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GAME NAME | World Ping Pong Championship |
LANGUAGE | English |
RELEASE DATE | NA |
GENRE | Sport, Mini |
VIDEO GAME | Link Youtube |
DOWNLOAD GOOGLE DRIVE |
When I was kid, I wanted a pool table. Instead, my parents got me a ping pong table. While I was disappointed, I grew to like ping pong. So when I saw World Ping Pong Championship get released, I was cautiously optimistic. Unfortunately, rather than reminding me of the fun I had playing ping pong, it reminds me of the initial disappointment. While Gameshastra created a handful of original titles for the Minis program at the very start (games like D-Cube and Deflector), most have simply been ports, either from their PC casual games or their more recent efforts on iOS. At first I thought this was an original PSP title, but apparently it is simply a port of World Cup Table Tennis, originally by Skyworks (who also originally did Crime Spree). You control a ping pong paddle, apparently held by The Invisible Man. You can move the paddle around with the D-pad or analog nub, and pressing X jabs the paddle forward. To serve, you have to move the paddle to the ball and hit it; you can’t use the X button. To return the ball after it’s batted back to you, you move the paddle where you want and hit the X button to whack it back. You don’t always need to use the X button though, as you can just move it forward yourself. It’s kind of a strange playing method, as if it were meant for a touchscreen where your finger controlled the paddle, or perhaps even for the Wii, with the waggle controls. Using the analog nub or D-pad instead is more than a little clunky. Still, because it’s physics-based (as opposed to simply timing your button presses), you can perform some impressive trick shots by putting spin on the ball.
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GAME NAME | Vanguard II |
LANGUAGE | English |
RELEASE DATE | NA |
GENRE | Mini, Shooter |
VIDEO GAME | Link Youtube |
DOWNLOAD GOOGLE DRIVE |
Vanguard II is part of the second wave of old SNK arcade games turned into Minis. The original Vanguard was in the first wave and was a childhood favorite of mine. It was even better than I remembered, still one of the best scrolling shooters around. I actually didn’t realize there even was a Vanguard II until recently. There’s a reason why the game has such a low profile. Vanguard II bears only the vaguest resemblance to the original game: it’s a shooter, you fly a spaceship, and you’re attacking something. It’s really more of a combination of Time Pilot, Xevious, and Bosconian, and it doesn’t seem to contain even a single feature of the original Vanguard. Instead of winding your way through a vast enemy complex, Vanguard II has you flying over a large floating fortress, from a top-down perspective.
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GAME NAME | Vanguard |
LANGUAGE | JPN |
RELEASE DATE | NA |
GENRE | Mini, JPN, Shooter |
VIDEO GAME | Link Youtube |
DOWNLOAD GOOGLE DRIVE |
Vanguard is one of eight games recently released by SNK onto the Playstation 3 and Playstation Portable. Available on the Minis section of the Playstation Store, if you buy one copy of the game, it can be played on either system for no extra charge. The first trait you’ll notice about the game is that it is completely retro. It appears that this game is a direct port from the original game released in the 1980s. Therefore, you should expect frequent deaths, different controls and some gameplay elements that are based on getting the most quarters into a machine as possible.
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GAME NAME | The Treasures of Montezuma |
LANGUAGE | English |
RELEASE DATE | NA |
GENRE | Puzzle, Mini |
VIDEO GAME | Link Youtube |
DOWNLOAD GOOGLE DRIVE |
Follow the beautiful and clever Dr. Emily Jones as she solves a mystery that can transform the world. Features unique gameplay in which you must make consecutive matches of the same artifacts to trigger Power Totems.
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GAME NAME | The Marbians |
LANGUAGE | English |
RELEASE DATE | NA |
GENRE | Puzzle, Mini |
VIDEO GAME | Link Youtube |
DOWNLOAD GOOGLE DRIVE |
Aside from zombies, aliens are probably the most exhausted video game antagonist, protagonist and/or subject matter. There is nothing wrong with this, but if you really think about it, there is a breaking point for every gamer who always encounters the same things over and over again. The Marbians is an alien-themed physics puzzler. Physics puzzlers in browser games format get released in bulk every day. I have played lots and lots of these physics puzzler-type games, enough so that I believe I am armed with the right to judge accordingly. The Marbians, though polished and streamlined, is nothing really special. Yes, the graphics are smooth, good-looking and vibrant. However, The Marbians feels like a basic version of what a physics puzzler should be. Gameplay goes like this: you “shoot” your alien friends back to their UFOs. At first, you only have one try to do it, but in the later stages, you are given lots of tries as the level designs get complex. More aliens are introduced, more obstacles, moving ledges, rotating sticks and many more. Another thing, you can optionally collect the blue orbs to truly complete a level, the kind of gimmick seen in each and every physics puzzler on Kongregate, Newgrounds, etc. Honestly, I don’t appreciate collecting the optional star, orb, fruit, etc., since it tickles my obsessive-compulsive side. Kidding aside, completionists would love this game because of this.
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GAME NAME | The 2D Adventures of Rotating Octopus Character |
LANGUAGE | English |
RELEASE DATE | NA |
GENRE | Mini, Puzzle |
VIDEO GAME | Link Youtube |
DOWNLOAD GOOGLE DRIVE |
There have been some silly titles for Minis, but “The 2D Adventures of Rotating Octopus Character” from developer Dakko Dakko takes the crown as the most ridiculous yet. The cute name belies the hardcore nature of the gameplay, though. With a shorter, slightly confusing name like say, “Rotoc” or “Octopan,” it would have fit in the early ’80s arcades next to Pac-Man and Frogger. Indeed, it even seems very much inspired by a toy popular in the early ’80s, the Wacky WallWalker. These were small, sticky, rubber octopuses that you would throw against a wall. They would stick, then slowly climb down the wall using their tentacles. They also didn’t taste too bad. But, you could slap that license on this game, and it would fit, perfectly. Incidentally, while Wacky WallWalkers didn’t have an official game, they did have a TV Christmas special, Deck the Halls with Wacky Walls, which sadly is not on YouTube.
