Retro Archives - Tech-Gaming

Irem Collection Vol. 1 review

Robert Allen — Mon, 27 Nov 2023 02:43:38 +0000

Strictly Limited isn’t just one of the publishers- it also describes the amount of enjoyment found in this rushed compilation. For many, Irem (officially, Kabushikigaisha Airemu Software Engineering) is best known for the R-Type series. Following its 1987 arcade debut, R-Type spawned six sequels and five spin-offs, securing a much-deserved place in the shoot-‘em-up pantheon. ...

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VISCO Collection review

Robert Allen — Sun, 29 Oct 2023 20:35:56 +0000

Revisiting the golden era of arcade gaming Across a fifteen-year period between 1986 and 2001, VISCO Corporation created 38 arcade games. What’s remarkable about this span isn’t just how prolific the Kyoto-based developer was. It’s also notable just how comfortable they were with tackling all the dominant genres of the era. From puzzlers, racers, platformers, ...

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Astrosmash review

Robert Allen — Thu, 19 Oct 2023 18:33:11 +0000

Smashing just isn’t as fun as it used to be. 1981’s Astrosmash is one of the irrefutable gems in the Intellivision library. Created by John Sohl, the game delivered an engaging combination of Space Invaders and Asteroids, as a lone ship moved across the bottom of the screen, targeting a storm of plummeting meteors. It ...

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The Making of Karateka review

Robert Allen — Sun, 24 Sep 2023 00:19:49 +0000

Most of today’s retro compilations offer only brief glimpses into the development process. But The Making of Karateka chronicles the journey with the meticulousness of an academic historian and the flair of a multimedia artist. Advocates for game presentation worry about losing access to yesteryear’s titles. Undoubtedly, that’s a significant concern, given that The ...

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Taito Milestones 2 review

Robert Allen — Thu, 07 Sep 2023 02:45:31 +0000

Despite the lack of historical material and a few obligatory clunkers, Taito Milestones 2’s emulation is top-notch thanks to Hamster’s habitual diligence. As a retro anthology, 2002’s Taito Milestones was a bit lackluster. The collection, which revisited the publisher’s output during the 1980s, had a few gems like Qix, Elevator Action, and The Ninja ...

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Quantum: Recharged mini-review

Robert Allen — Tue, 22 Aug 2023 00:03:08 +0000

A mild advancement on the 1982 arcade game. There’s a possibility you might not have played 1982’s Quantum. Although the vector graphics-based title was included in Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration, the original cabinet had a limited release of fewer than 500 machines. Those lucky enough to play it found a recreation set in the ...

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Murtop mini-review

Robert Allen — Sun, 21 May 2023 03:53:19 +0000

Blasting gophers like Caddyshack’s Carl Spackler. 2009’s Retro Game Challenge cultivated a love for retro games that never actually existed. That title and its sequel, the Japan-only GameCenter CX: Arino no Chōsenjō 2, presented players with a collection of games that painstakingly simulated popular 8- and 16-bit genres. Years later, Donut Dodo would perform a ...

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Otoko Cross: Pretty Boys Breakup! review

Robert Allen — Sat, 06 May 2023 20:01:46 +0000

Breakout, but with a bunch of lovely lads Breakout, but with a bunch of lovely lads Since its debut nearly a half-century ago, the brick-breaking genre has gradually evolved. The original Breakout tasked audiences with using a rotating controller to keep a ball in play, bouncing it against rows of destructible blocks. A decade later, ...

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Akka Arrh review

Robert Allen — Fri, 24 Feb 2023 00:04:21 +0000

The Yak is back with another dose of arcade-influenced psychedelia Originally named Target Outpost, Dave Ralston and Mike Hally’s Akka Arrh (purportedly a contorted acronym for “Also Known as Another Ralston Hally”) was market tested in 1982. But feedback wasn’t positive and many players found the coin-op too complex, causing Atari to abandon their efforts ...

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Ninja JaJaMaru: The Great Yokai Battle +Hell review

Robert Allen — Wed, 22 Feb 2023 20:14:39 +0000

The Diminutive ’80s Ninja Gets the All-Star Treatment The Diminutive ’80s Ninja Gets the All-Star Treatment Modern remakes of last century’s games don’t always succeed. For every Cotton Reboot! or Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap there are a multitude of disappointing misfires like Bomberman: Act Zero or Boulder Dash Deluxe. Pleasingly, Ninja JaJaMaru: The Great ...

