http://www.defunctgames.com The latest articles from Defunct Games. http://www.defunctgames.com Did you know that Nintendo has added a total of 25 Game Boy Advance games on the American Nintendo Classics app and all of them have been published by Nintendo? That streak ends on September 25th, when Namco will add both Mr. Driller 2 and Klonoa: Empire of Dreams. Yeah, that’s really cool news, but are either of these games actually worth playing? To answer that question, I decided to flip through the pages of Electronic Gaming Monthly, Edge, Nintendo Power and more classic magazines that reviewed these games back when they first came out. So, prepare to get dirty, because we’re digging tunnels in this Namco-themed episode of Nintendo Classics Review Crew. Thu, 18 Sep 2025 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.defunctgames.com/courant/1817 Fresh Tracks is a fun and exciting new skiing game with a great soundtrack and just enough fantasy elements to wave a magic sword at. This is an action game with clever level designs that have a lot of different enemies and obstacles to overcome. And all that is before you meet the epic boss battles, where you go head-to-head with larger-than-life Mythics. All this comes together thanks to an amazing soundtrack that you’ll actually want to listen to outside of the game. Sure, the gameplay is a bit repetitive, the list of songs is a tad short and the challenging difficulty may put off some players, but Fresh Tracks is an inventive rhythm game that’s genuinely hard to put down. I can’t wait to see what this developer comes up with next. Wed, 17 Sep 2025 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.defunctgames.com/courant/1818 While a lot of Deliver at All Costs is marred by bad gameplay and annoying load times, there’s still a lot to like and admire about this debut release from Studio Far Out Games. Between the over-the-top story, the crazy cast of characters, the well-constructed world and, of course, the zany delivery missions, there’s almost enough here to recommend. Had the developer found a way to tighten up the gameplay and stream more of the map without loading, this would have been one of my favorite games of the year. As it is, Deliver at All Costs is a big disappointment. Fri, 05 Sep 2025 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.defunctgames.com A few months ago, back around the time when the Switch 2 launched, observant fans uncovered what appeared to be clues to upcoming Nintendo 64 games, including Donkey Kong 64 and Super Smash Bros. Now, all these months later, we finally got confirmation that maybe there’s something to that theory, because this week Expansion Pack subscribers will get their hands on Forsaken 64, one of the games featured front and center in that leaked image. That’s cool, news, but is this game actually worth playing? To answer that question, I decided to flip through the pages of Electronic Gaming Monthly, GamePro, Edge and more classic magazines that reviewed this game back when it first came out. You might want to have a barf bag handy, because this is going to be a dizzying episode of Nintendo Classics Review Crew! Wed, 03 Sep 2025 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.defunctgames.com/courant/1819 The Microsoft exclusive that many thought would never cheat on the Xbox has finally come to the PlayStation 5, and it was worth the two-decade wait. Gears of War: Reloaded is the best-looking version of the 2006 game yet, with loads of content, an explosive story and all of the multiplayer modes you remember from the Xbox 360. Unfortunately, it also comes with some brain-dead enemies and a few other dated gameplay elements that will instantly remind you that this is, indeed, a nineteen-year-old game. Aside from a few wrinkles and age spots, this remaster of a remaster is a fun reminder of why the original Gears of War was so influential when it first came out. Regardless of whether you’re a PlayStation loyalist who has never played the series or a longtime fan looking to experience the best-looking version available, you won’t be disappointed with Gears of War: Reloaded. Tue, 02 Sep 2025 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.defunctgames.com/courant/1816 It’s time to hit the high seas and punch a merman in the face in Buccaneers Shipshape, a loving reimagining of a long-forgotten arcade game from 1989. Presented in the style of a 16-bit brawler, this pirate-themed action game sends four heroes on a revenge mission. Dodging sharks, cannon balls, exploding barrels and untreatable diseases, this is a fun and engaging brawler that is not only easy to get into, but actually a blast to play. There’s just enough depth to the combat to keep things lively, and the different locations are straight out of the original game. It may not be as valuable, but I would rather spend 40 minutes playing Buccaneers Shipshape than digging up buried treasure. Thu, 21 Aug 2025 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.defunctgames.com/courant/1815 The concept of a haunted prison is rife with possibilities. Sadly, the new horror game Prison Alone squanders that intriguing set-up with laughably bad jump scares and a story so inconsequential that the developer didn’t even both finishing it. Worse yet, the puzzles feel like an afterthought and the admittedly atmospheric prison isn’t that much fun to investigate. And did I mention that it’s barely 45 minutes long? As far as I’m concerned, the punishment of Prison Alone doesn’t fit the crime. Wed, 20 Aug 2025 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.defunctgames.com/reviewcrew/285 If you’re looking for a good scare to get you in the mood for spooky season, then PlayStation Plus has you covered. This week, we’re getting two