retro review
Retro Review: Einhänder (PS1)
Release Date: Nov 20, 1997 Developer: Square Co., Ltd. Publisher Square Co., Ltd. The shoot-‘em-up is one of my favorite video game genres. The love began with Tempest in the arcade, and it hasn’t subsided. What has subsided, however, is the genre. Nobody seems to be interested in making too many shooters outside of the indie space. Cuphead tided me over for a bit, but that’s a run-‘n-gun game. I ...[Read More]
Retro Review: Super Star Wars (SNES)
Release Date: June 1, 1992 Developer: Sculptured Software, Inc., LucasArts Entertainment Company LLC Publisher: JVC Musical Industries, Inc. Once upon a time, I was in love with the Star Wars universe. It wasn’t all-encompassing; I loved Star Trek as well. But back in the day, an upcoming Star Wars movie would whip me up into a frenzy. My love wasn’t so all-encompassing that I’d go to the theater ...[Read More]
Retro Review: Mega Man 2 (NES)
Release Date: December 24th, 1988 Developer: Capcom Co., Ltd. Publisher: Capcom Co., Ltd. When I saw the announcement that Capcom was resurrecting the Mega Man franchise for the Blue Bomber’s 30th Anniversary, you bet I was aware. As a result of the news, I scrapped the Retro Review I was working on and started this one. Simultaneously, I worked on my write-up for the Mega Man 11 announcement. I w...[Read More]
Retro Review: House of the Dead (Saturn)
Release Date: March 1998 Developer: Sega AM1 R&D Division Publisher: SEGA of America, Inc. Last year, I decided to do a Halloween-themed Retro Review. I took a look at Castlevania: Symphony of the Night because I love the game. But in a twist, I chose to look at the Japanese SEGA Saturn version. The game was different enough compared to the U.S. PlayStation version that it made it a novel revi...[Read More]
Retro Review: GoldenEye 007 (Nintendo 64)
Classic game with a couple of flaws Release Date: August 25th, 1997 Developer: Rare, Ltd. Publisher: Nintendo of America, Inc. Nostalgia is a bit of a double-edged sword. I’ve often gone back to play games I remember playing when I was younger and enjoying. Several times, my experience now differs greatly from what I remember. It happened when I replayed Sonic Adventure for a previous Retro Review...[Read More]
Retro Review: Night Trap (SEGA CD)
Release Date: October 15, 1992 Developer: Digital Pictures Publisher: SEGA No. Just…no. Night Trap: 25th Anniversary Edition just got an August 11th date for the physical PlayStation 4 release. The PS4 and PC will see a digital release on August 15th. Many people, including Digital Crack Podcast mate Dv310per – a smart and thoughtful fellow gamer who is nevertheless wrong – are excited about...[Read More]
Retro Review: Road & Track Presents The Need for Speed (3DO)
Release Date: 1994 Developer: Electronic Arts Canada Publisher: Electronic Arts, Inc. I feel the need… The Need for Speed series is the longest-running video game racing series. It’s a very successful series, boasting sales of over 150 million copies across multiple generations of consoles. As a fan of the racing genre, I have cut my teeth on many entries in the venerable series. There have been t...[Read More]
Retro Review: Pepsiman (PlayStation)
This calls for a Coke Release Date: March 4, 1999 Developer: KID Corp. Publisher: KID Corp. May has been a brutal month for me. Between personal and health issues, my duties for Digital Crack have suffered. Unfortunately, so has my gaming. My PS4 and Xbox One have lain silent since the first of the month, and I normally have one online almost around the clock. My Raspberry Pi has fared better only...[Read More]
Retro Review: R.O.B. Games (NES)
Robotic Operating Buddy? You’re not my buddy, guy! Release Date: October 1985 Developer: Nintendo Publisher: Nintendo When you’re trying to differentiate yourself, you’re bound to take some chances. The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) had that issue from the onset. In an attempt to differentiate itself from the video games than had crashed before it, however, it may have tried too hard. ...[Read More]
Retro Review: Demon Attack (Atari 2600)
Release Date: 1982 Developer: Imagic Publisher: Imagic Imitation is considered the sincerest form of flattery. In video games nowadays, it’s seen by many as derivative and lazy. Back in the second generation of home video game consoles, it was almost inevitable. Imagic’s Demon Attack at least imitated with some style. Back in the early years of home video gaming, ideas for new games came in fast a...[Read More]
Retro Review: Life Force (NES)
30 Lives, Excessive Force Release Date: August 1988 Developer: Konami Publisher: Konami There is a term I bring up whenever I hear someone raised on Xbox and PlayStation complain about the difficulty of a game nowadays. My daughter is one who has complained as such. My response to her is the same as it is to anyone who never played a game on a system older than the Nintendo 64. There are three kin...[Read More]
Retro Review: Space Channel 5 (DC)
Release Date: December 16, 1999 Developer: SEGA Enterprises Ltd. Publisher: SEGA Enterprises Ltd. For all the negatives you can heap on SEGA of Japan – and I can spout out about 20 negatives off the top of my head – playing it safe with their games is not one of them. As followers know, the SEGA Dreamcast is one of my favorite consoles of all-time. SEGA’s snake bitten 128-bit box was the home of s...[Read More]