Apidya Special Review (Switch)

It seems now people have worked out how to get the Amiga emulating properly across platforms there is no stopping the surge of games being remade and ported. We’ve already had a host of cartridges for the Evercade and even new games made for the Amiga, but now we have the classic horizontal shoot’em up Apidya, rebuilt from scratch with the original team involved and given the ‘special’ treatment. It certainly won’t be long before we will all be expecting the Amiga versions of games in all these compilations that are releasing on an ever-increasing basis.

For those not fortunate enough to know their Amiga history, Apidya is an insect-based side scrolling shooter where you pilot a bee through various urban environments, shooting other bugs and the occasional giant mammal. This gives the game a unique look compared to the usual sci-fi themes generally seen in these games as you zoom through grass and other more naturalistic environments.

There is a plot about an evil lord cursing someone to be a bee buts let’s not worry too much about that. This is close mechanically to something like Gradius. You pick up powerups which can be cashed in for bombs or more speed much in the same way as the classic space shooter, just instead of enemy ships you are shootings ants and butterflies. It’s crushing tough just like Gradius as well, though there a couple of options players can use to help them out.

The special edition has been rebuilt from scratch with 24-bit pixel graphics which do look pretty good on the Switch screen. The game still plays much the same so don’t worry. This isn’t an R-Type 3 situation. You now have ability to play the game in widescreen as well the original look and aspect ratio. Before starting a new game, you can change the difficulty settings, alter your number of starting lives and most helpfully, change if the level resets to the start upon death or not. But that is about it. The maximum number of lives you can go up to is five and you still have only three continues. The game does save when you complete a level but that will only let you continue with the same number of lives and continues you had when starting it. There are also no quality-of-life features such as rewinds. This is one for the shooter purists out there.

One thing we did find an issue was the colour palette. This isn’t because of something that has been changed in the new version though. As the game is naturalistic in its design there are a lot of greens and blues present and anyone who is remotely colour blind is going to struggle to see oncoming fire and even some of the creatures. It makes an already tough game even more difficult.

In terms of if the game still holds up then the answer is a resounding yes though. It still has an aesthetic that sets it apart from everything else out there. Taking on a giant praying mantis or a mole entrenched in its hill may play off traditional pattern-based tropes, but the new unique design and look helps keep everything fresh. The controls are tight as well and when you die its because of your error rather than something being off.

Overall, Apidya is game more than worth giving a second life to. It’s going to be difficult for newcomers to get into due to the crushing difficulty but fans of the multitude of other shooters found on the system should adjust quickly and find something unique and enjoyable here.

Overall 8/10

Kaboomania Review (Switch)

We are used to seeing retro styled games based on older franchises appear. What is a little less common is for new games made for original hardware to appear on the Switch. There have been a few of course such as Astebros, but they tend to stay in the realm of the Evercade. Kaboomania, is a new Amiga 1200 game with some very clear influences from the Bomberman series.

The aim of the game is clearly to try and recapture the spark that the original Bomberman franchise was known for. There are 4 player local vs battles and even a password system for the single player instead of an auto save. The levels themselves are generally quite a lot bigger than with the Bomberman games as well. It all sounds promising but somewhere along the way it seems to lose the magic.

First, the password system probably sounded like a great nostalgic kick to begin with, but in practice its incredibly annoying. Having to remember to write down or take a screen shot of your pass code every time you play will likely see you losing progress in the single player game. It’s something we have really moved beyond and including a save function as well would have made a lot more sense.

Single player suffers in the same way a lot of the single player campaigns of its inspiration suffer from. Single player Bomberman was never something that held attention for long. While the Bomberman franchise tried to keep mixing things up it never quite got the mix of clearing enemies and puzzles to the level of the multiplayer draw. There was a reason that when the game came out on Xbox Live that it was multiplayer only. Kaboomania suffers much the same fate. You move around a grided maze, clearing blocks, picking up powerups and looking for exit. Aside from the look it’s pretty much identical. However, as the levels are bigger it just becomes a drawn-out experience very quickly. As soon as level ten we were getting bored with it.

