Despite the competition in terms of ways to play old games, the Evercade – as we found in our Evercade Review – is a sturdy, technically proficient console that’s truly plug and play (and can even be used on a TV or monitor via the mini-HDMI connection) which makes it incredibly appealing.
The console uses cartridges; curated collections of up to 20 games on each one, with retro-style packaging including manuals; the appeal of building up a collection – particularly as each case is numbered – is truly restored, in a way that can quite often feel out of reach given the cost of buying retro games these days.
According to Blaze Entertainment (the company behind Evercade), as of July 2024 they have sold over 1,000,000 cartridges worldwide, thanks to the popularity of the Evercade EXP handheld, their VS Console and their upcoming Alpha arcade cabinets.
With over 50+ cartridges to choose from which ones our are favourites?
Table of Contents
1. Codemasters Collection 1
Though a hugely renowned publisher in the UK, Codemasters are – or at least were – less well known across the pond.
They made their name releasing budget software on home computer formats in the UK in the 80s, before moving into developing and publishing NES titles, albeit ones not licensed by Nintendo (these were released by Camerica Games in the US and Canada).
Their brilliantly playable, technically impressive NES games are well represented in this collection; most are hugely fun to play and incredibly polished.
NES-era platform games are plentiful on the cartridge (with Cosmic Spacehead being the highlight in my opinion), but titles such as Psycho Pinball, bonkers top-down racer Super Skidmarks and the previously unreleased Tennis All Stars are also great, non-platform games that are all worth playing.
Of special note is The Ultimate Stuntman – though pretty challenging, it’s a neat title that combines numerous styles of gameplay, including driving, run-and-gun and puzzle elements. Unfortunately, some of their most fondly remembered 8-bit titles, including Micro Machines (no doubt due to licensing issues) and the highly regarded Dizzy games (as well as other titles by The Oliver Twins) aren’t here, but The Oliver Twins games can be found on their own Evercade collection – which itself narrowly missed out on a spot in this Top 10.
There are two titles that truly elevate this collection though, being two of the best games in the Evercade’s entire library: the delightfully anarchic, war-is-hell action/RTS title Cannon Fodder and evergreen soccer game Sensible Soccer, both of which remain as addictive and compelling today as they ever were.
You can buy this cartridge on Amazon or via Evercade’s partnered retailers.
2. Piko Interactive Collection 1
Much like the Code Masters Collection 1, the first compilation of titles from Piko Interactive features a wide variety of games, from numerous platforms, and a decent selection of genres too. With 20 games on the cartridge, from various 8 and 16-bit platforms, it feels like there’s something on here for everyone.
Piko Interactive themselves were only founded in 2013, with the aim of reviving long dormant intellectual properties, in order to bring them to retro gaming audiences; sometimes for the first time in English, or at all.
Let’s take a look at the more in-depth games first. Ambitious open world RPG Drakkhen and its sequel Dragon View, for example, which provide very Western-style fantasy role playing experiences. The Immortal is a classic, isometric RPG and Nightshade features point-and-click style mechanics and inventory management for quite a compelling experience. Brave Battle Saga and Canon: Legend of the New Gods are both Japanese style, top-down RPGs that’ll keep players busy for a very long time.
Players keen on platformers are well served by this cartridge too, with a variety of experiences on offer, such as the Castlevania-esque 8 Eyes, the previously unreleased puzzle platformer Dorke and Ymp, skateboarding dinosaur romp Radical Rex, another puzzle platform title in The Humans, and the more action packed Power Piggs of the Dark Age, Tinhead, Switch Blade and Jim Power.
Cute shoot ‘em up Magic Girl, Punch Out-style boxing game Power Punch II, fighting game Way of the Exploding Fist and scrolling beat ‘em ups Iron Commando and Water Margin provide even more variety.
Finally, the superb, old school racing game Top Racer (originally known as Top Gear in some territories) completes this phenomenal assortment of lesser known, underrated and previously unreleased console games, which should be in every Evercade owner’s collection.
You can buy this cartridge on Amazon or via Evercade’s partnered retailers.
3. Tomb Raider Collection
The Tomb Raider collection is a huge game that many Evercade collectors must add to their collection, and I was lucky enough to get an early look while visiting the Evercade HQ in the UK in early July.
These 3 games have been curated onto one cartridge that can be played across all of Evercade’s hardware, both home console and in handheld mode. It organises them neatly in the classic Evercade manner making it easy to enter individual games.
The Evercade team have worked on the gameplay slightly to make sure controls are a little more fluid and the well known Gamma graphic issues do not happen again.
That aside, as you know it’s one of the greatest PS1 games ever made and you can now experience that on a cartridge in a unique form factor. The emulation quality is great and from testing it’s just a pleasure to play on using Evercade’s hardware.
You can buy this cartridge on Amazon or via Evercade’s partnered retailers.
4. Indie Heroes Collection
When the Evercade was first announced, it was assumed that we’d just be treated to fairly straightforward collections of older titles.
