Mega Drive Review - Fantasia (Game 185)

At a time when 16 bit Disney games were widely regarded as universally good, ‘Fantasia’ has a reputation as being “one of the worst platformers ever made”. But, what many do not know is that ‘Fantasia’ on the Mega Drive actually helped Sega cement a relationship with one of their most important publishing partners during the 16-bit era.

Developed by lnfogrames

Published by Sega

Released in 1991

For a fan of animation, the 1940 Disney movie ‘Fantasia’ is an avant-garde experimental masterpiece. A celebration of the animation art-form in its infancy, and an early example of how the Walt Disney Company is pioneering and adventurous. Disney himself said, “In a profession that has been an unending voyage of discovery in the realms of colour, sound and motion, ‘Fantasia’ represents our most exciting adventure.” In the studio’s early days, cartoons had always been short comedies that depended on visual gags.  Prior to the feature length ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarf’ the ‘Silly Symphonies’ were the studio’s main output and these were cartoons accompanied by music rather than voiced. Following the success of the feature length films throughout the 1930’s, Walt Disney toyed with the idea of creating a Silly Symphony based on Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s ‘The Sorcerer’s Apprentice’ poem. The goal was to create a short that incorporated all the techniques learnt from animating features, with a focus on the flow of water and the radiance of magic. Disney lavished his studio’s resources on the project, until the costs tripled the normal budget for a short. To turn a profit, ‘The Sorcerer’s Apprentice’ needed to be part of a full-length feature film and as the story couldn’t stretch to 70 minutes. Instead, to reach this feature length, Disney’s created eight animated shorts that would all be set to classical musical pieces. Each section was encouraged to be distinct and imaginative, resulting in a celebration of the animation art-form in all its guises.  ‘Fantasia’ was born.

The highly-anticipated premiere took place on 13^th November 1940, in New York City. While the film was praised by the New York Times’ movie critic as “simply terrific—as terrific as anything that has ever happened on a screen”, the film’s profits didn’t compare to the production budget of $2.3 million. Convinced the failure was a result of vanishing European markets caused by the start of World War II, the Walt Disney Company would re-release the film every decade. Each time they did the returns grew, and the critical response got more and more positive.

On October 5^th 1990, ‘Fantasia’ returned to 550 American theatres in celebration of the film’s 50th anniversary. The film had enjoyed a two-year clean-up process, where each of its 535,680 frames were restored at YCM Laboratories. A year later it was this version of the classic that saw its first official release on home video, and the enthusiasm for the release caught the attention of Sega.

Mega Drive Review - Sonic The Hedgehog 2 (Game 184)

Sonic the Hedgehog is a character that most will think of when they imagine the Mega Drive. But is the second game in the series really as good as the designers of 'Sonic Mania' claim?

Developed by Sega Technical Institute

Published by Sega

Released in 1992

There was a time during the PlayStation revolution when videogames briefly became cool again. Sony’s big push to prove that the console was culturally relevant and in touch with the clubbing culture made it a hit with people who thought they had outgrown childish games. It was a glorious time, but it didn’t last. Throughout my thirties people once again started to look at me with disgust when I mention that I like to play games. Now, hurtling towards my forties people roll their eyes when they see me playing games on the train. There are two people who now suddenly think my extensive video game knowledge is very cool; my daughters. When ‘Pokémon Go’s popularity reached the playground they asked me if I knew who Pikachu was. They were very impressed I did and we subsequently enjoyed playing ‘Let’s Go Pikachu’ together. But while knowledge of Pokémon vulnerability enthralled, it was my appreciation for a certain blue hedgehog that really gave me street cred. After watching the recent ‘Sonic the Hedgehog’ my daughters fell for his attitude and flamboyance. But it was the quick cameo of a sidekick buddy at the end of the film that really sparked their imagination. While it seems girls under the age of 10 now suddenly love Sonic, it’s Miles “Tails” Prower that they truly adore.  So when my girls asked if they could play a 'Sonic' game I of course wanted to indulge. Obviously it wasn’t going to be a 3D game I pointed them towards; Sonic’s fall from grace when entering the third dimension has been well documented. The 2D side scrolling ‘Sonic Mania’ is a return to form, so while that would have been a good choice, it was the game than many consider to be the best 2D Sonic game that I went for. ‘Sonic the Hedgehog 2’ does after all have a (admittedly very limited) two player mode; perfect for two enthusiastic little girls try the series for the first time.

Hardware Review : Orb Gaming Retro Gaming Mat

Retro Gaming has become mass market, and gimmick gadget stores are eager to cash in. But how do you sell and package a collection of questionable retro inspired shovelware games ? Obviously with an over sized dance mat style controller.

Developed by Orb Gaming

Released in 2019

There was a time when there was a games arcade in every British town. Cabinet machines offered the latest eye popping graphics; visuals impossible on home consoles. Louder and louder music competed for the attention of punters and gimmicks like ride-on motorbikes and life sized guns were designed to enhance the experience. As the decades passed and home consoles became more powerful, gaming arcades slowly vanished. Arcade cabs instead only appeared in bowling alleys and motorway service stations - a lingering echo of what used to be. These last remaining arcade bastions had to offer something that couldn’t be experienced on a console at home for free. Arcade owners were forced to favour Immersive experiences with giant screens, and at the turn of the millennium the Dancing Games became a big draw.

