Collection Review: Midway Arcade Treasures 2 (Part 2)

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

Continuing with the second half of this collection (the first half can be found here), there are classics such as Primal Rage and Rampage World Tour to come, alongside some lesser known arcade games. The first 10 games on the collection were mixed, containing some absolute classics, such as Arch Rivals and Cyberball 2072, alongside less enjoyable games. Let's hope there's more enjoyment to come as we begin.

Game: Pit-Fighter
Console: Arcade
Developer: Atari
Release Date: 1990

Pit Fighter is a fighting/beat 'em up crossover where players must jump, kick and punch their way to victory against opponents, to become the champion. Up to 3 players can fight simultaneously, and the number of enemies depends on how many players there are. The game used digitised images of actors, just like Mortal Kombat, but was released prior.

The version of this game on Midway Arcade Treasures runs significantly faster than the original arcade game, which can cause quite a problem in terms of players strategy and reaction times. Most of the time button mashing is the best policy to get through a fight, and even then players are likely to die 2-3 times per fight. There'd be a good progression of difficulty if it wasn't for the speed of the game, but on the whole it's pretty bland.

Graphically the game hasn't aged well, and only looks about as good as the original Mortal Kombat, if not a little worse. The game's soundtrack is fairly enjoyable and is reminiscent of Mega Drive titles of the time, but the sound effects and voices can easily grate on players.

Overall the speed of this conversion of Pit Fighter ruins a lot of its playability, since all strategy and technique is null and void however, there are signs that this wouldn't be the best of games even if that were fixed in its graphics, sound design and overall repetitive nature. While it may have seemed fresher at the time of its release there's tons of better games out there now.

Rating: 30/100
Grade: E

Game: Primal Rage
Console: Arcade
Developer: Atari
Release Date: 1994

In the early 90s, a fighting game featuring dinosaurs and other primal creatures, battling it out to gain followers and rule the world sounded like a good idea, and so Primal Rage was born. The game plays much like a standard tournament fighter, allowing players to beat enemies one by one until all have been defeated. There's also special moves and combos much like Mortal Kombat, with blood, and other slightly more disgusting effects.

The controls allow for heavy and light punches and kicks as well as standard movement. The lighter attacks are hardly ever useful as they don't do as much damage as heavier attacks, and aren't that much easier to land. The game seems to play a little more smoothly and enjoyably than the Mega Drive version, which is understandable since it was in arcades.

Graphically the game looks pretty good, if a little low resolution in places; especially the motion captured followers of the beasts. The music is nothing special and doesn't particularly add to the experience in any way. The sound effects aren't bad although I doubt it'd be particularly hard to produce basic dinosaur sounds. The game's difficulty is a little strange; easily letting players win the first round of most battles but then turning the difficulty up on them.

Overall this is more fun than the Mega Drive version, but still full of the same control and AI flaws. The graphical improvement is noticeable but there's no other real reasons to seek out an arcade version of the game.

Rating: 61/100
Grade: D

Game: Rampage World Tour
Console: Arcade
Developer: Midway
Release Date: 1997

Rampage World Tour invites players to destroy towns and cities as an oversized animal, while eating food and humans found in buildings to regain health. The controls are simple and allow players to jump, punch and kick, though the kick is most effective. In each level, most of the buildings must be destroyed before progressing.

For a game about massive destruction and oversized animals, Rampage World Tour is incredibly boring. Not only does it quickly turn into an exercise in simply pressing the circle button as many times as possible for each building, but each level is essentially the same thing, with more people attempting to shoot your mutant.

Graphically the game is in a cartoon style and performs quite well in terms of animation. The effects of destruction and explosion are nicely represented and add a little to the game's fun. The sound effects and music are played at quite a low level, and don't seem to add too much to the overall experience.

On the whole, Rampage World Tour is a repetitive and fairly uninspired game which shows promise in principle but doesn't ever really deliver on the arcade style destruction it would need to have to be a good game. Having played a subsequent iteration of the game on the Wii, I got the impression that Midway made the first Rampage game and then ran out of ideas.

Rating: 46/100
Grade: D

Game: Spy Hunter II
Console: Arcade
Developer: Bally Midway
Release Date: 1987

Driving games in 1987 were understandably basic, but that doesn't stop them from sometimes being enjoyable. What does stop them from being enjoyable is when they're incredibly hard to play. In Spy Hunter 2, you control a car which is hunting down spies on motorbikes, with its mounted guns. There are other weapon upgrades such as missiles and oil, but players are lucky if they even get the chance to use them. Enemies can come from behind or in front of you, but since the cars guns are front mounted, anything behind or to the sides has a free shot at you.

Managing to drive the car up a ramp and into the allied van will allow for an upgrade of weapon, but honestly I've only been able to use one of these once due to the fact that either the motorbikes or helicopters will explode the car and get me told off for crashing the car. Turns on the games consequently last around 1 minute each and consist of getting hit by unavoidable bullets and missiles.

Graphically the game is basic and it's sometimes hard to tell what direction your bullet will go in due to bends in the road. Things aren't too bad for 1987, and some funky music makes up for it a little but players are still left with an almost unplayable mess of a game.

Rating: 8/100
Grade: F

Game: Timber
Console: Arcade
Developer: Bally Midway
Release Date: 1984

Timber is a relatively simple arcade game where a Mario lookalike attempts to chop down an allotted amount of trees in a given time. The player controls the lumberjack's movement and can choose to swing the axe left or right. While chopping down the trees, bears will throw bees nests at the player which must be dodged, or hit with the axe. There are also birds which fly around later levels and get in the players way.

A bonus stage appears after every 2 successful rounds, challenging the player to maintain their balance on a log which is submerged in water. While the main game is easy, this minigame is pretty hard and is unpredictable. The difficulty increases with each level completed, up to a maximum of 19 trees needing to be chopped down, with a decreased time limit and tiny logs to balance on in the bonus stages.

Graphically the game doesn't seem to have a very well defined style, mixing cartoon parts with relatively badly defined objects and backgrounds. I think this can easily be forgiven as it was released in 1984, and the game plays fairly well. The music grates a little after a while, but it's not bad. Overall this is a fun little arcade game despite being a little too simple, and not having a whole lot of variety.

