Cotton Fantasy (United Games Entertainment GmbH). Release: 20/5/2022. PS4 £34.99.
Cotton Reboot! (United Games Entertainment GmbH). Release: 25/6/2021. PS4 current sale price £17.49 (should be £34.99). Save 50%, but offer ends 1/6/2022.
Panorama Cotton (United Games Entertainment GmbH). Release: 29/10/2021. PS4 £12.99.
For this Mini Review I've taken into account Push Square's readers who are more generally interested in shoot-'em-ups when considering the £34.99 price tag of Cotton Fantasy, and how it compares to Cotton Reboot!, which is currently on sale at half price on the PS Store until the 1st June.
In my eyes, £34.99 is more tempting for the physical release of Cotton Fantasy rather than buying it digitally, considering that the physical game can already be found for less than £30.
I'm also interested to hear if anyone thinks that releasing six Cotton games within a year on PS4 waters down, or oversaturates the impact of Cotton Fantasy's western launch — even though some of the games have different publishers — for what is essentially an offbeat series in a niche cute-'em-up subgenre.
Ultimately, if you're full-on into horizontal shmups, then Cotton Fantasy is a great purchase, just for the unique mechanics and systems that each character provides, and the unlockable shooter themed stages.
If anyone has any questions about Cotton Fantasy, please send them my way.
@Ristar24 Yep, I'm still enjoying playing my A500 Mini, thanks. Most recently I've been focussing on Alien Breed: Special Edition '92, Project-X and The Chaos Engine.
Apart from PS4 Slipstream — I refer to it as the PS4's Slipstream, because Capcom also had a SEGA System 32 arcade racer called Slip Stream/Slipstream in 1995 — I've been putting most of my spare gaming time into Alien Breed.
This is following last weekend's WAYP, where I've been really appreciating the work of Team17 and Bloober Team on the 2013 PS3 and PS Vita versions of Alien Breed, so I've been focussing on Classic Mode, but it's good to see an Enhanced Mode included, as well.
I think that programmer Steve Monks did great work on this PS3/PS Vita package of the 2D top-down Alien Breed games.
Good luck with your mission to one day beat the final level of Ocean's C64 Platoon, too!
@Ristar24 I just wanted to give you a shout-out here, and say cheers for recommending PS4 Slipstream to me, bud. I especially want to give a nod to your comparison to the impressive scaling effects in SEGA's 1993 arcade game OutRunners, as I mentioned the reference point you made in my WAYP above.
Also, cheers to Sammy for letting me know about this game, because he suggested it after I read his recent Push Square Mini Review.
It was chatting to my mate about the slipstream mechanics in PS3 OutRun Online Arcade — with gameplay as you know that was based on the OutRun 2 series of releases — which was another solid reference point.
It was cool to hear a retro themed racer like Slipstream being mentioned by three separate recommendations. I knew about Blitworks as a publisher already, because of PS4 Fight'N Rage, but I'd not heard of developer Ansdor before, so I've learned something new.
@Mostik Sorry for the late reply, mate, I've been out at the pictures watching Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore today.
Good call on Bullfrog's Amiga version of Syndicate, it had such a detailed and stylised cyberpunk world in 1993, I was always disappointed that the SNES' graphics lost the Amiga's grittier art design, to be replaced by chunky, cartoonish sprites instead.
Nice one back at you for the heads-up about the Evercade magazine too, I didn't even know Evercade Evolution existed until now.
I find it a bit of a dilemma buying new magazines, in general, because I juggle both budget and space, as I currently buy every issue of PLAY, Retro Gamer and Wireframe, so I have to hold myself back from accumulating too many new mags.
One example is that I treated myself to the first PlayStation themed issue of a Kickstarter book called Lock-On — note that the title is stylised as [lock-on] — although I wasn't able to keep supporting it afterwards, because I had other magazine commitments.
I'm tempted by Evercade Evolution, though, as I think it costs £7 RRP to get a sample of its content, since you recommended it here.
@Mostik and @Daleaf — Talking of Amiga Cannon Fodder, I was chuffed to find a magazine called Amiga Addict at my local WHSmith in Liverpool the other week when I bought my A500 Mini, and it has an article called 'Six of the Best with Cam Winstanley' inside.
Cannon Fodder is one of Cam's top six Amiga games, and he reminisces about his days working for Amiga Power magazine, including the anticipation of waiting for Cannon Fodder to arrive (I've included Cam's quote below)
Cam Winstanley (Amiga Addict, Issue 11, page 43): "I remember the game's release being an agonisingly long time coming, partly because I desperately wanted to play it, but partly because Sensible Software graciously drip fed the magazine several unique coverdisk teaser levels. So much has already been said about the game itself that I'll just add that the way it was all built around such intuitive mouse controls was a work of genius. It's also why the subsequent Sega Mega Drive version sucked."
Enjoy combining retro Amiga games with modern PS5 Ghostwire: Tokyo, Mostik, and the mix of playing Elden Ring with watching the snooker, Daleaf.
@Ristar24 The A500 Mini has been more fun than I even hoped, I'm glad that I left it until today for a longer play session, because I would've only been able to dip into playing it when I bought it on its Friday 8th April launch.
My nostalgia is massive for Another World, California Games, Kick Off 2, Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe, Stunt Car Racer and Super Cars II, although it was a bit limiting to spend so much time with Kick Off 2, Speedball 2 and Super Cars II as single player games today, because I predominantly played them in multiplayer with my friends and family during their original release.
Returning to Kick Off 2 was easy to pick up again, like riding a bike, but my skills at Amiga California Games have deteriorated over time – especially considering that I used to play the C64 version for hours with my mates in the late 1980s. The A500 Mini's Half Pipe skateboarding event stuttered in California Games more than I remembered, though.
I even enjoyed playing Zool: Ninja of the Nth Dimension more than I expected, but it's infuriating how Zool uselessly sticks to a wall, but doesn't climb up it, because his wall jump skills are seriously lacking.
Obviously, I'm buzzing from Alien Breed: Special Edition '92 and The Chaos Engine, plus Project-X is a Team17 gem by the Amiga's Euro-style shoot-'em-up standards, too.
Have scary fun playing Tormented Souls, as well as racing fun with Slipstream and Stunt Car Racer, and enjoy the UK's long weekend, mate.
@Tasuki Hi there mate, it's great to hear from you, nice one for responding to me here.
Talking about playing ZAMN on Wii reminds me of the old school Nintendo Life days when I really enjoyed reading Corbie Dillard's separate reviews of both Zombies Ate My Neighbors and Ghoul Patrol, back when they released on Virtual Console in 2009 and 2010 respectively.
The PS4 collection of Zombies Ate My Neighbors and Ghoul Patrol bundled together also includes a 10 minute-ish developer interview, which reminds me of how I appreciated unlockable developer videos in the PS3's Sega Mega Drive Ultimate Collection (Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection in US region).
@Ristar24 Cheers for the quality information regarding setting up The A500 Mini, because to be honest I'm not very knowledgeable about things like formatting a USB for adding extra games, so sticking to under 32GB to format to FAT32 for the loader to be recognised is a good tip for someone like me.
I stuck to the built-in games for my C64 Mini, so I'll most likely focus on The A500 Mini's integral 25 titles — like you say they represent some of the best games the Amiga had to offer, anyway — but you've helped me if I add any more later on.
I knew about your point regarding setting The A500 Mini to 50Hz output for an accurate refresh rate, because I remember thinking that it must have been a challenge for the developers to adapt Amiga Turrican and Turrican II to run on a PS4 display at 60Hz, back when I reviewed Turrican Flashback.
Also, I'm completely sold on PS4 Slipstream based upon your description of it as, "OutRunners level 2D scaling with a drift model similar to OutRun 2." If Ansdor and Blitworks ever release a physical version, they should put that quote on the box!
I'll play The A500 Mini on the Easter weekend, and I'll be sure to check out Slipstream the weekend after.
@Ristar24 Great retro themed picks, as always. I'm also interested in your two weekend gaming choices.
When I submitted my recent WAYP entry, I mentioned to Sammy that it was cool to see the OutRun and Yu Suzuki references in his recent PS4 Slipstream Mini Review, and he said he thought I'd enjoy that racer.
I bought The A500 Mini from GAME on Friday, as well, complete with a free t-shirt of colourful floppy disks. I even found Issue 11 of a magazine called 'Amiga Addict' in WH Smith, with The A500 Mini on its cover.
The trouble is that I'm out-and-about this weekend — hence I'm typing this incoherent response on my phone — and I don't want to rush my first boot-up of The A500 Mini.
Consequently, PS4 Zombies Ate My Neighbors and Ghoul Patrol at a £4.89 sale price is easy for me to dip my toes into for a quick play when I get home, so I'm going to save The A500 Mini for a lengthier gaming session — which I've been looking forward to for a while — probably during next weekend's WAYP 422.
Enjoy your A500 Mini and Slipstream, though, mate.
@Andee Cool, I'm always up for hearing a Mean Machines shout-out! I had a quick flick through my close-at-hand Mean Machines magazines, but I wasn't able to find the Decap Attack comparison, yet. I did find a Den of Geek feature called Magical Flying Hat Turbo Adventure: The Weird Platformers of Vic Tokai. It's by Ryan Lambie, who is Editor of Wireframe magazine now, and he shares similar memories to you, saying that "I can still recall having a couple of copies of the 90s magazine Mean Machines, comparing the Japanese version's graphics to Decap Attack." Cheers for sharing this, I really like hearing people's retro mag memories.
