Arino may think that he's gained complete control of my DSi due to my foolish actions (starting the game), but little does he know that I already took control when I installed custom firmware just to play this game on official hardware. Seriously, have you seen these secondhand prices?
Retro Game Challenge sees the virtual spirit of Shinya Arino, host of the Japanese TV show GameCenter CX, sending you back in time and forcing you to enjoy gaming in the 80s. You won't have to go it alone, as you're accompanied by Young Arino, who's even voiced by the legend himself (if you remembered to undub your ROM, anyways). The only way back is to enjoy these games to the fullest, and complete all of Virtual Arino's challenges.
The challenges you're given range from trivial tasks to making major progress in a game. The game does this thing where it kicks you out of the game and turns off the console (the virtual one, not your actual DS) when you clear a challenge, something that doesn't exactly encourage me to try and get further in these games. A game like Nintendo's own NES Remix (also developed by indieszero, funnily enough) can get away with kicking you out because each individual task has its own dedicated stage. In RGC, the easy challenges are silly because you close the game mere moments after gaining control, and the harder challenges are occasionally a bit obnoxious due to having bad runback segments (needing to restart and run back to where you were just for another shot). That being said, while they're not applicable to some challenges, each game has honest-to-goodness cheat codes. Great for if you're having trouble with a certain game, or if you just want to get the whole experience with sooner. I won't judge. Arino might, but I won't.
At first, I wanted to lament the missed opportunity of licensing out familiar classics to play, but as the game went on, my opinion actually shifted towards the direct opposite feeling. If they included titles like Pac-Man or Super Mario Bros. in this, some Joe Schmoe who's familiar with these titles could pick up this game and just steamroll all the challenges. Even if a few of them are pretty strong homages, none of the "retro games" in Retro Game Challenge exist outside of this game's ROM, but the important factor here is that they still feel retro. Not in a "game is archaic and obfuscates information" way, that's the shitty definition of retro. They're "retro" because each game has simple concepts that are executed well; easy to pick up, hard to master. Each game looks and sounds like a Famicom title, and while they're probably not faithful to the hardware's limitations, that's not what's important. The challenges serve to get you invested in toying with each game's mechanics, learning them inside and out, something that a kid from the 80s would have to make do with.
Of course, a kid in the 80s didn't just slave away at a game by their lonesome. Young Arino brings in rumors he heard from his friends at school, and magazines with insider scoops. Being a clear spoof of Famitsu, the magazines provide really useful tips/cheats on each game, and previews of what's to come. This is also where you learn all of the aforementioned cheats. The magazines help highlight the passage of time, and tell a tale of a developing industry, even as you effectively time warp between release dates in-game. When all else fails, you could always check out the enclosed instruction book.
It's probably absurdly cheesy to say this, but this game gives me a lot more appreciation for the 80s. Everyone goes off on the 90s, probably because that's when 2D games got great, and 3D games took the world by storm. It shouldn't overshadow the era prior though, the 80s are the roots of console gaming as we know it. Anyways, all this talk of retro has got me thinking about what "retro" even means in a modern sense. It's probably safe to say that the Nintendo DS is retro, so that makes Retro Game Challenge extra retro. I'm off to go play some Castlevania: Lords of Shadow on my PS3, a retro game on a retro console.
...the passage of time has not been kind to the term "retro".
Retro Game Challenge sees the virtual spirit of Shinya Arino, host of the Japanese TV show GameCenter CX, sending you back in time and forcing you to enjoy gaming in the 80s. You won't have to go it alone, as you're accompanied by Young Arino, who's even voiced by the legend himself (if you remembered to undub your ROM, anyways). The only way back is to enjoy these games to the fullest, and complete all of Virtual Arino's challenges.