Rating: 13/100
Grade: F

Game: Total Carnage

Console: Arcade

Developer: Midway

Release Date: 1991

As the sequel to Super Smash TV, Total Carnage had a lot to live up to. While the gameplay remains much the same, the theme has been changed from a game show to a military style. Players attempt to avoid hordes of enemy soldiers and vehicles whilst collecting american flags, gems and disarming bombs. Weapon upgrades can be collected temporarily by walking over certain power ups. With flame throwers and rocket launchers on offer, it's just as destructive as the first game in the series. 

Both analog sticks are used to control the movement and shooting direction respectively, with some strategy required to avoid being hit by any of the opposing forces. The screen does tend to get very busy at times, much like in Smash TV, but this seems to have upped the difficulty somewhat. On the plus side, players get infinite continues, so that they can reach the end of the game, no matter how many dollars beating the game in an arcade would have cost. 

Bosses take an incredible amount of bullets to beat; far more than those from the first game. Graphically Total Carnage looks great, with well defined enemies, powerups and collectibles. The soundtrack is in a similar style to that of Smash TV although I didn't enjoy it quite as much. I'd recommend playing this with a friend, as the option is available and it takes some of the rather extreme difficulty away. 

Overall this is close to being as much fun as Super Smash TV for the Mega Drive, but lacks the wackyness due to the removal of the gameshow themeing, and the implementation of more conventional challenges in a few parts of the game. Total Carnage did receive a SNES port, but it seems like it'd only be a scaled down version of the arcade title. 

Rating: 80/100

Grade: B

Game: Wacko

Console: Arcade

Developer: Bally Midway

Release Date: 1983

The main character from 1982's Kozmik Krooz'r returns in Wacko, an arcade shooter where matching pairs of monsters is the aim. Players control a spaceship, which can shoot in four directions and are tasked with shooting monsters of the same type successively. In later levels of the game, shooting a non-matching pair will create a pair of mutants, which must either be reversed by shooting them once again, or matched by mutating their matching counterparts and then shooting both sets of mutants. 

Gameplay is generally fast and involves a lot of avoiding monsters that are already on screen. Even early on in the game there can be as many as 8 pairs of monsters on screen at once. Added to the fact that paired monsters shrink, but don't disappear in later levels, this makes for a lot of concentrating in order to stay alive. Players are given 3 chances to make contact with a monster before the game is over, which often results in short turns. 

The spaceship is controlled with either the d-pad or left analog stick, while the 4 directional shot is controlled via the face buttons or right analog stick. These controls work well and give players the opportunity to strategise their shots and movements. One major problem with the game is the size of the play area relative to the monsters, and the fact that they'll often go off one side of the screen and appear on the opposite side. This can make it hard to accurately shoot monsters, especially when they're changing direction constantly.

Graphically the game is bright and somewhat surreal with a variety of monsters and the alien player character onscreen. The audio is rather lacking, containing just arcade style "bleeps and bloops" rather than a soundtrack. Overall it's a far more promising game than Kozmik Krooz'r, but it remains basic in gameplay, look and sound. 

Rating: 40/100

Grade: E

Game: Wizard of Wor

Console: Arcade

Developer: Bally Midway

Release Date: 1981

Wizard of Wor is a maze shooter where 2 players, or the player and computer work co-operatively to defeat monsters and progress through the various dungeons the game has to offer. Players can control their movement with the analog stick or d-pad, and shoot with the X button in the direction that they are facing. As the levels progress there are more monsters, some of which are even invisible, that move faster and faster around the maze. 

The game is fairly difficult and the computer player isn't particularly skilled so I'd suggest enlisting the help of a friend. Gameplay isn't particularly interesting since it's confined to the maze itself and levels usually only last around 30 seconds each. There are a limited amount of "worriors" for each player, and when these are expended the game is over. 

Graphically the game makes a lot of use of red, blue and yellow as colours although they don't represent teams, meaning that it's possible to shoot your allies in error. The sprites used a fairly basic and there's not a whole lot of animation when they're moving, but this is to be expected for the time. Soundwise there's almost constant computerised voice clips, but it's impossible to decipher what they're saying. Overall Wizard of Wor fails to be an exciting game in the modern day, however fun it may have been in 1981. 

Rating: 14/100

Grade: F

Game: Xenphobe

Console: Arcade

Developer: Midway

Release Date: 1987

Xenophobe was a predominantly three player arcade game, which could be played with one or two players also. The screen is clearly divided into three portions and even in single player mode, players only get 1/3 of the screen to play on. The objective of the game is to rid various space vessels of "Xenos" or aliens, and prevent them from self destructing by collecting codes and keys to enter into their computer system. 

Players can move left or right through the rooms of the current vessel, and aliens will attack from all angles, even through the floors and ceilings. They can also latch onto players, draining health until the appropriate button to remove them is pressed. Weapon upgrades are available and can help players immensely. Although the general control scheme is good, most of the game is spent crouching as the smallest Xenos are at a low height. 

Graphically the game has a nice cartoon style, and moves very smoothly. It's a shame that so much of the screen is taken up by other players, especially when they're not even taking part in the current game. The menu music for the game is very good but gameplay is accompanied by silence, with only sound effects playing. 

Overall Xenophobe is another example of a game that would have been impressive and fresh for its time, but has lost a lot of its charm over time. While I can appreciate the sound and graphics still, the gameplay seems repetitive and poorly thought out. Perhaps it's far better with 3 players, but single player mode seems to drag on. 

Rating: 45/100

Grade: E

Game: Xybots

Console: Arcade

Developer: Atari

Release Date: 1987

While it certainly wasn't the earliest example of a 3D shooter, using 2D graphics and angle changes to give an impression of depth, Xybots is a great early example of the genre. Set inside of a maze, players must find their way to the exit point, avoiding or killing monsters on their way with either their gun or zapper (though the zapper takes away 10% health each time it's used). Player health drains slowly as levels continue, so speed is of the essence. 

