Bullet Heaven Mini, Episode 5 - Chain Blaster

ini. Mobile. Shmups. Welcome back to Bullet Heaven Mini!

The 3DS eShop's shmup numbers have grown considerably over the last year with quite a few notable titles. Shortly after Kokuga (episode M-2), Chain Blaster was released to the eShop worldwide. With elements reminiscent of Every Extend Extra (PSP) and E4 (XBLA), just how does Chain Blaster stack up?

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QCF: Dr. Luigi

nfluenza, acute coryza, or in my case at the time of writing this, Bronchitis, are but a handful of the many viruses and illnesses we encounter through the years we live and breathe; in spite of the medical advances accomplished by mankind; we still face the threat of these infections to this day.

Which is why it truly speaks to the aptitude of Nintendo’s charm when they can translate the process of fighting infectious viruses through the aching road to medicinal recovery into something fun to play. Dr. Mario, a first-party brain teaser within the Big-N’s stable, still commands a strong following since it’s NES days, but time hasn’t been kind to the Italian physician.

The addictive puzzler has always lacked the depth of its peers to excel beyond the narrow scope of its core fundamental mechanics—which is why Dr. Luigi is more than just a second opinion.

 The year of Luigi has influenced the engineering to sequel that refreshes the formula in all the right ways and stands tall with the strongest doctrine of the franchise has seen yet.

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Bullet Heaven HD, Episode 90 - Super Xevious: GAMP no Nazo (FC5#3)

evious Fardraut Densetsu (Episode 76) wasn't the first radical departure from the original Xevious to be released; in 1986, Namco released GAMP no Nazo to the Famicom and it was pretty fresh. But how does it stack up...??

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PPR Presents The Golden Zonkies 2013

nother year, another list of games standing mighty and tall among the crop of titles released in 2013; Join us for another edition of Press Pause Radio’s annual Golden Zonkey Awards!

We’ve nominated everything from games to events that saw the light of day in 2013 across sixteen different categories, and we have that very list for you here now. We’ll be going down the prestigious catalog of choices from start to finish on the podcast with each of voicing our vote for the winner of it’s respective title. The only stipulation in the Golden Zonkies is that any point, a wild card can be suggested by one of the hosts if majority vote dictates that another nomination is more deserving of the award instead of the choices presently casted.

If you’ve got an issue with the Golden Zonkies and how it was conducted then just remember the only other rule; it’s our God Damn show and opinion anyway, so keep that in mind when you send us whatever discourse you have with our decisions after the show by doing the following:

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 to post on Golden Zonkey thread about the show. Also 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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Bullet Heaven HD, Episode 89 - Macross (FC5 #2)

n this episode of Bullet Heaven, we take a look at the first-ever collaborative efforts of BAN-DAI and Namco with the horizontal Famicom shooter, Macross. based on the classic anime, how does this early licensed Famicom game stack up?  

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QCF: Legend of Zelda: Link Between Worlds

hile the consensus is more arguable than mainstream, it’s more apparent than ever that one of the most revered franchises in video games is experiencing a wave of disenchantment in the more recent years of the present game climate, and more players have come forward with their fatigue towards the series. You might have heard of it, it’s called The Legend of Zelda.

Ironically the iconic Nintendo property of late, has been more instrumental in inspiring successes in new franchises that liberally imitate it while failing to significantly innovate itself beyond its esteemed but frankly aged conventions—that is until now.

Nintendo and Monolith entered dangerous territory when announcing that they were working a direct sequel to what many consider the greatest video game of all time that could never live up to the legacy it holds to this day; if Link to the Past is Rocky then consider Link Between Worlds Rocky IV.

This 3DS entry is a shining example that the magic of The Legend of Zelda is very much alive, transporting all who play it into a very familiar and yet robust Hyrule, with tons of astonishment and whimsy in store from start to finish.

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Bullet Heaven HD, Episode 88 - B-Wings (FC5 #1)

elcome to the FC5, the first special block of the new season! In today's episode of Bullet Heaven, we take a look at the first ever game by Data East on the Famicom, B-Wings (aka Battle Wings). As an obscure famicom title based on an already obscure arcade game, just how did B-Wings fare in 1986? And how does it hold up today?

QCF: Contrast

hose familiar scenes from a movie you can’t quite remember, the ones with the atmosphere of streetlights and Deco art posters, streets filled with cabarets and burlesque shows for fellas and dames— The Great Gatsby withstanding , the 1920’s is an era so vaguely romanticized for its appearance over culture . It was always what was seen or heard versus what was said or done, with all of the style and bravura on stage and never too much indulged on the history and culture behind it.

Compulsion Games means to tell a story that’s born in the thick of it, and while the fiction is rich in intrigue and complimented with exquisite eye candy--Contrast is a collective of ambitious gameplay mechanics that manage to grease that platforming wheel, the rotation however, doesn’t come close to spinning full circle.

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