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GAME NAME | Street Smart |
LANGUAGE | English |
RELEASE DATE | NA |
GENRE | Action, Mini |
VIDEO GAME | Link Youtube |
DOWNLOAD GOOGLE DRIVE |
I think as you get older, you become more nostalgic for the days of your youth, because modern day things seem so drab and boring in comparison. Then you sometimes wonder if it’s not just a case of rose-colored glasses. In reality, I think it’s a mix of both, and Street Smart, the latest retro SNK arcade game turned into a Mini by G1M2, is a perfect example of that. It’s very much a product of the ’80s, but other than atmosphere, it doesn’t offer that much fun. I believe Street Smart is the first and only Mini that is a fighting game. Oh sure, there have been a number of scrolling beat ‘em ups, but this is the first one-on-one fighter, at least the only one I can recall. The premise of the game is pretty simple: you travel around the U.S. fighting people for money, apparently the top champion of each city (it’s kind of surprising that this concept hasn’t been turned into a reality TV show). You beat up the guy, a scantily clad girl walks out and gives you money and a trophy, then repeat in another stage. Finally, after beating up everyone, you get a fairly interesting cutscene, and the developer credits for the game roll.
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GAME NAME | Speedball 2 - Evolution |
LANGUAGE | English |
RELEASE DATE | NA |
GENRE | Action, Sport, Mini |
VIDEO GAME | Link Youtube |
DOWNLOAD GOOGLE DRIVE |
Far too many times, games get announced, then nothing ever appears, like Mecho Wars or Virtual City PSP. But sometimes, they actually do finally come out! Speedball 2 Evolution is one of those games. It’s an update of an old game that first appeared on the Atari ST and a whole lot of other computers of the late ’80s, as well as ports and sequels on most platforms since. This particular entry in the series first appeared on iOS, as is often the case, and is brought to the PSP by Vivid Games and published by Tower Studios. Regardless of its origin, it’s in a genre that is quite lacking among Minis: sports. Other than racing games, we’ve only had one sports title—football (soccer) management. This actually bears some resemblance to that, because you are at the helm of a Speedball team. Speedball is essentially a futuristic variation on football (a combination of all types, though closest to soccer, but where you can carry the ball with your hands), with a little bit of pinball thrown in.
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GAME NAME | Spaceball - Revolution |
LANGUAGE | English |
RELEASE DATE | NA |
GENRE | Puzzle, Mini |
VIDEO GAME | Link Youtube |
DOWNLOAD GOOGLE DRIVE |
Spaceball: Revolution has cool, eye-catching 80’s retro graphics and a funky soundtrack to keep you in the winning zone. The goal is to finish the different levels of the game by copying the shapes that are shown at the back of the screen. In order to copy the shown image, energy balls thrown by the player will activate or deactivate squares of the grid upon contact. Spaceball: Revolution has been designed in a very wide range of players, adapting the gameplay accurately so you never get bored. It begins at a simple level and reaches up to 15 levels of increasing difficulty for the most competitive. Throughout the fifteen levels of the game, new obstacles appear including cubes, hoops, laser rays, asteroids, cylinders, pendulums and balls! Each obstacle has unique properties, like being static, mobile, invisible, destroyable and indestructible. The player has to remember every behaviour pattern to evade the obstacles on each throw, ensuring there is maximum time to replicate each shape!
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GAME NAME | Snake Warriors - Training |
LANGUAGE | English |
RELEASE DATE | NA |
GENRE | Mini, Puzzle |
VIDEO GAME | Link Youtube |
DOWNLOAD GOOGLE DRIVE |
If you know retro games, then I’m sure you remember Snake, the classic game where you eat dots but as you eat your tail grows and you must be careful not to hit it or the walls, or else you lose. Well, Snake Warriors: Training is a bit of a strange clone of that; it’s sort of a fantasy role playing game style Snake clone with a hint of party game in there, as I said, it is a strange combination. You start off picking your character, all of which are snake trainers, and they all seem to be somewhat stereotypical fantasy RPG characters. The significance of having them seems nonexistent as it does not appear that they do anything in this game.
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GAME NAME | Shift Extended |
LANGUAGE | English |
RELEASE DATE | NA |
GENRE | Strategy, Mini |
VIDEO GAME | Link Youtube |
DOWNLOAD GOOGLE DRIVE |
Having an original idea for a game in this day and age can often be a little difficult, with most ideas being similar to existing games of that genre but with a slight twist in the gameplay, and others being so unique that the ideas were good but, in execution, fell flat on their faces. Fortunately, SHIFT extended doesn’t fall into either of those two categories. With its unique brand of gameplay and simple yet effective style, SHIFT extended stands out even at first glance. In SHIFT extended, you play as test subject 12378, trapped in a maze of levels, trying to figure out your escape and trying to avoid the many traps set out in front of you. To succeed in your escape, you have an ability called “SHIFT,” which flips the world on its head, turning black into white and up into down. This allows subject 12378 to SHIFT the environment at his whim to find a new way through the level to the exit. To navigate your way through each stage, you use the D-pad to control subject 12378, which works fine, as you only need to use left and right to move, but it would have been nice to be given the choice to use either the D-pad or analog stick. To SHIFT the environment, you use either the left or right shoulder buttons, and X is to jump. All the controls work well, but the fact we’re not given the choice between using either the analog stick or D-pad was a little disappointing.
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