|
|
| Title |
Genre |
VI |
AU |
GP |
RV |
OV |
1942 (87,Capcom)- Mediocre port of
Capcom's arcade shooter. The "music" that consists of morse-code beeps is annoying
as hell. |
Arcade Shooter |
12 |
10 |
18 |
15 |
55 |
Abadox (90, Milton Bradley)- A rather grossly designed,
but average arcade shooter. |
Arcade Shooter |
14 |
13 |
15 |
9 |
51 |
Adventures of Bayou Billy (89,Konami)- Allright,
everyone say it with me : "WHAT THE F**K?!". Really Konami, WTF? Although the gameplay has variety
which include normal platform stages, driving stages and I believe shooting stages, it's
still not that great. Hmm... sounds like Tomorrow Never Dies on the PS1. |
Action |
15 |
14 |
14 |
10 |
53 |
Anticipation (89, Nintendo)- Rare has made
a party game out of a cross between pictionary and connect-the-dots. It's not too bad, but some
objects drawn are hard to make out, plus the puzzles repeat after some time. |
Party |
10 |
15 |
20 |
15 |
50 |
Astynayx (spelling may be incorrect) (90,Jaleco)- Unusual
themed action platformer that has unbalanced difficulty and controls. |
Action |
20 |
20 |
18 |
18 |
76 |
Batman (90, Sunsoft)- It's a challenging
game in more ways than one. The difficulty is pretty tough to start, but the control
design makes things tougher. But it's still fun to play, and it's quite faithful to
Burton's vision of the movie. |
Action |
20 |
20 |
19 |
19 |
79 |
Batman: Return Of The Joker (91,Sunsoft)- Excellent graphics,
great sound, but it's still as tough as the first NES Batman game, desptie having
new weapons at your disposal. It's very well worth a look. |
Action |
24 |
23 |
20 |
18 |
85 |
Battletoads (89, Tradewest)- Rare's infamous
impossible-to-complete game. That reason alone really hurts this game. |
Action |
20 |
19 |
15 |
15 |
69 |
(A) Boy And His Blob (89, Absolute)- A platformer that uses an interesting
premise: jellybeans that do different things and abillities to the side-kick. Sadly, nothing is explained
clearly in terms of objective or goals. |
Platform |
14 |
13 |
15 |
8 |
50 |
Castlevania (87, Konami)- The game where it al began. It doesn't
look as good as you would remember, and the controls are a lot more stubborn than the newer installments. But it is a classic,
and you can still see the gameplay that makes the current entries great. |
Adventure |
18 |
18 |
20 |
18 |
74 |
Castlevania II: Simon's Quest (89, Konami)- Obviously inspired by
Nintendo's Legend Of Zelda II, Konami's second outing in the Castlevania series is much more different
than the first game. The change would be more acceptable if the game used a battery save rather than a password one. |
Adventure |
20 |
20 |
20 |
19 |
79 |
Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse (90, Konami)- Going back to the
design of the first Castlevania, CVIII is also best in the series of NES releases. |
Adventure |
21 |
20 |
20 |
20 |
81 |
Dr. Mario (90, Nintendo)- One of Nintendo's most
successful puzzle games (right behind Tetris), it was a blend of Tetris's block dropping
skills coupled with the matching of three similar colored vitamins over a virus. The addtion of
getting chain bonuses made this game even more addictive. |
Puzzle |
20 |
20 |
23 |
23 |
86 |
Duck Hunt (85, Nintendo)- The other game with
the Super Mario Bros. pack-in cartridge. It's not a bad game, but percision is not
the Zapper's strong point. Also, I enjoyed the Clay Pigeon mode than the duck hunting
mode. |
Light-Gun |
18 |
18 |
17 |
17 |
70 |
Excitebike (86, Nintendo)- A lot of modern motocross games such as
Moto Racer, Freekstyle, and MX Superfly owe a lot to this classic game. |
Platform |
17 |
17 |
22 |
18 |
74 |
Fester's Quest (90, Sunsoft)- Unless you were familliar
with The Addams Family (click, click), you would have no idea in hell who this lead character was
and who it may have been based upon. The game is a simple top-down adventure game that's not highly
spectacular. Funny thing is, this game was released a year before Paramount's "The Addams Family Movie",
so either they wanted to cash in on the film before it's release, or it was just odd coincidence. |
Adventure |
18 |
18 |
20 |
18 |
74 |
Final Fantasy (90, Nintendo)- Just imagine how the gaming world
would be if this HADN'T caught on. I'm not a big fan of this style of RPGs, but has to be admired
for it's ambitious undetaking at the time. |
RPG |
19 |
19 |
24 |
24 |
86 |
Gradius (87, Konami)- A bit plain looking for my tastes. I'm
sure it looked better in arcades. |
Arcade Shooter |
15 |
15 |
20 |
17 |
67 |
Hollywood Squares (87, Gametek)- Rare's take on the 80's
version of the game show feels more like the 60's version in terms of writing. Also, there are
quite a few questions that would go above quite a few players heads, either because they're outdated
or are just too hard. |
Game Show |
11 |
10 |
18 |
10 |
49 |
Kirby's Adventure (93, Nintendo)- A solid and lenghty
platform game that may just as well be one of the best in the series. |
