Keywords: Nintendo, game reviews, general.
So far, my collection has been limited only to systems which are so far out of
date that even the stores sell them for cheap. Here are some reviews of games I
own or have played often enough to have an opinion about them. Note that all of
these reviews are very much skewed to my skills at the time at which I played
them, all information may or may not be actually in any way accurate, and, in
general, you proceed at your own risk, and if you actually take my advice and
purchase one of these games, and it turns out to be different than what I said
of it, then PLEASE send me your own review, which will be sure of stressing the
points that I have perhaps missed. Thanks. Also, I have included Game Genie
codes (Straight from the Galoob website) for each game after its review (and
ratings). Good Luck in your Videogaming mission!
First, I will mention a tool that same players use to get an edge on their
games; namely:
The Game Genie, by Galoob (orig. CodeMasters of Europe)
This is actually not a Nintendo game per se, but a tool that can be used to
modify normal Nintendo games so they can be made easier or mare difficult. The
'codes' which you enter are actually modifications (albeit temporary ones) to
the cartrige, so you can get very strange results, when you strike upon one
which hits a weak spot (as I found that "POLLEN" (which makes all objects fall
up) and "ZAXXON" (I forget what this does, though) have strange effects while
playing Mario Brothers, their combination "POLXON" (which allows Mario to Warp
ahead in a level based on the amount of time that he walks (or runs) forwards)
does something COMPLETELY DIFFERENT!). I have found that the limit of three
codes per boot is very taxing, especially when you are a total novice. I have
found that if you somehow manage to get hold of two Game Genies you can plug
both of them into the game, and, if you are lucky, you will be able to enter six
codes instead of just three. However, this may be a risky venture, as GGs are
rumored to destroy some games when used with illegal codes. Also, as Galoob has
stopped production of these things, it might be hard to find one, let alone two,
in a standard toy store. A good solution might be to purchase one from a used-
games (perhaps mailorder?) store (such as the one below), or (my preffered
solution) borrow one from a friend who has lost his CodeBook and apparently does
not know of the existence of the entire collection of codes on the web (at
http://www.galoob.com). Your friend does
not really have any motive to get it back fast, and as long as you dont let on
that you downloaded your codes from the Galoob website for free they won't try
to. The only real problem with this method is that it is rather taxing on your
consience. I still don't have a good method to pacify mine.
Also, here is a really good mail-order and walk-in place where you can get many
uncommon videogames.
FuncoLand, Inc. "America's favorite place to shop for VideoGames"
I would advise trying to order a Game Genie from FuncoLand, because even if it
costs $3 plus $6 postage and handling and a $2 service charge, you can be sure
of getting one for the system you need it for. Also, if you compare the total
of perhaps around $15 to the original cost of the product, you are still getting
a great deal just note quite as good as if you purchased it in person.
FuncoLand has a website at
http://www.funcoland.com and you can
order from there for only a small additional service charge. FuncoLand also
sells hard-to-get cheap VR hardware (a.k.a. PowerGloves) for ridiculously low
prices (it was around $6, last I heard) and I haven't seen any other prices
which were lower then $50 for the same product.
And now', I have a short word on Password reentry - I have found that my
handwriting is not suited to retrieval of thirty-digit sequences of random
letters and numbers, and the use of an (otherwise useless) small electronic
address-book to be invaluable; you can usually enter passwords instead of
addresses in the data fields.
Rampage, Data East
A word before I begin this games review. So far, from ALL of my experiences,
EVERY Data East game (for the Original Nintendo Entertainment System), including
this one, are subnormal in quality. I would NOT advise purchasing a Data East
game before you actually play it, and I would probably not expect it to compare
with some of the other games which are in this list.
In fact, I believe that this is probably the BEST Data East game ever, and still
it ranks below the original Super Mario at every programming point. However,
the plot barely makes up for this, thereby setting it (in my viewpoint) at about
the same level as the original Mario Bros (hereafter referred to as MB).
In this game you play the part of either a character obviously based on King
Kong ("George") or Godzilla ("Lizzie"). Instead of having discrete levels, this
game is divided into days, each one being a sort of a stage. A side view game,
you watch your characters pound screen after screen of flat buildings to the
ground while being attacked by helicopters and the like. However, a continue
feature allows you to continue playing the game an instant after you left off,
and still have possession of your score. This game didn't seem very difficult
to me (or my younger brother); in our first session we reached Day 89 and only
had to quit because of time restraints(on our second session we destroyed the
entire continental US, but SOMEONE tripped over the power cord and we were
unplugged!!! at Day 126 (of 128)). Periodically a bonus screen appears where one
of the players can restore their life. The only thing I found confusing about
this game was starting the two-player mode, which seems to involve holding down
one of the A/B buttons on the second controller for several seconds after the
game begins before you will see any results. After you play the game for a
while it will tell you the mechanics of jumping from building to building.
Watch out though - if you get to the top of a building and it begins to
collapse, just jump off - you won't take any damage even if you traverse the
whole screen while jumping. However, if you allow yourself to fall with the
collapsing building, you will lose half your energy.
- I would rate this game high in concept/plot,
- Low in program design complexity,
- Very Low in soundtrack (with a 15-second "song" for each monster that repeats
THE WHOLE TIME you are playing),
- Low in difficulty (Definitely easier than Super Mario!),
- Low in Animation Smoothness,
- Medium in fun-level (After 80 levels of pointlessly smashing buildings, I
somehow started to think that it was all hilariously funny))
- Very high in High Score (Trust me, you will score very high)
- Medium/Very low in Graphical Realism
Game Genie Codes:
Rampage(tm) Game
RAM
CODE KEY IN . . . EFFECT . . .
1 NYSGLUYN More energy for player 1
2 NYVKTUYN More energy for player 2
3 YLSGLUYN Less energy for player 1
4 YLVKTUYN Less energy for player 2
5 NNNGKNYN More energy for players 1 and 2 after continue
6 YUNGKNYN Less energy for players 1 and 2 after continue
7 AAOUOPPA + AASLSPPA No harm from water
8 AEXLPGAP No harm from falling
9 GXXLALOP No harm from attacks or bad food
10 AXXLPGAP More damage done from falling
11 GEULLLIA Double energy from food
12 AEULLLIA + ZKULTUZE Half energy from food
Rampage is a trademark of Bally Midway Manufacturing Co. used by
Data East USA, Inc. under license.
Q*bert, Ultra Games
This is a good port of the Atari version I played in my youth. However, with
two MORE rows added to the board, you MAY need superhuman reflexes to escape the
clutches of the bouncing snake which appears at every level. A very action
puzzle game where you have to change the color of the pyramid of blocks by
jumping repeatedly on them while avoiding hundreds of monsters (Strange insects,
the snake, the coloured orbs which fall from above) which are all trying to hash
you. The only good thing in that you can catch a small green dot which freezes
the opposition and makes you invincible for a short length of time, and you can
catch this werid dude (see highest creature on game pak (disregard wrong
coloration)) who falls from the top of the screen and changes the colors of the
tiles he steps on to stop him. This game provides an intro screen where you
select your favorite method of controlling Q*bert - I would advise hitting the A
button five times (fast) to select my favorite means of transportation. Good
luck on your Quest.
Ratings:
- Unique plot
- Almost impossible to play because the action is so fast
- Good graphics compared to the original Atari version
- Configurable controls allow you to customize to your personal view of 3D
controlling
- Programming skill is Ordinary
- You get four lives (each with 1 hp)
- Colors keep changing on the board during the game
Game Genie Codes:
Q*Bert(tm) Game
BERT
CODE KEY IN . . . EFFECT . . .
1 SXSZGPVG Infinite lives
2 PEUOOGIA + PAXZLLIA Start with 1 life
3 ZAXZLLIE + ZEUOOGIE Start with 10 lives
4 AESPVGAE Start on level 3
5 GOSPVGAA Start on level 6
6 AXSPVGAA Start on level 9
Q*BERT is a trademark of JVW Electronics, Inc. Used by Konami Inc.
under license.
