JamieO

@Milky_Bandit and Ristar24 – I actually bought the PAL version of PSone Castlevania Chronicles years ago for cheap, but just as the disc, with the instruction booklet missing its cover. I haven't played it in ages, so if my memory's correct it's based on the original NES Castlevania, but with an opening cutscene, changed stage layouts, rejigged tunes and updated graphics. It originated on the Japanese Sharp X68000 computer. I should dig out the disc and boot it up when I get the chance. Sorry to hear that Milky_Bandit missed out on a bargain copy of Symphony of the Night in the past, too.

@Ristar24 and @Tasuki – It's cool that you both own Castlevania: Bloodlines, it must be a nice game to have in your Mega Drive/ Genesis collections. I've only just learned that the name change to 'The New Generation' for PAL regions was because the censors didn't like the word blood in the subtitle. 1994 was a more innocent time, for sure, imagine Bloodborne’s name being changed to 'Souls-esque Game: The New Generation'.

I have fond memories of Virtual Console Reviews too, although as a reader, because I wasn't writing reviews until 2009.

I'm eager to get my hands on the PlayStation Classic, I've had it pre-ordered for a while, even though I own almost half of the titles from the 20 games available, either as original discs or on PS3/ PS Vita. I've had the honour of reviewing three of the games for Push Square: Jumping Flash! (1995), Rayman (1995), and Resident Evil: Director’s Cut (1997). From what I can tell, many of the games are earlier PSone releases to account for the lack of the analogue sticks that came later in 1997, with the first DualShock controller. I loved the early launch years of the 32-bit era — the focus upon 3D polygon graphics was such a striking change, but there was extra power for animating sprites, detailed 2D effects and pixel-art. Hopefully this means that later PSone titles will feature on a second PlayStation Classic further down the line, presuming it sells well.

I think @get2sammyb is already putting things into place to prepare coverage of the PlayStation Classic games.

Thanks very much for the nice comments and constructive feedback above, everyone. Cheers!

@Ristar24 and @Tasuki — I'm pleased to hear you were both enjoying Castlevania games during Halloween, too. I think that one reason I appreciate Castlevania: Rondo of Blood so much is that it was not practical for me to buy a PC Engine CD-ROM in 1993. I'd put Rondo of Blood on a pedestal, especially since it was exclusively a Japanese import for so long, and it was slightly unattainable to me. I was completely chuffed when I finally played it on PSP as part of Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles in 2007.

I've also been enjoying Castlevania and Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest on the Nintendo Classic Mini: NES. As long as they have good emulation, a decent library of games and allow time between releases, I'd love Nintendo, Sony and SNK to release follow ups to their mini consoles. It would be cool to see a release of Castlevania III, and Super Castlevania IV is excellent, as Ristar24 mentioned. It'd be preferable if the inclusion of the third game would complete all four numerical Castlevania games as a chronological order of their original release dates, all represented on the mini consoles.
**** Edit: I realise Super Castlevania IV is on the SNES Classic Mini, I posted an incomplete sentence, so I've elaborated on my point. Sorry! ****

I talk about Konami's 16-bit heyday in this piece, so just imagine if SEGA got the quality right on a miniature console and it had the likes of Rocket Knight Adventures, Castlevania Bloodlines, and Contra: Hard Corps included. The Mega Drive has been exhaustively represented with retro compilations and plug-and-play consoles, but the same games have been appearing for many years. It's time for a few less-known gems to get their time in the limelight.

You both always have interesting thoughts to share on my articles, I really appreciate it, by the way. Nice one!

Any questions regarding points in my Soapbox, please send them my way. I'll keep an eye on this comments section to read your thoughts on Castlevania Requiem, and Halloween gaming in general.

My evening's plans are to carve a pumpkin with my girlfriend, and then as the candle light flickers we’ll watch the latest season 9 episode 4 of The Walking Dead called The Obliged, where I’m hoping big changes are going to happen. After that we’ve got season 11 episode 4 of Doctor Who, which has a silly pun on the Sex Pistols' single, called Arachnids in the UK, and promises to feature huge spiders attacking Sheffield.

We've got a pumpkin bucket full of sweets, a box of Mr Kipling's Fiendish Fancies to go with a latte, and once we’re high from sugar and caffeine we’ll probably check out something light, like Scared Shrekless. Happy Halloween, everyone!

@get2sammyb Thank you kindly, as always, Sammy.

@Ristar24 Hi mate, you are absolutely right, the presentation is lacking in the Capcom Beat ‘Em Up Bundle. The screen options are limited to a choice of simple wallpapers for the left and right of the screen, there are no filters for scanlines or to replicate a coin-op monitor, and you can’t change the screen size. The actual pixel art still looks bright and crisp, though, which is testament to the talented Capcom artists.

Like you mentioned, I also remember the creative screen displays for Final Fight: Double Impact on the PS3. It was nice to have the option of an arcade monitor view, with the surrounding cabinet art, just for fun.

I get what you’re saying regarding both Capcom Classics Collection Remixed and Reloaded, as well. I still play those PSP games on my PS Vita today, they were much better for extras than this PS4 bundle, plus there was even a slot machine in Reloaded where you could make bets to unlock music, art and cheats.

In the Capcom Beat ‘Em Up Bundle there are no developer interviews, it does not have any extra historical information, or a music library to listen to the awesome tunes. It actually states in the game’s gallery that you can view movies, but it’s as though the developers forgot to include the videos. There’s just a bunch of admittedly wonderfully drawn artwork.

Cheers for your comment, too.

@dellyrascal I had lots of fun playing all seven games on a standard PS4 in co-op through the online mode, and it reminded me of the old arcade days where gamers would just drop in-and-out of coin-op playthroughs, but I rarely had a smooth experience. I tried adjusting both ends of the frame delay settings in the network options menu, but it didn’t make a huge difference.

I noticed that I was enjoying a smooth two-player game of Captain Commando, but when a third player joined the session it became all choppy. I didn’t get to find any four-player games for Captain Commando or Battle Circuit, though.

I think that choosing the ‘Same Region’ option when joining a game was steadier than selecting ‘All Regions’, but that could be a coincidence. I still actually enjoyed persevering with online mode, because I love co-op brawlers, but the twitchy sounding music was irritating.

The actual gamers joining the session seemed to be mostly beat-‘em-up fans too, with the brawler etiquette you’d hope for. I thought it was cool during many three-player games when other players would save food on the floor for people with the lowest health, and the co-op players didn’t hoard treasure or weapon pick-ups.

Hi everyone, any questions at all, and I will try my best to answer them in this comments section.

I obviously enjoyed the Capcom Beat 'Em Up Bundle very much indeed. My definite highlights of this PS4 collection are Armored Warriors (1994) and Battle Circuit (1997), both of these previously unconverted games surpassed my expectations. I was deliberately vague about the specifics of these two games in my review, because I want people to feel surprised when they discover them. Perhaps the second lease of life for Armored Warriors and Battle Circuit may even result in gamers considering them as contenders in their Top 10 beat-‘em-up lists in the future.

