Genre: Platformer

Developer: Chunsoft
Publisher: Enix
Year: 1990

Basic Idea: Play the prize lottery in towns and a lottery with your lives in the dungeons.

Review: In 1990, America was still behind on the RPG front as this game took three years to get here from Japan.  Final Fantasy took the same amount of the time to cross the pond and was released a few months before this game.  That game probably hurt any momentum Enix hoped to gain with the Dragon Warrior series, especially since graphically Enix seemed to be way behind. Still, this is a solid, if not always memorable game.

Like its predecessor, you begin the game as the lone party member.  However, as the game progresses, you gain two additional party members that enhance the story line and add variety to the battles.  I think the most memorable part of this game for me is the towns you visit.  There are many hidden passageways and genuinely interesting puzzles to solve when you’re not mindlessly building up levels.  The overall story is not terribly compelling, but there are individual highlights that make up for it.

Where the game falters the most is near the end, where some level-building is required, and the final cave has mazes that not only are pointless but hard to figure out.  They are zero clues how to navigate them, and the enemies steal magic points and are brutal.

If you love old-school RPGs, this isn’t a must-play by any means, but you probably wouldn’t be disappointed either.  It certainly is less frustrating than the original game and makes some positive steps, but Enix still hadn’t come into their own.

Genre: Platformer

Developer: Konami
Publisher: Konami
Year: 1987

Basic Idea: Defeat Dracula just like Jonathan Harker did: with a whip!

Review: It’s hard to believe I have thirty-four games listed above this one, but there it is.  From the title screen to the opening music, it’s hard not to be in the mood as soon you begin.  The music is appropriately haunting, and the background visuals are terrific.  Unlike most platformers on the NES, the enemies actually fit the theme of the game.  It never feels like you’re not in Transylvania.  The difficulty gradually increases on each level and the boss battles are intense but not impossible.  The special weapons are a blast to use.  Planning which weapons to use against which boss was also a great idea.

My only real criticism of the game is that there are many cheap falling deaths.  Simon Belmont can barely jump as it is, and oftentimes bats or eagles will come flying out of nowhere (especially after you’ve already begun jumping), sending you flying backwards and often into chasms.  It’s certainly not the only titles on the NES to be guilty of this, but considering how little agility Simon has, having another strike against him makes the game seem impossible at times.  And with limited lives and continues, it makes the game a beast to finish.  The farthest I’ve made it without a game genie is the Grim Reaper.

It’s easily been surpassed by future incarnations in the series,  Nevertheless, the game is a fantastic experience that is still a blast to play.

Genre: Wrestling

Developer: TRY
Publisher: Nintendo
Year: 1987

Basic Idea: Wrestle like the pros do.  Button mash!

Review: We had four cartridges the first day we got our Nintendo.  All four games made the list, and Pro Wrestling is ranked the highest.  Considering it’s little more than a button-mashing game, the ranking may be generous.  But pretty much everything else about the game is perfect.  You have seven distinct wrestlers with distinct special moves (my favorite has always been Fighter Hyabusa, though I’m not sure why).  The controls are very easy to learn.  The graphics are bland but well-detailed; it’s easy to tell what moves are being performed in all their-bone crushing glory.  There is actual tension, especially when you are close to being pinned or when you’re out of the ring and trying to beat the 20 second rule.  And I love the long trek to try and defeat the Great Puma and win the game.  To this day, I’ve only done it once.  

The game if played for any length of time will surely make your fingers tired and calloused.  Still it’s worth it to know that a winner is you!

Genre: Baseball

Developer: Midway; Namco
Publisher: Tengen
Year: 1988

Basic Idea: Blaze around the basepaths with a fat, white Vince Coleman while wondering how Al Pedrique made the All-Star team.

Review:  I have a distinct memory as a child.  One morning when I was about nine, I woke up and went into the living room.  My dad was playing this game and excitedly told me that he had already hit three homers with Don Mattingly and was hoping to hit a fourth.  He didn’t.

I originally had this game ranked much higher due to nostalgia (go Twins!), but when I really compared it to the 36 other games I couldn’t justify it.  R.B.I. Baseball was the first non-awful baseball video game ever made.  Play control is flawless.  Defending is really smooth.  And to top it off, they got an MLBPA license.  Despite only having the eight playoff teams and two all-star teams from 1986 and 1987 (and despite getting a lot of the stats wrong), it was a real treat to play with real players for the first time (the game Major League Baseball had the teams but the players only were identified by number, which is simply not fun).  The game really gets the flavor of each team right.  The Tigers and Twins are mashers.  The Astros and Cardinals rely on pitching and brute speed.  