Gradius, Konami
With Over 1 Million Sold (in Japan) you might think that this game has to be
really good. (Surprise!) It is. But it is also INCREDIBLY HARD!!! One hit
kills you in this game, and the monsters swarm during later levels. In this
Flying-through-space-in-a-stripped-down-cruiser-covered-with-high-power-
weaponry-versus-incredible-odds game you will attempt to defeat anything that
moves. In the first level, there is a mountain with a tunnel in the middle.
Most books advise NOT flying through this tunnel - however, if you go through
before the tunnel passes the halfway mark on the screen, you will get a bonus.
Also, at the end of the level, when all the monsters disappear QUICKLY get into
the upper left corner of the screen. If you have the Missile Launcher, then you
should be able to escape a horrible death by firing (VERY) quickly. When the
small panels at the bottom of the screen light up, you can acquire the listed
powerup by tapping the B button. DO NOT, repeat, DO NOT, take more than four
"Speed" powerups. This game is not like regular games, and, if you do so,
proceed at your own risk! Try to get Options, as these will double your
firepower (until you die).
Ratings:
- Programming Style High; check out what happens when you get 6 "Speed"
powerups! I have never experienced slowdown during this game.
- Animation Smoothness; Cinemactic (see level 3)
- Plot not very unique, but check out Level 3!! I couldn't believe my eyes.
- Possibility for being really cool and impressing your friends with your
superhuman reflexes, Medium High.
- Fun level, high
- Difficulty level - Ridiculously impossible (See Level Three, above)
Game Genie Codes:
Gradius(tm) Game
GRAD
CODE KEY IN . . . EFFECT . . .
1 SXOOYYVI Both players have infinite lives
2 YGUONUZS + YGKPUUIL Never lose weapons
3 AENELZLA Both players start with 1 life
4 IENELZLA Both players start with 6 lives
5 AENELZLE Both players start with 9 lives
6 KOXOLYSP Keep power capsules
7 NNOEKPIE Increase force field protection
Gradius is a trademark of Konami Industry Co., Ltd.
DragonStrike, FCI/Pony Canyon (TSR/SSI)
In this game, you select one of three dragons to play, then you go on "Missions"
to do things like Engage Three white dragon scouts, Fight off a fleet of
warships, seek out and destroy a black dragon, take down Baron Evil
singlehandedly, etc. The animation isn't the greatest (see kraken at end of
level 2), but look at your shadow when you fly over trees; it distorts
PERFECTLY! Because the game is played in an above-view simulated 3D
perspective, when you fly in the high position, you will take much less time to
traverse an area, while if you fly low you will attain an incredible turning
radius. Watch out for the scenery, though; some of it is alive. There is
another game that I haven't seen that is rumored to be better (Dragon Spirit),
but I don't know anything yet.
Ratings:
- Normal General Programming Skill
- Good Animation (except when you change altitudes)
- Easy to Impossible difficulty
Game Genie Codes:
DragonStrike(tm) Game
DRAG
CODE KEY IN . . . EFFECT . . .
1 GPKZGEAZ Less energy for bronze dragon
2 AIKZGEAZ More energy for bronze dragon
3 TPKZIEGU Less energy for silver dragon
4 AIKZIEGL More energy for silver dragon
5 ZZKZTAAS Less energy for gold dragon
6 ITKZTAAI More energy for gold dragon
7 OTKGSYSV Infinite energy
8 GZKKNNSE Weapon power doesn't weaken with energy
9 TTXGIALT Gold dragon has excellent armor class
10 YGXKAAPG Gold dragon flies faster
11 ATXGYAGV Silver dragon flies faster
12 YIXGTALI Bronze dragon flies faster
DragonStrike is a trademark of TSR, Inc.
Super Mario Brothers 1
I feel that anyone who has been around for a while has played this game at least
once, and therefore I will not review it in any detail.
Game Genie Codes:
I made up several codes for this game.
POLLEN, everything falls upwards instead of downwards.
ZAXXON, Did something whenever you walked rightwards on the screen and scrolled
it, but I forget exactly what.
POLXON, Every so often, as Mario walks towards the right side of the screen, a
left - to - right pan will occur, causing the scene to change to one later in
the level. The frequency of this scene change seems to vary inversely with the
speed that Mario walks.
PAPERV, changes the background colour scheme, trnsforming all black pixels to
blue. This makes the game look really werid in the Underground levels such as
World 1-2.
ATTIKA makes Mario phase into another dimension (the Foreground Dimension) and
be immune to contact with moving objects (except for a few in the *4 castle
levels, such as the rotating beams of flames). Unfortunately, this makes it
impossible to pick up power-ups, which makes the game slightly more difficult.
OAPPLE makes the scenery vanish. Now you have to play the entire game from
memory!
PNYOPI changes the layout of the levels, replacing many normal objects such as
pipes and the rows of blocks with trees from World 2, even in the underground
levels. However, this makes it very difficult to travel as Big Mario, leaving a
huge advantage to the small player.
AESOPS allows you to skip levels by replacing the flagpole with an axe. When
touched from above, the axe takes you to the next world... however this soon
stops working as in the second World the flagpole is replaced with a steel
platform, preventing further advancement.
Here are a few codes which were co-authored by me and my good friend Breet:
NSiteY makes the game background be replaced by a plain blue screen, lettered
with messages such as "Welcome to World 1-1", etc. it is a good test of memory
to actually complete the game with this code running.
ISALLK, which makes Mario float up as long as you are not holding down the jump
key. When you hold down the jump key, Mario seems to fall.
POPEYE crashes the game, but its derivative
POLEYE slows the game by a factor of forty. Unfortunately, this code also
destroys the screen driver of the cartridge, so you will only be able to see
three flashing bars of light, perhaps with a background of noise letters. You
can press Start twice to begin the game, and sometimes you can see the monsters
through the haze, but it seems that all of the blocks are invisible.
Here are some codes from a group that Galoob had links to:
Game: Super Mario Brothers-NES
Created by: Cheatmaster (tlucas@inlink.com)
Date: 11/14/96
XAPSVA
When you grab a star, the normal background music keeps playing, instead of
the Starman music (Whoop-de-do, I know...)
KIPAXI
"Castle Code": In any castle (level x-4), weird things happen... The red
bricks and lava turn sky blue, the message from the Mushroom Guy is an UGLY
puke green, strangeness at the top of the screen (probably all the text in
the entire game up there), and more!
NAPKIN
"Koopa Kode": Certain packs of Goombas (the waddling muffins) are
transformed into large groups of Koopas (the smiling turtles). The Goombas
that become Koopas, and the number of Koopas in each pack, seems to be the
same every time. In general, about 1/2 to 1/4 of the Goombas in a level will
change, and there will be 2x to 3x as many Koopas as there would have been
Goombas.
And here are some Absolutely Official Codes from Galoob (and CodeMasters?) for
this very good game:
Super Mario Bros.(tm) Game
SMB
CODE KEY IN . . . EFFECT . . .
LIVES!
Codes 1 to 5 let you adjust lives. Code 4 is really good for
handicapping one player.
1 AATOZA Start players 1 & 2 with 1 life
2 IATOZA Start players 1 & 2 with 6 lives
2 IATOZA Start players 1 & 2 with 6 lives
3 AATOZE Start players 1 & 2 with 9 lives
4 VATOLE Start player 1 with 8 lives and player 2 with 3
lives
5 SXIOPO Infinite lives for both players
JUMPS!
Super and Mega-jumps can be achieved while standing still, running
or turbo running (holding down button B). Try entering Codes 6, 7 and
8 or Codes 9, 10 and 11 for all-around Super- or Mega-jumping.
Super jumps let you jump better--the effect is especially noticeable
when turbo running.
6 APZLGK Super jump from a standing start only
7 TPZLTG Super jump from running only
8 GPZUAG Super jump from turbo running only
Mega-jumps enable you to jump almost to the top of the screen--
right off the top when
turbo running!