of Capcom’s most frightening PlayStation games – the much-hyped sequel Resident Evil 2 and its 1999 follow-up, Resident Evil 3: Nemesis. That’s cool news, but are either of these games actually worth playing? To answer that question, I decided to flip through the pages of Electronic Gaming Monthly, PSM, Computer & Video Games and more classic magazines that reviewed these games when they first came out. Have that green herb handy, because you’re going to need it for this brain-eating episode of PlayStation Plus Review Crew. Mon, 18 Aug 2025 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.defunctgames.com/courant/1814 If you’re into beat ‘em ups and want to play a bunch of thirty-year-old brawlers that you’ve probably never heard of, then the Beat ‘Em Up Collection is for you. That said, you may want to temper your expectations, because there’s nothing as good as Final Fight or Streets of Rage in this package. On the other hand, with only a couple of duds, most fans of the genre will have a good time with this collection, even though it’s a bit barebones and there are few standout games. You’re getting a lot of punch for your $20. A lot of repetitive punches. If that sounds like a good thing, then the Beat ‘Em Up Collection is worth seeking out. Fri, 15 Aug 2025 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.defunctgames.com/reviewcrew/284 Drip, drip, drip. No, that’s not the sound of the slow drip of GameCube games on Nintendo Classics, but rather a pesky sink problem I’ve been dealing with. Thankfully, I know the perfect guy for the job – a tiny helper robot named Chibi-Robo. That’s right, Switch 2 owners with an Expansion Pack subscription finally have access to the quirky 2006 adventure game, Chibi-Robo. That’s cool news, but is this game actually worth playing? To answer that question, I flipped through the pages of Electronic Gaming Monthly, Game Informer, Nintendo Power and more classic magazines that reviewed this game back when it first came out. I sure hope you charged your battery, because this is going to be a very clean episode of Nintendo Classics Review Crew! Wed, 13 Aug 2025 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.defunctgames.com/reviewcrew/283 Did Christmas come early? It sure feels like it, because this week classic magazine collectors from around the world were given an incredible gift. In case you haven’t heard, our friends over at the Video Game History Foundation announced that they had not only acquired every issue of the long-lost magazine Computer Entertainer, but they also scanned them and even went through the trouble of putting them in the public domain. Fri, 08 Aug 2025 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.defunctgames.com/courant/1813 Death Relives doesn’t break any new ground, but it’s an effective enough survival horror game that will scratch that very particular itch. It’s basically a damsel in distress story where our hero is being hunted by a nine-foot-tall Aztec demon. While the mansion is certainly creepy, the stealth gameplay is underwhelming, the optional jump scares are lame and the initially compelling story doesn’t really add up to anything great. Death Relives is fun for the two or three hours it lasts, but will be completely forgotten about by the time Halloween rolls around. Thu, 31 Jul 2025 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.defunctgames.com/reviewcrew/282 After playing it safe the last couple of months, Nintendo is back with a genuine surprise for their Nintendo Classics app. I’m of course talking about Mario Paint, the game that came bundled with the Super NES Mouse. Believe it or not, this is one of the rare Nintendo games to never get ported to another console. That is, until now. Yeah, that’s cool news, but is this game actually worth playing? To answer that question, I decided to flip through the pages of Electronic Gaming Monthly, Total, Computer & Video Games and more classic magazines that reviewed Mario Paint when it first came out. Get your art supplies ready, because this is going to be a surprisingly divisive episode of Nintendo Classics Review Crew. Tue, 29 Jul 2025 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.defunctgames.com/reviewcrew/281 Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is coming out this week, can you believe it? To celebrate, we’ve spent all of July looking back at Ryu Hayabusa’s impact on both the critics and the industry. We’ve already touched on the 8-bit trilogy, the handheld spin-offs and even the weird ports that found their way to other consoles. Now, it’s time to dive head first into the 3D series, which includes the 2004 reboot, Ninja Gaiden II, Ninja Gaiden 3, Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword and even the much-maligned 2014 spin-off, Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z. Those are definitely Ninja Gaiden games, but are any of them actually worth playing? To answer that question, I decided to flip through the pages of Electronic Gaming Monthly, Edge, Game Informer and more classic magazines that reviewed these games back when they first came out. Get ready to pull out those ten-hit combos, because you’re going to need them in this episode of Ninja Gaiden Review Crew. Mon, 28 Jul 2025 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.defunctgames.com/reviewcrew/280 Last week, I looked at what I thought was the first Jaleco sports collection, featuring a pair of 8- and 16-bit soccer games from back in 1980s and 90s. As it turns out, the same people who just put out the Goal! compilation also released a similar set for Bases Loaded back in April. With no Nintendo Classics to talk about yet again, I wanted to take a trip back in time and cover those baseball games I missed a few months