The challenges you're given range from trivial tasks to making major progress in a game. The game does this thing where it kicks you out of the game and turns off the console (the virtual one, not your actual DS) when you clear a challenge, something that doesn't exactly encourage me to try and get further in these games. A game like Nintendo's own NES Remix (also developed by indieszero, funnily enough) can get away with kicking you out because each individual task has its own dedicated stage. In RGC, the easy challenges are silly because you close the game mere moments after gaining control, and the harder challenges are occasionally a bit obnoxious due to having bad runback segments (needing to restart and run back to where you were just for another shot). That being said, while they're not applicable to some challenges, each game has honest-to-goodness cheat codes. Great for if you're having trouble with a certain game, or if you just want to get the whole experience with sooner. I won't judge. Arino might, but I won't.
At first, I wanted to lament the missed opportunity of licensing out familiar classics to play, but as the game went on, my opinion actually shifted towards the direct opposite feeling. If they included titles like Pac-Man or Super Mario Bros. in this, some Joe Schmoe who's familiar with these titles could pick up this game and just steamroll all the challenges. Even if a few of them are pretty strong homages, none of the "retro games" in Retro Game Challenge exist outside of this game's ROM, but the important factor here is that they still feel retro. Not in a "game is archaic and obfuscates information" way, that's the shitty definition of retro. They're "retro" because each game has simple concepts that are executed well; easy to pick up, hard to master. Each game looks and sounds like a Famicom title, and while they're probably not faithful to the hardware's limitations, that's not what's important. The challenges serve to get you invested in toying with each game's mechanics, learning them inside and out, something that a kid from the 80s would have to make do with.
Of course, a kid in the 80s didn't just slave away at a game by their lonesome. Young Arino brings in rumors he heard from his friends at school, and magazines with insider scoops. Being a clear spoof of Famitsu, the magazines provide really useful tips/cheats on each game, and previews of what's to come. This is also where you learn all of the aforementioned cheats. The magazines help highlight the passage of time, and tell a tale of a developing industry, even as you effectively time warp between release dates in-game. When all else fails, you could always check out the enclosed instruction book.
It's probably absurdly cheesy to say this, but this game gives me a lot more appreciation for the 80s. Everyone goes off on the 90s, probably because that's when 2D games got great, and 3D games took the world by storm. It shouldn't overshadow the era prior though, the 80s are the roots of console gaming as we know it. Anyways, all this talk of retro has got me thinking about what "retro" even means in a modern sense. It's probably safe to say that the Nintendo DS is retro, so that makes Retro Game Challenge extra retro. I'm off to go play some Castlevania: Lords of Shadow on my PS3, a retro game on a retro console.
...the passage of time has not been kind to the term "retro".
3 Comments
My experience with GCCX has been rather minimal, but I've always been charmed by Arino as a being. Dude just seems like such a joy to be around, and the way he engages with games is pretty refreshing and humorous.
I always wondered why this game got localized but not the sequel. I'm sure there's a very easy answer for it, but it strikes me as odd regardless considering this is already a niche endeavor to even do.
I always wondered why this game got localized but not the sequel. I'm sure there's a very easy answer for it, but it strikes me as odd regardless considering this is already a niche endeavor to even do.
@BlazingWaters The only full GCCX episode I've watched is the one focused on Umihara Kawase, but it was genuinely delightful. I'm not very skilled at torrenting though, that'll be a fun hurdle to cross when I want to watch more episodes.
As for why this game got localized in the first place, I dunno. XSeed/Marvelous greenlights the strangest things sometimes. You'd never expect games like Senran Kagura Burst or Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin to find mass appeal overseas, but somehow, they did! I like to think they try to have an eye for opportunities like this.
By the way, there's two sequels! There was a third one on the 3DS. I only learned about the second game recently because it got a fan translation, I'd never even heard a peep about the third one.
As for why this game got localized in the first place, I dunno. XSeed/Marvelous greenlights the strangest things sometimes. You'd never expect games like Senran Kagura Burst or Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin to find mass appeal overseas, but somehow, they did! I like to think they try to have an eye for opportunities like this.
By the way, there's two sequels! There was a third one on the 3DS. I only learned about the second game recently because it got a fan translation, I'd never even heard a peep about the third one.
Hooblashooga
6 months ago