The left analog stick is used to move around on screen, while L1 and R1 are used to shift the view 90 degrees left and right respectively. It takes a little getting used to, but the controls make sense once players have become accustomed to them. At the end of each level there's a shop which offers upgrades and special items, including 150% max health and slower health drain.  

Graphically the game seems rather basic from its screenshots, but the 3D effect really enhances play and wasn't a common feature of games at the time. The map at the top of the screen is helpful to players, although in later levels it zooms in to provide more challenge. Musically, the game features an enjoyable range of tracks behind gameplay, as well as some decent sound and vocal effects. 

Overall Xybots is a fun maze style shooter, with plenty of challenge for one or two players, a good strategy/power up system and innovative gameplay. This game stands out above a lot of the other games on the collection, seeming almost like a prototype Doom or Wolfenstein title. The limitations of the 3D are the only things holding the game back from being truly amazing.

Rating: 77/100

Grade: B

With an average score of 42.75 across the entire collection, it may seem as if Midway Arcade Treasures 2 hosts an mediocre selection of arcade games, but the average score has been brought down by the likes of Kozmik Krooz'r, Hard Drivin', Wizard of Wor, Spy Hunter II and Timber. Without these games there'd have still been 15 on the collection to choose from, including truly enjoyable games such as Arch Rivals, Cyberball 2072, Total Carnage and Xybots.

Midway seem to have gone for quantity over quality with this selection, despite including some very good titles. Because of this, the entire collection comes across as hit and miss, rather than a true selection of forgotten gems. The information and promotional materials for each game included are nice touches, as is being able to redefine the controls for each game. On the whole this collection is worth checking out, despite there being games to avoid on it.

Rating: 62/100

Grade: C

Pinball Games Roundup

Recently I've noticed rather a lot of pinball games in my collection, so what better way to review them than with a cross-console comparison roundup? There's a good spread of eras, starting with the NES and if you're really into your pinball games, I've already covered Pokemon Pinball and Sonic Spinball in a review.

Game: Pinball
Console: Nintendo Entertainment System
Developer: Nintendo
Release Date: 18th October 1985

By no means the first pinball game (the Atari 2600, Intellivision and probably several other consoles had one), Pinball on the NES is the first to my knowledge that could be defined as genuinely enjoyable. While it's still pretty basic and visually unimpressive, the core gameplay and table features are in place to make an interesting pinball table. There's a choice of 2 game modes, A and B, the difference being that A has floatier and less challenging ball physics than B which seems to be for more experienced players.

Although there's only one table to play it, it's full of features including a slot machine style bonus display, a multiplier button, targets, cards to turn into a royal flush, and chicks which can be used to gain extra ball savers for the sides of the table. The control is decent in both modes, although I personally prefer Mode A as it usually leads to a longer game.

Graphically the game is very simple, but it's possible to see all that's happening and each feature of the table is clearly laid out. The music of the menu screen is pretty average, and the sound effects in-game are standard NES fare. Overall this is at the very least playable, and could possibly provide an hour or two of fun for players, though there's not a huge amount to do as there's only one table on which to play.

Rating: 34/100
Grade: E

Game: Psycho Pinball

Console: Sega Mega Drive

Developer: Codemasters

Release Date: 1994

Psycho Pinball ups the stakes for the 16 bit era by providing 4 different pinball tables, sub games, mini games and speed/difficulty options to suit every player. The table themes are wild west, underwater, halloween and amusement park. While the first three are played as single table games, the amusement park table can provides access to any of the other three through tents which transport the player's ball to its destination table. This can be a fun feature to chain together many turns, as long as the player has the skill to actually get to another table.

Controlling the main game is simple, as the left direction button and C are used for the left and right flippers respectively. When a sub game is initiated, it's usually controlled with the A, B and C buttons, and can range from a shell game, where players must guess what cup an object is under, to a game of skill where players must catch ghosts. The final type of control is used for the minigames which are much more elaborate than the subgames, and require regular platforming controls. All aspects of the game control fairly well and at no point does it feel unintuitive. 

Graphically the game is colourful and in somewhat of a cartoon style; the design gives a good overall atmosphere to the game and links each of its tables together well. The music of the game is very enjoyable and adds a lot of character; each table has its own theme which reflects its theme. My only complaint of this game would be that aside from the minigames, all players can try to do is get a high score; there's no bonus goals, objectives or unlocks to keep one's interest.

Overall this is an enjoyable, if slightly shallow pinball game, with a small but interesting range of tables and minigames. The amount of options offered is a nice bonus, with everything from Slow to Psycho speed. While there wasn't much like it around at the time of its release, I'm sure there are better pinball games to come in this review.

Rating: 61/100
Grade: D

Game: 3D Ultra Pinball 2: Creep Night
Console: PC
Developer: Sierra
Release Date: 23rd September 1996

Creep Night was the first Pinball game I played as a child, as a demo of the game had been included on some educational software I had. The game has a horror theme and features goblins, ghouls, skeletons and more over its three tables; Castle, Tower and Dungeon. All 3 play fairly similarly as the object of each is to complete 5 tasks, assigned to the player once the ball is accurately hit into a series of gates. While this may sound complex, it's not particularly hard to do.

One of the main draws of this game is the amount of extra bonuses and areas there are on each table; the castle alone features 3 sets of flippers as well as a singular one on the left hand side. There's also plenty of targets, doors and other things to hit, in addition to the 5 tasks required which range from protecting your ball from a wraith to squashing zombies, to chasing a goblins on an atv. The amount of imagination that seems to have gone into designing this is impressive.

Graphics are probably the game's weakest area overall as most textures and effects look fairly dated. It's still easy to see what needs to be hit, but an HD remake of the game wouldn't go amiss. The musical accompaniment to Creep Night is stellar and forms a lot of the game's uniqueness. The mischievous feel to the theme of the castle level hints at the coming chaos brought about by all manner of monsters and ghosts.

Overall Creep Night hasn't aged particularly well as a game; it's three tables seem pretty similar to each other and the graphics could easily be improved. At times the ball feels as if it magnetically gravitates towards certain items which may help or hinder the player. Despite this, the gameplay, music and design of the tables are still enjoyable and hold at least an hour or two of fun for players who are new to the game. If you're into 90s PC games, then this is definitely a game to check out, otherwise it's an interesting curiosity.

