Cobra Triangle Review (Evercade)

 As far as we can tell there is very little in the way of plot that surrounds Cobra Triangle. For some reason there is a bloke in a boat who shoots things, but this is the NES, a more simple time when it was all about gameplay.

Developed by Rare, the game is set across a number of levels, each of which is different from the last. One level may have you simply racing to the finish, whilst another could involve removing mines, saving drowning people, jumping waterfalls, going through an assault course or even taking on a huge sea monster in a titanic life or death battle. Variety is definitely the name of the game and it's this that helps to excel the Cobra Triangle to greatness.

Graphically, this certainly isn't the prettiest of games. The boat is a triangle shape coloured in with two colours, the backgrounds fair little better, mainly consisting of blue for the water and green for the land. It's animated well with the boat tipping up at the back depending how fast you are going and boss monsters being suitably large and imposing.

Importantly though, everything moves along at a high rate and slowdown never once appears to ruin the gameplay. The biggest problem is flickering, which is apparent a little more than it should be, this is mainly because in certain areas there is so much on screen and it moves very quickly. Flickering aside, the game holds up pretty well.

The game may look a touch drab but the boat is superbly controllable and allows you to make near handbrake turns and other manoeuvres with ease. This is essential to the gameplay as the pace never lets up from start to finish. Furthermore, every level really feels like something fresh - meaning you never get bored of just doing the same thing over and over again and you look forward to seeing what the next level will bring. This element helps make it highly addictive.

Overall, Cobra Triangle is a stunning game. Graphically, it's certainly not amazing, but they do the job and it allows the gameplay to really shine. Upon release it was mostly ignored by the gaming public, mainly due to poor coverage from magazines - this is probably why it was never remade for the new consoles. In years to come it would be great to see a remake as this has all the style, and a lot more originality than most retro franchises. It stands as another example of why Rare were the hottest property around back in the gaming golden age.

9/10

Outlaws + Handful of Missions: Remaster Review (Switch)

Hands up how many of you forgot that LucasArts made a quirky Western themed FPS with cool comic cut scenes. Cut scenes that look awesome and really remind us of classic Lucas games such as Full Throttle and Monkey Island. Outlaws has been dormant for a long time and didn’t create the biggest of stirs upon initial release due to the market shifting. Those that did play it though will remember a fresh take on a genre that was becoming a bit over saturated and generic and certainly one that was filled with character.

It's always helpful when the original game is solid to start with so Nightdive have been able to concentrate on polishing it for a new audience. Outlaws was released well into the point the FPS genre had taken hold and as such allows for things like jumping and ducking and some more precise movement and shooting. The transition to game pad has been handled excellently with controls mapped smoothly and you’ll be able to switch weapons and items easily with an in-game selection wheel. We did struggle to work out how to use the medical bags for a while though.

 The updated graphics and interface don’t seem like such a huge jump from the original due to its comic book style, everything is of course much more HD but switching between styles isn’t particularly jarring. The environments also lend themselves to the limitations of the time. While Doom would have you traversing labyrinthian areas of corridors, Outlaws it mainly set in farmsteads and Western towns meaning it gives a more open approach to levels and the environments without looking sparse or lacking in detail.

Levels themselves are well structured with plenty of action and an emphasis on key finding. Certain buildings are normally locked, so you’ll need to find whichever bandit has access to get in and continue. It rarely becomes a chore though as the Western theme lends itself to levels being more clearly laid out than some other first-person shooters. There is also a handy in game map to show where you have and haven’t been.  A whole host of secret areas are squirreled away to find as well and clever players will also note you can thin out the bad guys in a lot of locations by shooting them through the windows first.

One thing that might have been helpful is just a brief tutorial on how the controls work. There is an in-game reference card but that still doesn’t really explain things like how to select individual items or how certain interactions work. It’s not that difficult to work out but a few pages of explanation at a minimum would have really helped in sorting out the controls more quickly.  That said, we did work things out.

In terms of content, you not only get the addition of the extra missions included but there is also a whole host of gallery material. It’s always great to see how much the studio puts into its releases. It makes the games feel like complete and definitive packages and makes them all the easier to recommend. We can’t remember the last time we wanted more from a Nightdive Studio release as they are always so well curated and put together.

Overall, Outlaws is another example of Nightdive Studios taking a slightly niche game and really giving it the love and attention it deserves. It is likely to have a limited audience again, but that is a real shame. If you missed out on Outlaws, the first time this is the perfect way to get into it. It’s a game that really deserves much more praise and attention and this version of it is well put together, fun and essential for FPS fans.