@Plankton-Warrior Ninja Spirit, Pac-Land and Vigilante are all good examples of early PC Engine games, as all three were released in either 1989 or 1990, I think. I started saving for a PC Engine in 1989, and I wrote a list of possible games to buy, which included all three of those titles. By the time I saved my money, though, I changed my mind and spent it on a Mega Drive instead. Since then I've made sure I bought Pac-Land in the 1996 PS1 compilation Namco Museum Vol. 4, and I've got the TurboGrafx-16 versions of Ninja Spriit and Vigilante on the Wii's Virtual Console. I also bought a PC Engine CoreGrafx Mini to try to compensate for missing out on getting a PC Engine all those years ago, too.
My favourite time in gaming is the early 16-bit era when the release of the PC Engine transitioned into the Mega Drive and then the SNES.
My nostalgia is most pronounced by my memories of becoming interested in importing starting in 1989 when magazines were covering Japanese games, which led to both console gaming and grey imports becoming more prominent in the UK.
@Plankton-Warrior Magical Hat no Buttobi Tābo! Daibōken is such a quality Mega Drive choice for a weekend's gaming!
I booted up my PS3 to play Earthworm Jim HD, like I mentioned here, but I also spent a bit of time playing Decap Attack on the PS3's SEGA Mega Drive Ultimate Collection.
I still quite like Decap Attack, but my nostalgia is more for Magical Hat, with my memories going back to reading about it in Computer and Video Games magazine.
I return to those old mags often, so I re-read the Japanese import review, which scored 84/100 in the March 1991 issue 112 of CVG – meaning that the review is 31 years old now.
I loved the colourful screenshots and anime character design in the double page spread, and for years I called the game Magical Flying Hat Turbo Adventure, because that's what it was called in CVG's review.
@scpnightwing I was reading through the WAYP comments here yesterday to see if anyone else mentioned The Batman, and even though it's no longer the weekend, I thought I'd reply to your comment.
I'm based in Birkenhead, and my brother first told me about The Batman being filmed in Liverpool when he saw the film crew and a helicopter around St George's Hall. Here's a link to an interesting BBC News article called How Liverpool, Glasgow and London helped create Gotham City.
I hope you enjoyed returning to Batman: Arkham Asylum, because I had lots of fun completing a few Most Wanted missions in Batman: Arkham Knight, like the League of Assassins focussed Shadow War.
The Most Wanted side mission called The Perfect Crime, which centred around stopping a creepy, opera singing serial killer, meant Arkham Knight's perpetual rain lashed night-time fitted in well thematically with watching The Batman, and both harked back to my memories of reading The Long Halloween.
I've got my eye on Strictly Limited Games' physical release of the Wonder Boy Anniversary Collection, as it's actually selling faster than I anticipated.
We're on the same page with our retro interests, because I'm also regularly checking on Strictly Limited's physical version of Turrican Anthology Vol. 2, because I'm intrigued about the Amiga version of Turrican 3.
In regards to the PlayStation Indies sale until the 23rd March, in the latest Load 230 issue of Retro Gamer there is a 'Retro Inspired' feature on the pixel art Metroidvania game Aggelos, which is currently a whopping 75% off at £3.24, when it should be £12.99.
The only thing I'm conscious about is watching my pennies a bit, because I want to get the A500 Mini fairly soon after it releases – this is considering that the A500 Mini is listed as either releasing in March or April in different shops in the UK.
@Robocod I reviewed for Push Square two out of the five Cotton games that released on PS4 in 2021 (Cotton Reboot! and Mega Drive Panorama Cotton), and you're good to go with both games' performance if you decide to buy either of them – they're both only on PS4 and not on PS5 unfortunately, though.
Cotton Reboot! was solid from its release, and Panorama Cotton was patched, so just make sure you're playing the Version 1.01 update of the Mega Drive port.
Cotton Reboot! has 38% off to cost £21.69 in the PlayStation Indies sale in the UK, but its original price of £34.99 is admittedly at the higher end of shoot-'em-up games.
I enjoyed Cotton Reboot! enough to purchase a physical copy after I reviewed it, if that helps.
I've also included three especially cheap retro games below, which are tempting in the PlayStation Indies sale, so we have until Wednesday 23rd March to decide upon a spending spree
@Metalder Fair play, the more that people talk about Cannon-Dancer/Osman the more that spreading the word will keep some sort of hope for a port of it to modern consoles, although I'm not sure who has the rights to games by Mitchell Corporation today.
The 1989 arcade version of Strider is one of my favourite games in all my time gaming, especially since I imported the impressive Japanese Mega Drive conversion when it released in 1990. I've bought Strider on as many collections as possible since then.
Kouichi Yotsui was not the designer or director on that many games, but his work on both Strider and Cannon-Dancer makes him a legendary Japanese game creator in my eyes.
I know that Yotsui considered Cannon-Dancer to be a spiritual sequel to Strider, so I'm glad he got the chance to explore similar 2D design for Mitchell Corporation with the advances in arcade technology seven years later in 1996. It was cool that Yotsui was the game director on Moon Diver for PS3 in 2011, too.
Never say never, I guess I'll keep my fingers crossed that Cannon-Dancer/Osman is re-released on PS4 or PS5 one day.
I've been really enjoying my PS Vita recently, because I've been focussing on playing pixel art indie, and retro games for each WAYP during the quiet early months of 2022.
Reading all of these comments reminds me of the PS Vita's exclusive games, so I've listed some of my favourites below, which either became multi platform later on, or are fun examples of Vita-only titles.
Note that I haven't played all of these releases, so they're either my personal picks, or games I'd like to check out for Vita's February 2022 10th birthday in AU, EU, NA etc.
Selection of Cool PS Vita Exclusive Games (Only on Vita)
I also had lots of fun playing the Vita version of Sumo Digital's Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed when it released in 2012, and I've fond memories of first checking out Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate when I went to the Eurogamer Expo at Earls Court, which I think was in 2013.
@PegasusActual93 It's good to hear Ion Fury didn't crash and held a smooth frame-rate for you, perhaps it received a patch after the Push Square review was published, so it could be beneficial for me to check out an updated version of the game.
You've certainly piqued my interest, I've just checked into it, and there's a physical PS4 version of Ion Fury too, which is only £14.99.
@PegasusActual93 I remember my cousin showing me DOOM on his PC when it was first released as shareware. I was well into console gaming during the height of the SNES' heyday at the time, but DOOM blew my socks off with its 3D graphics on a home desktop system.
I'll have a read of Graham Banas' Push Square Ion Fury review now, and I'll make a note to check it out in the future.
I've enjoyed many Housemarque games, from Super Stardust HD on PS3 — which my friend once showed to me in cool looking stereoscopic 3D — through to Resogun as an impressive launch PS4 game. I even played Resogun on PS Vita.
For some reason I had it in my head that Nex Machina was a multiplayer focussed game, but I've just had a quick read of Sammy Barker's 9/10 scoring review, and it sounds like a gem, just like you described. Cheers, mate!
@GalacticBreakdown Yep, Capcom Arcade Stadium only has Bronze Trophies, and many of them are such a grind, I wouldn't recommend to anyone to play this collection to target Trophies.
I've unlocked 80% progress so far, but by naturally just repeatedly playing the 32 retro arcade games available. Both the 'Play for at least 100 hours', and the 'Play any of the games a total of 1000 times' Bronze Trophies are currently Ultra Rare (0.1% of players earned).
Capcom Arcade Stadium's miserly approach is the opposite of 2021 retro releases like Gleylancer, Gynoug, or even Panorama Cotton, which all hand out a Platinum Trophy for less than one hour of play.
@Mostik Nice shout-out for the Neo Geo Pocket Color Selection Vol.1, I bought a physical version of it on Switch from Limited Run Games.
Talking of memories, I got the Neo Geo Pocket Color during its UK launch, so I took it with me backpacking around Australia — I even used it as an alarm clock. I had games like Metal Slug 1st Mission, and Neo Turf Masters already, plus my girlfriend brought me SNK Vs. Capcom: The Match of the Millennium as a gift when she visited me in Oz for a few months.
I'd happily buy that collection again if it released on PS4 or PS5.
@Amnesiac I thought the presentation of the candy cabinets, all sat in chronological order, and zooming into the screen to play each arcade game was excellent menu design in Capcom Arcade Stadium, too. I also found earning CASPO strangely addictive, especially when it was from the specific parameters set by the Special Challenge that changes between each game.
I should get the 'Play for at least 100 hours' and 'Play any of the games a total of 1000 times' Bronze Trophies in Capcom Arcade Stadium soon enough, but Capcom need to be less stingy with the Trophies they offer in the next collection!
I hope you enjoy Turrican Flashback, as well. If you've got strong memories of playing Super Turrican, then I think you're going to love Mega Turrican – especially if you haven't played it before. Mega Turrican is like a cross between the Euro-style of home computer Turrican games, but with the console amped up set-pieces of a 16-bit Contra game. It's a really fantastic Mega Drive run-and-gun title.
@Th3solution Thanks for the recommendations! He's already completed Red Dead Redemption 2, but I'll pass on the other games you've mentioned, because he'll appreciate it.
I just want to give a quick honourable mention to Assassin's Creed Valhalla on PS5, even though it released in 2020, because it was actually my most played PS5 game of 2021 with almost 100 hours invested in it this year.
I found it relaxing exploring the lush countryside environments, and I played it in tandem with my stepdad, so we bonded over discussing the Wrath of the Druids, The Siege of Paris, and the A Fated Encounter 2021 expansions, as well as embarking on River Raids.
My stepdad loves games with a historical context, and we're both fans of the Vikings TV series, so Assassin's Creed Valhalla inspired me to buy him PS5 Ghost of Tsushima: Director's Cut for Christmas.
Here is a selection of Retro Modern and Retro Remake 2021 releases I enjoyed this year:
Actraiser Renaissance (PS4): I spent over 25 hours with Actraiser Renaissance's mix of god game, tower defence, and action gameplay genres in this SNES remake, and I still return to it just to replay the unlockable Special Mode's focus on the side-scrolling Acts.