9 APZLGG Mega-jump from a standing start only
10 APZLTG Mega-jump from running only
11 GAZUAG Mega-jump from turbo running only
MOON GRAVITY!
Moon gravity is a brilliant ability! It has weird and wonderful
effects. Again, it works when stationary, running, or turbo running.
The Moon gravity effect is more fun than Super- or Mega-jumps, but
it is harder to get used to. Stay with it and you'll find that it gives
the game an added twist!
You can control the height of your Moon jumps. To jump really high,
tap button A really quickly. To do low jumps hold down button A for
about one second.
Use this power to find new places to explore. You can even jump over
the flags! (If you're playing to complete the game rather than just
explore it, don't jump over the flagpoles--or else you'll get "stuck"
and have to reset.)
12 YAZULG Moon Gravity from a standing start
13 YAZUIG Moon Gravity from a running start
14 YAZUYG Moon Gravity from turbo running only
STAY BIG!
Code 15 will keep you big. However, you can still die if you fall down
holes.
15 OZTLLX + AATLGZ + SZLIVO Always stay big
Worldwarping!
Codes 16 to 22 allow you to start on any World of your choice!
16 YSAOPE + YEAOZA + PEAPYA Start on World 2
17 YSAOPE + YEAOZA + ZEAPYA Start on World 3
18 YSAOPE + YEAOZA + LEAPYA Start on World 4
19 YSAOPE + YEAOZA + GEAPYA Start on World 5
20 YSAOPE + YEAOZA + IEAPYA Start on World 6
21 YSAOPE + YEAOZA + TEAPYA Start on World 7
22 YSAOPE + YEAOZA + YEAPYA Start on World 8
Super Mario Bros. is a trademark of Nintendo of America Inc.
Super Mario Brothers 3
A rehash of Mario 1 only much smoother in animation and easier in difficulty.
It allows you to backtrack and retrace your steps, so you can miss fewer prizes.
However, it also allowed the designers to come up with some pretty convoluted
levels near the end of the game. It needs (but does not have!) a save game
feature to allow you to come back to your highscore game. However, a secret
Warp World allows you to skip to any of the later levels. This would make a
good first or second game. This game is so familiar to all of the players I
know that I will elect to skip reviewing this, and the original Mario Brothers
1.
Game Genie Codes:
Super Mario Bros.(tm) 3 Game
SMB3
CODE KEY IN . . . EFFECT . . .
1 SLXPLOVS Infinite lives for Mario(tm) and Luigi(tm)
2 AEKPTZGA 1 life for Mario and Luigi after continue
3 AEKPTZGE 9 lives for Mario and Luigi after continue
SUPER JUMPS
4 ELKZYVEK Power Jumps
5 EZKZYVEK Super Power Jumps
6 EAKZYVEK Mega Power Jumps
7 GZUXNGEI Multi-Jumps
WITH CODE 8, IF YOU LET MARIO(tm) OR LUIGI(tm) DROP TOO LONG,
YOU CAN'T SKY WALK UNTIL YOU TOUCH GROUND
8 SXEZSKOZ Skywalker
STAR CODES! (these codes work really well together)
9 OXKZELSX Super speed running
10 XVUXNUEE Turbocharged running
POWER "TAKE OFF" METER
YOU MUST BE RACCOON MARIO(tm) FOR CODE 11 TO WORK
11 AANZKLLA Can raise power meter while
standing still so that you can fly
from a standing start
START ON ANY WORLD
12 PEUZUGAA Start on World 2
13 ZEUZUGAA Start on World 3
14 LEUZUGAA Start on World 4
15 GEUZUGAA Start on World 5
16 IEUZUGAA Start on World 6
17 TEUZUGAA Start on World 7
18 YEUZUGAA Start on World 8
RE-USE ITEMS!
19 YPXXLVGE Mario (not Luigi) can re-use items again and again
KEEP SPECIAL POWERS
20 SZUEXNSO Restore powers after playing an action scene (e.g.
if you were "Fire Mario(tm)" on the map screen, then entered an
action scene, died or changed to "Frog Mario(tm),"you would return
to the map scene as "Fire Mario")
SELECT SUPER ABILITY
The following codes are useful with Code 20.
21 ZEUXKGAA Start the game as Fire Mario
22 LEUXKGAA Start the game as Raccoon Mario(tm)
23 GEUXKGAA Start the game as Frog Mario
24 IEUXKGAA Start the game as Tanooki Mario(tm)
25 TEUXKGAA Start the game as 'Sledgehammer' Mario(tm)!
LECT PERMANENT SUPER ABILITY
IMPORTANT: IF YOU USE ANY OF CODES 26 THRU 30 TO DEFEAT
BOWZER(tm), YOU SHOULD STAND IN FRONT OF THE DOOR AND HOLD
"UP". AS SOON AS THE DOOR OPENS, YOU WILL PASS THROUGH INTO
THE CHAMBER WHERE THE PRINCESS IS HELD.
IF YOU DO NOT DO THIS, YOU MAY GET CAUGHT IN BOWZER'S TIME TRAP
AND THE GAME WILL PAUSE FOREVER!
26 XUKXGLIE Start and stay as Super Mario(tm)
27 UXKXGLIA Start and stay as Fire Mario
28 nxkxglie Start and stay as Raccoon Mario(tm)!
29 oukxglie Start and stay as Frog Mario
30 xnkxglie Start and stay as Sledgehammer Mario(tm)
INVINCIBILITY
31 SZKIKXSE Invincibility after changing up from Super Mario
(e.g. to Raccoon, Frog, etc.)
AUTOMATIC SUPER ABILITY AFTER YOU FALL AND DIE
With all of the following codes, you will find that you change into
Super Mario
if you die again:
32 AEOSSZPA + PAOZTGAA Change to SUPER MARIO if you fall
off screen and die
33 AEOSSZPA + ZAOZTGAA Change to FIRE MARIO if you fall
off screen and die
34 AEOSSZPA + LAOZTGAA Change to RACCOON MARIO if you
fall off screen and die
35 AEOSSZPA + GAOZTGAA Change to FROG MARIO if you fall
off screen and die
36 AEOSSZPA + IAOZTGAA Change to TANOOKI MARIO if you
fall off screen and die
37 AEOSSZPA + TAOZTGAA Change to SLEDGEHAMMER MARIO
if you fall off screen and die
All codes (except as noted) work for Luigi as well as Mario.
Super Mario Bros., Mario, Mario Land, Luigi, Fire Mario, Raccoon
Mario, Frog Mario, Tanooki Mario, Sledgehammer Mario, Super Mario
and Bowzer are trademarks of Nintendo of America Inc.
Super Mario Brothers 2
This game, and most sequels, for that matter, does not have much to do with the
original game. Instead of playing either Mario or Luigi, you also get the
option to play either the Princess or this guy called Toad. Of all of the
characters Toad handles the easiest, allowing the Mario fan to quickly adapt to
this new game Instead of destroying the monsters when you step on them, this
game allows you to pick them up (even the Goombas!). Instuod ef trying (in
vain?) to save the princess, this game has a simpler plot; if it moves, throw
something at it. This game is in high demand in my area.
Ratings:
- Programming style; good (except when passing through doors while carrying
something (i.e. a key to unlock the door))
- Graphics; cartoony
- Difficulty level; comparable to Mario 1
- Soundtrack; unexeptional
- Controls; Exactly the same as Mario 3(/1)
- Plot; strange, as usual.
Game Genie Codes:
Super Mario Bros.(tm) 2 Game
SMB2
CODE KEY IN . . . EFFECT . . .
