Game Review: Ducati World

Game: Ducati World
Console: Sony Playstation/Sega Dreamcast
Developer: Attention to Detail
Release Date: 2nd January 2001

I've never been a particularly big fan of motorbike racing. It's more an indifference than a dislike of the sport, but for some reason I acquired this game in the days when the Dreamcast was the only console I owned. It's a little like a motorcycle version of Gran Turismo, with Career and Arcade modes, License tests and series of races to win with specific types of bike. Recently I picked up the Playstation version of the game to see if it was any different to the Dreamcast release, and although it was hardly changed from console to console, the game was significantly worse than I had remembered it from my youth.

Arcade mode is fairly simple, offering players the chance to unlock all of the game's tracks and bikes for use inside of Arcade mode. The player races AI opponents on Medium or Hard difficulty on all of the available circuits. Career mode offers more choice as to what the player can do with different types of race series, 1 on 1 challenges for money or bikes, upgrades and different equipment and safety gear available to purchase.

The feel of racing can be very different depending on what type of motorbike you're riding. There are some incredibly slow vintage bikes from the 50s and 60s which make racing feel like a chore, since their top speed is only about 40mph. In contrast, the fastest bikes can be incredibly difficult to control, forcing riders to wheelie upon accelerating, not being particularly responsive and feeling almost too fast for the tracks you're given to race on.

With most of the bikes featured in the game however, the handling and overall ride is strange. There's no subtlety in turning; it's almost as if there's an on/off switch for it, and the sense of momentum seems a little off in some places. That said, players will still get the sensation that they're wrestling with a beast of a motorcycle which refuses to be tamed. I'm just not sure whether this was intentional or due to poor design. Falling off the motorcycle is a fairly common occurrence, particularly with faster bikes. While the way in which the player dismounts doesn't look particularly realistic, it's good that they at least included the possibility with harsher crashes.

Career mode can definitely become a bit of a grind after a while; the best bikes are incredibly expensive and there's a lot of series to win, if you're after 100% completion (although the game doesn't really track which series you've won in any way). I can only assume that "completion" of Career mode is attained when the player has beaten 4 time Superbike World Champion, Carl Fogarty, and won his bike from him. To do so, all you'll have to do is raise enough money to buy a decent bike and upgrades, wait until he appears on the list of 1 on 1 challenges, and then beat him.

Other interesting activities in Career Mode include attempting to win gloriously mismatched 1 on 1 races with vintage bike owners (the game decides whether they accept, but sometimes manages to pit a superbike against something far less powerful), raising enough money to buy ridiculously priced leathers and helmets, and beating the Special races. Other than this it's pretty dull, with completing many bland series being pretty much your only gameplay option.

Graphically the game is pretty mixed; the Dreamcast version doesn't look a whole lot better than the Playstation version, which has some pretty low resolution textures that sometimes pop in and out. It's very 5th generation in it's graphics in that you can easily see what they're meant to represent, but you can still see the pixels and rough edges that they're made of too. The soundtrack which accompanies races is ambient drum and bass style music, which actually works pretty well in places.

Overall Ducati World seems to be on the border between a budget game and a fully fledged title; neither the Arcade nor Career modes have too much to offer, but the racing isn't so bad that it puts you off the game. It's not graphically or technologically impressive, but if you've an interest in the history of Ducati bikes, or just want to pass some time racing motorcycles then it's a decent distraction.

Rating: 61/100
Grade: D

Game Review: Driver: San Francisco

Game: Driver: San Francisco
Console: Sony Playstation 3
Developer: Ubisoft
Release Date: 6th September 2011

As the fifth game in the Driver home console series, Driver: San Francisco had a lot to prove; firstly that it was better than the likes of Driv3r which was criticised for its poor storyline and glitches, and secondly that it could sell better than Driver: Parallel Lines, which received slightly better reviews, but sold fairly poorly. To regain consumer trust is the series, the developers decided to shift the focus from driving and on-foot missions to simply driving missions. The style of the game remains faithful to the first three in the series, giving a nod towards car chase movies of the 70s.

The plot follows Detective John Tanner as he attempts to thwart the career criminal Jericho's plans once again. From fairly early on in the game it's fairly heavily implied that Tanner is in a coma, following a traffic accident involving Jericho. Inside Tanner's coma, players complete driving missions such as stunts, chases and races around the city to help its residents out, as well as story missions. To help Tanner in these missions, players can use the abilities to shift between vehicles (an alternative to GTA style stealing), boost and ram vehicles. Use of these abilities save for shifting between vehicles, drain the ability meter which can be upgraded at garages.

Driving generally feels fairly loose and drifty in faster cars, with a greater feeling of weight and grip in heavier cars (though ideally players wont be spending much time in those). The boost and ram abilities are easy to use and make chase, takedown and race missions easier. The ability to shift cars is a pretty unique idea which is well executed and sets the game apart from others in the sandbox/driving genre. Using shift in missions can be very useful, and even just for when players have destroyed their car and want a new one, it's a well implemented mechanic.

