DuChomp
1983
Played with a trackball and the speakers, this is an arcade experience that just feels so immersive
1981
It's like a rhythm game disguised as a shooter
2015
It makes you feel like a kawaii Beethoven
Fun beat-em-up but very overwhelming
You will wail on a guy to the point where your thumb will hurt. Definitly a quarter drain at the arcade due to the amount of enemies and damage sponges they are. Needs to be played with friend. A lot of charm and personality in the animations though.
You will wail on a guy to the point where your thumb will hurt. Definitly a quarter drain at the arcade due to the amount of enemies and damage sponges they are. Needs to be played with friend. A lot of charm and personality in the animations though.
A lot of flavor in beating your friends
I played at an arcade that offered free-play so I didn't need to sink any quarters for it, but I found it to be my most played multiplayer game in terms of rounds that night. Small roster but all the attacks feel impactful when slamming the opponent. The controls are like 5 buttons and some require being pressed in specific combinations to perform additional maneuvers, but not to the extent of a Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat, it's a simple kind of fighting game. It also has a tag-team mode so you can even play with a friend.
I played at an arcade that offered free-play so I didn't need to sink any quarters for it, but I found it to be my most played multiplayer game in terms of rounds that night. Small roster but all the attacks feel impactful when slamming the opponent. The controls are like 5 buttons and some require being pressed in specific combinations to perform additional maneuvers, but not to the extent of a Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat, it's a simple kind of fighting game. It also has a tag-team mode so you can even play with a friend.
2023
Played with a group of friends but found it too frustrating
Sluggish movement, bad in-game tools to communicate, and easy to lose all your progress. A lot of mechanics the game wants you to figure out on your own by reading in-game guides or repetitively getting killed by something you saw for only a half second; you'll be so demotivated after gather a load of loot and losing it all that you just won't even learn from it. You'll get a few funny laughs out of it with friends, but once you try to play it as an actual game, you will quickly realize how unfun it is. The concept of the gameplay loop is enjoyable, but it needs a lot more polish while as an Early Access game for me to come back.
Sluggish movement, bad in-game tools to communicate, and easy to lose all your progress. A lot of mechanics the game wants you to figure out on your own by reading in-game guides or repetitively getting killed by something you saw for only a half second; you'll be so demotivated after gather a load of loot and losing it all that you just won't even learn from it. You'll get a few funny laughs out of it with friends, but once you try to play it as an actual game, you will quickly realize how unfun it is. The concept of the gameplay loop is enjoyable, but it needs a lot more polish while as an Early Access game for me to come back.
The definitive game of the trilogy
Large roster of fighters, plenty of game modes for single or multiplayer, and tons of customization. Plenty of fanservice with canon and non-canon content. The story mode has you replaying it as different characters to see the events of the manga from their perspective, it doesn’t feel repetitive since your character is constantly obtaining new moves to use in the next battle. Story is done through just dialogue boxes so it can feel a bit stale. There’s a newly added experience system that lets you customize each character even further to improve their base stats for some game modes.
Large roster of fighters, plenty of game modes for single or multiplayer, and tons of customization. Plenty of fanservice with canon and non-canon content. The story mode has you replaying it as different characters to see the events of the manga from their perspective, it doesn’t feel repetitive since your character is constantly obtaining new moves to use in the next battle. Story is done through just dialogue boxes so it can feel a bit stale. There’s a newly added experience system that lets you customize each character even further to improve their base stats for some game modes.
Better to look at and play at a party, but repetitive singleplayer
Improved graphics, more fighters, and more game modes to play; this game does everything theoretically better than the previous entry in the trilogy. The story mode lacks the charm the original had, becoming a strategy game about moving pawns around a board game to start fights and grab some buffs for them. You have to repeatedly beat the same opponents to knock them out entirely, causing for a lot of repetition, sometimes easily with any items you picked up on the board, but also a slog if the enemy picked them up. The entire story is done through dialogue, removing all the fully animated cutscenes the original had. They also decided to add the weird mechanic of characters become unlocked when defeated in this mode, but only when done by specific characters, so you can miss out on vital story characters for the rest of your playthrough, punishing you for playing more strategic and not relying on 1 character. It is designed to be replayable to keep unlocking new things, but after doing it once, you won't want to go back. The skills mechanic is still present from the previous title, making you able to customize each character to how you want to play as them.
Improved graphics, more fighters, and more game modes to play; this game does everything theoretically better than the previous entry in the trilogy. The story mode lacks the charm the original had, becoming a strategy game about moving pawns around a board game to start fights and grab some buffs for them. You have to repeatedly beat the same opponents to knock them out entirely, causing for a lot of repetition, sometimes easily with any items you picked up on the board, but also a slog if the enemy picked them up. The entire story is done through dialogue, removing all the fully animated cutscenes the original had. They also decided to add the weird mechanic of characters become unlocked when defeated in this mode, but only when done by specific characters, so you can miss out on vital story characters for the rest of your playthrough, punishing you for playing more strategic and not relying on 1 character. It is designed to be replayable to keep unlocking new things, but after doing it once, you won't want to go back. The skills mechanic is still present from the previous title, making you able to customize each character to how you want to play as them.
