Recently I've set out to play (and beat) every American NES game in existance. As I complete the game, I'll document my thoughts and feelings in a short, very unprofessional, review below. I've also decided to post my favorite box art. Box art is choosen per review, per thread... that is, the below box art is my favorite box art of the games reviewed in the thread, and not my favorite box art of all time.

Mario is Missing:
Not a very good game. I'm not sure what Nintendo was thinking but they went through a breif stent of time where they rented out the Mario name and characters to some crappy 3rd party developer in order to make a small series of educational games for small children. Just as one would think, these educational games are about as much fun as doing homework but take longer to complete and teaches you far less. The story behind the game is even worse. Bowser is trying to buy a bunch of hairdriers to heat up the frozen poles of the planet in order to flood the Earth. But hairdries are expensive so he's decided to steal famous historical landmarks to fund his operation. How one buys a hairdrier with a pyramid I'll never know. Oh yeah, also, Luigi was too scared to help Mario (since when?) and thus refused to go with him. Mario then fails (since when?) is caputured by Bowser and now Luigi has to save him. To do so, Luigi needs to get all the artificats back and return them to their rightful location around the globe in order to make a key appear out of nowhere so he can fight the girl Koopa-Kid in order to free Mario. There are multiple problems with that story but I don't care enough to point them out... however, I will state that educational games are never fun and this is no exception. Nobody should play this game, not even little kids.

Mario's Time Machine:
Shit. You can't die, you can't lose and worse yet, it's an "educational" game. Basically Bowser has opened up a museum but all the artifacts are items that he stole with the help of his time machine. Also, he kidnapped Yoshi. (?? I don't know why). So Mario shows up to get the items back, put them back in their point in time and also, save Yoshi. (?? I don't know why). The game starts inside the museum and all you do is select a door, kill three turtles, and pick up an item that played an important role in history. Then you jump in your time machine, select the year it belongs to, and then put it in its place. Select the wrong year and you get to start over. It really fucking sucks. When everything is back in its place you get to fight Bowser, but only after you answer a few history questions. It's a kids game so Bowser is about as hard as your grandfathers cock and the ending sequence is pretty much non-existent besides the typical "You win" bullshit. Worst Mario game ever... not even made by Nintendo. I don't suggest to anyone, not even little kids because History is never fun unless you're into that shit... at which point you're probably not going to play a Mario game to learn.

Mega Man 2
Best Game Ever Made. Best Game Ever Made. Best Game Ever Made.
Best Game Ever Made. Best Game Ever Made. Best Game Ever Made.
Best Game Ever Made. Best Game Ever Made. Best Game Ever Made.
Best Game Ever Made. Best Game Ever Made. Best Game Ever Made.
Best Game Ever Made. Best Game Ever Made. Best Game Ever Made.
Best Game Ever Made. Best Game Ever Made. Best Game Ever Made.
Best Game Ever Made. Best Game Ever Made. Best Game Ever Made.

Mickey Mousecapades
I remember owning this game as a child but I have no idea why I would have ever purchased such a thing. It's a strange little game where Mickey and Minnie Mouse go through a Fun House, An Ocean, A Forest, and a Castle in order to help rescue a "Mystery Friend" that was captured by the evil witch from Cinderella. I remember beating it as a kid but this time around I struggled to get past some of the bosses which makes me question the games dificulty level. I don't want to say the bosses are hard, but they constantly bombard the player with an onslaught of relentless attacks that have a very narrow range of escape. To me, this seemed a tad bit extreme for a Mickey Mouse game. There is also a strangly missplaced puzzle in the game as well; in the forest stage the player has to go through doors to cross through all 4 seasons of the year. But some of the doors take you back to start, others to a previous season, and some of the doors are hidden and have to be found. Once again, it's not a difficult task, but a strange feature for a game aimed at 5 year old children. Other then that, my only real complaint is the fact that you can't leave the screen without Minnie and Minnie's A.I. is "copy everything Mickey does". It works well for the most part but there are a few times where she fails to make the jump (because she's trailing behind) and falls off a cliff. Did I mention that if Minnie dies, Mickey dies? There are a few upsetting deaths in this mannor, but such was the way of Nintendo I guess. Regardless, the control is decent and the graphics and sound are OK and overall it's a pretty fun game... funner then most childrens games. I'd suggest passing it on to a younger sibbling if you have one, but everybody else should just skip it.

