80’s Overdrive (Switch)
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Posted on June 8th, 2020 by
Father’s Day is coming up, and sometimes around now I think about the video games my dad likes to play. While he currently mostly plays casual games on his iPad, back when I was a kid, he played a lot of racing games in the arcade. I remember sitting in his lap in the sit-down racing arcade cabinets to play hits like Pole Position and Turbo. Years later when I was too big to sit in his lap, he still played arcade racers like OutRun and Ridge Racer. And one of the few games I could get him to play on the NES was Rad Racer! So when I saw 80’s Overdrive on the Switch, it made me think of him. 80’s Overdrive is a retro inspired pixel racer that plays similarly to OutRun.
The Games of the Konami Anniversary Collection: Arcade Classics
Posted on June 5th, 2020 by
A few of the games I got on sale recently are three collections of Konami classic games. So today we’ll look at the collection with a bunch of Konami arcade titles. I’ll go over the other collections in the coming weeks, don’t worry. They should’ve called this the Shooter Collection, because with the exception of one game on here, they’re all shooters. So let’s take a look at what’s on here!
Megabyte Punch (Switch, PC)
Posted on June 3rd, 2020 by
Do you like Smash Bros.? (Who doesn’t?). Do you miss the 2-D platforming sections in previous Smash installments like the Subspace Emissary? And do you also miss being able to edit your moves like in the Wii U Smash? If you said ‘yes’ to those questions, than you may want to try Megabyte Punch. It uses the exact same control scheme as Smash, but allows you to control a robot with customizable parts as you tromp through 2-D platform areas, brawling other robots along the way. It’s like a cross between Smash Bros. and the GameCube classic Custom Robo. It’s available on Switch and PC, but reviewed on Switch here.
Infinite: Beyond the Mind (PS4, Switch, Xbox One, PC)
Posted on June 1st, 2020 by
Two women, Tanya and Olga, share a bond that gives them magical powers, but an evil queen separates them so their powers are weaker. Now it’s up to the one woman who didn’t get captured to rescue the other one and overthrow the tyrannical queen and her vast army in this 2-D retro styled hack and slash platformer. It’s available on all current game consoles and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here.
The Games of the Capcom Beat ‘Em Up Bundle
Posted on May 29th, 2020 by
I don’t know if it was because there was a Spring Sale, or if it was Golden Week in Japan, or maybe because of all the Coronavirus stuff. But there have been a BUNCH of games on sale lately. A few weeks ago, I got about five games on sale on PS4 for mostly less than ten bucks each! Most of them were arcade collections. Originally they were all 20 bucks, which isn’t THAT bad anyway. But I feel that digital only collections like this are still too pricey at that amount. If they were physical copies yeah I’d pay that. But since they were only digital I decided to wait for a sale. One of the games I got from that sale was the Capcom Beat ‘Em Up Bundle, which comes with seven arcade classic co-op side scrolling beat ‘em ups. There are also a bunch of neat artwork galleries in this game as well, plus you can save your games and even play them online! But since I like to talk about the games in these collections, let’s do that with this one. In the coming weeks I’ll talk about some of the other games I got on sale, too!
Knights and Bikes (Switch, PS4, PC)
Posted on May 27th, 2020 by
One of the things that I like about reviewing games is the opportunity to try out titles I otherwise might have missed. Such is the case with Knights and Bikes. It actually came out last year but I didn’t know about it, or else it just slipped under the cracks for me. But I got a second chance to take a stab at reviewing it, so here we go! Anyway, Knights and Bikes is set on the fictitious Penfurzy British island in the mid 1980s. A girl named Demelza lives there with her dad, who owns a trailer park and mini golf course. Demelza has her head in the clouds and likes to use her imagination a lot, as kids tend to do. Recently, Demelza’s mother passed away and she’s been taking it pretty hard, and now they can’t afford to keep their land. One day, a homeless runaway girl named Nessa sneaks onto a ferry going to Penfurzy Island (don’t worry, the game isn’t as depressing as it sounds). Nessa is a bit more down to earth, and she and Demelza run into each other and become fast friends. Along with their pet goose Honkers, they set off on a treasure-hunting, bike riding adventure to save the island. Knights and Bikes is a 2-D co-op action adventure game for 1 or 2 players, and it’s available on Switch, PS4, and PC (reviewed on Switch here).
A Fold Apart (Switch, PS4, Xbox One, PC, Mobile)
Posted on May 25th, 2020 by
A couple in a relationship are about to be presented with a challenge. When one of them takes a job in a different city, they must deal with having a long-distance relationship and the difficulties that ensue with that. You’re along in this tumultuous ride in this puzzler game. You must get one of the people in this relationship from point A to point B, and everything is presented on pieces of paper. You have the power to fold the paper to provide platforms and useful passages to help bring the couple together in A Fold Apart. It’s available to download on current game consoles (some coming soon), PC, and mobile, but reviewed on Switch here.
Moving Out (Switch, PS4, Xbox One, PC)
Posted on May 20th, 2020 by
Moving to a new house can be a stressful time, but one way to cut down on that stress (maybe) is to hire a moving company to load your furniture onto a truck and move it for you. And now you can play a game where you do just that in Moving Out. This humorous multiplayer co-op game is available on all current home consoles and PC, but reviewed on Switch here.
StarCrossed (Switch, PC)
Posted on May 18th, 2020 by
In a distant galaxy, a magical artifact called the Harmony Star brings worlds together. But at a celebration revolving around the star, it gets stolen and five nearby characters are chosen to receive special powers so they can get the star back. The five heroes include a pop idol, a fanboy, a princess, a buff outlaw woman, and an android. They get the power to fly in space and bounce back a star between one another to destroy bad guys. This unique arcade style ‘shooter’ combines elements from games like Pong, as well as obscure Japan only titles like the twin stick game Libble Rabble. You may not have heard of that one, but it was created by the same guy who made Pac-Man, so it’s worth looking up. Anyway, StarCrossed is available on Switch and PC, but reviewed on Switch here.
Streets of Rage 4 (PS4, Switch, Xbox One, PC)
Posted on May 15th, 2020 by
In the 16-bit era when I was a kid (well, a teen), I only had a Super Nintendo. Back then, kids didn’t usually have both a SNES and a SEGA Genesis, you had one or the other. So there were a lot of Genesis games I missed out on. Most of the time I was OK with that, as the SNES offered more games for my tastes. But there were a few times when a Genesis game caught my eye, and ones I didn’t even know about altogether! The Streets of Rage series was one of those games. I didn’t discover them until I played the second one on one of those early SEGA Genesis classic collections. But once I did play it, I was blown away by the graphics, gameplay, and especially the music. The secret to its success was that it was developed from the ground up to be best on a console, not like the other beat ‘em ups out there that were originally arcade quarter munchers. After three games, the Streets of Rage series only stayed on the Genesis, until now. FINALLY we get a sequel with Streets of Rage 4, available on current game consoles and PC (reviewed on PS4 here). Does it live up to the legacy? You’ll just have to read on to find out!
