I haven't actually completely finished it; I have completed 7 of the 8 games available - just the long-drawn-out RPG to grind my way through, but I think it's enough progress for me to comment on the game!
So. This is a game that contains several other games, all in 8-bit console style. It was originally tied into a show on Japanese TV called Game Center CX. I don't know how far the localisation has gone with this game, but you wouldn't really know it was tied in with a TV show other than having Arino as a character (twice). The voice from the game speaks English and the photos of people in magazines do not look like typical Japanese people. Even if the localisation is heavy, it doesn't detract from the game at all, because the atmosphere in magazines is right and you are primarily here to play retro games.
I would say that if you have a hankering for mid-to-late 1980s console games, are about 30 years old and want to feel like a kid again, or liked Megaman 9 but thought it was too hard, this game is likely to suit you.
The overall story is that a guy (Arino) zaps you and sends you back to 1984 to play video games with him as a kid (I guess he was lonely). There, you have to play the games he orders you to, fulfilling the criteria he sets before you get to play a new game, hoping to eventually return to the present day.
It's very nostalgic even though the games you play are actually new. They are classic 8 bit style in graphics and audio (generally Famicon/Namco arcade style), they come with a manual to read (rather than in-game tutorials), and contain secrets and cheat codes which you can discover and enter if you need to. As you play, this little kid (also Arino) sits next to you watching, getting excited over new games that look ancient... and he buys magazines for the news and cheat codes. It really helps the authentic feel, having an excited kid next to you (until you hear him speak, due to mis-casting - he sounds like an adult).
The games are...
Cosmic Gate - A game that's a lot like Galaga. But, with warps to later levels, and not so fast but more bullets.
Robot Ninja Haggleman, which I quite like; you're a ninja and you swivel doors or jump on enemies' heads to kill them.
Rally King - An overhead-view rally game where you drift/boost and look for shortcuts to win. It reminded me of a game for C64 which I played, but with far more basic graphics. I wish I could remember the name...
Star Prince - a fairly easy mid-1980s style shmup (though the requirement that you play through it twice to complete it makes it harder)
Another edition of the rally game (zzzzz...)
Haggleman sequel (bigger levels, harder)
Guadia Quest - A simple RPG, Dragon Quest style
Haggleman 3 (more of a Shinobi type game than the other Haggleman games - or maybe I should say it's more Metroid as you progress through the game.)
I get the feeling that the games would be actually technically slightly too complex for an actual 8-bit console (especially Star Prince's later levels which give the DS slowdown), and there are lots more secrets to discover in a smaller space of game than would be normal, and yet the games seem overall simpler in content than actual 8-bit games.
They really do give the feeling of games of the year each game is supposed to be released, though. There are certain ways that these games play which have died out in games for years. The progress between games and their sequels seems really natural, like they were real games of the era. The feeling of anticipation for tips on a game you're currently playing in next month's games magazine was familiar and something I haven't felt in years; cheat codes are so old-style and you never have to wait long now we have the internet. There are also some classic comedy bits in the letters page of the magazines.
The interface to the game has you playing the games on the top screen, and you can pause as you play, and take out a manual or magazine or notepad to put on the bottom screen as you play, so it's like having a magazine on your lap to enter a cheat code or draw yourself a dungeon map or whatever.
All very nostalgic.
Drawbacks to this game:
* If you can't feel nostalgia for 1980s gaming, this game won't appeal.
* Comfort has been sacrificed for nostalgia. Remember before they invented useability? Yeah.
* You have to play through each challenge before getting to the next game even if you hate the current game. i.e. the racing game is pretty mediocre and you have to play it twice. Oh well, it didn't take long. It's really easy.
* There's not enough of a selection of games. Only 8 games and a few are very similar.
* The perceived depth to the games is more down to finding hidden secrets than it is to the number of levels.
* The games are way easier than your average 1980s game. No way a game would have been so popular in those days if it could be beaten by a person of my skills in the first playthrough! XD
* The kid sitting next to you while playing is a bit annoying, which is expected as he grew up to be the "villain" of this game. I wish the people who dubbed it would have got a kid to play the kid, as I think he's supposed to be about 6 by his attitude, but it's clear his voice has broken.
Although I thought I would like the RPG the most when I started playing, it turns out that my favourite games are the Haggleman games. (Guadia Quest isn't terrible - it's generic and very grindy / random battle heavy, but most of all I wish it had some more info on the items you can get than is available in the manual...)
Overall, I'm glad I bought this game. I wish it was a budget game at 1/2 the price though! It was quite short, as I started the game on a Saturday and had completely finished most of the games by Tuesday.
It's been fun, and relaxingly nostalgic. Somehow capturing something about the feeling I had about gaming pre-internet era way more than having the dozens of actual retro games in the recent Sega Megadrive Ultimate Collection. :D