Most, if not all of the cars in the game are licensed models of real world vehicles, available for purchase from garages around the city which can be bought with willpower points (earned for driving stunts and completing missions). There is a huge area which is available to explore in game, with around 208 miles of San Francisco roads once all of the areas have been unlocked. The city never really feels particularly large when playing the story missions due to the ability to shift across the city incredibly quickly.

Plot-wise the game is fairly short; even with some messing around and retrying a few missions here and there I was able to complete the game within around 12 hours. There were still plenty of side missions such as driving dares, and checkpoint events as well as cars and garages to buy, however. While I appreciated the concise nature of the story mode, and not being subjected to a 90 mission snore-fest, I felt that the final mission and ending didn't quite live up to the rest of the game. Not in such a way that it ruined the experience for me, but I could really have done with more of a challenge to end the game.

One of the best aspects of Driver: San Francisco is the game's humour and ability to joke whilst taking itself fairly seriously. Sometimes after shifting into a random car, players will hear snippets of conversation revealing parody style snapshots of daily life in the game's representation of the city. The overall mood of the game is stuck between Tanner's incredulity at his new found shifting powers and the seriousness of Jericho's plot, but in a way that doesn't cheapen either emotion.

Graphically both the city of San Francisco and the vehicles traversing it look sharp and realistic, running at 60 frames per second without any drop in framerate. Pedestrians can't be run over by cars, and so sometimes pass through them if there's not enough time to get out of the way, and the mini-map is either too small to plan a route, or blocking the player's view of where they're heading, but these were my only criticisms of the graphical effects and layout. The music chosen for the game is a selection of unremarkable songs, none of which I took much notice of whilst playing.

Overall Driver: San Francisco is a short but well executed driving game; the focus on pure driving missions and the addition of car shifting were both great design decisions, and nearly every mission is enjoyable or at least worth the effort. Free roaming after the game is complete, and unlocking all cars/completing all dares is an attractive prospect due to the fun gameplay and short play time, giving the game some replayability. With excellent graphics and a great sense of humour, this is quite possibly the best game in the Driver series, and comes close to being a truly great game.

Rating: 87/100
Grade: B

Master System Light Gun Game Roundup

Just as the NES had its Zapper, the Sega Master System had the Light Phaser, which was actually better than the Zapper in many respects. Firstly it's black, instead of orange and grey which suits serious gun games far better, secondly the trigger is far easier to pull and has a nice soft click rather than the stiff motion of the Zapper, and lastly it's more accurate on well programmed light gun games. I currently own 5 games (the first 3 of which are all on one cartridge) which work with the Light Phaser, so here are short reviews of all of them.

Game: Marksman Shooting

Console: Sega Master System

Developer: Sega

Release Date: 1986

While the concept of Marksman Shooting isn't the most elaborate (it's literally set entirely at a shooting range), it makes up for the lack of variety with some of the best accuracy featured in a Light Phaser game, a slow but challenging difficulty curve, and enjoyable gameplay. The aim is to hit as many targets as possible, squarely in the red circle on their chest (headshots and other hits don't count), per round so as to exceed the target percentage. 

In contrast to other light gun shooters across various systems, accuracy doesn't matter in this game; you're allowed to shoot as many times as you like. The only important factor is the percentage of targets players manage to hit overall. This is useful for tracking your aim across the screen between shots for more accurate shooting when it matters. As the player clears more rounds, the speed of the targets increases, as does the percentage needed to clear a round. It's a steady rise in both and makes for a good level of challenge which gets truly difficult around round 10.

Graphically the game is good with clearly marked targets and a good sense of depth for the era, although the fact that there's no change of scenery in the entire game may put some players off. The sound in the game is pretty basic, but a clear "hit" sound when players shoot a target correctly is useful. The accuracy and detection of the Light Phaser in this game is some of the best I've seen. 

Overall Marksman Shooting is a basic but very well executed Light Gun Shooter which allows players to improve their skill with the Light Phaser for use in other games, and challenge for a high score by reaching the highest round they are able to. While a change of scenery/target within the game would have made it even better there's a certain charm it, almost as if it could be a minigame featured in a game from later console generations.

Rating: 70/100

Grade: C 

Game: Trap Shooting
Console: Sega Master System
Developer: Sega
Release Date: 1986

Trap Shooting is another simple light gun title for the Master System which is based on the sport of clay pigeon shooting. Players must shoot clay pigeons which are fired from up to three locations, outwards across the screen. Two clay pigeons are usually shot per turn, with three bullets given to the player. Upon shooting a clay pigeon the player will receive points for how far it was away from them, and a yellow dot on the scorecard at the bottom of the screen. If they can pass the arrow underneath with yellow dots, then they are allowed to progress to the next round.