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Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider review

Robert Allen — Wed, 11 Jan 2023 23:16:57 +0000

A thoroughly enjoyable homage to ‘90s-era platforming action. The Genesis/Mega Drive had an eight-year lifespan across the United States, Japan, and Europe. But thanks to import taxes designed to favor domestic distributors, a licensed version of Sega’s 16-bit console enjoyed over thirty years of dominance in Brazil (alongside the equally popular Master System). This kind ...

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Chained Echoes review

Robert Allen — Tue, 13 Dec 2022 17:29:42 +0000

Swords, magic, and mecha combine in a retro-style role-playing adventure that’s far more than just a tribute to the 16/32-bit era. 90’s role-playing games like Chrono Trigger, Suikoden, and Xenogears established many of the genre’s tenets, constructing foundations that would last for decades. When coupled with toolsets like RPGMaker, these landmark titles have spurred a ...

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Donut Dodo review

Robert Allen — Mon, 28 Nov 2022 20:05:31 +0000

It’s on like Donkey Kong- and several other ‘80s-era coin-ops Gaming during the 1980s was a thoroughly enchanting experience. Not only did dedicated arcades dot the landscape, but coin-ops machines filled the alcoves of supermarkets, bowling alleys, and even some casual restaurants. Crowds habitually surrounded these electronic wonders, each person captivated by the union of ...

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Lunistice review

Robert Allen — Tue, 22 Nov 2022 00:32:06 +0000

Lunistice harks back to the era of 32-bit mascot platformers. Given the game’s exceedingly reasonable price, putting up with the intermittent misstep is tolerable. Premium-priced gaming receives a disproportionate amount of our attention. But sporadically, an economically priced indie title arrives, challenging the dominant business model. That’s the case with solo developer A Grumpy ...

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Tactics Ogre: Reborn review

Robert Allen — Mon, 14 Nov 2022 18:05:52 +0000

Many remakes feel superfluous. But Tactics Ogre was a highly influential tactical role-playing game that exposed the genre’s potential. Reborn offers several incremental upgrades while preserving the qualities that made the original so remarkable. 1995’s Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together was undoubtedly ahead of its time. Narratively, the game eschewed the formulaic quarrels between ...

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Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration review

Robert Allen — Sat, 12 Nov 2022 03:50:21 +0000

A fitting tribute to the company that filled arcades with Pong and homes with consoles, Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration offers a comprehensive history and a decent selection of software. Today, gaming is a 220 billion dollar giant, that’s roughly double the size of the film industry. Of course, the medium wasn’t always so massive. ...

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Shatter Remastered Deluxe mini-review

Robert Allen — Fri, 04 Nov 2022 03:02:25 +0000

Thirteen years after the game’s PlayStation 3 release, Shatter Remaster Deluxe improves on one of the best Breakout variants ever made. Some might argue that the shoot ‘em up or first-person shooter genres are stagnant. But the Breakout clone has demonstrated scant evolution across its 40+ year history. Save for Arkanoid’s addition of power-ups, only ...

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Terror of Hemasaurus review

Robert Allen — Sun, 23 Oct 2022 21:58:41 +0000

When it comes to the joys of wanton destruction and acerbic humor, Terror of Hemasaurus has few rivals. I never outgrew digital demolition. As an angsty kid, Bally-Midway’s Rampage was one of my favorite arcade games. For twenty-five cents, the game put players in control of either a mutant lizard, a gigantic gorilla, or an ...

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Prinny Presents NIS Classics Volume 3 review

Robert Allen — Wed, 31 Aug 2022 02:11:31 +0000

Volume 3 reaches all the way to the back of Nippon Ichi Software’s catalog with Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure. Luckily, the newly localized re-release La Pucelle: Ragnarok helps sweeten the deal. The release of Prinny Presents NIS Classics Volume 3 permits players to revisit the era when Sōhei Niikawa’s mind was a wellspring of role-playing ...

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Yars: Recharged review

Shane Nakamura — Thu, 25 Aug 2022 23:14:27 +0000

Yars: Recharged is fun, affordable, and respectful to the original game, which is the trifecta for Atari remakes. Yars’ Revenge is often mentioned as one of the best games in the Atari 2600 library. But the 1982 title wasn’t always so positively regarded. Game critic Bill Kunkel called the game a “video sleeping pill”, while ...

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