Unfortunately, it also has some technical issues. There is a lot of juddering and frame rate dropping. This occurs when bombs go off or when enemies are exploded. In a game this precise it makes things very frustrating at times as you jump around the screen. It also makes levels with a large number of enemies near unplayable at times. It’s something that really needs addressing. There is a powerup that drops a load of bombs all over the map which just results in the game pretty much grinding to a halt. An Amiga 1200 game really should not be stressing the Switch 2 out quite this much.

The other major issue for this is that The Bomberman Collection is also readily available. This is cheaper but when you can go and get a whole bundle of retro games that present a much slicker experience It’s hard to see who will be drawn to this. As a physical disc to be used with the Amiga 1200 this has merit, out in the wider world it really does begin to fall short.

Overall, it’s a shame Kaboomania can’t quite capture the magic of the games it is emulating. Without the technical issues this would be a fun distraction. But with the frame skips and general lack of polish in the movement and controls it just becomes too easy to ignore when there are better options available.

Overall 5/10

Gobliiins Collection Review (Switch)

There’s obviously been a breakthrough in home computer emulation recently as we are getting more and more MS-DOS and Amiga games released for modern systems. While games like Turrican and the upcoming Apidya may be the obvious go to games for release we are pleased to see the often-overlooked Gobliiins franchise put together in a solid package.

The quirk of the games is that the number of I’s in the games title will tell you how many characters you will be controlling at once. The first game has three (Gobliiins), and then in a no doubt intentional move Gobliins 2 has two and then Goblins 3 has one. Game developers, eh?

There are five games here included, starting in 1991 and moving through to the 2023 revival. The sixth game is not here as we suspect that will get a separate release later. The complete soundtrack is also included and an excellent mini-series style documentary and gallery. It’s always nice to see game collections handled well and this had a lot of attention put into it.

The games themselves follow the standard point and click adventure template. Most of the time though you are restricted within a single scene, so the levels play out more like independent puzzles than a bigger, overarching world to wander around. This has the bonus of removing a lot of back tracking and carting around a ton of useless items with you everywhere you go. The games do play around with this as you go through the series but there is a general minimalist approach to aimless wandering.

Generally, the characters share an inventory and health bar. The characters also have different skills for the player to sue. This is most evident with the three goblins in the first game where one can pick up and use objects, one can punch things and the other casts spells. While there is a health bar, you can save the levels and ‘death’ just means a restart of the particular scene. As the levels are so compact this isn’t generally a massive issue.

Controls on the Switch has a virtual cursor on the screen that can be moved around via the left analogue stick. Other buttons are then used to shift through character selection and items. There are no touch screen controls which is a shame, but everything works well. You can also highlight interactive sections of each stage with one of the shoulder buttons. This really helps, especially with the earlier games as it can be hard to tell what’s an object and what is just background art.

All the games are good fun though. The 3D Goliiins 4 isn’t the best, but then every point and click game seems to have a misguided 3D entry in its series somewhere. The other four though are good enough across the board. The games never troubled the absolute pinnacles of the genre but they have left a legacy which as lasted over fifteen years which generally doesn’t happen if your games are awful.

Overall, the Gobliiins collection is a healthy dose of nostalgia done correctly. The first game is one we have a particular soft spot for and it’s an enjoyable series to work your way through. Its yet another slightly obscure retro game that we are more than happy to see again.

Overall 7/10

The Last Ninja Collection + Bonus Games Review (Switch)

Of all the collections we thought might make their way to the Switch, we didn’t have a Last Ninja collection at the top of our likelihood list. With the prevalence of C64 releases on the Evercade that seemed like a far more likely destination. We are however delighted to see one of the most iconic franchises of the 8-bit computer era find its way to a new audience.