The distance between the player and the screen is important whilst playing this game, as you have to be much closer than most of the other titles in this review to even register hits. When you're in the correct position it's a pretty fun game to play, despite being fairly easily. When you're too far (we're talking about 1.5m here) away from the screen however, gameplay is pretty frustrating as no matter how hard you try to hit anything, nothing will happen.

There are some nice backgrounds featured in the game, which rotate every 5 levels until level 15 and provide a good aesthetic for the game. Once again the sound effects and music aren't really anything special, but it's almost to be expected with such an old light gun game. 

Overall Trap Shooting's slight issues with accuracy and lack of challenge mean that it's far less interesting than Marksman shooting. While the targets move, it's a very slow and floaty movement when compared to that of many other light gun games. 

Rating: 52/100

Grade: D

Game: Safari Hunt
Console: Sega Master System
Developer: Sega
Release Date: 1986

Safari Hunt is a game which was heavily influenced by the success of Nintendo's Duck Hunt for the NES, although it features more animals and a greater variety of locations. Different amounts of points are awarded for shooting different types of animals; some have a bonus for shooting them multiple times also. The aim of the game is to surpass the qualifying score for each level.

Animals pop up and move around the screen in different ways, but usually those worth the most points will hide behind objects. The hit detection and accuracy of the light gun with this game seems to be fairly low. This is compounded by the fact that there's no indication of where you're shooting if you miss, meaning that losing track of your aim can prove to be a big problem.

Graphically Safari Hunt uses bright colours and cartoon like sprites for its targets, although they're not particularly detailed, and Duck Hunt looks slightly better. Just like the previous two games, the sound effects are basic and fairly uninspiring. Overall the game is pretty disappointing; there's not much to do due to, being based on Duck Hunt and with difficulties in targeting added to this, it's a pretty poor title. Of the Master System light gun games I have, this is probably the least enjoyable and one of the hardest to play well.

Rating: 30/100

Grade: E

Game: Rescue Mission
Console: Sega Master System
Developer: Sega
Release Date: 1987

Rescue Mission tasks players with assisting their soldier in finding and rescuing their injured comrades whilst riding a handcar along railway lines through enemy territory. To avoid the soldier being blown up by mines, rockets and other weapons, enemy troops must quickly be identified and shot with the light gun. Leaving enemies too long without shooting them will usually result in their projectile being fired which players must quickly shoot down before it reaches the handcar. With three handcar operators to choose from (each of whom move at slightly different speeds, and stop for different intervals), the player only has 3 lives until the game is over.

At each downed comrade, the handcar stops to administer aid before continuing. Players can choose to shoot their comrade in order to speed through the level but will lose points and the bonus which is received for having helped. Usually this either a helmet (which protects the player from an extra shot) or a health pack which heals the player, or providing that the player is fully healed, blows up all on screen enemies. There are 5 levels in the game; Jungle, Swamp, Village, Bridge and Ammunition Depot, which feature on foot enemies and jetpack enemies alternately.

Graphically the game looks well presented and colourful for the time, although the targets and sprites are fairly basic in design and animation. The game's music isn't bad, although the theme which plays when you lose a life resembles that of Super Mario Bros in the same situation. The light gun works wonderfully with the game and once players have themselves set up, it's easy to shoot exactly where you want to. The only real issue I experienced with the game was its overwhelming difficulty from around 3 levels in. 

Overall Rescue Mission is a great idea and concept for an early light gun shooter. It doesn't overcomplicate itself, but takes the action out of a generic setting and gives real challenge to the player. Although the difficulty level increases to an almost unbearable level by the end, with only 5 stages, the game needs something to ensure that it has replay value. On the whole though, it's a lot of fun. 

Rating: 66/100

Grade: C

Game: Operation Wolf
Console: Sega Master System
Developer: Taito
Release Date: 1987

While it's perfectly possible to play Operation Wolf with just a Master System controller, it's pretty obvious that the game was intended as a light gun shooter. Without a light gun, players move the target reticule about the screen and press 1 to throw grenades, and 2 to shoot. With a light gun, the shooting and aiming is controlled via the peripheral, although grenades are still selected via a Master System controller (without one plugged in, there's no way to use grenades).

The object of the game is to make your way through 6 enemy infested stages, getting rid of soliders, vehicles and aircraft as you go, and taking as little damage as possible. There are a few innocent targets which if hit will deplete the health bar at the bottom. Players can also pick up extra grenades and ammo clips to help them with their mission along the way by shooting passing birds and animals. The level ends when the counters in the bottom right have reached 0, and the game ends if the player's health bar turns exclusively red.

