Mult-Genre Video Game Compilation Review: Atari Vault

Atari released many compilations of its Atari 2600 games, even going as far back as the Atari Corporation days in the 1980s. The Atari Vault compilation, known on Atari VCS as the Atari VCS Vault, added arcade games to the mix.

Atari Vault contained ninety-one unique games and nine Atari 2600 ports of Atari arcade games. It contains arcade games from the original Atari, Inc. such as Asteroids, Asteroids Deluxe, Black Widow, Centipede, Crystal Castles, Gravitar, Liberator, Lunar Lander, Major Havoc, Millipede, Missile  Command, Pong, Red Baron, Space Duel, Super Breakout, Tempest, and Warlords. 

Any arcade games released under the Atari banner post-1983 are not included in this compilation, as the arcade division became Atari Games, under Warner Communications. The home division, which included all Atari arcade games created pre-split, became Atari Corporation after the acquisition by Tramel Technology. The latter is now owned by Atari, S.A., formerly known as Infogrames. The former is owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, or whatever the company will be called after its upcoming acquisition by Paramount Skydance.

Because Atari, S.A. includes every release created for the home market by both Atari, Inc. and Atari Corporation, Atari 2600 games make up the bulk of this compilation. It includes the Atari 2600 version of Breakout and Night Driver, which, surprisingly, are the only versions of the games included in this compilation with the arcade versions noticeably absent. On the topic of Atari 2600 versions of arcade games, Atari Vault also includes Atari 2600 ports of Asteroids, Centipede, Crystal Castles, Gravitar, Millipede, Missile Command, Super Breakout, and Warlords.

The many Atari 2600 games in the compilation includes 3-D Tic-Tac-Toe, Adventure, Air-Sea Battle, Backgammon, Basic Math, Basketball, Blackjack, Bowling, Brain Games, Canyon Bomber, Casino, Championship Soccer, Checkers, Chess, Circus Atari, Code Breaker, Combat, Combat 2, Concentration, Demons to Diamonds, Desert Falcon, Dodge 'Em, Double Dunk, Fatal Run, Flag Capture, Football, Golf, Hangman, Homerun, Human Cannonball, Maze Craze, Miniature Golf, Outlaw, Quadrun, Radar Lock, Realsports Baseball, Realsports Basketball, Realsports Boxing, Realsports Football, Realsports Soccer, Realsports Tennis, Realsports Volleyball, Sentinel, Sky Diver, Slot Machine, Slot Racers, Space War, Sprint 2, Sprint Master, Star Raiders, Star Ship, Steeplechase, Stellar Track, Street Racer, Stunt Cycle, Submarine Commander, Super Baseball, Super Football, Surround, Sword Quest Earthworld, Sword Quest Fireworld, Sword Quest Waterworld, Video Cube, Video Olympics, Video Pinball, and Yars' Revenge.

Most of the games included in the compilation were developed by Atari, Inc. and Atari Corporation, but there are a few included which Atari, S.A. includes the intellectual property rights but were not developed Atari companies. This includes the Axlon games Off the Wall and Secret Quest. It also includes a game that was first released in Legacy Engineering's Atari Flashback 2 in 2005, Save Mary. Speaking of the Atari Flashback 2, the compilation also includes another game first released on that console, Return to Haunted House. This game is a modification of Haunted House which serves as a sequel to that game, and was created by the late Curt Vendel of Legacy Engineering.

Atari Vault includes many games for the arcade and Atari 2600 created by Atari, Inc. and Atari Corporation. It includes a lot of classic games, as well as some oddballs such as an Atari 2600 adaptation of the classic children's game Hangman. It does include a few games developed by other developers, including two games that weren't previously released outside of the Atari Flashback consoles. The 50 game Atari Vault DLC would include more oddball games, games by other developers, and games for consoles other than the Atari 2600, but the main Atari Vault includes a lot of games that should make Atari fans happy.

Final Verdict:

3½ out of 5

Arcade Fighting Game Update Review: Virtua Fighter 2.1

Updates of video games have been common in video games since the beginning. From the multitude of Pong variations to the dozens of Street Fighter II versions, arcade updates are a fact of life. Sometimes the updates just fix bugs or tweak gameplay, while other times the changes are of the visual sort. Virtua Fighter 2.1 is the latter.

Compared to Virtua Fighter 2, Virtua Fighter 2.1 has a higher brightness level by default. The characters also have different colored clothing. Some characters have slightly remodeled clothing items, such as Pai Chan's hat, Sarah Bryant's blouse and bra combo, Jeffry McWild's white athletic shirt, and Jacky Bryant's jacket.

Gameplay wise, 2.1 has better balances for character moves, improved controls and character movement, and improved contact on ground-based moves such as Shun-Di's falling attacks. The biggest change, however, is the fact that the game's metal villainess Dural can now be selected as a playable fighter.

The gameplay changes are actually a very welcome addition, as it makes the game feel a lot tighter than it did in the regular version of Virtua Fighter 2. These changes made it into later versions of the game. They could optionally be used in the ports to home consoles. Later releases of games in the Like a Dragon series even added both Virtua Fighter 2 and Virtua Fighter 2.1 cabinets to in-game arcades.

Virtua Fighter 2.1 is a fine update to Virtua Fighter 2. The graphical changes are purely cosmetic, but the real meat comes in the improved gameplay. The improved controls and movement make it feel smoother than ever. The improved contact detection for ground-based moves makes it nearly a necessary update. The best part is the addition of Dural as a playable character. It's one update that is certainly well worth playing.

Final Verdict:

4 out of 5

Stealth Action Game Compilation Review: Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol. 1

Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol. 1 is the latest in a long line of compilations featuring Metal Gear games. It made its own name, however, by having several things going for it that no other compilation before it had.

The first volume of the Master Collection is headlined by the first three Metal Gear Solid games, but it actually contains seven games and two variants. The games that have appeared in other compilations over the years include the console versions of the mobile remakes of the MSX2 versions of Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake, Metal Gear Solid, Metal Gear Solid: VR Missions, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater.

Beyond these games, the compilation also saw the first re-release of the Family Computer and Nintendo Entertainment System version of Metal Gear and the NES-exclusive sequel Snake's Revenge. It also was the first international release of Metal Gear Solid: Integral, which was originally released only in Japan. This game combined the international version of Metal Gear Solid, with the English voices and the choice of Japanese or English subtitles with the VR Missions. Integral was actually the original release of the latter before it was released in North America as Metal Gear Solid: VR Missions and in Europe as Metal Gear Solid: Special Missions.

Beyond the included games, the Master Collection also includes the motion comics Metal Gear Solid: Digital Graphic Novel, which digitized IDW Publishing's graphic novel adaptation of Metal Gear Solid  and Metal Gear Solid 2: Bande Dessinée, which digitized IDW Publishing's graphic novel adaptation of Metal Gear Solid: Sons of Liberty.

Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol. 1 is a large treasure trove of Metal Gear games that were released throughout three decades. However, its value will largely come down to whether you don't own another Metal Gear Solid compilation and whether the compilation-exclusive games such as the NES version of Metal Gear and Snake's Revenge as well as the first international release of Metal Gear Solid: Integral matter to you. If either of those cases turn out to be yes for you, then this compilation is well worth picking up.

Final Verdict:

4½ out of 5

Action Stealth Game Review: Metal Gear 2 - Solid Snake

While it was the giant success that Metal Gear Solid would become upon its release over ten years after the start of the series, the original Metal Gear was enough of a success that two sequels from two separate teams were put into production. 

The Ultra Games version of Metal Gear received the Nintendo Entertainment System exclusive Snake's Revenge in Europe and North America. This sequel led series creator Hideo Kojima to put Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake into production for MSX2. Unlike the original MSX2 version of Metal Gear, which received an official English version in Europe, Solid Snake was only released in Japan. This led to somewhat of a mythical release, as Metal Gear 2 was only available via a fan translation until an English version of the mobile remake was included in Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence in 2006.