Mega Drive Review - Bonanza Bros (Game 183)

 At a time of predictable 2D platformers, 'Bonanza Bros' tried something new. But when stealth games are far more common should sneak back to this one?

Developed by Sega

Published by Sega

Released in 1991

“Not in game footage” is wording many will be familiar with as the line that Distinguishes in game footage and non-playable cut scenes evaporators more with each console generation.  There was a time where games publishers didn’t have to worry that advertising could be considered misleading: potential customers would never realistically believe that the lifelike cinematic footage would really be replicated in the game. In the eighties and nineties box art could get away with showing anything to attract a potential customer.

‘Bonanza Bros’ is a game that I remember having a distinctly eye-catching box, with the rendered 3d characters of Robo and Mobo. Of course in the days pre-‘donkey Kong country’, I didn’t really believe that an actual game could look like this. Even arcade titles or games on the neo-geo weren’t offering real time 3D graphics. But I do remember looking on the back of the box and thinking the screenshots didn’t look that far removed from the experience suggested on the front. With its stylised  cartoon robots Living in a  bizarre robotic world, ‘Bonanza Bros’ looked distinct, which is fitting for this quirky game that really stands apart from other 16bit titles.

‘Bonanza Bros’ is a side-scrolling stealth game that tests your timing and dexterity across ten stages. It’s not a complicated game as your goal is simply grab all the items you can in the time limit and try not to get shot, arrested or squashed. ‘Bonanza bro’s’ title and permanent split screen highlights the fact that this is a game designed for two to play together, but you can enjoy the game alone. That being said, the game doesn’t scale for a solo player so it’s essentially twice as hard when you have no friends. 

SNES Review - Star Fox 2 (Game 182)

For years this space based tactical shooter had been a lost curio after its dramatic cancellation. But in the PlayStation era, was out dated graphics the real reason ‘Star Fox 2’ was shelved?

Developed by Nintendo / Argonaut Software

Published by Nintendo

Released in 2017

When you write about old games, there’s always the struggle between nostalgia and objectivity. Should a game be reviewed within the context of the time of its release, or compared to other things you could be playing today? Something that was once pioneering will now look trait and dated, but does that lessen its worth or historical significance? The true classics don’t age and can’t be eclipsed. However, for the most part, advancing technology (and a greater understanding of what makes good games great) leads to many to modern titles simply being better than the mediocre games of yesteryear. A game that was comparatively good decades ago, may not be good today because there’s so much more to compare it against.

However how do we view old games that are only now available (legally) for the first time? Should we play them comparing them to titles that would have come out at the point of cancellation? Alternatively do we criticise them for not measuring up to either expectations or currently available alternatives?

‘Star Fox 2’ is really a fan favourite game that’s been robbed of “fan favourite” status. It’s an ambitious game cancelled before it got a chance to gain a following. However, it’s also a game that sadly doesn’t measure up to the expectations heaped upon it.

Switch Review - Bubble Bobble 4 Friends

For those born in the eighties, ‘Bubble Bobble’ will be a joyous memory of cooperative bubble blowing fun. For those born in the last twenty years the same name will be synonymous with mediocrity. So does Taito’s return to game development symbolise a return to form for this once cherished franchise?

Developed by Taito

Released in 2019

The announcement of ‘Bubble Bobble 4 Friends’ stirred a huge mixture of emotions in me. I was nostalgic because the original ‘Bubble Bobble’ is a game that I have much affection for. As any child of the 80s will remember, growing up you didn’t have hundreds of games like the spoilt youth of today: You owned half a dozen, because you’d only get one for Christmas and one for your birthday each year.

As a result you played the games you had till you knew them intimately, and ‘Bubble Bobble’ was one of the few games I owned on the NES.  News of a new iteration also delighted me, because it was said to be multiplayer focused. It was to be a game “for friends” - the clue is even in the name! One of my daughters is six, the same age as I was when I played the game repeatedly as a child. However alongside my obvious excitement and anticipation was confusion. Were Taito really claiming this was only the fourth ‘Bubble Bobble’ game?

The original 1986 arcade title had a simple objective. Trap enemies within your floating bubbles, and then burst them before they’ve a chance to escape. Kill all the enemies on the screen and it’s on to the next. While the premise was simple the series’ release chronology is far from clear.

To some ‘Rainbow Islands’ is the sequel, other’s understandably consider  ‘Bubble Bobble Part II’ or ‘Bubble Bobble 2’ to be the rightful heir. Like the official ‘Legend of Zelda’ time line things get even more confusing when you try to work out what the third game is. ‘Parasol Stars’ is the sequel to ‘Rainbow Islands’ so does that not mean it the sequel to the sequel to ‘Bubble Bobble’? What about ‘Bubble Symphony’ or ‘Bubble Memories’, are they considered third entries, spin offs or something different entirely?