Overall 8/10

Trigger Happy: A Visual Celebration of Video Game Controllers Review

It’s fair to say that the very notion of the Bitmap Books output is serving a niche area. But even within this, their latest release is perhaps even more specialist. We love it when you get books focused on subjects a bit more outside the norm as they tend to be the ones with the most detailed research and that are real passion projects for the writers. We’ve been here before with The Secret History of Mac Gaming, but a book focused solely on video game controllers is certainly leftfield.

Written by Christian Wenk, who also acts as photographer for the book, we are invited to take a ‘playful voyage’ that is heavily designed to play on the readers own nostalgia for various controllers and the games played with them. In this way, the book will likely take on a highly personal meaning for many people reading. We found ourselves transported back to the early 8-bit computers, remembering various joystick designs which had long left our memory and the games that ended up causing us to brake them.

Content is exhaustive as well. Obviously, not every single design is in here but there is comprehensive coverage of just about every major joystick and controller from the dawn of gaming up to the present day. There’s even a section on newer ‘retro’ devices such as the Sega Astro City and the Evercade. Add in looks at some of history’s most famous oddities such as the infamous Nes Power Glove and peripherals such as racing wheels and you can see how well covered all things controller are. Don’t expect any light guns though, this book focuses on things which require a bit more direct player input.

The book does an excellent job in walking readers through initial designs for various consoles and computers, with insightful comments on the purpose and effectiveness of each. The photography is also exceptional. These are easily some of the best pictures we’ve seen in any Bitmap book and they help to really bring the controllers to life. Don’t be surprised if your mind starts wandering towards trawling Ebay for old controllers to look at.

In terms of layout, most of the controllers are given a couple of pictures with two or three paragraphs of text to go with them. The more prominent ones then get some full-page shots as well. Very occasionally you’ll get a shot of a video game with some reminiscing about how a controller effected the performance of the game, such as playing Street Fighter 2 on the Mega Drive pad. It doesn’t create a lot of variety, but each individual subject matter is well informed, interesting and often whimsical which acts to draw readers through the wealth of information. And this is a book that begs to be read in full, rather than used as quick coffee table reference material, it’s just too interesting for anything else.

Overall, Trigger Happy is one of Bitmap Books most interesting and well put together releases. And when you consider how excellent all their output is that is a high bar to reach. There’ s just something about the way it’s written, the quality of the pictures and the niche subject matter that makes it totally compelling. For those looking to dig into one of the more leftfield sides of the video gaming this is just about perfect.

Link to Bitmap Books store - Trigger Happy: A Visual Celebration of Video Game Controllers

Sonic Wings Reunion Review (Switch)

It’s been a couple of months of remakes and sequels to old franchises that we didn’t see coming. We’ve had Simon the Sorcerer, Puzzle Quest and even Glover on the Switch and the Evercade. But again, we find ourselves saying – we didn’t have Sonic Wings (or Aero Wings if you prefer), on our list.

The Sonic Wings franchise of course goes way back to the arcade and Super Nintendo in 1992 and we have had a handful of releases since then. It is of course a vertical scrolling sh’mup and a fairly straight forward at that. You pick a jet from a selection of characters, dive right into some geographically themed locations and start blasting away. Stages are fairly short but well designed and while its challenging, it’s certainly not one of the hardest games of its type you are ever going to play. Although, avoiding the tall buildings as well as the bullets does take getting used to.

It is, however, enjoyable and great fun. Each stage has its own look and enemy design, and the bosses are large and imposing. The selection of characters gives you some difference in approach to each run and when you clear the game there are a few unlockables as well. Which is handy as there aren’t that many stages to blast through.

Gameplay is simple as well. Avoid getting shot and continue to pick up power ups and you’ll dish out more and more damage with ever more impressive attacks. You can do this in two player as well and destroy pretty much everything on screen at once. You can also assign a second pilot in single player mode which allows you to use a different pilot’s bomb attack if you wish. It adds a level of flexibility to you attacks which is certainly welcome.

Unfortunately, though, aside from the various difficult settings there isn’t actually much more here to justify a purchase. The game itself is fine, but it comes at a premium price and when you start to compare it like for like with other releases it comes away a bit lacking. There are a ton of collections that feature multiple games and a number of games that have different routes or more to add to the longevity. Here it’s just one route and one game to get through.

Overall, Sonic Wings Reunion works as a nostalgic look back on the franchise and provides a good blast of nostalgic adrenaline. But it is brief and the general lack of options and additional content makes it hard to justify as a purchase at full price. If you are a hardcore fan of course you won’t be disappointed.

Overall 7/10