QCF: Within The Blade

fter first loading up Within The Blade on my Switch I was not sure what I was getting myself into. The title formally known on PC as Pixel Shinobi from indie developer Ametist Studio has a reputation for being a difficult but deep stealth action platformer with RPG elements since its initial release in 2019. My initial playing brought back some memories of playing fast paced indie platformers such as Super Meat Boy and Shovel Knight, with a Souls style combat and timing all wrapped in a ninja world and story. Now with time and experience to better form an opinion, I can say this game is hard, but fun to play and even with some lack of polish dulling its blade does not take away the overall feel and accomplishments it provides.

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QCF: Blaster Master Zero 1 & 2 Collector's Edition

ith Blaster Master Zero 3 currently available for preorder on Limited Run Games for both Switch and Playstation 4, and what appears to be the kind of quality we found in the Blaster Master 1 & 2 Collectors Edition being put into the trilogy's conclusion, you know we're going to be on it, 100%.

And that's weird to say, since we hadn't played neither Blaster Master Zero 1 nor 2 through to completion. Unlike the NES Original, which was finally conquered in Bullet Heaven #302 after a period of over 25 years, Blaster Master Zero has always been more approachable generally speaking, so it was finally time to hunker down and marathon both, back to back.

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QCF: The Atari VCS

he 1970’s were famous for a lot of things: the birth of whole entire music genres that ranged from Disco to Punk Rock, the Watergate scandal, and a certain living room pastime that would go on to change the entertainment medium forever—Video Games. It wasn’t long before these interactive television media programs made their way from the arcades to households across the country in the latter half of the Seventies, all thanks in part to a certain company that would help pioneer the blooming industry, Atari.

Years removed though, the Atari brand is seen as nothing more than a relic after its rise, and gradual fall—clinging on to nothing more than nostalgia for the remaining players who remember those early generations in their prime and get excited at the mention of the name. While the Atari line has enjoyed a second life in the aftermarket with a booming homebrew market and enthusiast media scene that’s fostered on by platforms like AtariAge and AtariMania, the company itself has gone mostly dormant through a series of mergers and extensions before quietly filing for bankruptcy in 2013.

Since then, the remnants of Atari, now named Atari SA have carried on with splintered releases of the remaining IPs in their possession like RollerCoaster Tycoon and Lunar Lander for the PC and mobile markets. The output was modest, as R&D worked on various projects while the company continued to earn royalties from its licensing deal with AtGames and their Flashback line of plug-in consoles. Sometime in 2017, however, a new management recruit by the name of Feargal Mac Conuladh was able to greenlight plans for a new Console-PC hybrid with an exclusive digital storefront codenamed the Atari Box. After years of sparse communication on the project and questionable crowdfunding campaigns to finish the production of the console, the Atari VCS has now officially launched to the public.

The question remains as to whether or not Atari can deliver on a product that can offer more than a fleeting sense of nostalgia that’s arguably just too dated to enjoy again. From my time spent with the machine, my answer isn’t as cut and dry as I would have ideally liked it to have been. I think the potential for the Atari VCS to deliver a different gaming experience is certainly there, especially when comparing it to contemporary upstarts that came before it like the Ouya and GameStick, who both originally promised something very similar and ultimately failed to live up to that promise. A number of shortcomings in the unit’s overall performance, however, unfortunately holds that potential, back and Atari’s subsequent management of the platform leave a sizable bit more to be desired. The VCS has too much running against it in the face of its low-end price point of $299.99 for just the base console without controllers, and the higher $399 asking price for the system and controller bundle—with the low-end being the same retail cost of a Nintendo Switch.

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PPR 133

ell, against many odds, E3 came and managed to show off what’s in store for the next-generation of video games while contending with the ongoing challenges of a pandemic that’s still wreaking havoc on our everyday lives.

