The first Piko Interactive Collection for the Evercade remains one of my favourite cartridges for the console – an eclectic mix of games from different consoles, in a wide variety of genres; many of which will be unfamiliar to modern players.

Though not all of them were great or even good games, each was definitely worth trying – and there were some genuine hidden gems amongst its superb collection.

The Piko Interactive Collection 2 cartridge was a massive letdown – mostly because it was entirely sports themed, though there was the odd gem in the mix.

Platform oddity Soccer Kid was worth revisiting, as was – to my surprise – Beast Ball, a Blood Bowl-style take on fantasy American Football. Likewise, racing games Racing Fever and Top Racer 2 both excelled, but beyond that it was fodder for nostalgic players only, unfortunately.

So how does the third collection of Piko games fare? With a more eclectic, albeit smaller, compilation of games that hearkens back to the first collection, how does it compare?

Well, it’s clear that the big news here is the inclusion of a 32-bit, 3D platformer: 40 Winks.

The presentation of 40 Winks may seem dated in comparison to modern games, but on the Evercade it’s genuinely impressive to see animated FMV cutscenes between stages – though they’re hardly high resolution, they look fantastic on the handheld screen and still impressive running on the VS too.

Yet the game itself is plagued with being too dark and having an absolutely cursed camera, which causes the platforming action to often be far too frustrating to be fun.

It’s a real shame, because the game itself could have been pretty cool; it’s stuffed with interesting ideas and a unique setting – but it won’t take long for the novelty of having a beautifully emulated 3D platformer on a handheld wears off completely.

Another major disappointment is the beat ’em up/hack and slash title Sword of Sodan; the massive sprites look really impressive, but it’s an absolute dog of a game to play – slow, jerky and unresponsive, it really didn’t do anything for me.

Having failed to glean much enjoyment from the highly regarded Punch Out and its sequels on Nintendo platforms, the similarly executed Punch King left me cold – but it’s a gorgeous looking game with a lovely colour palette and lovely sprite art. It wasn’t for me, but your mileage may vary.

Ambitious 8-bit title Metal Mech: Man & Machine was also one that I struggled to enjoy; the level design seems to actively work against what should be a lot of fun, rendering this game a disappointment too.

Speaking of ambitious games, the Matchbox car tie-in that never was, Motor City Patrol, feels like Chase HQ meets the original, top down Grand Theft Auto.

An impressive open city environment gives this game a real sense of freedom, but a lack of in-game assistance – unless I’m missing something, it seems that you have to pause the game to check the map for where to find bad guys, yet they move so quickly that it feels almost pointless to do so – means that you’re often driving around empty streets trying to locate non-civilians for most of the game’s duration.

It’s a sadly missed opportunity, given how many great ideas Motor City Patrol has – and its unprecedented non-linear structure for its era.

So that’s half of the ten games on the cartridge – what about the rest of them?

Well, things definitely look up from here on out.

Stanley: The Search for Dr. Livingston is another 8-bit game, with a surprisingly non-linear feel. A platform game, there’s a real sense that this was perhaps unfairly overlooked in its day. Very challenging – as befits the early 90s NES style – it’s nonetheless worth sticking with.

Zero Tolerance is a most unusual beast: a 16-bit first person shooter! Though they do of course exist, they’re pretty rare – yet Zero Tolerance does a great job with the technological constraints; it’s an excellent game, albeit another with quite a steep difficulty curve.

Legend of Wukong is a top-down 16-bit RPG in the classic, turn-based style – it’s a really good game that kept me glued to my Evercade for hours on end. The full English translation of the game was only made available in 2008, long after the ‘death’ of its host platform (the Mega Drive/Genesis), so its appearance on the Evercade is welcome – and provides the most cost effective way to play if you already own the console.

So now we’re down to the last two games – both of which are fantastic, in my opinion.

Super Bubble Pop is an almost Puzzle Bobble/Bust a Move style bubble popping game – albeit in 3D, with direct control over a character. A 32-bit title, it has an absolute banger of a soundtrack – arguably one of the best on the Evercade.

Lastly is a previously unreleased Game Boy Color adaptation of arcade game Radikal Bikers, which is absolutely superb. It’s a shame this didn’t previously see the light of day, as its isometric, pizza delivering race-against-time action is so much fun.

Despite the disappointment of its marquee game – which dominates the cover art – there are some real hidden gems on Piko Interactive Collection 3.

It’s a cartridge that’s well worth your time, with some of its best experiences coming from a few unlikely titles!

You can purchase the Piko Interactive Collection 3 cartridge from Amazon here.