But more importantly, what does it tell you when a game manages to capture the spirit of arcades and early home video game consoles in a thoroughly modern package that is wrapped around remade versions of those games? When it is able to enthrall a hardcore gamer, his kids, and even a non-gamer wife? It is a stunningly rare occurrence, marking Retro Game Challenge as a very special game!

The story centers around a character named Arino – who is apparently based on the host of a Japanese video game show. Arino (evidently unlike his real-life counterpart) is not very good at video games, and as a result constantly loses challenges and grows increasingly angry towards more skilled gamers and seeks revenge. This anger leads him to become manifested in a digital version of himself, and to suck the player into the digital world where he is sent back in time to when Arino was a child. And this is where the game challenges begin.

It is a simple premise, yet one that works very well – immediately you have a basis for games of the 1980’s, the rationale to complete challenges successfully, and an impetus to do well so you can be returned to your modern day self again.

Of course, the games themselves are the attraction – everything else is the glue that holds it together, but without solid home arcade games this would have been a throwaway.

You start back in 1985, where you discuss your situation with Arino before getting started playing something called Cosmic Gate, which is a nicely emulated version of Galaxian. You have a series of challenges to complete in this game, and after each one you interact with Arino and learn a bit more through magazine articles. Eventually you unlock new games – well, actually what happens is that you complete the current challenge and move on to the ‘launch’ of the next game.

There are eight full games included within Retro Game Challenge, including Cosmic Gate, a vertical ship-based shooter game reminiscent of Blazing Lazers, a racing game called Rally King, a ‘series’ called Robot Ninja Haggle Man that includes a Mega Man-style game, a sequel with some advances, and a more advanced game that is similar to Ninja Gaiden (similar difficulty as well). There is also a nice jRPG called Gaurdia Quest which is very much in the style of the early Dragon Quest games. There is also a sequel to Rally King and a follow-on to Cosmic Gate called Star Price with much advanced gameplay.

I enjoyed every single one of the games without exception. As I said, there were some that were fairly similar – the second ‘Haggle Man’ and the two Rally King games come to mind – and there were challenges that I found rather frustrating, but ultimately I found every game loads of fun. Once you complete the challenge portion of a game, you can replay it whenever you want.

One other nice detail is the game magazine collection. It is hard for me to recall spending the majority of my life without call waiting, the internet, cell phones, and instant-everything. Yet back in the 1980’s you would go to your local bookstore or game shop and buy electronics and gaming magazines that would give you hints and tips and previews of upcoming games. The magazines here do exactly that. You can get a glimpse of games you will encounter later on in your challenge, and also pick up hints and tips to complete challenges. There are even cheat codes given out, making some of the tougher games much more (fun) manageable.

Retro Game Challenge is not the first time classic arcade games have been assembled in a single package – these collections have been around for years. But it feels different because of the smart way it is packaged as a cohesive experience and not just another rag-tag band of miscellaneous games. The characters, story, magazines and games come together to form a compelling gameplay challenge. It is attractive to older gamers who have been gaming since Pong was the only ‘home arcade’; it is also fun for those who enjoyed the arcade but didn’t keep up with gaming outside of the arcade; and for younger audiences it provides a glimpse back in time that is paired with a gameplay quality that makes it something they will enjoy and never want to let out of their collection!

Pros:
+ Looks great and is a blast to play
+ Wonderfully accurate game recreations
+ Very humorous and never takes itself seriously
+ Magazines recall the pre-internet era nicely

Cons:
– A couple of games are too similar
– A couple of challenges are VERY challenging (possibly a Pro for some!)

Game Info:
Platform: DS
Publisher: XSeed Games
Developer: Namco Bandai Games
Release Date: 02/10/09
Genre: Compilation
ESRB Rating: Everyone
Players: 1

Marvelous Entertainment USA and XSEED Games, as revealed today, have quite the intriguing little E3 lineup all ready to show off come next week. It’s full of surprises too. Little King’s Story and Valhalla Knights 2 were already a given, but fresh titles like Avalon Code, an action-RPG for the DS from the developers of the Final Fantasy III and IV DS remakes, Populous DS, a portable “re-imagination” of EA’s classic PC simulation, and the DS music creation app KORG DS-10 prove that Marvelous and XSEED are really working to put out a diverse, high-quality portfolio.

Hit the jump to read over all the game descriptions in full.