One-time British powerhouse, System 3 has been pretty quiet for a long time. We had a Putty Squad release a long time ago and Constructor, but this is by far their most high-profile release for decades. Even then, it took a Kickstarter campaign to finally get the franchise over the line in some form. In terms of context of why a Ninja game was out on the C64, it can help to remember that the West was absolutely obsessed with Kung Fu and Eastern culture back in the 80’s, with martial arts movies prevalent at video rental shops.

What you get included here is The Last Ninja one, two and three and the Last Ninja Remix with the C64, Amiga and ZX Spectrum versions of the relevant titles. As well this Internation Karate and IK+ are added in as bonus games along with the easily forgettable Bangkok Knights.

There’s no hiding that anyone new to these games is going have a steep learning curve to go through. The games are difficult and the controls and isometric viewpoint will take some time to adjust to. The basic layout of all three games is similar. You explore a level, pick up weapons and key objects and then progress to the next. But you can leave key items behind and then find you can’t progress later such as the glove in the first game which is needed to pick up a poisoned rose later, or the shuriken’s in the second game.

There are also traps and puzzle elements to overcome and the river and swamp jumping sections were infuriating even in the 80’s. All that said, the first two games are stone cold classics and when it clicks, they still offer a unique experience. The Last Ninja 3 isn’t as strong sadly and the emphasis on almost constant combat makes things very frustrating.

Which brings us to the added quality of life features. Or lack of them. There is no rewind function which is the biggest shame as that would have really made these games accessible, and no way to implement any kind of cheat codes. There is a save function. But each game can only have one game saved and there is also no quick save and load option, meaning you have to quit and then reload when you want to load again. Why we couldn’t just have a load option in-game I don’t know. That said, the screen transition very quickly so we didn’t find it to be a major issue and we were loading a lot. It’s strange though as the Steam version seems to have one.

The other disappointment is the extras. It seems clear the museum text is pretty much all identical for each game with a few words (such as the platform) changed. That’s a real missed opportunity as getting a real insight into some of these titles would have been great.

We are somewhat surprised that IK+ doesn’t get a bigger billing on this collection as it was arguably as iconic as the Ninja games back in the day. Here you have three combatants on a single screen trying to score points to win a round of karate. As these are 8-bit computer games, controls are based around a one button joystick configuration. In this case, you hold a button then press a direction to break out different moves. It actually works really well, and no matter which version you are playing it’s a great high score chasing games.

We found that the Last Ninja games where best played in their C64 guise. This makes sense as this was originally the main platform for games. The ZX Spectrum version of Last Ninja 2 is also remarkably playable. We found the Amiga versions, although they look a lot better, to be far less playable. And if anything, the extra graphical detail made the environments more difficult to traverse and objects more difficult to find.

Overall, we are just really happy that this collection exists at all. These are games that really should be preserved with Last Ninja 1 and 2 and IK+ being among some of the most iconic games the British games industry has ever produced. Yes, there could be more here in terms of the quality of life and museum features, but we can hope for that in an update. We just hope that this gives System 3 some latitude to get other release out the door, we would love to see a Putty or James Pond Collection in the future also.

Overall 7/10

X-Out Resurfaced Review (Switch)

Recently, we have been seeing the Amiga back catalogue brought back to life. The Evercade has had several Amiga carts released and a handful of other games have made it to modern consoles. Now, we have a remake of 30 year old X-Out, a side scrolling shooter in the style of games like R-Type.

X-Out has a few things that try and set it part from other side scrolling shooters. In terms of it’s design it is set under water so everything has an aquatic theme to it. The other key thing is that you have the option to buy your ships and equipment at the start of each level. This creates a unique risk and reward dynamic where you need to decide if buying one super ship is better than having three or four less equipped ones. And it is a key decision because once your last ship is down it’s game over. There are no continues.

On that note, it’s a real surprise that X-Out Resurfaced doesn’t really cater for new gamers in any way despite being rebuilt from the ground up. There are none of the concessions that most retro remakes now have. You can’t save, there is no rewind function, and you can’t alter any settings such as lives or money. While it’s refreshing to see something stick to its roots, it also makes the game crushingly difficult. Your ship has a life bar but will explode instantly on impact with anything so some of your playthroughs may last minutes to begin with.

