#review
#review
by Amr (@siegarettes)
Originally developed by DICE for the Amiga and Genesis, Ultracore was recovered and released as part of the launch of the Analgoue Mega SG, a high definition Genesis hardware clone. It remained exclusive to the system, only playable by purchasing expensive, niche hardware. Alongside a physical release from Strictly Limited, Ultracore is finally available to the wider public on Switch and PS4 as a standalone title.
Despite picking up the Mega SG on release, I never played Ultracore, aside from the times I accidentally picked it from the home menu. My reasons were the same as why I never played the release of Super Turrican-Director’s Cut on the Super NT: I’m simply not fond of the European style platformer-shooter hybrids. But with the new Switch release, and after enjoying the PS4 release of Gunlord X, I decided to give this one another chance.
by Amr (@siegarettes)
No matter what half of the Darius Cozmic Collection you start with, it’s impossible to get away from the feeling that it’s only part of a whole. That was true of my time with Cozmic Collection Console, which not only felt incomplete without the arcade games that gave it context, but even lacked key console entries itself. The arcade collection feels even thinner–giving you what’s basically a few variations on three games. But even with the smaller lineup it’s clear which of the two collections is the headliner here. Between the novelty of the absurdly wide playfields, the previous lack of arcade accurate ports and the iconic soundtracks, the Cozmic Arcade Collection easily makes a case as the best of the two parts.
By: John (@jiggly_333)
A long time ago, I used to play a lot of Facebook based sports games. Most of them were just management based games where you had to wait a certain period of time to get the tokens to get players or train. Essentially, Football Manager and Out of the Park Baseball clones, but with microtransactions. But there was one game, that was so extremely different that I think about it a lot.
by Amr (@siegarettes)
For as much charm and style as the Shantae series has had, I’ve rarely found most of its entries to be genuinely exciting. Despite their lavishly detailed landscapes, their level designs often left me unimpressed, and the moment to moment gameplay rarely diverted enough from its established design to keep it from feeling routine. Shantae and the Seven Sirens doesn’t exactly shake that feeling, but it does bring welcome change to the formula that points at a more interesting future for the series.
by Amr (@siegarettes)
Darius Cozmic Collection Console is almost more notable for the circumstances of its release than the games included in it. Announced around this time about two years ago, it came out in Japan at the start of the last year, in physical form only, with digital editions unavailable until nearly the end of the year. Additionally the “ Consumer” aka Console collection was initially as a bonus in an incredibly expensive limited edition which skyrocketed in price on the aftermarket. Its eventual digital release cost as much as the already expensive Arcade collection–which is the version that appears here. The original Japanese releases were already rough bargains, but time has made the console collection appear almost archaic, thanks to efforts of other retro collections, and even M2 themselves.
by Amr (@siegarettes)
It’s hard not to feel underwhelmed by Thunder Force AC. Based on the arcade version of Thunder Force 3, and releasing after the much flashier SEGA AGES release of Thunder Force 4, AC can’t help but feel less polished, and incomplete. Despite its significance in preserving a rare arcade game, the changes made for the game don’t always result in a better game than the console title it’s based on, just a different one.
Unlike other titles like Columns II or Tant-R, the original console version isn’t included either, which is a shame, given that its previous AGES release on the 3DS never made it out of Japan. Together Thunder Force 3 and AC could have felt like a complete package, giving players a chance to not only play a hard to find arcade title, but directly compare it to its console counterpart. Without it, Thunder Force AC feels slim alongside the other AGES titles.
by Amr (@siegarettes)
With a high detail, pre-rendered art style, an aggressive techo-rock soundtrack and high-speed free flowing combat, The Takeover feels like an alternative history sequel to Streets of Rage, and its accompanying 90’s brawler aesthetics. Homages are abound in every moment, with plenty of familiar characters and settings, and tracks that channel SOR so hard that they even hired composer Yuzo Koshiro to contribute. There are even interlude missions that break up the pacing with minigames in the style of classic SEGA arcade games. Matching those aesthetics so closely provides a good example of how they can be modernized, and what remains fraught.
By: RJ (@rga_02)
With PlayStation handhelds a thing of the past, certain genres need to find themselves a new home. One of those being the rhythm game genre. The Nintendo Switch has done a good job providing a roof over there heads. With a library containing games such as Cytus α, Groove Coaster, MUSYNX, Taiko no Tatsujin, and SUPEBEAT XONiC, the Switch has shown that it is a credible place to play rhythm games. However, there’s something missing. That something, or someone I should say, is Hatsune Miku.