By my count there’s 17 different ‘Bubble Bobble’ games (which rises to 54 if you include spinoffs likes ‘Puzzle Bobble’) so the ‘4’ moniker here seems somewhat arbitrary. The developers may claim it’s a game that takes what was great in the past and modernises it, but even this has been tried before. ‘Bubble Bobble Plus+’, ‘Bubble Bobble Neo’, ‘Bubble Bobble Double’ were enjoyable but while made with an eye on the original they were bogged down with unnecessary gimmicks. But for each successful attempt to keep ‘Bubble Bobble’ relevant, there have been catastrophic failures that have sullied the once celebrated brand. ‘Bubble Bobble Evolution’ was plagued with slowdown, and excessively complicated puzzles. The GBA’s ‘Bubble Bobble: Old and New’ tried to give the original a (then) modern coat of paint.  But the end result was comparable to a botched face lift and reviewers advised people to only play the included original. But the real series low point was ‘Bubble Bobble Revolution’. Not only did the game have terrible box art but this infamous DS title was literally impossible to finish. The thirtieth level was supposed to be a boss fight but the boss in the stage never spawns. Without having someone to defeat the level can’t be completed meaning the remaining two thirds of the game can never be seen.

The recent ‘Bubble Bobble’ games have been a collage of mediocre and terrible and perhaps because of this, the success of this “fourth” game is such a surprise. Born in 1980, director Tsuyoshi Tozak may not have even been able to reach the controls of the ‘Bubble Bobble’ cabinet when it was first appeared in arcades. However, that hasn’t stopped him helming what may well be the best game to carry the ‘Bubble Bobble’ name in twenty years. For Tsuyoshi Tozak, success has come from knowing what Worked first time around. “The team first played the original version thoroughly and rehearsed it. “Keeping up with the tradition, the original game is included Of course but for once playing it isn’t preferable to playing the modern update.

Switch Review - Yaga

This ‘Rogue’ like RPG may include a randomly generated world and intense combat, but the malleable story is the real draw.   

Developed by Breadcrumb Games

Released in 2019

“How was your day?” a loved one may ask. You’ll tell them about it, they’ll smile. You get interrupted by a phone call, it’s your parent.

 “What have you been up to?” They may ask. You’ll tell them about your day. But, knowing they worry about you walking home late at night, you’ll gloss over that and instead focusing on the guy you saw on the train that looked a bit like Patrick Stewart.

 The next day you’ll get lunch with a friend. “Did you do much yesterday?” They’ll wonder. You recount the story of your day for a third time. However, on this occasion the Patrick Stewart lookalike isn’t mentioned and instead you rant about how your phone battery ran out and you couldn’t book an Uber.

The way we share stories differs with each telling. It always starts in the same place and the general narrative is constant, but the details change with each iteration. No two re-tellings are identical and this fact is the foundations on which ‘Yaga’ has been built. “This game carries the spirit of oral storytelling - the story arc is the same, but the details change every time you experience the story” the developer Breadcrumbs Interactive, claims. 

While ‘Yaga’ is a short game at just 5 hours, it’s designed for repeated play. Although it always begins the same, the way you approach the game and the choices you make Change the outcome. It’s intended to be like an overhead action RPG that’s fused with a choose-your-own adventure book. As the developer notes “you can't see everything in one play through because of the random encounters within the procedurally generated maps.” the world is different every time, as are the specifics of your objectives. Rather like “new game +” in a favourite RPG, the placement of items and NPCs are randomised, so you’ll never really know the nature of the world you’re about to venture into. “[With] different mission outcomes, game endings, conversation paths, and secrets, ‘Yaga’ is really really different each time you play if you let it” Breadcrumbs Interactive boasts.

Switch Review - Thief of Thieves

'The Walking Dead' series by Telltale games is widely considered to be the best adaptation of  Robert Kirkman's comics. But in the hands of a different developer can justice be down to a dfiferent series created by this comic book celebrity?

Developed by Rival Games 

Published by Skybound

Released in 2019

In a world without LucasArts and Sierra, Telltale Games emerged as the new standard bearer for Point-and-click games. Of course, smaller publishers like WadgetEye games had been creating adventure games for home computers throughout the “point-and-click dark times” but here was a chance for the genre to become mainstreams again. Telltale Games’ founders Kevin Bruner, Dan Connors, and Troy Molander were all former LucasArts employees, and with well-known series like ‘Sam and Max’ and ‘Back to the Future’ in their portfolio, expectations were high. However, despite the undeniable quality of Telltale’s early output, the games only enjoyed moderate success. The inventory based puzzles and drawn out conversation trees felt archaic to some, and modern players even said they found the slow paced games boring. “After Telltale struggled to find the success it hoped for with ‘Jurassic Park’ and ‘Back to the Future’ it began focusing on comics due to the natural crossover with its audience“ notes James Batchelor on GamesIndustry.biz. But it wasn’t just the types of licensed Intellectual Property that changed. The location and item based puzzles went, infamously replaced with a focus on quick-time events (QTE’s) and morality focused choices. It was a combination that propelled Telltale to stardom and with its numerous awards and unanimous critical praise ‘Telltale’s The Walking Dead’ became the metre stick against which all narrative focused games would be judged.