Ninja Gaiden:
There is only one word that can truly describe Ninja Gaiden: 'Rad'. This game is fucking awesome. Everybody who enjoys playing video games, casual and hardcore players alike, should all take some time out of their day to give the original Ninja Gaiden a try. Do it right now if you can... even if you've played it before, play it again... you won't regret it. You're a ninja, you kill people, and you get cool ninja weapons and power-ups along the way. What's not to like? It's kind of a hard game... a lot of enemies come rushing at you and a lot of them are pretty unforgiving when it comes to hitting you mid-jump and insuring you fall to your death but this is just how NES got down. You'll struggle a lot, but you'll eventually be able to do it... classic game, one of the best NES games out. I suggest it to everybody.

Silver Surfer:
I had heard through the grapevine, and the Angry Video Game Nerd, that this was THE hardest Nintendo game ever made. Considering my struggles with Adventure Island and 1943 I couldn't even begin to fathom how hard this game must be. So one night, out of boredom, I popped it in and gave it a shot. 4 hours later, I had completed the game and was very dissatisfied by what this new generation of gamers call "hard". The truth is, it is kind of difficult... but it's easily balanced out when you take into account that the game is really short. There are only 6 stages and each of these stages is shorter then any stage I've played to date. The bosses are easy and rarely provide even the slightest bit of challenge, and the enemies are very predictable and avoidable with just the slightest bit of practice. The game is one of memory; learn the stage and you'll beat it every time. Thankfully the stages are short enough that this can be done in just a few hours. I hear people complain about the fact that you can't touch the walls but honestly I fail to understand why... there are very few walls in the game and I fail to see how these walls are different then any other one-touch kill item in any other video game. IE: The water-spikes in Mega Man 2. This game isn't super easy, but it's not THE hardest game out, The AVGN either sucks at gaming, or lies for better ratings. I'm thinking it may be a little bit of both.

Updated: 08/19/08 3:30 PM 4 comments | Log in to comment! | Share this!

Recently I've set out to play (and beat) every American NES game in existance. As I complete the game, I'll document my thoughts and feelings in a short, very unprofessional, review below. I've also decided to post my favorite box art. Box art is choosen per review, per thread... that is, the below box art is my favorite box art of the games reviewed in the thread, and not my favorite box art of all time.

------------------------------------

The 3D Battles of World Runner:
A series of planets in a distant solar system have been over-ran with snake like animals from an alien world. It's now up to you to find the snake leader on each planet and kill it with fire. To do so, you have to land on one side of the planet and run to the other while avoiding mind-controlled baddies that move in rhythmic patterns, burning pillers, poisonous mushrooms, and holes in the floor.

Ok, so the story doesn't make much sense but the game is great fun. The hero in the game is seen in a, "from the back, 3rd person perspective" view and runs in what appears to be a 3d environment (Replace the car sprite in "Pole Position" with a sprite of a running human and you have World Runner). However, unlike racing games you're not limited to a track and you have the ability to jump. So you run, avoid enemies, and jump holes. It sure doesn't sound like much, but this is one of the funest games I've played. It doesn't have much depth but the fun factor is at an all time high and the level of creativity in the stage designs will probably suprise you. I definitly suggest this game to everyone.

------------------------------------

8 Eyes:
The world is in shambles after a recent nuclear war and mankind is slowly rebuilding society under the rule of a great King who harnesses extreme power with the help of 8 mysterious jewels. Jealous of the Kings great power, the Kings Dukes steal the 8 jewels and banish the King to the nuclear waistlands of the planet. Now it's up to you to get the 8 jewels back and rescue the King before the Dukes abuse their power and accidentally destroy the world.

The game has some interesting features to it, (like the ability to use a pet, and a two-player co-op mode) but falls short of being anything other then just average once you realize that's it's little more then a poor-man's Castlevania. The only real diffrence between the two games is the pace at which they're played. Every enemy in 8 Eyes requires multiple hits; and no matter how hard you try, it's impossible to strike more then once without taking damage yourself. This forces you to play with an "Attack, back up, wait, repeat" strategy that greatly reduces the speed at which you can play the game. I personally enjoyed this slower pace, but I can see how something like this can become boring or teduis for players struggeling with a stage or just generally in a hurry. Worse yet, the controls are kind of awkward and it's not uncommon to find yourself missing an oportunity to strike or walking off the edge of a platform because your character tried to use his pet raven instead of attacking an enemy or jumping a gap in the floor.

