Rock N' Roll Racing Review (Nintendo Switch)

For many, the highlight of the recent Blizzard collection is Rock N’ Roll Racing. It packages the original SNES version and the later released Mega Drive game together with the new ‘definitive’ edition and a version which allows four players. This shows fans right from the start that the franchise has been treated with great care.

The story goes that in 2833, intelligent life was found on the planet of Bogmire. The inhabitants of this strange world became addicted to the art of racing and started using souped-up cars to bomb around the planet. Something else that caught on quickly was Earth's rock music and thus from these strange beginnings the Rock N Roll Racing Commission was created. Set across six planets each with a whole host of tracks, Rock N Roll Racing is good over-the-top racing fun.

The definitive version has had the most significant upgrade work done on it. There are more tracks, environmental effects have been added to planets and amazingly the rock music soundtrack has been changed to include the original songs rather than chip tune representations. Unfortunately, we have lost Paranoid from the soundtrack but new tracks such as ‘Breaking the Law’ have been added.

The game has you racing around a host of crazy planets against three other racers trying to win as much money as possible to upgrade your vehicle and make it to the next season. Its great fun and you can move from first to last in the blink of an eye as you get buffeted and blasted around the track.

There’s also a host of cars such as tracked vehicles and hydrofoils to buy and each vehicle can have numerous things added to it in order to help you through - these include mines, missiles, nitros, better tyres, and thicker armour. But the real skill comes in being able to take on opponents with as little as possible, as when you reach a new planet one of the opponents will have a new car meaning you need to upgrade - and rest assured these contraptions do not come cheap.

The cars are a joy to drive and very easy to get to grips with. After your first race you should be able to grasp the controls enough to be able to fire well-aimed shots at your opponents while taking a ninety-degree corner. Indeed, after a few races - as well as fighting off the other racers - you will find yourself trying to grab all the extra money packages laid around the courses as well. While the action can become a touch samey due to the fact certain tracks must be raced upon more than once, nothing really takes away from the feeling that you are having a lot of fun.

The one downside to the definitive version of the game is that for some reason you are unable to save your progress. There are passwords but these don’t record all your information and will see you set back to the start of a race season when used. It’s a baffling oversight and one we can only assume will be patched at some point. You are also restricted with regards to display settings and other features.

Overall, it’s clear a lot of attention and care has been taken when bringing Rock N’ Roll Racing to a new audience. That said, there are some weird quirks in here that take some of the shine off such as not being able to use screens settings and other options in the definitive version. Not being able to save is also something that can’t be overlooked. That said, if you are a fan the game (and who isn’t?), this provides an excellent way of playing it for a reasonable price.

Overall 8/10

Blizzard Arcade Collection Review (Switch)

Back in the days of the 16-bit era Blizzard created a trio of very different games which went on to be much beloved. These three iconic titles have now returned with a ton of new content to try and prove they are worth more than a nostalgia fuelled ten minute visit. To this end, not only have two console versions of each game been included but also a remixed ‘enhanced’ version which has new features. 

The first of the three games is puzzle platformer The Lost Vikings. The SNES and Mega Drive versions of the game are here with the Mega Drive one having more levels. The enhanced version of the game mixes the two versions together to give you the best graphics and sound and also includes all the levels and a three player option. There’s also a save function which helps, though strangely the screen display settings and other options are restricted to the console versions only. 

The game itself has you controlling three different characters who each have unique abilities and you need to keep them all alive in order to progress through the stages. One of the Vikings can jump and knock down walls by running into them, another has a shield which can block attacks, be used as a platform or to glide across gaps. The final Viking has a bow for shooting enemies and switches. 

The pace is a little slow but the game holds up well no matter what version you are playing. It requires a considered and careful approach and the latter stages are incredibly tricky. However, it is a fun and rewarding game for those that stick with it and well worth checking out. 

The most obscure of the games is Blackthorne. Originally releasing on the Super Nintendo, it follows the same sort of style as Another World and Flashback. Blackthorne, is much grittier though and has players trying to free a world from subjugation by an evil overlord. It is perhaps most famous for the ability to shoot behind you with your shotgun which both looks cool and is extremely useful. 

The Super Nintendo and 32X versions of the game are available and perhaps provide the biggest difference between versions on the collection. The 32X version looks and handles drastically differently to the 16 bit version with the 32 bit visuals moving to a more polygon style. The definitive version takes it’s ques from the original though and is much the same apart from a map being added to aid exploration. 