The fact there’s no continue option or level select is also frustrating. It’s true that each time you play you’ll likely progress a little further, but it can take seconds to lose all your craft and then you are right back to level 1 again. It’s something that seems unnecessary, especially with a game that isn’t always the most fluid to control. A lot of these shooters at least have level trainer options once you reach certain stages, but not here. 

Overall, X-Out Resurfaced is a strong but crushingly difficult game. Fans of games like R-type will feel at home, but the game really needed some options to try and get new players to connect with it. Anything past the first level is a real challenge and it’s likely a lot of players will spend most of their time in the early stages before feeling they can’t progress. While we are glad to see the game on the Switch, is could have been a lot more fun with more options for players to tinker with.

Overall 6/10

 

From Ants To Zombies Review

 

As much as we love the Bitmap Visual Compendium and Box Art books, it’s always nice when one of their more investigative releases appear. In the past we have had a host of great volumes such as The Games That Weren’t, A Gremlin in the Works and A Secret History of Mac Gaming, which aimed to make us all instant experts on overlooked areas of video game history. From Antz to Zombies falls more into this latter category as it aims to take us through the origins and thematic of everything horror, while unearthing a fair few overlooked gems along the way.

As we’ve come to expect the cover art for the book looks absolutely gorgeous. Adorned with various ghosts and beasties, it perfectly captures the feel of early creature features. The pages inside are no different with chibi pixelated monsters used to decorate pages and a good mix of screen shots and text. The consistent and thoughtful colour palette used is also well judged to fit the mood while keeping text easily visible.

Contents wise, the book is exhaustive. There are of course too many horror games for everything to be covered but you are getting over six hundred and sixty pages of curated coverage here. This covers pretty much every system from the Atari 2600 to modern day consoles (Or Atari to ZX Spectrum if you want to keep with the alphabet theme).

With such a wide area to cover the author has taken a creative approach to cataloguing all these games. Instead of by year or system, titles are categorised by their monsters. As a result, you get sections such as ‘Terror of the Abyss’ and ‘Dark Forests’ to go with the more conventional ‘Survival Horror’ tag. It’s an entertaining and effective way of linking games together while also retaining the fun B movie style the book nails perfectly.  

The writing itself is of an exceptionally high standard. The Book opens with an incredibly in depth look at the notion of horror as a genre generally, tracing it back to its origins in film and literature and then goes on to relate that in terms of how it applies to video games. It’s quite a theoretical approach but one we found fascinating, and we couldn’t help but think how useful this book would be for anyone studying game design or even horror as a genre generally.

When moving to the games themselves, the same standard of writing is present, but it changes tack to focus on what within the games acts to trigger the feelings of dread within us and how the mechanics of the games work to further help put this across. As a result, it’s an incredibly interesting read which will likely draw you in even if you have just come to flick through and look at the screen shots or use it as reference material for game hunting.

Overall, Antz to Zombies is a real highlight of the excellent Bitmap books catalogue. We always like it when someone brings a new idea and a new approach to the books and this one feels like something fresh and fun. It’s definitely up there with the constantly sought after Point and Click and JRPG Books and is pretty much essential for anyone interested in video games.

Click here for store link.

*Picture from the Bitmap Books Website

PC Engine: The Box Art Collection Review

 

We’ve covered a number of Bitmap Books visual compendiums before but this the first time we’ve had the chance to look at one of the box art collections. There’s a couple more of these available as at present with both the Gameboy and Super Famicom represented but with the PC Engine not widely available over here it seemed like a far more interesting place to start.

The physical book itself is of unsurprisingly excellent quality. This is always the case with the Bitmap books we’ve looked at and it’s pleasing to see it continue. Paper is heavy and the front and back hard covers are manufactured well. The colours throughout the book are consistent and printed well, meaning each page looks as good as the last. The colour selection is also excellent and well thought out so that it complements the box art on each page.