The only feature of the game really worth mentioning is the level select. Much like the popular Mega Man games the player is allowed to choose which Duke he want's to attack and when. This adds a tiny bit of strategy to the game as some stages and Dukes are easier then others. However, I found the order of the Dukes isn't nearly as important as the power-ups hidden within the Dukes castles. You don't start the game with much life and the only way to increase your life bar is to find hidden power-ups through out the stages. The more you get, the easier the game becomes; but good luck trying to find these hidden powerups without a guide as there are absolutly no signs of anything being hidden nearby. Power-ups are hidden inside the bricks of specific walls but every brick in the game looks exactly the same. This means, the only way to find hidden items is to try to break every brick on the screen and hope for the best. Unfortunitly, this only further slows the pace of the game.

There is a two player coop mode that may increase the fun factor of the game for some, but it's not as good as you might imagine. Instead of being able to have two raven weilding warriors on the screen at a time, 8 Eyes divides each player into either the hero or the raven. This means one player is always stuck being a weak, hard to control bird who's main purpose is to grab hard to reach items. It's OK if you know what you're doing, but it's not as fun as other, more popular, 2 player games like Contra.

In short, it's an OK game that lacks in few, but key areas of play that turn a potentially good time into slow paced aggrivation full of unexpected character responses and unnecessary deaths. I would only suggest this game to hardcore Castlevania fans.

------------------------------------

10 Yard Fight:
To understand the value of 10 Yard Fight, you have to understand a little bit of video game history. Before consoles there where these massive, 6-foot tall monstrocites called "arcade machines". These machines whould line the walls in acrades and only allow the customers to partake in the video game fun it contained inside after the consumption of a pre-determined price (usually 25c). I tell you this, because it's important to understand the business aspect of video games at the time.

Back then, you didn't make millions of dollars by selling a copy of your game for $60.00 a peice to young children and pot heads. Instead, you only made money when a young child or pot head tossed a quarter into your machine. This means, the harder the game, the more quarters you collected. I refer to these games as "quarter eaters" as their soul purpose was to take as many quarters out of your pocket as they could by any means neccessary. Many of these games would start off easy and then instantly become insainly hard making the player angry and ready to toss in as many quarters as neccessary to show the game who's boss. 10-Yard Fight is no exception.

First off, 10 Yard Fight isn't really a "football" game in the typical sense. Instead of playing four quarters on both offense and defense, 10-Yard Fight starts you out in the last few minutes of the second quarter. Your team receives the ball after a punt and you have to score a touch down before the end of the quarter or lose. There are no plays. Instead, you can opt to either run the ball by moving the joy stick or toss it to a nearby player by pressing 'B'. Once the ball is in play, the opposing team will rush at you and it's your job to avoid them. If an oposing team player touches you, you're tackled. Every 10 yards you get a first down and bonus time. Fail to make a first down or run out of time before scoring a touch down and it's game over... hence the name, 10-Yard Fight.

There is no real ending or goal to this game besides seeing how many points you can get. The game starts you off in the second quarter of a high school game followed by the fourth quarter of the same game. After high school it's college, the pros, and finally the super bowl. Winning the super bowl just takes you back to "the pros" where the game loops between the two stages forever. Like always, each stage means less time and faster enemies which will eventually lead to an unbeatable stage.

The game itself is pretty bad. I'm sure it was fun for the time but by todays standards it's not worth the effort of turning it on. The first stage is extremely easy but the stages that follow get harder at an extreme rate leading to nothing but frustation and anger after unfair tackle after unfair tackle (Like I said, it's a quarter eater). The graphics and sound are old and dated and the game play is bland and simple. In short, the game just hasn't aged very well. It's a neat peice of football history but that's about it. I'd suggest eveyone except football fanatics skip this one.

------------------------------------

720:
720 is to Skateboarding/Extreme Sports as 10-Yard Fight is to football. It's a quarter eating old school arcade game about riding a skateboard. As expected, there is no story, no point, and no ending. The only objective of the game, rack up points.

The game plays over the period of a few days where each day represents a class or stage. Each day you have the objective of skating too and completing each of the four diffrent skating events taking place across town. This is where the game shines. Instead of just staring you out at an event, 720 starts you out in the middle of a small town where you have the ability to skate as you please doing tricks as you see fit. Try to think of this as a really early version of Tony Hawk. While in the town, you have a time limit, and if the time reaches zero a group of killer bees hunt you down and knock you off your board. Falling off your deck (or falling into a body of water) will cost you a life. Run out of lives and it's game over.

