So far, I only have (the original) Nintendo (NES) game reviews here. Hopefully, I will soon add others.
Categories:
Probably the best I have ever played was Rolling Thunder, a COMPLETELY UNAUTHORIZED game by Tengen. Although I do not posess the actual manuals, it is pretty easy to learn. It has the standard game controls, being that which the B button is jump and the A button is attack. You must be holding the controller in the correct position before acting, as you have no control over your character after your feet leave the ground. As a shoot-em-up, the program works pretty well, except that you must be careful with the character, as they are wimpy (one hit by anything usually ends up killing him). There is a short plot movie, which is shown as you beat sectors in the game. A password continue feature is reasonably good, although there aren't many save points.
On the excellent game front, if it's by Tengen, AND it is Unauthorized by Nintendo, it's probably a good bet for being incredibly good. If it is listed in either of the other sections, it could probably be classified here also. Don't pick anything from DATA EAST, as their game paks are usually subnormal, at least in general quality of play.
Actually, there are a few of these. My current favorite is a puzzle game by Imagesoft, namely Solstice. With an incredible soundtrack which appears to use more voices then the actual Nintendo is capable of, and an intro length of over ten minutes, this is almost unbeliveable. However, the game came out as Nintendo went out of style, so it is reletively rare (and unappreciated). I found my copy at a FuncoLand videogame store after a six-month search. It has graphics which make ShadowGate (an adventure game which is also pretty good, but not really 3-D) look just plain bad. Having sharper graphics then my computer and an incredible feel of realism, this game is a great puzzle game (imagine a graphical text adventure with joystick control and unbeliveably smooth animation). However, there is no save game feature, and it is not very easy to master the 3-D rerepresentation of the controller. If you don't have a manual, B picks up (and drops) an object (although you can't take many out of their starting room), A makes the wizard jump, the control pad move him in 3-D space, Select allows you to look at a map, select a potion to quaff (see below), and see how many lives you have left, and how many staff segments you have to collect before your quest is complete. Start allows you to quaff the potion which you readied (as above). The Yellow potion destroys all of the objects and monsters which are in your current room (temporarily, of course). Unfortunately, I don't know what any of the others are for; if you find out, I would appreciate knowing.
There is also "snake rattle and roll", a game where you control two snakes who attempt to eat small dots while avoiding various hazards, also in True 3-D. It has several more songs than Solstice, although they are of a simpler style. It has a very light, cartoony feel with almost no violence. However, it becomes very hard very fast and doesn't let up until you finally die. Being two player simultanous, it is a good thing to play when you are with a friend, as you never have to wait for your turn. Also, you only need to collect a third of the normal amount of food before you can trigger the scale and escape the level. On the third or fourth level, try to get the golden anvil which attempts to squash you to hit the scale, thereby smashing it and allowing you to leave the level without collecting any food at all. There is a warp at the end of level one which takes you to level eight, but it is almost impossible to catch, as you have to run through the entire level without stopping to have even a slim chance of catching up to it. It took me 17 tries to do it at all, and even then I found it almost impossible to repeat the feat.
One game which I really enjoyed was "3-D WorldRunner", although it is not as 3-D as the two above. It has a "just behind the First Person/wide angle" view, and it is pretty smooth.
Link to index file.