Rating: 64/100
Grade: C

Game: True Pinball
Console: Sony Playstation
Developer: Digital Illusions
Release Date: September 1996

True Pinball features 4 different tables which can be played in 3D or from a top down view, and feature police, baywatch, extreme sports and viking themes respectively. Each table is fairly small and most feature a lot of ramps and ball runs, with a few minigames here and there. Overall they're not as exciting as the tables of Creep Night or Psycho Pinball.

Controlwise, the game is a little strange; the right d-pad button is used to control the left flipper, and the square button is used for the right flipper. While this isn't too hard to get used to, it'd be nice if players could redefine the controls as desired. Each turn seems to be significantly shorter than most pinball games also, with some only lasting around 20 seconds, despite players best efforts to keep the pinball in play. When playing in top down mode, the ball seems to move far faster than it does in 3D mode which, when added to the scrolling effect makes gameplay even harder.

Graphically the game looks nice, especially for an original Playstation game. There are bright colours and nicely detailed graphics on each table. The music which accompanies gameplay is different for each theme and most, if not all music is enjoyable and fits well with its table. Besides getting a high score on each table, there's not a lot more to do in the game, nor anything to unlock which means there's not a great deal of replay value either.

Overall True Pinball may have featured impressive graphics and gameplay for its time on the original Playstation, but to me it feels devoid of many features and its tables feel far too restrictive for fun gameplay. Of course if you're into pinball games then it's worth a go, but if you're searching for the most fun pinball game out there, it's safe to give this a miss.

Rating: 54/100

Grade: D

Game: 3D Ultra Pinball 3: The Lost Continent
Console: PC
Developer: Sierra
Release Date: 1997

The sequel to Creep Night Pinball, The Lost Continent boasted 15 tables worth of pinball excitement as well as a fully fledged story adventure to accompany gameplay. In terms of control and play style, the game is similar to its predecessor and generally features target areas which the pinball needs to be hit into, and minigames which require the player to do a little more than in Creep Night, often using the same controls as the main pinball sections to navigate paths, shoot dinosaurs and more.

Unfortunately it's not all good news; there are three sections to the game and the first table of each section is a large and fairly difficult one. Assuming players are able to progress, the next four tables are far smaller and feature easier goals, acting more as mini-tables and objectives than a fully different table. The best way to experience the game (or so I found) was to play in Practice mode, and work through each table that way, otherwise it was too easy to run out of lives attempting to beat the first level.

Graphically the game is a little more impressive than Creep Night, but retains some of the 90s PC game feel in its visuals. The music isn't quite up to the standard of the catchy tunes of Creep Night either, but there's some solid tracks, and the voice acting that's included isn't terrible. Although it's not easy to play through the game as intended, even playing the levels in the correct order in practice mode allows the player to view how nicely the story ties everything together into more of a pinball/adventure game.

Overall the enjoyment of this game comes from both the pinball aspects and completing minigames which allow the player to progress. Although pinball purists (they must exist somewhere) won't be impressed by the smaller, shorter tables, I think that they add a far more exciting adventurous feel to the game than if it had just been 3 tables, as Creep Night was. If you're looking for something more than just a pinball game, this is recommended.

Rating: 70/100
Grade: C

Game: Pro Pinball: Timeshock
Console: PC
Developer: Empire Interactive
Release Date: 30th September 1997

Pro Pinball: Timeshock features one fast paced table with a time travel theme, in addition to several minigames and modes. The object of the game is to get the high score as usual, however exploring various continents, visiting different time periods and completing dot matrix minigames are also secondary aims which contribute towards getting the high score, and players completion of these is displayed after each ball is lost.

Table features include several ramps, a crystal in the centre, a multi-ball storage and distribution system on the left, and the dot matrix style screen which displays minigames. These range from controlling a minecart and collecting "awards" to climbing up Mount Rushmore; some games are controlled via the flipper keys and others progress according to the events happening on the pinball table itself.

Graphically the game looks very sharp and crisp in its detail and seems to be well ahead of its time, compared to home consoles. There's a different musical theme for each time period as well as some bonus themes, all of which are fast paced and enjoyable. Although the overall difficulty may seem a little high at first, it's easy to build up a lot of bonus points and rewards from minigames and objectives.

Overall while Timeshock only features one table, compared to Creep Night's 3, or The Lost Continent's 15, the table featured is of high quality and was designed to excite players. This doesn't quite make up for the lack of variety once you're used to the table itself, but with great music and graphics, coupled with the fast paced action of the game, there's still a lot of enjoyment for those who enjoy pinball.

Rating: 66/100
Grade: C

Game: Pro Pinball: Big Race USA

Console: PC

Developer: Empire Interactive

Release Date: 31st December 1998

Big Race USA unsurprisingly plays very similarly to Timeshock, as they're both in the same series. The table has as many if not more features and the graphics has received quite an upgrade also. There are more settings including difficulty, table angle, flipper strength and appearance of wear and tear which are nice to see, even if games are usually played on the default settings.

Despite matching Timeshock for features, I found the action to be less interesting and mainly centred on one or two parts of the table. This table was also harder to pick up than some others, requiring a quick read of the rules before starting to gain an understanding of what could be done in its two modes; In The City, and On The Road. Despite the ability to move between cities whilst playing, after the first two or three it began to feel rather samey. 

Graphically the game is slightly better than Timeshock, which is impressive; the level of detail and reflections in the pinball itself give some extra polish to the visuals. Musically I found that the game struggled, playing tunes and voice clips twice as fast as they should have been, resulting in a strange low quality sound most of the time, though this could have just been my computer.

Overall Big Race USA isn't a bad pinball table/game, but it does suffer from monotony at times. The graphics are the biggest draw, though gameplay is also fun for a while. Of the four games included in the Valuesoft Pinball 4-pack (the 4 PC games in this review), I'd say that I enjoyed it the least.