The main drawback of Operation Wolf is that getting past the first 2 stages is incredibly difficult whichever control scheme you use as there's not many chances to restore your health, which is carried over from level to level. Players are given one continue, but since this sends them back to the beginning of the level they previously failed, it's only really good for getting a little further, rather than helping to complete the game.

Graphically the game isn't particularly detailed, and the enemy sprites are nowhere near as big as in the arcade version of the game. The sound leaves a little to be desired, but isn't bad for the era. Overall Operation Wolf is a fun light gun title which works very well with the peripheral and is only really let down by its difficulty; I couldn't find any footage of players getting past the 3rd level without using a mouse to hit the targets. 

Rating: 64/100

Grade: C

Collection Review: Midway Arcade Treasures 2 (Part 1)

Game: Midway Arcade Treasures
Console: Sony Playstation 2
Developer: Midway
Release Date: 29th October 2004

It has to be said that Midway are not my favourite games developer/publisher, since heavy reliance on Mortal Kombat and other arcade titles which weren't so good, or weren't even theirs (check how many games are by Atari on here) seemed to be their main business strategy. With this collection of arcade "treasures" though, Midway can attempt to win me over, and show that they had some decent games to offer. There's 20 on this collection so as usual it'll be split into 2 parts, with an overall score at the end.

Game: A.P.B. (All Points Bulletin)
Console: Arcade
Developer: Atari Games
Release Date: 1987

APB is a driving arcade game where the aim is to drive a police car around a small set of roads, arresting various types criminals in order to meet quota, and taking down members of the most wanted list on the way. Players control the direction of their police car with the d-pad or analog sticks, the siren with R1, the gas pedal with the X button, and shooting with L1 once the gun has been unlocked. The game begins with a short tutorial level, driving around the police training centre but quickly moves out onto the streets where players are shown how to arrest criminals such as litterbugs, honkers (taxi drivers overusing their horn) and hitch-hikers.

Before arresting a criminal players must witness a crime taking place; once this has happened they can turn on the siren and pull the driver over to the side of the road. There's a quota of each type of criminal that needs to be arrested each day. In addition to this there are the most wanted criminals, whom players are briefed about, before going out to find their location and bring them back to the station. Time bonuses in the form of donut shops are dotted around the map, as well as gas stations to refuel at, and a weapons shop. Players are constrained by the time limit on the map (if quota has not been met, they will be demerited and made to try the level again), and the number of demerits they receive for bad driving/not meeting quota.

A.P.B. can prove to be a difficult game for a number of reasons; firstly it's difficult to avoid getting demerits if you're trying to meet quota and arrest criminals within the time limit, secondly the most wanted criminals require chasing and can seriously run down your gas/time limit meaning that you're forced to try again, and lastly the demerits carry over from try to try, so if you just ran out of time with 9 demerits to your name on the last turn, expect your next turn to be cut short as soon as you get a demerit.

Graphically the game is impressive for 1987 with a good amount of definition between cars/objects and nice colours and effects. There's not a lot in the way of music, although there are humourous radio and voice clips which add to the game's charm. Overall I'm not sure that A.P.B. knows what it wants its players to do; you can play fast and recklessly (which ends up failing you through demerits) or slow and carefully (which helps you reach the time limit) there's not really an inbetween, which can make the game frustrating.

Rating: 41/100
Grade: E

Game: Arch Rivals
Console: Arcade
Developer: Midway
Release Date: 1989

You may not think that basketball would make a particularly good arcade game; after all there's lots of rules and stoppages for fouls which get in the way of the game's flow. But what if that was taken away, what if you could punch an opposing player and steal the ball? Or maybe leap towards them and drag them to the ground? Arch Rivals makes this sort of play possible. With 6 different teams and fast paced, no fouls gameplay, it's a race to score the most points.

The player chooses to control one of two on court players, but also controls the passing/shooting of their team mate. The d-pad/left analog stick is used to move about the court, and the Square button controls shooting/jumping while the X button controls passing/punching. This simple control scheme aids the fast paced gameplay as players only ever have to decide between 2 options, although there are more complex moves such as faking and leaping which require both buttons.

Graphically the game looks good with bright colours, well defined court objects and players, and also runs very smoothly. Small cutscenes of fans and cheerleaders play between each basket but not for long enough to break the flow of gameplay. The background music isn't too overpowering or uninteresting, and carries the game when play is quiet. Overall Arch Rivals is a fun fast paced single player arcade basketball experience which is even more fun with two players (which is possible on this collection).

Rating: 80/100
Grade: B

Game: Championship Sprint
Console: Arcade
Developer: Atari
Release Date: 1986

Championship Sprint is a strange inclusion on the collection as not only is it technically an Atari game (which Midway acquired the license to in 1996, 10 years after its release) but it's essentially a track pack for Super Sprint, another Atari game. The goal of the game is to win races against 4 computer opponents on various tracks and receive the most points to set a high score.

