California Extreme isn’t happening this year due to COVID-19. In place of the show, I wanted to reflect on some great arcade games I didn’t discover until playing them at the convention.

First, if like to look at Wacko

Immediately identifiable by its slanted cabinet design, Wacko is a shooter akin to Robotron. You move your character around the screen, and blast away at all kinds of alien bad guys.

In another odd (wacky?) change, you move with a trackball and shoot with either if the joysticks. It takes a bit of getting used too, but after a few minutes with the game you can begin to see how it functions.

Lastly, the slanted nature of the control deck is awkward. It makes extended playing a bit tough compared to traditional games, due to the different elevations of the ball and sticks. Nothing too crazy, but noticeable.

Wacko is a fun game that has solid gameplay, but doesn’t do much to stand out from the crowd that isn’t aesthetic. Worth a play for the wackiness aline, I suppose.

*Played at California Extreme 2017 in Santa Clara, CA