Retro Game Challenge is undeniably a niche title. Not only is it based on an obscure Japanese television show, but it also requires knowledge and/or first-hand experience about gaming in the 80’s to fully appreciate it. However, even if you’ve never heard of GameCenter CX and were born in the 90’s, RGC is an absolute must-have.
The unusual premise is this: you’ve been transported back to the 1980’s and your childhood by Game Master Arino (basically an evil Dr. Kawashima from Brain Age). In order to get back to the good ol’ 21st century, you’re going to have to complete challenges for “classic” NES games that, in reality, never existed, while a child version of Arino from the 80’s cheers you on. Confused yet? Don’t worry about it. The plot isn’t important; it only serves as an often humorous way of introducing the superb challenges and games.
There are eight games in total, with four challenges each. (There’s also a secret final challenge, but I won’t spoil that.) The games vary from shooters, platformers, and racers, to even a complete, old-school RPG. Each game comes with a game manual, which is a great touch. Although not every game is a winner (two of the games are only slight revisions of previous ones you played), for the most part they are fantastic. Some of these games could be stand-alone titles in their own right, if only they were a bit longer. My personal favorites, Star Prince and Haggle Man 3, feel like they were taken straight from an NES greatest hits collection.
The challenges usually consist of reaching a certain level or completing a task. They’re usually pretty easy, but there are some difficult ones here and there. If you get stuck, you can consult an ever-growing collection of game magazines for cheat codes and tips. These magazines are another nice touch, as they satirize the 80’s game scene relentlessly. Reading them is not only good for a laugh though, as they’ll often have the “first look” at a game that you’ll be playing in the very near future. I could have done without the dumb names ripped straight from The Simpsons in the letters section though. Anyone still laughing at “Ivana Tinkle” and “Mike Rotch” probably really IS still stuck in the 80’s.
If you couldn’t already tell, what really sets this game apart from so many others made on a shoestring budget is its loving attention to detail. The constant barrage of nostalgia and satire is of course present, but the game even goes so far as to include “engrish” within the games themselves. Anyone who has heard of “all your base is belong to us,” will surely appreciate Rally King’s suggestion to “Try to the next course.” There’s even a hidden reference to a “spoony bard.” I also love how the child version of Arino cheers you on when you’re doing well, and chides you when you’re not. It almost actually feels as though you really are playing the game with someone else watching, and you truly resent it when he says “Dude that was just sad.” You even have to stop to blow into the cartridges sometimes! Truly, this is Nostalgia Heaven.
But what if you’re too young to appreciate all the old-school references? Well, it’s true that you’ll be missing out on a lot of what makes the story mode so special, but it doesn’t change the fact that it has eight great games to unlock and play at your leisure in the Free Play section. With so many different genres, there truly is something here for everybody.
Retro Game Challenge is too clever and entertaining to sit collecting dust on a store shelf. If you can remember the days when controllers had two buttons and a D pad, you owe it to yourself to bring home this gem. Between this and Mega Man 9, old-school is cool again… and that’s just tubular.
