Alright, so imagine this: you’re strolling down memory lane, only it’s packed with pixelated chaos and an explosion of colors that scream ’80s and ’90s arcade madness. Yeah, I’m talking about the Irem Collection Volume 3, where ININ, Tozai Games, and Irem decided to go all nostalgic on us. I mean, they dug up Mr. Heli, Mystic Riders, and Dragon Breed — all those games you probably fed way too many quarters into back in the day. Or maybe you’re like me and just heard your cool uncle raving about them over Sunday dinners.
First up, Mr. Heli! It’s got this legged helicopter thingamajig and you’re flying around blasting stuff — multidirectional, they say. Kinda makes you feel like you’re piloting a rebellious dragonfly with attitude. And Mystic Riders? Oh boy, that’s a broomstick-riding adventure with boomerangs. Riiiight… because who doesn’t want to mix magic with a bit of mayhem? I remember thinking, turtles shouldn’t fly, but in this universe, anything goes.
Now, let’s veer into Dragon Breed territory. This one’s got dragons, as the name boldly hints, and it’s like R-Type mixed with some fire-breathing medieval fantasy. You get to ride this massive dragon who casually incinerates anything in its path — just a normal Tuesday, right?
So, what’s different this time around? Well, they’ve thrown in some modern sprinkles. You can now cheat kinda, with a save/load option. And who didn’t see this coming — leaderboards to compare scores worldwide. Perfect for when you wanna show off to some stranger in, I dunno, New Zealand.
Speaking of modern stuff, they added these display filters, so you can squint at your screen and pretend you’re squinting at the fuzziness of an old CRT monitor instead. Because why not make it harder to see what you’re doing?
Honestly, the tweaks and enhancements make these games friendlier for folks who didn’t spend their childhoods in musty arcades. Or maybe never knew what a joystick felt like — play on, my friends, play on. And y’know, it’s available on Xbox One, Series X|S. So, if you’re feeling a bit adventurous or just need a trip down the memory lane of someone else’s past, give it a whirl.