Dan Murray a CEO at Skybound - the comics original publisher - was certainly impressed.  “I would still look at season one of the Telltale game as a huge success story. That season of ‘The Walking Dead made Telltale into something no one expected them to become in that space”. 4 months after release, the game had sold more than 8.5 million episodes; taking more than $40 million in sales. To date, ‘The Walking Dead: A Telltale Games Series’ has sold more than 50 million episodes worldwide, earning more than 100 Game of the Year awards from outlets including Metacritic, USA Today, Wired, Yahoo!, The Telegraph, Mashable, Polygon, Destructoid, and GamesRadar. It was also the recipient of two BAFTA Video Games Awards for Best Story and Best Mobile Game. “‘The Walking Dead’ has become a global phenomenon thanks to the AMC [TV] series, but IP holder Skybound says the Telltale video games have had a more profound impact” observed Batchelor. “What started as a comic book became a television show, and then really it was the video game for us at Skybound, (the Telltale Walking Dead game), that fuelled this company," adds Murray.

As ‘The Walking Dead’ brand became better known, so too did Robert Kirkman, its original creator.  Amongst comic book fans he became a gold stars are and just the mention of Kirkman’s attachment was enough to generate a buzz for a new product. It’s for this reason that ‘Thief of Thieves’ comic series garnered such a cult following so quickly, however the  episodic game based on another of Kidman’s comic books arrived with little fanfare. This was largely down to the timing of its original PC release. After soaring so close to the sun so quickly “, Telltale games collapsed. Their shocking and sudden downfall has been attributed to all sorts of things: a dependency on expensive licensed IP rather than creating their own brands. An apparently toxic working environment, where staff was forced to work in a perpetual “crunch” to create a game episode a month. The demise of Telltale was so rapid that the company even abandoned creation of the fourth series of their most successful franchise. It came as a shock to even the comic’s publisher and Murray said the team at Skybound were "surprised like a lot of other folks". To save the reputation of their IP, Skybound had to finish series 4 of ‘‘The Walking Dead: A Telltale Games Series’ themselves creating an internal game development studio to get the job done. “It really wasn't a question whether we would do it or not, it was more, 'how the fuck are we going to do it?'" says Murray. “We all know games development is a risky business, sometimes all it takes is one bad game to kill a company”.

According to Batchelor at GameIndustry.biz,” the fate of Telltale has not deterred Skybound from working with other developers on its IP in the future. While the motivation behind forming Skybound Games was to [complete ‘The Walking Dead’] the publisher is still open to collaborations and is constantly evaluating new opportunities. For example, the company is working with Finnish developer Rival Games on an adaptation of another Kirkman comic, ‘Thief of Thieves’”.

Switch Review - 911 Operator

Incredible people deal with high pressure jobs each day. But is it actually fun to answer emergency calls?

Developed by Jutsu Games

Released in 2018

Video games have always presented the opportunity to live a different life.  Typically enjoyment comes from stepping into shoes very different to our own; we become an army marine fighting for freedom or a busty adventurous aristocrat discovering ancient relics. But sometimes, it’s interesting to experience a life that could have been ours if we’d made different life choices. It’s a gamified exaggerated portrayal of a reality of course, but it’s an approximation that allows us to at least imagine what could be. The appropriately named ’911 Operator’ is a perfect example of this. As the name suggests the game puts you in control of a city's emergency services, answering calls as they come in and dispatching teams according to the need.  It’s a real-time strategy game, mixed with a resource management-sim. Gameplay revolves around juggling the police, medics and fire brigade. You’ll be prioritising and assessing the needs of cases and responding in the most efficient manner.

Surprisingly given its American focus, ‘911 Operator‘was made by Jutsu games, a small company of 5 people based in Warsaw, Poland. “We are making our way into professional game development now. We really enjoy innovative gameplays and... maps“they say.  Its modest origins aren’t obvious though, as a clean, stylish and functional interface has been favoured over flashy graphics and potentially distracting flourishes.

In the main body of the game, the action is entirely viewed from an overhead map, depicting a real world city. On-screen Icons represent where all the different emergency crews are located and as emergencies arise they are also shown as an icon. Each emergency is given a combination of colours that correspond with the response required. Accordingly, The core gameplay in ‘911 Operator’ could be described as a colour matching exercise. You simply select a response team and direct them to the event that matches their colour. Apparently many of the emergencies featured in the game are based on genuine 911 calls. “We also consult[ed] with professional policemen and medics, so do not worry about the reality of the game” boasts the developer.

Switch Review - Detective Gallo

With its comic-noir story, surreal abstract humour and blatant onscreen pointer, the inspiration behind ‘Detective Gallo’ is hardly subtle.  But during a point and click renaissance do adventure game fans need yet another LucasArts and Sierra tribute?

