I’m going to get straight to the point, Retro Games Challenge (A.K.A Game Center CX) disappointed me — but not because of the game, but rather my own ignorant assumptions that caused the disappointment. Instead of researching a game that’s already out, I based my ideas of the game on a small preview in a press release about the game’s immanent US release. Go me! Don’t worry, just because the game shattered my own silly fantasies doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy the game. This is why we have previews.
The minute I turned on the game, I saw some text in a starry background. I quickly followed up with a wiseass remark: “A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away…” Then, as if I had given the cue — YELLOW SCROLLING TEXT APPEARED! All it needs is some John Williams music. I’m not really sure what they’re saying, but I assume it’s not cursing at me in Japanese. I was then greeted by Darth Kawashima, supreme ruler of retro game land! The fate of mankind teeters on the brink of destruction unless I overcome my retro games challenge.
Disappointment (which I am to blame) number 1: These games aren’t random rapid fired quickies in vain of WarioWare. You must beat each challenge in a set order to progress further and unlock more. Since each challenge was different, I needed reading skills to understand my goal. Thank god I discovered a complete FAQ at Gamefaqs; or else I wouldn’t have been able to progress further. Just because it’s a bunch of retro games doesn’t make it import friendly. You should wait for the American release instead.
My first game was Cosmic Gate — a Galaga clone. They actually improved the gameplay with extra additions and techniques. The challenges range from clearing a certain stage, to earning a certain amount of points, to figuring out how to warp. The power ups aren’t just for show, so you’ll want to take advantage of it to win. There’s even a bonus stage that conglaturated you after you shooted a certain amount of asteroids. I hope they keep that in the English version…
The next game was some ninja game call Karakuri Ninja Haguruman. The gameplay was unlike anything you’ve ever played before, and yet somehow familiar. For now, I’ll give a quick run down instead of trying to explain everything. You have the single room (not screen, mind you) filled with enemies to kill. Once you’ve wiped out all the enemies, a “boss” type enemy will appear. Kill it, and move onto the next stage. Collect items, stun enemies, flip doors, and stomp’em! It’s like Bubble Bobble with a twist.
The last game I unlocked was Rally King. This is an overhead racer. Your task is to go fast, earn a DWI, and die in a fiery blaze of glory. At least that’s how it looked like with me behind the wheel. Here’s hoping cars of the future won’t be controlled with a video game pad. I’m not into racing games, so I’m not sure if my assessment is accurate. Certainly seems more complex than your run of the mill NES racer. Again, I could be wrong.
My last disappointment is that there are only 8 games in total. I honestly thought they would have loaded more content into it. Still, what I’ve played so far aren’t just straight forward clones. They actually put a little thought into it to spice things up. I’m only up to Rally King, and I’ll go back after I finish Summon Nights 2. Outside of some unreasonable expectations on my end, I am very pleased with what I’ve seen so far. Hopefully, the remaining games will retain the old-school gameplay with a twist feel. Maybe some randomization like WarioWare wouldn’t hurt, though. There’s always hope for a sequel!
