13 years ago
Rewind Review: Garou: Mark of the Wolves (XBLA)
Garou: Mark of the Wolves was released by SNK/Playmore on June 24, 2009 and retails for 800MSP.
Garou: Mark of the Wolves (MOTW) is one of the last great fighting games released for the Neo-Geo. Originally releasing roughly around the same time as Street Fighter 3 this game was to be SNK’s answer to Capcom. While it never did reach the same level of popularity it certainly is a great game in its own right.
With some of the best graphics that the Neo-Geo could produce and some of the best gameplay in any fighting game ever; this game is a true gem. MOTW is essentially the culmination of the Fatal Fury series. Its story line is one of transition. Old heroes make way for new heroes and old villains make way for new ones as well. Everything about this game is polish and class. The only real shame is that the sequel was never released.
13 years ago
QuadSmash Indie Game Review
QuadSmash was developed by Creative Patterns and retails for 400MSP. A copy of the game was provided for review purposes.
QuadSmash is a 2D car combat game. You drive around in quads and, not surprisingly, your goal is to smash them, or at least smash your opponents. This game is pure multiplayer madness. It is one of the rare games that actually defaults to the multiplayer content on the opening screen. The gameplay consists of driving very fast through insane obstacles and using the terrain and special moves to beat your opponents to a pulp.
Rewind Review: Exit (XBLA)
Exit was developed by Taito and published by Microsoft Game Studios. It was released on October 24, 2007 and retails for 800MSP.
The concept of Exit is simple. One man enters a burning building or otherwise hazardous area and leads unfortunate victims to an imminent rescue. The hero is described as being an “escapologist” which we can infer means he is good at escaping things. Its a good thing too, because fire, electricity, huge gaps, and other such dangers stand between him and victory.
The main gameplay revolves around managing resources like fire extinguishers and ladders and also using the different skills of the victims effectively. For example, the big fat character is strong and can move really heavy objects. The kid is small and can fit through small tunnels. You get the idea. The whole point is to direct certain people to do certain things or go somewhere while you do something else to accomplish whatever task is in front of you at the moment. If that sounds complicated that’s because it is, and the slow game speed and clumsy controls don’t help matters.
13 years ago
Rewind Review: Afterburner Climax (XBLA)
Afterburner Climax was developed and published by Sega. It was released April 21, 2010 and retails for 800MSP.
Afterburner Climax pits one sole fighter pilot against an entire air force of opposition. It’s classic, arcade style gameplay; players must down hundreds of planes in a matter of minutes. Far from being a simulation Climax takes the idea of dog fighting and pushes it far beyond the logical extreme. The end product is a super fast and beautiful experience that is over all too soon.
Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour coming this summer
This summer Konami is bringing us Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour. This freestyle motocross game promises fast action and extreme jumps. Huge stunts are the name of the game. It will …
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13 years ago
Rewind Review: KOF 98′ Ultimate Match (XBLA)
The King of Fighter ’98 Ultimate Match (KOF98UM) was released by SNK/Playmore and retails for 800MSP.
KOF98UM is an updated port of the original Neo-Geo game. Released in 1998, it was the fifth game in the KOF series. But the series actually traces its roots further back to the venerable Fatal Fury series. Regardless, in its day KOF98 was a revelation for fighting games. It took everything that was good in the series and polished it to a new level. Simply put, there was no better team fighter around. Many would argue that it’s still the best team fighter if not one of the best fighters of all time. The debate will always rage amongst fighting fans as to the best, but all recognize KOF98 as a stellar achievement. KOF98UM adds a few fan favorite characters and rebalances a few others to make this the definitive version of KOF98.
13 years ago
Super Sequence 2 review (XBLIG)
Super Sequence 2 was released by DanDySoft Games and retails for 80MSP. A copy of the game was provided by the developer for review purposes.
Super Sequence 2 is a simple game with simple and effective execution. It’s a memory game that challenges you to remember increasingly long sequences of button presses, similar to the old Simon electronic game. There’s a visual cue on screen and a specific tone for each specific button press to help you remember the sequence. It’s a brain exercise for sure, and likely to make you feel rather stupid too. But despite the solid execution of the base premise, it is still just a game about pressing sequences of buttons.
13 years ago
Fantastic Four Pinball FX 2 table review
The Fantastic Four table for Pinball FX 2 was developed by Zen Studios and retails for 240MSP. A copy was provided by the publisher for review purposes.
Marvel Comics and Zen Studios have teamed up to bring us the newest pinball table to the Marvel Pinball series of tables. The Fantastic Four table is was chosen to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the superhero team. While this table obviously differentiates itself from the rest by its theme it still retains the great gameplay and cinematic moments that players come to expect from a Zen Studios table.
13 years ago
Star Raiders review (XBLA)
Star Raiders was developed by Incinerator Studios and published by Atari. It was released May 11, 2011 and retails for 800MSP. A copy of the game was provided by the publisher for review purposes.
Star Raiders is a space flight combat game that pits one ship against the entire alien horde. It is, in fact, a remake of the Atari 2600 game of the same name. The original game was very innovative for its time. Sadly the remake does not innovate as strongly as the original did. Star Raiders is comprised of one thing and one thing only: shooting down enemy ships. Occasionally you must blow up the occasional frigate or base, but for it’s simply shooting down enemy fighters. Fortunately your ship is armed well enough to take on this mundane task.
13 years ago
Trouble Witches Neo review (XBLA)
Trouble Witches Neo was released by SNK Playmore. It was released on May 5, 2011 and retails for 800 MSP. A copy was provide for review purposes.
Trouble Witches Neo is a horizontal shooter that clearly takes inspiration from Deathsmiles. Putting that aside it is easy to see that it’s a fun and fundamentally sound shooter that most players will enjoy. The premise of the game is simple; an apprentice witch must complete her mission to become a full fledged witch. The story doesn’t really matter, but for those who care there is a story mode that details the characters’ outcomes. The real draw here is the action, and Trouble Witches Neo has plenty of it.