Developed by Footprint Games

Released in 2018

A chicken in a detective outfit has just used a pot of maggot infested yellow paint on a ceramic chest in an attempt to woo woodworms. Despite it being large enough to climb inside, the Poultry Poirot still manages to place this chest in his pocket and continues on his way. In most other game genres, such absurdity would encourage the raising of an eyebrow, but for adventure game fans this is not unusual. It’s certainly something Italian brothers Francesco and Maurizio De Angelis are used to.

“We are true fans of graphic adventures” says Maurizio. “We’ve played a lot of adventures (and we’re still doing it) for a very long time.” Given Maurizio’s favourite game growing up was ‘Day of the Tentacle ‘

And Francesco’s was ‘The Secret of Monkey Island’ it’s no surprise that when they came to create a game as Developer FootPrint, pointing and clicking would be involved.

Switch Review - Headliner NoviNews

A “choose your own adventure style” game that attempts to expose the manipulative nature of the media. Never has a review needed to be more unbiased. Newspapers, please!

Developed by Unbound Creations

Released in 2019

“We all lie. But some of us are better at it than others” proposes British author Henry Hemming. “There are people who are so good at lying that they are paid to change the minds of millions, using techniques few of us will ever understand.” It is often said that we live in an age of “fake news”, and while it’s a phrase that has existed since the thirties it’s never felt more relevant.  There’s been an explosion in the use of the phrase since Donald Trump depended on it during his presidential campaign and election. While Trump uses “fake news” to debunk his negative press, his team also used the concept to glorify his inauguration. Infamously “alternative facts” suggested crowds to see his debut as president were bigger than they actually were. Immediate global distribution via the internet makes everyone a news correspondent and they’re allowed to report “the truth” without citing any credible source.  It’s become practically impossible to know who to believe. The concept of fake news has an unsettling and dystopian undertone, and it prompts us to question the headlines and doubt the broadcast news. It’s not just conspiracy theorists who now believe unseen forces are trying to manipulate our minds and shift our beliefs toward their own agenda.

This is the climate in which ‘Headliner: NoviNews‘  is set. 

Switch Review - The Ninja Saviors

At a time when scrolling beat em ups are often called monotonous button mashers, this remake of a remake may come as a breath of fresh air.

Developed by Natsume Atari/Tengo Project

Out in Europe/UK Now

USA/South America 15th October 

Increasingly the movie industry seems to be a try-again culture. If studios mess something up they don’t seem to worry too much, they know they can give it another go. How many times does poor Mr and Mrs Wayne need to die before we accept that Bruce is justified in becoming a street vigilante who dresses up like a Bat; enacting punishment without appropriate judicial procedure?  ‘A Christmas Carol‘ has been adapted into a film seven different times. Comic book fans have even seen Bruce Banner turn into the Incredible Hulk four different ways over the last 15 years, and I’ve seen so many ‘Dracula’ films that I’ve lost all perspective.

While the silver screen is in its second century, people have only been waggling joysticks for 40 years. But despite a 60 year delay, the video games industry is probably more accustomed to churning out the same product with a new lick of paint. Nearly 30 years ago Nintendo released ‘Super Mario All Stars’, a compilation of NES ‘Mario’ games identical except for a visual overhaul. They have since repackaged and remade these same games with every new console generation. ‘Mario’ isn’t the only franchise to be milked in this way. ‘Metroid: Zero Mission’ was a remake of ‘Metroid’, ‘Lylat Wars’ was essentially just an expanded ‘Star Fox’. In fact some even argue that the ‘Zelda’ games are really just remakes of the original over and over again. But it’s not just Nintendo. Capcom are infamous for continually remaking their most popular games: be it ‘Resident Evil’, ‘Street Fighter’ or even their 16bit Mickey Mouse games. Likewise, EA have frequently been criticised for making minor tweaks to a game and packaging it as a new title. Even huge AAA series like ‘Tomb Raider’, ‘Mortal Kombat’ and ‘Doom’ have enjoyed rejuvenated success following a complete franchise reboot.

While it’s easy to sneer and see re-makes, re-boots and re-imaginings as cynical, minimal-effort cash grabs, there are lots of reasons why they are actually a very good thing. We tend to remember games as we wish they were, rather than how they actually are. So disappointment often sets in when we return to a favourite title and the rose tinted glasses come off. A good modern remake will remind a player of the original but will address issues that blighted the experience of yesteryear. It should be familiar yet improved; all the best bits of our memories with the flaws glossed over. A remake of an older game also means new younger audiences will be attracted to something that would otherwise have passed them by. While the game could have existed for potentially decades before, a refreshed modern interpretation of an ageing series shines a light on something forgotten.  ‘Ninja Saviors’ ticks both of these boxes.

Inspired by a Super Nintendo game (which was itself a remake of an arcade game) it’s possibly the perfect modern remake of a remake. True to the source material, yet updated and subtly modernised. Fans of ‘The Ninja Warriors’ series will adore it, but more crucially new players oblivious to earlier games will likely love it too.

Mega Drive Review - Golden Axe II (Game 181)

‘Golden Axe II’ is not a generic leap, it’s more of a slight awkward shuffle in a forward direction where progress is almost imperceptible. But, is that enough for fans of the iconic first game?