Battle Axe (PS4): Combines beautiful Henk Nieborg pixel art, with a Manami Matsumae soundtrack that recalls her old Capcom tunes, in a retro modern take on the Gauntlet or Zombies Ate My Neighbors gameplay design, with top-down fantasy, Golden Axe-style art.
Cotton Reboot! (PS4): A fun and hectic retro remake of Success' spooky cute-'em-up 1991 Cotton coin-op, Cotton Reboot! also includes the 1993 X68000 Japanese computer conversion of the original shmup.
Cyber Shadow (PS4 and PS5): To quote Stephen Tailby's 8/10 scoring Push Square review, Mechanical Head Studios' pixel art, 2D platformer is, "Inspired by classic 8-bit titles like Mega Man, Shadow of the Ninja, and Ninja Gaiden, this modern take is a stylish, challenging experience." That's an awesome retro modern mix to me!
Below are a few extra thoughts about my GOTY picks:
Capcom Arcade Stadium (PS4): Should a retro collection released in 2021 even be included in a GOTY list? Retro gaming is my main focus at Push Square, and Capcom's 8-bit and 16-bit era arcade games are real deal classics. Also, providing easier access to hard to find or unported games like Carrier Air Wing, Varth: Operation Thunderstorm, and Giga Wing is invaluable to me – plus Dynasty Wars is another game released in the vintage 1989 year, which I mainly knew from the Amiga port in the past.
Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy (PS5): I've been checking out the newer addition of the Ray Tracing Mode recently, and the colourful designs of the planets are great in this game. It was also cool to see it awarded the Silver Trophy in Push Square's Best PS5, PS4 Story or Writing of 2021, because considering it's a linear game, I like to loiter exploring the environments just to hear all the extra banter from the Guardians.
Turrican Flashback (PS4): The Amiga nostalgia is strong with this one! I got the new Retro Gamer Annual: Volume 8 for Christmas, and this bookazine relates well to my retro GOTY 2021 picks, because it has both 'The History of Turrican', and 'Capcom: An Arcade Legacy' features.
@PaperAlien Yes, in the PS5 and PS4 ports of Gynoug (Wings of Wor on Genesis) you can either turn off the wallpaper to have black bars at the sides of a 4:3 display, or you can set it to fullscreen to fill up your 16:9 TV screen.
The fullscreen option looks very stretched in 16:9 though, as like you mention about back in the day, the art was designed for the standard 4:3 CRT TV in 1991, so the backgrounds look widened, and the sprites look fat.
In Ratalaika Games' recent work on retro releases like Gleylancer, Panorama Cotton, and Turrican Flashback, Ratalaika has established a comprehensive options menu to configure the video display, and this continues in Gynoug, with a list of 'Video' options below:
Video: Display, Scaling, Wallpaper, and Shaders.
Display: 4:3 DAR, Perfect, or Fullscreen.
Scaling: Crispy, Razor, or Soft.
Wallpaper: Mist, Creatures, Scene, or None (further options for Brightness and Saturation of Wallpaper, too).
@Ristar24 Good call, one example of how Zzap!64 could have influenced later UK gaming magazines might be that Julian 'Jaz' Rignall worked at Zzap!64 before moving to CVG, and then he was a big part of the Complete Guide to Consoles bookazines, and like you mention, the legendary Mean Machines console magazine.
Below are quotes from Issue 113 of the UK's Computer and Video Games (CVG) magazine from April 1991, where Gynoug received a total score of 91/100.
As I mentioned in my review, this Mega Drive shmup's visuals were well received in 1991, with a huge separate 'Graphics' score of 94/100. CVG's reviewer's comments are below:
Robert Swan: "The graphics are absolutely incredible, with some brilliantly atmospheric backdrops — I was stunned into silence by the see-sawing stomach-like level, which is saying something!"
Richard Leadbetter: "The graphics are great with a really nice mythological feel to the sprites and backdrops and some stomach-churning effects — the wobbly screen is really weird."
CVG also praised Noriyuki Iwadare's soundtrack — which is noted under Gynoug's credits as music by Cube, just like in Gleylancer.
There's a good Gynoug quote from Rich Leadbetter, which shows how Digital Foundry's Technology Editor has been discussing using tech to enhance the gaming experience for years, where he said,
"The sound ranks as some of the best I've heard on the Megadrive. I plugged in my mega-expensive-bass-blasting JVC headphones and I was well and truly amazed by the swingsome tunes and explosive spot effects."
@Ristar24 Cheers, you're right about how we used to progress further in games out of necessity, because they were expensive in the 16-bit era, so we didn't amass as many games in a collection.
Owning a big backlog would have been a problem I'd love to have back in in 1991, because I also used to play my Mega Drive games over-and-over – I must have completed Golden Axe countless times.
We'd make up for smaller collections by borrowing games from friends, and renting them out too.
I own the PAL version of Mega Drive Gynoug, as well, but it's just a well-worn box and cartridge without any instructions, I'm afraid.
@Amnesiac Cheers for your comment, I always like to hear what you think about these retro shooters.
You properly made me laugh in 'WAYP? - Issue 402', by the way, when you compared Gynoug's end of Round 2 boss with the giant in Time Bandits, who has a huge ship hat on his head!
Your Time Bandits reference made me remember John Cleese's role as Robin Hood, which in turn made me think of Monty Python, and then I came up with the tagline for my Gynoug review.
There are repeated points between my Gynoug and Gleylancer Mini Reviews, as Ratalaika is establishing a template for Mega Drive releases (two Masaya shmups, working with Shinyuden, cheap at £4.99, similar video display options, and six save slots). Also, it makes sense to entice new gamers with easy Platinum Trophies, who'll hopefully continue playing for the classic skill based progression gameplay.
I've noticed people praised Gynoug more than Gleylancer in the past, because as well as Gynoug's unusual graphics, its gameplay is interesting to learn, especially with the variety of magic attacks. Each floating letter scroll represents a magic selection (T is Thunderbolt, E is Energy Ball, W is Wild Fire etc), and it's intrinsic to the learning curve to experiment with each one.
The main positive is how extras like cheats help customise the gameplay, so I set my game up to retain weapons with infinite magic, on normal difficulty with three lives, but I confined myself to one credit and no rewind. I just wish Ratalaika offered more, like a gameplay instruction manual, an art and story gallery, soundtrack menu, or development history for example.
Ultimately, I think they're both great horizontal 2D shooters, but I like Gleylancer a little more than Gynoug — especially with the port's fun addition of right stick Gunner System controls, and translated anime-style story.
I look forward to reading the comments posted here. Thanks!
For anyone interested in the physical release of Panorama Cotton, Strictly Limited Games sent a 'Frequently asked questions' email to its customers on 11th November explaining about:
"Patches and language options for Cotton 100% and Panorama Cotton – All Cotton games published in the west will be available in English and several other languages - check website for info. A patch to address some pixels not showing up in Panorama Cotton has been implemented. These patches will be available on the SLG game card/disc, once ready."
Regardless of whether I think it's an understatement to describe Version 1.00's missing scenery obstacles, and impossible to avoid hits from invisible enemies and projectiles as just "some pixels not showing up", it's good news that Strictly Limited Games' physical versions will include the most current updates from Version 1.01 onwards.
I'm currently checking out Ratalaika's re-release of Gynoug and its 4:3 DAR image is much sharper, and not stretched like Panorama Cotton, so an update that includes Gynoug's crispy, correctly proportioned 4:3 image would be appreciated too.
I worked out how I unlocked the playable fairy Silk, as well. It turns out it was when I achieved a million points for the 'Millionaire: Get 1000000 points or more in Challenge Mode' to acquire the Platinum Trophy. Just make sure you manual save your progress, because the game doesn't auto save unlocking Silk.
With the positive news that English language options are coming, I wonder if there's text in the game that explains how to access the hectic Silk Mode.
@Robocod You're actually very much on topic here when you talk about spooky themed retro games appearing on PS Store for PS4 without fanfare during Halloween 2021, mate. I brought the stealthy release of Zombies Ate My Neighbors and Ghoul Patrol up with Push Square's editors at the end of last week.
Just on Thursday 28th November QUByte Classics - The Immortal by PIKO quietly released, then on Friday 29th November Zombies Ate My Neighbors and Ghoul Patrol arrived months after the Switch version — plus it only costs £9.79 for two 16-bit era games, which highlights Panorama Cotton's higher pricing at £12.99 yet again.
Push Square also mentioned Cotton 100% to me, too, but we've decided my next Mini Review will be the upcoming re-release of Gynoug.
Also, I checked the basic information for Strictly Limited Games' Turrican Anthology Vol. 2 physical pre-order, which includes Amiga Turrican 3, and it simply states that shipping will start later this year. I don't know about a digital release, though.
Like you mentioned, I think the majority of people in Western regions will have never played Panorama Cotton, just like you, so perhaps it will stand out to retro gamers, due to its rollercoaster ride, on-rails shoot-'em-up gameplay.
@Amnesiac Good point, if they had included the various Cotton games that are being released this year in a collection — with added extras like different ports of the original game, an art museum, each release's soundtracks available to listen to separately, historic developer interviews, and online leaderboards – it would've be awesome.
Even though the roots of the series are with Success, I guess the ownership of the separate Cotton games must be shared between different publishers now, though.
I still watched the manga-style cut-scenes in Panorama Cotton with Japanese text, because it was interesting to try and guess the plot from the images, but like @shonenjump86 mentioned it detracted from the quirky charm of a Cotton story.
I tried to find some of the more obscure PS1 retro shmups on the UK's PS3 PS Store earlier this year, too, but it became clear that the UK's PS3 didn't receive as many hidden gems as other territories like Japan and North America.
