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Games are rated relative to other games for the same system.
The Takeover's two main characters, Ethan and Megan, are great. The other burly soldier types, not so much. Visually the game straddles the line between realistic and comic-book styles. As you strut your way down mean streets, thugs converge from all sides. They tend to be stereotypical punks with green mohawks and leather jackets. There are also kick-boxers, axe-wielding chicks, and Chippendale sailors.
The gameplay feels instantly familiar as you dish out punch combinations, kicks, and special moves. It feels great smacking around three dudes at a time. Flipping them into each other is also satisfying. Megan really puts her back into it! You can perform evasive moves like roll and dash, but the digital controls feel slippery.
Weapons are abundant but beating a guy with a bat isn't any more effective than punching him. Really less so, since you can't turn it into a combo. Knocking over racks of propane tanks causes chain reactions of explosions. Occasionally you'll find a loaded pistol and it's satisfying to shoot a guy point-blank who's been repeatedly blocking your punches.
Stages become unlocked as you complete them in arcade mode. These include an arcade, beach, and temple, but my favorite is the stormy pier with sharks on hooks and stormy seas. Remarkable bonus stages include a highway shootout and an After Burner-inspired jet shooter. These could be games in and of themselves.
The Takeover can feel like a grind at times. Sometimes there are so many thugs crowding the screen you lose track of your character, and they take too long to dispatch. Beating a guy's head into the concrete with a crowbar isn't something you should need to do more than once or twice. I would have preferred shorter stages that branch. And if you're going to have a high score screen, you should let the player enter his initials into it.
I liked The Takeover but didn't love it. It has all the necessary ingredients but lacks the fine-tuning of the classics. That said, if you enjoy old-school brawlers you should at least give this a shot. It's one of the better modern beat-em-ups and its eye candy really is off-the-charts. © Copyright 2025 The Video Game Critic.
Even before your first race there are ominous signs. Despite supporting four-player split-screen only three characters are available from the start, so two people have to be the same character. Way to think it through Sega! When browsing the racers there's a palpable lag when trying to select a character. The tracks are poorly designed. I expected the twisting casino tracks to be disorienting, but even the bright summer-themed tracks are cluttered and confusing. One course has you racing on a layer of pink mist and you can't really tell where you're going. A little restraint could have gone a long way. One track is called "Frozen Junkyard" and that pretty much says it all.
The weapons are useful but you'll probably have no problem naming their Mario Kart equivalents. Likewise creatures like the lava monster and desert worms seem awfully familiar. The races are engaging but the physics is suspect, as I noticed CPU cars changing speeds erratically.
The story mode is mildly enjoyable despite the inane dialog you can't skip fast enough. Two players can work together on the same team, unlocking branching tournaments, challenges, and survival modes. The team mechanic lets you pass items or give your teammates a boost via your slipstream. To be honest, it's all very confusing in the heat of battle.
Even Sonic Team Racer's split screen action is technically deficient. If you're used to playing Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Nintendo, 2017) the low framerate in this game is bothersome. Brent actually had the nerve to ask me if there was a way to unlock "smooth mode!" Team Sonic Racing feels like it was designed in a boardroom by executives. It isn't terrible but there's a palpable lack of fun. © Copyright 2019 The Video Game Critic.
The 16 levels (!) offer interesting New York City locations including a television studio, zoo, mall, and museum. It's funny to see the "foot soldiers" on the set of a cooking show! It's also amusing to see them working at computers with those old-fashioned thick monitors. I like how the pawn shop windows have piles of old-fashioned TVs in the windows, all showing different programs. In general however the stages are only minimally interactive and frankly kind of bland.
What keeps things interesting are the sheer number of moves at your disposal. The "how to play" screen demonstrates 21 moves, and good luck sitting through that! Still, it's fun to experiment. I love the devastating "super dive", and that "rising attack" is handy for flying foes. And of course there's the "fling attack" that lets you chuck foot soldiers at the TV screen. Always a crowd-pleaser!
Shredder's Revenge will immediately appeal to fans pining for the old days but the thrill wears thin. I feel like the game could have been tightened up, with shorter but less-repetitive levels. Working your way through the story mode is exhausting. The default skill level is too easy, so you'll want to crank up the arcade mode difficulty to "gnarly". High scores are not saved unless you're online.
