This review would not have been possible without Chad Birch’s excellent write-up on Pac-Man’s ghosts. A must-read that helped me to better appreciate what Pac-Man accomplished. And I’d like to also give a shout out to the inspiration of that post, the Pac-Man Dossier by Jamie Pittman. If you’ve never read about the ghost patterns in Pac-Man, do me a favor: read those, then play Pac-Man and tell me if the experience feels somehow changed to you. It’s the strangest thing but it feels transformative. I’ve never experienced that before with any game. It’s wild. Pac-Man Platform: Arcade Released Ma ..read more

Sunman aka Superman Platform: Nintendo Entertainment System Never Released Nearly Complete Prototype Directed by Kenji Eno Developed by EIM Group Non-Publisher: Sunsoft Click to view slideshow. Sunsoft might be most famous for their Batman games, but did you know they tried their hand at a Superman game as well? Sunsoft turned to the studio best known in America for a game called Panic Restaurant. EIM Group was led by Kenji Eno, who tragically died in 2013 at just 42. Their game, known at this time as simply “Superman” had the engine mostly finished and the first level programmed. The prototyp ..read more

I’ve reviewed four Batman games so far. I’ve done the coin-op by Atari Games and the never-released in America TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine version that’s a strange top-down action-maze game. Then there’s the incredibly bland Batman Returns Atari Lynx game that, let’s face it, is never coming out again. None of those games got a YES! and frankly, none of them were the Batman games anyone wants to see a modern release or review of. In fact, I’ve only awarded one YES! to the Dark Knight so far. That was for the also never released in America version of Batman Returns for the Sega Master System. But ..read more

The Fall of Elana Temple aka Elena Temple 2. Platform: Nintendo Switch, Xbox, Playdate Released April 30, 2024 Developed by GrimTalin Click to view slideshow. Most games don’t require the most in-depth reviews. Take GrimTalin’s new indie sequel to their cult hit The Adventures of Elena Temple. That game was based on searching a fifty-screen map for treasure. This time around, Elena stars in a single-screen puzzler based mostly around the concept of falling. And it’s a really, really short game at only twenty stages. I don’t know exactly how much time I needed to finish them all, as I knocked o ..read more

Akka Arrh Platform: Arcade Year: 1982 Unreleased Prototype (Compilation Debut) Designed by Dave Ralston & Mike Hally Included in Atari 50 Includes Dip Switch Options? No If you glanced at screenshots, it looks kind of like Robotron. This doesn’t even share the same DNA. This was meant to be in Atari 50: The Definitive Review – Part Two but I had a lot to say about Akka Arrh, so it’s getting its own review. And yes, I’ll do the Jeff Minter remake sometime soon. Apparently the victim of a poor reception in route testing, Akka Arrh made its retro collection debut with Atari 50. The whole si ..read more

Before starting this review, I’d never played Karateka. I didn’t even know what genre it was going to be. Apparently I wasn’t alone. The first video in the museum features legendary designers of games saying they weren’t sure what to expect when they saw Karateka on shelves. Some thought maybe it would be like Karate Champ or a similar one-on-one fighter. I was thinking it might be more like Kung Fu, aka Kung Fu Master, aka Spartan X. Actually, we were all right AND not even close. I decided, for this review, I would go in completely blind, and I’m going to review all the builds and prototypes ..read more

Hey, have you heard of Atari 50? Well, I started reviewing it in November of 2022, then I actually read what I’d done and it SUCKED. It was my worst work ever by far, because the joy I felt playing this collection didn’t come across at all in what I was writing. That was late 2022. Now, it’s mid 2024, and I’ve decided to give another crack at it. I really need to, especially since Atari 50: The Games They Couldn’t Include is one of my most popular features. For those games, read Parts One, Two, and Three, and E.T. got its own review! I figure before I do Part Four, I should really talk about t ..read more

The Alligator People Platform: Atari 2600 Unreleased Complete (?) Prototype Designed by John Russel Non-Publisher: 20th Century Fox NEVER BEEN RELEASED Planet of the Apes Platform: Atari 2600 Unreleased Nearly Completed Prototype Designed by John Marvin Non-Publisher: 20th Century Fox NEVER BEEN RELEASED This was originally going to be part of Atari 50: The Games They Couldn’t Include – The Definitive Review Part Three, but I have a lot to say about 20th Century Fox’s Atari output. Click to view slideshow. I decided to lump these two games together because they’re spiritually married to each o ..read more

We Katamari: REROLL aka We Love Katamari: REROLL First Released June 2, 2023 We Katamari First Released July 6, 2005 Developed by Namco & Now Production Published by Namco Point of Sale: Nintendo Switch, Xbox, PlayStation, Steam Version Played: Xbox Series X I needed a break from pinball, saw this was on sale, and bought it. I didn’t expect to do this review, but I have a lot to say. I think everyone said “I have to play that!” the first time they saw a picture or a video of Katamari Damacy. It wasn’t even originally going to come out in America. Too weird. Too Japanese. But, it got a ..read more

The Storied Sword AKA Project Sword Platform: Nintendo Entertainment System Developed by Bite the Chili Productions Music by Raftronaut Coming Soon to the NES The Storied Sword at itch.io I’m not the biggest Princess Bride fan. My parents are, so when I saw this screenshot and said “oh cool, a Zorro game” I was disinherited. Seems a little harsh, but I’m not worried. There’s no way they’ll manage to file the proper paperwork before the poison takes effect. Attention Please: I’ve never had to open a review with a disclosure like this before, but here it goes: this game ain’t out yet, and it’s ..read more