Toy Story: Retro Roundup and Toy Story 3 Review (Switch)

It’s been a while since Disney has given us anything from its retro vault. The NES collection made its way over to the Switch with a few added games, but this is the first time we have had something go down the cataloguing route and it may well surprise you. Toy Story: Retro Round up consists of the original Toy Story game across multiple platforms, Toy Story 2: Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue, Buzz Lightyear of Star Command, Toy Story Racer and A Bugs Life. You can get Toy Story 3 as part of the package as well or separately.

Normally, we would tell you about how much we loved these games back in the day but we are in the unique position here of only ever having played the SNES version of the original Toy Story game. It was one of the later releases on the 16-bit consoles and there are versions here covering the SNES, Genesis and Game Boy. The game itself looks pretty good and is a mix of side scrolling platforming and a few other levels such as a 3D maze and top-down racing game. The controls were always a little lose, but at least now you have the rewind function to help you out now. It’s decent enough.

Buzz Lightyear of Star Command and Toy Story Racer are both racing games. Racer is a surprisingly complex game which plays far better than it should, while Lightyear to the Rescue is a sort of mission based on foot racing game. Again, it plays pretty well but you aren’t going to spend that much time with it. Having the ‘A Bugs Life’ game included is nice for the sake of completion, but it was never particularly good in the first place so you can file this as another curio. What is a great surprise though is Toy Story 2: Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue. While only the PS1 version is included the game itself is excellent.

The game excellently recreates some of the environments of the film, and you must guide Buzz around them completing missions and picking up tokens and coins. It controls well and Buzz has a host of move to get around such as a double jump, a spin attack and your trusty laser, which can also be used in first person mode. The levels are designed brilliantly, and this is getting to about as good as the PS1 could do with regard to putting across something to try and rival Super Mario 64. It’s really great and games like this being brought back to a new audience are what retro gaming is all about.

Along with the games there is an extensive gallery of extras and documents to go through as well. Even for those that may not get on with the games, you can see that the package itself has been put together with real care and attention and a love for the source material. It’s a remarkably strong retro package.

Toy Story 3 was released on the PS3 around the launch of the film and is another 3D platformer. It doesn’t push the boundaries in the way the PS1 Buzz game does but its certainly solid and very playable with a good variety of levels. The real draw here though is that as you make you way through the game you unlock more things to go into the ‘Toy Box’ mode. This is a sort of sandbox area where you can add new buildings and characters. These in turn can be used to unlock more areas and carry out different missions. It’s a fun distraction and the game itself shouldn’t be ignored.

Overall, The Toy Story: Retro Roundup has turned out to be a remarkably good package. We didn’t really know what to expect from this but the games here are far more than a simple nostalgia trip. Even though we haven’t played most of these games before we really enjoyed our time with it. Its well worth checking out for those into the retro side of things.

Overall 8/10

Joe and Mac Retro Collection Review (Switch)

Long time readers of the site will know we absolutely love when more obscure console games are given a second chance to shine. The latest of these is the return of Joe and Mac: Caveman Ninja, or more precisely, the Super Nintendo Joe and Mac trilogy which contains the original game, Congo’s Caper and Lost in the Tropics. Sadly though, other variations of the game are not included.

For the uninitiated, the games are side scrolling platform beat’em ups filled with dinosaurs and cavemen. Your character has a limited move set of jumping and bashing and you can upgrade your basic weapon from a club to a stone wheel, flame or a host of other prehistoric, themed weapons. Each level ends with you taking on some kind of big dinosaur as well. The SNES version of Joe and Mac also adds a map section to transition levels which is different from the arcade and adds a couple of extra areas.

The graphics are big and bold and fit the game world well. There’s a host of little touches, such as some dinosaurs crying when you bash them, which add character and humour and the challenge is set just about right to keep things interesting, while also letting you progress. The only real issue, much like when the games were first released, is that the game gets a little samey when played in anything other than small amounts of time. If you have a second player to join you then things get a lot more fun of course. The now standard quality of life issues such as saves and rewinds are also included.

In terms of extras there is a decent selection of artwork and the original box art. You can go into the virtual gallery and ‘unbox’ the games and look at the original manuals. Extras like this are a nice touch as it adds character to the package and lets you see the original tone and other quirks that the manuals had. It’s something that is always a very welcome addition.

The biggest and most obvious issue here is that there are so many other versions and variations of Joe and Mac that could have been included. The original arcade games are available elsewhere on the Switch eShop but would have been great inclusions here. Especially the second game which takes a much different approach. Away from those though the games were released across NES, GB, Mega Drive and Amiga (to name a few), and all these have variations and nuances. Perhaps we’ve been spoiled by other recent collections that have really catalogued titles but as a result this release seems somewhat lacking.