The perspective is such that the entire racetrack is in view at all times, which can make judging the direction of the car difficult. The player is in control of both the gas pedal and steering, and so can slow down by letting go of the X button. Hitting the sides of the track or any obstacles will bounce the car back slightly but not change its direction, which means that it's quite easy to get stuck (especially in sections of the track where players are unsighted such as under a bridge). There are some interesting features such as gates and tornadoes on track, but other than that it's a pretty standard overhead racer.

Graphically the game is colourful and well defined although sometimes it can be difficult to tell which end of your car is which after a spin due to the small size of the sprites. No music accompanies gameplay, but the engine roar is fairly standard for this genre. Overall Championship Sprint isn't bad, but there's nothing to hold your attention for more than about 10 minutes.

Rating: 23/100
Grade: F

Game: Cyberball 2072
Console: Arcade
Developer: Atari
Release Date: 1989

Cyberball is a futuristic sports game which resembles american football in a lot of ways. You're given control of a robotic team of players who are trying to score more points than the other team via touchdowns and conversions, and attempting to stop the other team from scoring. From the kick off, the offensive team is given the ball and must make their way to the end zone of the other team by passing the ball and running forward in each play. Each time an offensive player is intercepted during a play, the ball gets hotter and once it's critical the team with the ball must score or go past the 50 yard line to reset the heat, otherwise the offensive robot explodes before the offensive and defensive teams switch.

With each offensive play the ball is passed first to a running robot which has legs and is slower than the robots with wheels. Players must either gain ground with the running robot or pass to a free robot with wheels to cover the length faster. There's a choice of formations and set plays that can be chosen before each play begins. For defensive play, players need to choose a formation and then intercept the opposing team's robot that is in possession. Doing this enough times without letting the other team pass the reset point of the ball means they won't be able to score.

Graphically the game resembles an early American Football game with brightly coloured team outfits and a fairly basic green field of play. Soundwise the crowd and general effects leave a little to be desired, there's no music either which is a shame for such a fast paced arcade game. Overall you don't have to know too much about American Football to enjoy Cyberball; it's a fun and futuristic take on the sport which is well presented and programmed.

Rating: 77/100
Grade: B

Game: Gauntlet II
Console: Arcade
Developer: Atari
Release Date: 1986

Gauntlet II is a top-down dungeon crawler where players must work their way through levels in search of an exit whilst collecting food and powerups, to combat the fact that their health drains slowly as time progresses. There are also many monsters which will mob players and bring their health down very quickly; these are spawned by monster generators which can be destroyed to end the stream of monsters coming from them. As everything moves fairly fast within the game, things can quickly become chaotic and require strategy or large amounts of skill.

Players control the movement of their character of choice, as well as the ability to attack with weapons and magic. Most enemies are damaged by weapon attacks, but there are some which require the use of magic to defeat. As the levels progress, finding the exit becomes harder with maze style levels and some puzzling elements such as keys and moving walls. Up to 4 players can play simultaneously, but there's no more power-ups than in single player mode, and things can actually be more difficult with multiple players.

Overall Gauntlet II can be fun, if a little overwhelming in the amount of enemies allowed to charge toward you at once. There's plenty of levels and replayability in the game (helped by the fact that levels turn 90 degrees each time you restart them, meaning you can't get too comfortable), and while the difficulty can be a bit all over the place, it's definitely worth a try.

Rating: 58/100
Grade: D

Game: Hard Drivin'
Console: Arcade
Developer: Atari
Release Date: 1989

Hard Drivin' was the first racing game to use 3D polygon graphics. The goal of the game is to achieve the fastest lap and do as many laps of the track as possible. While there are other cars on track, they're more like traffic than opponents since there are no positions. The track itself is split into two sections; players can choose the stunt track which features a large jump, a loop the loop and a banked curve before coming back to the finish line, or the speed track which is longer, but mostly straight with a few wide turns.

If the player crashes or comes down from a jump too hard, their car will explode and a short bird's eye view cutscene will be shown of the crash. While this is fairly impressive for the time, there is a noticeable delay between the impact and explosion as well as fairly basic collision physics. Driving with automatic gearing, players control the gas pedal, brakes and steering, with the addition of the clutch and gears for players who choose manual gearing.

The handling of the car in the game is pretty shocking; it will easily slide and spin off track at the slightest touch, and turns like its wheels are stuck facing forwards at times. Because of this it's very difficult to even finish a lap on the medium (or even easiest) setting. Since there's only one track in the game and the only real goal is to go around it as much as possible, this makes player turns very short and gives the game almost no replayability.

The sound effects begin to grate after a while; the engine and skidding noises particularly. In fact the only sound effect which I enjoyed was that of a road sign getting knocked over. Overall Hard Drivin' has impressive graphics and not much else. I'd much rather play Outrun for the fun arcade handling and more balanced difficulty.