The music has a bouncy 80's aesthetic including a cool rap song and a hair metal tune. The voice samples however ("I've got to focus") can get on your nerves. Shredder's Revenge does what it set out to do, which is resurrect the button-pounding, body-slamming 16-bit multiplayer mayhem. But instead of taking turtle power to the next level, it just feels like more of the same. A lot more! © Copyright 2022 The Video Game Critic.
I love the animated intro and digitized music of the original TMNT arcade game, but the fighting action gets a little repetitive and its sound effects lack punch. That said, there are fun animations like foot soldiers sliding down a wall you've thrown them against it. And you gotta love the old-school bosses that blink red when about to die.
Turtles in Time was a major upgrade, packing more spectacular moves, smoother animation, and improved audio. You can now execute shoulder charges, body slams, or hurl enemies directly at the screen! Interactive environments incorporate explosive barrels and gushing fire hydrants.
The SNES port of Turtles in Time is impressive. Though it only supports two players, you could argue it's more playable. The difficulty seems to have been tweaked and the scoring system is better. Hyperstone Heist is the Genesis version of this game, and it feels slightly scaled-back with a sewer stage replacing the rooftops. That said, it is extremely playable.
The NES titles include the original TMNT trilogy. The first is a basic side-scroller letting you control one turtle hero at a time. The second is a respectable port of the original arcade beat-em-up. The third takes turtle power to new heights with its bright arcade graphics, elaborate animations, and excellent all-around gameplay.
Tournament Fighters is a lame one-on-one fighter that attempted to capitalize on the success of Street Fighter II. The game is more impressive on the SNES than the Genesis, but still nothing to write home about. The NES version isn't going to cut it with those tiny fighters and two-button controls.
Rounding things out are the three black-and-white titles released for the Game Boy. For some, these will rekindle fond memories of long car trips, but the monochrome graphics and rough animation may be hard to stomach today.
The Cowabunga Collection lets you toggle the games between North American and Japanese regions. Some games let you enable nightmare mode, god mode, or select your stage. You can save your progress or even rewind at any time. Digitized boxes, manuals, and other materials are available for viewing. No matter how you feel about the games, you have to admit this is how to make a classic compilation. © Copyright 2022 The Video Game Critic.
If any game deserves the "Metroidvania" moniker, it's this one. Its 16-bit style is used to maximum effect, conveying remarkable atmosphere with artistically-rendered scenery and eerie lighting. With fluid animation and simple controls, Demastered calls to mind the great Axiom Verge (Badlands Games, 2017).
What initially caught my attention was the game's pulse-pounding musical score. The title screen music was so good I just had to crank up the stereo. The brooding synthesized mix adds a sense of intrigue and is consistently great throughout.
The stages are consistent with the film, including a graveyard, subway, sewer, and underground laboratory. These locations sound typical but are rendered with a cinematic flair. The graveyard stage is a sight to behold with its decrepit gravestones and church looming in the moonlight. When it comes to gothic artistry this game gives Castlevania a run for the money.
The controls are terrific. Armed with a default machine gun, you hold the trigger to plant your feet and fire in eight directions. The jumping is dead-on, and thank goodness because the stages can be perilous. Platforms crumble beneath your feet and bats knock you off your ledge, sometimes into a pool of green acid! Fortunately health is ubiquitous and save points are well-placed.
Enemies tend to regenerate with annoying regularity, and there's nothing worse than accidentally ducking out of a room, only to return and find it repopulated. I could also do without the bone-throwing skeletons. Not only are they a shameless Castlevania rip-off, but these bastards throw with pinpoint precision. The exotic bosses exhibit easy-to-read patterns but take about a million hits to kill. When in human form The Mummy looks a lot like Michael Jackson.
The first time I used a continue in this game I was dismayed to discover my grenades were gone. I later discovered I had to go back and kill my "old self" (now a zombie) to restore my old gear. It adds a new wrinkle but can be aggravating. It seems original except for the fact that Dark Souls (PS3, 2011) has been using this device forever.
Despite some minor gripes The Mummy Demastered is extremely habit-forming. Great production values and sheer playability will hook you from the outset, and a nice sense of progression keeps you coming back. With excellent controls and atmosphere to burn, this modern platformer has the look and feel of an old-school classic. © Copyright 2021 The Video Game Critic.
