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End of Summer Reviews!


On 08/20/2022 at 08:13 AM by Cary Woodham

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Summer is winding down, so let’s have one last bash with reviews I’ve written recently at GamerDad.com.  Please click on the links and read as many as you can, and maybe even post a ‘like’ or comment or two.  I’d appreciate it.  OK let’s begin!

Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium: Part 1

Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium: Part 2

It’s Capcom week here at GamerDad.com!  Capcom is one of my top favorite video game companies.  In fact, I think they’re my number three pick, right under Namco and Nintendo.  Part of the reason why I enjoy Capcom so much is all their memorable arcade games, since I grew up during the 80s and 90s when arcades were at their prime.  So I was really happy to be able to review Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium, another collection of Capcom’s various arcade hits over the years (I wish I could’ve reviewed the first one, but oh well).  There are so many games on this collection that I had to split this review into TWO parts!  Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium is available for most current consoles and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here.  Let’s first take a look at the games!

Capcom Fighting Collection (PS4)

Video game maker Capcom is recognized for a lot of their titles.  But one thing they are known best for is their one-on-one fighting games.  Sure there’s Street Fighter, but there’s a lot more they’ve made, too.  So here’s a collection of some of Capcom’s other one-on-one fighters they’ve created over the years.  And yeah, there’s some Street Fighter stuff in here, too.  Capcom Fighting Collection is available on most current consoles and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here.  So let’s take a look at what’s on here!

Monster Hunter Rise Sunbreak amiibo

Monster Hunter Rise Sunbreak is an expansion to Capcom’s popular Monster Hunter Rise game.  I hear it’s a pretty big addition, too.  So much so that it got three new amiibo figures!  I had to import these, as I never saw where I could get them in the US.  Actually I think Capcom USA had a special edition of the game that came with one of the amiibo figures (the dragon), but I wasn’t about to pay hundreds of dollars for that plus a game I’d never play.  But luckily, importing these wasn’t very costly at all!  I was surprised.  So let’s take a look at them!

LEGO Super Mario Starter Set

When I was a kid back in the early 80s, I loved going to arcades.  But I didn’t always have easy access to them or the games.  I might be able to see or play a game at a gas station or in front of a grocery store, but going to an actual arcade was a rare treat.  So sometimes when I was at home, I’d play ‘pretend’ arcade games.  One time I got a bunch of my dad’s dot matrix printer paper and spread it out from the front door to the back door.  On one side of the paper I drew a Xevious map, and on the other side I drew a Zaxxon map.  Then I got out my toy spaceships and played ‘pretend’ Xevious and Zaxxon with them.  Of course I got in a little bit of trouble for using so much of my dad’s printer paper!  Another time I cut out a paper chef’s hat and pepper shaker and played ‘pretend’ Burgertime around the house!  And I think that aspect of pretend play is the main inspiration for the LEGO Super Mario sets.  A couple of years ago, LEGO and Nintendo teamed up to make these, and there are tons of sets and expansions for them.  I got the LEGO Super Mario Starter Set for Christmas and finally got around to putting it together with my brother Jeff, so let’s take a look at it!

The Jackbox Party Starter (PS4)

If you have a bunch of people over to play games, but not enough controllers to play with everyone, then Jackbox has you covered!  Their latest batch of party games is out, and it’s a smaller collection of some of their best titles. All you need are cell phones to play them!  Just connect to Jackbox.tv on any phone and enter in the room code and you’re in!  It’s pretty simple and works well, and in some games, even people who don’t have cell phones can be part of the audience and participate.  The Jackbox Party Starter is available on all current consoles and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here.  Let’s take a look at all the games!

Avenging Spirit (Switch)

Avenging Spirit was a 1991 arcade title by the now defunct Jaleco.  Jaleco made mostly average games.  I think their biggest claim to fame was the Bases Loaded series on the NES.  Anyway, I had never heard of Avenging Spirit until the Game Boy version was brought to the Nintendo 3DS eShop around ten years ago!  In the game, you are a ghost and can possess people, and then you can control them and have use to their various attacks and moves as you tromp through half a dozen 2-D side scrolling platform levels.  This port of the arcade version is available on all current game consoles, but reviewed on Switch here.