Games being shown under the Marvelous and XSEED Games partnership are:

Avalon Code DS:

From the creative minds behind Rune Factory and Harvest Moon with the development studio responsible for the Final Fantasy III and Final Fantasy IV DS remakes comes Avalon Code, an action RPG boasting incredible graphics, a deep and engrossing story, and innovative game play mechanics. Using the main character’s ‘Book of Prophecy’, players can modify the rules of engagement during battle as well as weapon and monster attributes. The player even has control over the story as it changes depending on which gender the player chooses to play as, enhancing the ability to immerse themselves into the story. Avalon Code DS is scheduled for release Q1 2009. The game will be published in Europe by Rising Star Games*, a subsidiary of Marvelous Entertainment.

Rune Factory: Frontier Wii:

From the creators of Harvest Moon and Rune Factory for the DS comes the first installment of Rune Factory for a home console. Developed exclusively for Wii, Rune Factory: Frontier features stunning graphics and takes full advantage of the Wii’s unique controls to fully immerse players in the Rune Factory universe. Rune Factory: Frontier incorporates an open-ended structure that allows players to choose the type of game they wish to experience. Whether it’s growing crops, expanding the town, fighting (or befriending) monsters or even falling in love, the experience is unique to each player. Rune Factory: Frontier Wii is scheduled for release Q1 2009. The game will be published in Europe by Rising Star Games*, a subsidiary of Marvelous Entertainment.

LITTLE KING’S STORY Wii:

Little King’s Story has an art style that is very ‘story-book’ in look and a magical fairy tale quality that will intrigue and delight gamers. The storyline, visual look, and lyrical music of Little King’s Story, work in concert to transport players to an interactive, enchanting, fairy tale world. By combining gameplay elements from life-simulation, real-time strategy, and adventure genres, the many aspects of creating a vast kingdom come to life! As King, players will manage and involve their townspeople in the goals of creating this new territory; enlisting them to dig for treasure, build new buildings and otherwise better their community. Of course, leadership is a two-way street, so as King, players will try to conquer rival nations to create a single unified kingdom, while also granting the requests of townspeople at whim. The game transforms the Wii Remote to a royal scepter and offers players the chance to be the best king in the world! Little King’s Story Wii is scheduled for release Winter 2008. The game will be published in Europe by Rising Star Games*, a subsidiary of Marvelous Entertainment.

VALHALLA KNIGHTS 2 PSP system:

Sequel to the popular Valhalla Knights, Valhalla Knights 2 promises to give fans of the original game a vast and expansive world to explore, and the customization tools to create the ultimate battle party. This action RPG (Role Playing Game) sequel adds new races, job classes, weapons, magic spells, foes, armor and more to the Valhalla Knights universe, all within an engrossing story arc. Controlling and choosing character aspects such as skills, race and appearance, players engage in real-time 6 on 6 battles, reliant on tactical combat strategies to achieve success. Supporting 2 player ad hoc network play, gamers can engage in Co-op and Versus modes with friends, or simply trade items and weapons. Valhalla Knights 2 PSP system is scheduled for release Fall 2008.

Separately, XSEED Games will unveil the company’s first official support of the Nintendo DS with three titles:

Populous DS:

Based on the original Populous PC classic from Electronic Arts, Populous DS brings a re-imagination of the classic game, which pioneered the God simulation genre. Featuring touch-screen controls that utilize the dual-screens, players manipulate 5 elementally-imbued gods, each with their own unique miracles, within an extensive single-player campaign. Within the multiplayer wireless mode, up to 4 players can unleash earthquakes, tidal waves and raging volcanoes onto rival players’ lands. Populous DS is scheduled for release Fall 2008. The game will be published in Europe by Rising Star Games*, a subsidiary of Marvelous Entertainment.

KORG DS-10:

Designed after the famous KORG MS-10 music synthesizer, KORG DS-10 is a music-creation program for professional and aspiring musicians alike. The sound sources in the KORG DS-10 come from KORG, one of the world’s top musical instrument producers, and no effort was spared in the replication of creating high-quality sounds. The Nintendo DS’s touch-screen controls are utilized to the fullest to provide an authentic feel and operability across a dual-screen layout that is unsurpassed in portable music creation. A 6-track/16-step sequencer enables precise control and provides a wide range of musical possibilities, and up to eight DS units can be linked via wireless connection to play together or to exchange sounds and songs. KORG DS-10 is scheduled for release Fall 2008.

Retro Game Challenge:

An original game based on the popular Japanese GAME CENTER CX TV series, Retro Game Challenge reinvents how classic games are played. Featuring a story-driven progression, players complete short challenges in a wide-variety of fictional retro-games. Specific challenges in shooting, racing, action and even an epic role-playing game are integrated into the story, while the in-game magazines offer cheat codes as well as fake 80’s news stories paying tribute to the rich history of the gaming industry. Released to raving reviews as Game Center CX: Arino’s Challenge in Japan, the game received a Gold Award from Famitsu with a 33/40 review score. Retro Game Challenge is scheduled for release Winter 2008.