1 SZNESXVK Infinite lives
2 GZELVXSE Infinite life meter (except if you hit a spike)
3 GOEANKAO + USEEEKKA Walk backwards
GOEANKAO + USEEEKKA Walk backwards
4 SXUASXOU Quick pick up
5 AEUEKKGL Special "squat" high jumps
6 PPXAOIAA Princess has mega-float
7 PAXAOIAA Princess has mega-float and lunar descent
8 PESEGLGA Super moonjumps for Mario(tm)
9 AAEEZGPA Mega moonjumps for Luigi(tm)
10 PENALLGA Super moonjumps for Toad(tm)
11 PAXAPGGA Super moonjumps for Princess(tm)
12 XVVANSZK + XVNEXSZV Super turbo running
13 AEVAVIIA + AENEEITA Permanent turbo running
14 AXSETUAO + ESVAPUEV Super fast run for Mario
15 AZEEGKAO + EIEEYKEV Super fast run for Luigi
16 AXNAIUAO + ESNEAUEV Fast run for Toad
17 AZXALKAO + EIXATKEV Super fast run for Princess
18 AEXALGZA Speed up enemies
19 AXNAZSAA + EVNALSEY Super speed enemies
NOTE: There are two versions given for some of the following Codes.
If one code doesn't work on your game, then try the alternate Code.
20 YESUAPTE / YESLPPTE Strong Wart(tm)
21 IAVENYZE / IAVEUYZE Strong Birdetta(tm)
22 YAXXIYZE Strong Tryclyde(tm)
23 YAVXVGGE Strong Fryguy(tm)
24 YAEXTPGE Strong Clawgrip(tm)
25 YEVXVYLE / YEVZNYLE Strong Hawkmouth(tm)
26 AAVENYZA / AAVEUYZA Weak Birdetta
27 TPEPLAAX / TONENYAX Birdetta spits eggs instead of
fireballs (appears in late levels of the game)
28 PEEPUZAG + IUEPSZAA + TEEPVZPA Start on World 2 *
29 ZEEPUZAG + IUEPSZAA + TEEPVZPA Start on World 3 *
30 LEEPUZAG + IUEPSZAA + TEEPVZPA Start on World 4 *
31 GEEPUZAG + IUEPSZAA + TEEPVZPA Start on World 5 *
32 IEEPUZAG + IUEPSZAA + TEEPVZPA Start on World 6 *
33 TEEPUZAG + IUEPSZAA + TEEPVZPA Start on World 7 *
Super Mario Bros., Mario, Luigi, Toad, Princess, Wart, Birdetta,
Tryclyde, Fryguy, Clawgrip and Hawkmouth are trademarks of
Nintendo of America Inc.
Hydlide, FCI
This "Role Playing" game from FCI is not what it looks like it should be. With
a plot that none of my books can untangle, this game is very strange. With your
mission being to rescue and reunite the three faries shown at the end of the
short introduction(on the left) to recreate the princess(see left side of intro
screen when you first turn on the game). Then, you must defeat the Dragon King,
who is also shown in the introduction (on the right side). Having very bad (2-
frame) animation and a Password Continue which doesn't save most of your
position and is almost impossible to copy down due to the complete absence of
spaces in it, this game is probably not worth more then 2 dollars, unless you
like mindlessly killing the same monsters over and over to gain experience.
Ratings:
- Programming level; lower then average
- Plot; undecipherable
- Animation; only two frames of animation for anything!
- Fun Level; Lower than average (for me)
- Password Continue; Not well nond. You lose all of you carefully hoarded exp.
as soon as you restart.
- The Misleading "Save/Load" feature on the menu does not do anything of the
kind if you accidentally turn off the game. (Always look for a gold label
before you entrust the Save feature with your data)
Game Genie Codes:
LIDE
CODE KEY IN . . . EFFECT . . .
1 AZKAAVZE Boost strength, life, magic
2 GTKAAVZA Super boost strength, life, magic
3 SXSGYYSA Don't take damage from most monsters
4 AEUEKVIA Rapid healing
5 AANOVZZA Rapid magic healing
Hydlide is a trademark of T&Esoft. Used by Fujisankei
Communications International, Inc., under license 8
Tetris, Nintendo
This is (from what I have heard) but a faint echo of the Tetris which Tengen
(unauthorized) created illicitly. This version was only one player and gives
ridiculously high bonuses for vaporizing four rows at once. For new and old
videogamers alike, this should present a reasonable challenge. The steadily
increasing speed (every ten rows), however, insures that you will experience a
premature ending of your game. It also has a second mode, which sets you
against predetermined goals. I would rate this game highly, even though it is
not as well done as some (see Castelian, below). The objective being to fill
out rows of pieces while under extreme time pressure (on the later levels).
Ratings:
- Programming style; fine
- Difficulty level; just harder than you play
- Complexity; very easy
- Plot; none discernable
- Coolness; you can impress your friends when you get into double-digit levels.
Castelian, Triffix Entertainment, Inc
Usually if you have never heard of a game and it is made by a disreputable
company it is a good buy. This excellent game is a good example of underhyped
software. The objective being to climb to the tops of successively taller
towers while carrying a time bomb which will detonate after decreasing amounts
of time. Fiendishly difficult, but also non-violent. Alas, your character is
(almost) defenceless, and the rewards are few and far between. Very hard to
play with any level of good style.
Ratings:
- Programming style; Above average
- Music; Could be better, but is good enough.
- Difficulty level; Impossible, even at Easy mode
- Animation; very smooth
- Sound effects; unobtrusive, but good
To The Earth
This is a very light gun(Zapper) game, in which you have to selectively destroy
many tiny spaceships as the screen slowly scrolls in varying directions. Very
difficult to live through stage one, even at point-blank range.
Rating:
- Overall; like an unending game of Duck Hunt, except when you miss, you die.
Ultima Exodus (Ultima 1), FCI/Origin Systems
This is a roleplaying game which accurately copies the old computer version
(which was the third in the series). It is mainly adventure oriented, but
without a lot of guidance as in Shadowgate (a "text adventure" for the
Nintendo). It is very long, and has an "interesting" ending. This game is a
pretty good "roleplaying" game, but there is a Wizardry! series which I have not
yet seen, so I would not know exactly.
Ratings:
- Programming style; Average
- Game length; over 200 hours
- Save feature; only when you visit the Inn. 3 different slots, each of which
can contain seven and a half games.
- Coolness level; not very high for most people
Rolling Thunder, Tengen
This is like a 2D version of DOOM for the Nintendo. Piles of violence, attacks
from all directions, and a very vulnerable main character (one hit from most
weapons kills you). You play the part of this guy who seems to be bent on
revenge for some reason. The first few levels you only fight crazed cult
members, but after that you must face space aliens and mutant ninjas in
addition. There are probably other enemies, but I haven't gotten that far yet.
In between levels you see short sections of a plot; I will not reveal its
details here.
Ratings:
- Programming style; Tengen
- Soundtrack; Tengen
- Visuals; strangely warped; the characters seem to all have legs which are five
or six feet long.
- Overall coolness factor; way cool if you like this sort of thing.
Zanac, FCI
This is one of those space shoot-em-ups in the same line as Gradius, although
this one scrolls vertically. This whole game is played while traveling at
breakneck speed over highly detailed (and brightly coloured) terrain, while
being hashed by drab missiles and the like. You only slow down when you come to
subbosses, which you don't actually have to fight; if you wait until you run out
of time, you begin flying away again, and all is as usual (less the substantial
bonus which is available for true pilots). This game, however, has one twist
which I have not seen in others like it; when you pick up a powerup, you are
instantly attacked by an even greater onslaught of enemies then usual. If you
end up dying because of this (and losing everything), the monsters DON'T GO
AWAY!! You are left hanging with too many to deal with at your new power level,
and usually end up losing the rest of your lives.
Ratings:
- Programming style; Good; it experiences almost no slowdown on even the most
crowded screens.
- Control; very smooth; not choppy as in some of the others
- Soundtrack; not inspirational, but still reasonably good
- Explosions; Very nice pseudo-3D explosions.
- Difficulty level; Ordinary to Ridiculous!, but no specific settings
- Overall; if it was the case that I could only keep three games from my
collection, I would keep this one; this game, in my opinion, represents the
highest level of difficulty space game that could ever be written, as if it went
any faster it would be impossible to see anything on the screen. I haven't seen
any Super Nintendo/N64 games that went as fast as this.
