Worth Your Time? Ep3: Pocket Fighter/Super Gem Fighter Review (Arcade)

  

   Pocket Fighter also known as Super Gem Fighter Mini Mix is a very simple yet addictive fighter that really impresses with quirkiness and animations.  First released in 1997 for the CPSII arcade systems and later ported in North America to the PS1, Pocket Fighter is an interesting addition to Capcom's stable of great fighting games.  The version I played for review was the arcade version ported onto the Capcom Fighting Collection for the PS4.

GAMEPLAY/INNOVATION/FUN: (40/50)

    Pocket Fighter is a game that was definitely lost in the shuffle of great arcade fighters in the late 90's,  and it is a shame because I think this game is really just a blast to play while offering a ton of fan service to Capcom/Street Fighter/Darkstalkers.  The biggest flaw to the game is that it is a very overly simplified street fighter.  The gameplay is really basic while using a 4 button control scheme.  The basic attacks are a kick, punch, special, and taunt.  Special moves are here just like in street fighter with most moves being quarter circle and "shoryuken" type moves.  Pocket Fighter even simplifies super moves by allowing single control stick motions in combination with the special button.  To add on top of this there is a auto combo system called flash combos where a few button presses will continue a basic combo.  The flash combos are really the main attacks to use in this game.  Despite the simplicity Pocket Fighter is an absolute blast to play, and I found myself addicted to beating the game with every character.

    The big innovation/gameplay quirk to Pocket Fighter is the gems and gauge system.  Every time a character is hit or moves occur on screen gems are dropped straight out of Puzzle Fighter, the game in which most of this game is based on.  The goal is to collect the falling gems and build up your gem gauges.  The gem gauges level up, and determine how powerful the special move attacks are.  For example if you collect red gems and get the red gauge to level 3 Ryu's hadoken will be much more powerful than a standard one.  The special move inputs are shown on the gauge as well, so you know which move you are leveling up.  This is a very interesting system and adds to the overall appeal and over-the-topness of Pocket Fighter.  You can also collect food items that will increase your health!  There is also an orb system in Pocket Fighter that I had some trouble figuring out, but essentially each fighter starts with an element orb and can throw it onto the battlefield for an effect such as freezing or stunning the opponent.  I didn't find this too useful.       

   Pocket Fighter takes 12 playable characters from the worlds of Street Fighter and Darkstalkers, with one character from the lesser known game Red Earth.  All of the stables are here including Ryu, Ken, Felicia, Morrigan, and Hsien-Ko.  Tessa is the one character from Red Earth, and is arguably my favorite character to play in the games.  Her moves just all look so awesome and her attacks/combos are very fast.  Tier wise I feel all of the characters are pretty balanced other than Zangeif, who has really strong attacks (even basics) but is the hardest character to play.     

STORY/NARRATIVE/DESIGN: (36/40)

    Pocket Fighter really shines in its overall design, animation, and just fun quirky style.  There is not much story here, but what is here is pretty cool and they do a good job combining the characters and universe of multiple games.  Each character gets their own story scene, with one other character involved which ends up being the final fight in the sequence.  The story is presented as static backgrounds with a tiny bit of dialogue.  

    The overall atmosphere and silliness of Pocket Fighter really is amazing and this game design just made playing the game so much fun.  During the previously mentioned flash combos characters will transform into different outfits and do little quirky things that really adds to the charm of the game.  For instance, Felicia will turn into Mega Man at some points and Chun-Li will morph into Jill from Resident Evil.  The whole game and atmosphere/design is just huge Capcom fan service.  The stages and backgrounds also contribute to the overall style as well with character cameos everyone.  One stage finds Cammy and E-Honda sitting at a bar being served by a Dancing Dee Jay.  This scene just made me laugh out loud, and simply this game just makes me smile.  Zangeif even has a super comical move that sees him dancing like a Russian soldier and kicking his opponent into oblivion.  Simply put the design of Pocket Fighter makes this game just really fun!

LASTING APPEAL/REPLAYABILITY/VALUE: (25/30)     

    Pocket Fighter does not have much going on in terms of game modes or ways to play.  The only real mode is arcade mode (this is the arcade version so that is usually the case), and in the Capcom Collection online play is here, but not many people are playing.  I played through the arcade mode with all 12 characters in about 5-6 HRS of gameplay, and in reality that is perfectly fine with me.  Pocket Fighter is a game that I will pick up again and add to my list of games that are worth playing again every so often.  The gameplay and style is just fun enough to make me want to play it again in the future.  I am looking forward to picking up the PS1 version as the only NA released version to add to my collection.  Pocket Fighter is just a fun simple game that holds up well.  

GRAPHICS/VISUALS/TECHNICALS: (20/20)

    I will not lie and will say that Pocket Fighter achieves a perfect score in this department based on how cool and how good the animations look both in the stages and during the fights.  It doesn't do anything ground breaking in the graphical department, but man those animations and visuals are just a treat to witness.        

