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Reviews

Dragon Blaze: Old School Shmup For Your Nintendo Switch

May 3, 2018 By ausretrogamer

Just when you thought that you have all the best old school shoot’em ups in your Switch games library, Zerodiv swoop in with their fire-breathing beauty, Dragon Blaze!

With Dragon Blaze, we may have found the perfect vertical shmup (Ed: Sorry Sonic Wings 2!). Zerodiv have yet again reminded us that Psikyo’s long forgotten library of games is full of treasured titles. We are just glad that Zerodiv are bringing these awesome games to a new (and old) generation of gamers.

There is a story-line in Dragon Blaze but it’s your usual paper thin good versus evil, where the evil doers are seeking revenge and it is up to you to stop them. Who cares about the backstory when you have an awesome game, right? Of course we are right, turn your Switch in TATE orientation, pick your knight with their accompanying winged steed and get blasting some demonic baddies!

This game is a bit of a departure from the regular Psikyo TATE shmups which is due to the introduction of a third button – the ‘Dragon Shoot’. The ‘Dragon Shoot’ enables you to dismount your fearsome dragon, lunging it forward delivering punishment until you press the button again so the winged steed returns to its master. Since your knights have wings (thus can still fly around solo), and your dragons are utterly invincible, this is your best strategy to deal not only with bosses but also some of the regular foes. This game definitely encroaches bullet-hell territory but just stops short, which is a good thing in our books.

Both graphics and music are awesome and in keeping with the medieval-fantasy setting. Every stage offers distinct and memorable backgrounds, with enemies that are distinct to the stage you are on and of course, challenging bosses. As this game is full on, you won’t have time to stop and admire the lovely graphical details.

So why does Dragon Blaze belong in your Nintendo Switch games library? Well let us tell you, it is simply brilliant, unique with its Dragon play mechanic and super addictive. This is another must-have shmup for your every growing digital arcade collection on the Switch.

Disclosure: Dragon Blaze was kindly provided by Zerodiv for this review.

 

Filed Under: Modern Gaming, Reviews Tagged With: classic, Dragon Blaze, Dragon Blaze review, Dragon Blaze Switch, game review, Nintendo Switch Dragon Blaze review, Old School, Psikyo, Retro Gaming, Review, shmup, shoot'em up, vertical shmup, Zerodiv

Nintendo Switch Review: Tengai

April 13, 2018 By ausretrogamer

Whoa, Zerodiv are absolutely on fire! Their latest Psikyo shoot’em up conversion, Tengai (aka: Sengoku Blade: Sengoku Ace Episode II) is brutally hard and oh so damn satisfying all rolled into one. If you are into superb mid-90s shmups, then you can never have enough shmups in your Switch line-up.

Tengai is a brilliant mix of horizontal shmup action (there is lots to shoot here which quenches the shmup thirst) with the flexibility to tweak difficulty levels, and trust us, you’ll be setting it to monkey mode in no time! Once you pick your character from a roster that consists of a Monk (Tengai) that shoots beads, a Ninja Warrior (Sho) that throws blades, a female Ninja (Junis) who uses her knives and shurikens, Katana that uses lasers, and the shrine maiden (Miko), who uses ofuda cards, then it is time to hit the skies over medieval Japan and dispense some justice. Each character of course has their own power-ups, which are pretty zany, from Tengai’s hawk, Sho’s mirrors, Junis’ mongoose, to Katana’s magical spear and Miko’s water spirit, these souped up powers should be used sparingly to clear the screen of all evil-doers.

The level design is linear till you come to level 5 where you face off against every previous mid-boss one after another. If you manage to get past these mid-bosses a branching path is presented prior to reaching the final boss for that epic final battle. By this stage you may be patting yourself on the back, but that would be premature as this end showdown is a timed affair, so if you do poorly, you will get your character’s ‘bad ending’ instead of a complete victory.

The gameplay also has a number of nuances like contacting enemies won’t cost you a life. Instead, your character’s firepower is downgraded, which makes progress tricky. So the object is to dodge and weave past all of the yellow/orange bullets that regularly fill the screen. Thankfully, Tengai doesn’t feel like a full-on bullet hell shooter, but there is certainly a lot going on all around the screen. If you think you will get some rest during play to enjoy the scenery, then think again! This game is full on – in a good way.