The gameplay retained the stealth action gameplay of the original game, but it introduced several concepts that would remain part of the series going forward. including crawling, and crouching. There was also more danger which could be spotted with the radar. Enemies now respond to sound produced by Snake such as footsteps. To avoid being spotted, Snake now can hide under tables or inside lockers.

The graphics of Metal Gear 2 for MSX2 were very similar to those of the original MSX2 version of the first game. This meant that they were in a classic overhead style with characters and locations being as well-detailed as 8-bit graphics allowed. The music and sound effects, likewise, also fit in the game well.

Hideo Kojima is a fan of American action films, which shows in his game design as well as in the design of the detailed character portraits in Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake. Some obvious ones include Mel Gibson as Solid Snake and Sean Connery as Big Boss. Other character portraits include Platoon's Tom Berenger as Grey Fox was based on Tom Berenger in Platoon, Rambo's Richard Crenna as Roy Campbell, and Gunhed's Brenda Bakke as Holly White.

Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake was a huge step forward for the series. The new elements were a necessary evolution which would be included in all of the games moving forward. The radar, enemies hearing sounds of footsteps, and the ability to hide in lockers, would become a huge part of Metal Gear Solid when it released eight years later.

Final Verdict:

4 out of 5

Metal Gear (Ultra Games) Review

Metal Gear Solid Review

Action Stealth Game Review: Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty

Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty was the highly anticipated sequel to the highly successful and influential action-adventure stealth game, Metal Gear Solid. While the series had several games before Solid, it was that game that put the series on the map, and it was that game that Hideo Kojima and his team at Konami had to follow.

Sons of Liberty did not disappoint. The music is just as great as its predecessor, as is the sound effects such as footsteps and the clinks and clanks of the mostly metal environment. The biggest gain is when it came to improving upon the technical aspects of the game compared to its predecessor.  The increase in capability from the PlayStation to the PlayStation 2 was a huge leap. This allowed the team to give the characters full facial expressions, which was a much-needed upgrade from the creepy eye-less visage of Solid Snake from the PlayStation game.

With the graphics increase also came a more detailed game world, and new abilities. Solid Snake can now use first-person aiming beyond the sniper rifle. The original Solid had an auto-aiming feature, which, while effective, is not as effective as true first-person aiming. Even aiming with the sniper rifle is improved, as Metal Gear Solid felt stiff when in first-person mode for this item, whereas Sons of Liberty feels much smoother.

Snake is also more acrobatic now, with rolls and leaps in addition to climbing and hanging. I've been mentioning Snake, but, as is common knowledge by now, Kojima pulled a bait-and-switch by replacing the main character for most of the game.

After the first chapter of the game, which features Solid Snake as the main character, the rest of the game has a new main character in Raiden. Raiden, also known as Jack, is wildly different from Snake. Whereas Snake is the poster boy for the stoic hero, Raiden is much more emotional. His body type is also much more lean and androgenous as opposed to Snake's action movie hero physique.

This caused a lot of controversy when the game was released, but that has largely died down in the intervening years, especially after Raiden was more fleshed out in his next outing as protagonist in Metal Gear Rising. Raiden is actually a fine protagonist, and is actually more acrobatic than Snake, which makes playing the game feel a bit smoother compared to the intro with Solid Snake.

The other controversy, which is kind of laughable now with how weird the series became in later years, is the weirdness of the game's story. Beyond the usual weirdness inherent in the series as a whole, this chapter added in a whole lot of strangeness in the form of artificial intelligence, which actually makes the game more prescient in the current era.

Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty is a fantastic sequel to the seminal classic Metal Gear Solid. The increase in graphical fidelity and the increased smoothness of the controls made it feel so much better. The story is a bit weirder than its predecessor, and the swap of protagonists still has its detractors, but these changes actually fleshed out the game world. It's a fine installment of a fantastic series, and is still worth playing today.

Final Verdict:

4½ out of 5

Metal Gear Solid Review

Metal Gear Solid 3 Review Coming Soon

Fighting Game Compilation Review. Mega Man Battle & Fighters

In 1995 and 1996, Capcom released two arcade fighting games featuring its popular Mega Man characters, Mega Man: The Power Battle and Mega Man 2: The Power Fighters, respectfully. When the Neo Geo Pocket Color came out, it was a boon for portable fighting game adaptations, so Capcom miniaturized the two games into one compilation.

The fighting games on the Neo Geo Pocket Color were chibi, or super deformed, versions of traditional arcade fighters. This was due to the limitations of the Neo Geo Pocket Color. This works perfectly for these two games, as Mega Man's crew and the robots he fights against are stylized in a way that still looks good when squashed into cute forms.

The Neo Geo Pocket Color had sound hardware that sounded great, and had all of the boops-and-beeps as you'd expect for 16-bit hardware of the 1990s. The music from the arcade game sounded great when converted to this hardware, and the sound effects did as well.

The games themselves were fun versions of the boss fights of the Mega Man games, and that is translated perfectly in this compilation. These boss fights have always been fun to play, and this is the perfect home for them. The thumbstick controller was uncommon in portable game consoles at the time, and the Neo Geo Pocket Color had one that was very responsive. This is what made it so good for one-on-one fighting games, and it is also why this conversion retained the feel of the arcade games even as the graphics were scaled down and reduced heavily in resolution.

Mega Man Battle & Fighters, or Rockman Battle & Fighters as it was known as it was originally a Japanese only release, was a lot of fun on the Neo Geo Pocket Color. The hardware was perfect for one-on-one fighting games, so it was a perfect fit for a conversion of these two arcade games. The hardware is much weaker than that of the Capcom Power System boards of the arcade, but the cute squashed chibi characters work extremely well for the characters from the Mega Man series. This is, without a doubt, one of the better titles that the Neo Geo Pocket Color offered.

Final Verdict:

4 out of 5

Puzzle Game Review: Sega Swirl

Sega Swirl was a puzzle game for the Sega Dreamcast developed by Scott Hawkins at Sega of America in collaboration with Tremor Entertainment. It is a variation of SameGame, a genre that began with the release of Kuniaki Moribe's Chain Shot in 1985.

The screen is filled with swirls of different colors. The goal of the game is to clear multiple swirls of the same color. The more of the same color swirls are cleared at once, the better the score. 

There are five modes of play. The practice mode is exactly as it sounds. The level mode moves to the next stage once all of the score and combo goals are met. The timed mode is also self-explanatory, as the goal is to line up as many swirls and gain as many points as possible within a time limit. 

There is also a head-to-head mode, which lets players play for points against each other. This leads into one of the most interesting modes. There is an e-mail mode, which allows for the game state to be sent to another player through e-mail. This player sends their state to the originating player, who picks up the game from there. This is a slow-paced style of game play, but it is an interesting mechanic that got around the latency issues due to the slow speed of modems at the time. This is especially true with the European and early Japanese Dreamcast modems, which were only 33.6 kbps as opposed to the North American and later Japanese modems which were 56 kbps. Those are measured in kilobits per second, which are a far cry from the megabits of broadband connections.

Sega Swirl is a fun take on the SameGame formula. It's plethora of game modes is also a boon considering it was generally included in magazine cover discs or within the discs of Dreamcast web browsers. It was also included in the Sega Smash pack, which is where I first played it. It's not a game that revolutionized gaming history by any means, but it is a fun time waster if you ever come across it.

Final Verdict:

3 out of 5

Arcade Action Game Review: Mappy

Mappy is a cute action arcade game released in 1983. It is the first game in Namco's series of the same name.

The game follows a mouse police officer named Mappy who has to retrieve stolen items in a hideout full of thieving cats. Because he is a mouse, he stands no chance against cats so he has to avoid them. The thieving cats are known as the Meowky gang, or the Mewky gang in Japan. The gang's leader is a large red cat named Goro. The Japanese release gives him a much better name, Nyamco. This combines the company name Namco with nyan, the Japanese onomatopoeia for the cute little high-pitched variation of a cat's meow.