Across 372 pages you get a well written foreword, a detailed history of the console and an interview with collector Lee Thacker. After that it’s pages and pages of glorious box art, screen shots and descriptions of the games. What is particularly interesting about this book is that it’s not likely to be as nostalgic for most who lived through the SNES Vs. Mega Drive days but if anything, it makes the games even more interesting.

Each page of box art follows the same layout. You get the cover shot of the game, a selection of smaller screen shots underneath and then an explanation of the game followed by a short breakdown of how the artwork is set out. You also get information such as the year the game released, developer and the type of PC Engine game it was such as CD or card. It’s everything you need to set you off on a journey looking for hundreds of games you’ve probably not played before. There’s a very handy index at back which helpfully lists every title covered as well to aid in this process.

As most of the book is full of the box art you aren’t getting the level of history and analysis present in some of Bitmaps other books but then it’s pretty clear from the title what the aim is. What is clear though is that every single game has been given the respect and care it deserves. With books like this it’s vital to spark a curiosity in the reader and in that respect, it can’t really do anything more. Just try to keep off eBay for a few days after reading it at least.

Overall, the PC Engine: Box Art Collection is a great new addition to Bitmap Books already impressive lineup. In many ways it’s the perfect console to pick as it will draw in a crowd who will likely be looking to discover something new. The start of the book gives enough background to give you an understanding of the systems place and the presentation of everything else is consistently excellent. In terms of the box art and visual compendium releases from Bitmap, this is undoubtedly one of the best and highly recommended.

 Click here for store link. 

*Picture from Bitmap Books website.

Commodore 64: A Visual Compendium Review

 

Written by Dan Gill

The gaming scene in the UK back in the early 80s was very different to that of the USA. Market saturation and poor-quality releases led to the video game market dying, at least until Nintendo brought it back from the dead in 1985. In the UK you wouldn’t have noticed, as we had the holy trinity of the Spectrum, Amstrad CPC464 and the Commodore 64. Personally, I had the Commodore 16, a computer which was released after the Vic-20 and C64 but was never as popular as either due to its low-end performance. However, my cousins did have a C64, and every Saturday I’d go to theirs to experience the games my own computer couldn’t handle. Kane, Future Knight, Formula 1 Grand Prix, Beach Head... the list goes on. It was certainly an important computer for many, and the prolific game releases and ports courtesy of bedroom coders, talented artists and SID chip musicians matched with the affordable price of games made for a heady combination.

Putting my own nostalgic ramblings aside for a moment, I direct your attention to Commodore 64: A Visual Compendium, Bitmap Books’ chunky love letter to the beloved computer. If you’ve seen any of their other books (a few of which have already been reviewed on Retro101) you’ll know what to expect, and this release matches the high quality of the other titles in the “compendium” series. Over one hundred games feature, from stone-cold classics such as Turrican and Armalyte to later releases such as Mayhem in Monster Land, a lot of ground is covered, especially when you consider up to around 10,000 commercial games released for the system. While it would be nice to see Future Knight appear, there’s no way Bitmap would be able to cram so much in while keeping the art quality so high.

Most games have their art spread over two pages, giving it room to be fully appreciated by the reader, along with some sound bites from those that worked on the game, or opinions from a reviewer. Throughout my time with the book there have been many “I completely forgot about this one” or “ah yes, this is a classic” moments, and even the odd “how did this pass me by?”. Some developers and publishers have many titles feature (Epyx in particular), and while it would be nice if some lesser-known works appeared, these games really did define the machine, so their exclusion would be noticed. At just under five hundred pages, the book is already hefty. Any more pages and a lifting belt would be required.

Features appear throughout, be this in the form of interviews with key figures within the C64 scene, a look at retro magazines, along with some of the late, great Oliver Frey’s amazing artwork. These offer a little more insight into the work that went into the games, which is a nice touch for those who like a little flavour to accompany the eye candy. The book also looks at the demoscene, where coders, musicians and artists really pushed the limits of what the C64 was capable of. If you’ve read the review of Amiga: A Visual Compendium on this very site, you’ll already be aware of this reviewer’s appreciation of the scene and the effect it had on computing of the era. It’s as important to the machine as the games, even if the overlap between scene coders and game crackers often overlapped.