The sprite art in this game is damn gorgeous and the parallax scrolling is oh-so-ever-smooth, meaning that your eyes will thank you for the visual extravaganza! Complementing the visuals is the cool and distinctly oriental soundtrack which completes the atmosphere of the game.

We do sound like a broken record when it comes to games from Zerodiv, but this shoot’em up seriously deserves to be at the top of your Switch library – it’s shmuptastic!

image source: Tengai – Nintendo eShop

Disclaimer: Tengai was kindly provided by Zerodiv for this review.

 

Filed Under: Modern Gaming, Retro Gaming Culture, Reviews Tagged With: !Arcade!, classic, Nintendo Switch, Psikyo, Retro Gaming, Review, Sengoku Blade, shmup, shoot'em up, Switch Review, Tengai, Zerodiv

Review: Sol Divide – Sword of Darkness

April 5, 2018 By ausretrogamer

System: Nintendo Switch
Available: Switch eShop
Price: AUD $9.99 / USD $7.99

Zerodiv’s reputation to recreate awesome old school games on the Nintendo Switch is pretty much set in stone now (Ed: take that HAMSTER!). Their meticulous conversions of Psikyo’s games on the Nintendo Switch console are second to none. With a plethora of shoot’em ups under their belt, their latest Psikyo conversion is another shmup, but this time, it doesn’t involve space ships or souped up choppers – this one is refreshingly different!

Think Forgotten Worlds (to an extent) with a fantasy setting a melee and spell casting gameplay mechanic and you’d be pretty much on the money with Sol Divide – Sword of Darkness. Oh yeah, the standard graphics are also a departure with the use of CGI pre-rendered models turned into sprites and backgrounds – which actually look pretty good on the Switch.

The ever important gameplay will always be a deciding factor when playing these kind of games. Sol Divide plays like a regular horizontal scrolling shmup where you fly around the screen and using your attack button to fire and another for melee attacks. Combos are done by repeatedly hitting the melee attack button and a direction, whereas pressing both attack buttons casts a spell. Speaking of spells, there are eight of them you can learn in your quest – fire, freeze, thunder, meteor, slow, wind and fire body. There is also an extra character-exclusive spell making for a total of eleven distinct ways to unleash hell. Spells will cost mana to cast, however they can be refilled by way of melee attacks or pickups from fallen foes. Spells can quickly be cycled and selected by using the ‘L’ and ‘R’ shoulder buttons, making it a greater experience than the arcade game single button cycling.

As per the other Zerodiv Psikyo conversions, Sol Divide offers plenty of customisation such as filters and mucking around with the arcade-like DIP switches to personalise the gaming experience, like making it easy as pie or hard as hell with infinite continues!

So is Sol Divide – Sword of Darkness a worthwhile addition to your digital Switch games library? If you like horizontal-scrolling shoot’em ups with fighting and some light-on RPG elements thrown in the mix, then there is enough unique features in this game to warrant its place in your games library. Sword and vengeance starts now!

Disclaimer: Sol Divide – Sword of Darkness was kindly provided by Zerodiv for this review.

 

Filed Under: Modern Gaming, Retro Gaming Culture, Reviews Tagged With: arcade games, classic, conversion, Nintendo Switch, Old School, Psikyo, Retro Gamer, retrogaming, shmup, shmups, shooter, shoot’em ups, Sol Divide, Sol Divide - Sword of Darkness, Vintage, Zerodiv

Review: THEC64® Mini Computer

March 28, 2018 By ausretrogamer

The wait is finally over! If Nintendo can roll out their NES and SNES Mini consoles, then surely the greatest 8-bit computer deserves to have a Mini of its own. Roll out the red carpet, cause here comes THEC64® Mini!

So why would we want this C64 Mini when we already have ten original Commodore 64 computers and hundreds of games on tape and 5.25″ floppy disks? Well, the main reason is the convenience. The convenience here is that we can plug and play THEC64® Mini on our new Sony Bravia TV without concerning ourselves with tuning issues and also finding extra power outlets for the computer and disk drive. Yeah yeah, we know people will argue the “build your own Raspberry Pi with a 3D printed case”, but that sounds like a lot of effort to us.