Points are gained from collecting the stolen items, which can sometimes be accessed by opening doors, and bonus points are awarded if Mappy retrieves the stolen item behind the boss cat. Once all of the items are collected, the game moves to the next stage.

The music in the game is of a cuteness befitting the character art. The sound effects are those that are familiar to games of the early 1980s, but they fit the game perfectly.

The most memorable mechanic of the game is the trampoline, which Mappy uses to reach the various floors in his quest for the hidden stolen goods. Both Mappy and the cats can turn left or right to reach one of the floors of the hideout when jumping up, however they both are stuck in their trajectory when coming back down. The trampolines are not well-built, however, as they will break, changing colors to denote their condition, if Mappy jumps on it four times in a row. Luckily, once off the trampolines, they will revert to their original jumpless state.

Mappy is a fun little arcade game. It's cute character art, charming music, and interesting premise makes it still enjoyable to play today.

Final Verdict:

3½ out of 5

Platform Game Compilation Review: Donkey Kong Classics

Donkey Kong Classics compiles the Nintendo Entertainment System ports of the first two Donkey Kong arcade games, Donkey Kong and Donkey Kong Junior, into one multicart. 

As noted above, the two most popular games in the original trilogy were both included, which is great since they were the best in the series up to the time of this multicart's release in 1988. It does not include Donkey Kong 3, which likely contributed to that game becoming lesser known than the others.

Donkey Kong was a solid conversion of the arcade game. However, since it was also an early release before mappers extended the capabilities of the Nintendo Entertainment System, it lacks the cement factory stage. That stage would not be added to the Nintendo Entertainment System version until Donkey Kong Original Edition was released for the Virtual Console for Wii in 2010 and Nintendo 3DS in 2012.

Donkey Kong Junior, on the other hand, survives in-tact in its conversion from arcade to NES. Although it was also an early NES game, all of the levels are here. The only real difference, as with Donkey Kong, is the change from a vertically-oriented arcade monitor to the horizontally-oriented, nearly square resolution of the NES hardware.

The multi-cart has one small difference in the games. The title screen in both games are replaced by a single blue Donkey Kong Classics title screen. The games can be selected via the right and left buttons on the NES controller, and the number of players can be selected via a menu below the game select area. The neat thing about this change is that the title screen music from the two games are alternatingly played on the multi-cart's title screen.

Donkey Kong Classics is an interesting compilation of the Nintendo Entertainment System conversions of the first two Donkey Kong games. Unlike Nintendo's earlier multi-carts, such as the Super Mario Bros. / Duck Hunt pack-in cartridge, the menu is not silent. The games lack title screens, in favor of a single title screen that controls the options of both games. This isn't a bad thing, especially since the title screen music from the both games are alternated on the multi-cart menu. It's a shame that Donkey Kong 3 wasn't included, but the game was the weakest of the original trilogy, so its exclusion is not a big loss.

Final Verdict:

3 out of 5

Platform Game Compilation Review: Disney Classic Game Collection

     

Disney Classic Games is a compilation of four classic games based on Disney animated films. It contains both the Virgin Games version of Aladdin as well as the Capcom version. It also includes The Lion King by Westwood Studios and The Jungle Book by Eurocom. The emulation in the compilation is handled by Digital Eclipse.

It is actually an updated version of Disney Classic Games: Aladdin and The Lion King. This time around, they popped in a bonus game, the Eurocom version of The Jungle Book. Game Boy, Sega Genesis, and Super Nintendo Entertainment System versions are included.

The big draw of the updated version is one that rectifies the most controversial part of the compilation. The two most popular versions of Aladdin, the Virgin Games version, which was primarily released on the Sega Genesis, is included alongside the Capcom version, which was primarily released on Super Nintendo Entertainment System. The original compilation only included the Virgin Games version. The Sega version has still not been included, but that one doesn't top most of the best of the 1990s games lists.

Like the original compilation, the Virgin Games adaptation of Aladdin includes both the Sega Genesis and Game Boy versions. The Capcom adaptation includes the Super Nintendo Entertainment System version. The prototype version of Aladdin that was compiled the same month as the version that was demonstrated at the Summer Consumer Electronics Show in 1993 is also included, which is worth playing as it is different from the final release.

The notoriously difficult video game adaptation of The Lion King by Westwood Studios is once again included. The Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Sega Genesis, and Game Boy versions are included. Emulation gives the ability to rewind and save game play states. This is a boon for all of the included games, but it is especially true for The Lion King. I wore out my hands and my brain from beating this game as a little girl. I really appreciate Digital Eclipse's emulator, as it was not as hard to reclaim Pride Rock this time around.

The Disney Classic Games Collection is a fantastic update of an already excellent compilation of 1990s platform games. The emulation is really great, as is expected from a Digital Eclipse release. Saving and rewinding are a blessing when playing these retro games. The Aladdin adaptation by Virgin Games and the Westwood Studios adaptation of The Lion King play just as well as in the previous version of this collection, Disney Classic Games: Aladdin and the Lion King. The addition of Eurocom's The Jungle Book is a neat little extra, but Capcom's version of Aladdin is the big draw here. Even better, people who own the original can also get the new version of the compilation as DLC. It's worth purchasing or upgrading as Capcom's version of Aladdin is worth it all on its own.

Final Verdict:

4½ out of 5

Shoot 'Em Up Review: Donkey Kong 3 - The Great Counterattack

Donkey Kong 3: The Great Counterattack was one of the weirder games that Hudson Soft designed and published during their deal with Nintendo to release the games of the latter on Japanese consoles. 

The original arcade version of Donkey Kong 3 was already a weird game. Nintendo took Mario out of the question and replaced him with a now-forgotten character named Stanley the Bugman. In doing so, the genre was changed from platformer to static shoot 'em up as Stanley used his bug spray to blast a parachuting Donkey Kong out from his greenhouse.

Hudson Soft takes this weird premise further by eschewing the greenhouse completely and replacing it with stages set in lands near and far. Without Stanley's greenhouse, the bugs no longer try to take his plants. Instead, they now act like the bugs from Galaga, coming after Stanley in various attack patterns. They now also shoot blasts downward at the erstwhile greenskeeper.

To be able to tie this oddball of a setup with Donkey Kong 3, Stanley still uses his bug spray to blast not only the bugs, but Donkey Kong as well. This works the same as the arcade game, as when Donkey Kong is blasted far enough up the screen, the location changes and Stanley starts the battle anew.

Donkey Kong's initial appearance is greeted by the classic tune from the original arcade game. The end of each stage has a little fanfare of a tune. Most of the game is silent, interspersed by blasting sounds and the dropping sound of Donkey Kong's parachute.

There are twenty-five stages that see Stanley spraying baddies. He first is on the highway with a rocky hillscape during sunset. He then finds himself at night on a strange bridge, which appears to be a normal bridge with a safety fence on both sides. Things become even weirder after this, as Stanley finds himself leaving the Earth, now battling Donkey Kong in the black vastness of space with the third planet from the sun appearing behind them. 

The Galaga connection deepens, as after every five levels, Stanley finds himself dealing with bugs on a challenging stage with no background. Like Namco's classic, he has to try to get rid of as many bugs as he can while a timer ticks away until the bonus round completes.

They then fight in the Astron Belt, a rocky outcrop in space that shares a name with a Laserdisc arcade game by Sega. The sparring pair travel around Saturn, past a mysterious planet that does not appear to be part of the Milky Way galaxy, and back to Earth again. Back on terra firma, they fight in a desert, by a pyramid, in a cave. They then tussle outside an active volcano before heading inside the active crater. Things get more mundane as they fight outside a dome, above Nazca lines, and on a runway.

Weirdly, they then find themselves at the site of a nuclear explosion with a mushroom cloud behind them. They apparently face introspection after that, as they take in the sight of seagulls at sunset. Finally they show up at a city, on a country road, in front of non-descript giant green aliens. Finally, at level 25, the two spar inside of a UFO. This must be the way the two made their way back to Earth, as Donkey Kong has been in many more projects after this. As for Stanley, the experience must have made him put away his bug spray for good, as he has become relegated to the history books after the release of this game.

