A lot of games like to brag about "death being a part of the experience". Usually when they say this they mean that deaths increase playtime, which increases experience, which increases skill. And that's fine. But when Disc Room says it it means: "Dying is an integral part of this gameplay loop".

From surface observation disc room looks like an incredibly frustrating dodge-em-up where you avoid killer buzzsaws and bullet-hell enemies to survive long enough to reach the next room. But in reality each room has its own access requirement. These range from dying to a certain disc, seeing a certain number of unique discs, or even solving a puzzle twenty rooms away.

Filling out the disc collection is a really fun experience, and some of the tougher puzzles are really enjoyable to solve even if they take some time without a guide, ensuring that the game isn't entirely frustrating die and repeat survival rooms.

However the real joy was the dedication to theme and vibe that stays consistent throughout. The game is about the unknown and discovery, using constant death and eerie puzzles to keep you feeling mystified more so than just to punish you, and the pulsing beats of the game's soundtrack deepen those tones even further, ensuring that even the cruelest death doesn't feel like too big of a setback compared to other death heavy games like Dark Souls or Super Meat Boy.

The game also has an unlockable hard mode, which, at that stage I have to admit, the game gets pretty unfair. But for those just hoping to see the end of all the content, an assist mode is available. This assist toolset allows everything from slowing down discs to reducing time requirements across rooms. All in all, the game is definitely built for anyone engaging with it to engage with a difficulty level their comfortable with, and is better for it.

As someone normally put off by "cruel" game difficulty, I personally recommend this one as a good way to dip your toes in and learn to meter your frustration if capable. It definitely helped me.

Pupperazzi is about taking pictures of dogs for internet points. It sounds perfectly fun on paper but the reality is a bit more mundane.

The base objective of the game is to earn enough of a following to unlock each area and take photos of sweet lovable pups in each of these vistas. This can be done either by following objectives and natural game flow...or by rapidly photographing as many dogs as possible, exiting the session, and re-entering to do it all over again.

For players looking for heavy structure, objectives, or plot you can find it in the form of the in-game photography objectives given by NPCs but that's about all there is for you. But for those seeking a game good for speeding through, for improvising, or for the general ability to mess around, this will be a hit for you due to the games low-restriction movement mechanics and lose progression systems.

However, at the end of the day, it's a game about taking cute photos of dogs and it delivers on the premise. Several lenses and filters means those focusing on photography get their wish. And the Puppypedia system and variety of lovable dogs performing activities (like 900s off the half-pipe, eating frozen yogurt, or sleeping in a hammock) ensures that those focusing on the dog portion get theirs too.

One can expect more, or deride the game's simplicity. But frankly, it is exactly what it said it would be and nothing more. And it's up to you to decide if that is a crime or a blessing.

This game is such a treasure, it's a constant recommend from me to anyone who gets me on the topic. I mean, I spent a straight week writing out collectible guides. I hand-drew multiple iterations of the map to make finding things easier. I joined a DISCORD SERVER for more information on this game.

On the box it might not seem quite like your cup of tea, especially if you don't like classic adventure game style presentation. But within the shell of the game's basic mechanics lies a collection of minigames ranging from fun to deranged, a massive catalog of collectibles to please even the most dedicated secret seekers, and a reminder of just how much goes into even something as small as playing soccer with a friend.

If you're looking for something weird and unexpected definitely pick this one up. Just be aware it has a LOT to do, and sinks its hooks in very fast.

This one really chows down on quarters like a hungry hungry hippo huh? Found a machine at a small local arcade and ran through with a friend and admittedly had a hard time talking them into finishing it.

It's not a bad game by any means, if anything it is dedicatedly average. The combat options are basic enough to get stale, but variants like team attacks and jump attacks vary things just enough to keep you from pressing one button alone. The characters are defined strongly by animations and style flare, but much less so in combat variety. It's a game.

However the slightly off-brand characterization of both recurring side characters and the primary antagonists of the game are the star here, with the erratic presentation of each making each level a Where's Waldo book worth of hidden details and series jokes. (ex. Marge having rabbit ears under her hair in a nod to a scrapped season finale gag.)

All in all, the game takes a lot of continues to get through and a lot of repeated button mashing as well, but if you can find the title set to free play at a small arcade, or have the chance to get your hands on the delisted re-release on either XBLA or PSN it's not a bad way to spend a few hours.

I played through this light-gun arcade game at a bar called The Cidercade in Dallas Texas. It was the highlight of my visit, as I hadn't ever seen the machine and was instantly pulled in by visual and design similarities to Midway's Carnevil.

The game was fairly standard, with a series of selectable levels each culminating in a final showdown against a titanic boss as nearly all light-gun titles do. But what stood out was the humor and simplicity in both allowing the game to be unapologetically weird, and in using extremely rough translation. The game, despite being released in 2010, manages to feel like the House of the Dead titles of the 90s, with campy dialogue and stiff acting creating a fun B-movie atmosphere throughout the game.

The game does feature a hostage system similar to House of the Dead, with 100 captives appearing to save. Saving them all and capturing the final boss earns you the good ending, while saving less and allowing the boss to escape earns a fairly fun bad end.

Overall I highly recommend the cabinet for fans of light-gun titles but otherwise it's best reserved for exactly the environment in which I found it. Tucked between sips of whatever you're drinking to brighten up its less elegant aspects.

I really enjoyed how fast paced and direct this TMNT beat 'em up was. I sat down to play it after running through Shredder's Revenge and it was the perfect end-cap to my day that I was able to get through it in one sitting.

The combat is simple, but that just means that timings and spacing are more important. Most of the bosses just aren't memorable in their design or attack patterns, and as such barely register as a challenge. It was, admittedly, incredibly difficult to lose lives until the last 2-3 stages due to the low level of difficulty.

If you're looking for a challenge you probably won't find it here. But I wasn't. So I had a really nice time.