** Jan, 1998 - I finally get past Area 2, speeding on to #4 before being
obliterated. My opinion of this game moves - If I could only play two games for the
rest of my life, one of them would be this one. This is probably the best, hands down,
space shoot-em-up ever.
Lemmings, SunSoft
This is a good (for the Nintendo) port of the computer game. The controls are
different, though, and take some getting used to. Several of the levels seem to
depend on quick switching of tools, and this is almost impossible with the
current setup. Some of the solutions depend on strange variations is Lemming
behavior which only appear in this particular pak. As this is a puzzle game,
after you complete all of the levels (I think there are about one hundred), the
game is practically useless.
Ratings:
- Programming style; Good
- Control; Not quite as easy as the original computer version
- Animation; Good, but the original version did a better job of it (of course,
the original required a 5000 dollar computer, while this version only needs a
$20 Nintendo)
- Coolness factor; High on later levels.
The Adventures of Rad Gravity, Activision
Don't.
Ultima Warriors of Destiny (Ultima 3), FCI/Origin Systems
This is more of the same for you Ultima lovers. It adds a new conversation
screen where you can select what you wish to speak of from a menu.
Unfortunately, the price is very high compared to the original, at least in my
area. I managed to get mine when a video store nearby went out of business.
The ratings are pretty much the same as Ultima 1, except for the new character
creation system, which is much more interesting then before (you have to answer
a bunch of philosophical questions about your character). Due to the greater
complexity of this game, the cartrige only has room for one save game slot, and
only one player-created character. The inventory system is much better done, as
are the controls for searching and talking to people.
Ratings:
- See original Ultima for all of the ratings except:
- Soundtrack; NIGHTMARE!!! The entire theme is about 30 seconds long and it
NEVER STOPS PLAYING for the ENTIRE GAME!!!!
Shadowgate, Kemco/Seika
This is a text adventure ported into Nintendo form. You select your command out
of a menu, which is continuously displayed at the bottom of the screen.
Sometimes, a message screen appears on top where the program displays
descriptions and messages as you explore the maze of passages. The only setback
is that when you are trying to figure out which object to use on a machine, you
have to keep reselecting the Use:Object:On:Machine over and over, which gets old
after a while.
Ratings:
- Programming style; sufficient
- Animation; That which is, is not.
- Challenge; Lots if you like the intellectual.
- Cool level; some sections of the game could be considered cool.
- Timed; Yes, there are torches which you have to keep lit at all times.
Al Unser Junior Turbo Racing, Data East
A Not exceptional race car game. When on many curves to race track animation
becomes strangely choppy and generally unrealistic. Also, crashes, when they
occur at 200 mph, are very bizzare; all that happens is your car is stopped for
a five-second time penalty. The best part of the game is that you get to
customize your car for each race, and, although there aren't many options to
choose from, this makes for an interesting game. There are four different music
tracks that you can choose from before you start the race, and they are actually
moderately long (for a Data East game). It is a refreshing break, though, from
games like Rad Racer where you can smash your car into a npc (non-player-car) at
300 miles an hour and only suffer a slight slowdown. See note on Data East.
Ratings:
- Programming skill; Good for a Data East game (Below Average)
- Soundtrack; Reasonable; there are four different tunes you can select from
while playing the game.
- Animation; Okay, but work needs to be done on the crash sequences. The
UltraTurbo effect is particularly cool.
- Cool Level; It would be hard to impress a bystander with this game.
Totally Rad, Jaleco
I found this game pretty fun, and a relaxing break from other sidescroller
games. You play the part of Jake, the intrepid magic user. Although when the
game begins, Jake seems to be still in traning, as soon as the first stage
starts he seems to be in possesion of all of his magical abilities. However,
with a limited amount of Magic Power, the beginner or amateur player must
restort to cheap tricks to conserve it and stay alive. However, the spell
selection proccess may need some explaination; after opening the spell/info
window with the start button you have to select the spell image with the control
pad, then press the B/A button. If you hear a chime, you have selected the
spell you wanted. Otherwise, you pushed the cancel button and you will have to
try again and press the other button.
Ratings:
- Programming style; Novice, but well done. Experiences severe slowdown when
more then four or five objects are on screen.
- Control; Very responsive, with variations on style with every one of the
Transformation spells.
- Animation; Very smooth. Almost every character is animated, and the light and
cheerful style (in the first few zones) is very pleasent.
- Soundtrack; Pretty good, with a theme song for each level.
- Plot; Very detailed with lots of dialogue. Sort of standard.
Castlequest, Nexoft
This in another one of these games by relatively unknown companies which reveals
suprising new ways the system can be used. In this case, we have a
puzzle/action game in which a humanoid who seems to have a head two thirds the
size of his body as the main character. At the beginning of the game you enter
a castle where your mission seems to be to score the most points by retrieving
treasures while you avoid and/or trick the denzins to attain your goal. The
graphics are very strange in this game, and seemingly invincible monsters are
hiding (in plain sight) around every other corner. This game starts out hard,
and becomes more and more difficult as it continues.
Ratings:
- Programming Style; Hard to easily compare with anything else. Probably like
to Mario 1 in Style.
- Plot; I can't find one.
- Difficulty; Difficult - requires a lot of ingenuity, to Impossible!
- Soundtrack; Positively Terrible! The theme is 10 seconds long and restarts
whenever you pause the game or enter a new room.
Adventure Island, Hudson Soft
This is a sidescrolling game designed in the line of Mario 1; Once you walk
forwards, you may never return. Also, one hit kills your character, which is
annoying, to say the least. The graphics are pretty cartoony, and not animated
at all. However, an interesting feature of the game is that the main character
starts out weaponless, and has to find the tools that he uses to rescue his
girlfriend, who fell into the clutches of the bad guy, who also is the owner of
the island. The way the game is designed, if it moves, it kills the hero.
Also, there are poison powerups which drain energy.
Ratings:
- Programming Style; Okay (Slightly Below Average)
- Coolness level; Sort of cool when you cruise through the entire cloud level on
a skateboard.
- Soundtrack; Non-memorable
- Secrets; This game contains a secret Continue feature
- Fun Rating; With the Secret Continue Feature the game is pretty fu; but
without, you will soon find that when you die you have to start over fram the
very beginning.
Jack Nicklaus Golf, Konami
This game goes really slowly on the Original NES. It takes almost thirty
seconds to redraw the screen after you strike the ball, and the multi-player
games go even slower. It seems to be rather realistic, which in part accounts
for the slowdowns, but it is probably not a good buy unless you like golf (which
I, for one, do not).
Ratings:
- Programming Style; Below Average
- Animation; Not enough.
- Soundtrack; Non-memorable
- Secrets; the clubhouse in the third hole is rumored to have breakable windows.
Gauntlet, Tengen
This is a port of the Atari classic arcade game, but without the four player
capabilities of is sequel. However, this game has a plot, with your objective
being to complete your quest for some orb or other. However, before you will be
able to complete the game, you will be forced to seek out an unlock code for the
last room letter by letter. These codes are found in '?' rooms, with one in
each world. However, the entrances to these rooms are usually hidden or very
difficult to get to. With multiple one-way exits from every room I have seen,
it is usually very tricky to even get near the '?' room of the level, while it
is moderately hard to advance to the next one. A smooth two-player-simultanious
game with many secrets. This was one of my favorite Nintendo games.
- Programming style; Very Good! I have only seen ten other games which compare
in smoothness and ease af use.
- Soundtrack; Excellent; with at least six different pieces played during the
game, and each being perhaps two or three minutes long, it takes a while to tire
of the tunes this game plays.
- Control; virtually unnoticable lag in responce and simple controls this game
does well here.
- Animation; Very Good, but bland compared to the sequel.
- Difficulty level; Easy to Very Hard. As you advance through the mazes it gets
more and more difficult to stay alive.
