Kids today don’t know what they’re missing.

Sure, that’s something that every generation says as they get older, but in its own way, it’s true. And while there are new things to fill that void for younger generations, it is rare to find a true sense of overlap between the old and the new.

In this case, what the youth of today are missing out on is the arcade scene. Sure, there are places like Dave & Busters (which are relatively rare, what with only 55 establishments spread across the continent), or a themed shack at an amusement park. You might even find some old rundown and mislabeled games sitting around a bus terminal, but those aren’t the same as what many were able to experience throughout the 80s and 90s.

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"Monster Hunter meets anime in Gods Eater Burst."

With the Monster Hunter franchise currently selling approximately one hojillion copies per entry in Japan, it’s no surprise that other companies are taking notice. Several games borrowing its formula of mission-based, cooperative beast slaying have popped up recently. Among them is Gods Eater Burst, a game that fortunately has enough fresh ideas to become more than just a “Monster Hunter clone”.

Gods Eater Burst takes place in a post apocalyptic future where giant monsters named Aragami attack what is left of civilization. As part of the anti-monster group Fenrir, you (as a male or female character of your own creation) must take these creatures down with your rag tag crew of overly fashion conscious teenagers.

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"Fan of Naruto or not, this is a fun and very accessible fighter."

There are a lot of ways to get into the Guinness Book of World Records. You could try to balance the most spoons on your face, eat a 12″ pizza the fastest, or type the most books backwards. CyberConnect2 tried to get in the spotlight by having the world’s longest game title, Shonen Jump Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja: Storm 2.

As if the title wasn’t confusing enough, there are two more unrelated Naruto games coming out in a week. But before you assume this is another slapped together licensed game, I’m here to tell you that, not only is Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 fun, it also has some insanely high production values.

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Klonoa for the Nintendo Wii is a remake of the ps1 classic, Klonoa: Door to Phantomile, a game I never had the privilege of playing. In an attempt to revive this franchise, Namco Bandai has decided to start by remaking the first entry in the series in the form of a budget title to both rekindle the interest of fans as well as bring in new players that missed out on the original (like me!).

Klonoa is a very accessible 2.5D platformer. The controls are simple enough that you only need as many buttons as an NES controller. Realizing this, Namco Bandai included the “sideways Wiimote” scheme that I ended up using for the entire game. There were a handful of other control schemes available as well, but given that you only need a D-pad and two buttons, this scheme works just fine.

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First of all, I must say that I am amazed that Retro Game Challenge ever came to the states. In Japan, it is called GameCenter CX: Arino’s Challenge, sharing its name (sans the subtitle) with the Japan-only show in which it is based on. The show follows comedian Shinya Arino as he plays popular retro games and documents his progress. In this videogame adaption, things play out a little differently.

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