One possible talking point is the potential for a Capcom Beat ‘Em Up Bundle 2. The main barrier for a sequel compilation is that so many of Capcom’s brilliant arcade retro brawlers are dependent on licenses. It’s not impossible though, after all Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara was released on the PS3 in 2010. Perhaps Capcom could release a sequel that bundles console beat-‘em-ups, as well as coin-ops.

Below are a few possible games for a sequel:

Realistically possible Capcom arcade beat-‘em-ups: Dynasty Wars (1989), and Magic Sword (1990). Note: Dynasty Wars is actually based on a manga, but Warriors of Fate still featured in this collection. Magic Sword is not strictly a brawler game, though.

Restricted due to licensing Capcom arcade beat-‘em-ups: Cadillacs and Dinosaurs (1992), The Punisher (1992), Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom (1994), Alien vs. Predator (1994), and Dungeons & Dragons: Shadow over Mystara (1996).

Realistically possible Capcom console beat-‘em-ups: Mighty Final Fight (NES, 1993), Final Fight 2 (SNES, 1993), and Final Fight 3 (SNES, 1995/1996).

This comment is a side note to explain that I initially spelt Garv Corbett's name wrong here, so cheers for the heads-up from Lucid Games on the correct spelling.

It is definitely important to me to accurately spell the names of developers and artists. I am really proud that I was able to discuss Firesprite’s history for this interview, especially since I come from Birkenhead.

I feel that an interview about a developer’s experiences becomes a record in video game history, and it is beneficial for video games as a young medium to keep an accurate archive of as many past developer recollections as possible.

Also, I owned a Commodore 64 in the mid-1980s, but during 1987 or early 1988 I got to see 16-bit computer graphics on a friend's Atari ST for the first time. That game was Psygnosis’ 1987 Barbarian, and it was a side-scrolling fantasy adventure, platform game — not to be confused with Palace Games' one-on-one fighter Barbarian: The Ultimate Warrior, which I was also playing in 1987 on my C64. On the title screen for Psygnosis' Barbarian it actually states, "By David H. Lawson and Garvan Corbett."

It is pretty cool in my eyes that I was buzzing from Garv's sprite design when I was kid, thirty years ago, and just last week Firesprite were showing me his original AR Bot artwork from The Playroom. Psygnosis' Barbarian was an early 16-bit title, so the trees, stone walls and wooden ladders were set against a black background, but it had expressive sprite animation for the time, like a fantastic red-eyed phantom skull cloud when enemies died.

@LieutenantFatman Based on what Lee Carus discusses here about learning from working with Japan Studio, I feel that Firesprite has been courageous with its “experimental mentality” during the development of The Persistence. It sounds as though that attitude has paid off by the game mixing horror with roguelike level layouts, and varied stealth and FPS gameplay. I wholeheartedly agree, I wish Firesprite great success, too.

@twenty90seven Thanks for the compliment. I hope you don’t think I'm being finicky, but I find that Eurogamer has superb content. Just one example is Digital Foundry. Not only is it always ace to check out Richard Leadbetter's work – I've been reading his reviews since early 1990s CVG and Mean Machines – but John Linneman is one of my favourite retro writers of modern times. His technical breakdowns of retro games are stunning, and first-class. Honestly, if anyone here likes retro games and you see the name John Linneman on a Eurogamer or Digital Foundry article, read it fast. If it’s a video, click on it sharpish!

@Cornaboyzzz I hear you, I have such nostalgia from playing Psygnosis' 1989 Shadow of the Beast on the Amiga. I was in awe of its top-notch graphics and presentation in my younger days, but I was rubbish at actually progressing through the tough and abrasive gameplay.

@KALofKRYPTON I wish that SEGA would bring their arcade Super Scaler games to PS4. There is an excellent 3DS compilation called Sega 3D Classics Collection with arcade versions of Galaxy Force II, Power Drift, and Thunder Blade. Each one of those coin-ops would be fully boss on PS4.

I still have my original, very well worn issue of the red CVG special ‘Complete Guide to Consoles: Volume Two’ from 1990, where I first read an analysis of the original Atari Lynx version of Blue Lightning. On page 37 of that magazine – people would probably call it a bookazine nowadays – there is a 79% scoring review by the legend that is Julian 'Jaz' Rignall, where he describes it as, "A technically stunning Afterburner-style game."

Quite a few years ago now, my girlfriend and I were waiting for a tram after Play Blackpool, and just through luck I got the chance to chat to Jeff Minter – as you do! Amongst other things, he was talking about his memories of the Atari Lynx, and I’m sure he mentioned playing Blue Lightning.

Asides from my not-so-classy name dropping, my point is that I love learning about retro games that I had never heard of before. I had no idea the Jaguar CD had a Blue Lightning game, so I was chuffed when Stuart Tilley described it here.

I wish that Attention to Detail could have somehow ported it to the original PlayStation during the 1995 to 1996 launch period. Blue Lightning on Jaguar CD was published by Atari, so I am essentially wishing for the impossible, but I guess that sometimes games released on less-popular consoles can be more easily forgotten over time.

I may sound like a bit of a caveman saying this, but a sprite-scaler arcade game like Afterburner and Thunder Blade may have even aged better than some of the first 32-bit polygon titles. Especially if its style was similar to SEGA’s classic Super Scaler coin-ops.

Thanks lots again to both Lee Carus and Stuart Tilley for this interview. All of their history with Psygnosis and Studio Liverpool fascinates me, and Lee's explanation of the earliest fridge-sized PlayStation dev kit was brilliant. They are PlayStation pioneers these guys, no doubt. Great stuff!

Man, reading Sammy’s review makes me want to play The Persistence all of the way through, for sure. I really like his introduction about the game being built upon the need to persist — not just in the way you survive the horror — but in how each deck design is procedurally generated to keep you on your toes, and how battling through to earn upgrades and new abilities rewards the player’s persistence. I found the parry mechanic of the block satisfying when I played it, too. Great review, Sammy.

In answer to a couple of questions in the comments section, first of all when I visited Firesprite they mentioned a 6 – 8 hour playthrough time from start-to-finish. However, they said that this time will differ, because stealth and action approaches are “chalk and cheese”, so some players will take longer using a stealth play-style. Sammy mentions in his review how it is cool that The Persistence has moments that make you feel overpowered in short bursts, and Firesprite described to me that the game was deliberately designed that way.

In regards to the PS Move and PSVR Aim controller questions above, I have copied Stuart Tilley’s answer in from my Firesprite interview here:

Push Square: Did Firesprite consider including a PlayStation Move option for motion-based aiming controls during development?