Developed by Sega

Published by Sega

Released in 1991

Over the years the distinctions between genres has become so blurry. Obviously we can lump certain games together: Puzzle games involve thinking and sports games obviously replicate their real world counter parts. But genres that used to be very clearly defined have become indistinguishable. Is ‘Final Fantasy XV’ really a JRPG or is it an action game? Are adventure games like ‘Red Dead Redemption 2’ or MMORPGs closer to traditional Role Playing games with their character customisation? Admittedly 20 years ago many games straddled different genres taking inspiration from a variety of places in an attempt to create a new player experience. But, there were also genres that never deviated too far from a tried and tested formula and before you even pressed start. If someone tells you “this is a 16bit shooter” you know the game you’re about to play will involve you shooting waves of enemies as the screen perpetually scrolls. If a SNES or Mega Drive game is described as a “Side scrolling brawler” you’ll also fairly accurately be able to predict how it will play.

Alongside ‘Double Dragon’ and ‘Final Fight’ 'Golden Axe’ was one of the pioneers of the genre. From playing these games we that we will typically be moving a character from the left of the screen to the right, bartering anything that’s stands in our way. Most games tried to offer a variation or a unique quirk, but the core game play remained the same.

‘Golden Axe II’ is so similar to its prequel that it’s almost impossible to tell the apart. By introducing ride able animals and a throwing mechanic the first game may have felt like it was treading new ground. The sequel however adds nothing additional, and in an increasingly crowded genre that wasn’t well received by critics at the time. “Those looking for a significant departure from Golden Axe should pass on this sequel. It is the same hack-and-slash action with a slight change of scenery” All Game Guide said. SEGA Pro magazine was even more damning “If ever there was a poor sequel produced to cash in on the original, this is it”.

Switch Review - Exception

This action platformer should be celebrated for its tight responsive controls and clever stage evolution gimmick. But to fans of a certain 1982 Sci-Fi film, it’s hard to ignore certain visual similarities.

Developed by Traxmaster Software

Released in 2019

‘Super Mario 64’ is arguably the most influential games of the 3D era; it set the benchmark for 3D platforming mechanics that echo even in current games. But According to ‘Star Fox’ creator Jez San,  Mario's success in the third dimension is down to an unassuming little game called ‘Croc: Legend of the Gobbos’.  Talking to Eurogamer, San claimed that ‘Croc’ was originally pitched by Argonaut to Nintendo during their exclusivity arrangement. "We mocked up a prototype using Yoshi” he says. "It was essentially the world's first 3D platform game and was obviously a big risk”. But Nintendo were still reluctant to allow outside companies use their characters so “the deal fell apart." San even claims that Shigeru Miyamoto even confesses that the game influenced ‘Mario 64’. “Miyamoto-san came up to me at a show afterwards and apologised for not doing the ‘Yoshi’ game with us and thanked us for the idea to do a 3D platform game”. While it’s largely been forgotten today, Argonaut’s ‘Croc’ was release for the PlayStation, Saturn, and PC and enjoyed moderate success. Had it carried the ‘Yoshi’ name it would probably have been still celebrated today.

A recognisable license offers many benefits to developers. An established audience will be immediately attracted to the new title. The characters and worlds of the source material can be transposed easily into the game, and even established music and visual aesthetics can be used as easy starting points for a new addition to an established series. But as we have seen with ‘Croc’ and also games like ‘Journey to Silius’ and ‘Shatterhand’, sometime developers have to adapt their game to work without their desired license attached.

Developer Will Traxler is clearly a fan of the 1982 Disney Film ‘Tron’. “I’ve always been a fan of the aesthetic from the ‘Tron’ movies. I grew up in the 80s and am fascinated by the comparatively low-tech effects used in much of the media from that period.” His game ‘Exception’ is the most ‘Tron’ like game to not carry the ‘Tron’ license. It so explicitly ‘Tron’ inspired that it feels like it was pitched to Disney as a ‘Tron’ game, only for it to be rejected by the house of mouse. You need only watch the games introduction sequence to see that ‘Exception’ is a ‘Tron’ game in all but name.

Switch Review - Pandemic

One of the most critically adored and commercially successful board games of the last 10 years becomes digital on Switch. But, without its cards and counters does the magic get lost?

Devloped by Asmodee Digital

Released in 2019

It’s Friday night in Playopolis, Rochester. The bar is crowded, the air is filled with laughter and the tables are filled with cocktails and board games. Huddled around the tables are former video game geeks, who once would be playing digital games at home but now are enjoying the company of like-minded people. I know this because I’m one of them.  The video game industry is booming; more are playing games than ever before but despite this there has been a board-game renaissance. Perhaps due to the decline of coach co-op games, many have exchanged their controllers for dice in order to play games socially. “For a time, video-gaming offered a level of physical social interaction, at the arcade or through multi-player sofa games that friends or family members could play at the same time, in the same room” notes the Guardian’s Dan Jolin. “Then multi-player video games moved online, and fellow players became physically removed from one another, if not completely anonymous.”

