Extensive Game & Watch Gallery 4 review because I didn't know I could have such strong feelings on repackage LCD games.
I like kinda love Game & Watch Gallery? 1 is pretty good but 2 and 3 are especially strong. They're very charming collections with not only fun Game & Watch games featured but great modern remakes of them. I've been wanting to play 4 for years now thinking it would be the best in the series with the greater technology and high amount of games but... No. This is easily the worst in my eyes.
Most of Game & Watch Gallery 4's 11 main games is made up of 6 reused ones from the previous games. The classic versions are still faithful and the modern versions are pretty much identical outside of the upgraded visuals. I think I've made this clear in me partially dismissing games like Katamari Forever and Rhythm Heaven Megamix but repackaged content isn't exactly something that makes me love a game. Yes Megamix features most of the best minigames in the series, but I could also just... Play those games. The ports are fine and I like the visual upgrades but the repackaged games in G&W Gallery 4 barely effect my opinion on it. I guess if you are looking for a large overall package when you're out of the house with your Gameboy Advance in 2023 though this is "the best" game in the series though.
That's especially strengthened by the 9 classic games featured in the museum actually being unlockable. It takes a lot of stars which is something we can talk about later, but I appreciate it this nonetheless. They don't have modern versions but more classic Game & Watch games being playable is never a bad thing in my eyes. Unfortunately, most of these classic games you can unlock probably deserved modern versions way more than the ones we got.
Where Gallery 4 really disappointed me though is the new games. We have the standard 5 in reality once you unlock all the bonus games. These include Mario's Cement Factory, Donkey Kong 3, Rain Shower, Boxing, and Fire Attack. I'm just gonna get straight to the point, this is by far the worst collection in the series.
I can't blame the game too heavily for this issue but the classic versions of these games outside of Fire Attack suck. Rain Shower and Mario's Cement Factory are so horribly boring and slow, especially on easy mode. Mario's Cement Factory is especially boring. I think legitimately half of the time playing the game is waiting for cement to actually drop which is the most literal equivalent I've seen a game have to watching paint dry. Boxing and Donkey Kong 3 on the other hand suffer from their own issues. The latter feels like a slow tug of war where no progress ever gets made (at least in one player mode) and Boxing has the lasting appeal of Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots without the violence.
This is made a lot worse by an issue that has somehow persisted in all these games: the star system. I don't know why Nintendo insisted that with very few exceptions players should only get stars every 200 points, but god this game might have some of the worst cases for that in the series. I swear on Cement Factory I legit played for 20-30 minutes and only got about 200 points. You're gonna need 1000 on EVERY GAME (except Boxing and the classic only ones) to unlock everything in this game by the way! Actual torture. I never failed purposely on these aside from Donkey Kong 3 by the way, they're crazy easy aside from maybe Rain Shower on hard. I just killed myself to end them faster because I was so bored. For the record, you can get 220 stars in the game, which again you need all of to see the credits scene, but even if you just want all the playable stuff you need 160! 40 of these are locked behind multiplayer content too so unless you can achieve the only thing harder than me getting laid after writing this review, finding someone who owns this game in 2023 and a link cable as well, you'll have to achieve this in all but 4 versions of the games here. So fun!
Thing is though, Game & Watch Gallery games in the past have had these issues. The thing is though that the modern versions allowed potentially good concepts to shine. My main issue with Gallery 4 is that it just completely flops at doing that. Boxing is almost identical in modern, still not very interesting. Rain Shower once again is extremely similar, however it at least feels slightly more fast-paced and definitely more difficult so I'll give it some points for that at least. Mario's Cement Factory is much, much faster-paced and falling from platforms and boos add some needed depth but the game still has a lot more waiting than I'd like, even on hard. I suppose it's okay though overall. Finally, Donkey Kong 3 somehow might be even worse then the classic version. The whole gimmick they go for is this boo that will run at you when not looking at it but needing to refuel to fight it means that when it gets close you're almost guaranteed to get overwhelmed. There just aren't easy comebacks in this game and it makes the beginning of a match the only part that matters a lot of the time.
Fire Attack is the singular saving grace of the roster here. The classic version can be a little frustrating but is overall fun, and the modern version is an instant classic. The risky point boosts with apples and chickens and the fast-paced enemies you have to react to are a lot of fun. It is kind of sad statement though when the only new game I truly like in your collection is made up of racist caricatures however.
It really upsets me because with how much this game had going for it it could have so easily been a big improvement over Gallery 2 and 3, yet in my eyes it's even worse than 1. The production here is great. I love how every main game has a cute animation on the menu, I love how Mr. Game & Watch himself congratulates you when you unlock games, and there's just so much content here. However, I've been given less motivation to come back to this one over any other game in the series in the modern day, which shouldn't have even been possible with this game. This is undoubtedly the worst game Mr. Game & Watch has appeared in in my eyes.
