Recent reviews by Hellfire64

Is Battle Command an interesting game? Absolutely. Which is why this release doesn't do it justice at all. Reissuing the game without documentation is truly a lazy move.

It's a shame honestly - perhaps something to show new players why it might be worth diving into, instead of aiming for the nostalgia market with such a bare bones release could actually be useful and help keep it going.

But alas.

A delightfully frantic twist on an arcade classic, HYPER METEOR makes ramming space junk so much fun.

If you think the be all and end all of Solitaire is what you got with older Operating Systems, then this is the game to prove you wrong. Each of the games on offer take concepts you know and twist them around to offer an engrossing unique challenge.

It's all very chill, and really makes for a compulsive game to sit back and enjoy when you want something a little different and less hectic, but still oh so engaging.

art of rally fits well within the more arcade-style experiences of the past, and the modern simulation experiences of today. You won't be tuning your car for each stage, or have to focus on serious precision with your driving here.

The atmosphere is quite aesthetically pleasing, and along with the soundtrack make for an enjoyable race through the history of the sport.

As a throwback to a long forgotten age, Hyper Sentinel takes the arcade thrills you'd fine on computers of the era… and ramps the intensity up to 11.

With mechanics such as an energy bar (allowing you to take multiple hits over a single one), the dizzying assortment of weapon upgrades letting you sow chaos on the playfield - to the bosses which offer a dexterity challenge, along with the desire to beat your times, truly make you want to come back to it.

To top it off, there's the retro filters, which combined with the retro difficulty mode… really, really let you feel like you're back in 1986 again.

Some may say that arcade games don't offer replay value, or significant challenge: Hyper Sentinel is a title which proves otherwise in my book.

I really wanted to enjoy this one, the roguelike setup certainly makes for an interesting take on the space combat genre, and its look, presentation and everything else about it is incredibly well done.

Which is why the control scheme not clicking with me at all feels like such a shame.

I really wanted to like the game, but to me the control scheme just felt wrong. Whilst the game isn't a simulation, the fact the player must continually hold down a key/gamepad button to move forward makes combat feel incredibly uncomfortable to me.

Even with a gamepad (a DualShock 4 in my case), the lack of button rebinding meant I couldn't get a set up which felt natural to me, and ultimately, after a good hour or so put into the game, I found myself fighting the controls, more than fighting Outlaws and other enemies.

It's possible the controls may work better for you, than they did with me, but unless they are improved greatly, I don't think I can recommend this one, to my disappointment.

Molemen Must Die! is a game of chaos, and control. Whilst it may look to be another platformer on the surface - the goal of having to escort the bomb (which is thankfully resiliant), and learning to master your power-up loadout provides quite the test on the formula.

Especially when it adds to the general chaos of gameplay.

If you're a fan of action platformers, twitch experiences, or mastering skill through chaos, it's one you absolutely would enjoy!

Glowing vectors? CHECK.
Sublime ambient electronica? CHECK.
Mind-melting twin-stick action? CHECK, CHECK and CHECK.

If you have a craving for intense, unpretenious score chasing action, then NEON Ultra will certainly be right down your alley? Heck, you probably already grabbed it. It's a total steal at $4.

It's frantic, tight, well put together, and a perfect example of what arcade twitch gaming can be like in Space Year 2016.

At it's heart, Lumo might just be another tribute game, but to be honest - it's always great to see a tribute to a less discussed corner of gaming history: the isometric puzzle/platformer.

Like its inspirations, it can be painfully hard at times, even frustrating to the point of wanting to hurl a controller across the room. The thing is: you'll take a breather, and you'll want to come back to master those jumps, or collect that darn rubber duck, or whatever other secrets there are.

If you happened to grow up influenced by the UK side of gaming, you'll squeel (well, I did anyway) at delight with the various little cameos out there.

As far as I'm concerned, it's really the type of game which is charming, challenging, but really solid fun. I'm nowhere near done with it right now, but I find myself going in for a few sessions a day - broken up by the aforementioned getting stuck and wanting to throw a controller around.

So, pure oldschool bliss then.

It's familiar, and yet it's not - and this works incredibly well to its advantage.

Taking the basics of the formula established by the Metroid series, it goes and builds upon it in a variety of ways. From the large assortment of weapons and equipment, to the glitches and how they allow for advanced traversal in the world.

Then there's the art style, ranging from simple 8-bit, to introducing more and more colour as you explore the world.

Plus, the soundtrack - ranging between unnerving, dischordant, and pulsing, which works incredibly well with the tone, and nature of the world.

All up, it feels, provides an good challenge - between the exploration, the bosses, and the exploration which you need to put in to be able to get to the end. Though, it has to be said, there are a few design choices I'm not the biggest of fans of - primarily the requirement to teleport by double tapping the thumbstick or d-pad - I felt it far too fiddly, and really only used it to get through environmental hazards as a result.

It's not a game you'll be putting down in a hurry though, and if you're in the mood for a platformer like this, then you'll absolutely love it.