Donkey Kong 3 - The Great Counterattack is one of the weirder Nintendo-licensed games by Hudson Soft, but it is also strangely one of their better games. Outside of Excitebike, Hudson Soft didn't really make straight ports. Hudson Soft was licensed by Nintendo to make games for the 8-bit Japanese computers of the time. They couldn't really handle most Nintendo games, which is why the world got the ambitious but lacking Super Mario. Bros Special. With this game, they were able to make a game that stayed within the specifications of the hardware, but still remained fun. It's certainly a oddball of a concept, but it smartly follows the static shooter framework made famous by Namco's Galaga series. It's a far cry from any game in that series, but it's competent and worth trying for its utter weirdness alone.

Final Verdict:

3 out of 5

Platform Game Review: Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers

Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers was a platform game by Capcom. The Japanese video game developer proved that they could make an excellent game based on a Disney Afternoon series and they continued to prove that with the release of this game.

The plot sees the villainous Fat Cat kidnap Gadget so that she has to work for him. Up to two players, with Chip as player one and Dale as player two, take off to rescue her. They travel along a rodent-sized world picking up blocks and crates half their size and shooting them at enemies that they encounter.

They can also duck to hide inside of the crates to keep themselves unseen by enemies until they can get a chance to attack them from behind or merely avoid them altogether. Along the way, they will find hazards other than enemies such as electric surges from powerlines.

The chipmunks will sometimes get help from the other Rescue Rangers. Monterey Jack will break down some barricades, enabling the duo to get to places they otherwise couldn't. Finding and interacting with Zipper will grant temporary invincibility. Even Gadget, despite being held captive, will provide advice at the beginning of each area.

Capcom's Disney games always looked amazing, and this game is not an exception. The art staff was once again given art assets by the Disney animators so that the character sprites of both the heroes and the villains remained true to the series. As with DuckTales before it, this allowed the animations to be very expressive.

The music and sound effects are also up to the level of Capcom's other Disney output. The sound effects provided as memorable sounds as were possible with the NES audio hardware, while the music was fantastic. The Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers theme was faithfully translated to the trademark boops and beeps of the classic Nintendo 8-bit hardware, and each piece of stage music matched with the action well.

Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers was another Disney hit by Capcom, and it was well deserved. The level design, music, and sound effects were excellent. The sprite work, as supervised by actual Disney animators, was absolutely fantastic. The animations are very expressive, and stand up with the best of Capcom's output for the Nintendo Entertainment System. If you are a fan of Disney, platformers, either, or both, you should try this game.

Final Verdict:

4½ out of 5

Limited Run Games Announces Marvel Maximum Collection

Limited Run Games has announced their newest Carbon Engine release, the Marvel Maximum Collection. It will be released on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and Windows.

It contains seven classic games that were licensed Marvel games for arcade, 8-bit handheld and home consoles, and 16-bit home consoles.

The biggest of these is Konami's X-Men arcade game. Spider-Man/X-Men: Arcade's Revenge for Game Boy, Game Gear, Genesis, and SNES, Captain America and the Avengers for arcade and Genesis, Captain America and the Avengers for NES, Spider-Man/Venom: Maximum Carnage for Genesis and SNES, Venom/Spider-Man: Separation Anxiety for Genesis and SNES, and Silver Surfer for NES are icing on the cake.

There is no release date set yet for the Marvel Maximum Collection. It's still only early 2026, so chances are that it will be released later this year.

The only game that I wish they had on there that hasn't received a current-gen port through emulation is the 32X game The Amazing Spider-Man: Web of Fire. Maybe that will be released in DLC. Here's hoping.

Platform Game Review: DuckTales 2

DuckTales 2 was the sequel to the phenomenal DuckTales by Capcom. Because it was released late in the lifespan of the Nintendo Entertainment System, it didn't sell as well as the first game and is lesser known as a result. This is a shame because DuckTales adds in features that were not in the original.

The story is standard Disney duck universe fare. Huey finds a piece of a treasure map drawn by Scrooge's father Fergus McDuck. 'The pieces of the map are scattered all around the world, so Scrooge goes to each spot to find them. Scrooge's archenemy Flint Glomgold is searching for the treasure as well.

The memorable sound effects returned, and the music was of the same high quality as well. There's no moon level song with soaring motifs, but the music that is here certainly meets the standard of the other songs in the previous DuckTales game. There is also a map now for level selection, and the map screen music is quite enjoyable all on its own.

The levels are just as well laid out as in the previous game. Scrooge still has his usual skills. He can jump normally or jump higher with his cane. His cane can also allow him to jump on some surfaces that would normally hurt him. Scrooge can use his cane to whack items like treasure chests, but now he can swing while jumping. 

DuckTales 2 also adds in a new use for his trusty cane. It can be used to hook onto objects that Scrooge can hang on or to pull levers and objects. This gives the game more creative ways to conceal areas, put ledges out of reach of normal jumps, and hide treasure. The new hook abilities makes them more challenging, but not overly so. The hanging hook parts are a lot like Darkwing Duck, and they work as well in this game as they did in that one.

DuckTales 2 is a lesser-known sequel that suffered its fate due to its late release in the lifespan of the original Nintendo Entertainment System. It certainly didn't deserve to be underplayed. It's new jump swing and hoop grab and hanging abilities with Scrooge's cane adds a lot to the formula. It's level design, music, and sound effects are just as engaging as the first game. If you enjoyed Capcom's DuckTales, you owe it to yourself to try DuckTales 2.

Final Verdict: 

4½ out of 5

Fighting Game Review: Mega Man 2 - The Power Fighters

Mega-Man 2: The Power Fighters was a two-dimensional one-on-one arcade fighting game that was released in 1996, one year after its predecessor Mega-Man: The Power Battle.

Whereas The Power Battle was one of the last four games released for the first Capcom Power System arcade board, or CPS-1, The Power Fighters was released for its successor, the CPS-2. The primary purpose of the CPS-2 was to add encryption to the games that ran on the system board to prevent piracy. The graphics and sound were essentially the same, as The Power Battle also employed the three-dimensional sound processing algorithm known as QSound.

That's not a bad thing however, as The Power Battle already stood toe-to-toe with the graphics seen on the Mega Man games for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. The cartoon-style is really beautiful. It remains a treat to see the blue bomber in all of his fighting glory. The mundane punching and futuristic sound effects return here. The music also remains a fantastic blend of Mega Man and Street Fighter II, making great use of the QSound technology. 

The real draw to this game compared to its successor is the addition of a fourth character. Mega Man, Proto Man, and Bass return, but this time they are joined by Duo, a robot that made its debut in the then-upcoming Mega Man 8. The shooting and the capturing and firing of boss weapons also return. New moves make their premiere here in the form of unique special moves for each character which can be activated by holding the direction of the joystick up and releasing a full buster attack.

Assist characters also make their debut here, appearing when the enemy health is halved or after using a credit to continue. Mega Man has the assistance of Rush, and Bass fittingly has Treble. Proto Man and Duo both gain the assistance of Beat. These assist characters will use their blasters against the enemy, but the drawback is that special moves can not be used while they are active.

Like its predecessor, there are three stories in the game. The first involves fighting through robots to find Dr. Wily. The second has the heroes battling to rescue Mega Man's sister Roll. The third involves finding robot parts that were stolen by Dr. Wily.

As before, each story contains six robots and a penultimate boss. The first story pits the heroes against Bubble Man, Heat Man, Shadow Man, Gyro Man, Centaur Man, and Plant Man with the boss being the Mad Grinder from Mega Man 7. The second story has the abominable Yellow devil as the penultimate boss after the heroic robots defeat Cut Man, Elec Man, Dive Man, Stone Man, Slash Man, and Shade Man. The final story contains Guts Man, Air Man, Quick Man, Gemini Man, Pharaoh Man, and Napalm Man. The boss for this story is the Mecha Dragon from Mega Man 2.