Rating: 60/100
Grade: D

Game: Pinball Power
Console: Sony Playstation
Developer: Littlewing
Release Date: 1st September 2000

While the PC pinball games in this review seem to have had decently sized budgets, Pinball Power is the first budget game of the roundup. With just 2 tables, a Knights of the Round Table theme, and RPG elements it's an interesting idea that doesn't ever really take off. In each table there are objectives to complete, most of which are as simple as hitting a certain part of the table. Once an objective is complete, the table enters multi ball mode for a brief period, allowing players to score more points.

The controls for the game are pretty sound; the left button on the d-pad controls the left flipper, and the circle button controls the right flipper. The ball feels as if it moves too slowly to replicate proper physics, and there are often awkward pauses when the table holds onto the ball for longer than you'd expect. High scores are easy to achieve, and there's no real challenge to the game as a whole.

Graphically the game doesn't look too bad, but I'm not a huge fan of the decision to block half the screen with an information banner, as the play area is significantly smaller because of this. The music that accompanies gameplay is fairly generic and doesn't fit particularly well with the Camelot style that the game purports to have, though in truth neither does the first table.

Overall the game doesn't play particularly well or fast; the only real enjoyment comes from multiball mode. Everything else about it is decidedly average and to be expected of a budget game. There's very little to do on each table and it ends up being about as exciting as pinball on the NES, only with much better options available from the same time period.

Rating: 30/100
Grade: E

Game: Kiss Pinball

Console: Sony Playstation

Developer: Take 2 Interactive

Release Date: 25th April 2001

2 and a bit years after the release of Big Race USA came Kiss Pinball, a Playstation pinball game based on the band "Kiss". Featuring 2 tables and extremely fast paced gameplay, the game uses a top down 2D style rather than the 3D style of most modern pinball games. Especially considering the large time gap between this and the PC games/True Pinball, you'd have expected Take 2 (who were about to release GTA III in the same year). 

There are four game modes offered on each table; Novice, Regular, Arcade and Tournament and these change the number of balls players are allowed, how long the ball saver is on for, and random effects on the table. Unfortunately due to the speed of the game the only real useful mode is Novice, which allows the ball saver to be on for quite a long time, otherwise games last all of 2 minutes, with each pinball quickly heading out of play. This isn't just a skill issue either, the game is incredibly difficult to play at the speed given.

The two tables are fairly varied but don't feature nearly as much to do as the Timeshock or Big Race USA tables, leaving players to hit the same few targets over and over again. Graphically, the game isn't up to scratch, looking as if it could have easily been on the Super Nintendo. The music isn't bad, though it isn't licensed kiss tunes, but rather generic rock n roll. 

Overall Kiss Pinball is pretty poor; without the Kiss theme you'd be left with a tepid pinball game that's hard to control and doesn't even feature that much to do. Unless you're a mega Kiss fan, I can't see a reason to even play, let alone own this. There's far better pinball games out there, and I'd rather play anything else. 

Rating: 31/100

Grade: E

Game: Play it! Pinball

Console: Sony Playstation 2

Developer: Play it

Release Date: 10th November 2003

Featuring 11 unlockable tables, challenge and freeplay modes, and an american theme, Pinball by Play It seems to offer a little more than your average budget game. Table themes vary from Baseball to Cowboys to Space Exploration, all with a nice amount of features and unique twists, though remaining fairly straightforward in comparison to Creep Night and Timeshock. The gameplay is solid although the ball can seem to travel slowly a lot of the time. 

Challenge mode sets players a target on a set table, which when surpassed will unlock another table and target in its place. The first 8 tables or so are fairly easy and hold a decent level of challenge on the whole, but after this things get rather difficult due to new features which make scoring harder. In all the time I've owned this game, I don't think I've managed to get past a certain point because of this.

Graphically the game is bright and cartoonish, but lacking detail in places. It's never too difficult to see where the ball is on the table, but some targets and features can be hard to spot. The music chosen to go behind the game seems to have been inspired by the american theme, with 50s and 60s style swing and blues music accompanying the action. This helps the game achieve a retro feel and portray the age of pinball popularity a little better.

Overall while it still feels a little budget in places, Play It Pinball provides a good level of challenge, progression and variety to pinball gaming. The controls and tables are good, though the ball speed and graphics could be improved a little. If you're looking for a cheap, varied game then this is probably your best bet. 

Rating: 74/100

Grade: B

Game: Pinball Fun
Console: Sony Playstation 2
Developer: HuneX
Release Date: 25th June 2004

With some of the frankly mediocre titles already featured in this roundup, you may wonder what sort of things a Simple Series game could do to be even worse. For those that don't know, the Simple Series is a set of around 150 Playstation games which were developed on the cheap and released by D3 Publisher in Japan. Some of these were then localised and brought to Europe by Midas Interactive or barely localised and brought to Europe by 505 Gamestreet. This game falls into the latter category.

There are 3 pinball tables to choose from; Attack the Dragon (an RPG theme), Love Songs/Idols (a dating sim theme), and Operation Thunder Storm (a generic action theme). Each of these tables is as desolate as the next, featuring at most 8 things to hit, and no real direction as to what players should be doing. Taking the Dragon Attack table as an example, players must hit a target 6 or more times to bring out a dragon which must then be hit a few times, in multiball mode. Once this has happened, it disappears and the process begins again.

Graphically the game is incredibly poor and could probably have been handled easily by the original Playstation. Textures are low resolution and detail, and there's very little in the way of effects. The music featured is a very short loop for each table, and really isn't anything special. The control isn't that bad, but as there's nothing much to aim at, it may as well not be.

Overall this is the least complete pinball game I've played, despite featuring 3 tables. Pinball for the NES at least had interesting features and things to do; there's a complete lack of that in this game. I've come to expect the worst of the worst from 505 Gamestreet published Simple Series games, but this really is a poorly translated, horribly designed, badly programmed piece of trash.

Rating: 5/100
Grade: F

Game: Gottlieb Pinball Classics
Console: Sony Playstation 2/Sony Playstation Portable
Developer: Farsight Studios
Release Date: 26th July 2006

Owning a game on two platforms is often interesting as there are differences between the two versions that can make them better or worse than their counterparts. In the case of Gottlieb Pinball classics however, there's very little difference between the two versions, so for the majority of this review, I'll be talking about the PS2 and PSP versions as the same thing. Both games give players a choice of 10 tables, based on real tables manufactured between 1932 and 1993.