The real object of the game is to skate to one of the four skating events and compete for gold medals and money. The four events are pretty basic: There's a half pipe, a slalom, a high jump, and a downhill race. In really doesn't matter which one you choose or how well you do, just as long as you do them all before you run out of lives, you complete the "class". To help you, you can skate to local skate shops and buy special items that will help you throughout your class. For instance, buying a new skate board will help you go faster, but buying a helmet will allow you recover from falls quicker. Unforunitly, the game is too old to show any visual representation of new equipment, so no matter what you buy, you always look the same.

The events are OK, but that's about it. The high jump is a game of timeing, the slalom of control, downhill or avoidance, and the half pipe of button mashing. It's a decent amout of variety and at the time, a great game to spend your money on. However, 1980 ended a long time ago and unfortunitly this game just doesn't fair well when compared to even the earliest NES skating games like T&C or Skate or Die. The control is awkward, the lack of available tricks is low, and the gameplay is boring and repatitive. It was a classic in it's day but time has taken it's toll. I'd only suggest this game to those interested in partaking in a peice of skatbording history.

---------------------------

1942:
It's 1942 and World War II is in full affect. The united states is at war with Japan and they need you, a Top Ace Fighter Pilot, to fight your way to Tokyo and destroy the entire Japanese air fleet. To do so, you'll need a fast, but structurally weak airplane, unlimited ammunition, and a few good powerups. Good luck soldier!

1942 is a typical shooter game. One shot, One kill for everybody on the screen (including you) and there's no stopping, slowing down, or going back. The levels auto scroll from bottom to top and each stage represents a part of your journey towards Japan allowing you to cross oceans, rivers, deserts, and lush forests. The graphics are nice, considering the year of the games creation, and the levels, although plentiful, vary in design giving off the feel of actually traveling to new locations. The music, on the other hand, is annoying and terrible. It's a bad one note pattern used to represent Civil War like drum rolls used to order troops around the battlefield durring combat. It'll drive you insaine if you don't turn the volume down.

In short, it's a fun game with way too many stages. Play it if you got time... only try to beat it if your hardcore in retro gaming.

--------------------------

1943:
1943 is nothing more then 1942 but with better music, better graphics, and more levels. The only difference between the two titles is that in 1943, you only get one life compared to 1942s multiple lives. However, in 1942 you died after taking only one hit; 1943 features a life meter allowing you to take a multitude of hits before dying. I personally wouldn't mind the change but in order to keep the game challangeing Capcom decided that only a small portion of your life meter should be refilled at the end of each stage insted of re-issuing you full life. This makes the game slightly more difficult then 1942 as losing a great deal of life in one stage can eventually lead to you being copletly unable to complete another stage later on in the game. You have to constantly try to get through every level with as much life as you can or else you might find yourself in an unwinnable situation forcing you to start all over from the begining. However, to conter-balance this issue, 1943 ships with a password feature. It's a fun game, but it's just as hard, if not harder, then the original so once again, I suggest fans of 1942 play it, and only the most hardcore gamers go for the finish.

Abadox:
It's gory, but that's about where the fun ends. It's your typical auto scrolling jet game but this time you're a guy in a space suit that had to fly into the innards of a monster that consumes planets. It sounds cool but its main drawback is that it was made by Milton Bradley. To me, the sprites all seemed really big (as if they where designed for a fisher price game) and the game itself seemed to play slow. It's not a bad game; it's just not the best in the genre. If you're a fan of these types of games then by all means give it a shot, but everybody else should just pass or only play it if they want to see what intestines look like in 8-bit graphics. It's an average game at best...

Action 52:
52 of the worst games ever made on one cartridge. This is an "unofficial" title so that means it's complete shit. There are 52 games but none of them are worth even trying to play as they all suck beyond of level of suck previously thought possible. The cold truth is, there are actually only 3 games each duplicated a number of times with different sprites and given a different name. The main focus is suppose to be the game "Cheetahmen" which is a platformer that's suppose to be a mix between Mario and Bad Dudes. Unfortunately for us, it's little more then a huge steaming pile of donkey shit in a bucket full of whale vomit. I suggest everyone play this game if they get the chance for no reason other then 'complete lulz'. For even more 'lulz', read the article about it on Wiki... it seems the developer was under the impression his Chettahmen would become so popular that he started designing action figures, comic books, and even a cartoon series. He also developed "Cheetahmen 2" which I'm sure is equally bad as the first. It's on my list of game to beat, but I've yet to give it a shot.