So, another triumph, then. Even though the C64 had a distinctive earthy colour palette and blocky graphics, Bitmap Books have managed to yet again collate some wonderful artwork and present it so beautifully that the graphics are appreciated rather than derided as old hat. It’s sure to hit fans of Commodore’s beige wonder with strong nostalgic flashbacks. The biggest criticism I can come up with is that it’s becoming harder and harder to find new ways to say good things about each new release Bitmap Books pass my way. The second gripe is that having looked through the book again and again, I’m urged to go back and play one of the featured games, which distracts me from my adult duties in favour of recapturing my misspent youth for a few minutes. Well, maybe one more go on Uridium won’t hurt...

Click here for store link.

Commodore Amiga: A Visual Compendium Review

Written by Dan Gill

Bitmap Books have been prolific over the past few years, releasing gorgeous books that run the gamut of gaming. Anything from their collection would look great on the avid gamer’s coffee table, tempting you to have a peek at its lovingly collated artwork and gaming summaries. Having previously covered everything from RPGs to the art of game covers, the focus here shifts to possibly the biggest cult hero of computer gaming, the Commodore Amiga.

It’s easy to overlook the Amiga for those that were either raised on consoles or transitioned to them from the 8-bit computers such as the Spectrum or C64, but the Amiga was a big thing when it launched in the late 80s. With its dedicated custom chipsets to handle processing, graphics and audio (named Agnus, Denise and Paula), the Amiga was a huge step up from the C64, and it was a graphical and audio powerhouse. It was essentially an affordable and much more intuitive alternative to IBM compatible PCs of the time and bore similarities to Apple’s Mac of the era. As with most capable computers, developers – mostly bedroom coders from the early 80s – began working on the machine and legends were born. Without the Amiga the gaming landscape would be quite different today, Amiga: A Visual Compendium pays homage to the system with style.

The book opens with a foreword from Stoo Cambridge of Sensible Software and opens to a huge list of contributors from across the games industry. Soundbites from industry veterans, members of the demo scene, and even Andy Warhol accompany huge art spreads showcasing some of the Amiga’s best-looking titles. There are some interviews with developers and artists which offer an insight into how they worked with the hardware, offering an insight into how the tools allowed them to develop some classic games. While the focus is on the visuals of Amiga games, there are some features throughout that delve into the history of the brand, articles on developers and a look at the demo scene.

The focus is the art, and some 140 games are featured, ranging from stone cold classics such as The Secret of Monkey Island and Cannon Fodder, to deep cuts like Disposable Hero and Walker. The artwork is the focus and remains uncluttered bar a few quotes here and there. The inclusion of imagery from demos is also welcome as a reminder of the artists and coders that used to push the hardware to its limits. The book offers some a brief look into works by Scoopex, Angels and Lemon, and touches on the scene’s ties to game crackers – coders who would find ways around copy protection of Amiga games. It’s a welcome addition to the book, as it’s something integral to the Amiga’s success on two fronts: technical showcases from demos, and easily pirated games from crackers. Of course, your opinion as to whether easily obtainable games was a good thing depends on whether you were a developer or a kid with enough money to buy blank floppy disks, but that’s a conversation for another time.

All in all, there’s nothing bad I can say about this book. It’s as beautifully presented as you’d expect, and really scratches that nostalgic itch for those that were lucky enough to grow up during the Amiga’s heyday. From a personal point of view, I was reminded of some titles I’d read about but never played (not to mention a few vapourware titles) and has prompted me to seek out some games that have passed me by (and has led to me taking a serious look at the A500 Mini). This is essential reading for Amiga fans, retro gamers or fans of digital art in general.

Click here for store link.

