Hotline Miami Collection

Both transgressive and subversive, Hotline Miami and its sequel are both much smarter games that I’ve seen some quarters give them credit for, and brought together into one package for the Switch is a good bit of the ol’ ultra-violence.

Hotline Miami and its sequel stand the test of time as two titles built around an excellent combat loop while offering so much more as well. The visuals, soundtrack, and kinetic combat combine to form one of the greatest indie titles in history - and one still worth playing in 2019.

If you’re looking for a game to both frustrate and entertain while on the bus or on the sofa, then Hotline Miami Collection should be your first pick.

After so many years since its debut, Hotline Miami is still a really tight and focused game. Wrong Number carries over much of its predecessor’s greatness, though I don’t like the larger levels that much only because it makes getting ganked by unseen enemies a little too easy. To hand-wave away these games because of their misanthropic tone and senseless violence is to ignore a product that’s addictive, well-designed, and even fun. As for their status as console ports, both titles are a great fit and have arrived on the Switch with nary a blemish. There is no better time to experience the acid trip that is Hotline Miami if you haven’t done so before. For everyone else, this is one double dip that won’t do you wrong.

Even if you’ve played them many times in the past, there’s something about this Switch port that feels fresh, providing a welcome reminder of just how brilliant both games are in their own distinctive ways.

Hotline Miami Collection arrives in physical format to our country, reuniting two of the best indie action games. The series started almost 10 years ago, and as with old good classics, they are timeless: graphics, gameplay, music... all is still over the top.

With satisfyingly difficult gameplay and a soundtrack that steals the show, the Hotline Miami collection is a double feature that offers much replay-ability. While the sequel is more of the same gameplay wise, it expands the series lore and introduces new characters and concepts. The games run smooth on the Switch's hardware and the console's portability makes this the ideal way to play Hotline Miami.

Despite the odd control or technical issue, this is still an excellent means of experiencing the cult hits of this series. it’s technically sound, has a killer soundtrack, and features every bit of content minus one notable omission, allowing you to take calls from 50 Blessings and knock a few heads (to say the least.) on the go. The Hotline Miami Collection provides one excellent game and one very good game, and between unlocking all of the weapons, masks, and finding the secrets that hide beneath its blood soaked, neon exterior, you’ll be coming back at least a few times to try and master it all.

Hotline Miami is still a classic I can recommend to most people. It is disappointing that you are forced to buy it with the sequel that isn’t as good but this is a price I was willing to pay to have one of my favourite games on the Switch. If you enjoyed the sequel as well on PC or PlayStation before, this collection is an essential for your Switch.

Quotation forthcoming.

Hotline Miami and Hotline Miami 2 are an exercise in desensitised violence to the point where playing them feels good. And the choice of weapons and strategy offer enough to vary up the gameplay – and that’s before playing with different masks, which further change up the mechanics (eg. one mask gives the ability to dodge-roll, while another disables weapons but increases melee strength). The over-the-top violence and twitch-gameplay may not gel with everyone, but this Collection is a strong example of modern, fast-paced beat ‘em ups.

Devolver Digital delivers once again with Hotline Miami Collection. Ferociously violent and superbly engaging, the original still holds up as one of the best indie titles out there and, despite its frustrations, Wrong Number proves a good time too. As far as surprise Nintendo eShop release, chalk this up as another winner.

Only regret that the Miami Collection Hotline renounces to remedy the sporadic programming defects that occurred - and still manifest themselves - during the game. Perhaps the symptom of a little laziness, which however does not have the slightest power to bury the enormous value of a series that has rightly become a cult.

Not only is Hotline Miami an enjoyable time in its own right, you’ll immediately recognize the footprint it left behind. I was blown away by the similarities seen in more modern titles such as Katana Zero. The themes, mechanics, and aesthetics are all so similar that I was convinced it had to be the same developer. As a publisher, Devolver Digital has a deep understanding of its market and what their fans are looking for. If you think Katana Zero is a Game of the Year candidate, than you should have a real fun time with its inspiration.

This is a low-effort adaptation, but the games are fantastic. We don’t love some of the ideas introduced in the second entry, but both titles have created a new subgenre, and having them available on Switch is great news.

Hotline Miami remains one of the best indie games of the last decade but its deeply disappointingly sequel drags down this otherwise welcome compilation.

While time has somewhat diminished the freshness of Hotline Miami’s creative violence, both games still offer some of the most addictive and rewarding experiences you can play. Sure, the Nintendo Switch versions don’t bring anything particularly new to the table (even the touchscreen aspects were present on PS Vita), but if you’re looking to experience these games for the first time (or again) on a portable platform, this is the place to do it. The pixel art visuals and synthwave soundtrack have aged incredibly well – especially in the seven-year-old original – and while the lack of a map editor stings to this day, its brutal story missions are as engaging as they day they were released. Hotline Miami Collection still kills the old way.

If video games taught me anything, it's that senseless violence is fun. Okay, perhaps that isn't true but it's definitely the case in Hotline Miami. I just wish that this collection featured some extras to justify its re-release.

Hotline Miami Collection perfectly exploits its best strength, its playability. Its mixture of action and strategy manages to keep the player playing. It is not a perfect game but it is very fun and recommended.

The original Hotline Miami was that watershed indie game that changed things and influenced others, beginning the trend of '80s nostalgia that has become so popular lately. It is hard not to see why because, this makes the '80s seem so cool, and reminds everyone of simpler age when it was possible to be cool and corny at the same time. Wrong Number has its issues, and most people in the future might even forget it ever existed, but anyone with the guts to make it all the way to the end will never forget it.