Justin Berube

“DK Island may be lacking in substance but is filled with nostalgic bliss. I also found myself quickly addicted to the Emerald Rush mode and had a blast learning and strategizing along the way. While there are a few minor issues I still think it's a solid addition to the base Bananza game and I highly recommend it to people that are in love with the mechanics Bananza and are looking for a new way to enjoy them within the same world.”

“I'd suggest Splatoon fans play through the mode with each weapon once then bounce off. It's a great game to play while listening to a podcast or something, but the lack of variety makes the mode get repetitive by the end especially if you're trying to unlock everything. Hopefully this mode makes it into the inevitable next Splatoon with much more variety than what's currently offered here.”

“While it may not be a top tier title, I'm really happy Hamster and Nintendo are working together to bring these hard-to-find games to home consoles for the first time so it's easier for people interested in Nintendo history to experience.”

“Overall, I'm mostly impressed with the Arcade Archives wrapper as it lets players customize the experience or compete online. Donkey Kong Jr. itself is fun but much more challenging than the original Donkey Kong.”

“The different difficulty settings allow players to tailor the experience, which is good, but I don't see myself often trying something other than Easy since this is an updated arcade title. Some of the general flaws can be attributed to the original game, so the developers actually did nail it when they made this updated version. That said, Toki fans will get a kick out of this remaster and if you like weird, old arcade games you probably will, too.”

“I would recommend it to Excitebike super fans, arcade aficionados, gaming historians, and Nintendo fanatics who just want to experience any oddity related to the company's history. Anyone else may get their fix by playing the original version of Excitebike, which is currently part of the Nintendo Entertainment System Nintendo Switch Online app. And who knows, maybe months or years down the line the ultimate version of Excitebike, VS. Excitebike from the Famicom Disk System, may hit the service as well.”

“I would still recommend it to classic arcade lovers, Nintendo fans, and anyone interested in gaming history. It's worth picking up just to keep encouraging Nintendo to go back to this well of titles we know exist but haven't been released in over three decades.”

“Donkey Kong is a true classic that should be played by anyone with an interest in gaming history. It's one of the most competitive and challenging classic arcade titles even to this day and without it, I'd argue this website wouldn't even exist.”

“Punch-Out!! can be really fun and addictive, but will likely be way too challenging for some looking for a simpler arcade experience. There is a bit of a learning curve that has to be overcome to really start enjoying it, but if you can rise to the challenge there is a great arcade high score game to be enjoyed.”

“While it's not going to set the world on fire, Arcade Archives Mario Bros. is the best home version of the classic arcade game ever released.”