Okay, slightly annoying issue this week, for some reason two of the eleven games did not work, and they were the two I was most interested in as I hadn't played them before. So Libble Rabble and Metal Marines will not be included in this post and countdown, however, when I obtain a replacement I will update this post and YouTube video to include them. Even without those two games, there was more than enough to enjoy on this cartridge.
Here is the countdown to my favourite game on the Namco Museum Volume I cartridge, remember this is not a countdown to the best game, only the one I enjoyed and had the most fun with playing on the Evercade.
If you want to watch the count down with in-game footage, click on the link to the video below. Beneath the video are my thoughts on each of the games as I count them down to my favourite in the set:
09: Mappy
I have never been a huge fan of this game. It has popped up on a lot of compilations over the years and I've dabbled every time, but it's never grabbed me. I wondered if maybe I would change my mind now, but no, I feel the same and after only a handful of plays I couldn't wait to move on to the next game on the cartridge.
8: Mappy Kids
A huge shift in style from the original Mappy, this is a strange horizontal platform game where you try to get as much money and items in a level to help construct a house for a future wife. The game functions well enough as a platformer, the frustrations arise when you complete a level. You could have gained a lot of cash by levels end, but then you have to play a random mini game that could increase or (as I've often found) decrease the amount you gained to go towards the house. Though I love variety, I do find these mini games a bit of a pain and would rather have the option to opt in or out - though if I was better at the mini games I know my opinion would be different. Even with that frustration I still prefer this to the original Mappy.
7: Quad Challenge
Quad Challenge is an interesting racing game with Quad bikes. I do like the overall presentation of the game, and a couple of the in-game tunes are quite catchy. The controls are simple enough once you get the hang of it and its quite neat seeing your opponents point of view in the lower portion of the screen - especially when they are behind you but getting close. I did find this game quite hard but the games enjoyable enough to keep going back for one more try.
6: Galaxian
The classic Galaxian is fun game though it can get very hectic very quickly. I am also terrible at lining up shots when they are all moving in uniform at the top of the screen, many times I am always a fraction out. None the less I do find myself often returning to this game for one more go and try and beat my admittedly awful highscore!
5: Xevious
I am a huge fan of 2d shoot-em-ups, be they vertical or horizontal scrolling, single screen or duel sticks. Though Xevious is quite basic and tricky, there is a lot of fun to be had. It's nice you can shoot ahead and drop bombs beneath using a second button, there's even a crosshair to help aim the bombs - something I very much need!
4: Battle Cars
An enjoyable mode7 racing game, feels like a mixture of F-zero and Mario Kart but with a bit more depth. You can win money and upgrade your chosen vehicle, plus there's a choice of weapons which can also be upgraded to batter your opponents. The first few stages are easy enough, but it does get harder quite quickly. The game never feels frustrating and I always felt if I had one more go or distributed my cash better on upgrades I had every chance of winning. I always enjoy sending homing rockets up an enemies arse and shooting past them into the lead.
3: Star Luster
Being a huge fan of colony ways (PSX) and Starfox (SNES) any game of this type I tend to fall for quite easily, and this game is no exception. Great fun, love the little map where you can choose where to fly too, an E is an enemy, a B is a base you need to defend but can visit to rejuvenate your ship. The first person cockpit view is impressive for when the game was originally released, it looks and plays really good on the Evercade. Some games just fit perfect to this device, and this is another one of them.
There are a couple of interesting game modes: Training which is a simplified version on the game and well worth a go to get the hang of the game without to much going on. Command mode is the main game where you have to remove all the enemies from the map strategically before they destroy any of the bases. Adventure mode is probably the most interesting, not only do you have to destroy all the enemies but you need to visit planets to gain keys to unlock the hidden black planet. This is a very tricky mode but well worth trying to get a hang of. Yep, absolutely loved this game!
2: Pacman
You can't go wrong with Pacman. It's interesting they include the NES version here which is slightly different then most other versions of the game, I really do love this version, I played it quite a bit when the Nintendo mini first came out. Something I have to get used to with this version however is you cannot eat all four ghosts four times using the four pills on a level, as before the first pill is eaten the fourth ghost will not leave the central point.
1: Dig Dug
This was the game missing from the Atari set, the Atari 2600 version of Dig Dug was the first game I ever played and though I was gutted that version wasn't on the previous set, we do get the Nintendo version here, which is obviously a superior version. I enjoy this game as much as I did way back then. Still absolutely love it!
Final thoughts
It's frustrating that two of the games didn't work, they were the ones I was initially most interested in when I first looked at the box. I will update this post as soon as I get a new copy and can play the games. Even without those two games the rest of the set is pretty solid, Star Luster is an absolute dream, and for me personally, including Pacman and Dig Dug makes it an essential purchase.
Join me next Sunday when I take a look at the Evercade cartridge no.3: Data East Collection.
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