A charming but ultimately flawed show.
What They Say:
Retro Game Master is a reality television show unlike any other that taps into the mega world of classic gaming. The show, known in Japan as Game Center CX, features comedian Shinya Arino playing some of Japan’s most popular and most difficult classic games. In each episode, Arino plays a retro video game that audiences remember laying, but few could master. The goal is to finish the game in one sitting. It doesn’t always go as planned, as Arino usually struggles to complete the game before the night is over. He is supported by his Assistant Directors (Ads) and staff, both through moral support and actual gameplay. Hilarious at times and gut wrenching at others, this highly addictive series has been running for 16 seasons in Japan. This set includes 14 of the very best episodes from the series.
The Review:
Audio:
For this viewing I listened to the English language track for episodes 1-12 and the Japanese language track for episodes 13-14. Both language tracks include English subtitles as it’s only the narrator that is dubbed into English. Arino, the ADs, and the text thrown up on the screen are in Japanese, so it’s a bit of an odd experience. It’s unknown as to why an English language track is available for only the first twelve episodes.
The audio for both language tracks is presented in Dolby Digital 2.0. There is no directionality or sound effects, but none of that is needed for this type of show. It’s easy to hear and the subtitles are surprisingly easy to read given that a great deal of text is often on display.
Video:
I watched each episode in 4:3 letterbox aspect ratio, although there is also an option for 1.85:1 16:9 Anamorphic Widescreen as well. The video quality is fine and everything was easy to see.
Packaging:
The dominant color for all three sides of the cover is yellow. The front features Arino popping out of a red box covered in Japanese (I’m not well versed enough to know if it is Kanji or Kana) and the Latin letters “CX.” Arino is wearing his trademark light blue/green jumpsuit, white shirt, and orange tie. In his right hand he holds a Famicom controller and his left fist is raised in triumph. Beneath him, surrounding the box are 8-bit sprites of various ADs and the King that occasionally pops up during episodes to make comments on Arino’s gaming skills—or lack thereof. Above and to his right is the Retro Game Master logo and to the left of that is GameCenter CX Collection.
The spine features the same picture of Arino at the top, except that no text is written on the box. Under that is the Retro Game Master Logo and GameCenter CX Collection. Red bands are under that, separating the title from a picture of four overlapping red disks with the words “4 Disk Set” written in white font over the top one. Under that is the Eastern Star logo and a serial number.
The back cover is rather text heavy, with the information given in three distinct boxes. The top box is red and it contains the set summary in white font. Beneath that, in a black box, is the episode list. Each episode is named after the game Arino is playing. To the left of the box are four screenshots from the show. The credits are listed below that in another red box, and underneath that are the various technical specifications.
The cover is reversible and on the other side is a drawing of Arino and the various ADs. Arino is sitting on a throne, wearing a crown and a cape, holding a Famicom controller, and raising a fist in triumph, much like his picture on the other side. One of the ADs kneels before the throne, using his back as a table for Arino’s Famicom, while another AD holds the TV screen. Various other ADs stand around, watching, advising, or working out a plan of action on a whiteboard. It’s a really fun design that highlights the whimsical nature of the show.
The four disks are overlayed on the inside of the case. It’s not my favorite case design as you have to remove one to get to the other, but in terms of difficulty, it’s minor, and compared to stackpacks, it’s genius, so even though I would have preferred a design where each disk was easily accessible, I can’t complain too much.
Overall it’s a good design that reflects the show’s attitude.
Menu:
The menu is the same for each disk and not surprisingly, it’s designed to emulate classic games. The background is a star field that moves from the top to the bottom for approximately four seconds. At the top in red letters are 1UP, HI-SCORE, and 2UP. Underneath that in white letters are numbers representing the scores with 3000 being the high score and 00 the scores for the first and second players.
When the disk first starts, all you see is the star field and the text at the top. The logo Retro Game Master rises from the bottom and the announcer says “Retro Game Master” accompanied by some music. Once that ends the movement of the star field and the background music ceases and the image becomes static.
Beneath the show’s title are the disc number and the menu options Play All, Language Select and Episode Select. These are written in white font and stand out well against the black star field and an arrow rests beside the option you choose, making it easy to see what you are selecting. It’s a nice, no-frills design that I rather like.
Extras:
There are no extras on this set.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
“Game Center CX: Chief on!”
