While this second cohort mainly focused on Superman series, down to the terribly famous US “realistic” cover art for the games used to feature them in gallery view, arguably the best cover being the first fairy Breath of Fire Capcom’s excellent but long-overlooked fantasy RPG series. It’s dozens of hours of classic turn-based combat and story-driven gameplay.
EXP also comes with a box containing six games by Japanese developer Irem. Ironically, TATE mode is the most important new feature of the hardware, no game here—Moon Patrol, 10 Meter Combat, Helicopter Combat, Hunting, Legendary horizontal sci-fi shooter Type R, and Lightning Sword, a samurai game with its first official non-arcade release—take advantage of it. Still, it’s a great little collection, with Battle Chopper, In the Huntand CHEAP type especially standing the test of time.
Unlike the previous model, the EXP also features built-in Wi-Fi, but don’t expect an online two-player arcade experience. It mostly seems to be applied to allow future firmware updates to be pushed out easily. That said, there’s a fascinating library of “hidden” games to be unlocked By some wayand a large “coming soon” window on the main EXP screen, so more online functionality can be added later.
What’s odd, however, is that when setting up the console, the EXP seems to only recognize 2G Wi-Fi networks, but nothing about the console so far requires fast downloads, so 5G compatibility so far an insignificant omission.
Dating or Retro?
However, while the interior of the Evercade EXP received some notable improvements, its outer shell and ports are still pretty much left to be desired. Blaze has abandoned the unsophisticated white and red aesthetic inspired by the NES in favor of a sleek all-white (or all-black, in the case of the limited edition model) chassis. Some suspected that it was an attempt to make EXP seem more advanced than its predecessor, but sadly it failed. The plastic material feels cheap to the touch, with the underside of the panel having a rough texture that is a bit uncomfortable to hold. Strollers—myself included—can also grumble about the less-than-perfect hole mapping, with the LED status indicator on bright and the mini-HDMI or headphone port not fully enclosed in the case.
Let’s talk about those two ports separately. Mini-HDMI means that the Evercade EXP can still be connected to a TV or monitor, but it doesn’t come with the necessary cables. Chances are, you have half a dozen or more HDMI cables from other devices, but it’s less likely to have a mini-HDMI to HDMI cable laying around. It’s inconvenient to have to buy a specific, specialized cable. If you connect the EXP to a larger monitor, the console will output at a maximum resolution of 720p—not bad, especially given the age of the games being played, but it would be nice to have one. at least 1080p.
Likewise, while we can’t fault the 3.5mm jack for headphones, the lack of Bluetooth compatibility for wireless audio doesn’t give the vintage feel it feels. obsolete. Overall, though, the sound is powerful, with the EXP able to push the chiptune tracks of yesteryear out of decent if not entirely impressive built-in speakers. However, some useable headphones will provide a significantly better hearing experience.