Overall, the Joe and Mac collection is much like the games themselves. It is a perfectly enjoyable and solid seven out of ten that will make you smile but you’ll likely not stick with an extended period of time. We would love to see other games added in the future, but even without this we would encourage people who like retro games of the 16-bit era to try this out.

Overall 7/10

Ratatan Review (Switch 2)

We’ve been looking forward to Ratatan for a long time. Patapon and its sequel were a real favourite of ours back on the PSP, especially when played via the Vita with its gorgeous screen. Ratatan,is basically Patapon goes Rogue-like which will no doubt delight and frustrate people in equal measure.

It may seem a strange choice of genre to bolt rogue elements to but then these sorts of games are all about repeated runs. As a result, there is everything you would expect of modern games in that genre. You have a central hub where you can develop weapons and skills by trading in objects found on your runs, multiple pathways through the areas with a choice of powerups at the end, areas where you upgrade for your current run, the list goes on. There’s nothing particularly new here (or missing), but you’ve probably never seen it put across in a rhythm action game before.

The rhythm action element is completely key to the whole thing. At the bottom of the screen, you have a continually moving music sheet with bars across it that repeats infinitely. Pressing buttons at the correct times activates the different commands for your Cobun followers. For instance, attacking requires pressing the ‘A’ button three times to the correct beat, while calling your creatures back requires a press, a pause and then another press. As you move through the game you get an ever-increasing list of commands to employ.

Success depends on your judgement about when to throw the little dudes into battle and when to beat a hasty retreat and regroup. You also need to keep an eye on your own health bar. While inputting all the rhythm commands you still have full control over your little pied piper creature who can run around and jump but is defenceless without the Cobun.

One issue was that we did find it difficult to keep track of everything at times as the screen is so vibrant and busy it’s easy to miss that you are taking damage or about to die. The game could do with a bit more simplicity in its visual design and more feedback with regards to when you are taking hits. It’s something that is more of an issue in handheld mode as the game’s visuals, while beautiful, are also pretty damn small. Its ok though, because when the sound is as creative as it is here it deserves to be coming out of bigger and better speakers than the Switch 2.

That said, the game works beautifully well. Controls are quick and precise, and the rhythm inputs are responsive and crisp. It’s certainly a game that needs mastering, but once you have developed the skills your progression is only hindered by how good you are (and how powered up your Cobun are). While some runs may well fizz out early there is normally the feeling that you have at least grabbed some loot that will be useful in the future.

Overall, Ratatan is a unique take on the Rogue-like genre. It’s great to see one of the more unique and quirky entries from gaming history making its way back to a wider audience. The change in genre is a bold move and one that mostly works. We would like to see something a bit more traditional in the future to really let us focus on the beats but until then this is a beautifully realised alternative.

Overall 8/10

Everspace 2 Review (Switch 2)

Everspace 2 recently shadow dropped onto the Switch 2, always a bold move. It comes a few years after release on other systems and includes both the Titan and Wrath of the Ancients DLC. So, you are certainly getting a ton of content for your money. The first game in the series was a space combat-based Roguelike where you repeatedly followed the loop of launching, finding resources, lasting as long as you could, then repeating. This second game is a more linear story-based adventure.

The story follows a clone pilot who is hiding out among the various salvage and mining crews in the galaxy. As the action RPG unfolds your character gets discovered (of course), and a pretty sizable adventure ensues.

These sorts of space combat games always live or die by their controls. We are happy to report that this builds on the already solid model of the first game to provide an intuitive and responsive interface. You will quickly be able to dog fight with the best of them, while the customisation options in terms of what you can do with your ships gives players a good level of flexibility to play the game how they want to.

The space combat is excellent as well. The various ships are manoeuvrable, and you are quickly thrown into the thick of battle right from the off. We had very little trouble tracking targets for instance. There’s a good weight to guns and missiles as well and the feedback you get on screen gives a solid account of how much damage you are taking on. The controls are also good enough to cope with the numerous narrow sections of structures you’ll have to navigate through as well. It does take a little getting used to, but you’ll soon be zipping around comfortably.

Though the story is somewhat linear you do have a lot of freedom to zoom around the various systems. There are a host of side missions to follow and things to salvage. The game very much stays in the ship though with interactions on space stations kept to menus and dialogue boxes. There is a fair bit of zipping across the surface of planets though to keep the visuals interesting.

If there is a criticism its that the characters aren’t the most developed. The setting is also pretty much ‘generic space’ as well. It’s easy to overlook when the combat is so slick, but some may want more in terms of the narrative elements of an action RPG.

Overall, Everspace 2 is a comprehensive and enjoyable package. The move to the Switch 2 has worked well and the game still looks great. It can be played for long periods or in short bursts which works well with the portable nature of the device and you are getting around 50+ hours of game here for those that want to see everything. The Switch 2 also doesn’t have much else like this aside from Rebel Galaxy, but that doesn’t go as deep with its RPG elements. Despite the shadow drop, this is well worth playing.

Overall 8/10