SOUND DESIGN: (8/10)

    The sound design of Pocket Fighter is pretty similar to most Capcom fighting/arcade games, lots of Japanese voices grunting and whelping.  The music is okay but nothing super amazing, and the sound effects are par for the course as well.  The audio and sound design just does an efficient job here.   

OVERALL: (129/150)(86/100)=9.0 Superb

    Pocket Fighter is just a quirky extremely fun to play fighting game that has really good and pleasing visual appeal.  In my opinion the game would score even higher if the fighting system was a little more complex and more like a traditional Street Fighter or Versus game.  I recommend that fans of the fighting genre as well as people looking for a quick fun game to play check out Pocket Fighter.  I think the game is worth your time! 

Worth Your Time? Ep2: TMNT The Arcade Game Review

    The recently released TMNT Cowabunga Collection has brought upon the modern generation all of the classic ninja turtles games!  I will note that before taking a look at the OG, the one that started it all, I grew up playing mostly the NES version of this game.  No, I do not mean the game released in 1987 that was more of a horror side scrolling game, I am referring to TMNT II The Arcade Game on the NES.  TMNT II was the NES true arcade port with added levels and bosses, and was about the best the NES could do to emulate an arcade game.  It was one of my favorite games growing up even though I never beat it and yes the game is hard as hell.  Back years ago, about 10-12, I did a very sloppy quick video of my top 20 games of all time back on gamespot and TMNT II landed in the top 5 if I remember correctly.  Now enough with the NES lets get into the true arcade version of TMNT!

GAMEPLAY/INNOVATION/FUN: (45/50)

    TMNT the arcade game is the epitome of classic 2D, side scrolling Beat Em Up action.  The late 1980's and 1990's brought us many great Beat Em Ups such as The Simpsons Arcade, Streets of Rage, Final Fight, and many more.  When I think of arcades this is one of the first genres I think of.  

    TMNT is based on the successful cartoon of the late 80's and the game does a really fantastic job of staying true to its source media.  One of the big draws of this game and gameplay is that the arcade cabinet was 4 players!  It was almost rare to see cabinets with two player back in this time, but this game can be contributed to starting a multiplayer craze with a lot of games to follow being 4 player.  The player controls one of the four turtles: Michelangelo, Leonardo, Donatello, and Raphael.  Each turtle has a basic attack, a jump, a jump/dive kick, and a stronger attack.  The stronger/heavy attack is performed by pressing the jump and attack buttons together, and the dive kick can be adjusted based on timing of button presses.  This is a simple two-button control scheme and it works perfectly fine.  The majority of the time will be button mashing and dive kicking.  If you get within a certain range of an enemy you can also throw them, which does a lot of damage and will quickly kill enemies.  Each turtle has their signature weapon and play slightly different, but the differences are pretty miniscule and their is no advantage to selecting a specific turtle.  I found myself doing the best with Raphael because he attacks slightly faster than the other turtles, but I have heard a lot of people prefer Donatello because of his added range with his Bo Staff.

    There are plenty of enemies and bosses to fight in this game, and the design stays very true to the cartoon.  Most of the time the player will be fighting generic Foot Clan soldiers (robots in this game because they didn't want to portray violence to kids) and Mousers (little robotic mouse looking terrors) while dodging stage hazards such as rockets, traps, and giant wrecking balls of steel.  I actually really enjoy the fact that every different color of Foot soldier has a different weapon and adds to the ascetic of the game.  The best part of the game are the bosses including such classics as Bebop, Rocksteady, Krang and Shredder.  The game also includes other bosses from the show such as General Traag and Baxter Stockman.  Most of the boss fights actually take the same techniques to beat them, but it does take a lot of practice and skill to get better at the game.  If anything the bosses are a little too difficult, and sometimes basic enemies can swarm you leaving you in really bad spots, but hey this is meant to be a quarter gobbling arcade game.  To this point the lowest amount of credits I have beaten the game with is 16.  

    The stage design in the game is also another highlight.  It was very hard for me to pick a favorite stage, but I think stage 2 which starts out on the street and ends up in the sewer is my favorite level.  This stage also features some of my favorite music in the game.  There are no bad stages or levels per se, but one stage where the player is on a hoverboard fighting soldiers and helicopters is mine and most everyone's least favorite.  To me the level is just annoying and the helicopters are hard to hit without losing a ton of life.  The stages will bring you through April's apartment, the streets of New York, Highways, Sewers, and of course the Technodrome.  All of the stages offer the same fun frantic butt-kicking gameplay and all contribute to the overall atmosphere and likeability of the game.  Overall it takes about 30-40 mins to beat the entire game which is standard for an arcade Beat Em Up.  

