QCF: Balan WonderWorld

here are developers out there who hold some of the highest prestige in the industry from their work on a few, or even just iconic game—some of these developers have gone on to do great things in the current day scene, and then there are some who are just stuck in the past.

Yuji Naka’s Balan WonderWorld is an indictment of the latter because the new release from Arzest and the Balan Company is seemingly engineered to compete with platformer games released back in 2003 more than anything else. At its core, Balan Wonderworld plays like a pale imitation of the Super Mario Odyssey formula dressed up in a bad NiGHTs into Dreams aesthetic…

I know I started marching my steps strong and heavy with the Poo Poo Parade real early into this review but I honestly can’t help it; for every neat idea the game seems to have, it comes back with three more flaws or design choices that put a big sour on any fun to be found.

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QCF: Turrican Flashback

he Western and Eastern history video games have always had their place in the main zeitgeist of video game culture, but what about the other, other West? The one that ran their television displays at 50HZ PAL output had a crap-load of gradient color schemes, and an obsession with hurting players with falling water drops—yeah, I’m talking about the European slice of gaming.

While the folks “across the pond” were able to get their own localizations of household brands like Nintendo and SEGA, there was one other name synonymous with the European gaming scene & that was Commodore Amiga.

Even though there isn’t a lot of love for the Amiga legacy outside of those who group on it, there’s been one common denominator that has seamlessly harmonized across all three regions—Turrican.

Factor 5’s Sci-Fi Run ‘n Gun has been hosted across numerous platforms, but none more celebrated than the titles that have graced the Amiga 1200, Super NES, and even the Sega Genesis, and now with the help of Ratalaika Games, Factor 5 has released an upgraded collection of the four best titles in the franchise with Turrican Flashback. Looking beyond the appeal of collecting these overlooked classics into one convenient collection, the labor of love that went into optimizing these games, and fleshing out every little quality of life enhancement and nuance imaginable is what really sets this title apart from nostalgia packages. Turrican Flashback may be one of the finest curations of a retro game set ever to be programmed.

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QCF: Say No! More

t first glance of Say No! More, I immediately had memories of an arcade game I used to play at anime conventions called Cho Chabudai Gaeshi. It was a table-flipping game where you would pound on the table to charge up the attack in various settings such as a wedding and an office, before unleashing your attack and flipping the table for maximum destruction. I was happy to find out that Say No! More may be close to that goofy experience that I enjoyed years ago, with plenty of humor and no-stress gameplay. The game does not deliver on challenge or depth but presents an important message in what is described as a linguistic arcade comedy.

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House Show: Too Much Wrestling Weekend

n this episode of House Show, friend of the site BoogNites checks in as we discuss all the wrestling happening during Wrestlemania week. Highlights of NXT and The Collective as well as predictions of the two-night Wrestlemania weekend are all on topic for this show. It's seriously too much wrestling but we hope to check out as much as we can, and hope that everyone enjoys their particular brand or style of professional wrestling. Thanks for checking us out and stay tuned for more coverage and discussion in the future.

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QCF: Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrection

sn’t it mind-blowing how big and expansive games can be today? Just think about all the releases that have hit the market in the last ten five years that expand beyond 40 gameplay hours or more on average for completion. The real test of modern gaming has now drifted more into finding the time to play the title than the inherent challenge of the game itself—but that wasn’t the case thirty years ago.

In order to stand tall against the even most grizzled players, Video Games extended their mileage on the market by commanding difficulty curves that could immobilize even the most dedicated weekend rental. One series, in particular, made a name for itself when it came to hard-as-nails action, the masochistically macabre hop ‘n bop that is Capcom’s Ghosts ‘n Goblins franchise.

With some niche efforts by teams like From Software and other indie game studios to keep that old-school adrenaline of difficult gameplay alive notwithstanding, it’s a little bizarre to see a new mainline entry to the Ghosts ‘n Goblins in the year 2021. Thankfully, Ghosts ‘n Goblins Resurrection is a fleshed-out package that strives for a balance that’s accessible enough for anyone looking to celebrate its legacy, yet just as desirable in getting the most out of the crushing experience it has to offer.

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House Show: A Revolutionary Fireworks Display!

t's been a while since we last had a House Show recording, and originally I thought we would record prior to AEW Revolution to hype up the upcoming event. I'm glad George suggested we record afterwards as a recap, because MAN! That ending and everything else AEW will be discussed in this episode as well as the recent news of the WWE Network moving to Peacock. Thanks for tuning in, hope everyone is doing well!

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QCF: Cyber Shadow

f there’s only one video game platform from the past that has to lead an everlasting brain trust spread throughout all walks of life, it’s the Nintendo Entertainment System. There are a bevy of other 8-bit machines that have their fans sure, but the NES has defined what people consider the 8-bit generation to be, establishing a style that still permeates a majority of the throwback indie titles that’s seen in the market today.

Drawing inspiration from the system’s aesthetics is one thing, but capturing the gameplay of that era is an entirely different beast, especially when it comes to channeling the essence of the challenge it’s famous for in an age of Save States and unlimited continues. Enter Mechanical Head Studio’s Cyber Shadow, a new title published by Yacht Club that chases the old ghosts of NES classics like Ninja Gaiden, Power Blade, Shatterhand, Shadow of the Ninja, and so much more—complete with a modern touch that aims to balance the scale of difficulty and fairness on the tightest of ropes.

There’s a lot to enjoy here for those who cut their teeth on the action genre during the days of the rectangular controller, but on that same token, arguably much of the beauty behind that generation is the “less is more” philosophy behind those games—something that Cyber Shadow is remiss to forget in its occasionally clumsy ambition.

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PPR 130

limate Change and Stonks be damned because we out here recording another fresh episode of Press Pause Radio for y’all, and we even brought back Sean for it too!

In this episode we talk some thought up on the Resident Evil Village demo that released, the Mass Effect Legendary Edition announcement, the bullshit of Six Days in Fallujah, and our shared impressions of the latest Nintendo Direct. We also dive in to what’s been in our consoles, covering a wide range of games that include Vitamin Connection, Capcom Arcade Stadium, Cyber Shadow, World of Warcraft Shadowlands, SNK vs. Capcom: The Match of the Millennium, Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, Hades, Project Starship XX, Final Fantasy VII Remake, Turrican Flashback, and so much more.

Be warned though, somehow George’s Mic straight up shit the bed during recording, so his audio quality is nowhere near the quality standard we strive for in our podcast production at Press Pause Radio. The episode is more than listenable. but it’s certainly not at the audible fidelity we would’ve liked it to be, even after salvaging what we could post production (major thanks again to Stark and Sterlz Sound Design for their assistance in the matter!)

Mail us at our new email Mailbag@presspauseradio.com, leave a voicemail at 469-PPR-TALK, and be sure to stop by at our Forums if you haven’t already registered and post your thoughts about the show. Finally, make sure to rate and subscribe to us on iTunes and YouTube, follow us on Twitch page and Twitter, and finally take part in our Facebook and Steam group!

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