Because the tables are based on real world models, gameplay on most, if not all of them are enjoyable due to the different features and themes on display. The game uses the shoulder buttons to control the flippers, with the analog sticks being used to control the plunger and tilt functions. The pinball feels slightly too light at times, which is disappointing from a game calling itself "The Most Accurate Simulation of all Time" on the cover.

Graphically the game is impressive both on the PS2 and PSP, although the home console version has the upper hand when comparing them directly. All of the tables are bright and interesting and feature good themeing and variety. Musically the game is bearable, save for the pseudo "Pinball Wizard" theme on the menu, which made me wish they'd just licensed the song if they had wanted it so badly, instead of teasing at the chords of it.

Overall Gottlieb Pinball classics acts as a museum for classic pinball tables, which can be played in a selection of different modes. While I feel that this sort of pinball suits handheld games consoles better than home consoles, the slight improvement in graphics and frame rate on the PS2 version mean that both are fairly matched.

Rating: 71/100
Grade: C

In conclusion there's a wide range of pinball games on offer, across a large range of consoles. The best games seem to have a variety of feature packed tables, or at least consistently good themeing, and great gameplay. Surprisingly a budget title came out on top, as Play It! Pinball received the highest score, but it was able to set itself apart from other budget pinball titles in this roundup by offering the best gameplay.

Game Review: Bully

Game: Bully
Console: Sony Playstation 2
Developer: Rockstar
Release Date: 17th October 2006

Despite a name change for PAL audiences, to Canis Canem Edit (literally Dog Eat Dog in Latin), and numerous other attempts to get the game banned, Bully was released in 2006 in all regions except Brazil where it was successfully banned. Although its title might suggest copious amounts of unprovoked violence or other negative behaviours by players, just as with GTA games, there's no requirement to play in a particular style outside of missions; players are free to act peacefully or not as they wish.

The story follows 15 year old Jimmy Hopkins, who has recently been enrolled at Bullworth Academy and faces the challenge of interacting with, and ultimately uniting several school cliques. Ranging from bullies and jocks to preppies and nerds, each of the cliques have expectations of Jimmy which manifest themselves as missions for him to complete. Gaining enough respect within a group will cause them to greet Jimmy and act in a generally friendly manner towards him.

Outside of the storyline there's also classes for Jimmy to attend, which if completed will improve many of his abilities such as kissing, weapon accuracy and making stink bombs etc. It's not compulsory to complete any of the classes, although the rewards can be helpful towards completing the game as a whole. Other activities include helping strangers with various menial tasks and collecting various sets of objects which appear around the map such as rubber bands, pumpkins, and radio transistors.

There's no real time limit in which players must complete the game; the season changes depending on the missions that are currently available, and days will pass whether or not missions are being completed. Free roaming is somewhat limited to the school ground and surrounding town areas, but there's some fun to be had in causing mischief and annoying both students and residents.

One of the best features of Bully is its expansive roster of characters who make up the school's student body. There's at least 2 or 3 characters from each clique who stand out as having deeper character traits and mannerisms than simple supporting characters might do in other games. The game's central characters certainly have interesting and well developed lines of dialogue in cutscenes and general gameplay.

Another impressive feature is the game's "trouble meter" which fills as Jimmy breaks school rules, and sometimes actual laws. Depending on the severity of the infraction the trouble meter will rise, and be maintained at the same level until Jimmy is out of sight from the pursuing authority figure, at which point it will slowly decrease. Once empty, players have got away with whatever misbehaviour filled the meter in the first place.

Graphically Bully isn't anything special for PS2, and it definitely shows its age when played today. Despite this, the game's unique style and charm give it an air of timelessness, and set it apart from being judged against 2006's releases. The soundtrack to the game can be somewhat repetitive at times, but the standard of composition is good. In terms of other sound, the game really shines in the voice acting department, as there are stellar performances all round from the game's cast.

Overall although Bully isn't as violent or expansive as other Rockstar sandbox games, it offers a glimpse into a smaller world, with a more personal touch to interaction and the storyline as a whole. Missions are generally fun and light hearted, and compliment the overtones of mischief. Players are free to tackle the game at any pace they wish, and there's many side missions and collectibles for those who find that aspect of gaming fun. Whether you're looking to relive your schooldays or rewrite them, Bully is a complete gaming experience that reinvents the sandbox genre in a compact setting.

Rating: 90/100
Grade: A

Game Review: Hot Pixel

Game: Hot Pixel
Console: Sony Playstation Portable
Developer: zSlide
Release Date: 22nd June 2008

In the minigame genre Warioware is undoubtedly king, and the standard that any aspiring title has to live up to. In 2008 Atari released Hot Pixel, a collection of over 200 minigames inspired by Atari classics such as Breakout and Battlezone, as well as Street Culture and a large helping of surreal humour (quite like that of the Warioware series). Games are sorted into 10 chapters, but can also be played via playlists, where they're grouped by various characteristics. 70 additional minigames are still available to download from the Hot Pixel site, and provide additional gameplay to the title.

In regular chapter play, games appear in a random order and must be beaten at increasing difficulties and speeds until a set number have been cleared. At this point, a boss minigame initiates and players have their remaining lives (a maximum of 3) left to clear it with. This system leads to quite a bit of 'hoping to get the harder minigames before the difficulty and speed ramp up', but it's not dissimilar to Warioware in that respect. Chapters can be played on Easy or Normal difficulty from the start, and once all have been cleared, Tricky difficulty unlocks, with various tricks to put the player off while they attempt to complete games.

The minigames and boss games included on the game disc are generally fun and easy to pick up, although it's easy to spot when one game is just a simple reskin of another. There's some variety between the games, and the boss stages provide a welcome challenge at the end of chapters. The Atari classics theme can feel a little overplayed at times, with many versions of Breakout, Battlezone and other games appearing throughout the 10 chapters. There are also many games which are similar to Warioware minigames, which seems almost unavoidable in the minigame genre, but is noticeable nonetheless.

