retro – Savior Gaming

X-Out: Resurfaced (Xbox Review)

X-Out: Resurfaced was sent to me by ININ Games a company you all know I love for their ability to bring games from the past to the modern era. (seriously if you guys are listening, The Guardian Legend is begging you for an update) and once again they have nailed this one. If you enjoyed the original don’t think, just go pick this one up. It is worth the $20.

The game itself is a typical side-scrolling shooter straight from the Amiga days of computer shooters. You get some money, build a submarine, start on the left-hand side of the screen, move to the right avoiding bullets and enemies, and use assorted powerups and bullets of your own to make your way to the boss.

The game is beautiful and easy to control. Also, no game has pissed me off this badly since, actually, I don’t know when. BloodBorne review maybe, and I have beat Dark Souls 2 and Elden Ring since then. The game is not easy, and it is hard in the best way possible. There are no cheap deaths here. It is all skill, or lack of skill that will kill you. If you can’t “git gud” as they say, look up the cheat codes. Yes, those exist, just like the good old days. When ININ brought this bad boy from the past they left those intact.

This game isn’t for everyone, it is hard and it is a niche genre of game from a niche time in gaming. But for the people who love that period, it is a must-have for your collection. 9/10, best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Princess Maker 2 Regeneration Review (Nintendo Switch)

I can say a lot of things about this lifesim from the early 90’s that has been redone for today,and I will. Right after I thank Bliss Brain and Gainax for tossing me a copy. It’s always a pleasure.

I won’t go into too much depth with the story, suffice it to say a god gives you a child free of sin to raise after you save a kingdom and you will make many choices that can lead to at least 70 endings. These choices will do things like raise any of I don’t know how many stats, probably around 2 dozen I never counted them. Some have real uses you will see in action like attack and defense for battles. Others are more like cooking or decorum which are things your princess does or how she behaves.

The game plays much like the first,you make a schedule and she will follow it for the month. Send her to work to make some money (apparently her father is a slaver as well as a hero) or send her to school to study things like fencing or horseback riding.

As cute as the game is it does have some fundamental issues, nothing that ruins the game by any means but it does make it harder. I’m not crazy about the chosen font which in a bigger screen is no big deal but if you toss it in your switch lite does get a little harder to read (it is still perfectly legible) and the game doesn’t offer much guidance. For example it doesn’t tell you that the 30 gold it cost for classes or per day, and you can only send your princess to class for parts of the month not single days. It’s a very quick way to burn through your cash.

I’m sure the game came with an instruction manual back in the day,but today it does not. And while graphically it’s improved and the controls aren’t bad at the price they are asking I would have like more done to it. The game is still fun and is a 6 out of 10. Id pick it up on sale for fans of the genre. Best wishes and may the Gaming gods bring you glory.

GoldenEye 007 Xbox Review

GoldenEye is one of those classics from 1997 that most people seem to have fond memories of,and I am no different. I don’t even know how many hours were spent with Friends on my N64 playing with proximity mines on multiplayer and rocket launchers panic shooting each other in the face or taking turns seeing you can beat The Dam the fastest (nobody ever beat my friend Robbie,dude was a beast) and of course because we were teens and unlocked paintball mode we would make a penis on random walls.

When I saw this was coming to GamePass or course I wanted to relive the golden days, unfortunately Robbie lives in Europe now and many of my other friends from back then are dead or I have no clue where they are. I could still however enjoy the single player aspect.

You will hear mixed things about this port, because it is just that. It is a port of the original in all its 30FPS N64 graphics glory with modern controller support,and the only multiplayer in existence is the good old fashioned split-screen. I actually don’t have an issue with this,in fact it is all I wanted. Added in some achievements for unlocking the chests and beating the levels and I am happy. Others however are upset about what is not included,and I understand that to an extent. Online multiplayer would have been nice since I am told they did add that to the Nintendo Switch version.

Compared to many of the shooters out there now and since then this one didn’t hold up very well. As a kid I never noticed how bad the AI was or how bad some of the levels actually were, but it was still fun to play for a bit. Best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Moto Roader MC PS4 Review

I wrote about the release of this recently and Ratalaika Games was nice enough to shoot me over a copy to review and as always I am grateful for that.

