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(Note: I reviewed Retro Game Challenge a few weeks back for my site, Crush! Frag! Destroy!, and it goes without saying that I really enjoyed this game. Recently, XSEED's Ken Berry said in an interview with RPGamer that there were no plans to localize RGC's recently released sequel due to disappointing sales numbers for the original. I felt the need to re-post this review in the hopes of evangelizing some of those whose radar this title slipped under. Thanks.)
Like many a suburban pre-adolescent, I have fond memories of rushing home from school, the latest copy of GameFan clutched in my sweaty grip, dog-eared from pouring over it in search of invincibility codes for Star Prince. And who didn't have arguments with their friends about if the changes in Robot Ninja Haggle Man 3 were for the best? Sure, the graphics were awesome, but it was just so...different from Robot Ninja Haggle Man 1 & 2. And who can forget how epic Guadia Quest was when it came out? That game was every D&D geek's dream!
Except for one thing: none of those games actually existed. Nope - never did. But, that's not to say they couldn't have...
Retro Game Challenge is actually a couple of years old. It was released in 2007 in Japan as Game Center CX: Arino no Chousenjou (Arino's Challenge) and is based on the television series of the same name. For those who are unaware of Game Center CX, it centers around Japanese comedian Shinya Arino and his "employment" at a fictitious company where his job is to play through a series of retro games on a time limit. Would that we were all so lucky, right?
The game picks up, in a sense, from the premise of the show. Arino, now somehow possessing cosmic powers, has grown frustrated with his ineptitude at modern games. Dubbing himself Game Master Arino (and sporting a spiffy, Jughead-ish crown to boot), he de-ages you and hurls you backward through time where you encounter his adolescent self. Tripping on his newfound power, Arino decides that now he's the one calling the shots and begins tasking you with completing challenges in a series of 8-bit classics that never were.
The games presented range over several genres: shmups (Cosmic Gate, Star Prince), racing (Rally King, Rally King SP), platforming/action (Robot Ninja Haggle Man 1, 2 & 3) and even a full-fledged, multi-hour, Dragon Warrior-esque rpg (Guadia Quest). Each title has four challenges that Arino throws at you in succession. These can be as simple as "Clear Stage 5" or as complex as "Find the Hidden 1UP in Area 1" and upon finishing all four, the game is unlocked in "Free Play" mode and the next title becomes available.
At its core, Retro Game Challenge could almost be thought of as a mini-game collection, since the constant addition of small goals make it perfect for bite-sized gaming sessions. What you probably wouldn't expect is how much fun some of these games are by themselves. These aren't simply quick knock-offs, designed to stroke your nostalgia gland - they're honestly every bit as good as the games you found yourself addicted to in your youth. Rally King in particular, a racer in the vein of R.C. Pro-Am, initially frustrated me. However, once I got used to the controls, it rapidly became a favorite and I would find myself promising "just one more race" as I tried to top my previous best on a track.
For those of us who were alive and immersed in the game culture of the late 80s, this title is a gooey, dripping love letter to that era. Were you one of those kids who obsessively devoured game magazines for cheats, tips and news of upcoming games? Well, you'll have a new issue of GameFan on your bookshelf every month to help you get past those troublesome levels (be sure to check out the cameos by former EGM editors/writers as the fictitious staff). Were you the kid who always read the instruction manual instead of throwing yours out with the shrink wrap? Each game has a full manual, averaging around 20 pages each, down to the "Thank you for purchasing" and "Do not take apart or submerge cartridge in water" pages.
There's even a notepad function included so you can write down codes and other useful data, though I never used it myself; it always seemed easier to go back to the individual magazines to me. I would have loved to see it used if they had implemented a password system for saving your progress, however. Kids today have been spoiled by "save points" and don't remember the frustration of trying to remember if a password was case sensitive or if that one character was a letter "O" or a zero.
From the spot-on visuals and sounds to the occasional Engrish from a bad localization to young Arino sitting by your side on the bottom screen, shouting encouragement and groaning at your failures, they've distilled your childhood into a pure digital form. Much like Arino's simple love for the classics of his youth, the game's charm is overwhelming and undeniable, though likely only to anyone over the age of 25 or so; if you weren't around to experience it firsthand, a fair few of the references will probably fly over your head anyway. However, if you spent recess trading rumors of hidden levels and secret characters with your friends and if you remember that blowing into a cartridge was a magical cure-all, this game is targeted squarely at you.
The only real downsides to Retro Game Challenge are the occasionally frustrating game mechanics (which ironically make it even more faithful to the source material) and the lack of variety in the games available; two of the Haggle Man games and both Rally Kings are only slight upgrades of each other. However, I hear the variety issue was improved upon in the sequel, which came out in Japan around the time XSEED released this one Stateside. Perhaps if it sells well enough, we'll get the follow-up considerably quicker. One can only hope.
And yes, if you're feeling slightly dense today, that was my not-so-thinly veiled recommendation to go pick it up. You owe it to your Fabio-autographed copy of Electronic Gaming Monthly #3 and your VHS copy of The Wizard. Seriously. Do it.
