Retro Game Challenge (DS) Review

Posted by Jacob Lopez on 03.06.2009

Retro Game Challenge is XSEED's localization of a hit Bandai Namco game based on a popular Japanese TV show. How does this $30 DS game stack up against the slew of highly anticipated AAA titles released in February? Check out the review to find out!



Retro Game Challenge (DS) Review

Developer: Indies Zero [0]
Publisher: XSEED
Genre: Mini-game Compilation
Players: 1
System: DS

Having been utterly defeated by his friends in every
“current-gen” multiplayer game. Arino longed to become a gaming master.

His obsessive desire for complete dominance in the gaming
world spawned a digitized version of himself in his Nintendo DS.

He came to be called “Game Master Arino,”
and he began to haunt gamers around the world with retro game challenges.

You have been chosen for his all new game challenges from his home turf, the '80s!
-Retro Game Challenge Manual and Prologue





You have been transported back into the 80s by the evil Game Master Arino, who bears an uncanny resemblance to Mike Myers, and are forced to replay all the videogames of your youth. Who has to force me? I would gladly go back into the 80's and live out my childhood gaming experiences all over again if given the chance.

Retro Game Challenge is loosely based on the popular Japanese TV series, Game Center CX. A show in which the host, Shinya Arino, must play his way thought a variety of classic games, usually for the Famicom. As he completes these games, he is “promoted” within the TV shows storyline. Aside from the lead character, the game shares little in common with the show. Not to worry, the game rocks!




Before Retro Game Challenge starts, you are given a chance to choose a gender and a name. The game wants it to be clear that YOU—the player—are the one who was transported back to the 80s gaming scene.

That is something that this game does well. With the DS' limited processing power, and within one room of a house, Retro Game Challenge succeeds in making you feel connected to the story. This is because it will evoke those memories that lovers of classic 80's games have of sitting in a room day in and day out with their best friend trying to conquer a game.


Cosmic Gate




However, Retro Game Challenge does not stop at just replicating the old days of gaming. It plays a bit like a minigame compilation. You will be challenged by Game Master Arino to meet different goals within each game under certain circumstances, such as “Beat Stage 2 Without Losing a Life” or “Defeat Level 5 Boss.” Most of these challenges take a only a few minutes to beat, and very few will take longer than 10. The idea is short, fun objectives that think beyond the basic gameplay. They are all fairly easy. While some of them can be a bit tricky, it is obvious that none of them were meant to be frustratingly difficult.

In fact, the developers purposely gave us access to “in-game” cheats in the form of magazine articles that young Arino purchases and reads religiously. Another nod to the era, the days before the Internet gave you everything you need at the click of a button. We old farts used to save piles and piles of magazines that were loaded with cheats and tips for all the latest games. Much like those days, the game's mags arm you with that one cheat code that allows you to have unlimited continues to beat the game. Old gamers will remember reading gaming magazines and thinking that they were ready to take on the world with their newfound knowledge. Retro Game Challenge recreates that feeling with every in-game release.

The games in Retro Game Challenge are all fictional, complete with made up developers, production stories and release dates. Everything feels authentic, but is actually just built to recreate the feel and evolution of gaming in the 80s. The localization team at XSEED was even clever enough to drop in subtleties like intentional mistranslations such as “Congradugations! The Princess Are Safe Again,” while referring to princess in the singular form.

Many of the exchanges between the two main characters will stir up thoughts such as, “Ha, I remember thinking that!” or “Yeah, we all used to blow in the cartridge.” To add to the nostalgia factor, Arino's mom drops by every so often to remind him to take a break or ask him if he and you would like a snack. Just like old times.

These conversations are part of what gives this game its charm. You can always choose to chat with young Arino throughout the course of your stay at his house, and the results usually pertain to the game you are currently playing. The jokes, of course, are made with the classically trained gamer in mind, because most are references to the 80s. At one point, Arino mentions a popular movie from the 80s, but I won't spoil it for ya.