With those words Shinya Arino inserts a game cartridge into his trusty Famicom, Super Famicom, or Master System, and starts a marathon gaming session that could last anywhere from one to two days. Arino is a member of the comedy duo Yoiko along with Masaru Hamaguchi. In addition to his comedy skills, Arino is also a celebrated otaku. His show, Game Center CX (called Retro Game Master here in the States) has run for 16 seasons on Japanese television. In it, Arino plays classic, difficult games such as Ninja Gaiden, Mighty Bomb Jack, Golden Axe, and Clock Tower. His goal is to beat the game in one sitting, but it doesn’t always go as planned and there are times when he has to come back to the game days later whenever his schedule permits. He is aided by his assistant directors (ADs), who occasionally ask to play for one life, tell him about cheat codes, or help him strategize. As he plays, Arino keeps up a steady commentary about the gameplay, the story, and his gaming skills. Each episode is an hour long, and by the end of each you’re cheering just as hard as Arino and the ADs when he finally beats a game.
On first blush, it seems odd to watch a person playing video games, but if you’re like me, you’ve spent quite a few years doing just that. There have been plenty of times I’ve watched my brother or my friends playing games, and it is entertaining; however, the difference between that and this is that I was physically there and able to interact with the game player. I wasn’t quite sure if the physical distance between myself and Arino would affect the viewing experience. It didn’t, but that’s not to say that this show isn’t without its problems.
The show’s description lead me to believe that Arino would be engaging in some Mystery Science Theater 3000-esque riffing of the game. He does do that to an extent, but it’s rather obvious that his comments are completely off the cuff. Many of the things he said were funny, but at times he’s just making general statements about the game or reading dialogue text out loud. It’s nowhere near as polished or persistent as I had imagined. I especially found this to be true with games where speed and timing were essential, such as Ninja Gaiden. Those games obviously take up more of Arino’s attention and concentration than RPGs such as Clock Tower or Battle Golfer Yui, where he has more time to think, and more story and dialogue on which to riff.
In addition to the commentary, Retro Game Master also includes brief bits of information about the games being played, but like the commentary, I wish more care and attention had been taken and more detail added. The show could have talked about the game’s history and any bits of interesting trivia about it while Arino played, as well as given the viewers more cheat codes and shortcuts. Again, the idea is present, and good, but I felt like it wasn’t taken far enough.
However, this is not to say that I didn’t enjoy the show. The strange thing about Retro Game Master is that it kind of grows on you. While Arino didn’t do the rapid-fire commentary that I expected, he is funny, and perhaps even more importantly, he’s an underdog. This isn’t a speed runner rocketing through a game, this is a guy with fairly average skills and a good attitude, and that counts for a lot. Frankly, I’m amazed that he didn’t curse every five minutes when playing some of these titles. Arino can, and has, played single levels 80 times to pass them, and that dedication, and the cheerful way he picks himself back up and tries again, really wins you over. You want him to win, and when he does, it feels like a significant accomplishment.
It’s also fun to see games that weren’t available here in the U.S. I love the game Clock Tower 3, but from what I understand the first two installments were better. I would greatly enjoy playing the first one, but to my knowledge it has never been officially translated and released in English (there may be ROMs out there: I’m not sure), so it was great fun watching Arino play it. I also enjoyed discovering games I had never heard of before, such as Battle Golfer Yui, which is probably the world’s only golf RPG. Gems like these made the show much more interesting.
In Summary:
By the end of this set I found I really liked Arino and his group of ADs. These aren’t speed runners or gaming geniuses—these are just people who love games and want to get together and play. Arino makes mistakes, he can be slow, and he can be pretty terrible at a game sometimes, but his consistent good attitude and willingness to try again wins over the viewer and makes us root for him, so in that sense this is an enjoyable show. However, it really suffers from a lack of polish. This could just have easily been filmed in a dorm room (although there would be a great deal more profanity) and the results would have been the same: there would be some funny comments, a few tidbits about the game, and a bit of cheating along the way. If the riffing had been more consistent and if the show had taken more time to delve into the history of the games then it could have been much more enjoyable. The funny thing is that I kind of feel bad for not awarding this a higher grade because I really like Arino, but even so, as it stands, Retro Game Master a fun little oddity that I’m glad I watched, but don’t believe I’ll be rewatching any time soon.
Features:
Japanese Language, English Language, English Subtitles
Content Grade: C+
Audio Grade: A
Video Grade: A
Packaging Grade: A
Menu Grade: A+
Extras Grade: F
Released By: Discotek Media
Release Date: October 2nd, 2012
MSRP: $59.95
Running Time: 800 minutes
Video Encoding: 480i/p MPEG-2
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Review Equipment:
Panasonic Viera TH42PX50U 42” Plasma HDTV, Sony BPD-S3050 BluRay Player w/HDMI Connection