My group are lost in a melee of rhymes playing ‘Obama Lama’. Next to us a couple in their thirties are building railways around India, and at the back of the room two teenage girls are playing ‘Dream Phone’ laughing at the oversized phone that they believe surely must be a ridiculous exaggeration of what people used in the 80’s. Inspired by the popularity in America, Playopolis is one of many Board Game cafes popping up around the UK. Market research group NPD, have noted a 20% rise in Board Game sales since 2016. Many, like me, have come to learn that board games aren’t limited to ‘Monopoly’, ‘Cluedo’ and ‘Warhammer’. Modern games are diverse and varied, adaptable to the occasion and the company. To accompany an evening of drinking there’s ‘Dobble’, ‘Exploding Kittens’ and ‘Cards against Humanity’. When I have more time, I can gather my friends and spend an hour as cowboys exploring a cardboard train, or even spend a couple of hours exploring a dungeon as adorable mice. 

While admittedly still new to the board game brigade I already gave my favourites and amongst them is certainly ‘Pandemic’. Described by Dan Jolin as “a key title in the board-gaming resurgence” it’s a complicated and brutally hard board game where the players must collaborate to fight the outbreak of horrific global diseases. 

Things to miss from the 3DS

Originally positioned as “a third pillar”, the runaway success of the Nintendo DS meant the end of the Gameboy. In the same way, the popularity of the Switch has in turn meant we won’t now see a successor 3DS. But while the curtain lowers on Nintendo’s most successful console range are there lessons that can be learnt from in? What features of the 3DS should Nintendo consider including in the newly announced Switch Lite, or indeed in the yet to be confirmed Switch Pro?

Themes 

The home screen is something every Switch player sees, every time they turn on the system. While there is currently a choice between a white or black design, that’s the extent of the customisation options. The 3DS eShop had Themes for practically all major releases, changing the home menu’s icons, background and even music. While at £1.79 they were over-priced, at least they let you personalise your console to match your taste. Meanwhile, for developers it was a great way to generate additional income and giving them away free even meant an opportunity to promote an upcoming release. At the very least it would be nice if the Switch let you set your own wallpaper, even if it were limited to just Game Snap Shots.

Street Pass

Despite being labelled a “Grooming Tool for Paedophiles” by the scare-mongering tabloid press, Street Pass was a great way to meet new friends and see what others were playing. The mini games, though simplistic, were fun, and although you’d only play them briefly it was always a nice diversion. Sadly as the Relay Stations were turned off around cities, the number Street Pass hits you’d get each day declined. This meant the mini-games became almost unplayable and it seems that most 3DS owners will have Puzzle Pieces missing that can now never be found. The Switch certainly doesn’t need as elaborate a Street Pass System, but it would be nice to at least know when a potential Mario Kart opponent is in the area.

Activity Log

Maybe it was to see how long you speed running through a game, perhaps it was to find out which title you’d played longest, but its doubtful many 3DS players could resist the lure of the Activity Log. Not only did it tell you, to the minute, how long you’d played each game, it also kept track of the number of play sessions and on which day you’d played. This also allowed a player to nostalgically gaze back through the calendar to see which game they were playing months or even years ago. Of course the Switch does tell you how long you’ve put into each game if you go into “My Profile” but being told you’ve played ‘The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild’ for “180 hours or more” simply isn’t detailed enough. 

Battery Life

One of the reasons the very first Gameboy was monochrome was so that it would allow for extended play sessions. The Game Gear’s colour display may have looked impressive for a portable back in the day, but when you have to change the 6 AA batteries every two hours it wasn’t ideal for longer car journeys. Nintendo continued this delicate balance between power of console and the amount of power needed to run it up until the 3DS. This machine could last up until 8 hours on a single charge with settings turned down. Compared to the Switch this is an impressive figure. Although you can use the console for up to 6 hours, in practice you’ll be lucky to have portable gaming session that lasts longer than 3. Like the Game Gear owners of Yesteryear you’ll need a secondary source of power on those long haul flights. Nintendo have promised that with their new dedicated Handheld-Only Switch, battery life will be improved. But accounts of by how much seems to suggest that players will be enjoying extra minute of play rather than additional hours between charges. 

Clam shell design 

While it’ll play havoc with the Switch’s docking, there’s no denying that there’s something reassuring about the 3DS’ ability to fold on itself. The screens are protected and any damage that can be caused by throwing the console into your bag is minimised. While you marvel at the Switch’s impressive screen do you ever wonder how durable it is? It’s unlikely you’ll ever scratch it, but that’s probably down to the expensive and bulky carry case you put it in whenever you take the machine with you. 

Of course, some of these issues are inherently down to the original Switch’s dual purpose. In the past portable players demanded different things to home users, so when a console attempts to be both sacrifices must be made. The Lite is geared towards portable play only, but while the interstates JoyCons will make the console more durable it’s still a large machine to carry around. While it’s great Nintendo are continuing to innovate, it’s important they don’t lose sight of their past successes too. 

Switch Review - Robbie Swifthand and the Orb of Mysteries

There’s an appeal to overcoming an insurmountable challenge, but does this brutal platform game push things that bit too far?