STORY/NARRATIVE: (40/40) 

    There isn't much to the story in TMNT.  April and Master Splinter both get kidnapped and the turtles need to save them and defeat Shredder.  The big grab here is how accurate the game both in narrative and in design reflects the cartoon series.  The game includes every character and element you would want to see from the cartoon series mashed into a 40 minute experience.  In general Beat Em Ups are not story driven games, but rather gameplay and mechanic focused.  The bosses in TMNT are all excellent and designed direct from their cartoon counterparts.  Overall the atmosphere and flair of the cartoons are captured perfectly in arcade form.  

REPLAYABILITY/LASTING APPEAL/VALUE: (30/30)

    TMNT truly is a timeless game and experience.  It is a game where you can always pick it up and have an hour of fun with and it really holds the test of time.  For some people it will hit heavily on nostalgia, while for others it might be an outlet just to beat some things up.  Recently I have played through both the PS5 and Switch versions found on the Cowabunga Collection with every character, and I can still see myself playing it here and there to try to improve at the game and beat it with less credits used.  It is also great for a casual experience because you can use infinite credits without having to dip into your piggy bank.  I am very glad that emulation has saved a lot of arcade only experiences and have brought them to our living rooms.  Also, if you can get some friends together it is hard to find another multiplayer game quite like TMNT.   

GRAPHICS/VISUALS/TECHNICALS: (20/20)

    For a game that hit arcades in the late 1980's, this game simply looks fantastic.  I thought that the NES version looked great, but it is really nothing in comparison to the arcade version.  The games visuals are so crisp and clean with tons of detail and charm.  Some of the highlights include the special added effects in some levels such as the fire in the first stage, and the contrasting textures in the sewer level.  There are no technical issues as well, other than non performing online in the Cowabunga Collection, but that is for a separate review.  

SOUND DESIGN: (10/10)

    Nothing can beat a good video game soundtrack, and TMNT has an excellent musical score.  It is something that I will pull up a playlist on youtube and listen to when in the mood.  For me personally I am even more into the NES soundtrack but that is something I grew up with more and really love those Konami NES sounds.  The sound is perfect for the entire game whether that be the sound effects, or the music, or the combat sounds.  Shredders ray gun attack audio is terrifying, and the sounds of being electrocuted in various stages really stands out and is an awesome sound effect.    

VERDICT: (145/150 or 97/100) (10.0 Essential)

    I recommend that anyone play TMNT the arcade game, and it is well worth your time.  As mentioned this game is timeless and really does hold up.  It is simply one of the most fun and greatest games ever made as well as a Holy Grail game of the Beat Em Up genre.         

                  

Worth Your Time Ep1: Madden 23 Review (XSX)

 

   Sigh, unfortunately I really do not have many good things to say about Madden 23.  The game remains largely unchanged from its previous iteration...err...previous 5-10 iterations.  Every year it is EA Sports cash grab and this year is no different.  

GAMEPLAY: (20/50)

    I have many issues and complaints with Madden's gameplay this year, and it would be a compliment to say the core game is poor.  The first thing the game throws you into is the introduction of a new passing engine/gameplay style that will allegedly allow you to throw better passes with pinpoint precision and placement.  I could not grasp this at all, and nearly every pass I was throwing would be inaccurate.  Luckily the option remains to use traditional "lead receiver passing", and that is what I stuck to.  Despite this the passing still seems off to me.  I feel like I throw way too many inaccurate passes and sometimes the ball just kind of does what it wants.  Often times a slightly inaccurate or non perfect pass will be intercepted, and there were online games were both my opponent and I were throwing 4-6 INT's a game.  A big contributing factor to the passing is that the pass rush this year is insane, and people will exploit blitzes online leaving you with zero time to throw the ball.  Even when playing against the AI their defenders will be in the backfield as soon as you snap the ball.  This also shuts down deep passing, and almost every type of pass besides dink and dunk is non existent.  Really frustrating, and I will go into online gameplay a little here and there in this review, but the online gameplay is pure stinky trash.  The other big new gameplay mechanic is the ability to press LT when running the ball to do a quick cutback.  This component works well, and is easily the best new feature in the game.  

    The AI in Madden 23 is very poor.  There were many instances when playing where I would throw a perfect pass and it would hit a receiver who was wide open right in the face or something else stupid would happen like him tipping it in the air and then the ball being tipped by 3-4 players before being intercepted.  The difficulty balance in the game has the same issues as many years past where on ALL-PRO the game is way too easy and you can win pretty much every game as long as you know what you are doing, but then on ALL-MADDEN the AI will shutdown everything you do and they are impossible to stop on defense.  I really wish Madden would go back to adaptive difficulty like they use to do in many years ago, and a similar system to what MLB the show does for difficulty.  Overall this lack of middle ground or balance ruins my experiences and really deter me from playing against the AI or playing franchise.  Another big issue I have with the games are the refs are non existent.  On defense you can literally push receivers out of the way with no penalty calls, but if you are anywhere near the QB when they are throwing the pall they will call a roughing the passer every time.  The game is really broken. 