Action in New York:
This game was known as "SCAT" in America... like Abadox it's another auto-scrolling shooter. The catch is that you have two little balls that fly with the character that not only shoot when you do, but also have the ability to rotate their position when the player holds down the B button. This helps you maximize your firepower to best suit each individual situation. It's a cool concept for a game and probably made for better gameplay in it's time. Unfortunitly, it hasn't aged very well. You only get one life, one energy bar, and only a few continues. The graphics are ok but nothing great and the game play seemed slow and tedious... I don't know, maybe I'm just not a fan of this genera. In all honesty, I think it's a game that has a solid story and gameplay mechanic that could have made for a serious classic but failed only because it was developed by a company that wasn't able to utilize the features to their fullest. If Konami had made this game instead of Infogames, it would have been great. As it stands now, it's just OK and I would only really suggest this game to fans of the shooter genra.

AD&D: Heroes of the Lance:
This is the worst game I've played to date. The game is based off the Dragon Lance books so the developers are under the impression that everyone playing the game has not only read the books, but is familure enough with the story to know what the fuck is going on in the game with an opening story containing only one sentance "Prepare to enter Xak Tsaroth". For those of us that haven't read the books... we're fucked. There is no story (other then the previously mentioned sentance) and no character background yet you're suppose to know who each character is, what each character does, and when to use each character in each situation. Not that it matters, all the characters suck and you can only use one at a time so they come off more like "lives" then they do an adventurious band of warriors. The game is supposed to be a maze of ruins but trying to make a map is useless since the maze on screen doesn't actually translate to anything that could be physically possible. So really, you just wonder around and choose doors until you get somewhere... fun stuff! The control is what really kills the game. Nothing is easy. To pick up an item you have to hit start, select a character, select the "pick up" option, and then select the item you want to pick up. Why? A and B do nothing 90% of the time and Down is only used when you want to go through a southern door. Considering items are never droped by enemies and placed by the developers, why didn't they just make the down button "pick up" and just never place an item in front of a southern door? As I just mentioned, A and B don't do anything unless specific requirements are met so it's difficult to figure out how to play the game without putting your character in harms way and learning what not to do. The 'A' button will eventually attack but you can only swing your sword when you're within arms reach of an enemy. Why? I don't know, 'A' doesn't do anything else any other time and it takes more code and processing power to stop the attack from happening then if they would just let you fight thin air. 'B' jumps... but only if you're running. Also, you have to hit up and forward then B to actually get your character to jump. So, basically, to jump, you have to press: Forward, Forward, Forward + Up, B. It's like a damn combo in a Street Fighter game. In short, this game is complete and utter shit. I don't suggest anyone ever play this game... not even fans of D&D.

The Addams Family:
Not a bad game. The controls are pretty good and the graphics are sweet. The game play involves Gomez hunting down his missing family members so although it plays like a typical platforming game you have the option to go anywhere at any time. There are a few puzzles (like finding where the family members are at) and sometimes just finding the member isn't enough. However, it has one major flaw that really hinders the overall enjoyment of the game. When you touch an enemy you lose life... the entire time you touch him. That is, getting hit doesn't temporarily turn you invincible; you just constantly lose a steady stream of life so it's possible for every enemy in the game to kill you in a just a few seconds. This takes some getting use to as a miss-timed jump can result in death by what should be "a harmless spider". Overall though, I enjoyed it. Give it a shot if you got some spare time. (Hint: Collect money... you'll need it. Lots of it).

The Addams Family: Pugsley's Scavenger Hunt:
Just like the original, it's a pretty good game. The idea is that you're having a scavenger hunt and you need to find one item from the bedroom of every family member... but that sometimes means finding the family member themselves so it plays a lot like the original Addams Family game. The previous problems have been fixed (hitting an enemy turns you invincible, you no longer have to collect money, etc..) but other features where changed that have now become problems. The levels have become extremely long and you're forced to walk out of the level after beating the boss in order to select a new bedroom. The house is also a much larger maze.... almost too large. I found a shortcut to the graveyard but I got so lost in the shortcut I died before finding the exit. Worse yet, I don't recall ever even having to go to the graveyard to win. Once again, it's a pretty fun game with good graphics so I suggest it to Addams Family fans and anybody that enjoys NES games with some spare time. It's not perfect, but for a game based of a series/movie/cartoon it's pretty good.