ago, including both Bases Loaded on the Nintendo Entertainment System, as well as Super Bases Loaded on the Super NES. Those are definitely Jaleco sports games, but are they actually worth playing? To answer that question, I decided to flip through the pages of Electronic Game Player, Video Games & Computer Entertainment, Super Play and more classic magazines that reviewed these games when they first came out. Get ready to round those bases and aim for the rafters, but not necessarily in that order, because it’s time for another episode of Jaleco Sports Review Crew! Fri, 25 Jul 2025 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.defunctgames.com/reviewcrew/279 With the release of Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound just ten days away, we’re spending July looking back at Ryu Hayabusa’s impact on both the critics and the industry. We’ve already looked at the classic 8-bit trilogy on the Nintendo Entertainment System, as well as the often-forgotten spin-offs on Game Boy, Game Gear and Master System. Today, we’re digging into the ports of the 8-bit trilogy, including Ninja Ryukenden on the PC Engine, Ninja Gaiden III on the Lynx and, of course, Ninja Gaiden Trilogy on the Super NES. Those are all Ninja Gaiden games, but are any of them actually worth playing? To answer that question, I decided to flip through the pages of Electronic Gaming Monthly, Nintendo Power, Computer & Video Games and more classic magazines that reviewed these games back when they first came out. Bring on the ports! Because that’s all we’re dealing with in this exciting episode of Ninja Gaiden Review Crew. Mon, 21 Jul 2025 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.defunctgames.com/reviewcrew/278 No matter if you call it soccer or football, the goal remains the same. If you’re a fan of the beautiful game, then you might be interested to hear that Rock It Games has just released a new collection called Jaleco Sports: Goal on PC. This new compilation comes with the Nintendo Entertainment System version of Goal!, along with the Super NES follow-up, which in some parts of the world was called Super Goal! That’s cool news, but are any of these games actually worth playing? And why isn’t Super Goal! 2 in the package? To answer these questions, I decided to flip through the pages of Nintendo Power, GamePro, Mean Machines and more classic magazines that reviewed these games back when they first came out. Get ready to shout GOAL! for as long and loud as you possibly can, because it’s time to hit the pitch for this edition of Jaleco Sports Review Crew. Fri, 18 Jul 2025 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.defunctgames.com/reviewcrew/277 Stab it and steer and get ready to shoot down the competition, because Twisted Metal is back ... kind of. Two full years after giving car-combat fans something to cheer about with the re-release of the first two Twisted Metal games on PlayStation Plus, Sony is doing the exact same thing with the two far less popular sequels – Twisted Metal III and Twisted Metal 4. That’s cool news, but are either of these games actually worth playing? To answer that question, I decided to flip through the pages of Electronic Gaming Monthly, Game Fan, Game Informer and more classic magazines that reviewed these games back when they came out. I sure hope your car insurance is up to date, because you’re going to need it in this episode of PlayStation Plus Review Crew! Tue, 15 Jul 2025 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.defunctgames.com/reviewcrew/276 With Ninja Gaiden Ragebound coming out later this month, we’re spending July looking back at the critical impact the franchise had in the early days. Last week, we dug through the Nintendo Entertainment System trilogy, so now it’s time to look at a few of the lesser known Ninja Gaiden games, including the Lynx port of the arcade brawler, the exclusive Game Gear release, the Game Boy game spin-off made by the people who gave you Shadow of the Ninja and the hidden Sega Master System gem that everybody has forgotten about. That’s a lot of Ninja Gaiden, but are any of these games actually worth playing? To answer that question, I decided to flip through the pages of Electronic Gaming Monthly, ACE, Computer & Video Games and more classic magazines that reviewed these games back when they first came out. So grab your throwing stars, because we’re digging into the portable entries in this episode of Ninja Gaiden Review Crew! Fri, 11 Jul 2025 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.defunctgames.com/reviewcrew/275 If you’re anything like me, then you’re a long-time fan of Ninja Gaiden. From its humble beat ‘em up roots in the arcade to the cinematic heights of the 8-bit trilogy to completely reinventing itself for the 21st century, Ryu Hayabusa has seen and battled it all. And he’ll be returning to home consoles later this month with a brand-new 2D action game called Ninja Gaiden Ragebound. To celebrate this exciting release, we’re going to post a series of Review Crew episodes that look at every single era of Ninja Gaiden, starting today with the original 1989 Nintendo Entertainment System game, Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos and Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom. These were incredibly influential for their time, but are any of these games actually worth playing? To answer that question, I decided to flip through the pages of Electronic Gaming Monthly, Mean Machines, Video Games & Computer Entertainment and more classic magazines that reviewed these games when they first came out. Grab those demon statues and get ready to have strong opinions about birds, because it’s time to get 8-bit for this episode of Ninja Gaiden Review Crew. Thu, 03 Jul 2025 00:00:00 -0800