While it’s easy to dismiss what may have arguably been one of the more humble presentations we’ve had in years, especially with it being the first year of new Next-Generation hardware, the fact  that we got as much as we did with Covid-19 being a present danger is a blessing in and of itself.  Anyway, if there was one thing, this E3 did have a ton of; it was chock loaded with C H A O S.

Anyway, we here at Press Pause Radio got together to record our impressions of the show and see which of our predictions came true as we broke down most of the presentations by order of appearance of the week to discuss a number of the games that were shown. The games we showed off were Strangers of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin, Rainbow Six Extraction, Forza Horizons 5, Breath of the Wild 2, Metal Slug Tactics, Lake, Spirit Swap, Mushihimesama for Switch, Metroid Dread, Warioware Get it Together, Elden Ring, Starfield, Halo Infinite, and so much more.

Sit back, download the show, and get ready to blame Chaos for everything bad that has ever happened, like ever.

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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Late to the Party: Neo Geo Pocket Color Selection Vol. 1

hings certainly weren't easy for the Neo Geo Pocket Color, a short-lived handheld that had to compete with the likes of the classic Game Boy Color and newly released Game Boy Advance shortly after. Still, there's something sweet and neat about recollecting a portable version of one of the most expensive consoles in history.

(Recollecting — see what I did there? I, well uh, never mind.)

That being said, SNK is at it again with the retro party pack full of nostalgia. This time, we've got a fully portable 10-pack of favorites from decades ago through its Neo Geo Pocket Color Selection Vol. 1 on the Nintendo Switch.

So is this a home run for even the newest takers or an acquired taste that only diehard fans need apply for? A little bit of both, honestly.

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QCF: Guilty Gear Strive

can remember the energy and excitement in person at EVO 2019 when we first saw the reveal trailer for Guilty Gear Strive, and how everyone in attendance was mesmerized by its incredible graphics and potential for the fighting game scene. Even then at first glance I knew that Arc System Works had something special, and I am happy to report after a few delays and several rounds of beta play, the game that we now have in our hands is better than could has been imagined on that summer evening during the EVO tournament.

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PPR 132

t’s nice to feel like 2021 is on the road to normal, but the trip there is still a long haul—which means we’ll be looking at another digital-only E3 presentation as we continue to shelter-in-place. With one more week to go before everything officially gets underway, we here at Press Pause Radio decided to get into the speculation game with some good ol’ fashioned E3 2021 predictions!

Join George, Ed, Andrew, and Sean as they cover their obligatory thoughts towards the rumored Nintendo Switch Pro, Starfield, Elden Ring, Metroid Prime 4 Breath of the Wild 2, and what kind of game Final Fantasy XVI may end up being, if it’s even shown, and a ton off more gesticulation over the games that they KNOW will be there.

So be sure to check the batteries in your CO2 Detectors and Smoke Alarms then go download the new episode and roll around in the scuttlebutt with us!

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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25 years of the Sega Saturn: Part 2-The Two-Pronged Stumble

ell, this is embarrassing; I had planned to publish this entry much sooner than now, given that it’s been a little over a year since I last published the premier piece to this editorial series, but I suppose it’s appropriate since we’ve now arrived at the anniversary of SEGA’s polarizing 32-bit powerhouse once more.

When we last left off, we looked at the pre-launch hype of the Saturn and SEGA’s internal dissension over the mechanical complexity of the hardware, with technical specs that were arguably geared more at enhancing the present climate of gaming than preparing for the next dimension of gameplay the medium had been building to. The corporate disconnection only grew from there as SEGA of Japan hedged all their bets on the console with one fateful announcement during their 1995 Electronic Entertainment Expo presentation—the Sega Saturn was available now, retailing at $399 MSRP with the inclusion of Virtua Fighter to the surprise of everyone, including major retailers.

It was with this first big step that the Sega Saturn had begun its perpetual tumble towards commercial failure, as we look back at one of the most infamously mismanaged console launches in Video Game History.

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