Stuart Tilley (Game Director, The Persistence): "We designed the game to work with DualShock 4, the DualShock is perfect for first-person games, you’ve got both the sticks and we know that everyone who has got a PlayStation definitely has a DualShock 4, so we designed the game for that. A lot of players, and people online have asked for the potential of doing support for Move controllers, so we will see how it goes. I think basically what the public’s perception is to that? We’re not averse to doing it, but it’s going to be quite a challenge for us to do. If we’re going to do it, we want to do a brilliant job of it, rather than to just throw it in, essentially".

Thanks for the comments everyone, reading about your first experiences of PSVR and your thoughts on motion sickness have made me reflect more upon my time with The Persistence, too.

If you notice from my descriptions here, I approached tackling the first deck very slowly and steadily. Considering direct quotes from my recount above I was “edging around each corner”, and “using a torch to cautiously brighten dark corners”, which was “making me pause to reflect.” I was conscious of “my mindful steps”, and “I would stop at length”, so there was even one point where “I froze on the spot.” I concluded that “I’d first play The Persistence using stealth.”

I definitely didn’t feel one bit of nausea, but my trepidation meant that there was a deliberate control over how much motion was involved, and my approach was certainly much slower than fast moving gameplay in something like Vanquish.

Perhaps approaching it so carefully — precisely because I was apprehensive about jump scares — actually made playing a horror game my ideal first introduction to adjusting to motion in PSVR.

Also take into account that my hands-on play was possibly over an hour, but part of that time was spent trying out the Solex companion app on a tablet. The Solex companion app surprised me in some ways, because it provided a light, fresh and playful perspective on a scary game. It turned The Persistence into a couch co-op game – or ‘couch uncooperative’ if you cunningly prefer to obstruct the main player – and Solex was a fun addition that I wasn’t really expecting.

@Tasuki Your point about the release price of Transformers: Devastation is valid for me, because I bought it new for £30 on its first week of release, which is about $45 in the US. I've easily found good value for money from it after repeated plays, plus I'm planning to complete it again in the holidays.

@sinalefa I agree with you, the replay value of mastering techniques still applies to Transformers: Devastation with skills like activating slow-motion by dodging, mixing up light and heavy melee combos, using unique character abilities, and shooting down ranged enemies. Players can also charge around as a vehicle, and use a smart bomb type ultimate attack on L3 and R3. Note that I really enjoyed The Wonderful 101 on my Wii U, too, so I'd be happy if TMNT surprised us by somehow adopting its isometric view for a four-player cooperative mode.

@themcnoisy I'm actually still choosing my favourite three games for your Forum Members GOTY 2015 list. My top choice is a lengthy open world game that I spent many hours completing for its unlockable ending, but I'm confident with a much shorter game as my second choice. I'm struggling to choose my third pick, though. A hectic year meant that I only played about 10 hours each of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, and Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, but I pretty much only ever choose games that I've completed as my Game of the Year picks. I’m actually buzzing from having the three classics on PS4 in Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection at the moment, and I think I'll complete Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune again tonight, so it's likely that I'll have a remaster as a contender for third place.

It's fun to speculate about this TMNT title, especially as it’s developed by PlatinumGames, but it's still very early days, of course.

@get2sammyb Yep, this excellent news for me, plus it makes complete sense following Transformers Devastation. PlatinumGames already have a beautiful looking cel-shading engine to capture the look of an eighties' cartoon, and they've proven that they can deliver more accessible Bayonetta fighting mechanics, but still maintain plenty of depth.

This is all perfect for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, although I hope that gamers don't obsess too much about a short game length, and start focussing more on the importance of replayability with these games instead. A four or five hour game length for a title that I repeatedly complete is ideal for me.

This news will draw further comparisons between PlatinumGames and classic arcade, SNES and Mega Drive era Konami, too. Just like @Rogue76 mentioned above, I instantly thought of Konami's side-scrolling beat-'em-up games like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Arcade Game and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time.

Whenever I see the 16-bit Konami logo sweep down onto the screen – and hear the chime as colour is added – I instantly think of quality. The name PlatinumGames makes me feel the same way, Transformers Devastation is me second favourite game this year after Batman: Arkham Knight.

Admittedly, this game will need a new hook – the transformations into vehicles were cool in Transformers Devastation – so perhaps its time for PlatinumGames to add a bit of co-op into their brawler games.

Thanks for the compliments on my review in this comments section, it's always appreciated.

@carlos82 Spot on, I've been playing Super Star Wars the old-school way, too. There’s no need for me to save at all on easy difficulty, because I can blast through the entire game comfortably without even thinking about saving. I like controlling Han whenever possible, and using the homing shots of the seeker is fun. However, I played brave difficulty without saving last night, but I lost my last two credits on the Mode 7 Death Star Attack stage again. I don't have an effective X-wing technique to avoid squandering lives before taking down the 20 towers and the 20 TIE fighters. If I reach the final Trench Battle level I can complete it without losing any more lives. I'll never beat Jedi difficulty the traditional way, though, I need to save often on the hardest difficulty.

@Bad-MuthaAdebisi It wasn't my intention to dislike or loathe the prequel trilogy, my point was that there was much more positivity around Star Wars in 1992 when the original trilogy was the core story, and the fans adored those characters. I watch Revenge of the Sith all the time, because I really enjoy it. It has an action packed opening, Order 66 is shocking and epic, plus the Mustafar lightsaber duel is atmospheric.

@dnky666 Funnily enough Issue 97 of Retro Gamer magazine that I discuss above also has a feature called The Making of Zzap!64 on pages 62 to 67.

Some games are simply a complete treat for a reviewer. I love covering the PSone here, and analysing PlayStation retro games, but this Super Star Wars review is my personal favourite piece of writing this year. Thank you as always to the kind folks at Push Square.

Below are my references to a selection of the many retro magazines I read to research this review:

• Control, Issue 5, January 1993, Super Star Wars preview, pages 10 to 13. Control includes a nice quote about the visuals, they said that "Graphically, one can only call Super Star Wars amazing. From the cute animation of Luke, with his flowing locks and beaming smile, through to the slickly presented flying stages, it oozes quality".
• Nintendo Magazine System, Issue 5, February 1993, Super Star Wars review, pages 74 to 77. Tim Boone and Jaz Rignall scored it 93/100.
• Retro Gamer, Issue 97, December 2011, pages 34 to 39, The Making of Super Star Wars Trilogy by Mike Bevan. An awesome feature covering Kalani Streicher working at LucasArts, find it and read it.
• Retro Gamer, Issue 148, October 2015, SNES 25 Years: Playing With Power feature, pages 58 to 67. Written by Push Square's very own Damien McFerran, there are discussion points about the SNES' "sluggish CPU" and a cool quote from Chris Sutherland's time at Rare, where he reflects upon Mode 7. Sutherland explained that "We actually stayed clear of Mode 7 for the most part, because the ability to scale and rotate was so new and shiny, it felt like it was obligatory". I became frustrated with the X-wing shoot-'em-up Death Star surface section on the Jedi difficulty, so this quote felt apt to me.
• Super Play, Issue 4, February 1993, Super Star Wars import review, pages 34 to 37. Matt Bielby scored it 89%.
• The Super NES Book/ The Mega Drive Book. This Retro Gamer bookazine is currently available, and includes a second print of The Making of Super Star Wars Trilogy by Mike Bevan on pages 74 to 79.

