X-Men: The Arcade Game

Developer: Konami/Backbone Entertainment
Publisher:  Konami

It's hard to believe that it took Konami 20 years to port this arcade classic to a console, of course now the question is: Has it stood the test of time?

Well, my answer to that would be: It did... for now.

Choosing as one of Six X-men you're sent to stop Magneto in his attempt to take over the world with the use of the robotic Sentinels and your mission will take you to several locations from a generic looking city to the Savage Land and even Asteroid M.

The gameplay is... actually pretty sub-standard when playing alone, you can punch, jump and attack your enemies when they're on the ground which is a very limiting set of moves, I also found that there's really very little difference between each character outside of their special move, made even by worse by the fact that in the default mode there aren't even any item pick-ups to restore it, heck there aren't even any health pick-ups, now that's just cheap, thankfully you can switch from the US version of the game to the Japanese one, which fixes this issue, I also have to give props to the game's enemy variety, they definitely help keep the game fun, especially the boss fights, who are a bit on the cheap side, but they feel very close to what I always imagined when reading the comics.

The games' greatest strength is in its multiplayer and I think Konami knew this, which would explain why it was never ported to 16 bit consoles, having the number of players downgraded from six to merely two would severely dampen the fun in this game, though, to be fair, I found that the gameplay does get a bit too chaotic when there are a lot of players on screen, you'll often get lost in the confusion and there's no real teamwork here, it's really just a case of six people fighting for a common goal in their own way, despite that, it makes the game a little too easy which doesn't really help when compared to how short it is.

Graphically the game looks pretty good, everyone is pretty detailed, colorful and very similar to their 80's comic book counterparts, the soundtrack is also pretty catchy, but the best part is the hilariously cheesy voice acting coupled with the 'Engrish' writing, who could forget Magneto's 'Welcome to die!' line? Well, apparently the developers did, because Emma Frost says the exact same thing on the very next level!

Considering this game was launched in the wake of Final Fight and Streets of Rage I can see why Konami never ported it in its day, without the awesome multiplayer X-men just isn't quite as good, regardless, as long as you can find people to play with online you might want to check this one out, if the servers are abandoned... yeah it's probably not worth it.

Trivia: Did you know that the 'story' in the game directly contradicts the comic books? Magneto was never in control of the Sentinels, in fact, he was usually the Sentinels' prime target.

Pros:

- Playing with five other people is very fun... if a bit too chaotic
- Great 2D graphics for the time and a pretty catchy soundtrack
- The Japanese Rom fixes some of the issues I found in the US version
- Hilariously bad voice acting coupled with poor 'Engrish' writing
- The game has not one, but TWO different actors saying  'Welcome to die!'

 
Cons:

- Singleplayer gets pretty old

- You can easily finish the game in under 30 minutes (there's even an achievement for that)
- When the servers become empty you might as well forget this game ever existed 

Final Grade: C+

Packaging Review: This game is only available through to downloadable services such as PSN and XBLA

3D Dot Game Heroes

Developer: Silicon Studio

Publisher:  Atlus

People often call this game a poor Zelda rip-off, but that's not true, it's actually a charming, funny and really great Zelda rip-off, the game knows this and has fun with it.

The game starts you off with an intro that is both a mix of Zelda and Final Fantasy, introducing you to a default character that is eerily similar to that of Dragon Quests'... well that's not entirely true, you CAN create your own main character, I actually played most of this game as an arcade cabinet.

The gameplay is an exact replica of the Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, in fact, it resembles it to a fault, you'll find the same sort of puzzle solving logic and even the same items like bombs, the boomerang, hookshot and everything else you've grown used to... and that's the problem, there aren't any new or original power-ups, there aren't even any gimmicks such as time travel or anything that would separate it's gameplay from the pack, that's not to say it isn't fun, it's just that it could've used a little extra spice.

However, what you do get is a hilarious self-aware adventure, with tons of side-quests and fun minigames like the Arkanoid rip-off and my personal favorite: A Tower defense game, you'll even get references to some of From Software's games like Demon's Souls or Armored Core.

Graphically the game reminds me of Minecraft, though it adds some beautiful lighting and water effects, so despite it's rough exterior, it can still be a beautiful game if you look close enough, as for the soundtrack, it's very similar to that of 8 and 16 bit consoles making good use of catchy and repetitive tunes and these range from synthesized songs to fully orchestral.

3D Dot game heroes is not a game for everyone, but if you miss the old school 2D Legend of Zelda games you should definitely check this one out.

Trivia: Did you know the game's many loading screens are actually the cover art to other older games? You'll find everything from Final Fantasy, Ultima and Wizardry to Street Fighter, Castlevania and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Pros:

- Gameplay is a well made throwback to 2D Legend of Zelda games
- Writing is witty, hilarious and self-referential
- The Soundtrack is catchy and will leave you humming for days
- Lots of secrets, sidequests and fun minigames to explore
- You can play as an arcade cabinet named 'Galaga'

 
Cons:

- Gameplay could have used some sort of gimmick to set itself apart from the competition

- While Graphically unique, the style is certainly not for everyone.

Final Grade: B+

I am honestly not a fan of the cover, if you were to look at it and had no prior information on the game, you'd think it was a poorly made budget title trying to cash in on the Lego videogame franchise, luckily, the back of the box does a better job at conveying what the game actually is, telling you to 'return to the golden age of gaming' and placing random items reminiscent of the Legend of Zelda.

Inside, you'll find a disc featuring a better cover art (why wasn't this used for the box art?) and a small but really well made manual, it doesn't present you with any backstory, but it goes into great detail on how to play the game it's very really well adorned with a bright and colorful palette as well as several in game characters, items and references to classic console gaming.

Packaging Grade: B

Flicky

Developer: Sega
Publisher:  Sega
Played on: Sega Mega Drive Ultimate Collection

Flicky is a bit of a fish out of water, originally launched for arcades in 1984 you'd expect it to be an ported as an early famicom/Nes game or an early master system game, but that's not the case, instead, Sega waited 7 years and decided this was the sort of game they needed for their 16 bit console.

And what you get is an ugly looking and ear grating game with pretty simplistic gameplay, so you can tell that at first glance I was not impressed with Flicky, however, after giving it a few shots I can't deny that the gameplay won me over... somewhat.

You play as Flicky, a blue bird trying to save small chicks from cats, tigers and iguanas by picking them up and leading them to a door, your only means of defense are chairs tables and other throwable items that are spread through each level and... that's it really, it's not a very deep game, after all, it was launched in that odd 'post-atari but still not quite Nintendo' era.

Flickies has the addicting but simplistic gameplay of an Atari game, the graphic output of an early famicom game and a very grating soundtrack, it serves as a reminder of just how much the industry can change in 7 years, if you want to play some old school Atari-like, action this might be up your alley... in short bursts at least, but otherwise, it's just best if you avoid this one.

Trivia: Did you know that Flicky birds made tons of appearances and cameos in other Sega games? You can find them in Sonic 3 & Knuckles, Sonic 3D Blast, Teddy Boy, Sonic Adventure and many more.

Trivia 2: Did you also know that the game's designer Yoji Ishi was part of the Sonic team until mid-1999 when he left Sega to create Artoon? Some of Artoon's most notable games include Blue Dragon and Yoshi's Island DS

Pros:

- Atari-like gameplay is fun in short bursts

 
Cons:

- Looks like an early NES game, plays like an Atari game

- Music gets on your nerves really fast

Final Grade: D+

Packaging review:   Alas, I only own this game as part of a collection