Like the game that came before it, Dr. Wily is the final boss. He must be defeated in one of his robotic inventions, as always. The Wily Machine returns. It once again must be defeated in multiple parts before finally revealing Dr. Wily floating around the room in a Wily Capsule. Defeating the evil doctor reveals the ending, which is different for every character.

Mega Man: The Power Fighters is a fantastic follow-up to the unique Power Battles. It is still a lot of fun to play the robot battles from various games in the Mega Man series as a one-on-one fighter.  The artwork, sound effects, and music are just as excellent as its predecessor. The biggest draws of this game are the new-to-the-subseries character Duo, the unique special moves, and the assist characters. Those alone make this one as much worthy of play by both Mega Man and fighting game fans.

Final Verdict: 

4½ out of 5

Arcade Beat 'Em Up Review: Nekketsu Renegade Kunio-Kun

Nekketsu Renegade Kunio-Kun, later localized as Renegade in the West, is an arcade beat 'em up by Technōs Japan. It was the game that started the series that known as Kunio-kun in Japan and primarily known as River City in the West.

The story of the game is simple. Kunio-kun is a new student at Nekketsu High School. The name of the school is a reference to the attitude of Kunio himself, as it translates to passionate, courageous, or hot-blooded. There is a student there who is always bullied named Hiroshi, whom Kunio befriends as he can't stand bullies. When Hiroshi is kidnapped, Kunio goes off to rescue his friend.

Kunio fights various stereotypical Japanese gangs as he progresses in his quest to save his friend. He has to clear six areas of gang members and fight a boss before he can move on. The first area is at the train station at Shinjuku. He fights members of a rival high school, Hanazono, which literally translates into English as flower garden. The boss fight there is Kunio's rival Riki. The second area is at the seaport in Yokohama. He fights against members of the Yokohama Funky bōsōzoku gang, which is a youth culture in Japan that is into customized motorcycles. The boss fight here is against the gang's leader Shinji. The third area is a dark alley near a disco store. Here, Kunio fights girls from Taiyō Academy. The final fight here is against the Misuzu, the sukeban, or boss girl. The final area is at a car dealership that is a front for the Yakuza crime organization known as the Sanwakai, or Sanwa gang. Riki is freed after Sanwakai's leader, Sabu, is defeated.

The original arcade game didn't quite have the cute super deformed style characters that the Kunio-Kun games would become known for once they were brought to the Family Computer. The sprites have more colors and are taller than their 8-bit console counterparts, but they did share a lot of the style in terms of the anime-inspired sprites and exaggerated facial expressions.

What it did have in common with the rest of the Kunio-kun brawling games and its spiritual successor, the Double Dragon series, was its fantastic beat 'em up gameplay. Kunio has the ability to jump and to perform a multitude of moves using only two action buttons and the right and left direction on the joystick. There are actually a whole range of actions he can make with such a small amount of buttons, a running hook, a jump kick, a collar grab, a knee bash, and a shoulder throw. He can also perform a beat down on enemies and defend himself when grabbed. The limited amount of buttons actually made this a perfect game to port to the Famicom, which is where the Kunio-kun series really flourished.

The music in this game is fast-paced which fits the action perfectly. There are sound effects for things such as hitting and kicking. There are a few compressed voice clips here, including a female Japanese announcer at the game's start as well as sounds of exertion from Kunio and screams from the enemy fighters. It's all a fantastic mix of audio, especially at the time of its release in 1986.

Nekketsu Renegade Kunio-Kun is notable as being the premiere of the Kunio-kun series, which is still going strong today. Beyond that, it remains enjoyable despite its sharp difficulty, which was common in arcade games of the time. The modern re-releases that use emulation are a great help here, as this type of gameplay isn't as popular as it was then and the ability to save a state and replay it makes it a lot more palatable. Later games, such as Double Dragon and Kunio-kun's own River City Ransom take the formula and improve upon it in big ways, but it is still interesting to see where everything began.

Final Verdict:

3½ out of 5

Platform Game Review: Commander Keen - Invasion of the Vorticons: The Earth Explodes

The Earth Explodes is chapter two of Commander Keen: Invasion of the Vorticons, a three-episode platform game developed by iD Software and published by Apogee Software.

Commander Keen flies his Bean-with-Bacon mega-rocket home from Mars, only to discover that the Vorticons have a cannon aimed at Earth. Commander Keen must go to the Vorticon mothership to stop the destruction of his planet. 

Episode two continues Commander Keen’s fight with the Vorticons, as he explores the caves of the Vorticon planet, does battle with the top Vorticon ninja fighters, and discover the secret of the Grand Intellect.

Compared to the first episode, this one does have a steep difficulty curve. The levels are harder both in terms of enemies as well as in terms of level design. When I played this game as a little girl I got stuck near the end because I couldn't traverse one of the later levels. Even as an adult, I had to check YouTube for the way to the exit. There's only one level that is truly that dastardly, but it does bring the quality of the game down a bit as it's never fun to fight against the design of the game.

Commander Keen: Invasion of the Vorticons is the second episode of a trilogy, but sadly it is not as well designed as the first. It has a steep difficulty curve, and one level in particular is difficult to get through without an external guide. As this is part of a trilogy of games based on the same engine, the lack of music is one of the real drawbacks in this game. Like the first episode, however, this is solved by using the excellent fan-produced music pack in the modern interpreter of the game, Commander Genius.

It pains me to say it, as I love the Commander Keen series, but this episode is just not worth playing unless you want to play through the entire trilogy. The other two episodes are better than this one, so it's worth picking up the trilogy bundle, but I would recommend giving this one a pass.

Final Verdict:

2½ out of 5

Arcade Fighting Game Review: Mega Man - The Power Battle

Mega Man: The Power Battles is a very unique arcade game. Mega Man is a platforming game icon. The mid-1990s brought him to other video game genres including board games, soccer, and racing. 1995 brought him into a genre that Capcom had mastered at that point, two-dimensional one-on-one arcade fighters.

Mega Man's boss battles are essentially one-on-one fighters themselves. So, Capcom stripped away the platform game aspects of Mega Man's most popular games and left just the battles. There are three fighters to choose from, each with their own bosses and storyline. There are three stories each with six boss battles. The first story has enemies are taken from his Mega Man's first two games. The next story takes bosses from Mega Man 3, the first appearance of Mega Man's brother Proto Man, as well as 5 and 6. The third story has bosses from Mega Man 7, which was the game that saw the premiere of Bass.

The gimmick of the Mega Man series thankfully returns here. When a robot boss is defeated, the current playable character earns it. That weapon can then be used on other robot bosses with the press of a button.

Once the six robot bosses are defeated, a penultimate boss appears. Mega Man and Proto Man both face the Yellow Devil from Mega Man's first outing as a hero, while Bass faces VAN Pookin, a boss that appeared in his first appearance in the series. As is usual with Mega Man games, the final boss for all three characters is Dr. Wily, who appears in a killer robot that he invented. This time around it is a giant floating Wily Machine which must be defeated in three different forms.

The artwork is spectacular, bringing the Mega Man to life in all of his 16-bit glory. It looks very much like Mega Man's Super NES outings, which is a good thing indeed. The SNES games contain some of the best sprite and background work in the entire series The soundtrack is spectacular, taking full advantage of Capcom's venerable CP System, or CPS-1, board. The music is just the right mix of Mega Man and Street Fighter II, and using the board that powered the latter was a stroke of genius. The board was discontinued in 1995, the year that Mega Man: The Power Battles was released. It was long in the tooth but still contained enough bite to bring the blue bomber to arcades a game that was one of four final games for the CPS-1, and was a great capper to that system's legacy.