@Tasuki, @AhabSpampurse, and @LieutenantFatman: Thank you for showing an interest in the Push Square review of Super Star Wars, and cheers for your kind words about my retro reviews specifically, Victor. I am always interested to read about the classic titles that Tasuki revisits in What Are You Playing? features, and on Push Square's forums.

I am also disappointed that Super Star Wars has not been released on the European PlayStation Store, yet. I am based in the UK, and I have been checking for it regularly on our PSN today without any success.

My understanding is that PS4 Star Wars Battlefront is released in Europe on Thursday 19th November, so I have a bit of a new hope that Super Star Wars has only been held back in the UK to coincide with DICE's game being released.

I will check for Super Star Wars on PSN again up until Friday, and in the meantime I will just keep playing my SNES cartridge. Keep your fingers crossed this week European Star Wars PS4 and PS Vita retro fans, plus I hope everyone in North America is enjoying it.

@Quintumply Thank you, it is kind of you to say that you are loving these retro pieces, I have more side-scrolling PSone reviews planned for Push Square in the future.

@get2sammyb Cheers, my friend, I love learning and sharing smaller details about these retro games.

Below are a few links to articles that I have referenced in this review:

• Evan Wells talking to Game Informer, taken from an interview in Issue 227, this feature is called My First Game: Evan Wells – ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron. In the credits for GEX Evan is listed as a designer of secret levels, and for creating 3D spaceships.
• Gregg Tavares discussing GEX and his experience as a programmer on the game.
• Lyle Hall’s Gamasutra piece called Playing Catch-Up: GEX’s Lyle Hall, taken from 2007. Lyle Hall was the producer of GEX, and he is noted as being responsible for the character concept of GEX in the credits of the game.

Just like @Azikira has contributed here, I am interested in hearing gamers share their thoughts and experiences of PSone GEX, or finding out if they played it on 3DO, Saturn, or PC. If anyone has trouble with PSone GEX’s password system, remember to keep returning to the Tomato Soup level in the first Cemetery world, because GEX can find an easy video tape collectible for a password every time. This VHS tape at the end of Tomato Soup is essentially a way to constantly save your progress.

@JoeBlogs There is no harm in sharing the link to The Mean Machines Archive twice, mate, it's a quality resource, so it's always worth telling other fans of Mean Machines about it.

@Churchy Thanks, the way in which you still played Mickey's Wild Adventure even though you're not a fan of Disney reminds me of how I tried to learn the rules of American football in 1990, just so that I could play John Madden Football on the Mega Drive.

@electrolite77 My laptop is over-the-hill and cranky, with very little hard drive space, so I mainly read my old physical copies of magazines. I understand that keeping storage of lots of gaming magazines becomes a real space issue, though, because I lose space in my flat because of it, but I really enjoy sitting and flicking through a well-worn gaming magazine. I remember that there is a site called The Out of Print Archive that works to preserve classic gaming publications, too. Cheers.

@AG_Awesome Thank you very much clearing this up for us, and sharing it with @audiobrainiac here, it was kind of you to take the time to check the release status of Mickey's Wild Adventure on the North American PSN. It's a shame that the PSone version of Mickey Mania didn't make it to the US. I know that on the UK's PSN we received Japanese import PSone games like GaiaSeed that have an NTSC 60Hz display, but I don't really understand the technicalities of reversing the situation to run a PAL 50Hz game on an American television.

@RawShark I'm with you all the way here, it was the Mean Machines section in CVG around about 1988 and 1989 that really kicked off my heightened interest in gaming magazines. I have a decent collection of CVG — my magazines take up a lot of my flat's space though — and Nintendo Magazine System, but less issues of Mean Machines SEGA.

The issue five of Mean Machines that I referenced in this review has fantastic SNES Final Fight art, by the way, not just for its cover, but in a tips sections too.

SEGA Saturn Magazine is one of the stand-out publications that was able to expertly express the passions of core gamers in its coverage of genres like shmups and one-on-one fighters. MAXIMUM is another example of this, you're right to mention Richard Leadbetter, the detail of his work has consistently impressed me. I agree that it's brilliant to still read modern articles by Rich and Jaz today, the column in Retro Gamer by Paul Davies is similarly great, although I couldn't find Paul Davies' piece in the latest Retro Gamer issue 147 when I bought it today.

I also have a complete collection of the SNES magazine Super Play, it was definitely one of my favourite 1990s gaming publications.

It's awesome that you were able to appear in a classic magazine during a tournament, mate. I think it’s great to hear retro gamers discuss such fond memories. Cheers.

@themcnoisy That button spelling of the cheat code for Mega Drive Aladdin is genius, thanks for sharing it. I know that many retro gamers debate about whether the Capcom SNES or Virgin Games/ Disney Software Mega Drive version of Aladdin was better, but I think that we were lucky in the 16-bit era to have two great Aladdin games. Then again, none of the gamers I knew in 1993 owned both a SNES and a Mega Drive, so we would have to visit a friends' house to play a rival system. It's cool that Shinji Mikami worked on the SNES' Aladdin, though. As a side-note, take into account that PSone Mickey's Wild Adventure is noticeably more challenging than Mega Drive Castle of Illusion at first, especially when you initially adjust to keeping Mickey’s distance from a barrage of hits. It doesn't take too long to master, though, and it becomes a satisfying game to complete.

@RawShark Cheers, I still own all 24 issues of Mean Machines, and I read them quite often. I even bought duplicates of some issues, because my originals had become so worn and tattered from me over-reading them. I'm sure you know this already, but just in case you haven't heard of it, you should definitely check out The Mean Machines Archive if you are a fan of the legendary UK magazine.

@gingerfrog Yep, my nostalgia for the Mega Drive version of Castle of Illusion is through the roof, too. Spot on.

@JerriKoe I am glad that you enjoyed my review, thanks right back at you for the compliment, Push Square will try our best to keep the retro content coming.

@audiobrainiac I don't have access to the American PSN through my PS Vita, PS3, or PSP. I'm based in the UK, so the review was written from playing the European PSone game. My understanding is that it finally received a US release on PSN in 2012. Instead of only searching for Mickey's Wild Adventure, try searching PSN for its alternative name of Mickey Mania: The Timeless Adventures of Mickey Mouse. I imagine that it will be very nicely presented in NTSC with 60Hz for American gamers. Good luck if you decide to search for it.

@mookysam I agree completely, the art style in this game looks beautiful on the PS3, but it especially shines on my PS Vita.

As always if anyone would like a natter about this game, I will check in on the comments here.

