Tom Massey

Nintendo Life

Tom Massey·Jan 27, 2023

Critic50/100

Agreement—

Based on these circumstances, our appraisal is a difficult task. If we were tallying solely based on the content of the package, it would do well. If price isn’t an issue and you didn’t purchase the previous release already, you can add three digits to the scoreline, as this is certainly the superior of the two collections. But our primary job as reviewers is to provide information that helps you decide on how to spend your disposable income - income you’ve no doubt worked very hard to accrue. Since the entire release structure and its exploitative nature is so distasteful, however, we feel genuinely loathed to award a lofty score that indicates glowing praise.

Nintendo Life

Tom Massey·Jan 10, 2023

Critic80/100

Agreement—

Breakers Collection feels like a passion project. It delivers a game that still feels incredibly modern and visceral to a new era of players. When mining its combos and developing its dizzyingly broad array of tactical options, new players will no doubt be surprised by the high bar of Visco's work. While its menu presentation is somewhat less explosive than the game itself, the level of thought that's gone into its modernisation through crucial up-to-date features can't be spoken of highly enough. This kind of treatment should be standard when revisiting bygone classics, yet so often it isn't. Breakers Collection, to that end, gets it very right.

Nintendo Life

Tom Massey·Dec 9, 2022

Critic70/100

Agreement—

Samurai Maiden is mostly hack, slash, dodge, and hack some more. But, while naturally repetitive, it's not much different in that respect from many traditional arcade games. What it does well with is in expanding its combat options in enjoyable but never confusing ways; by giving your aides different skill functions in attack and healing, and in navigating stages. It's a simple but nicely layered adventure that will encourage grinders to unlock its galleries, weaponry and digital trinkets, while appreciating what is an attractive-looking and well-optimised game. Increased challenge is there if you need it, and, discounting the trite elements of its dialogue and story, the character models are exceptionally good, mildly bewitching, and do a great job of selling the product.

Nintendo Life

Tom Massey·Dec 8, 2022

Critic80/100

Agreement—

This is the kind of package we hope for when a relatively unloved, but largely excellent arcade title is ported for a modern system. There's no slacking here, with all the options and modes a fighting game fan could desire, updated visuals for modern displays, and that all-important rollback netcode for online skirmishes. Superior to its already very enjoyable predecessor, it will be great to see the online fighting game community revive The Rumble Fish 2 in a way that never really happened with its original arcade release. Ideally, both the original game and this sequel should be on a single package - and DLC paywalls be damned - but this is a well-executed port of the best entry in this short-lived series.

Nintendo Life

Tom Massey·Dec 5, 2022

Critic70/100

Agreement—

Swordship is a clever, original, and interesting concept. It looks good, sounds good, and plays well. There’s just that RNG irritant that means, while you can learn enemy behaviours, you sometimes get lost in the fray. Even the camera shifts and the slow down (which can be disabled) can occasionally disorientate you from your position, resulting in sudden death. At the same time, while imperfect, its evolving and increasingly intense nature has major appeal for score hunters. And, when you do grab that container, trip under a set of lasers, detonate three mines sequentially and blow the screen sky-high, it earns itself an action badge of honour.

Nintendo Life

Tom Massey·Nov 30, 2022

Critic70/100

Agreement—

Astronite is a throwback game in a modern Metroidvania mould, and, owing to sharp design, map layouts, currency systems and ability upgrades, is an enjoyable experience. Its simple emphasis on platforming pitfalls and cavern negotiations feel more Metroid than 'Vania, and refreshing in a genre that usually follows the Japanese route of grinding for levels and magic. With a little effort, it reveals itself as a well-thought-out and competently-executed action adventure, with a few magic moments in its boss battles and NPC characters. Its black-and-white styling may not appeal to everyone, but it's easily recommended to those intrigued and is a nice companion for Gato Roboto fans looking for a steeper challenge.

Nintendo Life

Tom Massey·Nov 15, 2022

Critic60/100

Agreement—

Neo Geo Pocket Color Selection Vol.2 is a perfectly able collection, albeit less enticing than the first volume. Several games in the library here - notably Card Fighters Clash, Mega Man Battle & Fighters, and Biomotor Unitron - have already received standalone releases on Switch eShop, which may well dissuade you from a purchase if you already own them. Die-hard fans of everything Neo Geo Pocket Color will likely enjoy getting stuck into what's here, but it's not a must-buy.