Not only do Retro Game Challenge's jokes capture the moment, the graphics on every one of the games do so as well. When this game was developed, they made sure to make each game slightly more advanced than the previous one. The interesting thing is that it seems as if they looked at the tech available during each year so that they were able to replicate the way games evolved. Not only graphically, but what was popular in game development.


Guadia Quest

For example, the first game you play is called Cosmic Gate, and it is a Galaga-style fixed-shooter with graphics that fit that time in console gaming. The sound is very minimal with little zaps and white noise explosions. A few years later, Tomato (the fictional developer of Cosmic Gate) develops a scrolling shoot em' up in the vein of Life Force titled, Star Prince.



In Star Prince you can see the evolution of the graphics over the two-year span. Objects are more colorful and enemies are larger, you are no longer confined to a single fixed screen and each weapon you pick up has its own distinct trait.


Graphics in-game eventually evolve enough to create colorful platformers like Robot Ninja Haggle Man and its two sequels. Each one of the sequels becomes slightly better looking and gets tougher larger levels. In fact, Robot Ninja Haggle Man 3 totally changes up the series' formula and becomes a full-on platformer with larger much stages than the last two.

All of the music within the games is catchy and reminiscent of the classics chip tunes of the past. The audio within the games is intentionally limited to 8-bit sounds arranged in short loops.

The graphics outside of the games are 3D with characters that look like they could star in Animal Crossing. They are actually, dare I say it? Cute. The geeky smiles and the huge heads, what's not to like?

The two characters are on the bottom screen the whole time, while the gameplay happens in the top screen. Small voice overs from young Arino accompany you through your adventures, “Aww you missed!” and “Awesome!”








Retro Game Challenge is short, with only a handful of hours worth of playtime for the main story. The awesome thing is that you can go back through the game in Free play mode to enjoy the games in their entirety. That's right, each of the games in Retro Game Challenge is a full game from start to finish. Each time you complete a game's challenges, that title is added to the Free play menu item in the title screen. On Free play you can play through any of the games through their entirety, but without the use of codes. As young Arino puts it, “Think of it as challenging yourself.”









Retro Game Challenge takes everything that was awesome about growing up gaming in the 80s and packs it all into one tiny little cartridge.

Let end my review by letting you know that I played a butt load of games that were released this month: F.E.A.R. 2, Killzone 2, Street Fighter IV, and a demo of Resident Evil 5 – all were above average games. Still, my favorite was this little $30 gem that almost went unnoticed by anyone other than the core gamer, Retro Game Challenge.

I hate to admit it now, but I didn't play it at all at E3. Fellow 411'er Tommy Coloma kept insisting that it was the best game of the show. I just wish I had listened to him earlier.

Drew Robbins, also part of the 411 Games Crew gave me a few of his opinions as well, "Holy crap, Retro Games Challenge is AMAZING!!" and "If you give the game less than a nine, I riot."

Sorry Drew, no rioting for you!

We are crossing our fingers for the sequel, which was recently released in Japan!




Young Arino Awaits You!

Graphics	8.0	The graphics capture the look and the feel of the 80s perfectly. The characters outside of the console games are on par with Animal Crossing. It's cute. It works.
Gameplay	9.0	The game is downright great. The concept idea of being transported to the golden age of gaming and completing a variety of challenges just works.
Sound	8.0	For retro gamers only! The sounds are the classic 8-bit chip tunes we all grew to love. Just wait till you hear the Guadia Quest and Robot Ninja Haggle Man 3 title screen themes.
Lasting Appeal	7.5	Let's face it. The game is short. Personally, that is not a bad thing. Just don't expect hours upon hours of gameplay. The main game takes less than ten hours, but the game deserves credit for giving you full versions of each title to play later.
Fun Factor	9.5	Fellow 411 Staffer Tommy Coloma called it the best game of E3. He was right, my only regret is not playing it at the show.
Overall	9.0   [  Amazing ]