I also reviewed the SNES version of Mickey Mania five years ago for Nintendo Life, and I have completed it on SNES and PSone, if any of you are interested in discussing the differences between the console games.

Even if you don't want to chat about Mickey's Wild Adventure specifically, but enjoy talking about other related subjects like retro gaming magazines, classic gaming publications are another subject that captures my interest.

This is a really excellent feature, I was especially excited to read it as soon as I noticed it was written by Paul Davies, his perspective as a games journalist who covered the transition from 16-bit to 32-bit, plus the boom of the fifth generation is fascinating. I've been reading Paul's work for over 20 years now, his writing style is so affable and welcoming, and he conveys his memories of one of my favourite eras in such a warm-hearted way.

I was also reading Paul's Retro Radar column in issue 146 of Retro Gamer recently, and this month's Play it Loud piece on how much he loves gaming music complements what he's describing about the tunes in WipEout here really nicely.

Big cheers to Push Square and to Paul Davies, I'm flicking through my fingerprint worn July 1996 issue 176 of CVG now in honour of this article. I'm reading this magazine in a new context now, it must have been at the point that the CVG team were starting to take the PSone more seriously, because it's brimming with PSone content. Highlights for the original PlayStation in CVG #176 include a 1996 E3 show report, two pieces on Jumping Flash! 2, and reviews of International Track & Field, Resident Evil, Return Fire, and Rockman X3.

Just as Paul is describing CVG's early impressions of Crash Bandicoot in this article, issue 176 has a small E3 '96 box-out on it that describes Naughty Dog's game as "Not as alternative as Sonic X-Treme, nor ground-breaking as Super Mario 64, but SCEA’s new mascot is arguably more sumptuous than either to behold". Good times, for sure.

@JaxonH Unfortunately, there is still no news about PSone games becoming available on the PS4.

This is a purely retro review, in a similar manner to how Nintendo Life reviews retro games even when they are not part of Virtual Console on Wii U or 3DS.

The PSone version of Rayman is available on more modern systems too, for example I played the game extensively on my PS3 and PS Vita. I started a replay of Rayman from scratch on PS Vita when my skills improved, to see how much faster I could complete the levels, and it looks especially vibrant on my original Vita's OLED screen.

We also thought that reviewing one of 1995's PSone launch period games would be a nice fit as part of Push Square celebrating PlayStation's 20th Anniversary in Europe today. Check out the PSone tag for more articles about Sony's 32-bit birthday console.

@get2sammyb Thank you, Sammy, you’re very kind, as always. I agree, I'd be happy to write more PSone retro reviews for Push Square.

@SteveButler2210 I hear what you're saying about how you struggled when you first played Rayman. My initial experience of Rayman many moons ago was to buzz from its art style – I remember thinking how the design of the little Antitoons reminded me of sprites in SEGA's brilliant Ristar – but eventually I submitted to frustration. I was playing it in an old-school manner, I didn't even use the memory card, I tried to repeatedly collect 100 Tings to hoard extra lives, and I was recording my progress by writing down passwords. Trouble is it became laborious, because I was obsessing about rescuing Electoon cages, and I started losing lives faster than I was stockpiling them. In the context of 2015, I honestly recommend that gamers should take the pressure off at the outset, and use the ten continues cheat for endless lives. I also advise that players should not worry about finding cages for the full ending, just enjoy learning the level at first. This was much more fun for me, and it allowed me to master the more confusing level layouts, including making Rayman follow Ting trails or crawl to look for leaps of faith. Also, remember to listen for the chime sound that indicates you've triggered a change in the stage (new platforms appear, and checkpoint signposts pop up etc).

@Quintumply Issue 90 of Retro Gamer magazine is interesting for a Rayman fan, it’s from May 2011, and the feature is called The Making of Rayman. In this issue Darran Jones finds out details about its development from Michel Ancel. I reference it in my review.

I’ll hairlycopter hover around the comments on this review, just in case there are any questions about the first Rayman game. Wishing a Happy 20th Birthday to the European PSone!

I think that Xeodrifter complemented Super Time Force Ultra as part of September 2015's PS Plus update by including a decent couple of PS4 and PS Vita cross-buy titles. It was a good month for my taste in gaming, I always appreciate the chance to play a new side-scrolling retro influenced adventure on both my console, and the convenience of my handheld. Even though Xeodrifter is not cross-save between the PS4 and PS Vita, it doesn't really need save transfers, because the maps are tightly packed and accessible.

If anyone is still unsure about Xeodrifter after reading the review, and is a fan of the Metroidvania sub-genre, my advice would be to play the game until you earn the initial four power-ups to give it a chance. You could potentially reach the halfway point in just over an hour, if you're not too concerned with gathering collectibles for 100% completion, so you'll have a better understanding of the different gameplay mechanics that Renegade Kid introduces throughout your progress.

Also, the term "pixelated pyrotechnics" is not my own, I took it from a Eugene Jarvis quote that he used to describe the visuals in his 1980 Williams arcade game, Defender, in Retro Gamer Issue 129's The Hardest Games Of All Time feature.

@LieutenantFatman I quite like pixel graphics being blown up on a big HDTV's display, I guess I have memories of my tiny black and white telly when I first bought a Mega Drive in 1990, so I still buzz from seeing sprites on a big screen.

The only minor visual disadvantage I can think of from playing Xeodrifter on the Vita is that the main sprite looks teensy when you leap into the background with the Plane Shift Power. I didn't play it on the 3DS, but like @chiptoon says, I imagine that the stereoscopic 3D effect would work well for plane shifting in this game.

I also noticed the Vita game slow down slightly when the diddy little sprite is in the background plane, too, but it was a rare occurrence, and only when the screen was especially busy with enemies.

Overall, I was happy to beat Xeodrifter a second time on my PS Vita, after completing it on the PS4 first. It feels rewarding to take advantage of learning the order of planets where each boss appears, and the most efficient routes to find them, so it was fun to whizz through the Vita version.

I've included some links to features and articles below, which caught my eye when I was learning more about Xeodrifter for this review:

• A blog called Xeodrifter Postmortem on Gamasutra, written by the game's design and art developer, Jools Watsham.
• Nintendo Life's A Year in Development - Renegade Kid feature, where the developer discusses Xeodrifter's place in the studio’s 2014 release schedule.
• PlayStation EU Blog Xeodrifter launches soon on PS4 report by Vernon Vrolijk of Gambitious Digital Entertainment, highlighting how they became a publishing partner with Renegade Kid for the PlayStation ports of Xeodrifter.
• Although it's not specifically about Xeodrifter this piece is a treat for UK Commodore Amiga fans who used to read The One magazine during the early 1990s, because it's a Nintendo Life feature called The Short But Sweet Games Journalism Career Of Renegade Kid's Jools Watsham.

I'll check in on the comments here, just in case there are any questions about the game. I completed Xeodrifter on both the PS4 and PS Vita if anyone wants to know more about the Vita version.