I like the way you mentioned that Push Square's coverage may open a few more eyes to these retro games, as well. I'm happy overall that so many previously Japanese exclusive games are becoming more easily available.
This is my third draft of my Mini Review of PS4 Panorama Cotton. The first was a 'Below Par' score, and was based on its launch Version 1.00, where I mainly discussed how much the emulation bugs affected the gameplay, and how they got in the way of the skill needed for the Platinum.
The second draft was straight after Version 1.01 released with bug fixes last Friday 5th November, with the missing sprites returned, and I focussed mainly on how I enjoyed the original's qualities, and I gave it a 'Good' score.
I was unsatisfied with not addressing the earlier emulation problems, though, so I wrote it out a third time with the 'Not Bad' score here, where I praise the original's gameplay, but I still address the impact that the launch port's errors could have on people's impressions of this Mega Drive game.
I find Panorama Cotton lots of fun, so I might treat myself to the physical version by pre-ordering it from Strictly Limited Games – presumably with all updates included, and bugs fixed.
I'm just apprehensive about it being released with so many emulation glitches first of all, which are fixed quickly one week later, as the earlier, understandably low scoring reviews will have repercussions upon the reputation of the original game.
If anyone has any questions, or if you just want to chat about sprite scaling games, please copy me in. Cheers!
@Amnesiac Thanks, mate, it was close to be honest, because I had my draft Panorama Cotton Mini Review finished on Friday, and I was going to give it an 'Average' or 'Below Par' score based upon the poor emulation in Version 1.00.
Ratalaika was credited for the Mega Drive port programming, and I felt the bugs were disappointing following Ratalaika's good work on re-releasing Gleylancer last month.
I've been playing a lot of Version 1.01 since it released yesterday, and it's already much more fun with the correct obstacles and sprites appearing. I've also just earned the Platinum Trophy, which shows that the launch version's emulation glitches were affecting gameplay during my earlier playthroughs.
I just wonder if my review score will stand out compared to other site's scores, in regards to reviews that already went live before Friday's update, leading people to view me as scoring it higher than expected, since I'm now reviewing the improved Version 1.01 release. It's a catch-22 situation really, so I'll be careful to specify I'm covering the updated Version 1.01 in my Mini Review.
Congratulations to Push Square upon reaching Issue 400 of WAYP!
I think it's great to have a regular feature like this for Push Square's team and community to share their gaming plans each weekend.
I was writing for Push Square in 2013, although I wish I'd taken part in the very first issue now, because checking out the link above brings back memories of the team from eight years ago.
@Dan_ozzzy189 Cool, PS4 Ketsui Deathtiny sounds like a tough bullet hell shooter, with an intricate scoring system — which is pretty much CAVE to a T — with M2 Gadgets helpfully adding customisable difficulty levels to make it accessible, and using the space at the sides of the screen to present useful information.
I also like the new Deathtiny part of its title, it made me chuckle, although it's a shame it wasn't Ketsui's destiny to arrive on the European PlayStation Store!
Below are three UK gaming magazines from 1992, which I referred to for this Gleylancer review:
Mean Machines SEGA, Issue 2 (November 1992): I chose to mention this review in my introduction above, because it's a striking example of how Gleylancer received such wide-ranging responses from reviewers in 1992. The score of 48/100 stood out to me, although I've always enjoyed reading the opinions of the Mean Machines crew, in this case from Jaz Rignall and Radion Automatic. I believe that the Japanese magazine Famitsu gave Gleylancer a low score too, but I don’t have access to Famitsu to confirm this.
MEGA, Issue 2 (November 1992): Andy Dyer concluded that, "it does seem as though they've tried to incorporate some of the best bits from all the infinitely more superior shoot-'em-ups on the market and wound up with a game that plays well and looks pretty." MEGA scored it 72 percent.
SEGA Mega Drive Advanced Gaming, Issue 2 (October 1992): This review observed that, "Labyrinthine sections ensure that Gley Lancer is different from other shoot-'em-ups. Except of course Turrican II on the Amiga from which this section is obviously 'borrowed'." John Davison gave Gleylancer an 89% score. You can read this Mega Drive Advanced Gaming magazine review on the Out of Print Archive website.
@Dan_ozzzy189 I didn't know much about Ketsui: Kizuna Jigoku Tachi, so your comment encouraged me to learn more about Cave's 2003 vertically scrolling, bullet hell shoot-'em-up.
Like you mentioned it wasn't released on the UK's PS Store, unfortunately, but I searched for it on the US PS Store and it's available under the name Ketsui Deathtiny -Kizuna Jigoku Tachi- for $34.99. The North American PS4 version was published by M2, and released in November 2020, which must make it even more enticing for US gamers.
Cheers for mentioning Ketsui here, because I always like to build my retro gaming knowledge about quality titles like this.
@Spiders I really like the way you shared memories of playing all the way through Gaiares using cheat codes, although you regretted it a bit afterwards.
During the 16-bit era, I couldn't afford to buy as many games, so I'd rent Mega Drive and SNES games with a friend, and my cousin. Therefore, if need be we'd still use cheat codes, and magazine guides to see as much of the games as possible before returning them.
Also, I agree that there's a fundamental feeling of accomplishment from learning how to become better at a shmup. I don't even think people need to necessarily complete a 2D shooter.
I've been playing arcade R-Type on and off since it was released in 1987, but I've never beaten it. I still feel pleased that I've developed enough skill to consistently get far into the game using a single life, and I've reached the final stage using one credit.
@IonMagi Cheers to you, too! It was nice to chat with you about Gleylancer when you were playing it on the weekend of WAYP 398.
In a similar way to how you're pleased about shmups getting attention on Push Square, it was good to see you spreading the word about Gleylancer in the comments of What Are You Playing?
@Bad-MuthaAdebisi You have a good ear, it's quality that you spotted similarities between the sound effects in Alien Storm and in Gleylancer. I'll have to listen out for that!
I remember having lots of fun playing two-player Alien Storm on my Mega Drive. I'd especially love it if the arcade version of Alien Storm came to PS4 and PS5.
From Gleylancer's credits, five artists are credited for 'Music and Sound Effects' – Cube, Y. Kubotera, M. Hikichi, I. Mizoguchi, and N. Iwadare – and it has a cracking soundtrack, which at times reminds me of the tunes in F-Zero.
@Northern_munkey I'll take everything you've said into account, mate.
I originally prepared too many words for this review, where I discussed more of the specific features of the PS4 and PS5 versions, but it was too lengthy for a Mini Review, so I cut it down.
I think the score is justified, especially in regards to the quality of the original Mega Drive release, and the context of how Gleylancer compares to other retro games on PS4 and PS5 priced at £4.99.
I often consciously opt to cover the historical context of retro games on modern consoles, although admittedly the trip down memory lane perspective is something I enjoy discussing as someone who specifically focuses on reviewing original retro games, and retro modern releases.
I'm going to be away in Blackpool until Wednesday, but I love chatting about retro games, so I'd really appreciate it if readers copy me in for any questions about Gleylancer on PS4 and PS5, or if you just want to chat about Mega Drive shoot-'em-ups in general.
There's lots to talk about with Shinyuden's version of Gleylancer, for example you may be interested in display choices, like the CRT shader style, plus options for scanline intensity and the curvature of the screen, or a pixel perfect display. The two wallpaper choices are basic, though.
The graphics are interesting too, with the Mega Drive's use of parallax scrolling, and I also wonder if Gleylancer's popularity would've been more widespread if it wasn't confined to being a Japanese import release in 1992. Then again, the way Gleylancer increased in value helped it to be talked about for years, even if not that many people in the West played it until the Virtual Console version.
That's why £4.99 is such a great price, which is for Gleylancer on PS4 and PS5 as separate versions together.
Thanks everyone!
@IonMagi I didn't actually get to check out Gleylancer as I hoped this weekend, but I'm looking forward to playing it lots tomorrow to prepare my Mini Review for Push Square in the week.
You're right about the great music, I remember loving the tunes when experiencing Gleylancer during its 2008 Wii Virtual Console re-release, but I never played it as a Japanese import from its original 1993 Mega Drive launch.
I also realise that Ratalaika Games are prolific for publishing pixel art and retro modern games from indie developers, but I've only recently learned Ratalaika was also publishing an original 16-bit console title — which is a renowned shmup from the Mega Drive's library.
Therefore, I'm going to research more about Ratalaika's PS4 and PS5 back catalogue for this review, too.
I hope you had fun playing Gleylancer this weekend!
I went back to three retro magazines, because I wanted to remind myself for this remake review of how ActRaiser was received upon its original SNES release.
The first was the 91% scoring Mean Machines review from Issue 7 in April 1991. I think Mean Machines was the first review of ActRaiser I ever read, and they absolutely loved the music with a whopping separate score of 96% for its 'Sound'.
The second review was from CVG Issue 114 in May 1991, where it has a boxout comparing the action stages to the arcade feel of Taito's 1987 Rastan Saga coin-op. CVG scored SNES ActRaiser with a huge 95/100 overall.
Lastly, I read Issue 2 of Super Play from December 1992, which scored it 90%, and has the section that I refer to here discussing it as a special SNES release, due to its variety as 'A Game of Two Halves'.
The magazine reviews were so far apart, because ActRaiser had a staggered release from December 1990 in Japan, to November 1991 in North America, and then the long wait until March 1993 in Europe.
I also found an Enix advert for ActRaiser in an old 1991 Electronic Gaming Monthly magazine, which was wise to point out its "monster symphony sound" as a strong selling point.