Adventure |
23 |
23 |
24 |
24 |
94 |
Klax (90, Tengen)- Pretty much
a straight up port of the arcade game with duller colors. Interesting enough, I think this
is the only ported version of any platform that had music in the game. |
Puzzle |
16 |
18 |
23 |
21 |
78 |
Legend Of Zelda (86, Nintendo)- Nintendo's first Zelda game was a
precursor for many new and exciting things to come. So many games have been influenced
by Zelda's gameplay and design, and the series keeps getting better with each
installment. |
Adventure |
19 |
21 |
25 |
24 |
89 |
Legend Of Zelda II: The Adventure Of Link (88, Nintendo)- Call me crazy,
but I liked this one better than the first instalment, because of the platform gameplay, and
also for the RPG elements of leveling up and talking to townspeople. Very challenging
too. I still haven't beaten this game to this day, despite the various guides, walkthroughs
and FAQ's I've printed off the internet. |
Adventure |
21 |
23 |
25 |
24 |
93 |
Lifeforce (89, Konami)- It's Gradius II with a
different name. The graphics have improved, but not much has changed within it's design. |
Arcade Shooter |
19 |
19 |
20 |
18 |
76 |
Mach Rider (86, Nintendo)- Am I the only one
out there who thinks this would make a great remake? I mean, come on Nintendo! You have a
license here with some potential. As for the game here, it's kind of like SpyHunter on
a motorcycle, except the view is different and you don't have much in weapons. |
Action |
17 |
18 |
22 |
18 |
75 |
Marble Madness (88, Milton Bradley)- It's an
adequate port of the arcade game, but it's hard to play with the D-pad. Incredibly short. |
Puzzle |
15 |
16 |
17 |
10 |
58 |
Mario Bros. (86, Nintendo)- No real (deep) platforming action here, but this
is the classic arcade hit that has been placed into the recent Mario Advance series
as the multiplayer mode. |
Arcade |
16 |
17 |
21 |
17 |
71 |
Mega Man (87, Capcom)- This is where
the entire franchise started. For some reason, Capcom realized that a password
save function was a good idea in Mega Man 2, so you'll have to start from scratch
everytime you start the game. It's also the only Mega Man game with a scoring system. |
Action |
20 |
20 |
21 |
18 |
79 |
Mega Man 2 (89, Capcom)- Capcom refines the formula by adding a
password system, having 8 bosses instead of 6, and now has energy replenishment
tanks. Probably has the most memorable music out of any game (in this series or history) to this date. |
Action |
21 |
22 |
22 |
19 |
84 |
Mega Man 3 (90, Capcom)- Rush is introduced, and Mega Man 2's robots
return for another go in the second half of the game. Sadly, the translation
of the text is rather poor, and seems to have some unusual (but beneficial) bugs. |
Action |
21 |
22 |
22 |
19 |
84 |
Mega Man 4 (91, Capcom)- Nothing really
new except for the baloon and wire adaptors and the introduction of Dr. Cossack. It's probably
the hardest one in the series (although MM2 was prety difficult as well). |
Action |
22 |
22 |
22 |
19 |
85 |
Mega Man 5 (92, Capcom)- Protoman's brainwashed
in this instalment, which means you'll have to chalenge him again like you had to do
in Mega Man 3. The gameplay is still the same. |
Action |
22 |
22 |
22 |
19 |
85 |
Mega Man 6 (93, Nintendo)- Yup, you are not
seeing things, Nintendo actually did publish MM6 in the U.S. It's the last entry of the series
and the gameplay really hasn't changed. Two of the robots (Knight Man and Wind Man) were
winners of a Nintendo Power robot-design contest. |
Action |
23 |
22 |
21 |
19 |
85 |
Metroid (87, Nintendo)- Where would Super Metroid or Metroid Prime
be without this NES classic. While the controls are simple, the level design was rather
difficult, and getting lost is way too easy. Also, the password feature is kind of a downer
(especially when Zelda, released the same year, had a battery save). |
Action |
20 |
20 |
22 |
21 |
83 |
Rad Racer (87, Nintendo)- Nintendo and Square's answer to Sega's Outrun,
and perhaps a precursor to Midway's Cruisn' USA. It's pretty much racing, while trying to aviod
crashing into cars and roadside objects. Perhaps a little strict in time limits. Packed
in with 3-D glasses. |
Racing |
17 |
17 |
19 |
14 |
67 |
Rad Racer 2 (89, Square)- Same as the first, not much
worse. No 3-D glasses. |
Racing |
18 |
18 |
19 |
15 |
70 |
R.C. Pro-Am (87, Nintendo)- It's a simple,
but kind of fun racing game that is reminicent of Super Sprint. Might actually made a good
candidate for a remake on the X-Box (the game is designed by Rare, and Microsoft
owns Rare). |
Racing |
17 |
17 |
22 |
19 |
75 |
Road Blasters (89, Mindscape)- A hollow shell of the
arcade classic. |
Arcade |
12 |
12 |
15 |
10 |
49 |
Roller Ball (88, HAL)- This has nothing
to do with the movie of the same title. Actually, this is a really fun pinbal game from
the developers of the future Kirby and Smash Bros. games. |
Pinball |
16 |
18 |
22 |
20 |
76 |
Super Mario Bros. (85, Nintendo)- This is the game that would change
