Retro City Rampage

 PlayStation 3
Metascore
71

Mixed or average reviews - based on 13 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 13
  3. Negative: 0 out of 13
  1. Hyper Magazine
    Nov 14, 2012
    70
    A walk, drive, and jump down a whole city of memory lanes, but don't expect any of them to take you anywhere new. [Dec 2012]
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  2. GameSpot
    Oct 13, 2012
    70
    The ride's a little rough at times, but Retro City Rampage's blend of open-world action and 8-bit style is goofy, novel fun.
  3. GamesRadar+
    Oct 13, 2012
    60
    The rampant nostalgia is incredibly endearing, and it'll be very appreciated by lovers of that period in American pop culture. But games like Bit.Trip and Meat Boy are better than Retro City Rampage, and it's because they don't just emulate classic games, they move past them. RCR instead submerges itself in an ocean of retro references, but forgets to come up for air often enough to make the game all that fun to play.
  5. IGN
    Oct 15, 2012
    53
    This is the weird thing about Retro City Rampage. The game is gorgeous with its bright 8-bit visuals and fun to play when you're just roaming the streets and blasting baddies. It's that core that won so many IGN editors over at PAX and other trade shows -- that core of wandering the NES scene playing GTA. But when it's applied to a full-on game, the gameplay wears thin.
  6. GameOver.gr
    Jan 31, 2013
    50
    A "collection of memories" that never truly shines.
  7. Thunderbolt
    Dec 12, 2012
    50
    There are several disparate elements of it that are truly great, and only occasionally do they cross paths, revealing the game that could have been.

User Reviews

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User Score
7.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 34 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 22 out of 34
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 34
  3. Negative: 6 out of 34
  1. monosyllabical
    Oct 14, 2012
    8
    Retro City Rampage is a must-own game for any gamer who grew up in the 80's. For everyone else I would suggest trying before buying. TheRetro City Rampage is a must-own game for any gamer who grew up in the 80's. For everyone else I would suggest trying before buying. The initial charm of the overworld graphics fades pretty quickly, but it never gets in the way. Everything is rendered well enough that you can easily distinguish everything from one another. On the plus side, the cutscenes are well illustrated. The music is vintage chiptune, which isn't for everyone; but, what's there is well done, if not entirely memorable. The real draw of the game is the sheer volume of content. The game plays out very much like an NES version of GTA 3 (complete with an almost identical map layout at times), but with far more structure. Remember the morbid fun you would have trying to survive with a 5-star rating in GTA 3? Well, RCR provides that very same experience (and intensity) while also providing a competitive goal. In fact, any activity you created in GTA 3's sandbox is here, except with an emphasis on leaderboard support. Like the best arcade games of yore, RCR compels you to strive for an ever higher score in several dozen short, simple, and fun mini-games. The crude graphics diminish the sick nature of some of these games, which actually works to its' benefit. It wouldn't be very fun if it didn't control well, but from driving to head-stomping and everything in between (except the needless cover system), RCR handles just fine. All of this is packaged into a ridiculous story, with an absolutely ludicrous amount of references ranging from Duck Hunt to the Virtual Boy and even Minecraft. It's a treat if you're in on the joke, but only passable if you're a bit more casual about your entertainment trivia. In the end, I would sincerely recommend this to anyone who grew up playing the NES, absolutely loved GTA 3, and/or enjoys leaderboard competition. To everyone else, try before you buy.… Full Review »
  2. IrishChai
    Dec 28, 2012
    5
    I'm not big on games based entirely on nostalgia. I usually don't play old classics re-released so my opinion on this game will be prettyI'm not big on games based entirely on nostalgia. I usually don't play old classics re-released so my opinion on this game will be pretty obvious. It's not for me. However if you like playing old classics, and enjoy funny references to tons of 80's pop culture movies, tv shows, etc. than you'll want this game. I admit it's pretty funny and well made where 8 bit games are concerned, but I rather spend my money on more recent releases. This is a very niche game for nostalgia junkies only. If you don't get all the nostalgia jokes than it's even worse.… Full Review »
  3. HeartlessNinny
    Oct 13, 2012
    2
    This game is truly awful. Think all the frustration of old-school GTA with none of the refinement or fun. Worst yet are the 'hilarious' jokes.This game is truly awful. Think all the frustration of old-school GTA with none of the refinement or fun. Worst yet are the 'hilarious' jokes.

    You can't just say, "Remember Duck Hunt?" That's not parody. That's not a satire. It's not a joke and it's not funny. It's just a reference with no context or humour, and ultimately it's just riding on someone's coattails. For some reason this game gets credit as a love letter to old school gaming but it's really just a shameless rip off. Just asking the player to remember classics of yore while doing nothing to live up to their standard is incredibly annoying in my book.

    It's also a very ugly game. I have nothing against retro-style graphics -- in fact I like 'em more than the next guy -- but this game is artless with its tiny sprites with no detail. Worse yet there is no style or whimsy to them, which is why we loved those old games. This game looks like the worst NES games that we've all forgotten, and rightly so. Of course in the end it really comes down to gameplay, and in that area this game is terrible as well. There's a cover mechanic, but it's utterly useless. The lock on makes it hard to target the enemies that are the biggest threat, but aiming manually is sloppy and difficult. You can take a ton of gunfire but explosions are pretty much an instant kill. Speaking of which, thrown weapons like dynamite and grenades are as likely to blow up in your face and kill you as they are to kill your target -- actually, you're much *more* likely to kill yourself. I could go on. All in all this game is a disaster. I read that the guy who made it took 10 years to do so. If that's true, he wasted his life. Next time join the Peace Corps or something.    … Full Review »
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