Mega Man: The Power Battles is an arcade game that takes one of the best aspects of the Mega Man games, the boss battles, and presents them in the form of a one-on-one fighter. The venerable CPS-1 arcade board is utilized fantastically here. The artwork, gameplay, and music are all fantastic. The fact that all of the nuances are here, including the capture and use of boss weapons, makes this an arcade game that will certainly entertain fans of the Mega Man series and fighting game fans alike.

Final Verdict:

4½ out of 5

Free-to-Play Endless Runner Video Game Review: Super Mario Run

Super Mario Run is Nintendo's successful attempt to take the tried-and-true Super Mario series and blend it with the popular endless runner genre for Android and iOS devices.

It's a no-brainer really. The Super Mario series consists of 2D and 3D platforming games that are all about running and jumping. Super Mario Run takes these elements and wraps them in 3D graphics on a 2D scrolling playfield. Of course, when you simplify Mario's moves down to a single screen tap, things have to be changed up a bit. Tapping the screen when Mario is on a wall causes him to perform a wall jump, an acrobatic leap first seen in Super Mario 64. There are also pause blocks on the floor which cause Mario to stand in place. They don't appear often, but when they do, Mario can use them to better time his jumps.

There are also many other characters that can be unlocked, including Luigi, Princess Peach, Princess Daisy, Toad, Toadette, and multiple colors of Yoshi including green, red, blue, yellow, and purple. These characters have their own quirks that help out in game play. Many of these abilities stemmed from the international Super Mario Bros. 2, including Luigi's high jumps, Peach's glide ability. The speed inherent to Toad in that game also applies to Toadette's by proxy. Yoshi's flutter jumps from the Yoshi's Island subseries of Super Mario games also appears here. Daisy gains an ability unique to this game, which is the capability to perform a double jump.

Since this was Nintendo's first mobile game, it employed the fair process of upgrading from free to premium as seen in most of Nintendo's free-to-play Nintendo 3DS games. Paying a set fee of $10 USD enables the entire game. This unlocks worlds past 1-4 in World Tour mode. It also opens up the ability to unlock Peach, as the ability to play as the Princess Toadstool of the Mushroom Kingdom unlocks after she is saved from Bowser's clutches in world 6-4.

The music in these World Tour levels are at a quality expected from a Nintendo title. It really has a nostalgic feeling, only heightened by the use of classic sound effects and short vocals from the same actors who portray the characters in other games.

Other playable game modes include Toad Rally, a fun game where the goal is to play against a saved run from another player to see try to collect more toads than your opponent. Picking up coins cause more toads to flock to your side. Picking up a star or wonder flower causes a coin rush, in which many coins appear in the game field. The winner of the game is the player with the most coins, which means they have amassed the most Toads.

Coins can be used in Kingdom Builder mode to purchase items to place in the player's Mushroom Kingdom. This is highly customizable and gives each player a unique kingdom, although sadly it's for your eyes only as other player's kingdoms can not be visited. Some unique decorations have also appeared periodically to promote various games in the wider Mario series.

The last game mode is Remix 10. This adds some spice to the World Tour levels. The goal is to complete short remixes of these levels. Each level contains three bonus medals. Collecting these range from easy jumps to harder jumps that require Mario to jump off objects or enemies. A special award, a decoration to use in your Mushroom Kingdom, is gained after completing ten levels. After thirty levels are completed, the player will unlock Princess Daisy.

Super Mario Run is a fun little mobile game that places Mario firmly in the endless runner genre. It contains all of the hallmarks of games in the wider Super Mario series, including the fantastic cartoony backgrounds and character models, music, sound effects, and vocals. The fact that there are five unique playable characters and five variants gives it more variety, as does the various play modes. The standard world-based gameplay of World Tour is the game's bread-and-butter, but once that is completed there is still fun to be had in Remix 10, which adds short remixes of these levels and collectibles for the player to use to decorate their Mushroom Kingdom. The real standout here is the online Toad Rally mode. It's a lot of fun to play against ghost runs from other players to see if you can do better than them before time runs out. Chances are this is where most of your time playing this game will accrue. The game didn't light the world on fire, but for a reasonable price to unlock everything, it's a satisfying little time-waster.

Final Verdict:

4 out of 5

Arcade Beat 'Em Up Game Review: X-Men

X-Men is an arcade beat 'em up. It is one of approximately ten arcade games in that genre developed by Konami in the 1990s

It is the only video game which has character designs based on the animated pilot X-Men: Pryde of the X-Men. The playable character roster includes Cyclops, Colossus, Wolverine, Storm, Nightcrawler and Dazzler. The fact that the character designs are taken from the Pryde pilot actually works well for the game because those designs were based on some classic art from the comics, albeit sometimes in different colors such as Dazzler's jacket being brown instead of blue. Some of the designs are great for comics fans, such as Wolverine in the brown and tan colors given to him by the Marvel Comics artist John Byrne.

As is usual for Konami beat 'em ups of the era, the sprite work is superb. The pixel art really does resemble its source material to a tee. The animation is great here, with expressive movements that bring each Marvel hero to life as well as the animated series it is based on. The backgrounds are also well designed, perfectly bringing the world of the X-Men to the pixelated world of 1990s arcade games.

The music was always excellent in the classic Konami arcade games, and X-Men is no exception. The music captures the atmosphere of the Marvel universe fantastically. The sound effects also compliment the music. They also fit into the game world well, as they range from the mundane fight sound effects to futuristic sounds when the game veers from comic logic into science fiction territory, which is often.

The plot is simple. The X-Men have to defeat their archenemy, the master of magnetism, Magneto. He is once again trying to upend human civilization and is sending many mutants that are on his side after the X-Men. There are many classic X-Men villains that appear in this game. The villains that appear the most due to their non-human nature are the mutant-hunting robots known as the Sentinels and the X-Men-hating cyborgs known as the Reavers. The former should be familiar to most X-Men fans as they appeared in one of the best X-Men movies produced by 20th Century Fox, X-Men: Days of Future Past.

Other enemies that appear in the game are classic X-Men villains. Many should be familiar as they have appeared in various X-Men films. These mutants include Mystique, Pyro, Blob, the White Queen Emma Frost, and Juggernaut. The small Sentinels in X-Men: Days of Future Past were based on the nearly indestructible Sentinal-descendant known as Nimrod from the comic of the same name. He appears in the game in his full glory. The other villains never appeared in the films, but they have crossed the paths of the X-Men in the comics many times. These two villains are the Living Monolith and Wendigo.

Although he isn't a playable character, the benefactor of the X-Men, Professor X, appears in the game when he is kidnapped by Magneto. As it is based on the Pryde of the X-Men pilot, it's only natural that when Charles Xavier is captured, Kitty Pryde would be captured as well. This culminates in a tense final boss battle against the master of magnetism himself.

X-Men is a fantastic arcade game that brings the world of the X-Men circa the 1990s to life in a bombastic fashion. Although the Pryde of the X-Men animated television pilot was never picked up for a full series, the choice to use the character models for the game was a wise decision. The pilot had looks for the X-Men that were pulled from classic comics but were rarely seen outside of them, including Wolverine's classic brown and tan suit. As an X-Men fan, it was fun to see these designs in action in a video game. The sprite and background art are fantastic, the music and sound effects are top notch, and the beat 'em up formula is Konami at its best. Any fan of arcade beat 'em ups owes it to themself to try this game at least once. It's truly astonishing.

Final Verdict:

Arcade Multidirectional Shoot 'Em Up Game Review: Asteroids

Asteroids is a multidirectional shoot 'em up game that was released by Atari to arcades in 1979. It was highly successful, led to many sequels by Atari and its successors, and inspired games from other companies.

It is a game where a spaceship is floating in space and asteroids are flying into it. The goal is to shoot asteroids as well as the asteroid chunks that explode from them. The ship has a thruster which can be used to avoid the asteroids, but the ship will continue in the direction of the thrust unless another is initiated in another direction. Flying saucers will also periodically appear, and like Space Invaders before it, bonus points will be awarded if they are destroyed.