Packaging:
Our first impressions of this unit is exactly the same impressions and feelings we had when we first got our Commodore 64 America’s Cup Family Pack edition in 1986 – “Holy Guacamole, this is ace! Look at the box and check out the cool games and stuff on the back!”. The added bonus here is that there is no John Laws caricature on the box, which is a damn good thing (Ed: Only Australians of a certain vintage will understand). You can tell you have a premium product by the quality of the packaging – and THEC64 Mini is packaged so good you won’t want to take it out.

So what’s inside the box you ask? Since you asked nicely, here you go:

  • THEC64® Mini
  • 1.5m wired USB joystick (with added function keys for game specific modes
  • USB charging cable (1.2m)
  • HDMI cable (1.2m) allowing full compatibility will all modern TVs
  • Quick Reference Guide

Build Quality:
Make no mistake, THEC64 Mini is on par, actually, it is even of a better build quality than Nintendo’s Minis! Yep, it is that good. THEC64 Mini main unit feels strong and durable, and it just looks like a shrunken C64 breadbin – it is super cute and detailed. There are no lose bits or wonky interfaces or shoddy buttons that feel like they will break at the slightest touch – everything feels polished and rock solid. This Mini should last just as long as the original C64 computers from 1982. Oh yeah, the bundled Competition Pro (CompPro) joystick is just as good, with a plethora of buttons to interact with the carousel menu and play games with. Thankfully the joystick is not microswitched, meaning you can play quietly while everyone is asleep (the fire buttons are a tad loud though). We just wish it was a TAC-2 instead of the CompPro – but that ain’t a biggie.

Entertainment:
THEC64 Mini comes with, surprise surprise, 64 built in games! Granted, there are a number of missing classics, like The Last Ninja, but hey, there is still enough awesome licensed games to satisfy even the most die-hard retro gamers.

Instead of getting all huffy about the games that are missing, let’s concentrate on the games that are in this cute little breadbin – we have, Armalyte, Creatures, Cybernoid I & II, Hawkeye, IO, Impossible Mission I & II, Nebulus, Paradroid, Uridium, Pitstop II and the awesome ‘Games’ series from Epyx, to name just a few. Oh yeah, there is an online keyboard which you can use for games that require keyboard input or you can attach an external USB keyboard to make things easier. And there are four save / load game slots per game, so use them wisely!

What we can say is that each of the 64 games are classics in their own right, with each of them getting favourable review scores back in the day. So instead of getting upset of what’s missing, enjoy what’s on offer! And if you really really want to add your own programs or games, then you can do so here, but be warned it is quite a cumbersome process.

Features & Flexibility:
Sick of playing the built games? No worries, if you prefer to type in your own programs, then THEC64 Mini has you covered. Just connect an external keyboard via USB and start typing in your BASIC listings – try doing that with your NES or SNES Classic Minis.

With the addition of the two USB ports, THEC64 Mini allows flexibility of connecting an external PC keyboard and also the bundled CompPro joystick. As mentioned previously, you can also load your own programs (or games) via this process.

The display is pretty much pixel perfect on any new TV. The Mini also has CRT filters and aspect ratio modes if you are longing for that true nostalgic look and feeling. The carousel menu is also intuitive and easy to navigate with the joystick with its functional buttons.

Unlike the original C64, the makers of THEC64 Mini have given their assurance that there will be future software / firmware updates via a USB flash drive. Future proofing such a device gives us confidence that THEC64 Mini will only get better.

Overall:
Without a shadow of a doubt THEC64 Mini has hit the mark. For those craving a mechanical C64 keyboard, then buy yourself an original Commodore 64, but if you look past this and connect an external PC keyboard to type in your BASIC programs, then you will enjoy this Mini. There are enough pre-installed games on this thing to keep even the most discerning retro enthusiasts happy.

If you prefer your original Commodore 64 computer, then keep playing it. For everyone else, check out this little convenient C64 beast, you won’t be disappointed.

The 8-bit micro-computing king is back, baby!

Released: March 29 2018
Available: JB Hi-Fi and EB Games
RRP: From $149

THEC64® Mini was kindly supplied by Five Star Games for this review.

