Though none of the games on Visco Arcade 1 were bad, by any means, the collection was a bit too focused on shoot ’em ups, and could definitely have used a bit of variety. Given that Blaze seem to have taken a chronological approach to bringing Cisco’s games to the Evercade, it’s a problem that’s unavoidable when the collections are split across two cartridges.

So what will you find on the Visco Arcade 2 cartridge, and can we expect more variety? Let’s find out!

Drift Out ’94: The Hard Order

Breaker’s

No, that erroneous apostrophe isn’t a mistake on my part; this game really is called Breaker’s. This 1996 fighting game is pretty, but feels way behind its peers in terms of its gameplay. That said, it’s an easy enough game to pick up and play, and though it’s not the deepest experience, it is fun as long as you’re not comparing it to its mid-90s fighting game contemporaries.

Neo Drift Out: New Technology

Now this is racing! The third Drift Out title is superb, with lightning fast speed, impressively smooth tech and a great soundtrack. This is such a thrilling game, even if it is just as challenging as the previous Drift Out titles!

Battle Flip Shot

1998 title Battle Flip Shot feels like a simplified, futuristic Windjammers (which is unsurprisingly found on the Windjammers, Karnov & Friends cartridge). It feels like a great update of Pong, with specials and slides that are easy to pull off, and it’s excellent fun with 2 players taking each other on too.

Captain Tomaday

We don’t entirely skip shoot ’em ups on Visco Arcade 2, but Captain Tomaday at least differentiates itself from Visco’s earlier shmup output by virtue of its cutesy looks, as well as its unique punching mechanics, rather than shooting per se. It looks absolutely gorgeous; it’s vibrantly colourful and cartoony, and plays beautifully too. A real highlight!

Ganryu

Like Captain Tomaday, platform hack and slash title Ganryu has similarly impressive, cartoony presentation. Though it barely feels any more advanced than Sega’s 80s classic, Shinobi, in gameplay terms, it plays well and looks good too. Another excellent addition to the collection.

Bang Bead

The sequel to Battle Flip Shot, shields are removed in Bang Bead, so you have to tap a button to return the ball. It’s another lightning fast, incredibly entertaining test of reflexes and well worth checking out in single or multiplayer.

Bang Bang Busters

Finally, we have the belatedly released Bang Bang Busters. Originally intended to be released around 2000, it never made it to the arcades and instead didn’t see release until 2011, on then-current consoles. Bang Bang Busters is a single screen elimination platformer, along similar lines to Bubble Bobble, Snow Bros or Tumble Pop. All available on Evercade, coincidentally! It’s not as good as any of the other titles I’ve given as examples, because its elimination mechanic (timing the throw of a caught enemy) isn’t particularly intuitive, but it’s still an enjoyable game in its own right.

So there you have it; taken as a pair, Visco Arcade 1 and 2 are a great, really solid and varied collection of games. Though the second cartridge is more varied, there’s still some repetition, with two Drift Out titles and the Battle Flip Shot/Bang Bead games both appearing. That said, there’s not a truly bad game here, and if you have a VS or an Alpha, using both cartridges at once gives you a fantastic selection of underrated, lesser known arcade titles to choose from.

Visco Arcade 2 is available now from retailers such as Amazon.

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A notable improvement over the first Drift Out (which you’ll find on Visco Arcade 1), this sequel is much more fun to play too. That said, the quirks in the controls do give it a bit of a learning curve to initially overcome, but it’s worth persevering with if you have the patience.