Gauntlet 2, Mindscape
This excellent sequel of an excellent game adds even more to the original on all
fronts, except for Plot (which it utterly abolishes) and Handling (which gets
difficult when playing on the four-player-simultanious mode; as the Warrior
character walks slower than the Elf, and has a nasty habit of getting stuck in
twisty passages when played by an unexperienced player. The title screen has a
nice arrangement of one of the more popular themes from the original game. The
Animation has been vastly improved, and a new voice synthesis feature tells you
what treasures were most recently picked up and warns you when you are running
out of life. This was also one of my favorites; probably the best Four Score
game I have ever played.
Ratings:
- Programming Style; Very Good
- Animation; Very much more like the arcade version; There are at least six
frames of animation (for all eight directions) for (almost) all of the enemies
in the game!
- Soundtrack; As good as the original if not better. You can almost understand
the synthesized voice as it cries out warnings and identifications.
- Plot; This game has no discernable plot, although it is modeled after Gauntlet
1.
- Difficulty Level; With Continuing as an option as long as there is another
player alive, this gameis easiest to play with three friends (or enemies(!); on
some levels you can kill your competitors).
XEXYZ, Hudson Soft
Don't.
The Guardian Legend, Broderbund
This game is a cross between a Quest game and one of the space shoot-em-ups.
Your objective being to destroy a planet-sized starship before it collides with
Earth. After a harrowing flight at high speed you face a bank of missle
launchers, where two out of three times I play this section I meet my untimely
demise. This is probably the second-easiest part of the game, so prepare
yourself for the more difficult sections which are just around the corner. If
you ever manage to destroy all of the missle launchers, you will fly offscreen
amid a burst of fanfare music. Then, you will view the game in its other mode;
the Quest mode. This is the easiest part of the game, so relax and enjoy.
There is a save game feature, which is easier to use then first appears; as
there are no other lowercase letters, you can copy down the dotted codes as
plain lowercase and it dosent make much difference. Also, there is a test
option, which you can use to make sure that you copied the password down
perfectly. I would advise having a relative or friend attempt to recreate the
code from your notes, so you con be sure that you copied it clearly enough to
read at a later time, perhaps when you have completely forgotten what is was
for.
Ratings:
- Programming Skill; Good
- Animation; What there is is done well enough. The sequence you see whenever
the main character enters a level is pretty smooth.
- Visuals; Clear and well defined. The programmers did not do well in certain
rare situations, though; there is some screen flicker at the end of Level One.
- Challenge Level; Difficult to Hard (Impossible!) for me in some of the stages
(especially the intro).
- Coolness factor; I have never actually seen the game completed, but it seems
probable that there is a sizeable reward in wait for the player then.
- Soundtrack; Awesome! The theme songs are all long, and there are many of
them. If you start up while holding A and B (and Start?) you can reach a sound
test mode where you can experience tunes that I have never heard during my
playing of the game.
Spy vs. Spy, Kemco/Seika
This game was rumored to be good in my local area. After purchasing it, I found
that it was almost worth what I paid for it. It is a pseudo-3D side scrolling
game with two-player-simultanious capabilities, with your mission being to
escape the Foreign Embassy with all of the stolen information. However, as both
you and the other player are competing for the same abjects, it becomes more
difficult than it first appears. With an infinite supply of traps that you can
use to kill (albeit temporarily) the other spy, it is, to say the least, almost
impossible even if you use a Game Genie code to stop the clock.
Ratings:
- Programming Style; Not really exceptional. The concept makes up for this,
however.
- Animation; Not much; and that which is there is pretty chunky.
- Coolness factor; It is pretty cool when you hash you opponent even after you
got killed. I like to put treasures behind paintings on walls, then stick a
bomb in front of them. When the other spy consults their map, they see a mark
showing the presence of the treasure, but that mark COVERS UP the warning TRAP
mark, leaving them totally suprised when their winnings just explode! In the
right frame of mind, this game could classify as a spectator sport. Sometimes,
there are traps which are already placed in the embassies as security measures.
- Visuals; Simple and concise. Nothing is wasted in this game, but they are
good graphics for their purposes.
- Soundtrack; Really short and stupid spy sort of music. When I played the game
(late at night) it seemed to add the the hilarity whenever my opponent (or me,
for that matter), kicked the bucket.
- Plot; A sufficient excuse to try your best at eliminating the other player.
Game Genie Codes:
Spy vs Spy(tm) Game
SPYS
CODE KEY IN . . . EFFECT . . .
1 SZVAYUVK Stop black spy's clock
2 SXUELUVK Stop white spy's clock
3 PUEAPLIU Black spy has 100 seconds in a minute
4 PUSAILIU White spy has 100 seconds in a minute
5 ONVZYNUT Black spy has deadly punches
6 IEVZLYIE White spy has deadly punches
Spy vs Spy is a trademark of EC Publications Inc. Used by Kemco-
Seika Corporation under license.8
Roger Clemens' MVP Baseball, LJN
This is one of those Nintendo Baseball games. It allows you to play the entire
World Series with a pasoward continue feature. Having more animation then usual
in a Nintendo game, I found the play relatively enjoyable. Most baseball games
for the Nintendo aren't too shabby, and this one isn't either.
Ratings:
- Programming Skill; Not really exceptional, but sufficient for its uses.
- Animation; The opening sequence is the least exciting. However, the rest of
the game is pretty cool.
- Fun Level; Sttandard amount of fun for a baseball game.
Game Genie Codes:
Roger Clemens' MVP Baseball(tm) Game
ROGER
CODE KEY IN . . . EFFECT . . .
1 ZANEAPLA + ZEOUYPLA + ZEVKGPLA 2 strikes and you're out
2 PANEAPLA + PEOUYPLA + PEVKGPLA 1 strike and you're out
3 OOVSLLPA Strikes are not called when batter doesn't swing
4 GANAAPZA Strikes are not called when batter swings
5 PENKLPGA 1 ball for a walk
6 ZENKLPGA 2 balls for a walk
7 LENKLPGA 3 balls for walk
8 OONIALAA Infinite balls (balls are not called)
9 SLNALPVY Infinite balls and strikes
Roger Clemens MVP Baseball is a trademark of LJN Ltd
Othello, Acclaim Entertainment, Inc.
This is a direct port of the classic board game Othello. It includes several
diffenent modes you can play in, either VS.COMPUTER, 2PLAYER, or the secret 2-
player SLOT mode. The rules are the same as in the board game (or its clones),
and the computer mode features a difficulty level setting. Also, there is a
sudden-death time mode, and the (very useful) ability to take back moves (in
certain cases). Considering the more powerful hardware, this game probably
plays better then the ATARI-2600 overall, although the "LEVEL-3" setting seems
to correspond with the so-called "Easy" setting on the primitive Atari version.
The round pieces are much easier on the eyes then the square ones in the Atari
game, and it has a plesant "flip" animation which it uses for every capture you
make. At the end of the game, (after you press a key), it automatically totes
up the number of pieces that you have on board, and displays the name of the
winner. The menus which it displays are reminiscent of the menus in Archon,
which was programmed by Activision. The method by which you call up the slot
mode involves holding I believe Select (or something like that) down while
pressing Start.
Ratings:
- Programming Skill; Good. I couldn't beat the AI right off the bat on the
higher levels, although I could overwhelm the easier opponents. (however, I also
couldn't win against my Atari-2600 Othello opponent set on Impossible, so
perhaps I am not the best to judge).
- Animation; The pieces turn over and make small sounds when you capture them.
- Soundtrack; None that I can find. There is some music when you first turn on
the cartrige, but it stops as soon as the game begins. (I guess it wants to
concentrate all of its resources so it can beat you faster).
- Coolness Factor; I can't really find anything macho about small grayscale
disks, and none of my friends do either. A good break from regular shoot-em-
ups, but you really need to be alert and awake to stand any chance against the
higher level oppenents.
- Overall: If you can win against all of your human opponents this might provide
some small amount of challenge for a while. Also, if you are clumsy (like I
am), you may find the joypad-controlled cursor easier to use than real pieces.