@get2sammyb Thanks for mentioning me in your description of Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara, it was kind of you to send a nod in my direction when discussing this Instant Game Collection retro treat.

@get2sammyb Aww, shucks, in hindsight I'd have preferred to have taken a bite from a fresh Destiny apple, rather than upset the team's applecart. Hopefully there will be another game soon, which all of the writers will be playing during the same weekend, and history can be made. D’oh! Metro Redux ended up being a worthwhile choice, considering I was aiming for a single-player focus, though. That game was a bargain, I enjoyed its bleakly inviting context, – along with a mysterious and supernatural story – which kept me interested enough to complete Metro 2033 Redux in a few sittings.

@NicolaHayden Yep, I live within a stone's throw of the River Mersey, presuming you can lash a stone a hefty distance, mind you.

There are so many quality screenshots in this feature, I'm actually finding photo mode to be such a fun distraction in The Last of Us Remastered –alongside an obsession with finding all of the game's collectibles – so it’s taking me twice as long to complete the game. I've only just reached winter recently.

Here are a few more of my pictures meshed together in a TwitPic montage:

@SimonAdebisi I agree, I was very impressed with how much work Eric Chahi carried out over two hard-working years by himself. Two years was a fairly lengthy development time for a 16-bit game launched in 1991. I'm not sure if he had an office, or a work space, I used the term 'bedroom coder' more to describe an independent attitude that was prevalent during the day, but he definitely worked alone for a long time.

I think his main source of assistance came from his friend Jean-Francois Freitas, who worked on the audio and music composition side of development. Chahi even painted the cover art used on the Commodore Amiga box, which is also the title screen image in the 20th Anniversary edition.

Here's another quote from Retro Gamer magazine (Issue 24) from Chahi to demonstrate how he was an independent developer: "I felt that I had something very personal to communicate and in order to bring my true vision to others, I had to develop the title on my own." Chahi also discussed the process of dealing with publishers in 1991, by saying in the Retro Gamer interview that "I didn't decide to go it alone for the challenge, but because I felt it was necessary to create my game without any commercial pressure."

It's worth hunting down issue 24 of that Retro Gamer magazine for any gamers who are interested in Another World, if it’s not too hard to find. You can also read The Making of Another World feature on page 144 of the very first Retro Gamer Collection: Volume 1 bookazine.

Another World is an example of how a retro game can be indie too.

**** Edit: I just found a video on YouTube video called Another World - The Making Of with Eric Chahi, which says that it was "Created at his parents' home by a young graphic programmer."

I couldn't help but include a few cheesy Star Trek references here – from "final frontier", to "strange new worlds", as well as "new life and new civilizations" – but in a way developers like Jordan Mechner and Eric Chahi were exploring uncharted territory and a new frontier through the sub-genre of side-scrolling cinematic platformers, in 1989 and 1991 respectively.

During my research for this review I read an excellent interview by Martyn Carroll, as part of The Making of Another World in Retro Gamer magazine (Issue 24, April 2006, p.34-37). Below are some interesting Eric Chahi quotes taken from the magazine:

• Eric Chahi on cinematic video games: "I wanted to extract the essence of a movie – the rhythm and the drama – and place it into game form."
• Chahi’s thoughts on Another World’s difficulty curve: "The trial and error aspect doesn't disturb me though. Another World is a game of survival in a hostile world, and it really is about life and death. Death doesn't mean the end of the game but it is a part of the exploration."
• Finally, here is Eric Chahi’s response to the SEGA CD’s 1994 pseudo-sequel, Heart of the Alien (as far as I know Heart of the Alien didn't receive a PAL Mega-CD release): "The soul of the original game was missing, and I felt more than a little deceived when I saw that my original concept had been destroyed."

There's also an interesting interview on the PlayStation EU Blog with Eric Chahi (design, program and artwork), Martial Hesse-Dréville (programming), and Abrial Dacosta (CEO, The Digital Lounge). The interview is called Classic platformer Another World is coming to PS4.

@divinelite It's worth noting that Eric Chahi worked fervently, and almost in solitary on Another World for two years before its 1991 release, during an era when bedroom coders thrived. It was then published by Delphine Software. This epitomises the spirit of an independent developer in my eyes.

Man, I must have been guzzling down the positivity juices when I contributed to this, because I’ve not discussed my fears at all, so my section reads as one hope after another. I also made a mistake here by referring to The Order: 1886 as a steampunk setting, since I forgot that Ready at Dawn’s co-founder, Ru Weerasuriya, had told Joystiq that the game is grounded more in reality than fantastical steampunk technologies.

I guess my only concern for E3 2014 is that it requires such a vast amount of time, resources, investment, and pressure to develop a triple-A game on the PlayStation 4, so I don’t know if this will reduce the number of new prominent first-party titles at E3. As I’ve noted above, my expectations are really high based upon previous Sony press conference highlights, for example I mentioned Naughty Dog’s stellar live demos, but I’m not sure if it’s still too early in the generation for a show stealing stage display.

Furthermore, it has grown increasingly challenging for publishers to keep a secret from the media in this industry. I also imagine developers will want to avoid controversy, the likes of which have been brought about by raising gamer’s expectations of visual fidelity based upon target renders. I presume the lessons of unrealistic Killzone 2 and Watch Dogs E3 demos have been taken into consideration.

However, we’re seven months into the eighth generation now, so with forward planning, and a large dollop of secrecy, it’s not impossible for a dynamite first-party reveal. I can’t help but be excited for E3 2014, overall. I’ve built my own buzz and hype in my head, so my hopes greatly outweigh my fears. Alongside the Christmas games rush, and the UK expos in September and October, E3 is my favourite part of the gaming year.

Good luck to Push Square’s news and editorial team this week, too. I greatly enjoy the coverage of E3 here, and I appreciate the work and energy that goes into reporting on such an unrelenting barrage of gaming announcements. Enjoy E3 2014, everyone!

@calin1010 Looking at your list, it's clear that our taste in games is similar, I rate both Batman: Arkham City and Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception very highly. Sometimes when you enjoy the genre and gameplay feel of a series, presuming that the quality is consistent with each instalment, it's the set-pieces and events in the game that determines what becomes your favourite instalment in a franchise. You've chosen a top-five that I can fully support, although I'm perhaps unwisely waiting with my fingers crossed for an as yet unannounced PlayStation 4 release of Grand Theft Auto V.

@Gemuarto You certainly have a passion for Dead to Rights: Retribution, plus its brawling looks meaty, so you've captured my interest in Volatile Games' 2010 title. If I find a cheap boxed retail PS3 copy I'll buy it and check it out. I remember in Shadow Dancer from 1989 in the arcades and on the Mega Drive you had a gnarly dog companion, so I'm interested in a game with a canine ally, other than Call of Duty: Ghosts. The dog in Dead to Rights: Retribution is even called Shadow!

