the slightest, not with many other better options available on the eShop.
Revenge of the Bird King is an interesting spin-off of the Gunworld series with some ideas in mind, but it’s not really that fun. Tight controls and the sense of speed you can get with this game are one thing, but if the level design and the overall structure isn’t good to compliment it, then you aren’t likely to even get anywhere without a guide or dumb luck. It’s an annoying experience for sure, and unfortunately one I cannot really recommend compared to its predecessor.
Ping Pong Trick Shot Evolution felt more like a level pack than a sequel. While there’s still puzzle fun to be found in this game, I found everything to be too samey for my tastes, and while both Ping Pong titles are fun puzzlers to enjoy, I felt this one could have been made a lot better if the framerate improvements found in the multiplayer mode applied to the rest of the game, along with some more new level gimmicks to play with instead of sticking with the older ones.
Ninja Gaiden is a fun co-op adventure to play with a friend. While it’s not much of a score chaser and thus loses some replay value for that alone, anyone interested in the origins of the Ninja Gaiden franchise should be willing to check this out, and if you have a buddy around for local co-op then this is a fun way to kill an hour.
Remilore is a decent action game, brought down by a frustrating save system and some other odd design choices. While the weapon mechanics and upgrade systems are totally fine, the fact that the game only has one temporary save slot is just inexcusable, considering how this game can take a hour or two to clear and you can’t have a second player jump in without restarting the entire game.
Castlevania Anniversary Collection is a really fantastic loveletter to the Classicvania era of the series, including seven fantastic games (and one bad one) emulated well for a new generation.
For high score chasing, this is decently enjoyable, but if you were hoping for a variety of powerups or something besides a simplistic shooter, then you may want to look elsewhere. Still not bad for what was a former April Fools joke.
I feel that if there was a bit more content and if the waves were more consistent with the difficulty of their bosses, then this game could have been something truly amazing, but as it stands right now, it’s just a good little action game with little else to note.
Image Fight is a really enjoyable and well-made vertical shooter from the 80s. As an obscure Irem game that doesn’t get recognized nearly as often as R-TYPE, it’s nice to see a western release of the original Arcade version for the first time ever, although it’s super punishing and not nearly as easy to get into as a vertical game like Twinbee or Strikers 1945, which may turn off those with less patience to learn the trial and error.
Guilty Gear is an OK port of a rough start for a classic fighting franchise. The characters are unbalanced, the arcade mode is really unbalanced and gets borderline cheap in difficulty, and the lack of much to do besides getting every ending and unlocking characters leaves this game to be rather lacking for the $10 price tag.
Anyone who checked out the NES version either on Nintendo Switch Online or back in the day should really give this Arcade original a shot, since it’s surprisingly addictive. The speed focus is perfect for the caravan mode, making this game one of the most fitting for the score chasing mode in quite a while. It’s still a tricky game, but it’s much more fun than you may expect, and it’s great that Hamster brought this arcade gem to a new generation.
Guilty Gear ACPR is a really enjoyable fighter, despite being a bit older than some of the more entries in the franchise. It’s a strange choice having this one ported over a more recent one such as XRD, but ACPR still holds up extraordinarily well, with a bunch of single player content to unlock, great fighting mechanics, and a great game balance that make this worth revisiting whether you’re a newcomer or a big fan of the series.
Shakedown Hawaii was absolutely worth the long wait it took to get here. From superb score attack challenges, a good story mode and just a bunch of stuff to do and fun to be had, Shakedown Hawaii ended up feeling just a bit better than the original RCR thanks to a bit more focus.
Contra Anniversary Collection is easily one of the higher quality gaming compilations to come out as of late. With seven fantastic games and a few more regional differences, there’s a lot of fun to be had, whether it’s from score chasing, co-op fun, or trying to 1CC each game to save a replay for, every game in this collection has at least one version that’s super enjoyable.
In conclusion, Terra Force may seem like a shooter that does little new, but in all honesty it doesn’t really need to. Fun stages, a simple powerup system and serving as a great score chaser makes this Nichibutsu gem a worthy pickup for fans of shooters. Just be prepared to have a hard time beating this if that’s your main goal, since as per the norm recovery runs can be downright evil here.
Super Neptunia RPG is a fun if clunky take on the RPG genre, with some elements of parody that the series is known for. However, as fun as it is to explore the areas and take on sidequests, the game can still get dull, with a bland battle system, slow pacing and slightly confusing navigation. Something’s just not right when the battles of an RPG end up feeling like a chore compared to the exploration aspects, even with the speedup feature.
Toejam and Earl is a great example of a retro revival done right, taking a clunky roguelike and polishing it up, making it absolutely gorgeous while also continuing to provide an incredible co-op experience.
Xenon Valkyrie was a game that got swept in my backlog that I didn’t think much of at first, but upon playing through several runs and getting further and further each time, I find myself totally engrossed in this game. As an action platformer, the controls are excellent and the combat is satisfying, and the random elements here work great, shaking things up every time in a good way without making the game frustrating or too dependent on luck.
Rolling Gunner is a fairly standard shooter, taking some elements and working on making them polished enough so that players of any skill levels could get used to shooting games, while experts can challenge themselves on the higher difficulties or by limiting themselves to getting as far as possible on one credit. It may not do anything new, but it serves as a fun, solid shooter for score chasing fans who enjoy these old-school games.