As the ship is in space, the ship can be rotated three-hundred sixty degrees. This rotation can help aim towards the asteroids to line up a shot as well as to choose a direction to move the ship. It is really helpful as the rotation happens quickly, so a well timed activation of the thrusters can keep the ship from blowing up from an asteroid hit.

For as timeless as the gameplay feels, the sound is relegated to simple sounds for the thrust, shots, asteroid explosions, ship explosions, and saucer sounds. There is also a thumping sound, akin to a heartbeat, that increases in intensity as the game goes on. 

The graphics in Asteroids are something that the video game industry hasn't seen in decades outside of retro releases. The displays we are used to are raster that use grids of pixels to display graphics, while Atari's Asteroid used a vector monitor. These monitors used sharp lines for its graphics, which created geometrical shapes without the ability to fill in objects.

There were color vector monitors, but Asteroids was completely in black and white. This actually works well for a game set in the endless dark of space. The triangle-shaped ship with two prongs at the bottom should look familiar to most people. It's the shape of the default marker on navigation devices using the cluster of over thirty satellites that make up the United States Global Positioning System,

The reason for this is interesting. Etak, the company founded in 1983 by Stan Honey, Ken Milnes, and Alan Philips was funded by Catalyst Technologies, a technology incubator that was founded by Nolan Bushnell, the co-founder of Atari. Etak pioneered navigational systems and designed the arrow icon specifically after the ship from Asteroids. Modern GPS navigators descend from the Etak Navigator, and the Asteroids ship is the most visible aspect that shows this today.

Asteroids is a classic that is still fun to play today. The vector graphics are antiquated now, but they still do an admirable job portraying the space ships and asteroids. The vector trail left by the shots are also trippy when played on real hardware or in emulators that have simulation of that effect. That's something that isn't seen in today's screens without purposefully coding a simulation of the effect into a game. The uniqueness of the vector effects and the timeless gameplay make this a game that deserves to be played by any shoot 'em up fan for a game or two, if not more.

Final Verdict:

4 out of 5

Arcade Vertically Scrolling Shoot 'Em Up Review: Meta Fox

Meta Fox is a vertically scrolling shoot 'em up arcade game developed by Seta and distributed by International Video Consumer Systems and Romstar.

This was the first fully working arcade cabinet I ever owned, way back in 2000 when I was 20. It is the reason that I used the name MetaFox on the internet for years. I still use that name, as a matter of fact, on projects for which I volunteer, such as in my work on the ScummVM wiki. That's why it took me a while to even consider to review this one. I've decided to do so now, as I'm fully confident that I can separate the game itself from my intimate history with the name in order to do as close to an unbiased review as possible.

Meta Fox is one of several vertically scrolling shooters in the vein of Capcom's 19XX series. Up to to players simultaneously take control of a plane flying over terrain or water. Planes will attack and ground weapons will also fire up at the red and blue player planes.

The controls are simple. Each player has an eight-way joystick to control the vertical and horizontal movement of their respective airplane. There are just two buttons. One fires bullets, which are unlimited. The other button fires a limited number of bombs. The bombs are especially useful as they will clear all enemies from the entire current screen.

There are upgrades that can be grabbed from some defeated enemies. P powerups will upgrade the primary weapon by increasing its power, the rate of fire, and the spread of the bullets fired in order to hit multiple enemies at once. There are also upgrades which allow players to carry and release more screen clearing bombs.

The graphics are what you'd expect from a game of its genre. They cover desert terrain, large swaths of water, aircraft carriers, and enemy targets like bases, tanks, and trucks. The bullet animations get bigger and brighter as the upgrades are gained, which really help to sell the bombastic presentation when paired with the sound.

Speaking of sound, this is the part that really elevates the game over many of its competitors. Everything is big and loud by design. The firing and explosion sounds are intense. The collect sound has a unique quality that keeps it noticeable while the soundtrack is playing. The soundtrack is where the game shines. The main song loop has a nice 1980s punk rock vibe that is just a blast to listen to. It gives a dash of adrenaline when it starts at the beginning of each stage. The really unique part is the song that plays during the final boss fight and the ending credits. It's a punk rock song complete with vocals from a female singer that has a voice reminiscent of Joan Jett or Nancy Wilson from Heart. 

Meta Fox is a fun vertically scrolling shooter. It isn't a classic of the genre as it is derivative of games such as Capcom's much more well known 19XX series with its graphics, gameplay, and powerups. The thing that takes it beyond mere clone territory, however, is its sound design. The sound effects are big and bombastic, especially paired with the fantastic punk rock soundtrack. It's that aspect alone that might entice you to give this one a try if you ever manage to come across it.

Final Verdict:

3½ out of 5

Action Game Review: Spider-Man

Spider-Man was an action game by Parker Brothers that was developed by one of the earliest female video game designers, Laura Nikolich. It was the first video game based on a Marvel Comics character and it was the first Spider-Man video game.

  
Spider-Man scales a building while defusing bombs set by his iconic enemy, the Green Goblin. The limitations of the Atari 2600 actually worked in favor for the game, as he doesn't climb up the wall but uses his webs to swing vertically and diagonally. This gives it an authentic Spider-Man feel and differentiates it from Nichibutsu's Crazy Climber, which was still fresh in the mind of gamers as it had only been released two years earlier.

However, its age and console limitations also limit the amount of sound produced. There is the whoosh of the web, clacking of the Green Goblin's glider, and explosion from the bombs. Beyond that, there is a neat chiptune track that plays at the start of the game. The limited sound doesn't really hinder the game that much, all things considered, as it's a classic arcade formula that works for the time period of the game's release.

Spidey has to avoid criminals that move randomly through the building, can be seen in windows, and can be captured. He can also capture them upon contact. There's an additional challenge due to the fact that the criminals in the window will cut Spider-Man's web if they come into contact with it. However, the web slinger can prevent himself from losing a life by slinging a web before he falls too far down the screen.

As Spider-Man gets higher up the building, he can defuse bombs set by the Green Goblin. The bombs are black until they change to red when they are about to explode. If Spidey defuses a red bomb in time to prevent its explosion, he will gain more points than the bombs that remain black. 

Just as he doesn't have to capture the criminals in the windows, he also can just avoid the exploding bombs. However, capturing criminals and defusing bombs will refill Spider-Man's web fluid. If this fluid runs out, Spidey will fall off the building and lose a life. The amount of web fluid left in his web shooters can be seen via a red indicator bar at the lower right of the screen.

At the top of the building, Spider-Man has to stop Green Goblin's plan. He has set several small bombs as well as a large super bomb. Spider-Man has to stop a set number of enemies and bombs until the super bomb has its fuse lit. Once Spider-Man successfully avoids the Green Goblin and defuses his super bomb, the level ends. 

Because it is a game from the early 1980s, the point of the game is to earn as many points as possible, as it is designed like an arcade game. Once the Green Goblin is defeated, Spider-Man will have to climb a building with faster enemies and bombs. The levels continue until Spider-Man loses all his life.

Spider-Man is a solid first outing for Marvel's resident web head. The arcade-style gameplay is fun and challenging, and the use of his webs and web fluid is well thought out and works perfectly in sync with the source material. There are limited sound effects and music, as the latter is restricted to the beginning of each level. It's not a classic, but it's not a dud. You can still a fun time playing it for a quick game fix today. That's the real test of time, and Spidey definitely passes the bar. 'Nuff said!

Final Verdict:

3½ out of 5

Arcade Platform Game Review: Popeye

Valentine's Day is here, so what better arcade game to celebrate the day than Popeye? It is the arcade game that Nintendo designer Shigeru Miyamoto was finally able to create after the plans to make a game based on the Popeye series earlier fell apart and was reworked into Donkey Kong. The Popeye we did receive doesn't quite reach the heights of Mario's premiere, but does have its own charm.

The graphics capture the look of the characters quite well. The sprites are large and expressive, and the animation is well done. This is especially true of the animation of Bluto reaching under a platform to try to knock Popeye into the water. That's still the image that immediately pops into my head decades after the game was released. It's just that well animated.

