Pocket: Ultimate Arcade Games

Ratings

Graphics:9.00 [Bar of Width 90]
Sound:9.00 [Bar of Width 90]
Gameplay:9.00 [Bar of Width 90]
Replays:9.50 [Bar of Width 95]

Our Take

Ultimate Arcade Games is a collection of clones of popular classics from the past. And while the word clone may make you think that this collection isn’t worth picking up, that isn’t true. The games in this collection are all very fun to play, and this is great portable gaming.

All of the games in this collection look nice, and certainly resemble the classics that inspired them. They also fit nicely on the GBA screen and work perfectly for what one would expect from a portable game. And I’m also very happy to report that out of the 12 games, none of them share interfaces or even graphical similarities, so each game a player will see feels fresh. Overall one can tell that Nocturnal Entertainment really took the time to get the look and feel of every game just right.

Sound is also well done, although some games have catchier tunes than others. Typically games have one or two different songs that play throughout, although some games such as Omega Force have a different song every level, which is nice to see. It really depends on the type of game you are playing, as obviously the BreakOut or other puzzle ones won’t have a different song every level considering how many levels there are. But in the end you may find yourself humming along to some of these tunes after putting enough time into each of the games. Sound effects are also well done, and perfectly fit the 16 bit feel that these games all have.

UAG’s interface is simple and easy to use. Players start off the game with a certain amount of coins. By going to the Shopping Mall one can buy new games as well as specific challenges for the games they have already unlocked. By playing and doing well at the games that are unlocked, you can earn more coins in order to unlock more. This works nicely and gives you incentive to play each of the various titles. Thankfully all of the titles are fun though, so you won’t really need much incentive to play them in the first place.

Although some games are more fun than others (Highway 51 and FlipSide stand out for me), they all will provide some amusement as you make your way through the collection. These games may be clone, but all have key differences from the originals that inspired them. For example, Highway 51 initially resembles Spy Hunter, but once you start fighting UFOs and avoiding tanks you will realize that this is much more than a simple clone. Almost all of the games are like this and take steps to propel themselves above the concept they were based on, and the results work. And if you can’t figure out how to play a specific game, there is a handy hint screen that you can pull up to figure out exactly what you need to be doing.

In addition to the games themselves, there are over 100 challenges that players can unlock for all of the various games. These challenges typically involve getting a various score or meeting certain other requirements, which should keep people challenged for awhile. UAG also includes a nifty status report that will show you how far you are to mastering all of the games and challenges.

Overall Ultimate Arcade Games is an excellent compilation for the Game Boy Advance. Even though this is only a single player affair, there is enough here to keep players entertained for many days to come. Kudos to Nocturnal Entertainment for producing engaging new versions of classics, and to Telegames for getting this collection out to North American gamers.

Overall Rating: 9.00

Chris Dahlberg
October 24, 2005