2014
Repetitive but fun
A mindless horde slaying game with iconic Zelda characters plus some original characters. Each one plays unique to each other so any character could be someone’s favorite. The combat is simple but knowing how to apply those to string combos or deal with situations makes it super satisfying. The game shines best on the adventure maps, giving a unique objective to progress on a map with various rewards.
A mindless horde slaying game with iconic Zelda characters plus some original characters. Each one plays unique to each other so any character could be someone’s favorite. The combat is simple but knowing how to apply those to string combos or deal with situations makes it super satisfying. The game shines best on the adventure maps, giving a unique objective to progress on a map with various rewards.
The DBZ game with everything plus more
This game has a faithful story mode including non-canon spin-offs, an outrageous roster of characters ranging from overpowered to gags, fully customizable character builds to make anyone more unbelievably powerful or gimmicky, and plenty of extra game modes to keep you entertained. The controls are similar amongst everyone so picking up a new character is easy, it’s just about understanding what their abilities do.
This game has a faithful story mode including non-canon spin-offs, an outrageous roster of characters ranging from overpowered to gags, fully customizable character builds to make anyone more unbelievably powerful or gimmicky, and plenty of extra game modes to keep you entertained. The controls are similar amongst everyone so picking up a new character is easy, it’s just about understanding what their abilities do.
2006
Feels even better than an authentic Sonic game
Levels with many routes so you won't ever be lost or have a hard time going forward. The physics and speed can be tricky to learn, intended for people determined to understand it so it's hard for casual players to enjoy fully. Lives too scarce/hidden for the type of players that need them. Recommended to play with the manual camera and built-in 3D model mod.
Levels with many routes so you won't ever be lost or have a hard time going forward. The physics and speed can be tricky to learn, intended for people determined to understand it so it's hard for casual players to enjoy fully. Lives too scarce/hidden for the type of players that need them. Recommended to play with the manual camera and built-in 3D model mod.
Great party game
Supports large numbers of players, with highly customizable settings to keep it as casual or chaotic as you want. Small number of official courses to play on but plenty of community made maps.
Supports large numbers of players, with highly customizable settings to keep it as casual or chaotic as you want. Small number of official courses to play on but plenty of community made maps.
2003
Fantastic arena brawler
A wide cast of characters with unique play styles, maps with gimmicks to turn the tides of combat, and multiplayer; this game does everything right for a party. The singleplayer has some unique challenges that can only be experienced within its story mode to keep it from getting stale. The general pool of attacks is shallow but strategizing with the environment will make you feel like a monster on the streets.
A wide cast of characters with unique play styles, maps with gimmicks to turn the tides of combat, and multiplayer; this game does everything right for a party. The singleplayer has some unique challenges that can only be experienced within its story mode to keep it from getting stale. The general pool of attacks is shallow but strategizing with the environment will make you feel like a monster on the streets.
Amazing in retrospect
A standard fighting game with an interesting mechanic of picking your attacks. This game pioneered a lot of what we see in modern DBZ fighting games, and of all the games in its direct series, this one has the best story mode. Gimmicks and twists are added to the fights to emulate that feeling of the show rather than just giving you a checklist of opponents to beat for cutscenes. Sprinkled between some fights are minigames/challenges that relive some parts of the anime and adds a nice flavorful touch. Some bonus gamemodes that can be played solo or with a group makes this one of the better in the fighting game genre. It’s only real flaw is it’s limited roster and dated graphics, but can easily be overlooked understanding when it came out
A standard fighting game with an interesting mechanic of picking your attacks. This game pioneered a lot of what we see in modern DBZ fighting games, and of all the games in its direct series, this one has the best story mode. Gimmicks and twists are added to the fights to emulate that feeling of the show rather than just giving you a checklist of opponents to beat for cutscenes. Sprinkled between some fights are minigames/challenges that relive some parts of the anime and adds a nice flavorful touch. Some bonus gamemodes that can be played solo or with a group makes this one of the better in the fighting game genre. It’s only real flaw is it’s limited roster and dated graphics, but can easily be overlooked understanding when it came out
2023
The game has a lot of immersion mechanics that make it seem intimidating to get into, but it is actually pretty simple. Step-by-step guides and even a helper NPC will get you thinking more about what you want to build vs trying to survive and gather the supplies. The game gets ruined by the constant swarming of your new base that lead you to abandoning it to go build another new base, making a cycle of having a bunch of half-built bases you don’t want to go back to. The game fights between wanting to build a base camp to horde all your survival items and exploring various landmarks to progress it’s story. Best with friends but hard to keep everyone invested enough to complete.