 

Filed Under: Retro Gaming Culture, Reviews Tagged With: C64, C64 Classic Mini, C64 Mini, C64 Mini games, Commodore 64, Commodore 64 Classic Mini, Commodore 64 Mini, Mini C64, Old School, Retro Gaming, SID, The C64 Mini, THEC64 Mini

Review of the SNES / Super Famicom: A Visual Compendium

March 16, 2018 By ausretrogamer

When it comes to video gaming related compendiums, Bitmap Books has got you covered. One of their first efforts, the cleverly titled Commodore 64: a visual commpendium was an absolute ripper. We still love and cherish our C64 commpendium, especially the nostalgic buzz we get when flicking through its pages and finding games that we may have forgotten about. That C64 commpendium was the start of Bitmap Books’ journey into publishing awesome gaming related tomes.

Fast forward to today and we are once again wowed by their latest publication, the SNES/Super Famicom: a visual compendium! Not only is this compendium double (and then some!) the size of the Commodore 64 one, it boasts content that you would not normally find in a book like this. We were expecting the games coverage (of course), but the variety of content and contributions from industry legends, like Eugene Jarvis (Ed: OMG!) really blew us away!

The first thing that struck us when we received the SNES/Super Famicom: a visual compendium was its beautiful lenticular fascia slipcase. As mentioned, the size of this compendium (it’s 536 pages!) did get the 16-bit nostalgic nerves tingling immediately. We can bang on about the premium quality and finish, but we have come to expect this from Bitmap Books, which is a great feather in their cap.

The SNES (Super Famicom in Japan) was Nintendo’s entrant in the bitter 16-bit console war with Sega’s Mega Drive/Gensis. Selling almost 50 million consoles worldwide, it made Nintendo’s console a firm favourite with millions of gamers around the globe. If you owned or played on one of these 50 million SNES/Super Famicom consoles, then this compendium is for you!

SNES/Super Famicom: a visual compendium offers a visual snapshot of the best games, developers, box art and product design from across the territories it sold in. As the name suggests, it is a visual book designed to stir up excitement and nostalgia for Nintendo’s fantastic 16-bit machine and its legacy of classic video games. From the varied and amazing visual content, we absolutely loved the behind the scenes look at the creation of the SNES product / console packaging – a fascinating insight into the design team’s thinking!

This is really an easy review to do as the subject matter and quality finish truly sell themselves. Do yourself a favour and grab this compendium before it sells out!

SNES/Super Famicom: A Visual Compendium was kindly supplied for review by Bitmap Books

 

Filed Under: Retro Gaming Culture, Reviews Tagged With: Bitmap Books, Book, Book Review, classic gaming, compendium, NES, retrogaming, Review, Sam Dyer, SNES/Super Famicom: a visual compendium, SNES: a visual compendium, SuFami, Super Famicom, super nintendo, video games book

Flipping Cool: Stern Pinball Arcade – Nintendo Switch

March 12, 2018 By ausretrogamer

Let’s get something straight off the bat, there is definitely room for two pinball video games on the Nintendo Switch! The gamer is the winner here as both pinball games on the Switch are unique in their own way to warrant them being in your games library.

Stern Pinball Arcade is distinct from Pinball FX 3 as it allows playing real world pinball machines on your Switch. And with the latest digital update allowing portrait mode (TATE) play and full in-game touch control, Stern Pinball Arcade is currently our go to pinball game on the Switch (sorry Pinball FX 3).

Look, you can now play Stern Pinball Arcade in TATE mode!

Oo’er, TATE loveliness

As mentioned earlier, playing real world pinball machines is this game’s main drawcard. We are huge fans of Stern’s real world machines, so to be able to play the likes of AC/DC, Ghostbusters, Star Trek, Mustang and Starship Troopers is pretty damn cool. For those of you that want to know exactly which tables you can play in Stern Pinball Arcade, here is the complete list (tables can be purchased in add-on packs):

  • Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein
  • Ripley’s Believe it or Not!
  • Starship Troopers
  • Ghostbusters Premium
  • Ghostbusters Limited Edition
  • Star Trek Vengeance Premium
  • Star Trek Enterprise Limited Edition
  • Harley Davidson / Third Edition
  • High Roller Casino
  • Last Action Hero
  • AC/DC Premium
  • AC/DC Back In Black Limited Edition
  • Mustang Premium “Boss”
  • Mustang Limited Edition
  • The Phantom of the Opera

Each table has leaderboards to chase for bragging rights whether you compete against friends or players around the world. There is also a Stern Challenge mode that sees you hitting a target score on each table to earn challenge points before moving on to the next. If you want to get to grips with a table and understand how to play it or dig deeper in its ruleset, then hit the instructions and table goals to get you up to speed.