This is first and foremost a retro racing game. The classic top view flying around the track against the computer or your friends in what looks easy but always ends with someone swearing and bouncing off a wall from first place into 4th because that damn red car shot you with a missile.

Ok sorry flashback into playing this game with my daughter over the weekend aside who always insisted on being the red car,yes I am still salty about losing that race. This game is a ton of fun. The graphics are the perfect mix of an update from the 1992 release making it feel fresh but they aren’t so updated that the nostalgia is lost.

The sound also has the same feeling. They updated it just enough so I don’t feel trapped in the 90’s with outdated sound but they didn’t update it so much that I feel like what I wanted from the game was lost.

Truly this is how you do a retro game. Give me some fresh graphics and sound, but don’t ruin the original things that made it great and that is what we have here. Just a simple racing game with races that take about a minute. You can shoot each other with missiles or toss little grenades out the back.

All in all I can happily say this is a great game and I had a blast playing it with my 15 year old daughter. As far as retro games go this is a 9/10. Plenty of races to enjoy, the ability to change car types mid race (it does seem to be just cosmetic) and even some fun mini games such as soccer. If you like retro games especially racing, great game. Best wishes and may the gaming gods being you glory.

Cotton 100% PS4 Review

As always I want to give a huge shout out to my friends over at ININ games for tossing me a copy of this one to review. It is always appreciated.

Cotton 100% was never released in the west but was originally released for the SNES in Japan. It is actually nice that this series is finally getting released here in America.

Cotton 100% is actually more of a side scrolling shooter, think along the lines of Gradius. As the screen moves to the side you will be shooting enemies that fly towards you or drop bombs or use other power ups on them. Unlike most games however where you will fly around in some sort of ship or such, you actually are a cute little pink haired witch on a broom.

Honestly she might have a name, but as of when I played it the game is only in it’s original Japanese. This doesn’t actually do anything to the game play and you could easily look up the story, I just didn’t bother. The game play was enough to keep me interested.

Graphically the game looks nice, it isn’t anything to write home about but we are looking at a re-release here. If you are walking into this expecting AAA graphics you aren’t having realistic expectations. The enemies are pretty well designed and the bosses are down right adorable. In fact I will go so far as to say they are probably the high point of the game itself. Each one is just greatly designed.

The sound unfortunately is where the game suffered the most for me. It wasn’t by any means bad, it just wasn’t exactly good. For me it just felt dated and stiff. And really could have used some sort of a bigger update or clearing up.

The truth about this game is quite simple, it’s fun but there isn’t anything special about it. It’s definitely worth playing playing and is a solid 7/10, but truth be told it’s a very niche game for people that love retro games. Best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Turrican Flashback Review (PS4)

Turrican Flashback, what can I besides thank you to my friends over at ININ games for tossing me another beautiful retro remake. I always love getting the chance to play these and they are quickly becoming one of my favorite companies to work with.

As always, if you aren’t a fan of retro games this isn’t going to be the collection that changes your mind. If you enjoyed the original releases though or even just like retro games and games like the old school Contra, this one is for you.

Graphically this is a massive update from the original but nothing is lost from those things we love. The explosions and such still look like they are from the SNES era but they are simply far more clean and crisp.

The sound that many remember the original for even decades later sounds better than ever and will still have you feeling nostalgic while being grateful for the improvements.

There are also a host of new things added such as the ability to rewind when you inevitably die making a badly timed jump or because like an idiot you stand in top of an enemy. I assume someone has done that. Not me, I totally didn’t do it. I am sure someone did tho. There are also different shaders and wallpapers to use but besides a quick look through I didn’t much bother with them since as you guys know they aren’t my thing.

The game play is fun yet challenging,but it’s that old school challenging. Only so many lives to go around. The rewind button was helpful to get better, but if you want trophies you have to play without that option. This bothered me however because it felt like I was being punished for an option you gave to me to use. It didn’t ruin the fun or anything it just seemed a bit odd.

The game functioned perfectly, I didnt notice any kind of graphical or sound issues and it never froze on me which is important. I enjoyed my time with it and it was a fun history lesson that many people will love. One thing it isn’t tho is a game you will want to sink hundreds of hours into. It is best played here and there when you want to kill some time. A solid 7/10. Best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Super Punch Out

Super Punch Out is another game I love to go back and play occasionally. It is a boxing game where each fight follows a set pattern and each one has its one set of moves. Tho I still don’t get how I can get kicked in the damn face so often in a boxing match.

