Every week Cyril Lachel comes down from his giant castle in the hills to provide the final word on all of the classic downloadable games and retro compilations. This is the Retro Round-Up, your official guide to the best (and worst) in classic gaming for the Nintendo Virtual Console, Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network. Join us as we shed some light on what games are worth your five or ten dollars, and what games you should avoid at all costs. For more information about these games (and retro gaming in general) we invite you to check out Defunct Games. Good news gang, this week we have more than one game to talk about. Unfortunately neither of the games are actually worth talking about. Oh well, that goes with the territory. This week we take a look at Forgotten Worlds and Space Invaders: The Original Game, which, ironically, is NOT the original game. We also check in with GameTap and see what they have going on. All this can be yours when you scroll down and read another ho-hum episode of the Retro Round-Up!

Forgotten Worlds (Genesis)
What Is It?
While most 2D shooters were content giving you only one or two different directions to shoot, Forgotten Worlds introduced us to a character that could shoot in all 360 degrees. No it wasn`t a pioneer of the dual stick shooters, but rather gave you a control you could literally twist in a circle to get the right shot. This creative gameplay mechanic took the arcade scene by storm and was later seen in other 2D shooters (including Midnight Resistance). Unfortunately some of the innovation is lost in this Genesis port. Sure you can shoot in all directions, but in order to do that you have to use the buttons to rotate it either clockwise or counter-clockwise. In theory this should work, but your gun rotates far too slowly and this control set-up never feels as natural as the arcade game. Still, the graphics are good and this port does retain almost all every other element from this arcade hit. Then again, if it can`t recreate the arcade controls, then who cares if it looks good?



Does It Still Hold Up?
I would say that the original arcade unit holds up remarkably well. I`m serious, track it down and see for yourself. But the console ports of this game just don`t work. Let`s not forget, this Genesis release isn`t the only port out there, you can also find a mediocre version of the game on both the PSP and PlayStation 2. Sadly those ports feature the same problems associated with this Genesis game. This is just one of those games you can`t recreate at home without having the right control.

Is It Worth The Money?
Even though the gameplay is a little off, Forgotten Worlds isn`t a terrible port of this long-forgotten arcade game. After I mastered the clumsy controls I ended up having a blast playing through this game, which makes me think that deep down this game is worth spending some time (and maybe even money) on. But, and this is a huge but, the game isn`t worth $8. This is another one of those games that would benefit from a slightly reduced price ($4 is fair). Either way, you`re probably better off just waiting for the rumored Forgotten Worlds sequel that Capcom is supposedly prepping for 2009.

Space Invaders: The Original Game (Super NES)
What Is It?
Now wait a second, eight dollars for a Space Invaders compilation? I know that Nintendo has gone crazy with all the money they are making from the Wii sales, but eight dollars for a bunch of Space Invaders games in highway robbery. Then again, I`m already on record having said that I never really liked Space Invaders in the first place. Don`t get me wrong, I appreciate what it did for the ind...