Nintendo Life

Tom Massey·Nov 12, 2022

Critic30/100

Agreement—

There's nothing at all wrong with Cobra Kai 2: Dojos Rising in terms of concept. An arena battler set in the TV show's small world of dojos, shopping malls, schools and parks with a theme of recruiting a team on your way to a mega tournament is all well and good. But the quality is shockingly under par, and far poorer than the Switch hardware is capable of. One could argue being sloppy, confused, and trashy is very much akin to what the show is all about, but when we're transcending mediums into the realm of video gaming, half-assing it doesn't land the right kind of blow.

Nintendo Life

Tom Massey·Nov 11, 2022

Critic80/100

Agreement—

That it's called 'The Anniversary Celebration' rather than 'collection' is a substitution of phrases that couldn't be more apt. With its smooth, fast, and perfectly-pitched interface, and rich, thoughtfully created content, Atari 50 really is an honouring of the company that founded the industry. It's true that its content is going to have a greater appeal to an older generation of gamers, to today's parents (and grandparents) who grew up in the whirlwind of the '70s and '80s arcade scene. For them, reliving moments and experiences that used to cost a pocketful of coins will be joyful. For others, understanding the appeal of a lot of these games will take work, and few of the titles outside of the Lynx and Jaguar catalogues are easy to pick up and play for the uninitiated. At the same time, Atari 50 is so thorough and engrossing a retro gaming tunnel, akin to exploring a virtual museum, that it transcends its target audience somewhat. For those interested in video gaming's history, the unearthing of the past, and for gamers not afraid of what today is considered rudimentary, there's a great deal of enjoyment to be had in this trip down memory lane.

Nintendo Life

Tom Massey·Oct 27, 2022

Critic70/100

Agreement—

That said, it's still a competently assembled title: smooth, clean, and enjoyable. What it lacks in gravity and bravado it makes up for in balanced scoring mechanics and an interesting teleportation twist. While its Cadet Mode is its brightest spark, the main campaign shoots for the stars but falls just short of reaching them.

Nintendo Life

Tom Massey·Oct 18, 2022

Critic80/100

Agreement—

Them's Fightin' Herds isn't entry-level stuff, and it's impressive that an indie developer has created something that professional teams take years to master. Soft and furry in appearance though it is, this is a robust and fleshed-out fighting game, and one that demands practice. It's challenging even on its default difficulty with AI that won't fall prey to simple or repetitive routines. While its story mode is engineered toward a particular fanbase, the wild combo-building demonstrates an excellent multiplayer experience. Thematically, its draw might be limited, but there's no real ceiling in its appeal to fighting game fans. While would have been nice to have had a few more characters out of the box and a little more invention in its world-building backgrounds, if you're here for pure fighting game action, don't look a gift horse in the mouth.

Nintendo Life

Tom Massey·Sep 4, 2022

Critic60/100

Agreement—

At $12.99, this package could have been slightly cheaper, primarily because Super Space Serpent SE is the main attraction and Perpetuum Mobile feels like a B-side bonus. Neither title is going to redefine your expectations of what an indie game can achieve, but if you enjoy classic score attack arcade games like Robotron, and can’t get enough of Minter-esque trippy audio-visual combinations, you’ll enjoy sinking a couple of hours into climbing the leaderboards — but probably not much more.

Nintendo Life

Tom Massey·Sep 1, 2022

Critic60/100

Agreement—

While the banter has a certain amount of charm, for us it became wearisome somewhat quickly. There’s almost too much of it. You can’t ignore NPCs entirely — there are times when you need pointers — but most offer no useful information whatsoever, and are only there to serve up yet another ba-dum-tss moment. Developer Fuz, who appears in-game as a townsperson, clearly thinks of themselves as a witticist, and that’s fine — just be aware that if you tire of the humour, you’ll tire of the game.

Nintendo Life

Tom Massey·Aug 30, 2022

Critic60/100

Agreement—

If you liked the previous Atari Recharged titles, Yars: Recharged presents another enjoyable diversion and interesting take on the theme. While not always as thrilling as it could be, the design overhaul still works well. That said, those who aren’t entirely intrigued by the formula may find it repetitive and ultimately tiresome. This reimagined Atari catalogue would probably be better off as a compilation title rather than a segmented anthology. And who knows, that may still eventually come to pass.

Nintendo Life

Tom Massey·Aug 29, 2022

Critic90/100

Agreement—

TMNT: The Cowabunga Collection is indisputably the best thing Konami has released in a long while, meeting all expectations and then some. Bar absent difficulty settings for the arcade games, it's an anthology that finally gets it totally right. Digital Eclipse and Konami have done the fans justice, offering a comprehensive library that doesn't hide content behind a paywall, while going above and beyond in terms of features and bonuses. With online functionality and rollback netcode being the icing on the cake, this is now the gold standard for retro collections. Capcom, pay close attention.