Adventure Island:
A classic in old school gaming. Typical story, your girlfriend has been kidnapped and only you can save her. To do so, you have to travel across the island and kill the big boss at the end. Sounds cool... it is cool... it's just really fucking hard. The main character has to constantly eat or he'll starve so this puts the game on a "time limit". Each piece of fruit you pick up adds a second or two to the clock... so you have to hurry, avoid the enemies, and collect fruit the entire time to win. Oh, and did I mention it's a "one hit, one kill" game? If that's not bad enough, some of the levels cut the time limit down to the last second even if you pull off a perfect run. And guess what? There are 8 levels. Each with 4 sub stages which are each broke into 4 checkpoints. There are tons of enemies and tons of jumps. To make matters worse, the developers where masters at placing moving platforms and enemies in just the right spots for optimal death. Be prepared for a struggle because this is a very long game based around the idea of doing everything perfect, or dying. It's fun... just damn hard. Since it's a classic, I suggest everybody into video games play it. But I only suggest the really hardcore old school gamers try to beat it.

Adventure Island 2:
A lot like the first but much, much easier. The time limit has been increased, fruit gives you more time, and there is less fruit to collect. It's essentially the first game but with the ability to slow down and actually kill the enemies in your way or stop in order to time out your jumps. You also get dinosaur friends. They give you a free hit without death and each one has a little power to help you get through the levels... although none of them are "required". If you like the first one, you'll love this one as it's everything the first one is but without the insanely hard difficulty level.

Adventure Island 3:
Just like Adventure Island 2... just different levels. This one was far easier then the second but it could just be because I've played a shit-ton of Adventure Island levels the past week. In all honesty, I'm kind of sick of the series. Good game if you like the other two, nothing special or new has been added so just skip it if you're not a huge fan of the series.

Adventure Island 4:
This wasn't released in America but I beat it anyway since it came with an English Translation. This time the game plays more like an RPG... sort of. Instead of stages it's just all one big map but some of the areas are blocked by stones that you need a power up to break. There is no more time limit and fruits are strictly for points. All you do is walk through the stage looking for bosses, items, and heart pieces so you can free your dino-friends and kill the bad guy. It's a nice change of pace but it still plays just like the other games so once again, only pick it up and play it if you're a fan of the series.

Adventures in the Magic Kingdom:
This is a child's game based around the Disney theme park... I remember renting, playing, and beating this game as a child so I probably have more love for it then I should but... I really like this game. The idea is that you need to find six silver keys for Mickey in order to open the gates and start the daily parade. Each key is hidden on a different ride in the park and each ride is its own stage. Because of this, the game has a lot more variety to it then it should. There are driving levels, reflex levels, and even a few side scrolling stages. However, it is a kid's game so it comes with almost no challenge. You'll probably have to play each level a few times to figure out what's going on but after that you'll just blow through the game. It's fun so I suggest NES fans at least try each stage just once to see what it's all about. Then again, like I said, I have love for this game from my childhood so I'm a little bias.

Adventures of Bayou Billy:
I don't know what it is about this game... the fighting levels are like a poor mans Double Dragon with shitty controls and cheap-ass enemies. The shooting stages are like a shitty Cabal or "Gotcha" and the driving levels just plain suck. But, for some reason, I love this game. I hated it the entire time I played it but as soon as I was done I though to myself, "Damn, that was pretty cool". I guess it's the variety of the stages mixed in with the overall story. It's all half-ass design, but I guess it works well and you're only able to appreciate it after you no longer have to deal with its needless aggravations. I'd like to give the game a low score of like "3/10" but it's such an awesome story I just can't do it. Everything about this game rules besides the game play. The music kicks ass, the graphics are nice, the story is amazing (for NES... plus, your girlfriend is the hottest 8-bit chick I've ever seen), and Bayou Billy is a super bad ass. Hell, even the box art rules... probably one of my favorites. Pick it up, play it, hate it, beat it, love it. I don't know how that works but it does.

