Category: Game reviews

As always, I want to give a huge shout out to the guys over at ININ games for tossing me a review code to this one. This game was set to release back in the 1990s but never saw the light of day. However thanks to some collaboration with the original team, we now get to see this beautiful game on the PS4 and Nintendo Switch 9 (and soon the Vita)

 

Ultracore is a simple game to describe. It is a Metroidvania style fast-paced action-filled bullet flying adventure. Of course, there is a story, and as always I’m not going to discuss it. You guys can go ahead and discover it for yourself. It has been a long time since I have simply played a game where all I needed to do was simply jump around kill enemies and, well let’s just say it, I more or less felt like I was playing Contra again.

The soundtrack was also excellent as well, it has that old school feel to it but with a new sound to it.

The game is simple to describe I will admit, but that doesn’t make the game itself easy. The usual challenges for this style of game are still there. There will be jumps that will test your skill and timing, enemies that you will need to know the pattern of.

There are also various weapons upgrades to use as you would expect from such a game.

The game isn’t perfect of course, it is a bit short and the controls are were a bit stiff for my taste. That being said, for fans of retro games and this style of game, this one is worth checking out. At 22.99 it felt like a fair price to me, I give it a 7/10. Best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

 

As always, a huge shout out and thank you to the fine folks over at Raw Fury for tossing me a review copy of this game. It is always appreciated.

Atomicrops is a game unlike pretty much any other I have ever played. It starts out with you learning how to run a small farm, then someone just drops some nuclear weapons everywhere. You still have a farm but now everything is just mutated and trying to kill you and steal your crops, which are also alive. It’s cool tho, you have all the weapons you need to defend them.

The game takes place over the course of seasons as you would expect, tho you only have to survive a few days each season unlike games like Stardew Valley that each season lasts a full month. This is a good thing since this game is much more difficult, in fact, this game probably pissed me off more than any game I have ever reviewed, with no exceptions.

I mean that in a good way tho. As you play through the game you can only be hit so many times. There are ways to replenish your hearts but depending on how your run is going the roses needed to do so may be hard to come by or rarely dropped. This is part of the fun tho because while the enemies are closing in on you sometimes you have to choose, are you taking that hit and getting those seeds you need or are you going to let them go and possibly miss them?  Small tip, don’t take the hit.

The game starts out giving you just one character but you will unlock more, and they each have their own special skill to start with. You will also be able to unlock permanent upgrades for other playthroughs. See unlike other farming games you aren’t meant to run just one farm forever, you are meant to run a farm as long as possible until you inevitably fail, learn from it then start all over again. Obviously the better you get the longer those runs last, some people can make runs last for years at a time tho I am not one of them.

This game however is a good looking and fun game that is different from what most are used to. If you are looking for a challenge and something new, this is a game you are going to want to check out. The price is also more than reasonable. The game itself tho is a solid 8 out of 10 to me. Best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

 

Before I start this review, as always, I like to say thanks for the review copy I was lucky enough to get. This time it comes from a company that is legendary Taito. I grew up playing their games and pumping quarters into machines with their logo on them so having them give me a title I was expecting to be blasted into the past.

If that is what you want here, a nostalgia trip back to your childhood in the arcade or sitting in front of your SNES blasting strange creatures collecting power-ups and saying just one more go in hopes that this time you will get just a little further than last time, you are going to be very happy with this collection.

The collection consists of nine versions of six titles, which at first I didn’t think I would appreciate but it was actually rather interesting to see the subtle and not so subtle differences between how the game changes between different releases. From just the minor graphical or sound changes or even just the different ways the weapons fire it was a great reminder that while in today’s world we talk about frame rates that change or lighting differences that many gaming fans just don’t even notice, back then you could truly see and hear vast changes from the arcade and home versions of a title. It truly is like looking backward in time at history, and it can be done quickly and easily by just going into the menu and returning to the game select screen.

The games are pretty faithful to their original releases, and they are far from easy. They are a throwback to a time when you had a couple of lives and continues and you had to beat the game or start all over again. They held up quite beautifully and the controls function smoothly on the PS4. Of the many times I died I never felt it was the fault of anyone but myself simply learning how to play a game I hadn’t experienced in over 20 years. This game won’t be for everyone, but for those looking for a challenge or that simply love retro gaming and gaming history, this one should not be missed. Taito is a legend for a reason, and this one has fond memories and is considered a classic for a similar reason because it stands the test of time.  I happily give this an 8/10. Best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

 

This is an exciting review for me to write, I first played this game years ago when at a friends house on the original NES when it was called Dragon Warrior still.

Yes, I am as old as hell itself, but it is exciting because as I write this review I can say, I finally finished a game from my childhood that has escaped me all this time. Even with the updated graphics and translations and all on the Switch the game is very basic. Much of the game is actually just grinding out levels and money. It maxes out at level 30 and if you look up a walkthrough you can seriously finish the game in probably 5 or 6 hours.

The battles are all one on one and it’s pretty much all using attack or one of the heal spells. If you are a fan of retro games it is a good time, or if you have some sort of grudge against childhood games you never finished like I do this is the version to pick up. Truthfully tho if you are just a random person looking for a good time and a cheap game to play, keep moving. You get one time, essentially no story outside of you are the chosen one and go kill the great evil with little explanation. I don’t regret my time with the game, but many of you will. Best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

First and foremost with all these things, huge thank you to the folks over at Playdigious for hooking me up with a review copy of this one, it’s always appreciated. I also discovered they made Cultist Simulator which is a pretty interesting game as well. So they have a history of trying new things and Dungeon of the Endless does in my opinion.

This game is a combination roguelike and tower defense, both of which it does well. You start in one room guarding a crystal and your job is to search the floor for things that will help you survive just a little longer. I don’t want to get into the story too much, but it is pretty basic but serves its purpose.

The game however does have certain flaws, most notably the tutorial is one of the worst I’ve come across in a while, and by that I mean it is almost non-existent. Luckily Youtube has plenty to cover it enough to get you going, and once you understand what is going on the game is a joy to play. The roguelike elements combine nicely with the tower defense as you build things up to keep your crystal safe but find the elevator to the next level.

The characters are also done amazingly in pixel art and are an awesome assortment of characters from random mercenary types to a pug, as in the dog. Yes, a dog with a weapon in its mouth. He was my favorite.  The game is simple to understand yet hard to learn and almost impossible to master, but it truly is a joy to play and is pretty much perfect for the Nintendo Switch. I found myself whipping this thing out to play whenever I could.  The game is a great 8/10 and to me is one of those games you have to own if you like these kinds of games. It is just a fun game it jump into for a bit and the graphics and sound are great. Best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.