Not just a collection of NES rip-offs, but rather a guide to appreciating Gaming Culture.
Retro Game Challenge aims to immerse you in the experience of being a young teenager growing up alongside the video game culture in the late 80s, which it does by including made-up manuals for each game, video game magazines and, most importantly, a buddy that you play video games with. The overarching story about a crazed omnipotent gaming geek who resides in every DS and sends random people back in time for personal reasons is not what is truly important here. You will get a few chuckles out of it, but, in the end, it only serves the purpose of putting you in the setting.
And the setting is truly the strength of Retro Game Challenge because of the attention to detail. The aforementioned magazines, for example, do not just give you quick bullet point tips for racking up points in a particular game or completing it faster, but are instead written in a manner very reminiscent of the Nintendo Power magazine in its early days, featuring tips and tricks articles for the newest games, hype articles for the hottest upcoming games and a Q&A section.
Retro Game Challenge is not a game that I would recommend to be played casually, as its most important aspect is to put you in a trance and make you forget the current reality of the video game industry. Every little extra, every 'unnecessary' article or interaction with your fictional gamer buddy, serves the purpose of just getting you into the atmosphere.
After you finish the story mode, however, all the magic is gone, and you are left with the option to simply play the games you unlocked.
Like I mentioned before, the games are well-made and enjoyable (especially when you get that sense of hype before their 'release'), but I doubt you will be coming back to Retro Game Challenge after you finish the story-mode just to get a high score on a game that is a 1:1 clone of Galaga (instead, you will be playing the real Galaga).
Still, this is a must-buy for every true Gamer. I urge everyone to play this game as it is both a fun and engrossing experience, as well as a bit of a self-discovery trip for gamers. It does not matter when or where you grew up, because Retro Game Challenge is only about teaching us to enjoy and appreciate our favorite hobby.