Adventures of Captain Comic
This game sucks something feirce. From what I could gather off the internet "Captain Comic" was the first platforming game made for a Personal Computer and was created more out of experimentation with technology then gameplay. Considering the situation, it's actually a pretty good game. However, I'm not here to review technology, I'm here to review games; and as far as gameplay goes, Captain Comic sucks. I guess Captain Comic is some sort of lame adventurious hero who is going to save the universe by collecting the three stolen treasures of some made up planet but I'm not really sure. Regardless, Captain Comics adventures take him to the land of annoying enemies who constantly spawn on the screen in groups of 3 and only know how to do one thing: Stand on your head and copy your every move. Sure, each enemy in each zone looks diffrent, but they all have the same reaction to our hero which makes for a very long, very annoying, game. The worst part is, Captain Comic is unable to duck or shoot down and none of the enemies in the game are tall enough to be hit by your bullets. So until you get about the 3rd or 4th weapon powerup it's impossible for you to kill any enemy standing at ground level with you. The only good thing I can say about the game is that it's short so players won't have to suffer long. Although, in all honesty, I would suggest everybody just skip this game.

Adventures of Dino Riki
This game has become my new "Worst Game I've ever played". First of all, lets start with the story... oh wait, we can't, because there isn't one. The only bit of a story I could gather was that you are a caveman named Riki who kills dinosaurs in order to insure the survival of the human race. But it doesn't really make much sense when you think about it. I mean, A) Man and Dinosaur didn't exist at the same point in time. B) The gameplay doesn't envolve the idea of killing every dinosaur and more then half the bosses are non-dinosaur creatures (snakes, birds, etc...). This game plays like one of those atuo-scrolling shooters that seem to be so popular but this time you're a walking human who has the ability to jump. Which wouldn't be so bad if the control wasn't complete shit. Picking up powerups only makes the control worse and the game is riddled with what seems like an endless amount of gaps causing much frustration due to the small sizes of the platforms and the huge lack of control given to our hero. Oh, and did I mention that Riki can't ever stop walking and the screen doesn't increase in speed the closer you get to the top? Do you have any idea how hard it is to platform jump when you can't stop your character from walking, can't move the screen on your own, and have what is possibly the worst control in any game ever? It's the most difficult thing I've done to date. You have to try to keep Riki still by continously tapping down on the control pad as softly as you can in order to keep him on the platform. Tap it too hard or tap it too light, and Riki dies. I'll save you the trouble of playing this game now and tell you the ending: there isn't one. That's right, when you beat the last stage the game just takes you to stage one and lets you start again. Not a "Congradulations" not a "fuck you" not shit. Seriously, at least "Heroes of the Lance" had a story. This game is shit. Unbelivably hard for all the wrong reasons and just generally unfun design.

Adventures of Gilligan's Island
For what this game is, it's actually pretty good. This is a game that's more about figuring out where to go and who to talk to then it is about avoiding enemies and fighting bosses. For this reason, it's an easy game, but still fun. The graphics are decent, the story is strange but typical of a Gilligans Island tale, and the overall challange of the puzzles is just difficult to make you think without giving you a headache or forcing you to use an online guide. It's a fun game, but nothing so special you should go out of your way for it. If you're a fan of the TV show, pick it up and play it. Everybody else, play it if you already own it and got some spare time but it's not a title worth searching for.

Adventures of Tom Saywer
Pretty shitty game overall... it doesn't have much to do with the book. Tom Sawyer is in class, bored, so he takes a nap. It's durring this time that he dreams of having to save his girlfriend from Injin Joe. To do so, Tom has to go through 6 levels that range from boats and rafting down the river to haunted castles and fighting the Gods in the clouds.... whatever the fuck that's about. The controls are shit and trying to jump and shoot at the same time is unncessarly difficult. So much so that I would consider it broken. Skip this game, it's not worth the plastic used to make the cartrage

Chiller
Chiller is an unlicensed light gun game where the object is to search a haunted castle for the 24 hidden tailsmen that lie within in order to save the nearby towns from the evil that has risen from the graves. It's a light-gun game so there isn't much to say about it. You see stuff, you aim, you shoot stuff. There are 4 stages and each stage is completed when you shoot a pre-determined amount of targets before the time runs out. There are 8 tailsmen in each stage but you don't have to find them all on your first try as the game will constantly loop the levels until all 24 tailsmen are found. However, each time you play a level, the target count gets higher and the time limit gets shorter. In all honesty though, none of it matters. Even after finding all 24 tailsmen, you're presented with nothing more then a bonus shooting screen before the game starts over... at which point it becomes a game of racking up points with the side mission of finding tailsmen and not the other way around. There is one thing I've yet to mention though... the game is horrifically violent for it's time. Durring your shooting spree you're able to shoot prisoners and blow off body parts. Anybody hooked up to a torture device can have the device activated by shooting the handles or gears allowing you to rip people, trigger decapitations, and my favorite... watch a guy get eaten by an alligator before you shoot the bloody remains of his face as it floats down the drainage ditch for the sewer. The graphics are pretty bad, but it's still fun to see early unlicensed gore on the NES so if you have a light-gun handy this game is definitly worth checking out.