The only significant criticisms I have of the game are problems every baseball game had at the time.  The computer AI is awful, especially with defense and baserunning. Vince Coleman can never be caught stealing, except for home.  Home runs are comically easy (though that’s not necessarily a bad thing).  There is no DH for the American League.  There is also no season mode, though you can play through all 9 opponents if you don’t reset (plus get a nifty newspaper and boxscore at the end of each game).

Many prefer Baseball Stars due to the season mode, RPG elements, and more stylish play.  It has its place, but if I want a quick, ten minute baseball game, I can’t think of a better option.

One of my favorite fan sites on the net is Dee-Nee.com, which goes into insane amounts of detail to show off their love for this game.

Genre: Beat-em-up

Developer: Technos
Publisher: Acclaim
Year: 1990

Basic Idea: After embarrassingly allowing Marian to be killed right after you save her, seek revenge while trying to keep your buttons straight.

Review: Double Dragon was an amazing arcade game.  The best part was getting to end of the game, saving Marian, then having to have a fight to the DEATH with your partner over the hand of the lovely Marian.  Unfortunately, the NES game was a major disappointment.  Not only were the graphics less sharp, it was only a one-player game.  You also had to earn your special moves by defeating enough enemies over the course of the game.

The second game, to everyone’s delight, fixed these issues.  The graphics are brighter, better defined. You have all your moves right from the get go.  The levels designs are more creative (including fighting inside a helicopter with the door open!).  Most importantly, you can play with a buddy.  The controls take a while to get used to, as the buttons change depending on the direction you’re facing, but this can be adjusted to fairly quickly.  There are some RAM issues as is typical with Technos games, but it’s not as bad as most of them.

The most annoying aspect of the game is that there are three difficulty levels, and the only way to actually win the game is to play on the hardest level.  On the two easier levels, the game just stops after reaching a certain point.  Changing the ending based on the difficulty level makes sense, but stopping the game?  Blargh.

Double Dragon III was creative but insanely difficult.  If you are more of a casual lover of beat-em-ups like I am, this game is the way to go.

Genre: Platformer/Rail-Shooter/Driving

Developer: Aicom
Publisher: American Sammy
Year: 1991

Basic Idea: Just say no to drugs, and kill everyone making them!

Review: The best hybrid game on the NES.  The game begins with a racing stage, much like Spy Hunter.  After completing this stage is when you see the title screen.  Then, much like the Ninja Gaiden series, there are frequent cinematic breaks to advance the plot.  Most of the stages are platformers, and they are solidly designed with good play control.  Some cheap falling deaths are the game’s greatest problem.  The power-ups are also fairly unimaginative.  There are also some rail-shooter stages like you often see in the arcade and another driving stage.

The graphics are stunning at times and it’s impossible to get bored as there’s something new around every corner.  If you like Ninja Gaiden you can’t pass this up.

Genre: Beat-em-up/RPG

Developer: Technos
Publisher: Technos
Year: 1990

Basic Idea: Save your high-school while learning martial arts by reading books.

Review: One of those NES games that is more popular than it is great, but it’s still pretty damned great.  If this were simply a Double Dragon RPG, I might rank this even higher.  It being a Technos game, however, they insist on using these butt-ugly blocky guys that are funny to look at but awkward to control and have questionable hit detection.  The game is hilarious.  Players make funny faces and even barf at times.  The shopkeepers are amusing.  Attacks are creative.  And the ways in which you improve your stats and your skills lends to humor much like in Earthbound.

Sadly. the game has some annoyances.  It’s non-linear, but in the annoying way in that you may have to backtrack through multiple levels to get something you need.  The password system is also fifty miles long, which is inexcusable for a game released in 1990.  Finally, the game has RAM issues like every other game by Technos; characters flicker like crazy when too many get on the screen.  It doesn’t kill the game like it did with Super Dodge Ball, but it’s enough to annoy me here.

Worthy of a play by anyone who is a fan of beat-em-ups.

Genre: Puzzle

Developer: Atari
Publisher: Tengen
Year: 1988

Basic Idea:  Pray for that long tetrad after you pile a skyscraper on one side.

Review:  Most people first played this on the Gameboy, but sometimes you just want a big screen. Easy to learn for anyone in any culture and incredibly addictive.  There have been many a night I’ve gone to bed, closed my eyes, and couldn’t help but see falling tetrads.

The version released by Nintendo is fine enough.  It’s crisp, user-friendly, and has some cool endings depending on how many points you get or lines you complete.  However, I prefer the unlicensed game by Tengen.  Not only does it have the basic game, you can also play against or with a friend, or against or with the computer.  The variety easily makes it the more interesting game.