Turrican Anthology Vol 1 and 2 Review (Switch)

 

“Retro gaming” has almost become a redundant title in recent years. The restoration and archiving of old titles have become common practice; with classic games being reissued, forgotten titles being treated to widespread release on new hardware, previously region-locked gems getting lovingly crafted remasters, and even canned titles finally get to see the light of day. The Turrican series falls into the much-loved at the time yet forgotten catagory, the series starting out as a showcase for the then-aging C64 as a technical marvel. Better versions followed, of course, but it’s odd that the original has been omitted from both volumes of the Turrican Anthology.

With the word “anthology” in the title I’d have expected a comprehensive selection of games, at the very least the original version of the first game should show its face, but not here. Each anthology includes three titles (four if you include one director’s cut in each) and what is effectively a demo version of a game from the other collection. The first volume has the Amiga Versions of Turrican and Turrican 2, and Super Turrican and its Director’s Cut from the SNES, and while volume two has Super Turrican 2, the Amiga’s Turrican 3 and its Mega Drive equivalent, Mega Turrican, also with a Director’s cut. While the games are the best the series has to offer, the price of admission (£29.99 each) feels a little steep, but with the rights to the series being spread over so many parties it’s understandable that costs need to be recovered.

The series has its roots in the platforming/shooting genre and may look like a Metroid homage on first glance. The levels – while large - are linear, so the similarities only go as deep as Turrican’s morph ball. The first game’s primary influence was obscure Data East title Psycho-Nics Oscar, and it really does fall into the run-and-gun genre; blast stuff, power ups aplenty, and big bosses. The games really throw enemies and hazards at you, but the use of a health bar rather than a one-hit kill gives the player a bit of breathing room compared to something like Contra. The pace is slower overall, but things can get frantic at times.

All the games stand up as well now as they did back in the 90s. The first two Turricans offer a decent 16-bit shooting through some cavernous levels. The SNES titles combine elements of the first two and slap more colours and some Mode 7 trickery over the top to offer a prettier experience. The real star of the show however is Mega Turrican. While it’s essentially the same game as the Amiga’s Turrican 3 in terms of graphics and levels, it plays much better. I often felt the two were inseparable, but having compared them side-by-side, the Mega Drive’s blast processor really allowed the game to run at a brisk pace, and the Amiga game seems to stutter in comparison.

The games themselves have been given a lot of attention, with perfect ports and a plethora of features to please the time starved and hardcore, through the ability to enable or disable features such as rewind, save states and the like. There’s also a lovely CRT filter if you really want to relive the halcyon days of playing on a 14-inch TV. Each title runs like a dream, and it’s a joy to be able to play Amiga games without faffing with emulation (Factor 5 host files for the Amiga game on their site for free legal download) or original hardware.

The price is the only real downer, as you’re still paying £60 for a handful of 16-bit games, but you could still justify it as a saving on buying the originals. As it stands, these anthologies offer the most reasonably priced way to play these titles (just check out the prices for Super Turrican 2 on eBay), and the emulation is top-notch as always. It’s nice to see Amiga titles making an appearance here (more of this, please), and the addition of modern conveniences is always appreciated, even though it’s pretty much a given these days.

Aside from the pricing, my other minor complaint is the omission of other versions of the first two games. While I’m sure even getting this many games together was a herculean feat of rights-wrangling and publisher schmoozing, it would have been great to have the option of playing the home computer or console ports of the first two games. Having the option of playing the reskinned Turrican 2 in the form of Universal Soldier would have been the cherry on the cake, but this would’ve been a big ask just to satisfy this old obsessive-compulsive collector.

If you’re only going to pick up one of these collections, I’d say Volume 2 is the one to go for, as Mega Turrican is the pinnacle of the series. Of course, you can also pick up the previously released Turrican Flashback, as this includes the first two games, Super Turrican and Mega Turrican. Whichever you choose will provide plenty of solid run-and-gun action, whether you’re a grizzled 90s gamer or a newcomer to the series. And if this is your first time playing, “welcome to Turrican. Hahahahahahaha!”.

8/10