Yet, as the two Mega Cat Studios collections, the Xeno Crisis/Tanglewood dual cartridge and this Indie Heroes compilation show, there’s also room for newer titles that have been designed on retro hardware too.
This particular cartridge features some absolutely superb games too, with 14 games featured. The platform genre is most commonly represented, with almost half of the games featuring platform elements of some kind (though that’s where their similarities begin and end). Foxyland, Twin Dragons, Debtor and Doodle World are all excellent examples of the platforming fun included.
Flea is a hardcore platformer that’ll have you tearing your hair out and there’s also adventure platform game Ploid, along with platform battle game Super Homebrew War – which suffers a little from the lack of multiplayer on the Evercade (though of course the Evercade VS will remedy that issue).
More RPG-style experiences are here too, with the dark Game Boy horror title Deadeus, cute-but-sweary cop RPG Quest Arrest, 16-bit top-down fantasy Anguna: Warriors of Virtue and Kubo 3, which was created by a 7 year old and his dad. Shoot ‘em up Uchusen, addictive puzzler Alien Cat 2 and Game Boy endless runner Chain Break round out this superb collection of titles.
You can buy this cartridge on Amazon or via Evercade’s partnered retailers.
5. Jaleco Collection 1
A fairly prolific publisher during the 8 and 16-bit eras, mostly on Nintendo consoles, Jaleco’s games were usually met with fairly average critical reception due to their sometimes derivative nature, yet – with one or two exceptions – their titles were often solid examples of their respective genres.
This collection showcases some of their finest NES and SNES titles and it’s incredibly good value – especially when you consider how much these games would have cost to acquire back in the day, let alone now on eBay.
There’s a great deal of variety on offer here too, with some real longevity that puts it ahead of the older game collections on the Evercade.
The NES games included are hack and slash platformer Astyanax, baseball game Bases Loaded, vehicle-based platform oddity City Connection and the superb, colourful, very 90s Totally Rad.
The SNES is well represented here with Rival Turf and its sequel Brawl Brothers – very Final Fight-esque scrolling beat ’em ups with impressively sized sprites and excellent action – horizontal shoot ’em up Super Earth Defence Force, soccer title Super Goal! 2, top down run and gunner Operation Logic Bomb and superb firefighting game The Ignition Factor.
With many more Jaleco titles unaccounted for here that could definitely do with being reintroduced to gamers, let’s hope a second collection is on the way.
You can buy this cartridge on Amazon or via Evercade’s partnered retailers.
6. Namco Museum Collection 1
Though Namco are no stranger to milking their back catalogue for Namco Museum compilations (having done so since the mid-90s when the first Namco Museum games appeared on the PS1), what’s so exciting about this Evercade collection is the fact that it includes not just a number of familiar (perhaps over familiar in a few cases) titles, but also some more obscure games from both the 8 and 16-bit eras.
Of course, most players will head straight for what is still one of the best games ever, Pac-Man (here in its NES incarnation), as well as those aforementioned familiar titles (such as Dig Dug, Mappy and Xevious – all of which have been re-released countless times already).
The more obscure or at least lesser-seen titles are no slouches for the most part though – with classic arcade shooter Galaxian (usually it’s sequel Galaga that’s found on these compilations), colourful platformer (and Mappy sequel) Mappy Kids, odd arcadey puzzler Libble Rabble, Mode 7 SNES combat racer Battle Cars, excellent futuristic strategy game Metal Marines (which admittedly has a bit of a steep learning curve) and 8-bit first person spaceship sim Star Luster are all well worth checking out.
Only the slow, visually drab 16-bit racer Quad Challenge lets the side down – but the quality of the NES arcade ports, as well the variety on offer with the rest of the games included, makes this collection an essential one.
You can buy this cartridge on Amazon or via Evercade’s partnered retailers.
7. Atari Collection 1
For gamers of a certain age (ie: old – and yes, that includes me!), the classic Atari consoles – particularly the 2600, first released in 1977 (coincidentally, the year I was born) – were part of the reason why their love for video games began and endured.
Though incredibly dated and minimalistic by the standards even of the 90s, let alone today, the classic Atari games have still got that all-important factor which never ages: great gameplay. There’s generally no plot or backstory to worry about and the straightforward immediacy of the games is hugely appealing.
On this collection, the standouts are RPG-precursor Adventure, the 2600 port of Asteroids, oddly compelling horse racing game Steeplechase, classic arcade shoot ‘em up Centipede (in its Atari 2600 form) and the bizarre beat ‘em up/sports title Ninja Golf.
With several 7800 games included in addition to Ninja Golf, the sheer value of this cartridge is through the roof – games such as the Operation Wolf-esque on-rails shooter Alien Brigade are, like Ninja Golf, rare and expensive to buy, costing several times more than this entire collection in their original forms.
It’s collections such as this that make the Evercade so appealing not just for nostalgia purposes, but for game preservation too.
You can buy this cartridge on Amazon or via Evercade’s partnered retailers.
8. Renovation Collection 1
Though there’s ‘only’ 12 titles on Renovation Collection 1’s cartridge, it’s full of games that were never released in Europe, many of which have significantly risen in value over the years since their release in the 80s and 90s.
