(I want to say minigame, but that’s not an appropriate term.
It’s not that you can clear the game and be done with it, but the real challenge is mastering each game. It’s the exceptional presentation style that should inspire you to see the low complexity yet nuanced collection of games presented in Retro Game Challenge. The games all have that 8-bit NES feel to them that adds to the authentic feel of the period.What should inspire current gen gamers to take a serious look at this title is obviously not the graphics, there’s nothing cutting edge on a technical level here. In a way it echoes a statement that many retro gamers say in the face of textured objects with a high polygon count and all the other groovy 3D effects that are available today: You can make a game look good, but it’s the gameplay that makes a game good.The developers manage to capture the tone of the 80’s very well and the enthusiasm for ‘brand new’ games at the time. While I didn’t fall in love with the NES like so many did, there was no denying the solid titles the machine had to play.That said, this was for me one of the better purchases I have made for my DS. I am admittedly among the demographic that at least refers to myself as a retro gamer. We used to rally together when one of us picked up a new game.
Right down to your character walking on his knees to the bookshelf, or to the system to pop in a new game.We ( me and my circle of friends ) did the exact same thing! We used to scan our favorite magazines for cheats, tips and tricks. There are some interesting nods to Die-Hard GameFan, and known gaming editor Dan ‘Shoe’.Your enemy-to-be sits beside you on the living room floor, makes comments on your playing, responds to his mother… Okay, they’ve taken a huge part of my youth, and stuck it in a video game. If a game is giving you trouble, your character can scoot on over to the bookshelf, thumb through a recent gaming mag, and get a hint, or a cheat, or just enjoy the humourous writing in the magazine. There’s a lot of humor in the dialogue, but I won’t spoil any of it here.You recieve ‘new’ games, new gaming magazines, new challenges. You actually play alongside him, in his house, on his gaming system, but he’s a child of course, and has no knowledge of his future self, until you show up. The Luxor versions for the computer are the same basic idea as this: shooting marbles at a marble “snake” to make the snake disappear before it gets to the end of the track.I haven’t played this game to completion, this post is to remark on how this game has already touched the heart of an ‘older’ gamer, and endeared itself to me.As you may, or may not know, your adversary in the ‘game world’ sends you back in time to the 80s, to play game challenges in order to return to the present. That should give you enough of a taste to decide if you will like this.
If you are interested in a “test drive,” go to the Gamehouse website and download the 60-minute trial of one of the computer Luxor games. We were expecting the Luxor we know and love, which is what we got. She figured out the controls without my help, and I didn’t hear from her for at least 20 minutes, except, “I’m on level 4!.” I enjoy it, as well.True, it is not terribly different from the computer version.
the ones with teenage TV personalities on the cover). She is able to play it without the frustration she has experienced with many popular children’s DS titles (i.e. My 7-year-old, who loves the Luxor computer games, is crazy for this one. If you’re thinking of getting it for a child, understand that there is really no educational value, although I think it encourages cognitive planning. It’s a great game.I was impressed with how well this translated to the “small screen.” The images are crisp and clear, the controls are highly responsive (lag time would kill you on this game), and it is generally an entertaining time-waster. I can’t figure out why that other reviewer gave this game three stars.