November2020

June2020

January2020

  • Review Darius Cozmic Collection - Swimming With The Fishes

    M2 works its magic once more

    Editor's note: This review is for the Japanese version of Darius Cozmic Collection. The game has since been released in the west in two versions: Darius Cozmic Collection Console and Darius Cozmic Collection Arcade. Close your eyes. Now think about “classic shmups.” What titles immediately spring to mind? Gradius

December2019

November2019

October2013

  • Review Densha de Go! 64 (Nintendo 64)

    Lost in "trainslation"

    The massive surge in the number of simulation games over the past few years has been nothing short of baffling. Years ago, Microsoft Flight Simulator was essentially the sole attraction in this specialist genre, but now it seems virtually anything can and should be turned into a simulation. Road Works Simulator, Farming...

December2010

  • Review Darius Twin (Virtual Console / Super Nintendo)

    Double the monotony

    The Darius series has long taken a backseat to some of the more prominent shoot 'em up series, despite featuring some absolutely amazing releases on the various 32-bit game consoles. Darius Twin still features much of the aquatic-themed shooter action of its brethren, but for some reason the game comes off feeling very...

March2010

  • Review Puzzle Bobble Galaxy (DS)

    A worthy entry in the classic puzzle series

    Known by the less-than-cool moniker of "Bust-a-Move" in North America, Puzzle Bobble has been a fixture of the puzzle genre for over a decade, appearing on every console and handheld since the NEO GEO and Gameboy Colour. Puzzle Bobble Galaxy isn't the first Puzzle Bobble game on the DS, but it is...

August2009

  • Review Arkanoid Plus! (WiiWare)

    Another breakthrough for Taito?

    Taito's doing a fine job reviving its classic franchise on WiiWare - Space Invaders was revived with a completely different, fun gameplay style, while three games from the Bubble Bobble series all got decent to great remakes. This one's more like the Bubble Bobble games, in that it's a straight-up remake of the...

  • Review Space Invaders: Virtual Collection (Virtual Boy)

    They’ll port it to anything.

    It’s highly likely that you will have encountered the simple fun addictiveness that is Space Invaders at some point, even if you missed it in the arcades. Ports, slight updates and compilations have appeared on a wide variety of systems over the years - Atari 2600, Spectrum, NES, Master System, Game Boy, Playstation,...

June2009

  • Review Puzzle Bobble Plus! (WiiWare)

    The third Bubble Bobble series remake to hit WiiWare. Is it any good after the somewhat disappointing Rainbow Islands?

    Puzzle Bobble - or Bust-A-Move as it's known in North America - is perhaps the most well-known game in the Bubble Bobble series. Almost everybody's played it in some way or form, with multiple versions and a ton of rip-offs over the...

April2009

  • Review Arkanoid DS (DS)

    It's not quite as fun as it should be

    Released simultaneously with another Taito revival, Space Invaders Extreme, Arkanoid DS is an attempt at trying to breathe life into an old arcade classic. When Arkanoid was originally released, it was essentially a clone of the Atari classic Breakout. Despite this shameless copying, Arkanoid became quite a hit...

November2008

July2008

  • Review Chase H.Q. (Virtual Console / TurboGrafx-16)

    Let's go Mr. Driver!

    Back in 1988 Taito released Chase HQ into arcades around the world. It took the driving aspects from many other racing games of the time period and coupled them together with the intense action of a high-speed police pursuit. While this offered a nice change of pace from the typical and often redundant racing experiences found...

February2008

  • Review Operation Wolf (Virtual Console / NES)

    Operation initiated! Rescue the prisoners!

    Operation Wolf was a massive hit in arcades when it was released in 1987. Although the concept of light gun games wasn’t a new one, Taito’s imposing arcade cabinet (replete with uber-cool replica Uzi) certainly made a lasting impact on gamers worldwide. Predictably, it was ported to pretty much every...

November2007

  • Review Bubble Bobble (Virtual Console / NES)

    Hi, Bub and Bob

    Bub and Bob are two rosy-cheeked dinosaurs who spit bubbles at their enemies and pop those bubbles for food rewards, all on the quest to save their girlfriends. If you don’t remember this classic arcade game from yesteryear you’ll probably know the two main protagonists from the Bust-a-Move/Puzzle Bobble series. The gameplay is...

March2007

  • Review Elevator Action (Virtual Console / NES)

    Who would have thought that elevators got any action?

    Originally released in the (very) early 80's, this spy action title was a real eye-opener for gamers of that generation. The premise is simple, yet instantly appealing; the player is dropped onto a series of buildings and has to make their way to the bottom, taking on evil agents and entering...

February2007

  • Review The Legend of Kage (NES)

    This classic ninja-action game first appeared in arcades in 1985 and became instantly popular.

    After the recent release of the sublime Kid Icarus you might have expected the quality of NES Virtual Console games to rise, but unfortunately The Legend of Kage is an almost catastrophic true drop in standards. No need for rose tinted specs here, retro...