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DS

North America

Retro Game Challenge

by Jonathan Metts - July 21, 2008, 9:50 pm EDT
Total comments: 10

Against all odds, GameCenter CX is coming to America. Get ready for "Video Game Training" on your DS.

There's really nothing else like Retro Game Challenge. It's a Namco Museum-like compilation of classic 8-bit games… but all of the games are fake. That is to say, they are real, brand new games made to resemble Famicom/NES games from the late 80s. They also come with fake magazine articles, fake strategy guides, and everything else you need to get excited for a fake NES game and eventually beat the final boss.

There's a total of eight games in the collection, and most of them are clearly imitating real NES games such as Ninja Gaiden, RC Pro-Am, and Galaga. I was impressed by the quality and depth of the games I played. Also surprising is that each one is full-length, though that term meant something different in the late 80s. There is even a Dragon Quest-style RPG that takes up to ten hours to complete. Another game actually has a sequel, also included in the collection, so you can see how the original game, if it had actually existed back then, might have evolved if a sequel had been released a few years later.

The story has something to do with a couple of kids discovering an old gaming console and deciding to learn about these old games that were released before they were born. The kids appear on the touch screen and watch you play the fake 8-bit games on the top screen. It's a very clever interface, as you see the kids swap out cartridges when you get ready to try a different game. There are even times when you have to blow the dust off a connector by blowing on the DS microphone… hey, that's so clever, it doesn't even piss me off! Each game has numerous challenges that you need to clear, like reaching a certain score, killing certain enemies, or finding secret areas. That's where the fake gaming resources come into play – the American producer told us that some challenges are virtually impossible without using cheat codes from the fake magazines.

Although the E3 demo was just the Japanese version of the game, which has been out for a while overseas, we did learn a bit about the English version. The game will be fully localized, not just translated, so many of the cultural elements will be rewritten to make more sense for an American audience. The kids' virtual Famicom system will probably be replaced by an NES, and the magazine formats may be altered to reflect the differences between Japanese and American gaming publications.

I didn't get a fully developed idea of the game's appeal without seeing all the games or getting to see the English archival elements, but Retro Game Challenge has tons of potential for fans of classic games and even younger players who want a cheaper way to get in touch with that era of gaming history. XSEED Games expects to release it by the holidays, and God bless them.

Talkback

Thank God for third parties. The DS really has some meat on its bones this year, no thanks to Nintendo. (OK, fine, they're remaking Kirby Super Star)

shammackJuly 22, 2008

It's nice that they're putting effort into the localization, but I hope they don't go too far with it.  Bad translations and unfamiliar cultural elements are a pretty big part of the "retro" experience for western gamers.

Bill AurionJuly 22, 2008

This game better have Arino...LOTS OF ARINO!

"The DS really has some meat on its bones this year, no thanks to Nintendo."

Newest member of the Emo Former Nintendo Fan Gamer Squad?  Shouldn't there be a cap on the number of members?

No, I'm just saying Nintendo didn't show shit at E3 for the DS.

AVJuly 22, 2008

HUH ? I am confused on the concept I guess I have to play to understand

RizeDavid Trammell, Staff AlumnusJuly 22, 2008

Ah the old blowing away of dust.

I have no idea how we discovered a similar yet fundamentally different technique (perhaps because it worked so well), but we used to put the games (used to, hell, still do!) under our shirt and then blow a mouthful of humid air (as if you were trying to smell your own breath by blowing into your hand) through the shirt and onto the game contacts.  I think it is the humidity that helps conduct electricity.  It also helps to get a butter knife wrapped in a paper towel, dampen it and clean off those contacts if they're dirty (do NOT do this on the NES unit itself however as the contacts are much more delicate and the towel will likely catch them and bend them...)

We also had a peculiar way of inserting the cartridges.  We would put the game into the NES, but would not push it all the way back.  Then we'd depress the game downwards, and wedge another game on top of that (for really stubborn games you could add a penny or dime above the top game to make the connection even firmer).  This forced the game to connect with the lower part of the angled contact and resulted in a firmer connection.  If anyone has an old NES that doesn't work, make sure you try this.

Ian SaneJuly 22, 2008

The concept of this game along grabs my interest.  What a brilliant idea!

I remember when I was playing Midway Arcade Treasures I thought it would cool to make a "compilation" of brand new arcade style games.  With WiiWare I figured that would be the place to release classic style games but adding this whole made up storry about discovering an old console adds an extra layer of charm to the whole thing.  Capcom really struck the nail on the head with Mega Man 9 as the NES style graphics totally make the game stand out.  Modern graphics with old school gameplay looks like a budget title instead of something worthwhile.  This tops Mega Man 9 in concept.  Just a cool idea.

vuduJuly 22, 2008

So, are any of the games good?  It sounds like a novel idea in theory, but if there's nothing there you'd want to play for more than five minutes the game isn't going to be worthwhile.

It's hard for me to say, vudu, since I only played a couple of the games and only for a minute or so each.  But the Japanese version has gotten good reviews, so that's a good sign.

RizeDavid Trammell, Staff AlumnusJuly 23, 2008

I'd love a well made RPG in the style of the original Dragon Warrior.  In fact, many-a-time I've considered trying to write a program that randomly generates a Dragon Warrior like-game world (and of course the engine to play it).

One concern I have about this game is the lower screen.  Do these virtual kids make any noise while you're trying to play the retro games?  I also saw a screen shot with a simple shooter game on the top screen which was basic shapes on a black background, and the bottom screen was very bright in comparison.  It seems like that would be very distracting.

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Game Center CX: Arino's Challenge Box Art

Genre Simulation
Developer Indies zero
Players1

Worldwide Releases

na: Retro Game Challenge
Release Feb 10, 2009
PublisherXseed Games
RatingEveryone
jpn: Game Center CX: Arino's Challenge
Release Nov 15, 2007
PublisherNamco Bandai
RatingAll Ages
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