The gameplay is simple as you hop and climb while slaying snakes, birds, and armed guards. The controls feel responsive and my new Pro Controller got a good workout. The directional pad is precise and much like Strider (Genesis, 1989) our hero can perch on the edge of a block and pull himself up. It's possible to execute a long lash or spin attack, but with no instructions I can't tell you how.
Tiny Barbarian is not as satisfying as it could be. Striking anything with your sword makes a lame "thump" sound, as if you're smacking someone with a wet sock. Slain enemies just sort of fall over when defeated. I would never advocate violence, but a little blood and gore never hurt anybody. The stages are colorful but what you see is pretty much what you get.
Frequent annoyances include enemies that repel attacks and skeletal hands that reach up from the ground. But the worst offenders are the birds or snakes that perpetually respawn, forcing you to rush through certain sections while absorbing hits along the way. Can a brother get a health icon?
Old-school references include the gnome from Golden Axe (Genesis, 1989) you can smack around for bonuses, and a God of War (PS2, 2005) inspired maiden scene. The animation has style and subtle humor. The problem is, Tiny Barbarian DX isn't particularly addictive and becomes progressively less enjoyable as you go.
What saves the day is its two-player coop. Trying to beat a stage with a buddy harkens back to the old sleepover days when you'd stay up half the night trying to conquer a hard level. And be sure to check out the Horde mode which challenges you to stay "king of the mountain" for as long as possible (usually under a minute). It won't win any awards but when it comes to old-school throwbacks Tiny Barbarian is legit. © Copyright 2018 The Video Game Critic.
As you wandered over platforms suspended in space you collected gifts that had random effects while dealing with zany characters like an opera singer, a hula girl, or Santa Claus in a jetpack. Back in the Groove is a faithful, high-definition version of the original. The problem is, all those gee-whiz features seem pretty ho-hum in 2021. The randomized levels all play pretty much the same, although some do feature snow, desert, water, or darkness.
The stereotypical characters and "gifts" tend to be so obnoxious you develop a tendency to avoid them. You just move from one level to the next trying to cover every inch of ground to fill in the maps. Entering an elevator lets you ascend to a higher platform level, but it's pretty clear this psychadelic "elevator ride" is just a glorified loading screen.
I got sick and tired of wandering around in this game. The rap theme feels played out and what game nowadays doesn't have a "weiner meter" or Santa in a jetpack? At least the surround sound is strong, with zany noises and voices coming from all directions. Toejam & Earl: Back in the Groove is fine if you just want to sit back and chill, but if you're looking for excitement, this isn't your stop. © Copyright 2021 The Video Game Critic.
Toki is not a one-for-one remake like Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap (PS4, 2018). While certainly inspired by Toki Going Ape Spit (Genesis, 1991), this new Toki stands on its own. It stars a comical monkey that climbs, jumps, and spits projectiles. The rapid-fire spitting gives the action a shooting flavor and I love the ability to spit diagonally.
Toki faces a weird hodgepodge of enemies like bats, warthogs, spiders, ghosts, and... Frankenstein monsters? The hand-illustrated stages are beautiful with orchestrated music so clear it sounds like the musicians are in the same room with you. Toki not only lives up its its source material; it exceeds it! This game is crazy fun. Although the sprites tend to be large they rarely overcrowd the screen and the collision detection is forgiving. The jumps are floaty and you can fall from any distance.
The backgrounds look sharp but certain objects do have a way of blending in. Only fools rush in and Toki is living proof. Ghosts can materialize out of thin air and just because you're climbing down a vine doesn't mean there's a safe landing below. The rapid-fire shooting is very effective, especially on bosses. Sometimes to clear out a crowd of enemies you'll go into a butt-pouncing, rapid-fire frenzy. As with most classic 2D platformers Toki is a linear game. You get nine lives but you can go through them in a hurry. There are plenty of continues and half of the fun is trying to beat your high score.
Toki is a GameStop exclusive and it's good to see that store catering to collectors. The Toki Retrocollector edition comes in a box with all sorts of fun extras including a comic, art, and a little cardboard arcade cabinet to house your Switch. This Toki remake was crafted with love and care, so retro-minded gamers will want to secure a copy immediately. © Copyright 2019 The Video Game Critic.
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Screen shots courtesy of IGN.com, MobyGames.com, Nintendo Everything, Nintendo Life, Polygon, Nintendo Difference