Speaking of speed, Stern Pinball Arcade has got you covered. Ball trajectory and flipper aim is accurate, so hitting targets and ramps is easier, giving you that satisfied feeling when you make your shot! The greatest satisfaction of playing Stern Pinball Arcade on the Switch is that it has the fundamental concepts of gravity, force and acceleration down pat. If you can’t find these Stern pinball machines to play in real life, then Stern Pinball Arcade is your next best bet! Get flipping and tilting (actually, don’t tilt!).

Should we play Stern’s Ghostbusters in YOKO (horizontal) mode; OR …

TATE (vertical) mode? Hmm….

Better luck next time!

Let’s learn the Star Trek ruleset

Woohoo, full in-game touch control!

Stern Pinball Arcade add-on packs were kindly provided by Stern Pinball for this review.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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Pinball Press is your cool PR engine that drives awareness to pinball related products, events and news!

Follow Pinball Press on Twitter and Facebook

 

 

Filed Under: Pinball, Reviews Tagged With: game review, nintendo, Nintendo Switch, pinball, Pinball Press, Review, Stern Pinball Arcade, Stern Pinball Arcade Nintendo Switch, Stern Pinball Arcade review, The Pinball Arcade

Review: Pan-Dimensional Conga Combat

February 18, 2018 By ausretrogamer

By: Kevin Tilley (Unkle K)

  • Developer: RGCD
  • Format: Windows
  • Available: itch.io & Steam

Being an old timer harking from the days of the Atari VCS and Commodore 64, the complexities of modern gaming sometimes get the better of me. Not only that, but with a large family and demanding job, spending hours gaming each day is an impossibility. Short, sharp bursts of gaming not only fit into the small amount of free time I actually have, it also suits my rather limited attention span as well. Cue RGCD, who have been bringing us pick up and play Commodore 64 games for years now, and in 2016 released Pan-Dimensional Conga Combat on the Windows platform via the RGCD itch.io store.

After nearly two years since the original itch.io release, and a rather quiet Greenlight campaign, Pan was released on Steam on February 16.

Self-described as “a rhythm-synchronised, old-school, score-chasing arcade game that plays like some alien coin-op from another dimension”, Pan is a mash of the old and new. I can only describe it as the love child of Volfied and Robotron, with a hint of Geometry Wars thrown in – an impressive pedigree indeed, and fortunately for us, it all gels together perfectly.

Set in a rather confined arena, Pan has you navigating the screen and obliterating everything that moves with your bullet tail. The tail follows you around at a distance that is proportional to your speed – the faster you move the longer your tail gets. You can also charge your on board laser cannon whenever the free roaming purploids drift into your tail. Once charged, you have a short burst mega destructive cannon at your disposal, which is essential when the action hits a certain level of franticness. To complete each level you must make a predetermined set of kills. There are also various score chains you can achieve and an assortment of enemy types to get your head around – with most of them homing straight in on you Robotron style, in various speeds and patterns. Enemy portals are destroyed by looping your tail around them, and levels are completed by entering the warp which opens up as soon as you reach the kill quota.

Pan is a frantic and compulsive score chaser that will have you pulling your hair out in disgust and immediately pressing the button for another go. Controls are simple and the game is immediately accessible. There are enough game modes present to keep you more than interested for a good while (include arcade and a survival mode) and the Steam release introduces online leader boards and achievements. For a game like Pan, these simple additions really add to the games longevity.

Graphics are solid without being outstanding, with the limited palette of colours supported by attractive pixel art and various visual effects, that don’t reach ‘Minter’ levels of trippyness but do their job regardless. The soundtrack is perfectly suitable, with various beats and breaks complimenting the gameplay and adding to the overall experience.

Pan-Dimensional Conga Combat deserves to be played. It’s an honest and fun score chaser that will test your (probably aging) reflexes and reward persistence. Old school gamers looking for a quick blast will love it, and younger gamers should give it a go and prove their superiority on the online leader boards – c’mon, I dare you! Highly recommended.


source: James Monkman

Footnote: A special package is still available on itch.io which contains the game (the itch.io download and a Steam key) as well as a set of two matte-finish A2 RGCD posters.