On big moves, the automatic flipping really takes a lot of work off of the
players hands, allowing them to concentrate on more important things, such as
tactics.
Mickey Mouscapade, Capcom
This game is sort of like Mario Brothers only instead you are playing the two
mice from the Disney series. They have a life gauge, however, which makes it
easy to judge when you are near death. At the beginning of this game, neither
of the two mice have any weapons, but during the first level they can both
aquire the power to shoot small stars, although finding them for Minnie is very
hard indeed. There is a stage select which you can activate from the first
screen, but I forget the details (you had to hold down the arrows, then press
something like A-B-Start-Select, or something of the sort). This game starts
out easy, then gets harder. From my point of view, the age group which it is
geared for will probably not get past the "The Woods" level. It features
double-aligned control, allowing either player to guide both through the maze of
rooms.
Ratings:
- Music; REALLY BAD!! there is No Way that anyone could stay sane after
listening to the 30s theme for half of an hour! Also, there are aural clues, so
you HAVE to have the sound on, as otherwise you are at a grave disidvantage.
- Programming Skill; Slightly below average. As you can see above, they really
need to work on improving the soundtrack. Due to a strange quirk of the game,
Mickey is the only vulnerable character; shots that would seem to hit Minnie
just pass through. This allows you to beat the first level "Funhouse" without
breaking a sweat (after you aquire Minnie's shooting stars). However, if Minnie
falls off of the screen, it will (probably) kill Mickey also. There is rumored
to be a trick by which you can desert Minnie on level one "Funhouse" but I don't
know any details. If you do, please send me the trick. Thanks.
- Coolness factor; I don't really think anyone will be impressed by your ability
to defeat Mickey and Minnie's adversaries with stars.
- Overall; Except for the music this game could be considered good.
Gologo 13; Top Secret Episode, Vic Tokai
This game appears to be the predecessor to something that might be conidered
fair. The animation is very jumpy as you act out a predetermined plot,
attempting to emerge victorious at the end. According to a reference that I
read, this game has at least 50 stages, probably more. I am pretty sure that
this game lost a lot in the translation from the original Japanese version to
this US one that I found. Very violent, this game features the first that I
know of "Pan And Zoom" mode, where you are suddenly, without warning, presented
with the view from behind a gunsight as slews of foes attempt to plug you at
high speed. I found this very confusing at first, and was unable to score very
highly, ending up dying in short order. It would probably be advisable to not
play this game until you are without adult supervision, as it is very violent,
although the graphics are not that good.
Ratings:
- Overall Programming Quality: Below Average, although the game implements a 3d
maze segment somewhere near the end.
- Challenge: Out of this world; I found it very hard to advance past the second
stage, even though they give you infinite continues until the last level. (in
"Pan And Zoom" the assasins jump away as you point your gun at them! (as if it
wasn't hard enough already)).
- Coolness factor: When the game goes into the above "Pan And Zoom" mode, you
will have the opprotunity to amaze your friends with your good aim.
- Animation: Pitiful; what is seems to only have two or three frames for each
character.
- Graphics: Lurid; the backgrounds mix with the enemies, but you stick totally
out in your light blue clothes. Aliasing is frequent and severe.
Dragon Warrior, ENIX Corporation
This game was (is) an incredibly popular roleplaying game sporting more than
_SIX_ sequals on the NES platform alone (some of them just released, I think).
As this entire series is in incredibly high demand (at least in my
neighborhood), purchase prices are above the original sale prices for the games
not manufactured. Anyway, if you can review this game with any kind of
fairness, I would invite you to. In the case that you enjoy long games, such as
the ones in the Ultima series, I would advise checking this one out for the sole
reason that everyone that I have met wants it (so if you can get it, do so NOW,
before it is too late)!
I can't give any sort of fair review to this games features (because I like it
too much to say anything bad), so you will be on your own here. This is one of
those games that all "professional" gamers (or roleplayers) should be familiar
with because of its very smooth design.
Snake Rattle N Roll, Rare, Ltd.
This game is really good; I found that it had the best response of many games I
have played in a long while. A True 3D game, this is very fun for more than one
player in the two-player-simultaneous mode; actually quite addictive. (the
first time I saw this game, I ended up playing it so long that it ended a good
friendship. Alas, the sacrifices that were made for Videogames.)
Also - *SPOILER ALERT* - there is a WARP TO LEVEL 8 in the first level (but
getting to it in time is a completely different matter). This was discovered by
my friend while running some routine tests on his reflexes (which are too good
in my opinion to begin with). Zap me
a note and I'll give you the full story, along with the ACTUAL METHOD of
attaining the warp effect (and the 500000 (yes, 500000!) bonus point award)!!!
Ratings:
Programming skill - As RAREware, this game supports their continued excellence.
It seems to be one of their last few True 3d games for this system, and it is
certainly the biggest (I think).
Visuals - Sharp and crisp, reminiscent of some sort of cartoon. I have not
noticed any aliasing or flicker in the hours upon hours I have played this game.
Soundtrack - Out of this world! With nearly five minutes of music for each
level, it is both a visual and auaral treat!
Secrets - This game is chock full of secrets-although it is very difficult to
discover them because of the programmers' twisted sense of humor.
Warps - I have personally seen at least one warp in effect, I suspect many more
exist.
Coolness factor - This game is really cool UNLESS you see a copy of the manual-
I will not relate anything here, so as not to ruin your gaming pleasure.
The Legend of Zelda, Nintendo
I feel that a review of this would be superflous in nature, therefore I am
abstaining from writing one. You, however, are welcome to send me one and I
will gladly integrate it here (with credit, of course).
The Adventure of Link (Zelda 2), Nintendo
If you enjoyed Zelda 1, then this game will probably not be very pleasing. The
game is NOT much like the first part, as all of the visible action with Link is
done from a side view, and a rudimentary form of experience is implemented,
which lends itself to the playstyle of waiting to be attacked by wimpy monsters,
then hashing them, and getting incredible numbers of XP, gaining life ((and
attack?)) levels until the castles are ridiculously easy to complete, making the
game totally imbalanced (at least around where I am).
ShockWave, American Game Cartriges, Inc {Unauthorized by Nintendo}
This is a puzzle-videogame, and seems to be really hard. The design of the
cartrige does not lend itself to plugging in to my Nintendo Classic (as opposed
to the new, white models which they just released around here), and removing it
is even worse. The game is very challenging, as you, a spacesuited astronaut,
attempt to gather minerals of some sort on different mining missions. Each
level usually introduces some sort of new element, which makes it very hard to
become really good fast. I would advise playing around with the computer game
"Sokoban" (gold pusher?) to get used to this sort of control. It will, if you
can apply your tecniques, make this game much easier, giving you more time to
enjoy the nonrepeating (!) backgrounds which span more than one TV screen (it
scrolls whenever you get near the edges of the screen.
3-D WorldRunner, Acclaim Entertainment, Inc. (Square!)
This is another (simulated?) True 3d game for the original NES. It is also
probably as close as you can come to a first-person game for this system. The
game is well designed and implemented, and becomes more and more difficult every
level. It is very enjoyable in 2D mode, but as I do not have a pair of the
glasses I am unable to tell you if the 3D mode (press select) actually works,
although it looks as if it should. Each level becomes more and more fiendishly
difficult. This game, though, supports the secret Square Continue (write me and i'll see if I can look it up for
you in my index), which allows you to start off on the same planet that you died
on.
Ratings:
- Programming skill - Square has done a great job, as usual. This is probably
the pinacle of their development, unless Rad Racer ][ is better.
- Visuals - Visuals are smooth and there was no aliasing in the few games that I
played
- Animation - All of the animation is excellent, evoking a very strange feeling
when running at top speed. Sometimes it feels as if the runner is standing
still and the worlds are just streaming toards him.
- Coolness factor - This game provides ample opprutunity for coolness. If you
manage to get to the second world, there is this sequence of jumps over
incredibly thin gaps that is quite gratifying to make.