STORY/NARRATIVE: (12/40)    

    Now Madden 23 does not really have a story mode, so I will talk about a couple things like franchise modes in this section.  I will start out by saying Franchise Mode is okay, but I haven't sunk too much time into it.  The thing that sucks is it is exactly the same as last year.  The same menu's scenarios and  everything no changes whatsoever, but hey I guess EA is happy to get our free $70 every year.  

    Face of the Franchise is the main kind of sort of story mode where you create a player and upgrade him along the way and playthrough games player locked as your player.  I did sink a decent amount of time in this mode to try and level up, but I eventually gave up on it.  There really is no story other than a couple extremely poor cutscenes.  I experienced a number of GAME BREAKING bugs in this mode, as I have had my entire career reset 3-4 times then eventually gave up.  It seems like you cannot advance to the next year and the whole thing resets.  I even had it bug out and constantly switch my positions.  I was a linebacker, and it kept glitching out and giving me XP for a quarterback ect.  Really extremely frustrating and annoying.  In order to go back and get XP for LB I had to restart the whole campaign.  Basically you cannot progress in this mode at all and this is a huge game breaking issue with no acknowledgement from EA.  Only .001% of players have achievements associated with this mode because nobody can progress.  Still not fixed weeks after launch, in fact there has only been one update for the game.  I already mentioned that the online gameplay is trash, so this is about it to the game.  

REPLAYABILITY/LASTING APPEAL/VALUE: (18/30)   

    Despite all of these issues and very poor gameplay I was still able to have some fun building my team up in Ultimate Team (even despite EA trying to get me to buy coins every 3 mins).  Between that and franchise mode and online I always end up sinking anywhere from about 25-100 HRS in the game,  every year this number has been declining, but when its said and done ill have about 40 HRS into this years game.  With the price of these games basically $75 now, this really isn't that great but I still get suckered in every year because this is the only football game around......please 2K please do something. Or i'll even take a new NCAA FB game.  With Madden they force ultimate team down your throat, and the mode is okay, it is what I enjoy the most.  But meh the whole thing is just meh.  Im not exactly excited to play anymore. 

   

GRAPHICS/VISUALS/TECHNICALS: (8/20)

    Graphics and visuals are okay, it looks perfectly fine but again largely unchanged from last year.  Lots of janky and weird animations and of course glitches happening on the field.  Now I will go into the technicals and list all of the bugs I have run into.

-Flashing lighting and textures (menus on the field everywhere)

-Menu Freezes Often/Many Crashes/Locking up entire XBOX

-Ultimate Team not giving rewards or XP (this was fixed in a patch)

-Face of Franchise game breaking glitches and resets

-Logo of teams where changing in cut scenes (I was on the panthers but all the logos where Miami Dolphins)

-Wrong position XP being granted in face of the franchise

SOUND: (4/10)

    Soundtrack is terrible this year compared to years pass...it is all basically cheap generic hip hop that I am sure EA is barely paying out on.  In the past there was some good licensed music. 

    

    The commentary is just as terrible as the last few years and is extremely cringe as the kids say.  I play this game on mute basically. Being nice by giving it a 4.

OVERALL: (62/150)=(41/100)=4.0 RATING 

4.0 POOR 

Introduction Post-The Nostalgic Collector

Hello everyone! I just wanted to do a quick introduction for my newly created blog. I use to blog occasionally back in the day on sites such as giantbomb.com and gamespot.com. A lot of these posts will probably make its way over to their too. I have a been a gamer for as long as I can remember, even seeing pictures of an infant me playing. 

 Over the years, like many others, I have gone in and out of various hobbies and collecting. Iv'e always played some games to an extent, but recently find myself getting more and more into both new games and retro collecting once again! I collected most heavily when I was in college, and time shortly there after. Now, I am 34 and have spent the last few years focusing on sports and trading card collecting. This past year I find myself getting back heavily into game collecting! As a whole I collect video games and systems, sports cards, pokemon/other TCG cards, vinyls, cd's, dvd/blu-ray, and whatever else I feel like collecting! 

 -Stephen The Nostalgic Collector

  I also have another blog which only focuses on card collecting. 

 Below you will also find links to all of my youtube/social medias! All my links and projects:

ALL MY LINKS

The Nostalgic Collector Youtube (Video Games Ect)

The Nostalgic Card Collector Youtube (Cards)

Tik Tok (Mostly Card Collecting)

Twitch.tv (Video Game/Hangout Live Streams)

Twitter

Instagram

Ebay Store