Developed by Pixel Reign

Released in 2019

During the amusing tutorial of  ‘Super Mario Maker 2’, Yamamura and Nina are discussing difficulty. “Since the dawn of time, philosophers, game designers and seat-cushion engineers alike have asked the question: How Hard is too hard?” 

Anyone who thinks 2D platformers are easy and designed for kids hasn’t played a ‘Mega Man’ game. Games like ‘Castle of Illusion’, ‘Ghosts ‘n Goblins’ and even ‘Super Mario Bros: The Lost Levels” were known for their challenging gameplay. Indeed recently there have been a slew of platform games celebrated for being brutally difficult. ‘CupHead’, ‘Super Meat Boy’, and ‘Hollow Knight’ are obvious contenders.

‘Robbie Swifthand and the Orb of Mysteries’ is a game very much cast from this mould. Any doubt about this should be eliminated the second you press start. “This game is meant to be experienced by hard-core players. Tough but fair [...] with an increasing difficulty from start to finish”. The warning isn’t subtle, but it is an apt way of summarising the experience. 

Switch Review - Pawarumi

Another Vertical Scrolling Shooter lands on the eShop, but is its colour changing weapon mechanic, enough to separate it from the crowd of other bullet hell shooters?

Developed by Manufacture 43 
Released in 2019

In 1987 Sensible Software released ‘Shoot 'Em Up Construction Kit’ for the Commodore 64. With it, aspiring programmes could create a vertically scrolling shooting game with relative ease. It was the programme’s release on the Amiga though that ultimately frustrated game reviewers though. The software allowed the ability for creations to be exported as self-booting games and as a result PD libraries quickly became flooded with near identical games. Bedroom coders desperate for acclaim meant games magazines were inundated with floppy discs for review.

The problem was that because ‘Shoot 'Em Up Construction Kit’ was simple to use, unless you deliberately tried to exploit the quirks of the engine all the games it created were practically identical. “If you’re not going to do one thing different, don’t bother sending us a SEUCK game!” Wrote an Amiga Power reviewer. “We’ve played them all, we are bored! One star”.

Today the vertical scrolling Shoot ‘Em Up genre is not quite so saturated, but even a quick glance at the eShop shows there’s dozens to choose from. With the exception of FuturLab’s ‘Velocity 2X’, most seem to pride themselves on being brutally hard. eShop descriptions include “Bullet storms”, “horrifying challenge”, “insane high intensity” and “one man army”.   Since ‘Ikaruga’ the genre has really become associated with extreme difficulty and most new additions to the genre are “bullet hell shooters”. Here success in the game seems to be largely down to your ability to find somewhere to fide in a screens full of enemy bullets. They’re deliberately masochistic games where survival is the sole aim and victory only comes from memorising attack patterns. Clearly it’s a very niche audience.

This is who Manufacture 43, a French Indie developer, is aiming ‘Pawarumi’ at, and the influence of ‘Ikaruga’ is acutely felt. ‘Pawarumi’ is described as an ”intense, challenging and fast-paced shooter”, or at least that’s what it will eventually evolve into. In an attempt to also appeal to more casual players who would have enjoyed SEUCK thirty years ago, the game has three difficulty settings. Playing each unlocks various story cut scenes, so clearly to experience all the game has to offer, a player must continually push themselves to play on increasingly more challenging modes. “The difficulty curve is designed so that a player that beats the game in easy mode gets ready to play in normal mode and then in hard mode” notes the developers. But despite noble intentions, even the game’s easy mode presents a fearsome challenge and any chance of success will depend entirely on your mastery of the “trinity system”.

Mega Driver Review - VectorMan (Game 180)

Nintendo enjoyed much success with 'Donkey Kong Country' but sadly Sega's response, while visually exciting and technically impressive went nearly un-noticed.

Developed by BlueSky Softeware
Published by Sega
Released in 1995


There’s a saying I often use when trying to explain why I favour old retro games over new modern ones. “If I’ve not played an old game before, it’s new to me”! Of course I do still play modern games, my love for the ‘Kingdom Hearts’ and ‘Tomb Raider’ series doesn’t seem to be fading and I consider ‘Breath of the Wild’ to be one of the greatest ‘Zelda’ games ever made. But despite my appreciation of new Current Gen games, I’ve realised that many games I’ve enjoyed recently have been modern games that are essentially trying to be old games. ‘Octopass Traveller’ is inspired by ‘Chroro Trigger’ and ‘Final FantasyVI’. ‘Horizon Chase’ is a homage to ‘Outrun’ and the ‘Lotus’ series. ‘Thimbleweed Park’ and ‘Darkside Detective’ are both made to resemble classic LucasArts favourites. So, if even the most popular new games are trying to look, play and feel like old games, without prior knowledge is it possible to know what is old, and what’s simply trying to be old. 

‘VectorMan’ is a truly incredible game with a timeless quality. As a game that slipped under my radar, you could have quite easily convinced me that you were sitting me down in front of a Kickstarter funded tribute to nineties action games released in 2019. I played the game for the first time on a Switch based Mega Drive compilation, but if you’d told me you downloaded it from the new releases section of the eShop I would have fallen for the ruse.