• Zunzunkyou no Yabo title screen header
    1990s,  Arcade,  Bakage

    Review – Zunzunkyou no Yabou

    When it comes to arcade games, actually being enjoyable to play isn’t always the most important aspect. To succeed in the arcade – and really, this is still true in what passes for an arcade these days – you needed to be attention-grabbing. Look at the original Mortal Kombat, for instance. It was absolutely shit to play, but the mix…

  • Hoshi wo Miru Hito Header
    1980s,  Kusoge,  NES

    Review – Hoshi wo Miru Hito

    I’ve spent quite some time mired in the sticky pits of kusoge. Crap games are becoming an area of expertise for me. That’s not simply to say that I know of a lot of bad games, but rather that I know how to appreciate them. That’s right. Did you know you can enjoy bad games? Not just in an ironic…

  • Final Fight Header
    1990s,  Arcade

    Review – Final Fight

    I tend to paradoxically refer to my memory as both a steel trap and completely unreliable. I actually have no idea how my recollection compares to other people; how can anyone? However, let me give you an example of the former claim. Somewhere in the foggy depths of my youth, I remember the first time I played Final Fight. It…

  • Ben Bero Beh Header. Image via FlyerFever.com.
    1980s,  Arcade,  Bakage,  Review

    Review – Ben Bero Beh

    I have a confession to make: I’m attracted to weird Japanese arcade games. There’s a word for it: Bakage (Ba-kah-gey, not ba-cage). It means stupid game. It’s not to be mistaken for kusoge (koo-so-gey) which means crappy game. I have made the mistake before, but merely because I didn’t know there was a name for bizarre games. 1984’s Ben Bero…

  • Sparkster Cover with the eponymous character hurtling toward the viewer.
    1990s,  SNES

    Review – Sparkster (SNES)

    Rocket Knight Adventures remains my favourite game on the Genesis, so it’s heartening to see that Limited Run Games has a collection on the way. I preordered the Ultimate Edition because sometimes you have to spoil yourself. I love RKA, and what other opportunities will I have to really express that in the form of consumerism? But while I’m happy…

  • Streets of Rage Header
    1990s,  Genesis

    Review – Streets of Rage

    My household as a child was ruled by the Super Nintendo. That is to say, my childhood console was an SNES. But I had a cousin who lived nearby with a Sega Genesis. He didn’t have many games, but we rented a lot when we spent time together. However, he also had the Sega 6-Pak. It had games like Sonic…

  • Psycho Dream Header 2
    1990s,  Review,  SNES

    Review – Psycho Dream

    The opening credits showed the director, Kenichi Nishi. “I know that name,” I thought to myself. I initially believed it was maybe because he had something to do with Valis, but I knew it was something more significant than that. No, wait. Kenichi Nishi was at Love-de-Lic before he co-founded Skip. The dude helped create Chibi-Robo!