Rating: 14/100
Grade: F

Game: Kozmik Krooz'r
Console: Arcade
Developer: Bally Midway
Release Date: 1982

Never afraid to use a K where the letter C would have been perfectly acceptable, Midway's second game of the compilation (note that they've tried to claim the 5 Atari games as theirs so far) is possibly the worst arcade game I've ever played. Players control a spaceship trying to get to the beam of its mothership, which encounters enemy spaceships in the space between themselves and the mothership. The aim is to shoot any enemies in the way whilst making your way up to the mothership. Once players have made their way to the beam 3 times, they're transported to a different level with new enemies.

Movement of the spaceship is very slow which can be frustrating when coupled with the fact that there's a slight delay between pressing the button and shooting. Due to this sometimes enemies can creep between your last shot and the one you just fired and cause the loss of a life when they should have been shot. The music for the game is dischordant and unimpressive, and the name entry screen only allows players to input 2 characters, maximum.

Overall Kozmik Krooz'r is a badly titled, badly programmed, repetitive and unenjoyable experience which looks decent, but sounds horrible. I'm not sure whether the original arcade version was like this, or if it's just this collection but I'd avoid this version at all costs.

Rating: 2/100
Grade: F

Game: Mortal Kombat II
Console: Arcade
Developer: Midway
Release Date: 25th June 1993

Undoubtedly one of the two main draws of this collection (the other being MK3), Mortal Kombat II was an very popular arcade fighting game. There's a choice of 12 fighters, and all the exaggerated blood and gore you could ask for. Special moves and fatalities return from the first game, with the addition of new stages and characters. The controls remain basically the same with blocks, and high and low punches and kicks.

Personally I think the game is most fun in two player mode due to problems with the AI in single player mode; challenging a friend of lesser or equal skill is about as good as this game gets. In single player mode, fighting properly against the computer usually results in a loss even on lower skill levels due to incredibly cheap techniques and advantages that the AI has. In most Mortal Kombat games, I find that I do best when only using the uppercut move.

Graphically the game is pretty good; the motion captured movements look pretty smooth and aside from being dated, the game is well styled. The music is enjoyable and possibly one of the best parts of the game. Overall Mortal Kombat fans will like the arcade and Midway Classics Collection versions of the game, but for me there's no improvement in the AI from the original SNES game, and it ruins what could be a fun fighter.

Rating: 38/100
Grade: E

Game: Mortal Kombat 3
Console: Arcade
Developer: Midway
Release Date: 15th April 1995

Imagine if you will, a version of Mortal Kombat II with a run feature, slightly better graphics, very slightly improved AI, an updated character roster, and the ability to choose an easier or more difficult arcade mode path. What you should now have is Mortal Kombat 3. In fact its similarity to both the first and second instalments in the series is pretty much undeniable. With no extra modes and little in the way of features, it's more of an update than anything else and doesn't have a whole lot more to offer than MKII.

Overall the graphics and music of Mortal Kombat 3 are pretty good, but once again it suffers from the problems of the other two games in the series and is only truly fun in multiplayer mode. For fans of the series, it's probably an excellent game, but personally I can't see why anyone would choose this over games such as Tekken.

Rating: 46/100
Grade: D

Game: NARC
Console: Arcade
Developer: Williams Electronics
Release Date: 1988

NARC is a an arcade run and gun game where players take on the role of Max Force or Hit Man, police narcotics officers on a mission to keep drugs off the street. At the beginning of each level you've given a drug baron to capture or kill and then sent through hordes of junkies and dealers to find them. Players have the choice of a gun or rocket launcher as weapons and can crouch or jump whilst shooting to take enemies down. Once enemies have surrendered they can either be shot or arrested (the second of which yields more points).

As the player progresses it's easy to get overwhelmed by the sheer number of enemies onscreen, although this is less of a factor with two players. Although there are some interesting features which appear in some levels, after a while the game gets repetitive and unless you're a huge run and gun game fan, it's possible you'll be tempted to quit once this happens.

Graphically the game is well stylised and looks good with interesting backdrops, sprites, weapons and effects. With such a lot going on at once on the game screen, it's good to note that there's no slowdown or flickering. Musically the game has a driving funk rock soundtrack which fits well with the gameplay and style. Overall NARC is a fun run and gun which improves with 2 players, and while it can get repetitive and difficult at times, it's definitely worth a play.

Rating: 62/100
Grade: C

That's all for today's half of the collection review; it's been a mixed selection of games ranging from the genuinely enjoyable Arch Rivals and Cyberball 2072 to the utterly shocking Kozmik Krooz'r. With only 4 of the games actually having been developed by Midway, it's hard to see how the company can call this their collection of arcade games (although they do now own all the licenses to them). Next time I'll be checking out Primal Rage, Pit Fighter and Wizard of War amongst others. Hopefully there'll be a true Midway game that'll impress me.