Updated: 09/04/08 11:34 AM 2 comments | Log in to comment! | Share this!

[Last Update: September 4, 2008]

I'm going to try to beat every (American) NES game ever made. I don't know if I'll be able to do it, but I'm going to try. Short reviews of all the completed games can be found here and I'll keep a running unpdate of my current standings and notes on my progress below.

Games I've beaten so far:
- The 3D Battles of World Runner
- 8 Eyes
- 10 Yard Fight
- 720
- 1942
- 1943
- Abadox
- Action 52
- Action in New York (Also known as S.C.A.T.)
- AD&D: Heroes of the Lance
- The Addams Family
- The Addams Family: Pugsley's Scavanger Hunt
- Adventure Island
- Adventure Island 2
- Adventure Island 3
- Adventure Island 4
- Adventures in the Magic Kingdom
- Adventures of Bayou Billy
- Adventures of Captain Comic
- Adventures of Dino Riki
- Adventures of Gilligan's Island
- Adventures of Lolo
- Adventures of Tom Sawyer
- American Gladiators
- Chiller
- Contra
- Contra Force
- Maniac Mansion
- Mario is Missing
- Mario's Time Machine
- Mega Man
- Mega Man 2
- Mega Man 3
- Mega Man 4
- Mickey Mousecapades
- Micro Machines
- Ninja Gaiden
- Silver Surfer
- Super C

Game I'm currently playing:
- Adventures of Lolo 2
- Bard's Tale: Tales of the Unknown

Favorite Game so far: Mega Man 2
Least Favorite Game so far: Adventures of Dino Riki
Hardest Game I've beat: 1943 (Adventure Island at a close second)
Easiest Game I've beat: Adventures in the Magic Kingdom

Games I'm not looking forward too:
- Bad Dudes - Friend owned it. I remember the controls being shit.
- Bandit Kings of Ancient China - Seems super boring.
- Bards Tale - I hate 'roleplaying' RPGs. If you start in a Guild, it sucks.
- Baseball Games - There's too many of them. I count 9 in a row.
- Battlechess - It's chess, but really slow and with shit graphics
- A Boy and his Blob - Owned it and hated it as a small child.
- Bubble Bobble - Too many stages. Plus, single player = bad ending.
- Burger Time - Not sure how to say "I beat it". Plus, control isn't as good as I remember.

Games I am looking forward too:
- Adventures of Lolo Series - Good game, great puzzles. Should be a good time.
- Adventures of Tom Sawyer - Had it as a kid. Got stolen before I could beat it.
- After Burner - Kick ass game. Everybody loves this one don't they?
- American Gladiators - Should be a good lulz fest
- Battletoads - Maybe I'll finally pass stage 3
- Bill and Teds Excellent Video Game Adventure - Liked it as kid, never beat it
- Bionic Commando - Classic

Notes:
I'm still working on Lolo 2 but to be honest, I haven't played it much. Instead, I've been taking requests in the video game forum for games to beat out of order. This first games given to me where Mega Man 1-6. Mega Man 1 is good, Mega Man 2, is the best game ever made, but I was really dissapointed in Mega Man 3. It seems to have a serious lag issue... almost every 3rd screen plays in slow motion and I didn't get to fight one single boss without lag. Thsi makes the game very annoying and just unfun to play. Especially since Mega Man 3 introduces a lot of features we don't need... like 4 shadow bosses containing the original 8 bosses from the second game. Fights with ProtoMan (whoever the fuck that is) and then 4 fights with Dr Wiley. Longer isn't always better... especially if longer comes at the price of extreme lag. It's still not a bad game, it's just as not as good as the original two. I'm hoping 4 will fix this issue... I'll find out tonight.

Updated: 09/04/08 11:25 AM 26 comments | Log in to comment! | Share this!