Dr. Mario, Nintendo
This game seems to be Nintendo's attempt to cash in on the tetris craze after it
had begun cooling off; instead of having differently shaped pieces, the game
involves matching colours on small pills which are tossed into the screen by
Mario himself. The objective seems to be to eliminate all of the small, furry
"viruses" which inhabit the playfield which is some sort of pillbottle. I can't
really offer any advice on this as it is mainly a reflexes game (and I don't
want to share my secrets to success ;). It is well written, having two
reasonably long soundtracks for the one and two player games (only one each).
It has a level/difficulty selector which makes it easier to handicap one player
or the other. Overall, I would reccommend trying this out before you buy it.
The way the game works is sort of like Tetris, but not close enough to guarantee
that a tetris fan will enjoy it.
Ratings:
- Programming skill - Well done; the game goes from a reasonable pace to a
ridiculous one without apparent slowdown.
- Visuals - The graphics are good, being very cartoonish. The image of Mario in
a doctor's uniform is nice.
- Animation - Very smooth. Reasonable for its purposes.
- Coolness factor - This game is not very cool, unless you are really
incredible, at which point the coolness level increases rapidly. If you can
carry on a conversation while you are playing, it adds much more to the effect.
Mike Tyson's(!) Punch-Out, Nintendo
I haven't really had time to play this, as I am not really allowed to play this
sort of thing at home, so you are on your own here. This is considered a
classic by most of the people that I know, so you might want to try it out if
your parents aren't the non-violent types.
Ratings:
As a classic, I assume that this game must sport some merit, although I haven't
gotten a chance to play it lately.
Interestingly enough, they changed the name of this game when Mike Tyson lost
some world championship soon after its release, but I don't know what the other
version is called.
Astyanax, Jaleco
I was utterly misled by several bad reviews which claimed that this was a
"roleplaying" game. It is not one at all, mainly being an excuse for huge
chacacters to ineffectively hash you on screen. Interestingly enough, your
chacacter's name (Astyanax) is the babe who was thrown from the walls of troy by
a group of Greeks. Perhaps this is some subtle hint pertaining to what will
happen to you when you play this. The only real interesting factor in this
game, is the offbeat plot, which continues over the eight(I think?) levels.
This is mainly a hack&slash Zelda ][ takeoff with rougher control. As it is
definitely Below Average in every way I would not advise getting this for any
reason unless you have tired it first and liked it.
Ratings:
- Programming Skill - Definitely below average - slowdown and such is often
whenever the screen is crowded, and when it occurs it is inevitably very severe.
- Graphics - The graphics in this game, except for the intro sequence, are
invariably bad.
- Animation - There is little or no animation in this game except for a few
sequences which seemed to have happened accidently if at all.
- Coolness factor - I found it really hard to find anything cool about a game
with graphics and animation as bad as this.
RoadBlasters, Mindscape (liscenced from Tengen (which is actually a part of
Atari!))
This game has graphics almost as bad as the previous one, but the animation is
slightly better, and as the object in this game seems to be to drive your car as
fast as possible, and it is kind of hard to see much when you are traveling at
400 miles an hour. In the original version of this game there was no image of
your car on the screen, but this was found to be too confusing to most players,
so they added a small image of your RoadBlaster onscreen. This game is pretty
self-explanitory, just shoot anything that moves. There are a few fun suprises
as you get up past Stage 40 and 50. Whatever you do, though, don't slow down!
Running out of gas is the only fatal distaster in this game.
Ratings:
- Programming Skill - As this game seems to be an early one from Tengen, the
programming skill is relatively low, although good enough to make the game very
hard to play well. Oh yes, if stuff drops from the top of the screen, be SURE
to grab it. They are usually mega weapon/powerups and are very integral to
completing the game. Also, there are several "interesting" properties of some
hazards that can be used to your advantage, if you have good enough reflexes.
- Visuals - Generally bad, but (as I said before) you don't really stop to check
out the scenery when you are driving down a city street at 400mph with your Uzi
blazing.
- Animation - There is not much of this in the game, but see the text on the
visuals for an excuse.
- Coolness factor - Definitely! I totally shocked my videogame wizard friend
when I was on a roll and got to level 75, where I blazed ALL THE WAY THROUGH A
_*rat jeep*_ wave without dying. Of course, I did run out of gas the level
after, and was forced to quit.
Megaman 2, Capcom
This is supposed to be the best game of the Megaman series, according to my
contacts. I do not have the skill, however (or the money) to discover whether
this is the case or not. Another "classic", it probably deserves a rudimentary
examination before turning it away.
Gotcha! The Sport, LJN Toys, Ltd
This is a really violent version of Lazer Tag for the light gun. I found that
the objective seems to be to travel across the entire landscape from left to
right, then shoot the opposition's flag and return before the clock runs out.
As the player's movements are controlled by the joysticy whilst the player
blasts everything that moves, it is moderately difficult to shoot and move at
the same time. I would advise getting a friend to steer you while you blast
everything. Also, you probably don't want to play this much while young,
impressionable children are around, as it may cause severe results.
- Programming Skill - This game could be done better; it is very difficult to
play without a second person steering.
- Visuals - The visuals in this game could use a little work. Although they are
moderately detailed, some modification would probably be effective in reducing
the amout of aliasing.
- Animation - Practically none; there are only four frames maximum of each
image, which is not good at all. I would rate the animation here, on a scale of
one to ten, 2 (with one being none at all).
- Coolness factor - I could imagine that some people might think this cool, but
it doesn't suit my tastes at all.
- Overall - This game is okay if all that you want is blood, but even then it
isn't really satisfing. I would not advise permanantly purchasing this title,
if at all.
Major League Baseball, LJN Toys, Ltd
This game is another of the many baseball games that are always written pretty
well. However, as this one errs on the side of realism it is hard to throw
those exciting double-twist "flash back" pitches, and one usually has to settle
for a simple fast ball.
Ratings:
- Programming Skill - Well, I have never really objected to the programming in
any baseball game, and this is no exception to that rule.
- Visuals - Pretty crisp, with little or no aliasing. Not particularly
cartoony.
- Animation - Everything in this game is animated, from the pitcher's windup to
the players sliding home. I suppose that is is done moderately well, for the
resolution of the images.
- Coolness Factor - I don't really think that this baseball has the potential to
be cool, mainly because it restricts the player to more mundane pitches (unlike
a "corkscrew" that I threw after several hours of practice on one of the other
baseball games).
- My Opinion - The game is moderately responsive, but I really prefer Tengen's
RBI Baseball better, although that may be solely because I really love Atari.
Wizards and Warriors, Acclaim Entertainment, Ltd
This game is RAREWARE, but is feels as if it was one of their early projects, as
even though the game is well programmed, it seems to me as if it was done near
the beginning of their programming carrer as I felt that the game was
unbalanced, and contained several sequences which were a bore to complete, and
virtally impossible to boot. Especially annoying is a sequence in the third
level which is impossible to complete without waiting many hours attempting to
do an impossible jump which can not be done without a powerup potion which only
appears randomly when you defeat wandering monsters. All in all, I feel that
this game could use some work. It might be good for new players, though because
it allows you to continue an infinite number of times.
Ratings:
- Programming Style - So-so for a RARE game, although it is still a notch above
Data East's work.
- Graphics - Good enough for the programming skill. I have seen reviews which
said both "The graphics in this game are very crisp and detailed" and also "This
looks like a really bad and unchoreographed Saturday morning cartoon, less the
plot". You may take your pick.
- Coolness factor - Not really. This game, with it's inane plot, does not seem
to impress any of my friends. Also, the fact that it is a (direct?) port of an
arcade game whose objective was you take your money doesn't help it any.
- Overall - I would not reccommend this game for any player except for the most
inexperienced, who might enjoy the "infinite continue" abilities it bestows upon
you, the player. If you are a fan of roleplaying, then this game is _NOT_ for
you! It is a (poor, in my opinion) excuse for another rehash of Zelda 2,
without the (minimal) roleplaying which you get to use there.