Video Games

50: Dragon Warrior

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Genre: RPG

Developer: Chunsoft
Publisher: Nintendo
Year: 1989

Basic Idea: Get your name in the Imperial Scrolls of Honor, save the princess, love her (but thou must!), and overthrow the Dragonlord.

Review: The first RPG I was ever exposed to, and also one of the first America was exposed to.  Considering it took three years for this classic to make it over from Japan, it’s obvious it took this side of the Pacific longer to warm up to gaming that didn’t involve hand-eye coordination.  While the game is slow and painful at times by today’s standards, it has so much damn charm that the game is still worth playing today, especially the updated ports that fix several of the game’s issues.

Dragon Warrior is the only RPG I’ve played where you have no team members and only face one enemy at a time.  Sometimes, exploring the countryside and caves is frustrating, with little clue as to where you’re supposed to go next.  Finding some items seems almost random.  And some of the items you can buy that are expensive are fairly worthless.  There is only one save point in the game (the original town), so each time you turn on the game (or die), you must start from there.  Granted, the map isn’t that large, but it still is a bit annoying.  The game’s worst sin is that if you’re standing on stairs, you must use the STAIRS command to use them.  Lame-o.

I think if I was six years younger I would have overlooked this game entirely.  But it instilled in me a love of RPGs that has faded some over the years but still invokes great memories for me.  I love fighting the knight and getting Erdrick’s Armor.  I love the thrill of defeating a metal slime before it can run away.  I love defeating the green dragon to save the princess.  I love the final trek in the Dragonlord’s castle.  And I love slimes.

Video Games

51: Power Blade

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Genre: Platformer

Developer: Taito
Publisher: Taito
Year: 1991

Basic Idea: Find a secret agent on each maze-like level while disposing of baddies with your boomerang.

Review: What this game lacks in presentation it makes up for in perfect play-control.  Moving, jumping, hit-detection, and attacking are all flawless.  You can throw the boomerang in all the cardinal directions at any time.  And the power-ups are amazing.  The most powerful boomerang can go through walls!

The game also requires exploration and some occasional backtracking, but nothing ridiculous.  The bosses are quite easy.  Overall, the game is easier than Mega Man but more difficult than Super Mario Bros.  While the game isn’t extraordinarily memorable, it is fun and accessible to most.

Video Games

52: The Guardian Legend

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Genre: Platformer

Developer: Compile
Publisher: Brøderbund
Year: 1989

Basic Idea: Destroy a space station on a collision course with Earth, transforming between a jet and a human as the need arises.

Review: For those who haven’t played this game and want a better idea of what you’d be getting into, think of combining Zanac and Startropics into the same game.  In some levels you are a jet, frenetically maneuvering through your typical space shooter areas.  Most of the time, however, you will exploring the space station, going from room to room collecting power-ups, solving local puzzles, and destroying the occasional boss.

The game is similar in spirit to Blaster Master, but easier to navigate and with the ability to save your progress.  Granted, it’s just an annoying password system, but it’s better than nothing at all.

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53: Ninja Gaiden II

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Genre: Platformer

Developer: Tecmo
Publisher: Tecmo
Year: 1990

Basic Idea: Save Irene again while blowing in the wind.

Review: I remember for my 10th birthday weekend, my best friend came over.  It wasn’t time to open presents yet (my birthday wasn’t until Monday), but my parents gave me one before hand because my friend was over.  That game was Ninja Gaiden II.  I had played the previously one to death and was anxiously awaiting the sequel.  I was a bit disappointed.

One of the hallmarks of the first game, the plot and cut scenes, is possibly better in this version.  And there’s a few added features that are really nice.  The ability to climb walls is a relief.  There is a wider variety of power-ups (and the shuriken is now the default), including the shadow ninjas who follow you, do what you do (including using power-ups), and cannot be hurt.  Sometimes they can clutter up the screen, but they can be used very effectively to get out of sticky situations, or attack bosses from a distance.  Sadly, the jump’n’slash power-up is gone, a very welcome tool when falling onto a ledge with enemies.

What drops this game so far down the list for me is the unfair difficulty present in some of the levels.  One level has the wind randomly howling at your front or back.  There’s nothing like timing a long jump, then having the wind knock you into a pit.  You thought the eagles were tough to avoid in the first game?  Try doing so in the wind.  Or how about in the dark?  One level puts you in near blackness except for when lightning strikes, giving you brief visibility.

If you loved the first game, it’s still worth picking this one up.  But be prepared for increased difficulty.  The third game, which won’t have another mention in this list, is harder still and worth playing only with a game genie.

Video Games

54: Excitebike

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Genre: Racing

Developer: Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo
Year: 1985

Basic Idea: Pop wheelies and destroy the lives of as many other bikers as possible.

Review: The second best launch-title for the NES has somewhat of a cult following.  The game is pretty awesome, but has become a bit overrated as time has gone by.