The downloadable games from the Hot Pixel website cannot be played in the same style as the games from the disc. Instead players must aim to complete as many rounds of the same game as possible for a silver or gold medal, depending on their score. This is similar to library mode in the Warioware series, but it's a forced part of the game if you want to play the downloadable minigames. In addition to this, many of them use ideas already presented in the games on the UMD.

There's plenty to unlock in Hot Pixel such as videos, extra playlists of games and some other features, but I'm still not entirely sure how the in game pixel currency is used, despite having earned about 60,000 of it. All of the unlocks seemed to be triggered by completion of chapters, rather than currency milestones and what did unlock was of little use to me.

The style of the games themselves ranges from pixel to cartoon to video quality. Some are rather difficult to master, and others can be easily completed by holding just one button down. The control scheme for each game seems to be slightly different which can be disconcerting, however it shouldn't be too much of an issue if you're used to minigame compilations.

Graphically the game has a range of styles and looks, and it only really struggles when attempting to play the full motion video cutscenes introducing each chapter. The game's mascot "Djon" seems to tie the experience together as you guide him through various adventures by completing the minigames. Musically the game features an interesting accompaniment to play; it's enjoyable behind the minigames and whilst playing but it's not something to listen to outside of the game.

Overall Hot Pixel is an interesting minigame collection which doesn't quite stand up to any of the titles in the Warioware series due to its repetition of some games, layout and inconsistent style, but still manages to provide some fun gameplay and challenge for those fond of minigames or Atari classics. While I'd recommend the game, it's not without its flaws and I'm sure that there are people who could easily dislike it.

Rating: 70/100
Grade: C

Amstrad CPC They Sold A Million: Sabre Wulf, Jet Set Willy, Beach Head and Daley Thomson's Decathlon

All of the games in today's review sold over one million copies; whether that means they're actually good however, is for me to decide.

Game: Sabre Wulf
Console: Amstrad CPC 464
Developer: Ultimate
Release Date: 1985

Sabre Wulf is an adventure maze game where players attempt to collect the 4 pieces of an amulet and enter "the cave", whilst under constant attack from enemies inside of the maze. A sword is received at the beginning of the game, and used to kill most enemies and fend off the largest ones. Along the way there are powerups given by flowers such as invicibility and faster travel (which also gives the player invincibility due to the difficulty of avoiding enemies at high speed).

The controls used for the game are simple; the d-pad on a controller is used for movement, and one button for using the sword which can be constantly depressed to autofire, although players must still position themselves correctly to defeat the enemy with autofire on. The maze is of a terrific size for the time of the game's release; over 20 screens length in width and probably just as much high (though I wasn't able to test that theory). It reminded me of the original Metroid in its scope.

Graphically the game is incredibly colourful with plants and scenery given lots of different shades. There's a little tune which occurs when players walk, but unless you're invincible you're more likely to hear the sword sound effect constantly. The location of the amulet changes with each console reset, and enemies seem to spawn randomly, giving the game a good amount of replayability.

Overall Sabre Wulf is a fun maze style game with a good amount of challenge, solid controls and nice visuals. It's easy to see why the game got a couple of remakes on various consoles and remains to be a favourite of ZX Spectrum and Amstrad CPC owners everywhere. The only real improvements that could be made to this version of the game are the use of a soundtrack, a little more in-game explanation of the story, and perhaps some hints as to the location of the amulet within the maze.

Rating: 62/100
Grade: C

Game: Jet Set Willy
Console: Amstrad CPC 464
Developer: Topo Soft
Release Date: 1985

Jet Set Willy is a surreal platforming game, and the second in the Manic Miner series. The plot (which isn't explained in-game) is that upon returning from his mining exploits, Miner Willy must tidy his mansion to appease his housekeeper, Maria and gain access to the bedroom for some much needed sleep. The player starts in the bathroom and must work their way around the house collecting items. Jet Set Willy is an early example of an non-linear game, as player may explore the mansion at their own leisure.

While there is a great deal of challenge to the game, the variety of platforming tasks is vast and nice to see for such an early title. Various jumps, conveyor belts, ropes and stairs must be navigated without touching enemies or falling too far, both of which result in death. Unfortunately, the game is able to reset players to risky spots in the levels, and there's no period of invulnerability after being hit, leading to catastrophically fast loss of lives in some situations, which can be rather annoying.

Graphically the game is pretty basic, with more of a home computer style 8 bit look than the classic NES style 8 bit visuals. It's one of the first CPC games I've played to have a soundtrack behind the gameplay, as well as sound effects; the music is enjoyable and fits the game well. The controls are good though jumps are a specific distance, so precision jumping is difficult.

Overall Jet Set Willy represents an obvious advancement in platform gaming (though not as much as Mario Bros. or anything of that sort), and can be enjoyable despite some of its more frustrating aspects. It's easy to see why the game was popular with gamers of the time, and I think with a few more hours dedicated to mastering the controls and timing of my jumps, I may be able to complete the game.

Rating: 55/100
Grade: D

Game: Beach-Head
Console: Amstrad CPC 464
Developer: Access Software
Release Date: 1985

Beach-Head is one of the most enjoyable games I've played so far on the Amstrad CPC. It's a military game where players take control of ships and tanks in an effort to defeat the enemy in various types of battle. Firstly players must steer a ship through a course of moving enemy ships toward a goal area, carefully avoiding all of them so as not to be sent back to the start. Next players take control of the ship's guns to shoot down attacking enemy aircraft which is possibly the most fun part of the game. The angle and position of the guns is adjustable and the explosions are particularly satisfying.

The third and penultimate style of play has players controlling the ship's guns once again, but this time attempting to sink other ships by moving the guns and adjusting their angle to get a direct hit, based on onscreen feedback. Lastly there's a tank section where tanks are driven through an obstacle course littered with enemy guns and things to avoid before reaching a boss which must be shot at in specific places.

Graphically the game is simple but impressive in places, for its time. The section where you're asked to shoot down planes feels very smooth and the explosions and gunfire work very well, however the tank section's scrolling effect is choppy and feels much less impressive. Soundwise there's no music to accompany the game, but the sound effects aren't bad on their own.