Anyway the first fight is against a guy that has a record of 1-99. Not sure who he beat, you can basically win this fight randomly smashing buttons.

As the game goes on the fights get more challenging. Some guys you have to stun before you can hit a weak spot or you have to dodge and counter a certain move. The last two guys have a similar record tho one is undefeated and the other has one loss against the other which I always thought was fun.

This is another game that seems like it wouldn’t be fun but to me was the best this series had to offer. Best wishes and may the gaming gods being you glory.

Super Mario RPG

Every so often I love to go back and play what I consider a classic, and Super Mario RPG is one of those. You play as Mario and start out by raiding Bowsers Keep to save the Princess. Suddenly a giant sword slams through the castle and everyone is tossed out.

After this you will set off on a journey to find the Princess, tho this time you will be doing it in a turn based RPG filled with characters to join as you try to find magical stars. These characters do include the Princess herself and Bowser along with a few others. Each character has their own play style and moves to master.

It was always just fun to see the Mushroom Kingdom in this way, and to see new enemies, a new boss and even new characters made it even better honestly. The story is still great and graphically for its time it was phenomenal, and holds up well with controls that to this day are fluid and easy to use. If somehow you missed this one, go try it now.best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

The Devil’s Rejects (2005)

A Rob Zombie movie and a direct sequel to House of 1000 Corpses is the store of the Firefly family and their house being raided by the police. After a grand shootout, mama firefly is caught, a man is dead and Baby (Sheri Moon Zombie) and Otis (Bill Moseley) are on the run.

They quickly call their father, Captain Spaulding (Sid Haig) to meet up at a motel before finding a more permanent safe haven, as they are on the run from Sheriff Wydell (William Forsythe)

The movie takes place in basically stages, as Baby and Otis need a motel room and kidnap a group and essentially torture and murder them. The scene is pretty messed up and brutal and really gets the point across about how messed up these 2 really are.

There is also a scene were Spaulding’s truck runs out of gas so he steals a car, so he punches out a woman and threatens to murder a child if when he comes back he doesn’t have a good reason as to why clowns don’t make him laugh.

The movie is honestly quite messed up and demented and contains one of my favorite movie quotes of all time. It is definitely worth checking out, best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory. Also, fair warning, the video below is definitely R rated.

https://youtu.be/sGZG_JBr7uQ

Final Fantasy 8 Remastered

Oh Final Fantasy 8, how I have loved thee since I was a child. The GF’s, the characters, the world itself and the monster designs. As a kid, I used to love these things. However, did this translate to modern times and how did this remaster come out? According to my Platinum trophy pretty damn well.

The story is as you remember, that hasn’t been altered. You play as Squall Leonhart. Student of Balamb, member of SeeD. After being sent on his first mission and meeting Rinoa Heartilly things suddenly take a weird turn and our crew ends up on a quest to stop the Sorceress.

The story aside that I don’t want to delve into deep. The graphical upgrades to the characters are amazing, tho I am a bit disappointed the same treatment wasn’t given to most of the environment. The upgrades to the combat system are nice for an odd reason. You can up the game speed by 3 times, have no encounters and easy combat which basically makes you invincible unless you get killed in one hit, makes your gauge charge almost instantly and your limit breaks will always be charged. This makes the game a breeze to play outside of certain battles. However, if like me you are impatient and hate how long drawing all the magic takes, you can now do in minutes what used to take hours. That alone for me is worth it.

For the trophy hunters in this group, I won’t call this one easy but I will call it straight forward. Only about 3 of them are missable and if you are careful, those aren’t hard to get anyway. You only have to go slightly out of your way for them the benefits for doing so are pretty worth it.

The only issue is if you use the 3X speed upgrade, the game feels really slow in combat when you stop, and it’s really tempting to use the combat assist to heal yourself. Unless you are strong-willed or just want to experience the story avoid using them at all.

I did, however, love the game and have no real complaints with the remaster itself. I for one am glad to finally see this on a modern console and encourage everyone to give it a shot. Best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.