 

Filed Under: Modern Gaming, Reviews Tagged With: game review, GameDev, IndieDev, Itchi.io, Kevin Tilley, Pan-Dimensional Conga Combat, RESET, Reset C64, Review, RGCD, RGCD.DEV, Steam game, Unkle K, Windows

Get Your Flippin Fix via Pinball FX3 on the Switch

February 4, 2018 By ausretrogamer

We have been playing pinball video games for over 3 decades and we still get a kick out of playing them. From Video Pinball on the 2600 to the awesome 21st Century Entertainment published pinball games (Pinball Dreams, Pinball Fantasies and Pinball Illusions) on the Amiga, this genre and its talented designers keep upping the ante on the realism. Granted, you can never replicate the real deal, but you can get close, very close!

With Zen Studios’ latest release on the Switch, Pinball FX3 (PinFX3), you get awesome realistic pinball gaming that can be played on your TV or in handheld mode. But wait, it gets better – the killer feature of PinFX3 on the Switch is that it can be vertically oriented to get the best vantage of the pinball machine being played. Unlike Pinball Arcade’s Stern Pinball, Zen Studios ensured that their game would take advantage of the Switch’s flexibility in screen orientation, thus making it the pinball game of choice to play on Nintendo’s premier console.

Horizontal vs Vertical!

There will be future tweaks to bring Pinball FX3 up to 60fps (it’s actually already quite quick, especially in handheld mode), things can only get better to what is already a solid package. With great licensed themes that are very reasonably priced (you can buy tables individually or in packs), it is a win win for the gamer craving their pinball fix.

So, how does the game play you ask? Well, again, the Switch is the perfect platform for a pinball game – shoulder buttons act as flippers, which are very responsive without any notable lag (in handheld mode). The ball physics are as close to mimicking real life pinball as you can get, and that is a good thing! The table design/layouts and the variations are so good, that we hope Zen Studios end up making some of these as real world machines!

Wishful thinking aside, each table is packed with modes and challenges to level up and customise your machine. This ensures that PinFX3’s replay value and longevity is guaranteed. Oh yeah, for those that love online play, you are in luck, PinFX3’s online features are awesome for some multiplayer pinball frenzy allowing you to get on high score leaderboards and participating in tournaments.

If you are into pinball, then we implore you to hit the eShop right now and download Pinball FX3. For those that want to try before they buy, you can download Pinball FX3 for free and try it out before you make decisions on purchasing additional themed pinball tables. Grab your Switch and get flippin!

Pinball FX 3 pinball table packs were kindly supplied by Zen Studios for this review

 

Filed Under: Modern Gaming, Pinball, Reviews Tagged With: Nintendo Switch, pinball, Pinball FX, Pinball FX 3, Pinball Life, Pinball Nintendo Switch, PinballFX3, PinFX3, Review, Zen Studios

Retro Cube Speaker and the Super GamePad

January 25, 2018 By ausretrogamer

Do you want control and great sound? Do you like all things retro? Then keep reading!

8BitDo Retro Cube (Bluetooth) Speaker ($39.99 from PixelCrib)

For those of you that love listening to chiptunes (or any music) on your phone, you’ll note that the speakers aren’t much chop. Enter 8bitdo’s NES inspired Retro Cube Bluetooth Speaker! Enable Bluetooth on your smartphone and switch on the Retro Cube Speaker and you are paired up ready to blast out some cool tunes!

We absolutely love the look of the Cube, which fits right in with our retro gaming décor. The best part is, you can take it anywhere around the house (or outside) to give your ears some decent aural pleasure. At $39.99 from Pixel Crib, this is a no brainer – get one now!

MyArcade (wireless) Super GamePad ($24.99USD from MyArcade)

If you are sick of sitting close to your SNES Classic Mini due to short controller cords, then MyArcade’s Super GamePad may be the answer.

Boasting a cool SNES retro style with wireless functionality, the Super GamePad is a versatile controller that can be used to play on the SNES and NES Classic Minis and on classic (supported) virtual console titles on the Wii™/ Wii U™!