Comments 376
Re: Mini Review: Cotton Fantasy (PS4) - The Shoot-'Em-Up Fan's Cute-'Em-Up
Below are the six Cotton games that have released on PS4 since 2021, with UK prices:
For this Mini Review I've taken into account Push Square's readers who are more generally interested in shoot-'em-ups when considering the £34.99 price tag of Cotton Fantasy, and how it compares to Cotton Reboot!, which is currently on sale at half price on the PS Store until the 1st June.
In my eyes, £34.99 is more tempting for the physical release of Cotton Fantasy rather than buying it digitally, considering that the physical game can already be found for less than £30.
I'm also interested to hear if anyone thinks that releasing six Cotton games within a year on PS4 waters down, or oversaturates the impact of Cotton Fantasy's western launch — even though some of the games have different publishers — for what is essentially an offbeat series in a niche cute-'em-up subgenre.
Ultimately, if you're full-on into horizontal shmups, then Cotton Fantasy is a great purchase, just for the unique mechanics and systems that each character provides, and the unlockable shooter themed stages.
If anyone has any questions about Cotton Fantasy, please send them my way.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 423
@Ristar24 Yep, I'm still enjoying playing my A500 Mini, thanks. Most recently I've been focussing on Alien Breed: Special Edition '92, Project-X and The Chaos Engine.
Apart from PS4 Slipstream — I refer to it as the PS4's Slipstream, because Capcom also had a SEGA System 32 arcade racer called Slip Stream/Slipstream in 1995 — I've been putting most of my spare gaming time into Alien Breed.
This is following last weekend's WAYP, where I've been really appreciating the work of Team17 and Bloober Team on the 2013 PS3 and PS Vita versions of Alien Breed, so I've been focussing on Classic Mode, but it's good to see an Enhanced Mode included, as well.
I think that programmer Steve Monks did great work on this PS3/PS Vita package of the 2D top-down Alien Breed games.
Good luck with your mission to one day beat the final level of Ocean's C64 Platoon, too!
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 423
@Ristar24 I just wanted to give you a shout-out here, and say cheers for recommending PS4 Slipstream to me, bud. I especially want to give a nod to your comparison to the impressive scaling effects in SEGA's 1993 arcade game OutRunners, as I mentioned the reference point you made in my WAYP above.
Also, cheers to Sammy for letting me know about this game, because he suggested it after I read his recent Push Square Mini Review.
It was chatting to my mate about the slipstream mechanics in PS3 OutRun Online Arcade — with gameplay as you know that was based on the OutRun 2 series of releases — which was another solid reference point.
It was cool to hear a retro themed racer like Slipstream being mentioned by three separate recommendations. I knew about Blitworks as a publisher already, because of PS4 Fight'N Rage, but I'd not heard of developer Ansdor before, so I've learned something new.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 422
@Mostik Sorry for the late reply, mate, I've been out at the pictures watching Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore today.
Good call on Bullfrog's Amiga version of Syndicate, it had such a detailed and stylised cyberpunk world in 1993, I was always disappointed that the SNES' graphics lost the Amiga's grittier art design, to be replaced by chunky, cartoonish sprites instead.
Nice one back at you for the heads-up about the Evercade magazine too, I didn't even know Evercade Evolution existed until now.
I find it a bit of a dilemma buying new magazines, in general, because I juggle both budget and space, as I currently buy every issue of PLAY, Retro Gamer and Wireframe, so I have to hold myself back from accumulating too many new mags.
One example is that I treated myself to the first PlayStation themed issue of a Kickstarter book called Lock-On — note that the title is stylised as [lock-on] — although I wasn't able to keep supporting it afterwards, because I had other magazine commitments.
I'm tempted by Evercade Evolution, though, as I think it costs £7 RRP to get a sample of its content, since you recommended it here.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 422
@Mostik and @Daleaf — Talking of Amiga Cannon Fodder, I was chuffed to find a magazine called Amiga Addict at my local WHSmith in Liverpool the other week when I bought my A500 Mini, and it has an article called 'Six of the Best with Cam Winstanley' inside.
Cannon Fodder is one of Cam's top six Amiga games, and he reminisces about his days working for Amiga Power magazine, including the anticipation of waiting for Cannon Fodder to arrive (I've included Cam's quote below)
Enjoy combining retro Amiga games with modern PS5 Ghostwire: Tokyo, Mostik, and the mix of playing Elden Ring with watching the snooker, Daleaf.
Have a good bank holiday weekend, both of you!
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 422
@Ristar24 The A500 Mini has been more fun than I even hoped, I'm glad that I left it until today for a longer play session, because I would've only been able to dip into playing it when I bought it on its Friday 8th April launch.
My nostalgia is massive for Another World, California Games, Kick Off 2, Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe, Stunt Car Racer and Super Cars II, although it was a bit limiting to spend so much time with Kick Off 2, Speedball 2 and Super Cars II as single player games today, because I predominantly played them in multiplayer with my friends and family during their original release.
Returning to Kick Off 2 was easy to pick up again, like riding a bike, but my skills at Amiga California Games have deteriorated over time – especially considering that I used to play the C64 version for hours with my mates in the late 1980s. The A500 Mini's Half Pipe skateboarding event stuttered in California Games more than I remembered, though.
I even enjoyed playing Zool: Ninja of the Nth Dimension more than I expected, but it's infuriating how Zool uselessly sticks to a wall, but doesn't climb up it, because his wall jump skills are seriously lacking.
Obviously, I'm buzzing from Alien Breed: Special Edition '92 and The Chaos Engine, plus Project-X is a Team17 gem by the Amiga's Euro-style shoot-'em-up standards, too.
Have scary fun playing Tormented Souls, as well as racing fun with Slipstream and Stunt Car Racer, and enjoy the UK's long weekend, mate.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 421
@Ristar24 I meant to say that Nintendo Life published their A500 Mini review today, as well.
Here's a link for you:
Review: A500 Mini - A Refreshing Alternative To The NES And SNES Classic Editions
Cheers again!
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 421
@Tasuki Hi there mate, it's great to hear from you, nice one for responding to me here.
Talking about playing ZAMN on Wii reminds me of the old school Nintendo Life days when I really enjoyed reading Corbie Dillard's separate reviews of both Zombies Ate My Neighbors and Ghoul Patrol, back when they released on Virtual Console in 2009 and 2010 respectively.
The PS4 collection of Zombies Ate My Neighbors and Ghoul Patrol bundled together also includes a 10 minute-ish developer interview, which reminds me of how I appreciated unlockable developer videos in the PS3's Sega Mega Drive Ultimate Collection (Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection in US region).
Take care, bud!
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 421
@Ristar24 Cheers for the quality information regarding setting up The A500 Mini, because to be honest I'm not very knowledgeable about things like formatting a USB for adding extra games, so sticking to under 32GB to format to FAT32 for the loader to be recognised is a good tip for someone like me.
I stuck to the built-in games for my C64 Mini, so I'll most likely focus on The A500 Mini's integral 25 titles — like you say they represent some of the best games the Amiga had to offer, anyway — but you've helped me if I add any more later on.
I knew about your point regarding setting The A500 Mini to 50Hz output for an accurate refresh rate, because I remember thinking that it must have been a challenge for the developers to adapt Amiga Turrican and Turrican II to run on a PS4 display at 60Hz, back when I reviewed Turrican Flashback.
Also, I'm completely sold on PS4 Slipstream based upon your description of it as, "OutRunners level 2D scaling with a drift model similar to OutRun 2." If Ansdor and Blitworks ever release a physical version, they should put that quote on the box!
I'll play The A500 Mini on the Easter weekend, and I'll be sure to check out Slipstream the weekend after.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 421
@Ristar24 Great retro themed picks, as always. I'm also interested in your two weekend gaming choices.
When I submitted my recent WAYP entry, I mentioned to Sammy that it was cool to see the OutRun and Yu Suzuki references in his recent PS4 Slipstream Mini Review, and he said he thought I'd enjoy that racer.
I bought The A500 Mini from GAME on Friday, as well, complete with a free t-shirt of colourful floppy disks. I even found Issue 11 of a magazine called 'Amiga Addict' in WH Smith, with The A500 Mini on its cover.
The trouble is that I'm out-and-about this weekend — hence I'm typing this incoherent response on my phone — and I don't want to rush my first boot-up of The A500 Mini.
Consequently, PS4 Zombies Ate My Neighbors and Ghoul Patrol at a £4.89 sale price is easy for me to dip my toes into for a quick play when I get home, so I'm going to save The A500 Mini for a lengthier gaming session — which I've been looking forward to for a while — probably during next weekend's WAYP 422.
Enjoy your A500 Mini and Slipstream, though, mate.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 418
@Andee Cool, I'm always up for hearing a Mean Machines shout-out! I had a quick flick through my close-at-hand Mean Machines magazines, but I wasn't able to find the Decap Attack comparison, yet. I did find a Den of Geek feature called Magical Flying Hat Turbo Adventure: The Weird Platformers of Vic Tokai. It's by Ryan Lambie, who is Editor of Wireframe magazine now, and he shares similar memories to you, saying that "I can still recall having a couple of copies of the 90s magazine Mean Machines, comparing the Japanese version's graphics to Decap Attack." Cheers for sharing this, I really like hearing people's retro mag memories.
@Plankton-Warrior Ninja Spirit, Pac-Land and Vigilante are all good examples of early PC Engine games, as all three were released in either 1989 or 1990, I think. I started saving for a PC Engine in 1989, and I wrote a list of possible games to buy, which included all three of those titles. By the time I saved my money, though, I changed my mind and spent it on a Mega Drive instead. Since then I've made sure I bought Pac-Land in the 1996 PS1 compilation Namco Museum Vol. 4, and I've got the TurboGrafx-16 versions of Ninja Spriit and Vigilante on the Wii's Virtual Console. I also bought a PC Engine CoreGrafx Mini to try to compensate for missing out on getting a PC Engine all those years ago, too.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 418
@Plankton-Warrior Good times indeed!
