Hands-On With Evercade's New Mega Cat Studios & Activision Collections

Blaze Entertainment are the masters of collections. Back when I was a kid, we used to get collections of games every now and again in the form of 'best of' releases. It's a much bigger thing today, however, especially as we're all looking back to the titles of yesteryear for some nostalgic comfort as we get older.

Blaze are doing incredible work at preserving iconic retro titles both for new generations and those who played them the first time around, giving everyone the chance to play them on a multitude of consoles in the Evercade and HyperMegaTech! range.

They're also championing new Indie titles that have their roots all the way back to the Golden Age of Gaming, games that take inspiration from the thrills of the arcade hall right up to the Game Boy.

Mega Cat Studios: Collection 3 and Activision Collection 2 have both released today (April 30th for those of you reading in the future), and I've been putting them through their paces over the past week, finding out how they play and picking my favourite games of the bunch.

Both of the games come in Evecade cartridge form. The boxes have colour booklets, stickers, and all of the other informative slips that you used to get with your games back in the 90s. The process of opening them before you even play anything feels very nostalgic in itself, which is important when you're playing retro collections or retro-themed games.

• Price: £19.99/$29.99
• Compatible With: All Evercade/HyperMegaTech! products
• Mega Cat Studios: Collection 3 - Available From Amazon.
• Activision: Collection 2 - Available From Amazon.

Mega Cat Studios: Collection 3

I'll start with the Mega Cat Studios collection as it's the cartridge that I'm holding above, and for many of you reading this, it might actually have names that you're more familiar with than the Activision collection. I'm proud to say that Indie games are bigger now than they ever have been, and it's great that we get to be a part of showcasing these new titles to the masses.

The Mega Cat Studios: Collection 3 includes:

• Kudzu
• Flap Happy
• Guntner
• Machine Cave
• Plyuk
• The Meating
• Gravibots
• Rocket Panda
• Super Fanger
• Gumball In Trick-or-Treat Land

I've played all of the games in this collection, and while they're all well executed and a credit to their makers, some of them were just a little convoluted and hard to grasp. Super Fanger isn't my cup of tea, and Flap Happy isn't the kind of game that would keep me occupied for more than a couple of minutes. But hey, I'm paid to be critical, and that's just how these things go sometimes. Like everything, there are always going to be favourites that stand out and take hold of you, and those are going to be different for everybody.

There's a reason Rocket Panda is on the front of the box and the cartridge - it's an amazing game. I wrote about the plans for it to arrive on the Mega Drive/Genesis back in 2024, and since then, this little panda has taken the world by storm. It felt a little like a game that paid homage to Rocket Knight Adventures with the animal-saving elements of the early Sonic games.

Players have to move Rocket Panda through obstacles to save caged badgers, collect biscuits, and drink coffee to break through walls. There are lots of enemies to avoid along the way, and if you touch one, you'll have to start all over again. It's fun, makes you think, and is both bright and colourful.

Plyuk is a game I've never played before, but one that grabbed me and kept me thoroughly entertained. It's such a simple concept - you play a little creature that can't jump, but can replicate itself a specific number of times so that it can reach higher ledges. You'll need to make towers to reach platforms, grab keys, and reach the exit. If you block your path with one of your stacks, however, then you'll have to reset and start the level again.

This is very much the same kind of puzzler that you might have found back on the ZX Spectrum or the C64. It's incredibly addictive and one of those games that you can just pick up and play at any time without having to put too much effort into it or sit down for long periods.

Kudzu is the final game I want to talk about in this collection. I've not played much more than a couple of hours, but I currently seem to be a gardening-mad, older gentleman with a machete, attacking snakes in the forest and figuring out why kudzu vines are running amok.

Kudzu has a feel of the early Zelda games, complete with the green hue of the original Game Boy. The green could also be because of the kudzu leaves, though, come to think of it! The storyline here is really engaging; I'm interacting with NPCs, I'm finding items, I'm discovering characters hidden in forests and uncovering mysteries. The narrative is brilliant; the collection is worth checking out for Kudzu alone!

Activision: Collection 2

The Activision Collection instantly jumps out to me as being something that older retro gamers are going to appreciate more than the younger generation, and that's simply because the games are so far removed from what we play today. I was playing Oink earlier and I just couldn't get into the groove with it; when you've grown up with Banjo-Kazooie and Diddy Kong Racing, the likes of Oink! just don't compare. But when my friend, who's a little older than me, picked it up, it instantly took him back to the 'good old days' of the Atari 2600 and playing this game as a young kid.

But I'm getting ahead of myself - here are the titles in this new 8-bit Activision collection.

• Boxing
• Checkers
• Cosmic Commuter
• Dragster
• H.E.R.O
• Monsweeper
• Oink!
• Pitfall II: Lost Caverns
• Plaque Attack
• River Raid II
• Robot Tank
• Seaquest
• Skiing
• Spider Fighter
• Stampede

I'll level with you; if you don't play 8-bit games, you might find this collection really hard work. I play a lot of 8-bit titles and love how simple games can tell a great story, but if you're used to playing God of War: Ragnarok, then the likes of Seaquest might make you feel like your brain is unravelling.

Let's talk about the best title on here - Plaque Attack. I know you thought I was going to say Pitfall II or River Raid II, and they're up there, don't worry, but I just love Plaque Attack. It feels like a fast-food version of Space Invaders, which if we're being honest, it is. Using toothpaste to fight incoming burgers and stopping them from attacking your teeth - it's simple, it's fun, and it's timeless.

Of course, Pitfall II is an absolute classic, and one that requires the skills and patience of a divine being to be able to complete. One of the cool features of this collection is being able to save and load your progress, however, which makes things much easier in terms of actually getting to the end of the level without being constantly transported back to the beginning. It's cheating, but it's smart.

I like having this title on the Super Pocket too; sure it's a little smaller than it would be than playing on the TV via the VSR, but there's something quite wholesome about sitting in the sun playing a classic 1980s game on a bright Data East handheld.

River Raid II, Boxing, Checkers; they're all classic titles that Atari lovers will no doubt have played time and time again since the 80s. I would say that this collection, twinned with a Super Pocket, would be the perfect gift for an older retro gamer in your life, maybe a dad or an uncle, someone for whom the nostalgia hit would be incredibly powerful when hearing the soundtracks again.

Final Thoughts

At just under £20 and $30, these collections would certainly make great gifts for the retro gamer in your life. They're well-priced if you want to explore indie games or retro gaming and aren't too sure what to expect, and they're brilliantly priced if you're an Atari 2600 fan who wants the freedom to play their games both in and out of the house.

Gameplay-wise, everything has played perfectly on my two cartridges, and while some of the games have been a little hit-and-miss in terms of capturing my attention, they've been spot on in terms of graphics and character movement.

As always, having the option to play these cartridges on the VSR, the EXP-R, the Alpha, and the Super Pocket, gives you so much flexibility. If you're unsure about which one to get, I'd opt for the Mega Cat Collection purely because of Rocket Panda and Kudzu - you won't be disappointed!