Like the Popeye comics and shorts that inspired it, Popeye tries to earn the love of Olive Oyl while avoiding the aggression of the competitor for Olive's heart, Bluto. Olive Oyl throws out hearts, and Popeye catches them. When the hearts completely fill up the Popeye-tagged house at the top of the playing field, the game will go to the next level. Other levels swap out the hearts for other items such as musical notes, and letters spelling out the word help.

There are three unique levels that repeat at higher difficulties as the game goes on. These include the docks, a village, and a pirate ship. These three levels will include some of the secondary characters from Popeye media including Swee-Pea, Wimpy, and the Sea Hag. It really is a visual treat for fans of the Popeye franchise.

Popeye has several ways to fight back against Bluto. He can punch an object that will drop on top of his nemesis. The most fitting way to fight back is using the spinach cans that appear on the side of the platform, much like the hammers in Donkey Kong. When Popeye punches a spinach can, the famous Popeye the Sailor Man music will play in chiptune format, Popeye will turn red, and Bluto will run away. When Popeye connects his fist with Bluto, the latter will bounce around the screen and fall into the water.

Other than the theme song, there is a song that plays over each level. It is a simple, innocuous tune that doesn't become annoying when it plays on repeat. There is also a small four or five note tune that plays when Popeye collects an item that Olive is dropping. Beyond the music, there are also sound effects including a deep sound when Bluto jumps, a popping sound that plays when Popeye hits objects with his usual non-Bluto obliterating punch, a sweeping sound when Bluto is trying to knock Popeye in the water, and a clip clop sound for Popeye's steps.

Popeye is a cute little arcade game that didn't reach the classic status of those starring Mario and Donkey Kong. Even though it isn't as well known as its arcade brethren, Popeye is still a fun little game with its own charms. The large detailed sprite work matches the look of the characters well, famous characters from the Popeye series make cameo appearances, the classic theme song is translated to chiptune format well, and the new music and sound effects work well alongside the other elements of the game presentation. If you get a chance to play it, chances are you will find the game fun for a play or two.

Final Verdict:
4 out of 5

Action Platform Game Review: Splatterhouse: Wanpaku Graffiti

It's Friday the 13th, so what better video game to review than one that is part of a series inspired by the film named today's date. Splatterhouse: Wanpaku Graffiti is a parody of Namco's 1988 beat 'em up inspired by American slasher horror films, Splatterhouse. It took the bloody concept to an overly cute level and somehow, against all odds, made it work.

Wanpaku Graffiti was developed for the Family Computer as a spoof of the original Splatterhouse. It was developed by Now Production, who would go on to work on the series proper for the remaining two games of the classic trilogy. The game has an anime style vibe to it, with crazy situations and characters that are presented in a cute chibi, or super deformed, style.

The plot is kept simple, as it should be for a game inspired by 1980s slasher films. The game's hero is Rick, an axe-wielding man wearing a hockey mask in the same vein as Jason Voorhies from the Friday the 13th film series. A giant living jack-o-lantern known as the Pumpkin King picks up Rick's girlfriend Jennifer off the ground and floats away with her, which sets the game in motion as Rick follows after her.

While Splatterhouse was a beat 'em up game, Splatterhouse: Wanpaku Graffiti is an action platform game. Rick jumps across the terrain and slashes at cute enemies like tiny zombies or vampires with his giant axe. He can also pick up shotguns with limited ammunition at various parts of the game. After Rick defeats more enemies, his maximum health will increase, giving him a better chance of getting Jen back. There is a counter at the top of the screen which lets Rick know how many enemies he has to eliminate in order to improve his health.

As a game for the Family Computer, there is quite a bit of chiptune music available. The sound hardware has a timeless sound to it, and some great music has come out of Nintendo's venerable 8-bit machine when given to talented composers. That is certainly the case here, as Anna Puruna and Masakatsu Maekawa have created some fun music that fits the silly vibe of the game very well. The usual hit, slash, and lighting effects produced by Famicom games of that era are also present, and go a long way to make the game an entertaining experience.

Splatterhouse: Wanpaku Graffiti is an example of a game that sounded like a weird idea on paper, but actually turned out to be fantastic in practice. Cute graphics and a slasher horror-inspired game should not mix, but I'm happy to say that they do work extremely well. The music and sound effects also add to the experience, as does the fun level design. As a Famicom game from the 1980s, there is a password system in place rather than a proper save system that would have required battery-backed RAM back in the day. Luckily, the game has been re-released through emulation on the first Namco Museum Archives compilation, so save states are now available. Even better, now is the best time to play the game as the re-release gave the game its first English localization, which let this game make its way out of Japan officially for the first time.

Final Verdict:

4 out of 4

Arcade Maze Game Review: Pac-Mania

Pac-Mania was the tenth video game in the Pac-Man series. It had a combination of factors that made it unique as it never was directly replicated following its release, so it this is a game retains its own place in the Pac-Man pantheon.

It was developed by Namco and distributed to arcades by Namco in Japan and Atari Games in North America in 1987. It followed the General Computer Corporation-developed maze arcade game Jr. Pac-Man from 1984 and the Namco-developed platform arcade game Pac-Land from 1984 that was based on the 1982-1983 Hanna Barbara animated television series

As the game that directly followed both of the aforementioned games, Pac-Mania included aspects from both of them. It included the scrolling mazes that were introduced in Jr. Pac-Man, but this time they scroll both horizontally and vertically. The larger mazes also allow the addition of more ghosts to the mix. The usual four colors return, with three more colors joining them. The traditional ghosts include the red ghost Blinky, the pink ghost Pinky, the cyan ghost Inky, and the orange ghost Clyde. Sue, the ghost introduced in Ms. Pac-Man as the orange ghost, is presented as purple.

As a platform game, Pac-Land was the first game in the series that allowed Pac-Man to jump. Even though Pac-Mania is a return to the maze genre, he has the ability to jump here as well. His jump is difficult to master as it is delayed and floaty by design, since it doesn't need the precision of platform game jumping. Once you get used to jumping, however, it becomes quite convenient to jump over ghosts that aren't activated as the standard edible blue after eating a larger power pellet. To counter Pac-Man's new jump ability, there are now two new ghosts. They are a green ghost named Punky and a grey ghost named Spunky. They are bigger than the regular ghosts, but it is still possible to jump over Punky if Pac-Man times his jump correctly. However, it is impossible to jump over Spunky.

The bonus items once again sit below the ghost gate as in the original Pac-Man. Most of these award the usual bonus points from fruits, but there are two special colored power pellets that give additional affects. If Pac-Man eats a red pellet, the point total for eating the ghosts will be doubled. If Pac-Man eats the green pellet, Pac-Man will temporarily receive a boost in speed.

Beyond the gameplay changes, the presentation also saw a stark change from previous games. The mazes are now laid out isometrically with a 2.5 dimensional presentation. Because the edges of the mazes can now be seen, the graphics make good use of this additional half a dimension. Mazes take on various shapes such as interconnecting Lego-like bricks, mazes that look like neon tubes, pyramid blocks, and cubes. The cutscene breaks also make a return, in a fittingly comical manner.

The sound also matches the upgraded visuals. The eating and dying sound effects are joined by jumping effects, but the standout is the music. Pac-Land had a pleasing loop of the Hanna-Barbara Pac-Man theme song, but this game gives some variety to match each of the levels. It's the pinnacle of sound design for the maze side of the Pac-Man sequels.  

Pac-Mania is a game that takes everything about previous Pac-Man titles and builds upon them. The 2.5D isometric graphics, fun sound effects, and pleasing music really make this game a joy to play. The jumping aspect leaves a bit to be desired, however, as it is not as responsive as those in the Pac-Man platform games. That's the only aspect that brings the score down a bit, but it's not enough to keep it from being one of the best Pac-Man maze games ever produced. 

Final Verdict:

4½ out of 5