As with the Code Masters Collection 1 and Piko Interactive Collection 1 cartridges, not every game is a heavy hitter, but the rarity and expense of collecting just a few of the original titles for their native systems makes the Renovation Collection 1 easy to recommend; it provides incredible value for money.
Arguably its best titles are the action platformers Valis, Valis III and El Viento, but shoot ‘em up fans will lap up Gaires, Granada, Final Zone and Sol-Deace. Action RPG, Arcus Odyssey, is a lot of fun, and the more traditional Japanese RPGs Exile and Traysia provide some enjoyable depth and great stories.
Dino Land is a superb, very addictive console pinball title, and it’s only the disappointingly clunky, isometric fighting game Beast Wrestler that fails to impress.
You can buy this cartridge on Amazon or via Evercade’s partnered retailers.
9. Indie Heroes Collection 3
Though of course the Evercade is primarily a console used to play classic, officially licensed retro titles, creators Blaze Entertainment have done a great job of bringing new, retro-style games to a wider audience too.
This third collection of ‘new retro’ titles from indie developers is an especially strong compilation, led by the superb Donut Dodo, which we’re really big fans of, as you can see from our review.
Yet there’s also another 12 titles on this cartridge, and though it’s mostly puzzle games and platformers, there’s plenty of variety in what’s on offer, and numerous games with inventive, compelling and unique mechanics.
Chew Chew Mimic is a fantasy-based take on frantic, Dreamcast puzzle classic Chu Chu Rocket, but it has numerous innovative ideas of its own. Alien Cat 2: Enhanced Edition is a puzzle title with cute visuals and addictive survival gameplay, Big2Small is a brainteaser in which you need to get various animals to their favourite foods, and Bone Marrow is a slightly obtuse, block sliding puzzler that has a bit of a learning curve to overcome before it becomes enjoyable.
Doodle World Redrawn is a cute platform sequel to a game that featured on Indie Heroes Collection 1; its deliberately crude, hand drawn style gives it a unique look and feel. Thunder Paw is an excellent action platformer, as is the nicely designed Orebody: Binder’s Tale. Skate Cat is another platform title, in which you control (perhaps obviously) a skateboarding feline, determined to foil an invasion of monsters. Body-swapping game Magic & Legend: Time Knights, and the beautifully responsive, very addictive Bubble Seahorse Adventures round out the collection of platform games on this cartridge.
Short and sweet story-based adventure game The Little Tales of Alexandria and 4-player fighting title Chibi Monster Brawl complete the varied, excellent selection of indie games on this cartridge, which we think is the strongest of all three Indie Heroes collections for the Evercade!
You can buy this cartridge on Amazon or via Evercade’s partnered retailers.
10. Piko Interactive Collection 3
Yes, another Piko collection makes it to this list! This time, it’s a compilation that features several 32-bit games, alongside the usual assortment of 8 and 16-bit titles. So let’s take a look at what’s here.
The headliner for this collection, and undoubtedly one of the most impressive titles for the Evercade in technical terms, is 40 Winks. A 3D platformer from the genre’s heyday, 40 Winks has, like many of the games of its era, a few issues with its camera, but it’s a solid adventure with some absolutely gorgeous presentation.
If you’re looking for more technical marvels, how about and early first person shooter, which was pretty mindblowing back when it released in 1994? Then you’ll definitely want to check out Zero Tolerance, which is an exciting, well made FPS title that’s a fantastic addition to the Evercade’s steadily growing software library.
An impressive soundtrack accompanies the bubble bursting puzzle action in 32-bit game Super Bubble Pop, and you’ll find characterful, cartoony, gorgeously drawn sprites in the Punch Out-esque Punch King, a little known 32-bit GBA game.
You’ll deliver pizzas in top down driving game Radikal Bikers, a clever adaptation of the arcade original that was originally released on the Game Boy Color. The impressively open, but highly challenging Motor City Patrol was Matchbox’s attempt to muscle in on the Micro Machines style of top down racing, albeit across an actual city and with criminals to hunt down. It’s a little too challenging for my liking, but I found it enjoyable nonetheless.
16-bit RPG Legend of Wukong makes its first official English language appearance on this very cartridge; for some RPG fans, this is worth the price of admission alone! Sword of Sodan is a hack and slash/beat ‘em up with massive sprites, Metal Mech: Man & Machine (aka Metal Flame: Psybuster in Japan) is an action packed run and gunner, and finally, Stanley: The Search For Dr. Livingston is an eccentric adventure platformer that you’ll almost certainly be using your Save States for!
It’s another eclectic mix of games, and once more it does feel like there’s something for everyone here, even if you don’t quite get on with one or two titles. 40 Winks, Zero Tolerance and Legend of Wukong perhaps provide the biggest selling points for this particular collection, but games such as Radikal Bikers provide underrated backup for those three games.
It’s another excellent collection of hard to find games from a variety of platforms, and really showcases what the Evercade is for, as well as what it’s capable of.
You can buy this cartridge on Amazon or via Evercade’s partnered retailers.