I like kinda love Game & Watch Gallery? 1 is pretty good but 2 and 3 are especially strong. They're very charming collections with not only fun Game & Watch games featured but great modern remakes of them. I've been wanting to play 4 for years now thinking it would be the best in the series with the greater technology and high amount of games but... No. This is easily the worst in my eyes.
Most of Game & Watch Gallery 4's 11 main games is made up of 6 reused ones from the previous games. The classic versions are still faithful and the modern versions are pretty much identical outside of the upgraded visuals. I think I've made this clear in me partially dismissing games like Katamari Forever and Rhythm Heaven Megamix but repackaged content isn't exactly something that makes me love a game. Yes Megamix features most of the best minigames in the series, but I could also just... Play those games. The ports are fine and I like the visual upgrades but the repackaged games in G&W Gallery 4 barely effect my opinion on it. I guess if you are looking for a large overall package when you're out of the house with your Gameboy Advance in 2023 though this is "the best" game in the series though.
That's especially strengthened by the 9 classic games featured in the museum actually being unlockable. It takes a lot of stars which is something we can talk about later, but I appreciate it this nonetheless. They don't have modern versions but more classic Game & Watch games being playable is never a bad thing in my eyes. Unfortunately, most of these classic games you can unlock probably deserved modern versions way more than the ones we got.
Where Gallery 4 really disappointed me though is the new games. We have the standard 5 in reality once you unlock all the bonus games. These include Mario's Cement Factory, Donkey Kong 3, Rain Shower, Boxing, and Fire Attack. I'm just gonna get straight to the point, this is by far the worst collection in the series.
I can't blame the game too heavily for this issue but the classic versions of these games outside of Fire Attack suck. Rain Shower and Mario's Cement Factory are so horribly boring and slow, especially on easy mode. Mario's Cement Factory is especially boring. I think legitimately half of the time playing the game is waiting for cement to actually drop which is the most literal equivalent I've seen a game have to watching paint dry. Boxing and Donkey Kong 3 on the other hand suffer from their own issues. The latter feels like a slow tug of war where no progress ever gets made (at least in one player mode) and Boxing has the lasting appeal of Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots without the violence.
This is made a lot worse by an issue that has somehow persisted in all these games: the star system. I don't know why Nintendo insisted that with very few exceptions players should only get stars every 200 points, but god this game might have some of the worst cases for that in the series. I swear on Cement Factory I legit played for 20-30 minutes and only got about 200 points. You're gonna need 1000 on EVERY GAME (except Boxing and the classic only ones) to unlock everything in this game by the way! Actual torture. I never failed purposely on these aside from Donkey Kong 3 by the way, they're crazy easy aside from maybe Rain Shower on hard. I just killed myself to end them faster because I was so bored. For the record, you can get 220 stars in the game, which again you need all of to see the credits scene, but even if you just want all the playable stuff you need 160! 40 of these are locked behind multiplayer content too so unless you can achieve the only thing harder than me getting laid after writing this review, finding someone who owns this game in 2023 and a link cable as well, you'll have to achieve this in all but 4 versions of the games here. So fun!
Thing is though, Game & Watch Gallery games in the past have had these issues. The thing is though that the modern versions allowed potentially good concepts to shine. My main issue with Gallery 4 is that it just completely flops at doing that. Boxing is almost identical in modern, still not very interesting. Rain Shower once again is extremely similar, however it at least feels slightly more fast-paced and definitely more difficult so I'll give it some points for that at least. Mario's Cement Factory is much, much faster-paced and falling from platforms and boos add some needed depth but the game still has a lot more waiting than I'd like, even on hard. I suppose it's okay though overall. Finally, Donkey Kong 3 somehow might be even worse then the classic version. The whole gimmick they go for is this boo that will run at you when not looking at it but needing to refuel to fight it means that when it gets close you're almost guaranteed to get overwhelmed. There just aren't easy comebacks in this game and it makes the beginning of a match the only part that matters a lot of the time.
Fire Attack is the singular saving grace of the roster here. The classic version can be a little frustrating but is overall fun, and the modern version is an instant classic. The risky point boosts with apples and chickens and the fast-paced enemies you have to react to are a lot of fun. It is kind of sad statement though when the only new game I truly like in your collection is made up of racist caricatures however.
It really upsets me because with how much this game had going for it it could have so easily been a big improvement over Gallery 2 and 3, yet in my eyes it's even worse than 1. The production here is great. I love how every main game has a cute animation on the menu, I love how Mr. Game & Watch himself congratulates you when you unlock games, and there's just so much content here. However, I've been given less motivation to come back to this one over any other game in the series in the modern day, which shouldn't have even been possible with this game. This is undoubtedly the worst game Mr. Game & Watch has appeared in in my eyes.
ReeseyPuffy
9 months ago