The game requires some patience to get used to the controls but is still fun and compelling with a brooding atmosphere and lore that is far superior to many of the games of the time. It can be frustrating but remains well worth persevering with and it’s far cheaper to pick this version up than original console versions. 

The highlight of the collection for many will be Rock N’ Roll Racing. Again, we get the original SNES version and the later released Mega Drive game which has more tracks but doesn’t look or sound as good. The definitive version has had the most significant work done on it. There are more tracks, environmental effects have been added and amazingly the rock music soundtrack has been changed to include the original songs rather than chip tune representations. Unfortunately, we have lost Paranoid from the soundtrack but new tracks such as ‘Breaking the Law’ have been added. A four player version is also included. 

The game has you racing around a host of crazy planets against three other racers trying to win as much money as possible to upgrade your vehicle and make it to the next season. Its great fun and you can move from first to last in the blink of an eye as you get buffeted and blasted around the track. There’s also a host of cars such as tracked vehicles and hydrofoils to buy and upgrades to improve everything from ammunition to suspension. All this comes with commentary and some of the greatest rock tunes of all time blasting out which turns it into the embodiment of pure joy. 

The one downside to the definitive version of the game is that for some reason you are unable to save your progress. There are passwords but these don’t record all your information and will see you set back to the start of a race season when used. It’s a baffling oversight and one we can only assume will be patched at some point. You are also restricted again with regards to display settings and other features. 

Overall, it’s clear a lot of attention and care has been taken when bringing these games to a new audience. That said there are some weird quirks in here that take some of the shine off such as not being able to use screens settings and other options in the definitive versions. Not being able to save during Rock N’ Roll racing is also something that can’t be overlooked. That said, if you are a fan of any of these games this provides an excellent way of playing them for a reasonable price. It’s a must of retro game fans, though others may struggle to see the magic in the same way. 

Overall 8/10

Rock 'N' Roll Racing Review (Gameboy Advance)

Rock N Roll Racing started life back in the 16-bit days of the Super Nintendo and Mega Drive. At the time it was a breath of fresh air across a very arid landscape of numerous Mario Kart clones. Indeed, with tongue firmly placed in cheek, it seems once again it is time to drop into the world of mullets and nitros... Now come on, with a combination like that, how could you go wrong?

The story goes that in 2833, intelligent life was found on the planet of Bogmire. The inhabitants of this strange world became addicted to the art of racing and started using souped-up cars to bomb around the planet. Something else that caught on quickly was Earth's rock music and thus from these strange beginnings the Rock N Roll Racing Commission was created. Set across six planets each with a whole host of tracks, Rock N Roll Racing is good over-the-top racing fun.

After selecting your racer of choice players must battle against three other opponents with the aim of collecting enough points at the end of the season to qualify for the next planet. Far from being a simple case of racing around the circuit, tracks are often reminiscent of a battleground with both cars and terrain capable of blowing an opponent into a different universe. Cars come in four different types, starting with a sand buggy-type contraption and working up to a full-on battle hovercraft.

Each vehicle can have numerous things added to it in order to help you through - these include mines, missiles, nitros, better tyres, and thicker armour. But the real skill comes in being able to take on opponents with as little as possible, as when you reach a new planet one of the opponents will have a new car meaning you need to upgrade - and rest assured these contraptions do not come cheap.

In terms of cosmetic issues everything is faithful to the original game. In fact this title is more or less identical in every way to the Rock N Roll Racing of years gone by, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. Different planets are varied and contain a fair amount of detail both on and around the track and the isometric racing viewpoint acts well to keep players going where they should be. Cars look rockin' enough to fit in with the premise of the title and it all moves along at a breakneck speed without any problem.

Of course, the gimmick of the game is the soundtrack and though only a minor point it really helps to make the game seem that little bit more over-the-top. While jamming round the track with missiles flying and parts of cars littering the corners, the tunes of "Born To Be wild" and "Paranoid" (among others) blast out over the action. Obviously, the Gameboy can't cope with complete songs, so instead we get an instrumental version, but it's effective nonetheless.

