Getting Namco on board has proved to be an excellent move
from the Evercade team. This has allowed access to a wealth of arcade games and
excellent home console titles. The Japanese giant has such a huge back
catalogue that the company could realistically continue to supply software for
many years to come. The first two Namco collections are quite different but
both are worth looking at.
Namco collection one is perhaps the least interesting of the
two but that is not to say there isn’t anything here to get excited about. There
are eleven titles present with most of them being solid conversions of arcade
classics such as Pacman, Xevious and Mappy. If you like the arcade games there
won’t be anything to put you off these versions. There are a couple of more
interesting titles here as well such as quirky platformer Mappy Kids and duel
controlled curio Little Rabble.
Most notably, Super Nintendo strategy game Metal Marines. It’s
somewhat pricey to get hold of the original version now so having this slightly
obscure title included is a real bonus for Evercade players. The game mixes
basic resource management with balancing attack and defence. Players are on one
island and have to deal with an opponent on another one separated by water. You can do this by firing
missiles or sending over mech soldiers in order to find the enemy bases and
destroy them.
It’s not a game for the faint of heart and attacks come
often and with ferocity. Even level one will catch gamers off guard until they
get used to building a proper defence of turrets and AA missiles. Once you
settle in though the game will last you hours as you gradually edge your way
towards the later levels.
The second Namco collection of eleven games ups the overall
interest and quality level considerably. There is not a single game here which
could be called bad and most are excellent. Joining a further host of arcade
conversions such as the wonderful Dragon Spirit and Galaga are the notorious
Splatter House games.
We’ve never player the games before and are happy to report
that even as a newcomer to the series both have a lot to offer. The gruesome aesthetic
and hard hitting nature of the action is somewhat unique and really helps to
set a bleak and unsettling atmosphere. We found Splatter House 3 to be the strongest
with the exploration elements and ability to move around the field of play more
freely giving it a more ‘console game’ feel. It’s a solid length as well and
begs to be replayed often.
Splatter House 2 is more linear in its approach and only
allows movement left and right but is still great fun to play. Some would no
doubt argue it’s a bit more focused than its sequel because of this but it’s just
great to see both of the games holding up so well. Anyone looking for a real
challenge should head towards brutal 2D fighter Weapon Lord though. Crazily complex,
the downside here is that you’ll likely need some kind of guide to get the most
out of it (maybe something for Evercade to think about putting on the carts in
the future).
There’s a few surprises here as well such as Warp Man which
proves to be a great top down, single screen, action game which has some Bomberman
elements to it and Pac Attack which proves it’s more than just another Tetris
clone.
Overall, both of the Namco collections are worth getting
hold of. The addition of Metal Marines to the first collection moves it above
the level of simply a ‘solid pack-in title’ to something far more interesting
and collectable. The second collection is just an example of how to put an
all-round excellent package together. The surprises included and showcasing of
the Splatter House games have created another addition which really is in the
echelon of being a system seller and stands as one of the strongest overall
collections on the system.
Game Ratings
Collection 1
Battle Cars 2/5
Dig Dug 3/5
Galaxian 4/5
Little Rabble 3/5
Mappy 3/5
Mappy Kids 4/5
Metal Marines 5/5
Pac Man 4/5
Quad Challenge 2/5
Star luster 3/5
Xevious 4/5
Collection 2
Burning Force 3/5
Dig Dug 2 3/5
Dragon Spirit 4/5
Galaga 4/5
Pac Attack 4/5
Phelios 4/5
Splatter House 2 4/5
Splatter House 3 5/5
Tower of Duraga 3/5
Warp Man 4/5
Weapon Lord 3/5
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