The game consists of five stages where you are racing against the clock.  Other bikers will race along side you, but they are just there to try to trip you up.  The level designs are fairly creative and require you to time jumps, hit speed strips, pop wheelies over bumps to avoid crashing, and tap the brakes on occasion to keep from overheating.  The play control is perfect, and it’s pretty much a flawless game, impressive for 1985 and still playable today.  It’s even got a level-design mode, which is user-friendly, but unfortunately not savable after you shut the game off.

Thing is the game is just so limited.  The 2-player mode is just alternating play. And since the game doesn’t save anything, the only way to compete with yourself over the long-haul is to keep a notebook of your best times.  It’s great for a quick play just about anytime, but there’s not enough here for me to throw it into the top fifty.

Video Games

55: Snake Rattle N Roll

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Genre: Isometric

Developer: Rare
Publisher: Nintendo
Year: 1990

Basic Idea: Eat uh…balls until your snake is long enough and heavy enough to ring the bell on the high striker.  Or, alternatively, die a lot.

Review: As usual with games by Rare, the presentation is stunning.  The isometric graphics are a treat to look at even today.  The music is catchy.  Enemies are entertaining, ranging from giant feet to giant teeth.  And the color scheme is gorgeous.  Also, as usual with games by Rare, the gameplay is quite maddening.  Not only are the graphics isometric, but the controls are as well (i.e. the four cardinal directions always move you diagonally).  The controls are also slippery, making falling off ledges as easy as falling off logs.

I imagine if I had owned this game as a kid, I would have played the hell out of it and gotten used to the controls.  What would have frustrated me, even then, was the fact each level has a time limit.  Seriously?  This game is hard enough as it is.  The time limit just takes the game from difficult to cruel.

 

 

Video Games

56: Chip ‘N Dale: Rescue Rangers

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Genre: Platformer

Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Year: 1990

Basic Idea: Throw apples–or better yet, your partner–around on your way to defeat Fat Cat.

Review: If Capcom knew how to do one thing, it was platformers.  They also knew how to handle a license.  This is a very simple game, with minutely-detailed but sharp graphics.  It’s also quite easy for experienced gamers (but not so easy to be insulting).  A lot of the fun comes in the co-op mode.  After getting used to knowing where your partner is, you can team up in some hilarious ways, including throwing each other around.  And, if you get tired of helping each other out, you can purposely kill each other in order to nab the best items.

The game could have been longer, but it did make for a perfect rental back in the day.

Video Games

57: Mega Man III

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Genre: Platformer

Developer:  Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Year: 1990

Basic Idea: After not finishing off Dr. Wily when he had the chance, Mega Man now puts his puppy in harm’s way.

Review:  A solid platformer but there are many more I would rather play.  This game adds one pretty cool thing to the series and that is the ability to slide.  Your dog Rush is pretty much a replacement for the special items in Mega Man II, and I prefer the previous system a bit better.  Also, there is a lot of RAM slow-down issues, which pretty much negates improvement in other areas.  Still, there are some awesome enemies and bosses along with some imaginative graphics.  Worthy of play if you like the series in general.

Video Games

58: Tecmo Bowl

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Genre: Football

Developer:  Tecmo
Publisher: Tecmo
Year: 1989

Basic Idea: Block extra points with Lawrence Taylor.

Review:  The first good football game made for any system, Tecmo Bowl set a standard that was quickly exceeded but helped show the rest of the business what it took.  Unlike every other game that had been out, Tecmo got a license from the NFLPA, which makes the game imminently more interesting.  They didn’t get a license from the NFL, but they got the more important one.  Sadly, they only include a dozen teams for some reason (space?), so only some of the great players of the day are included.

More than just the stats, the game is fast-paced, where as other football games looked like they were going in slow-motion.  Players have different abilities, forcing you to think of who you wanted to use on each play.  There is a playbook.  It is very small, but again it was the first game to include one.  Finally, there is an awesome touchdown cut scene that makes scoring all the more fun.

The game does have its flaws.  As alluded to, Lawrence Taylor is capable of blocking 100% of all field goals and most extra points, so if you are playing the Giants you have to rely on touchdowns only to win.  Also, 99% of all covered receivers get intercepted, so the only strategy of the quarterback is to throw to the open guy.

Much like Blades of Steel, there’s little reason to play this game today as there are much better football games on classic systems.  But it is the only video game in history to have Walter Payton and Tony Dorsett, so there’s that.

Video Games

59: Blades of Steel

2 Comments

Genre: Hockey

Developer: Konami
Publisher: Konami
Year: 1988

Basic Idea: Make a pass!  Make a pass!  Make a pass!

Review:  The best hockey game for the system was amazing at the time, but there’s little reason to play it today.  The graphics are sound are pretty great, the play control is slick, and who doesn’t love the fact that you can do close-up fighting and only the loser goes to the penalty box?  But fights are too easy to pick and there’s a bright arrow that serves as your “aim” when you shoot, so the opposing goalie has little doubt where your shot is going.  The computer is insultingly easy as usual, and head-to-head games are broken up by too many fights to keep any rhythm.  Perhaps the game’s worst sin is the game announcer yelling “with the pass!” every single time you make a pass.

The best available hockey game when it came out, but it definitely shows its age.  If you’re going old-school, you may as well play one of the EA Sports hockey games on the SNES or Genesis.