Along with the music comes an incredible enthusiastic commentary that runs through each race. Coming out with phrases such as "Let the carnage begin!" and "Tarquinn lights him up!", it is undoubtedly cheesy but then again if you buy a game called Rock N Roll Racing, what exactly were you expecting? The commentary helps keep the fun in the title along with many other little touches that create something which endeavours to make you smile more often than not.

Accompanying the decent graphics and sound is a solid handling model and responsive control setup. The cars are a joy to drive and very easy to get to grips with. After your first race you should be able to grasp the controls enough to be able to fire well-aimed shots at your opponents while taking a ninety-degree corner. Indeed after a few races - as well as fighting off the other racers - you will find yourself trying to grab all the extra money packages laid around the courses as well and while the action can become a touch samey due to the fact certain tracks must be raced upon more than once, nothing really takes away from the feeling that you are having a lot of fun.

In conclusion, Rock N Roll Racing gets away with being a straight port of a fun, over-the-top and cheese-filled experience. It will not change the world but if you are after a game that offers nothing but pure enjoyment then you cannot really go wrong with this reincarnation.

Overall 8/10

Diablo III Review (PS3)

There’s been a recent trend of dungeon crawlers making their way onto consoles and no name looms larger in the genre than that of Diablo. Launching on PC last year, this behemoth of a title has now been reworked for consoles in the hopes of coaxing in a crown not so familiar with the combination of mouse and keyboard.

We need to say right at the start that we aren’t familiar with how the game played on the PC. The review will focus on the games strengths and weaknesses in its current form and how it comes across on console as we can’t keep comparing back to what has or hasn’t changed from its first iteration. That said, we have played the Diablo series before so we aren’t coming at it from the point of view of a complete newcomer.

For those not familiar with the series the game is a hack and slash style dungeon crawler with a slanted top down perspective. The plot revolves around a great evil rising from the depths and needing to be destroyed. It’s standard fantasy folk lore set in a dank and forbidding setting and the whole thing oozes with atmosphere and the feeling of dread and decay.

Starting out you have to pick from one of five classes such as a Demon Hunter or Witch Doctor. These classes are fresher takes on the classic classes of Archer, Warrior, Priest, Mage etc. There is no dice rolling to be done and after you’ve picked from several avatars it’s straight into the game. As you destroy monsters and complete quests you level up and this opens up skills slots which can be customised with a wide range of new powers.

Even for those new to this type of game you will pick up what to do pretty early on. The interface is slick and everything is made very clear about what it does when equipped. The same can be said for equipping armour and weapons as a handle compare button allows you to quickly see what benefits each piece of gear has. Picking up a new piece of year for a slot with nothing in will also see the item automatically equipped. In the field of battle you have to press a button to pick up gear but gold or potions are picked up automatically by walking over them.  It’s hard to think how the game could be streamlined anymore and results in a slick and enjoyable experience.

The range of enemies you come across are both varied and plentiful and even at the start you will need to think carefully about how you are going to approach the hordes. On the easier difficulty settings there is no real downside to death but as the difficulty and settings ratchet up you cane even go into the fray knowing one death will end your adventure for you. The settings allow for the sweet spot of any adventurer to be found and it adds hours of replay value as well.

One of the downsides with this type of game is that after a while the combat can feel a bit samey. Though there are a wide range of weapons, powers and enemies to keep things ticking over you do end up performing the same cycle of hit, run and heal more often than you may perhaps like. That said this is by the far the best example of the genre we have come across on a console and it allowed for long periods of play before the feeling of repetition set in. it’s certainly a cut above the Baldur’s Gate hack and slash console games of a few years ago and those were very well received.

Much of the strength of the game comes from venturing into dungeons with friends. There are a host of options available to help with this and you can have strangers join your game as well. The more players in the game means the tougher the monsters get but it really allows Diablo to come into its own when you have multiple classes all trying to take down a giant beastie. In single player you can recruit companions of different types as well. You’ll need to do this early on or simply find yourself overwhelmed by the sheer amount of monsters coming after you.

Overall, this is about as good as we can see a hack and slash style dungeon crawler getting on a console. It’s incredibly user friendly and lends itself to long stretches of play. All the skills you pick up offer genuine benefits and options and there are a huge range of monsters to slay and loot to plunder. It has as brooding atmosphere and a feeling of grandeur that many a console game would kill for. Basically, if you like dungeons crawlers this is essential and if the genre hasn’t hit the right buttons for you yet then this might be the one to change that.

9/10