My favourite time in gaming is the early 16-bit era when the release of the PC Engine transitioned into the Mega Drive and then the SNES.
My nostalgia is most pronounced by my memories of becoming interested in importing starting in 1989 when magazines were covering Japanese games, which led to both console gaming and grey imports becoming more prominent in the UK.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 418
@Plankton-Warrior Magical Hat no Buttobi Tābo! Daibōken is such a quality Mega Drive choice for a weekend's gaming!
I booted up my PS3 to play Earthworm Jim HD, like I mentioned here, but I also spent a bit of time playing Decap Attack on the PS3's SEGA Mega Drive Ultimate Collection.
I still quite like Decap Attack, but my nostalgia is more for Magical Hat, with my memories going back to reading about it in Computer and Video Games magazine.
I return to those old mags often, so I re-read the Japanese import review, which scored 84/100 in the March 1991 issue 112 of CVG – meaning that the review is 31 years old now.
I loved the colourful screenshots and anime character design in the double page spread, and for years I called the game Magical Flying Hat Turbo Adventure, because that's what it was called in CVG's review.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 417
@scpnightwing I was reading through the WAYP comments here yesterday to see if anyone else mentioned The Batman, and even though it's no longer the weekend, I thought I'd reply to your comment.
I'm based in Birkenhead, and my brother first told me about The Batman being filmed in Liverpool when he saw the film crew and a helicopter around St George's Hall. Here's a link to an interesting BBC News article called How Liverpool, Glasgow and London helped create Gotham City.
I hope you enjoyed returning to Batman: Arkham Asylum, because I had lots of fun completing a few Most Wanted missions in Batman: Arkham Knight, like the League of Assassins focussed Shadow War.
The Most Wanted side mission called The Perfect Crime, which centred around stopping a creepy, opera singing serial killer, meant Arkham Knight's perpetual rain lashed night-time fitted in well thematically with watching The Batman, and both harked back to my memories of reading The Long Halloween.
It was good news last month about Sony Interactive Entertainment moving to a 65,000 square foot relocated office more in the city centre of Liverpool, too.
Re: PS Store Indies Sale Offers Discounts on Over a Thousand PS5, PS4 Games
@Robocod G'day to you too, my friend!
I've got my eye on Strictly Limited Games' physical release of the Wonder Boy Anniversary Collection, as it's actually selling faster than I anticipated.
We're on the same page with our retro interests, because I'm also regularly checking on Strictly Limited's physical version of Turrican Anthology Vol. 2, because I'm intrigued about the Amiga version of Turrican 3.
In regards to the PlayStation Indies sale until the 23rd March, in the latest Load 230 issue of Retro Gamer there is a 'Retro Inspired' feature on the pixel art Metroidvania game Aggelos, which is currently a whopping 75% off at £3.24, when it should be £12.99.
The only thing I'm conscious about is watching my pennies a bit, because I want to get the A500 Mini fairly soon after it releases – this is considering that the A500 Mini is listed as either releasing in March or April in different shops in the UK.
Re: PS Store Indies Sale Offers Discounts on Over a Thousand PS5, PS4 Games
@Robocod I reviewed for Push Square two out of the five Cotton games that released on PS4 in 2021 (Cotton Reboot! and Mega Drive Panorama Cotton), and you're good to go with both games' performance if you decide to buy either of them – they're both only on PS4 and not on PS5 unfortunately, though.
Cotton Reboot! was solid from its release, and Panorama Cotton was patched, so just make sure you're playing the Version 1.01 update of the Mega Drive port.
Cotton Reboot! has 38% off to cost £21.69 in the PlayStation Indies sale in the UK, but its original price of £34.99 is admittedly at the higher end of shoot-'em-up games.
I enjoyed Cotton Reboot! enough to purchase a physical copy after I reviewed it, if that helps.
I've also included three especially cheap retro games below, which are tempting in the PlayStation Indies sale, so we have until Wednesday 23rd March to decide upon a spending spree
'PlayStation Indies' Sale Retro Games Under £3:
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 413
@Metalder Fair play, the more that people talk about Cannon-Dancer/Osman the more that spreading the word will keep some sort of hope for a port of it to modern consoles, although I'm not sure who has the rights to games by Mitchell Corporation today.
The 1989 arcade version of Strider is one of my favourite games in all my time gaming, especially since I imported the impressive Japanese Mega Drive conversion when it released in 1990. I've bought Strider on as many collections as possible since then.
Kouichi Yotsui was not the designer or director on that many games, but his work on both Strider and Cannon-Dancer makes him a legendary Japanese game creator in my eyes.
I know that Yotsui considered Cannon-Dancer to be a spiritual sequel to Strider, so I'm glad he got the chance to explore similar 2D design for Mitchell Corporation with the advances in arcade technology seven years later in 1996. It was cool that Yotsui was the game director on Moon Diver for PS3 in 2011, too.
Never say never, I guess I'll keep my fingers crossed that Cannon-Dancer/Osman is re-released on PS4 or PS5 one day.
Re: Poll: We Want You to Rate Your Favourite PS Vita Games
I've been really enjoying my PS Vita recently, because I've been focussing on playing pixel art indie, and retro games for each WAYP during the quiet early months of 2022.
Reading all of these comments reminds me of the PS Vita's exclusive games, so I've listed some of my favourites below, which either became multi platform later on, or are fun examples of Vita-only titles.
Note that I haven't played all of these releases, so they're either my personal picks, or games I'd like to check out for Vita's February 2022 10th birthday in AU, EU, NA etc.
Selection of Cool PS Vita Exclusive Games (Only on Vita)
Fun Games Available on Other PlayStation Systems That Are Synonymous with PS Vita to Me
I also had lots of fun playing the Vita version of Sumo Digital's Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed when it released in 2012, and I've fond memories of first checking out Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate when I went to the Eurogamer Expo at Earls Court, which I think was in 2013.
Re: Game of the Year: Jamie's Top 5 PS5, PS4 Games of 2021
@PegasusActual93 It's good to hear Ion Fury didn't crash and held a smooth frame-rate for you, perhaps it received a patch after the Push Square review was published, so it could be beneficial for me to check out an updated version of the game.
You've certainly piqued my interest, I've just checked into it, and there's a physical PS4 version of Ion Fury too, which is only £14.99.
Re: Game of the Year: Jamie's Top 5 PS5, PS4 Games of 2021
@PegasusActual93 I remember my cousin showing me DOOM on his PC when it was first released as shareware. I was well into console gaming during the height of the SNES' heyday at the time, but DOOM blew my socks off with its 3D graphics on a home desktop system.
I'll have a read of Graham Banas' Push Square Ion Fury review now, and I'll make a note to check it out in the future.
I've enjoyed many Housemarque games, from Super Stardust HD on PS3 — which my friend once showed to me in cool looking stereoscopic 3D — through to Resogun as an impressive launch PS4 game. I even played Resogun on PS Vita.
For some reason I had it in my head that Nex Machina was a multiplayer focussed game, but I've just had a quick read of Sammy Barker's 9/10 scoring review, and it sounds like a gem, just like you described. Cheers, mate!
Re: Game of the Year: Jamie's Top 5 PS5, PS4 Games of 2021
@GalacticBreakdown Yep, Capcom Arcade Stadium only has Bronze Trophies, and many of them are such a grind, I wouldn't recommend to anyone to play this collection to target Trophies.
I've unlocked 80% progress so far, but by naturally just repeatedly playing the 32 retro arcade games available. Both the 'Play for at least 100 hours', and the 'Play any of the games a total of 1000 times' Bronze Trophies are currently Ultra Rare (0.1% of players earned).
Capcom Arcade Stadium's miserly approach is the opposite of 2021 retro releases like Gleylancer, Gynoug, or even Panorama Cotton, which all hand out a Platinum Trophy for less than one hour of play.
Re: Game of the Year: Jamie's Top 5 PS5, PS4 Games of 2021
@Mostik Nice shout-out for the Neo Geo Pocket Color Selection Vol.1, I bought a physical version of it on Switch from Limited Run Games.
Talking of memories, I got the Neo Geo Pocket Color during its UK launch, so I took it with me backpacking around Australia — I even used it as an alarm clock. I had games like Metal Slug 1st Mission, and Neo Turf Masters already, plus my girlfriend brought me SNK Vs. Capcom: The Match of the Millennium as a gift when she visited me in Oz for a few months.
I'd happily buy that collection again if it released on PS4 or PS5.
Re: Game of the Year: Jamie's Top 5 PS5, PS4 Games of 2021
@Amnesiac I thought the presentation of the candy cabinets, all sat in chronological order, and zooming into the screen to play each arcade game was excellent menu design in Capcom Arcade Stadium, too. I also found earning CASPO strangely addictive, especially when it was from the specific parameters set by the Special Challenge that changes between each game.
I should get the 'Play for at least 100 hours' and 'Play any of the games a total of 1000 times' Bronze Trophies in Capcom Arcade Stadium soon enough, but Capcom need to be less stingy with the Trophies they offer in the next collection!
I hope you enjoy Turrican Flashback, as well. If you've got strong memories of playing Super Turrican, then I think you're going to love Mega Turrican – especially if you haven't played it before. Mega Turrican is like a cross between the Euro-style of home computer Turrican games, but with the console amped up set-pieces of a 16-bit Contra game. It's a really fantastic Mega Drive run-and-gun title.
Wishing a "Happy New Year" to you, too!
Re: Game of the Year: Jamie's Top 5 PS5, PS4 Games of 2021
@Th3solution Thanks for the recommendations! He's already completed Red Dead Redemption 2, but I'll pass on the other games you've mentioned, because he'll appreciate it.