the way we would play 2-D games forever. It's design has been immitated and refined
so many times. Perhaps the most influential game since Pong. While Donkey Kong and
Pitfall were some of the first platformers, Super Mario Bros had multiple stages, much more
advanced graphics (for it's time), a scrolling world, and so much more. |
Platform |
20 |
23 |
25 |
23 |
91 |
Super Mario Bros. 2 (88, Nintendo)- Perhaps the black sheep in the
entire Mario series. While not a terrible game, it felt so much different than
what we were used to in the first Mario game. While it's design was more open
and multi-layered, it's one that could have benefitted from a battery save. |
Platform |
21 |
22 |
23 |
21 |
88 |
Super Mario Bros. 3 (90, Nintendo)- Perhaps one of the best Mario
games in the series. It totally made up for the mistakes of SMB2, and was so much
bigger than any platform game before it. The graphics were better, the sound was better,
you could collect and save items and do so much more than 99% of the typical
platfroming fare out there. With a game so big (come on, a movie was built around it!),
why was there no battery save? |
Platform |
25 |
25 |
25 |
24 |
99 |
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (89, Ultra)- Perhaps the best
Ninja Turtle game made for a home console (next to TMNT 4 for the Super NES), it's also
one of the toughest. Even though there's only five stages, they are very long,
and you only have so many continues (I think you only got one). Even over 10
years later, I still can't beat it! |
Action |
22 |
22 |
22 |
21 |
87 |
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: The Arcade Game (90, Ultra)- Screams
"cash-in"! It was ambitious for Konami to take the popular arcade game and port it to the NES,
but it just wasn't the same. Fewer colors, smaller character sprties and weaker sound just
didn't help this hotly anticipated game (at the time) out. |
Arcade |
19 |
19 |
20 |
19 |
77 |
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3: The Manhattan Project (91, Konami)- I assume Konami
thought that the arcade-like design was better than the 2-D platform design of the first TMNT game. I actually
don't like this kind of design on the NES because it just doesn't work as well as
it did on the 16-bit systems. |
Action |
20 |
20 |
19 |
18 |
77 |
Tetris (89, Nintendo)- What's good for the
Game Boy is good for the NES, right? Sure, and it seems perfectly logical to have
a Tetris game at home and on the go. It's pretty much the same as the GB version,
just with some color splashed on. It would have been nice to see a two-player
mode thrown in, though |
Puzzle |
17 |
18 |
25 |
24 |
84 |
Tetris 2 (93, Nintendo)- It's a mix
between Tetris (with the piece shapes) and Dr. Mario in how you need to clear special
pieces to move on. |
Puzzle |
18 |
18 |
24 |
24 |
84 |
Total Recall (90, Acclaim)- Confirms Acclaim's
status as one of the worst publishers in the world. This game is an enigma, because you ask so many
questions from the book of "Why"? Why would you base a game off an R-rated movie for a system that
is primarily played by younger audiences (remember, there were no "age markets" at the time)? Why
did Acclaim put the money forward to publish this? Why did Nintendo put the "Seal Of Quality"
on the box? Why didn't Schwarzenegger drive up to Acclaim's home office and blow it up? The only
thing Recall is good for is as a punchline in the gaming world. |
Action |
4 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
Totally Rad (90, Jaleco)- It seems like
games with the word "Total" in it will never see success. This is no different. A basic
and frustrating action game that really isn't based upon anything we know of, and
it's concept is nothing we give a damn about. |
Action |
15 |
14 |
11 |
8 |
48 |
Vegas Dream (88, HAL)- Vegas Stakes on
the NES, except slower and not nearly as much fun. I think it also has a cumbersome
passwrod system rather than a logical battery save. |
Gaming |
16 |
14 |
17 |
14 |
61 |
Wario's Woods (94, Nintendo)- The last NES
game to be released in the U.S. It's pretty much like the Super NES version, except
not nearly as colorful or clean in terms of graphics. |
Puzzle |
17 |
16 |
22 |
23 |
78 |
Where's Waldo (90, Software Toolworks)- What an awful concept for
a game. Basically you spend 15 minutes looking for a miscolored and garbled Waldo. I shudder just when
I think about it's horrible theme song. |
Puzzle |
5 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
7 |
Xevious (88, Bandai)- A simple port
of the Namco shooter. |
Arcade |
14 |
14 |
18 |
16 |
62 |
Yoshi (92, Nintendo)- A confusing and
limited puzzler that really is only riding on Super Mario World's success. |
Puzzle |
16 |
17 |
18 |
18 |
69 |
Yoshi's Cookie (93, Nintendo)- This version
resembles more of the GB version than the SNES version. The gameplay is still
exactally the same, though. |
Puzzle |
18 |
18 |
22 |
22 |
80 |