We love the SNES (PAL) colour style, but if you like the North American styling, then MyArcade has you covered. The Super GamePad may not suit those with large hands, so you may want to try one before you make a decision. For everyone else, this is a great wireless pad that features a HOME button for easy access to the game selection menu on the SNES/NES Classic Minis. There is also an intuitive TURBO button that can be assigned easily to any of the action buttons. The ergonomic grips (like newer controllers) make the Super GamePad very comfy to use.

Oh yeah, the 2 x AAA batteries that power the Super GamePad will last for 75 hours, so you can play without worrying that you will run out of controller juice! Another neat feature is the shape of the main action buttons: X and Y are convex, whereas the A and B are concave, a subtle and cool feature. Before anyone asks, you can play about 25 feet (7.5M) away from the console without lag or disconnection! So now you can play your video games from the comfort of your couch or fave recliner 😉

 

DISCLAIMER: The Super GamePad and Retro Cube Speaker were supplied by MyArcade and PixelCrib respectively.

 

Filed Under: Retro Gaming Culture, Reviews Tagged With: 8bitdo, 8bitdo Retro Cube Speaker, Bluetooth Controller, Bluetooth Speaker, chiptunes, Controller, ff0000, Music, My Arcade Super Gamepad, MyArcade, NES, Retro, Retro Cube Speaker, retrogaming, Review, SNES Classic Mini, speaker, Super Gamepad

Zero Gunner 2- Omnidirectional Mayhem On The Nintendo Switch

January 23, 2018 By ausretrogamer

Zerodiv are on a roll with their Psikyo arcade conversions for the Switch. Their last effort, Gunbird proved so popular in the ausretrogamer office, we had to ban it during work hours! And it looks like Zero Gunner 2- is no exception to this rule – it is another classic shoot’em up that we will have to limit play time so work can be done around here.

Zero Gunner 2- (ZG2-) is a mouth-watering shmup that tests your flight and shooting mettle with a twist. What twist are we referring to? Well, ZG2- bucks the trend of being either a vertical or horizontal shooter by being best described as an omnidirectional shmup! This may put some noses out of joint with shmup traditionalists, but once you get the hang of it, it is damn cool. We found that this game suits the Switch’s handheld or tabletop mode perfectly. Actually, the game is awesome to play on a big widesceen TV too, but don’t expect the graphics to blow you away – they are functional, but you have to remember that this was a turn of the century shoot’em up that has now been spruced up for 2018.

Zero Gunner 2-’s gameplay is fast and furious. Since it is an omnidirectional shmup, enemies fly out from all over the screen at a rapid pace which ramps up the challenge considerably. Thankfully, you can decrease the difficulty to child-like, which we did. The control mechanic may also throw players off as you change directions you must also change direction of your firing. Unlike a twin-stick shooter, in ZG2- you must use the Y or A buttons to adjust your facing / firing direction, which can be disorienting until you get used to it. Having said that, the ZG2- control mechanic of changing your facing and firing direction is the hook, a point of difference for this game if you will. To survive and get further in this game, you must get to grips with changing directions quickly to dispatch all enemies coming at you. Some may think this as a gimmick, but we say it is a cool feature that sets Zero Gunner 2- apart from your traditional shooters.

Just like other shooters, you get a choice of gunships (three to be exact) which have standard auto-fire shots that are complimented by a special attack-shot which packs some punch! Your chosen gunship’s firepower can also be upgraded by collecting P-lettered tetrahedrons (P for Power!) which greatly help in dispatching enemies than the puny single-shot, thus ensuring steady progress.

The longevity of this game, which has 7 stages, is dictated by what you want out of it. If you want to play through each difficulty level (Very Hard is insane!) or if you are into chasing high scores or you just love having a blast with a mate in two player co-op mode, then this game is for you! If none of these interest you, look elsewhere, for everyone else starved of old school shmup action, GET TO DA CHOPPA NOW!

Price: AUD $9.99 – Nintendo Australia eShop
Available: January 25 2018

image source: Nintendo

Zero Gunner 2- was kindly provided by Zerodiv for this review.

 

Filed Under: Modern Gaming, Reviews Tagged With: 333399, game review, Nintendo Switch, Psikyo, retrogaming, Review, shmup, shoot'em up, Zero Gunner 2, Zero Gunner 2 review, Zerodiv, zerodiv zero gunner 2

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