Parasite Pack (PS4)

Parasite Pack is actually two retro styled games in one!  In Flea, you move around a constantly bouncing flea past obstacles and try to collect as many bottles of blood as you can.  And Tapeworm Disco Puzzle focuses more on puzzles than action, as you must move a tapeworm around mazes collecting items and such.  The pack is available to download on all current game consoles, but reviewed on PS4 here.  I actually liked this one pretty well. Let’s take a look at the games!

Rayland (PS4)

Use angled mirrors to reflect a laser so that it hits a crystal in Rayland.  You’ve seen puzzles like this before in other games like Zelda dungeons and such.

Quintus and the Absent Truth (PS4)

This is definitely the worst game in this batch.  You are a down and out musician and your daughter has been kidnapped.  Find items and solve puzzles in first person 3-D environments as you unravel the mystery.  Your only companion is your pet mouse named Quintus, who can help you by crawling into tight spaces to reach things you can’t.  Surprisingly, this game has some horror elements as well.

And that’s all for now!  Thanks for reading my reviews and posting ‘likes’ and comments on them!  I do appreciate it!  Hope you had a great summer!  Later!  --Cary


 

Comments

SanAndreas

08/20/2022 at 06:47 PM

I had an Atari 130XE as a kid, and it was honestly second only to the NES as a 1980s gaming machine. It could handle games much, much better than the Apple II, C64, or the IBM PCs at the time, and had a lot of arcade ports because Atari bought up the rights to so many of them. A few of them sucked (Dig-Dug was atrocious), but Atari 8-bit Donkey Kong was better than the NES version. I had Zaxxon on it as well. 

I think Jaleco's best-known game was City Connection. The company that owns their IPs is actually called that and I think it was founded by the original founder.

Cary Woodham

08/21/2022 at 08:25 AM

I had an Apple ][+ as a kid.  Well it wasn't mine, but I used it to play games.  Sure they weren't arcade perfect, but they were certainly better than the Atari 2600.  So while people were complaining about that version of Pac-Man, I was playing a much closer rendition with Tax-Man.  Other arcade hits I played on that Apple were Zaxxon, Frogger, and Choplifter.  Well, Choplifter started out as a PC game, but you know what I mean.  Other Apple favorites of mine were Lode Runner, Spare Change, and Aquatron.  A few years later I got an Atari 5200 and then a NES, but playing games in the arcade was still my favorite.

Considering Bases Loaded got bunches of sequels on the NES and SNES, I still say that was Jaleco's most prolific game.  All Clarise from City Connection got was a playable spot in a Parodius-like shooter.  But I do know about the new company being called City Connection.  I get press releases from them.  You ever notice that Clarice and Ordyne's Miyuki-chan look a lot alike?

daftman

08/22/2022 at 09:41 AM

Those Sunbreak amiibo are really cool!

Avenging spirit sounds really interesting. I'm surprised someone tried something that ambitious that long ago. I might check that out.

Cary Woodham

08/23/2022 at 08:56 PM

Well it's still a 2D platformer, so it's not THAT amibitious.  But I never saw it in the arcade back then!

KnightDriver

08/24/2022 at 02:36 PM

I like Knights of the Round and King of Dragons in that Capcom Collection. And I like to play Darkstalkers and Super Gem Fighters Minimix in Capcom Fighting Collection. 

amiibos are really good quality figures. I should get more of them. 

Cary Woodham

08/26/2022 at 07:26 AM

If you're going to get one, I'd get the 2nd Stadium collection since all those games are on it.

So the next batch of amiibo figures comes out in September.  I've already got them preordered.  They're not as detailed as other amiibo figures, but they are from a game you really, really like!

KnightDriver

08/31/2022 at 04:29 PM

Oh, the Steve and Alex Minecraft figures. I like the Kirby ones best. I have King Dedede but not the other three. 

Cary Woodham

08/31/2022 at 05:24 PM

And there are two different King Dedede figures, you know.

KnightDriver

09/07/2022 at 05:29 PM

I didn't know that. Now I'm going to have to look and see which one I have. 

Cary Woodham

09/09/2022 at 08:03 AM

If you show me a picture I can probably tell you.  If it looks more detailed, it's the Smash one.

KnightDriver

09/14/2022 at 02:57 PM

I'll take a pic. I just looked at both, and I can't remember which it was. 

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