@Godsire- Cool, we share an appreciation of Batman: Arkham Asylum slightly above Arkham City. I found all of Christopher Nolan's Batman films to be excellent, Batman Begins is fantastic, although The Dark Knight is my favourite of the movie trilogy.

@JMC You make a good point about returning to open world games in particular. I find that the structure of the story sections dotted around a map, alongside numerous side missions, combine to make it hard to remember what is the next task when you return to a sandbox game after too long of a hiatus. I hope that you enjoy The Last of Us more when you return to it, and it grabs your attention for longer, it's quite possibly my favourite game from my top five.

@JMC I own multiple gaming systems and handhelds, so I find that quality new games are released at such a fervent pace that it's hard to keep up by completing all titles before moving on to a new game.

The trouble is that the difficulty curve in some games is so stringent, and this applies to The Last of Us and Vanquish, that returning to later stages when you're out of practice can be surprisingly punishing.

On the flip-side, the way that the plot events in The Last of Us develop is excellent the further you ramble through the game, and Vanquish manages to increase its scale and intensity towards the end. I like the final locations in both Killzone 3 and Vanquish, the backdrops are similar in the way they increase the context of the science-fiction setting. There are two decent final boss battles in Vanquish too, plus it has a neat little take on the developer credit sequence, as an extra treat for finishing it.

Good luck beating these games, I hope you get the chance to complete them in the future. Have fun!

I really like @nathanuc1988's list, it reflects the diversity in taste between each staff member at Push Square, even early on in our 'Games of the Generation' series of features.

My list is a bit heavy on blockbusters, but I think Nathan's selections cover a greater sense of contrast between each gaming genre. I always have time for the LittleBigPlanet games, and it's interesting that Nathan chose the PlayStation exclusive Demon's Souls over its multi-platform spiritual sequel. It's good to see the original release receive some kudos.

Great stuff Nathan, I look forward to reading the other Push Square staff member's lists, too.

I think it’s been particularly ace during the PlayStation 3 generation that I’ve shared these experiences with other gamers. Most of the games on this list have been completed and scrutinised together by meeting up with my cousin and friends, because we’ve spent many a hung-over Sunday taking turns to play-through a single-player story mode. Just as I mentioned about my girlfriend, the advancement of more compelling story components in modern games can be almost as fun to watch, as they are to play.

Thanks to Push Square I’m also more involved with a community of PlayStation gamers, and I’ve shared my first hands-on of potential future classics with the team at expos, meet-ups and events. For example, cheers to @Dazza who recommended Arkham Asylum to me, I completed it after he tweeted me to praise Rocksteady’s Titan-sized Batman bonanza late in 2009. A game may well be on my radar, but my interest piques when it’s another gamer who recommends it. I’m always grateful for this, like how @get2sammyb first turned my attention to Resogun and Velocity 2X.

@CanisWolfred I’m still a fan of Killzone 2, but I prefer how the journey through Killzone 3 takes in a vaster range of Helghan’s sights. As you mentioned, it’s the PS Move controls that make the difference to me, I completed it with the core motion control set-up at home, but I also agree with @chazaroonie, because I had lots of fun using the Move sharp shooter on this game at my cousin’s house. I definitely recommend Killzone 3, its set-pieces are well positioned to pace the action, and it rounds off the trilogy effectively by linking back to the feel of the first game.

The idea of a seven year life cycle also interests me. I find the North American release dates between each console paints a clear picture of this, because the time span has grown proportionally in the US from the original PlayStation (five years), PlayStation 2 (six years) and PlayStation 3 (seven years). However, it’s also indicative of how Sony’s view of each market has altered, with Japan having to wait a long seven years and three months between the release of PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4. In contrast the UK’s lifespan for Sony’s second and third consoles has balanced to become directly comparable to each other, as PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3 share an approximate release date life cycle in the UK of six and a half years.

Apologies, I edited this comment, because I had replied to the wrong people about Killzone 2 and 3.

@eliotgballade No worries at all, I'm happy to hear your thoughts about your favourite retro games in the survival horror genre, plus there's always time to talk about the Dreamcast.

Unfortunately, I can't contribute much to your Blue Stinger discussion with @Beaston61, although I remember reading about it in the Dreamcast magazines during Halloween time in 1999.

I think that the first time I heard about that title was a 'Coming Soon' feature in the awesome SEGA Saturn Magazine. This was late in 1998 just as the Saturn, and consequently the UK's quality official Saturn magazine, were both coming to the end of their life.

Those magazines also covered a 1998 Saturn game that was published by SEGA, called Deep Fear. This title was directly comparable to Resident Evil, but it didn't have fixed camera angles, plus it had an interesting setting where the survival horror took place deep below the ocean.

@charlesnarles Resident Evil is a special offer Horror Sale price of £3.99 here in the UK, so I hope it's on special offer for you in the US, too (although it sounds as though you got a few Resi games for free on PS Plus).

The entire game is set in the mansion grounds, if that makes sense. You spend time between the mansion, gardens and the guardhouse, but the map becomes larger through underground areas. Umbrella has been up to their experimental tricks at Spencer Mansion, you see.

Your health status is shown as a green heart and pulse monitor, I think it's called an electrocardiogram. Jill is especially weak, so she can only take a few bites from a zombie. Chris is stronger, but his route is noticeably more challenging and he's missing two vital carrying slots, which makes item management more frustrating.

You can boost a low health meter with green herbs, but experimenting with green, red and blue herbs is most advisable, especially if you are hit by poison.

The game doesn't really take itself too seriously at all, perhaps I was being a bit too stony-faced by expecting it to remain scary and tense all of the time.

You have to use ink ribbons at a typewriter, or in a save room, to save your game. These become more scarce if you play on the advanced difficulty setting, but if you get a feel for this game on the training mode, there are lots of spare ink ribbons to save with.

Note. My understanding is that the US release of Resident Evil on PSN is the DualShock version, so you'll have the option of analogue controls and rumble effects, too. Sadly, I personally think that the new soundtrack in the DualShock version is not as effective as the original arrangements. It still sounds creepy enough, though.

@eliotgballade I hear what you're saying, I've heard other gamers mention that they enjoy the cheesiness and silly quotes from PSone Resident Evil. For this review I completed this game again as Jill, and I played most of Chris' route, and it stood out to me that Capcom’s Production Studio 4 had carefully crafted such a choked atmosphere throughout the entire journey, so the cut-scenes began to spoil the tense mood for me.

Even if Resident Evil has the visual trappings of a 17 year old game, I think it’s worth remembering that Capcom added lots of detail to this early PSone title. For example, despite being shot to the ground, an enemy can still rise again to nibble at your ankles, so recognising distinctive death groans and pools of blood that indicate a definite fatality is important.