PS1 Racing Double Header: The Need for Speed vs Ridge Racer Type 4

Game: Road&Track Presents: The Need For Speed
Console: Sony Playstation
Developer: EA Canada
Release Date: 20th March 1996

The first of many Need for Speed titles, this Playstation game lacks a lot of the features which we take for granted in modern instalments. With a choice of 8 main cars (and 1 unlockable bonus car), 7 tracks to race on (4 closed circuits and 3 point-to-point tracks), and 4 game modes (Time Trial, Head to Head, Single Race and Tournament), there's enough choice to keep players amused for a short while, despite the lack of real depth.

The handling of the vehicles in the game doesn't differ much from car to car, it seems quite grippy for the speeds the cars are apparently going, but cornering requires an exact amount of braking to avoid hitting the edge of the course or slowing down too much. Doing either of these things will allow the AI to overtake players as they seem to be able to take each corner without having to slow down at all. My best finish in an 8 car race was 3rd, and even getting that was quite difficult.

The default controls are set so that the square button controls acceleration and the X button controls braking. Luckily you can change this to "configuration B" which is how every other racing game ever has the buttons. Another strange feature of the game is that upon starting the race, players have to change into first gear, from neutral, before being able to accelerate. While this is realistic, there's no purpose to it, and it only serves as another obstacle to players before getting to the true racing experience.

The 4 game modes featured are pretty similar to one another on closer inspection. Time Trial allows you to race on tracks alone, for the best laptime, Head-to-Head pits you against another car around the tracks, Single Race pits you against 7 other cars around any chosen track, and Tournament pits you against 7 other cars around a selection of tracks. Personally the most fun I had was in Time Trial mode, playing the point to point stages, which have some nice scenery.

Graphically the game isn't too much above the level of late SNES or Mega Drive games, but does look a little better if you don't concentrate on individual features. The cars themselves look rather blocky and not too much like what they're supposed to be, although with just 8 to choose from this isn't too much of a concern. The music which accompanies racing is a choice of either rock, or techno. Rock tends to be a fairly heavy imagining of the genre, and techno is bearable. Neither seem as if they belong in the game, though.

Overall The Need for Speed is a shaky start to the franchise's journey as a best-selling series. There are a few good ideas here and there, such as cops in the head to head mode (though they're poorly executed), and point-to-point tracks, but the flaws outweigh these and give the game a shallow feel, with no real choice of cars, tracks or game modes. A few hours on the game, and you'll have seen all of its sights.

Rating: 53/100
Grade: D

Game: Ridge Racer: Type 4
Console: Sony Playstation
Developer: Namco
Release Date: 1st May 1999

The fourth Ridge Racer release for Playstation, Type 4 continues in the arcade racing style of previous instalments, adding better graphics with Gouraud shading, story based elements in Grand Prix mode, and more car customisation. For those unfamiliar with the Ridge Racer series, Grand Prix races start players at the back of a grid of cars (8 in this game), and expect them to have made their way through to a certain position by the end of a set number of laps.

At the beginning of Grand Prix mode, you're asked to pick a team to race for (each one has a different story which is told as the races progress), and the make of car you'd like the team to use (this only affects the handling of the car). There are then 2 races in which the player must finish at least 3rd, 2 where the player must finish at least 2nd and a win is necessary in the final 4 races. Faster cars are awarded by the team periodically to help players, although all of the AI cars also get upgraded, so it's not too much of an advantage.

While the player does have a choice as to how their car handles, all of the available options can easily be mastered, and feel responsive. Some cars drift more easily than others which can help players maintain their speed through corners, and others grip the road well and don't easily allow drifting. Depending on finishing positions, different cars are unlocked as an upgrade, giving the game replayability for those interested in unlocking every car. The problem with this is that not only are there 80 car types to unlock, but each car has 4 colour designs to unlock, meaning that the minimum number of times you'd have to complete Grand Prix mode to unlock everything would be 28.

While there aren't a great deal of other modes in Ridge Racer Type 4, the standard 2 Player and Time Trial modes are present, as well as an Extra Trial race, which is difficult to beat, but rewards the player with a prize car. The Design mode is hard to use and doesn't seem to have all that many options. Players can draw their own decals using a drawing tool, but it's hard to input precisely what you want with only a d-pad and analog stick as drawing tools.

Graphically the game is very impressive for an original Playstation title, the first in the series to feature a more complex method of polygon shading, pushing the hardware to output some of the best visuals on the console for a racing game. The music which accompanies racing has a 90s throwback feel to it, and may not be to some people's tastes. Personally I think it embodies the spirit of this type of arcade racer and fits well with the action.

