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Rampage

I know this is a classic and all, but I did not care for it. For a game that's all about being a giant monster and destroying stuff, I didn't really get a feeling of overwhelming power. The punches aren't that strong for how big you are and fact that you really can't avoid getting hit doesn't help anything. It was worth playing once to see the cool spritework but once was enough I think. 4 outta 10

Zero Gunner

I love the look of the Sega Model 2 arcade games. The blocky models have such a specific texture that's just chef's kiss, you feel me? I love that style, born of necessity, not choice, though I would love to see more modern throwbacks to it.

Zero Gunner is a shmup with the twist that you can lock on to your opponents and circle around them to attack. Because the game is in 3D, that means you get some cool angled cinematic shots that you wouldn't get with a 2D game. It also means you can focus on dodging bullets secure in the knowledge that you'll be hitting a target. It's fairly short and easy for a shmup but there do seem to be multiple campaigns across different parts of the world, which is cool. 7 outta 10

Vs. Super Mario Bros

Man, this game does not play as nice with a joystick, nor does it play as nice when you can't run and jump with your thumb. Let's face it, Mario games were built for the cozy confines of a controller, not the hard boxy rigidity of an arcade cabinet. Controversial opinion I know, but I have to stand by it. And when said arcade cabinet has a bunch of extra nonsense designed to keep you feeding quarters, it's not as fun as the original. I was only willing to spend one quarter and that only got me up to world 1-4. Even that early some of the jumps they want you to do are silly.

But hey, at the end of the day it's still Super Mario Bros. Even just as a novelty it was a pretty fun way to play it. 7 outta 10

Arkanoid

Finally playing this with an analog knob was revolutionary. Like no wonder I've always been bad at the console ports, it's a game designed around both fine control and fast movement that no dpad could ever replicate. Now I get it! Now it's fun!

Unfortunately I'm still pretty bad at it. But hey, the arcade version is at least pretty fun while I'm bad at it. The powerups make it a lot more engaging than regular Breakout. 8 outta 10

Galaga

Galaga is a tough one to rank because there's so many later shmups that I'd probably prefer to play. It's very simple, as you well know, and with no powerups or alternate enemy setups, it rarely holds me for more than 5 or 10 minutes. But, well, it's always a good 5 or 10 minutes, isn't it? Sometimes simpler is better, especially in short bursts. 8 outta 10

Ms. Pac-Man

Between the ctcon and going to a barcade i've played a lot of arcade games lately, but my reviews for them have been pretty short, so I figure I'll just post them all at once (or twice)

Asteroids

I've played many different ports and knockoffs of Asteroids over the years but this is my first time playing the original on an actual arcade machine. Well, a version of the original anyway, this got released so many times. It's a little odd to use buttons to turn but you get used to it quick. I actually think it's a real easy game once you're adjusted, though admittedly I have decades of gaming experience that people in 1979 would not have had. I really like the glowy effect of the shots, I haven't seen that specific touch before. It's a certified arcade classic for a reason. 8 outta 10

Viper Phase 1

An alright shmup I played in one sitting at a con with a stranger. It's fine. It's got the expected power ups and bombs. I don't really have anything else to say about it. 6 outta 10

SEGA Tetris

It's Tetris so there's a certain floor of quality obviously. Not crazy about this one though. There's some fun attacks in the versus mode and I like the 3D look to the blocks, but playing Tetris with a stick is not the way to go. Also what's with the monkey? I don't like the monkey. 6 outta 10

Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo

Decent enough vs falling blocks game that's carried entirely by the cute graphics. Pocket Fighter is better. 6 outta 10

Moon Patrol

Normally I enjoy games where you have to kind of juggle two things, in this case the road in front of you and the aliens above you. I don't know though, this one kind of wasn't doing it for me. It's a little too tricky to dodge the aliens while going at a reasonable speed. This is the first game to have true parallax scrolling though so that's pretty cool. 5 outta 10

Zoo Keeper