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

Witch n' Wiz Review (Evercade)

For some the retro style simply isn’t enough and this has led to a resurgence in games coded for original systems. We’ve covered some of these before such as Micro Mages and Alwa’s Awakening, both of which proved to be excellent. They also both ended up heading to the Evercade system as well, something Witch and Wiz is also about to do.

The story is simple, a young boy has been kidnapped by a dark sorcerer and now his witch friend must try and rescue him. Once rescued, the boy wizard becomes part of the many dynamics the game plays around with. Your character handles really well and everything is responsive and free from the flicker and other such quirks of NES games so it may have been designed with 8-bit in mind, but it runs as well as modern ‘retro’ inspired games running on more powerful systems.

Witch and Wiz is a puzzle platform game that is built around single screen levels. Players complete each stage by collecting all the creatures that are within it. This is of course, trickier than it sounds as you can’t jump and need to get around by pushing blocks. It’s easy to lock yourself out of being able to complete the levels but you can reset or rewind your moves which makes it possible to quickly get back on track.

As well as the rewind a new gimmick is added in each new chapter. This could be something such as flipping gravity or adding a second character to control but it means each of worlds stays fresh and original while still focusing on the same core theme. It’s not the longest game either and will likely last you around an hour to complete. But then NES games never have been that lengthy and we would rather have a short, fun, and inventive game than one that outstays its welcome.

The main encouragement for replaying is beating the levels in the quickest time possible. The game keeps track of your best time as you progress so it’s certainly one for the speed runners out there. That said, the nature of the genre does restrict replayability a bit. Each puzzle only really seems to have one solution so once you’ve worked it out there isn’t that much else to do aside from enjoy the simple story.

Overall, Witch and Wiz is another excellent indie game developed for retro hardware. Often in these situations the limitations of the hardware mean developers must get creative and this is yet another example of it. It’s certainly easier than a lot of NES games and aside from speed runners there will be little for many to go back in for, but while it lasts it’s creative, fun and always throwing something new at you. It’ll certainly be perfect for handheld consoles such as the Evercade and Switch and well worth checking out.

Overall 8/10