Review: Rare Replay
Simply going on quantity Rare Replay sets a new standard for the compilation videogame. The collection is made up of thirty titles spanning a length of time not far off the entire duration of videogame history. Beginning with Jetpack in 1983 and ending with Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts in 2008, it moves from retro to modern and strikes an interesting balance between old and new games.
This Week’s Purchase: More CAVE games for the Xbox 360
Back in September last year I imported an NTSC-J Xbox 360 and began my mission to acquire all the weird and wonderful CAVE games that never made it outside of Japan. Unfortunately the large cost of both the console and the rare import shmups meant that in order to prevent financial ruin I had to put my quest on a temporary hold. But although it took longer than expected I think I’ve finally got them all, and today I’ll run through everything new in the collection since last time.
13 games to play this Halloween
With Halloween less than a week away I’m sure there’s only one thing on everyone’s mind; appropriate games for the occasion. This could be a terrifying horror game, an atmospheric Gothic adventure, or maybe just something with a giant pumpkin boss. Whatever you’re into there’s probably something for you in my list of Halloween recommendations.
This Week’s Purchase: Japanese Xbox 360 + import CAVE shmups
This week I bought a Japanese Xbox 360 and a selection of import games. Most of these are made by CAVE, who specialise in manic shooters and have ported their arcade classics to the console. With few of their titles making their way out of Japan, and many enforcing a region lockout, their library is perhaps the main reason for purchasing a Japanese system. Today I will look at the advantages and disadvantages of importing, as well as some of the games doing so will give you access to.
Review: Deathsmiles
Deathsmiles is a manic shooter made by CAVE; the undeniable masters of the genre. It takes many of the concepts found in their DoDonPachi series but instead of space ships and tanks you have a cast Gothic Lolita girls fighting evil demons with magic. Sure, it may be a little ‘Japanese’ for some, but underneath the weirdness (which you may actually quite like) you have an incredibly addictive, rewarding, and well made game designed to push you to your limits.
10 Classic Games that are also Completely Worthless
A lot of the time the value of a retro game is directly related to its quality; there’s higher demand for good games so naturally they should cost more. However, there are other factors at play too, for example rarity and desirability. There’s even a few great games that didn’t sell too well, and now there are more than enough copies to go around. Today I’ve gathered ten of my favourite titles that are not only brilliant, but for a variety of reasons are completely worthless too.
Review: Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes
Does anyone remember a game called Zone of The Enders? Released back in 2001, it saw good sales thanks to the inclusion of a demo for Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. Ground Zeroes is quite a lot like Zone of The Enders. That is if you removed pretty much everything Z.O.E is composed of. Remove it all and what’s left is a demo for a Metal Gear Solid game, just like Ground Zeroes.
Review: Call of Duty: Ghosts
The premise of Call of Duty: Ghosts is a lot like that of 24 Season 6; the calamity isn’t prevented, the nuke goes off, and a load of people are blown up, although in the case of Ghosts it’s technically a giant space laser used to fry California. Think the Hammer of Dawn but bigger and you’re halfway there. Infinity Ward’s latest game combines a grim future with familiar gameplay, and takes the series in an interesting, if slightly confused, new direction.
Review: Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag
Assassin’s Creed IV is the fifth Assassin’s Creed game in five years, pretty crazy right? But whilst some of the past entries gained notoriety for offering little variation in character and setting, Black Flag takes to the seas with astounding ambition, and proves to be as much of a step forward for the series as Assassin’s Creed III was last year. This latest title removes a few of the previous game’s most notable flaws, keeps a few, and adds a couple of new ones, all whilst retaining the signature Assassin’s Creed gameplay.
Review: Deus Ex: Human Revolution – Director’s Cut
Back in 2011, Deus Ex: Human Revolution was an impressive game with plenty of ambition. It mixed together elements from several different genres, and gave the player the ability to complete each level in a number of different ways. It mostly worked, but on reflection the game is also remembered for a few of its flaws. The Director’s Cut, originally a Wii U exclusive that ended up multi-platform, fixes the game’s most noted problems, adds all of the DLC content, and refines some of the mechanics. The result is a finely tuned version of a modern classic.
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