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Capcom Classics Mini Mix (GBA, 2006)
Capcom Classics Mini Mix Box: Despite having 3 great games, this compilation is still a mixed bag.After trading in a few games, I had some credit at the local Gamestop available. In an attempt to beef up my GBA/DS game collection, I got Capcom Classics Mini Mix for only $1! Is this fairly recent collection of retro games for the GBA worth it?
The games are good, but a few niggling presentation issues keep it from what is should be.
To be fair, the games included here are oldies but goodies and are were originally NES ports of arcade games that are heavily changed from the originals in effective ways. Strider adds some RPG elements, a plot hampered by a laughable translation, and Mega Man style stage selection to what originally was a fairly generic, but cool, side scroller. Bionic Commando is arguably the best of the bunch here with several levels, some lite RPG elements, and a plot that some how works in spite of censorship (the original villains in the Japanese versions were Nazis; for the American version, all swastikas were removed and the villains are now a generic evil army). Mighty Final Fight takes an ultra-cute kiddy approach to a remake of the first game of the series with a superfluous addition of having your characters level up.
All right, so the games are fairly solid. Sure, Strider has some loose controls, but for the most part these games are playable. It's a shame, then, that Capcom did not have an option to save your game when you want to take a break. That's right, just like in the original games, you have to write down passwords. Not allowing players to save a game and having to rely on passwords is a huge pain that knocks this compilation down a notch.
Also hurting things is the terrible job with the music in Strider. While the game's music is still full of fun tunes, now it stutters repeatedly and the game has massive slow-down. The slow-down was a problem in the original game, but not to the degree in this port. The music stuttering is really a shame and should have been fixed somehow-- music in the other games in the compilation sounds smooth.
So, is Capcom Classics Mini Mix worth picking up? Not really. The lack of a proper save system and having to write down passwords to save your progress is a real pain in the neck, making these games a bit less playable than they should be. While it's nice to have these classics on the go, the fumbled execution makes playing the originals on a NES or an emulator a better bet.
Some additional notes
After messing around with Capcom Classics Mini Mix a bit more, there are some inaccuracies in the review. The only game to have a Password feature is Strider. Also of note is how the graphics in Bionic Commando are more "zoomed out" than in the original to allow more of the playing area to be visible.
- Mat Tschirgi's blog
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Comments
I agree
Sure I totally agree with you on the option to have mappable configurable controls for games. I think nanostray just suffered from the "DS touch screen must be incorporated into the control-scheme no matter what, just because it´s a DS game"-fever which is rather silly.
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Mark Vergeer - Editor / Pixelator
Armchair Arcade, Inc.
Xboxlive gametag
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That's a fine theory, Mark,
That's a fine theory, Mark, but they could have simply given the option for configurable controls.
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Bill Loguidice, Managing Director
Armchair Arcade, Inc.
(A PC Magazine Top 100 Website)
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I also have Nanostray
Yeah, Nanostray is a good game, I agree that they could have made the "attack mode" mappable on the other regular keys as there are enough keys that aren't even used in the game. But the existence of the touch screen probably forced the creators to utilize it and I bet that if they didn't use it they way they did other people would have complained about the touch screen not being used in the game and that the attack switch mode would have been perfect for that but alas is now only accessible on the shoulder buttons ;)
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Mark Vergeer - Editor / Pixelator
Armchair Arcade, Inc.
Xboxlive gametag
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Nanostray DS - Nearly great, but one fatal flaw
I have Nanostray too and am equally impressed with the technical achievement and the overall gameplay. However, part of the gameplay is broken in that you can only switch attacks by using the touch screen. It's like needing to throw in a nod to the DS' unique control scheme rather than using the trigger buttons in a nod to better gameplay. It would have been a near perfect modern shooter if they allowed even configuration from the default control scheme.
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Bill Loguidice, Managing Director
Armchair Arcade, Inc.
(A PC Magazine Top 100 Website)
======================================
Nanostray
"I´ve heard that a great shmup is coming out for the DS soon."
I like Nanostray on the DS (http://www.nanostray.com/), even though it's not perfect gameplay-wise (it's no Ikaruga), it's very impressive in the graphics dept. I've read they're making a sequel.
Checking out the PSP games library....
Bill, perhaps I really need to check out the PSP games library a bit more.
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Mark Vergeer - Editor / Pixelator
Armchair Arcade, Inc.
Xboxlive gametag
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FPS games, Mark? The PSP
FPS games, Mark? The PSP has some. I didn't like the control options for Metroid Prime Hunters myself, at least in the demo that came with the system.
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Bill Loguidice, Managing Director
Armchair Arcade, Inc.
(A PC Magazine Top 100 Website)
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Metroid prime hunters is no kid game....
Metroid prime hunters on the DS is no kid game. It feels and plays like a grown up FPS and has an excellent multi player mode.
I have yet to find a similar game on the PSP....
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Mark Vergeer - Editor / Pixelator
Armchair Arcade, Inc.
Xboxlive gametag
========================
Surgery Games
Yes, I had one of those surgery sims for the amiga. Think it was just called "The Surgeon" or something like that. It was supposedly realistic and had pretensions of being a training tool. I don't think any of my patients survived, though. I was definitely a Weird Al type of surgeon. !
Well, it's something of
Well, it's something of a stereotype that Nintendo systems are "kiddie", so that rep was no doubt making reference to that idea. While Nintendo systems are definitely more "kiddie" (more titles that target younger game players) than rival systems, it doesn't mean it doesn't have the same types of games as the other guys. In absolute terms and ratios, Sony and Microsoft systems have more M-rated and beyond games, but that doesn't mean that either one of those systems has better games or more representative games. It all sorts of plays into itself, and each has their share of franchises, "mature", kid-fare, licensed drivel, etc., though again, ratios and what publisher's target and why varies.
The cooking title for the DS and Wii does not have a favorable control scheme for the other system's chosen controllers. It doesn't mean however that a great game in the same vein couldn't be done - after all, the Wii-mote is not always the most accurate controller in regards to motion sensing itself. Case in point, while the DS (touch screen) and Wii (motion control) have Trauma Center surgery games, there have been several surgery games for computers going all the way back to Life & Death (PC, ST, Mac, etc.), which I believe was one of the first. That game worked extremely well with just a mouse. It's important to remember it's not the controller that dictates what games you can make, it's the games (developers) that dictate how well they make OPTIMAL use of the available options. There's no one perfect controller or control scheme.
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Bill Loguidice, Managing Director
Armchair Arcade, Inc.
(A PC Magazine Top 100 Website)
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