Resident Evil is also remembered for classic set-pieces that startle the player, the early Cerberus attack through the hall windows is a notable shock moment. Capcom’s level designers continued to play on this with repeated jump scares in the game, and by mixing them up with altered puzzles and new mansion locations in the GameCube version.

If this is anyone's first attempt at PSone Resident Evil, I’d be interested in hearing how challenging Push Square's readers find the puzzles, obviously without consulting the guidance of a walkthrough. There are difficulty spikes and sections where the pacing of the game feels more testing, predominantly when save rooms are spread thinly apart. For example, after a boss battle with the humongous snake, Yawn, there’s a basement section leading to the kitchen, library and Hunter infested halls, where the progression tried my patience this time around.

@jgrangervikings It's great that my review has intrigued you about the game, your comment is a nice example of how a review analysis can say more with its words, rather than just the score allocated at the end.

There are a number of positives about Total Recoil and I hope that Eiconic build upon these in future PlayStation Vita games. The upgrade system would work brilliantly, if the in-game price of each item was lowered, and the variety of specific gameplay 'Challenges' is a thoughtful addition to add replay value to the game.

The physical dual-stick controls on Vita are far more sturdy than when using an iOS/ Android touchscreen, so I hope that more indie developers bring twin-stick shooters to Sony's handheld, as they are an ideal fit for Vita.

It's cool that the voice-over work for the game's announcer is Tom Clarke-Hill too, because he voiced Tony the Tiger, the mascot for the Kellogg's Frosties breakfast cereal. I guess the loud shouting blurts of the announcer are a homage to arcade games, reminiscent of Midway's Smash TV and Total Carnage.

This game is another good example of Sony's current support of indie outfits, which is definitely something to celebrate. Like you said, I would much rather buy Total Recoil for £1.99 than a two litre bottle of Coke, or a McChicken sandwich, even if the sandwich came with fries!

Total Recoil is worth the £1.99 price tag (note, I'm in the UK, which is why I refer to its price in pounds). Thanks for your comment.

Thank you to everyone above for the kind comments about my review, I enjoyed covering Chronicles of Mystara a great deal for Push Square.

@odd69 Golden Axe: The Revenge of Death Adder was SEGA’s arcade sequel to the original classic, Golden Axe. It was a 1992 coin-op, so it should not be confused with the Mega Drive/ Genesis game Golden Axe II. Retro hack-and-slash and brawler fans have been eager for SEGA to port this game for a long time, because it has never been converted to console or computer before, plus it used SEGA's System 32 arcade hardware, which was very powerful for 1992.

Therefore, Revenge of Death Adder had strong sprites and colourful background art design, four-player co-op, as well as multiple path routes through the game. It is a shame and a missed opportunity that Golden Axe: The Revenge of the Death Adder remains unconverted, I would love for SEGA to port it with a HD gloss to PSN.

@Rogue76 Unfortunately, with the 7 hour time difference, I doubt I will get the chance for multiplayer Mystara this weekend. My weekend is busy with visits to family and friends, plus I am keen to dedicate any spare gaming time to playing a PS Vita game called Total Recoil for review.

I know that in the D&D review comments @odd69 showed an interest in meeting up with fans of this game online, so it may be an idea for one of us to set up a specific thread regarding connecting gamers for online co-op brawlers, perhaps in the PSN section of Push Square's forums.

Sorry about that, I am up for multiplayer, so I'm sure we’ll get chance to meet online for co-op soon. Have a good weekend, mate.

A very well deserved Game of the Month winner, nothing could touch Naughty Dog's stunning creativity in June, there was no need for an internal poll on this one.

We are just over six months into the year and The Last of Us has now overtaken the brilliance of BioShock Infinite as my Game of the Year, so far.

A great comment by @Paranoimia above, too: "We PlayStation fans may not have an iconic character, but we've certainly got an iconic developer."

@AceSpadeS Cheers for your comment, I found that there was so much to analyse between both games in Chronicles of Mystara, I am grateful to Push Square for the opportunity to discuss them here. It is these complexities that help make the game so replayable. To be fair, Sammy's The Last of Us review blows this out of the water for detail and in-depth scrutiny, though.

@JavierYHL Chronicles of Mystara is only available on PS3's PSN I'm afraid, it is not available for Vita. You are not the first person I have heard enquire about a Vita port, so hopefully Capcom are considering it, because the coin-op roots of these Dungeons & Dragons games would work great on handheld. **** Edit: Apologies, I posted this reply shortly after Damo's comment, I didn't realise he had already answered your question. ****

Good stuff, mate. I'm up for online multiplayer too, I'm away this weekend, but we could organise it if you get a spare moment next week. I'm in the UK, but I remember sorting out a multiplayer Simpsons Arcade session with a US gamer from Push Square and a convenient way to link-up our different time zones was by organising it through Twitter.

I tweet as JamieOretro, just in case you're on Twitter.

My review of Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara is live on Push Square now, too. I mentioned your point about online gamers skipping dialogue, I found that to be a little bit frustrating as well, because the story moves along quickly enough without skimming through it.

Thanks for discussing this game with me as I was doing all my preparatory work for the review. Cheers!

Thank you @Rogue76, that is such a nice thing to say. I'm glad that I was able to help you, I hope you are enjoying it.

I have managed about 12 hours of gaming time on Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara this weekend, I finished Shadow over Mystara a few times yesterday, too. Shadow over Mystara is a slightly longer game than Tower of Doom, it takes about an hour and a half to beat, which is approximately twenty minutes longer.

I just find these titles to be so re-playable. I also played a very smooth four-player co-op game, where I controlled the Dwarf. I like the feel of the brawling characters in comparison to the magic users, as magic attacks can slow the pace of the game.

Sunday is such a good day to play more of Chronicles of Mystara!

@Rogue76 I am going to be playing Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara on PSN all weekend. I have already put a significant amount of time into it, but I have consciously only concentrated on Tower of Doom to begin with, because I feel that I did not play that game enough when I owned the Saturn D&D collection.

I have completed PSN Tower of Doom all the way through four separate times, including single-player, two-player local co-op and online multiplayer twice (four-player and a two-player restricted game). I can already recommend a purchase of this for Tower of Doom alone, and that is taking into account that Shadow over Mystara is regularly considered the better game. I know Shadow over Mystara well and it is worthy of the high praise.

You mention in the comments section of the Sacred Citadel review that you enjoy multiplayer and this is brilliant in Chronicles of Mystara, although I encountered some slowdown during four-player online co-op, but it was smooth as silk for two and three-players, so it may have been a laggy connection.

Sacred Citadel has modern visuals, but Chronicles of Mystara still includes two fantastic looking games, it is a treat if you enjoy detailed sprites, pixels and background design. Capcom's title has more lastability with two separate games, branching paths, gameplay challenges and four different choices of difficulty. These Capcom Dungeons & Dragons games are rightly revered and loved as retro classics.

I'm going to be thorough with this one and there will be more information about Chronicles of Mystara on Push Square next week.