Really enjoy retro games? You should probably still pass on this one.
Retro Game Challenge (RGC) is a game based on the Japanese TV show RetroGame Master. While RGC has some humorous parts and is a unique way to sell retro type games; after playing this game I doubt I would ever watch the TV show. That is because the game is bad. Not terrible, it just isn't good enough for me to play more than I have to for this review. This is due to the choice of "retro" games. I don't care to play them. They are boring and not much fun. A good retro game would be fun, simple and addictive. While RGC got the simple part, they completely missed the fun and addictive parts.
The game is certainly unique. The story goes that some guy loved games so much he somehow got into the virtual game world and then pulls you in looking for a challenge. He proceeds to send you back in a 1980's virtual world and begins throwing challenges at you. The challenges consist of playing his old games. In each challenge you must perform some feat like getting thirty thousand points or using a warp gate to reach level twelve. Once you complete four of these challenges the retro game is unlocked for free play and you move to the next set of challenges with a new retro game.
The games consist of a space shooting game, similar to Space Invaders, a side scrolling, platform, game similar to something I am sure but I can't put my finger on it. I guess you could say that it is an extremely basic Kid Nikki without a story line and anything fun. There is also an old school racing game and an RPG. I never got to these two, so I can't attest to how much fun, or lack there of, these games were. The reason I didn't get to these two is that I didn't beat all of the challenges of the ninja scrolling game. This is a major problem. If you don't beat all four challenges for a game then you don't get to the next game to try it out. This is very different from most retro type games because when playing them, there is nothing to unlock, everything is already available for play. So if, like me, you can't beat a challenge then you aren't able to play the remaining games at all.
While the games are pretty bad and I don't like that the games have to be unlocked, I do, however, like the way the overall game is laid out. You are in the room with a much younger version of the man who has captured you. In his room you play games on a console in front of the two boys and the TV screen they are watching is displayed on the top DS screen, at which time the controls for the retro game you are playing are activated. You can switch back to the boy's room at any time by pressing the left trigger and the x button. In the boy's room you can switch games, look at game magazines you have unlocked, chat with the boy, write a memo (which can't be saved) or quit the challenge and go to the main menu.
Besides the games lay out and story, I also like the little additions. For example: the boy will say things when you do particularly well, like "super cool", or when you do badly, like "ahh man". Another example is that the game magazines seem to be tributes to Electronic Gaming Monthly. The editor in chief is named Dan Sock (instead of Dan Shoe) and the column he writes in each magazine is called "If the Shoe Fits…". In one magazine he quits; just like in real life. There is even a reviewer named Milkman. There is a Q&A column, in which Hugh Jass asks how he can stop his controller from getting all sticky from eating while plays games. Too funny! In addition to the funny entries in the magazine, they are also used to reveals secrets and cheat codes that can be used in the retro games or explains useful strategies.
In the end, the humorous aspect of the game and the unique story are not enough for me to continue playing. With boring retro type games, which RGC is centered on, and the need for me to unlock the games by playing challenges of which some are very difficult; I feel this game really isn't worth my time and I suggest you take a pass even if you are really into retro games.