Overall Beach-Head provides at least 2 enjoyable sections of gameplay, and the sheer variety of modes on offer is a huge plus for a game on this console. While a couple of the elements are a little clunky, overall each mission fits nicely into the game as a whole, and other publishers of the time would easily have released each part seperately, so Access Software get bonus points for this almost compilation like release.

Rating: 66/100
Grade: C

Game: Daley Thompson's Decathlon
Console: Amstrad CPC 464
Developer: Choice
Release Date: 1984

Voted game of the year in 1984 by Crash Magazine, and based on Konami's Track and Field, Daley Thompson's Decathlon was an incredibly popular Amstrad CPC game. It features 10 different track/field events including 100m, high jump, long jump, shot put, javelin and more. Players must reach a certain target time/distance/height in each event in order to progress without losing a life.

All of the games feature some form of wiggling the joystick from left to right as fast as possible, which depending on the joystick you're using can be quite difficult. The speed of joystick wiggling determines the speed that Daley Thompson will run, and a button press confirms where he throws/jumps from, with a second used for the angle of throw/jump.

Graphically the game isn't hugely impressive, despite its good standard for 1984. In game sounds are kept to a minimum and are usually fairly basic. I didn't enjoy the game hugely since I had very little success using any of my controllers/joysticks. When the runner's speed is determined by how fast you can alternate between two buttons, then it's lost most of its skill, as far as I'm concerned.

Overall Daley Thompson's Decathlon was probably a far better game in 1984 than it is today. What now seems simple and difficult to use at times may well have been cutting edge. I had far less fun with this title than any of the others in this "They Sold A Million" review, and it's the only one which I think didn't really deserve to sell all of those copies.

Rating: 23/100
Grade: F

Budget Racing Game Double Header: London Racer: World Challenge vs MaXXed Out Racing

Game: London Racer World Challenge
Console: Sony Playstation 2
Developer: Davilex
Release Date: 19th September 2003

Having reviewed two games in the London Racer series already, I thought that they were so poorly made that there wouldn't be any more. Unfortunately budget publisher Davilex couldn't run out of money fast enough, meaning that a third game was produced. World Challenge makes some rather ambitious promises on the back of its box, which I'd like to compare to the reality of actually playing the game.

"16 World Famous Realistic cities" - The number is at least true and although Edinburgh isn't exactly first on my list of holiday destinations, it's definitely fairly well known. The only real issue here is the 'realistic' part. London tracks seem to cram as many sights in as they can, and I'd hardly call racing on the roof of the Louvre realistic, not to mention the fact that due to the graphics, the cities are barely recognisable.

"More than 34 tracks" is technically correct if you count reverse variants, but "Break the rules, shake off local police" seems to me to be an outright lie as I never once even saw the police in a race, despite completing around half of the game. Whether the company just forgot to put them in, or they only feature in later races is anyone's guess, but it wasn't a good decision eitherway.

"New competitor AI makes winning a big challenge" - From the screenshot above, its pretty plain to see that the AI has absolutely no clue what it's doing. The handling of the game is admittedly difficult, and the cars seem to drive more like blocks of concrete than actual vehicles, but the AI opponents manage to smash into anything they can find including other traffic, trees, buildings and the player themselves, making winning pretty easy.

"New Super Nitro Boost for Incredible Speed Sensation" is partially true, since it wasn't featured in other London Racer games, but if you're going to call fading out the audio and blurring the horizon and surroundings a little an 'incredible sensation' then it'll probably sound more exciting than it is. The final box quote, and only one to be 100% factual is "Race against friends in multiplayer mode". There definitely is a multiplayer mode; just one type of race though.

So we've established that the game's advertising thoroughly oversells it as more than a budget racer, but there's many more problems with London Racer World Challenge than just being overhyped. The menus have hardly any choice at all for players; there's literally 3 options on the main menu, which then lead to another 6 in total. That's the scope of things you're able to do in the entire game. As for some of the tracks, I notice the developer was unafraid to reuse assets from London Racer II.

(And the award for most sparse menu goes to...)

Graphically the game isn't really up to PS2 standard, despite being slightly better than the last game in the series. Cars still look pretty chunky and crash physics make very little sense. The soundtrack of the game reuses many radio clips from London Racer II (at least from all the locations that were featured in it), and the new stuff isn't much better. If the radio chatter had referenced the previous game it might not have been so bad, but ripping directly is unforgivable.

Overall London Racer World Challenge actually seems to be worse than London Racer II, which was a small step in the right direction after the original London Racer. The new features are either unimpressive due to the fact many other games had already done them better, or unnecessary such as the strange nitro speed mode. Either way this is another racing game to avoid.

Rating: 33/100
Grade: E

Game: MaXXed Out Racing
Console: Sony Playstation 2
Developer: Tamsoft
Release Date: 12th March 2004

Usually I have a fair amount to say about games from the Simple Series; they're bad enough to warrant commentary on many of their features, and I feel the need to let others know just how horrific most of the games are. I have very little to say about MaXXed Out Racing however. While London Racer decided to use some track and audio assets from a previous game, MaXXed Out Racing is almost a clone of another simple series title; Motorbike King.

I should point out that technically Motorbike King was after MaXXed Out Racing, and so technically this was an original title and Motorbike King was the clone, but that doesn't make it any better. There are a total of 4 tracks in the game and around 8 cars to choose from. These can be upgraded with enough money from winning races, but considering how the cars handle, players will be lucky to finish anywhere near the AI car.

Most if not all cars in the game have a strange exhaust pipe design, sticking out a few metres up into the air. All competitive races are against 1 AI opponent, with other traffic cars on the road (and usually getting in the way). A co-driver is supplied who acts somewhat like a rally co-driver, but will only bark the next turn's direction, followed by "okay?" and tell you to put your back into racing, which can get annoying fairly quickly. Graphically the game is very poor and it's easy to tell how cheaply the game was made.

Overall if you're played this, you've played Motorbike King and vice versa. There's no redeeming qualities to the concept or gameplay, and any time invested into the title is a waste. Once again a Simple Series title proves to be one of the worst games I've reviewed on this blog.

Rating: 10/100
Grade: F