Re: Game of the Year: Jamie's Top 5 PS5, PS4 Games of 2021
I just want to give a quick honourable mention to Assassin's Creed Valhalla on PS5, even though it released in 2020, because it was actually my most played PS5 game of 2021 with almost 100 hours invested in it this year.
I found it relaxing exploring the lush countryside environments, and I played it in tandem with my stepdad, so we bonded over discussing the Wrath of the Druids, The Siege of Paris, and the A Fated Encounter 2021 expansions, as well as embarking on River Raids.
My stepdad loves games with a historical context, and we're both fans of the Vikings TV series, so Assassin's Creed Valhalla inspired me to buy him PS5 Ghost of Tsushima: Director's Cut for Christmas.
Re: Game of the Year: Jamie's Top 5 PS5, PS4 Games of 2021
@lolwhatno Thank you very kindly, you've just made my day with this comment! Big cheers to you!
Re: Game of the Year: Jamie's Top 5 PS5, PS4 Games of 2021
Here is a selection of Retro Modern and Retro Remake 2021 releases I enjoyed this year:
Re: Game of the Year: Jamie's Top 5 PS5, PS4 Games of 2021
Below are a few extra thoughts about my GOTY picks:
All the best, everyone!
Re: Mini Review: Gynoug (PS5) - Another Ratalaika 16-Bit Shmup with Two Easy Platinums
@PaperAlien Yes, in the PS5 and PS4 ports of Gynoug (Wings of Wor on Genesis) you can either turn off the wallpaper to have black bars at the sides of a 4:3 display, or you can set it to fullscreen to fill up your 16:9 TV screen.
The fullscreen option looks very stretched in 16:9 though, as like you mention about back in the day, the art was designed for the standard 4:3 CRT TV in 1991, so the backgrounds look widened, and the sprites look fat.
In Ratalaika Games' recent work on retro releases like Gleylancer, Panorama Cotton, and Turrican Flashback, Ratalaika has established a comprehensive options menu to configure the video display, and this continues in Gynoug, with a list of 'Video' options below:
Re: Mini Review: Gynoug (PS5) - Another Ratalaika 16-Bit Shmup with Two Easy Platinums
@Ristar24 Good call, one example of how Zzap!64 could have influenced later UK gaming magazines might be that Julian 'Jaz' Rignall worked at Zzap!64 before moving to CVG, and then he was a big part of the Complete Guide to Consoles bookazines, and like you mention, the legendary Mean Machines console magazine.
Re: Mini Review: Gynoug (PS5) - Another Ratalaika 16-Bit Shmup with Two Easy Platinums
Below are quotes from Issue 113 of the UK's Computer and Video Games (CVG) magazine from April 1991, where Gynoug received a total score of 91/100.
As I mentioned in my review, this Mega Drive shmup's visuals were well received in 1991, with a huge separate 'Graphics' score of 94/100. CVG's reviewer's comments are below:
CVG also praised Noriyuki Iwadare's soundtrack — which is noted under Gynoug's credits as music by Cube, just like in Gleylancer.
There's a good Gynoug quote from Rich Leadbetter, which shows how Digital Foundry's Technology Editor has been discussing using tech to enhance the gaming experience for years, where he said,
"The sound ranks as some of the best I've heard on the Megadrive. I plugged in my mega-expensive-bass-blasting JVC headphones and I was well and truly amazed by the swingsome tunes and explosive spot effects."
Re: Mini Review: Gynoug (PS5) - Another Ratalaika 16-Bit Shmup with Two Easy Platinums
@Ristar24 Cheers, you're right about how we used to progress further in games out of necessity, because they were expensive in the 16-bit era, so we didn't amass as many games in a collection.
Owning a big backlog would have been a problem I'd love to have back in in 1991, because I also used to play my Mega Drive games over-and-over – I must have completed Golden Axe countless times.
We'd make up for smaller collections by borrowing games from friends, and renting them out too.
I own the PAL version of Mega Drive Gynoug, as well, but it's just a well-worn box and cartridge without any instructions, I'm afraid.
Re: Mini Review: Gynoug (PS5) - Another Ratalaika 16-Bit Shmup with Two Easy Platinums
@Amnesiac Cheers for your comment, I always like to hear what you think about these retro shooters.
You properly made me laugh in 'WAYP? - Issue 402', by the way, when you compared Gynoug's end of Round 2 boss with the giant in Time Bandits, who has a huge ship hat on his head!
Your Time Bandits reference made me remember John Cleese's role as Robin Hood, which in turn made me think of Monty Python, and then I came up with the tagline for my Gynoug review.
Good on you, mate!
Re: Mini Review: Gynoug (PS5) - Another Ratalaika 16-Bit Shmup with Two Easy Platinums
There are repeated points between my Gynoug and Gleylancer Mini Reviews, as Ratalaika is establishing a template for Mega Drive releases (two Masaya shmups, working with Shinyuden, cheap at £4.99, similar video display options, and six save slots). Also, it makes sense to entice new gamers with easy Platinum Trophies, who'll hopefully continue playing for the classic skill based progression gameplay.
I've noticed people praised Gynoug more than Gleylancer in the past, because as well as Gynoug's unusual graphics, its gameplay is interesting to learn, especially with the variety of magic attacks. Each floating letter scroll represents a magic selection (T is Thunderbolt, E is Energy Ball, W is Wild Fire etc), and it's intrinsic to the learning curve to experiment with each one.
The main positive is how extras like cheats help customise the gameplay, so I set my game up to retain weapons with infinite magic, on normal difficulty with three lives, but I confined myself to one credit and no rewind. I just wish Ratalaika offered more, like a gameplay instruction manual, an art and story gallery, soundtrack menu, or development history for example.
Ultimately, I think they're both great horizontal 2D shooters, but I like Gleylancer a little more than Gynoug — especially with the port's fun addition of right stick Gunner System controls, and translated anime-style story.
I look forward to reading the comments posted here. Thanks!
Re: Mini Review: Panorama Cotton (PS4) - Technically Impressive 16-bit Rail Shooter in Unloving Port
Here are a few updates to this review.
For anyone interested in the physical release of Panorama Cotton, Strictly Limited Games sent a 'Frequently asked questions' email to its customers on 11th November explaining about:
"Patches and language options for Cotton 100% and Panorama Cotton – All Cotton games published in the west will be available in English and several other languages - check website for info. A patch to address some pixels not showing up in Panorama Cotton has been implemented. These patches will be available on the SLG game card/disc, once ready."
Regardless of whether I think it's an understatement to describe Version 1.00's missing scenery obstacles, and impossible to avoid hits from invisible enemies and projectiles as just "some pixels not showing up", it's good news that Strictly Limited Games' physical versions will include the most current updates from Version 1.01 onwards.
I'm currently checking out Ratalaika's re-release of Gynoug and its 4:3 DAR image is much sharper, and not stretched like Panorama Cotton, so an update that includes Gynoug's crispy, correctly proportioned 4:3 image would be appreciated too.
I worked out how I unlocked the playable fairy Silk, as well. It turns out it was when I achieved a million points for the 'Millionaire: Get 1000000 points or more in Challenge Mode' to acquire the Platinum Trophy. Just make sure you manual save your progress, because the game doesn't auto save unlocking Silk.
With the positive news that English language options are coming, I wonder if there's text in the game that explains how to access the hectic Silk Mode.
Re: Mini Review: Panorama Cotton (PS4) - Technically Impressive 16-bit Rail Shooter in Unloving Port
@Robocod You're actually very much on topic here when you talk about spooky themed retro games appearing on PS Store for PS4 without fanfare during Halloween 2021, mate. I brought the stealthy release of Zombies Ate My Neighbors and Ghoul Patrol up with Push Square's editors at the end of last week.
Just on Thursday 28th November QUByte Classics - The Immortal by PIKO quietly released, then on Friday 29th November Zombies Ate My Neighbors and Ghoul Patrol arrived months after the Switch version — plus it only costs £9.79 for two 16-bit era games, which highlights Panorama Cotton's higher pricing at £12.99 yet again.
Push Square also mentioned Cotton 100% to me, too, but we've decided my next Mini Review will be the upcoming re-release of Gynoug.
Also, I checked the basic information for Strictly Limited Games' Turrican Anthology Vol. 2 physical pre-order, which includes Amiga Turrican 3, and it simply states that shipping will start later this year. I don't know about a digital release, though.
Like you mentioned, I think the majority of people in Western regions will have never played Panorama Cotton, just like you, so perhaps it will stand out to retro gamers, due to its rollercoaster ride, on-rails shoot-'em-up gameplay.
Re: Mini Review: Panorama Cotton (PS4) - Technically Impressive 16-bit Rail Shooter in Unloving Port
@Amnesiac Good point, if they had included the various Cotton games that are being released this year in a collection — with added extras like different ports of the original game, an art museum, each release's soundtracks available to listen to separately, historic developer interviews, and online leaderboards – it would've be awesome.
Even though the roots of the series are with Success, I guess the ownership of the separate Cotton games must be shared between different publishers now, though.
I still watched the manga-style cut-scenes in Panorama Cotton with Japanese text, because it was interesting to try and guess the plot from the images, but like @shonenjump86 mentioned it detracted from the quirky charm of a Cotton story.
I tried to find some of the more obscure PS1 retro shmups on the UK's PS3 PS Store earlier this year, too, but it became clear that the UK's PS3 didn't receive as many hidden gems as other territories like Japan and North America.
I like the way you mentioned that Push Square's coverage may open a few more eyes to these retro games, as well. I'm happy overall that so many previously Japanese exclusive games are becoming more easily available.