Overall for a game with just 3 modes, 8 tracks and far too many similar cars to even consider unlocking, Ridge Racer Type 4 is a lot of fun. Grand Prix mode is highly recommended, and trying different teams and car combinations can give some replayability to the game also. While it's not as comprehensive as Grand Turismo on the Playstation, it has an arcade fun factor which is pretty much unrivalled on the console.

Rating: 75/100
Grade: B

PC Indie Game Double Header: Space Funeral and Ghost Party

Game: Space Funeral
Console: PC
Developer: thecatamites
Release Date: 17th September 2010

Click here to listen to music from the game as you read

It's been a while since I played an indie game for PC, but I often think about how well produced and enjoyable 'Off' by Mortis Ghost was, for an indie title and as a game in general. With this in mind, I decided to take a look at a similarly surreal RPG, 'Space Funeral'. While the story isn't as allegorical as Off, and the game is much shorter overall, features such as the battle system and the characters remind me of it strongly.

Players begin as Philip, the main character as he leaves his mother and father's home behind and explores the world. Philip is visibly unhappy from the start, with tears streaming down his face and a generally sad disposition. A little of the game world is explained by NPC's, and it's revealed that Philip will need a weapon if he wants to get past the Swamptrogg which is the game's first boss. Past this, Philip meets various characters on his way to restoring the world to its rightful state.

As can be seen above, the design of the game world is incredibly surreal, colourful and full of interesting imagery and textures. At first it can be a little hard to immerse yourself in such a visually different game world, but after a while it becomes easier. The purple path areas usually lead the way for Philip, although there are some sections which require a little deduction from players.

Battles in game work much like those in Chrono Trigger and Off; there's a timed move meter which must fill before players can choose what to do. Options include Attack (with whatever weapon is currently equipped), Skills (more of which are learned as the player progresses; these are handy for inflicting status conditions on opponents), Mystery (which chooses a random action to occur) and Items (which lets players use any item they're currently holding). With a maximum of two characters to control in battle in the entire game, and a limited range of enemies, it's never particularly difficult to win battles, and there's certainly no need to grind. In fact, there are more than enough health power-ups around to simply choose attack every turn.

Graphically the game resembles titles released around the end of the NES era, perhaps extending into the early SNES era slightly at points. This works well stylistically and for the plot at the end of the game, although the colour scheme could be seen as somewhat garish. The music chosen for the game is a large part of the atmosphere; all of the tracks are fairly obscure and set the scene for the various places Philip visits.

Overall it's an enjoyable little game which should take around an hour to complete, unless players neglect to talk to NPCs or discover the world for themselves, in which case it could be much shorter. While there are some problems with battles being a little too easy, and a surplus of items and money, meaning that there's not too much challenge to the game, it's more of an experience.

Rating: 61/100
Grade: D

Game: Ghost Party
Console: PC
Developers: Tuan & Marshall
Release Date: 16th May 2013

Ghost Party is a game which combines adventure with puzzle solving in a fairly common way. Players take control of a ghost in a mansion, who can interact with people, bats and objects (though most people are simply talking to themselves rather than directly acknowledging the ghost). Through this interaction the player learns of each character's troubles and through the course of the game acquires items which can be traded to solve further problems.

Soon after the game begins, a murder takes place and although the player seems fairly powerless to prevent more murders from happening, their collecting and trading of various items from around the mansion may eventually bring an end to the killings. A vital part of the game is talking to each character a number of times between murders and trying to figure out what inventory items might be useful to NPCs.

Although talking to each NPC multiple times and searching every corner of the house slows the pace of the game, it also uncovers its unique charm and humour which reminded me a little of Earthbound. Each place in the mansion that can be searched has a different message to display, even if there's nothing there, and NPCs that aren't of any use to the player at the present moment will still say witty things.

I've seen criticisms of the game which said it was too slow and repetitive, but considering that there are 3 endings, all of which can be achieved within 1 hour of gameplay (if you save in the correct spot) I would disagree with both of those complaints. While the game is played at a relaxing pace, it's a nice change from the mainstream games of today, with their action sequences and adrenaline fuelled play. I don't think that there's a huge amount of immediate replayability, but players could replay the game after a little while and still enjoy it.

Graphically, the game in a pixel style resembling 16-bit games, with a predominantly blue and grey colour palette. There's a fairly large cast of characters for such a short game, each with their own personality and needs. The music used to accompany almost all of the gameplay can get repetitive at times as it's only around 20 seconds long, and continuously loops, but there's always the option to turn the game down if this is a problem.

Overall Ghost Party is an interesting experience which can give players an hour or so of immersion into its world and allow them to discover the characters and events which occur there. While its slow pace and relative lack of action may put off some gamers, others will find that the atmosphere and mood of the game are relaxing and provide a nice contrast from most video games.

Rating: 70/100
Grade: C