Re: Mini Review: Panorama Cotton (PS4) - Technically Impressive 16-bit Rail Shooter in Unloving Port
This is my third draft of my Mini Review of PS4 Panorama Cotton. The first was a 'Below Par' score, and was based on its launch Version 1.00, where I mainly discussed how much the emulation bugs affected the gameplay, and how they got in the way of the skill needed for the Platinum.
The second draft was straight after Version 1.01 released with bug fixes last Friday 5th November, with the missing sprites returned, and I focussed mainly on how I enjoyed the original's qualities, and I gave it a 'Good' score.
I was unsatisfied with not addressing the earlier emulation problems, though, so I wrote it out a third time with the 'Not Bad' score here, where I praise the original's gameplay, but I still address the impact that the launch port's errors could have on people's impressions of this Mega Drive game.
I find Panorama Cotton lots of fun, so I might treat myself to the physical version by pre-ordering it from Strictly Limited Games – presumably with all updates included, and bugs fixed.
I'm just apprehensive about it being released with so many emulation glitches first of all, which are fixed quickly one week later, as the earlier, understandably low scoring reviews will have repercussions upon the reputation of the original game.
If anyone has any questions, or if you just want to chat about sprite scaling games, please copy me in. Cheers!
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 401
@Amnesiac Thanks, mate, it was close to be honest, because I had my draft Panorama Cotton Mini Review finished on Friday, and I was going to give it an 'Average' or 'Below Par' score based upon the poor emulation in Version 1.00.
Ratalaika was credited for the Mega Drive port programming, and I felt the bugs were disappointing following Ratalaika's good work on re-releasing Gleylancer last month.
I've been playing a lot of Version 1.01 since it released yesterday, and it's already much more fun with the correct obstacles and sprites appearing. I've also just earned the Platinum Trophy, which shows that the launch version's emulation glitches were affecting gameplay during my earlier playthroughs.
I just wonder if my review score will stand out compared to other site's scores, in regards to reviews that already went live before Friday's update, leading people to view me as scoring it higher than expected, since I'm now reviewing the improved Version 1.01 release. It's a catch-22 situation really, so I'll be careful to specify I'm covering the updated Version 1.01 in my Mini Review.
Enjoy Panorama Cotton this weekend!
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 400
Congratulations to Push Square upon reaching Issue 400 of WAYP!
I think it's great to have a regular feature like this for Push Square's team and community to share their gaming plans each weekend.
I was writing for Push Square in 2013, although I wish I'd taken part in the very first issue now, because checking out the link above brings back memories of the team from eight years ago.
My first WAYP contribution was for What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue Eight in June 2013, where I discussed reviewing PS3 Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara, and I lamented about how my SEGA Saturn version of the Dungeons & Dragons Collection was stolen – something that still irks me to this day.
My gaming habits don't change much anyway, because I've been playing Chronicles of Mystara in 2021 too.
Sending 400 shouts of "hooray" to Push Square, and to its community of PlayStation gamers!
Re: Mini Review: Gleylancer (PS5) - Solid 1992 Mega Drive Shmup Shines Again
@Dan_ozzzy189 Cool, PS4 Ketsui Deathtiny sounds like a tough bullet hell shooter, with an intricate scoring system — which is pretty much CAVE to a T — with M2 Gadgets helpfully adding customisable difficulty levels to make it accessible, and using the space at the sides of the screen to present useful information.
I also like the new Deathtiny part of its title, it made me chuckle, although it's a shame it wasn't Ketsui's destiny to arrive on the European PlayStation Store!
Re: Mini Review: Gleylancer (PS5) - Solid 1992 Mega Drive Shmup Shines Again
Below are three UK gaming magazines from 1992, which I referred to for this Gleylancer review:
Re: Mini Review: Gleylancer (PS5) - Solid 1992 Mega Drive Shmup Shines Again
@Dan_ozzzy189 I didn't know much about Ketsui: Kizuna Jigoku Tachi, so your comment encouraged me to learn more about Cave's 2003 vertically scrolling, bullet hell shoot-'em-up.
Like you mentioned it wasn't released on the UK's PS Store, unfortunately, but I searched for it on the US PS Store and it's available under the name Ketsui Deathtiny -Kizuna Jigoku Tachi- for $34.99. The North American PS4 version was published by M2, and released in November 2020, which must make it even more enticing for US gamers.
Cheers for mentioning Ketsui here, because I always like to build my retro gaming knowledge about quality titles like this.
Re: Mini Review: Gleylancer (PS5) - Solid 1992 Mega Drive Shmup Shines Again
@Spiders I really like the way you shared memories of playing all the way through Gaiares using cheat codes, although you regretted it a bit afterwards.
During the 16-bit era, I couldn't afford to buy as many games, so I'd rent Mega Drive and SNES games with a friend, and my cousin. Therefore, if need be we'd still use cheat codes, and magazine guides to see as much of the games as possible before returning them.
Also, I agree that there's a fundamental feeling of accomplishment from learning how to become better at a shmup. I don't even think people need to necessarily complete a 2D shooter.
I've been playing arcade R-Type on and off since it was released in 1987, but I've never beaten it. I still feel pleased that I've developed enough skill to consistently get far into the game using a single life, and I've reached the final stage using one credit.
Re: Mini Review: Gleylancer (PS5) - Solid 1992 Mega Drive Shmup Shines Again
@IonMagi Cheers to you, too! It was nice to chat with you about Gleylancer when you were playing it on the weekend of WAYP 398.
In a similar way to how you're pleased about shmups getting attention on Push Square, it was good to see you spreading the word about Gleylancer in the comments of What Are You Playing?
Re: Mini Review: Gleylancer (PS5) - Solid 1992 Mega Drive Shmup Shines Again
@Bad-MuthaAdebisi You have a good ear, it's quality that you spotted similarities between the sound effects in Alien Storm and in Gleylancer. I'll have to listen out for that!
I remember having lots of fun playing two-player Alien Storm on my Mega Drive. I'd especially love it if the arcade version of Alien Storm came to PS4 and PS5.
From Gleylancer's credits, five artists are credited for 'Music and Sound Effects' – Cube, Y. Kubotera, M. Hikichi, I. Mizoguchi, and N. Iwadare – and it has a cracking soundtrack, which at times reminds me of the tunes in F-Zero.
Re: Mini Review: Gleylancer (PS5) - Solid 1992 Mega Drive Shmup Shines Again
@Northern_munkey I'll take everything you've said into account, mate.
I originally prepared too many words for this review, where I discussed more of the specific features of the PS4 and PS5 versions, but it was too lengthy for a Mini Review, so I cut it down.
I think the score is justified, especially in regards to the quality of the original Mega Drive release, and the context of how Gleylancer compares to other retro games on PS4 and PS5 priced at £4.99.
I often consciously opt to cover the historical context of retro games on modern consoles, although admittedly the trip down memory lane perspective is something I enjoy discussing as someone who specifically focuses on reviewing original retro games, and retro modern releases.
Re: Mini Review: Gleylancer (PS5) - Solid 1992 Mega Drive Shmup Shines Again
I'm going to be away in Blackpool until Wednesday, but I love chatting about retro games, so I'd really appreciate it if readers copy me in for any questions about Gleylancer on PS4 and PS5, or if you just want to chat about Mega Drive shoot-'em-ups in general.
There's lots to talk about with Shinyuden's version of Gleylancer, for example you may be interested in display choices, like the CRT shader style, plus options for scanline intensity and the curvature of the screen, or a pixel perfect display. The two wallpaper choices are basic, though.
The graphics are interesting too, with the Mega Drive's use of parallax scrolling, and I also wonder if Gleylancer's popularity would've been more widespread if it wasn't confined to being a Japanese import release in 1992. Then again, the way Gleylancer increased in value helped it to be talked about for years, even if not that many people in the West played it until the Virtual Console version.
That's why £4.99 is such a great price, which is for Gleylancer on PS4 and PS5 as separate versions together.
Thanks everyone!
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 398
@IonMagi I didn't actually get to check out Gleylancer as I hoped this weekend, but I'm looking forward to playing it lots tomorrow to prepare my Mini Review for Push Square in the week.
You're right about the great music, I remember loving the tunes when experiencing Gleylancer during its 2008 Wii Virtual Console re-release, but I never played it as a Japanese import from its original 1993 Mega Drive launch.
I also realise that Ratalaika Games are prolific for publishing pixel art and retro modern games from indie developers, but I've only recently learned Ratalaika was also publishing an original 16-bit console title — which is a renowned shmup from the Mega Drive's library.
Therefore, I'm going to research more about Ratalaika's PS4 and PS5 back catalogue for this review, too.
I hope you had fun playing Gleylancer this weekend!
Re: Mini Review: Actraiser Renaissance (PS4) - SNES Remake Is a Game of Three Thirds
I went back to three retro magazines, because I wanted to remind myself for this remake review of how ActRaiser was received upon its original SNES release.
The first was the 91% scoring Mean Machines review from Issue 7 in April 1991. I think Mean Machines was the first review of ActRaiser I ever read, and they absolutely loved the music with a whopping separate score of 96% for its 'Sound'.
The second review was from CVG Issue 114 in May 1991, where it has a boxout comparing the action stages to the arcade feel of Taito's 1987 Rastan Saga coin-op. CVG scored SNES ActRaiser with a huge 95/100 overall.
Lastly, I read Issue 2 of Super Play from December 1992, which scored it 90%, and has the section that I refer to here discussing it as a special SNES release, due to its variety as 'A Game of Two Halves'.
The magazine reviews were so far apart, because ActRaiser had a staggered release from December 1990 in Japan, to November 1991 in North America, and then the long wait until March 1993 in Europe.
I also found an Enix advert for ActRaiser in an old 1991 Electronic Gaming Monthly magazine, which was wise to point out its "monster symphony sound" as a strong selling point.