Summer Games (Sega Master System review)

Developer: Zap Corporation
Publisher: Sega
Released: 1991

Summer Games is a sports title that was released on numerous platforms including the Atari 7800 (1987).

+ Similar to Track and Field (1983, Arcade), each event includes a pre-set World Record to give you a benchmark.

+ Presentation is excellent with high-quality chip-tune versions of all eight national anthems and tons of catchy jingles.

- However, the game makes you listen to them on repeat and the tunes irritatingly hold up your attempts at each event.

- 100m Dash has little excitement, as the CPU pacer runs at a pathetically slow speed and you'll always be miles ahead.

- Platform Diving is choppier than the Atari 7800 version and Gymnastics has a crude way to consistently gain a top score.

- Pole Vault has finicky timing over 5.10 height, and 100m Freestyle favours button bashing over the 7800's stroke cadence.

- Only five events and the judges' scores can vary wildly, with the difference sometimes being a whole 2-3 points.

Surf Ninjas (Sega Game Gear review)

Developer: NuFX
Publisher: Sega
Released: 1993

Surf Ninjas is an action title that's based on the 1993 movie of the same name.

+ Offers on-the-fly strategy, as you can press Pause at any time to exchange gold for special weapons and upgrades.

+ Stage 1's restaurant setting is a great opener, and locating the hidden cave to obtain the Kwantzu item is rewarding.

- However, the majority of the game's other stages are mundane with copy/paste layouts and bland scenic backdrops.

- Animation is jerky and button presses are frequently delayed or refuse to register entirely in the heat of battle.

- Double jump is unreliable, which leads to cheap deaths in later stages where precision platforming is expected.

- While checkpoints are fair, the game can spawn you in front of enemies who immediately deliver uncontested attacks.

- Suffers from a low frame-rate, and Johnny's pedestrian walking speed forces you to constantly jump to move quicker.

Scratch Golf (Sega Game Gear review)

Developer: Eleca, SIMS
Publisher: VIC Tokai
Released: 1994

Scratch Golf is a sports title that's exclusive to the Sega Game Gear.

+ Well designed holes (some with 600+ yard pins) and there's even advanced options including club sets and driver material.

+ Unlike similar titles such as Mean 18 Ultimate Golf (1989, Atari 7800), this one displays the club max distance in-game.

+ Presentation is excellent, with many catchy jingles that strike a sombre note for bogies and giddy tunes for birdies.

- Overhead view creates a myriad of problems and doesn't provide a decent angle of where your intended shot will travel.

- Putting is super confusing and unintuitive at first, as the display consists of multiple lines moving in different directions.

- Doesn't let you use a putter on the fringe, and even when you're on the green shots lip out with alarming frequency.

- Graphics are unimpressive for a 1994 release with little scenic detail, and there's no crowd SFX throughout.

Great Golf (Sega Master System review)

Developer: Whiteboard
Publisher: Sega of America
Released: 1987

Great Golf is a sports game that's known as Masters Golf in Japan.

+ Supports 1-4 players and the course design has some challenging layouts, particularly the devious split-island hole.

+ Unique features include throwing grass to gauge wind, and ground level angles showing the slope of the putting green.

+ Voice clips for a successful green shot are neat motivators and resemble those found in Neo Turf Masters (1996, Neo Geo).

- Only displays club distance on initial selection, so you'll constantly have to consult the manual or memorise them.

- It's potluck trying to determine where shots will land, as the overhead map doesn't include a path indicator for the ball.

- Putting is seriously flawed as the distance to the cup isn't shown, leaving you to guess how much power to use.

- Inability to add topspin or backspin makes it tough to shoot under par, and the lack of crowd SFX hurt the atmosphere.

Asterix (Sega Master System review)

Developer: Sega CS2
Publisher: Sega
Released: 1991

Asterix is an action-platformer that's exclusive to Sega's 8-bit console.

+ Stages are beautifully crafted with bite-sized challenges and many secret areas to locate if you're willing to explore.

+ Replayability is huge, as most stages allow you to play as either Asterix or Obelix with your choice affecting the layout.

+ Has a nice mixture of basic puzzles, along with auto-scrolling sections and areas where you can travel above / below ground.

+ Stage 4-2 is a highlight, as a hidden key can only be found by throwing an explosive into a cannon to blast yourself upwards.

+ Controls are rock solid with the perfect amount of jump momentum and mid-air finesse, making every death your own fault.

- Noticeable lulls in boss fights due to them being front-loaded, and jumping out of water involves too much button bashing.

- Some later levels rely heavily on monotonous block breaking, and Stage 8's finale is a real let-down in its limited scope.

Back to the Future Part III (Sega Master System review)

Developer: Probe Software, Krisalis Software
Publisher: Image Works
Released: 1992

Back to the Future Part III is an action title that's based on the 1990 movie of the same name.

+ Music is one of the redeeming features, and once you've beaten a stage you can continue from that point indefinitely.

+ As the game only launched in PAL territories, the reduced 50Hz speed gives you more time to react in the horse riding level.

- However, it's still punishing due to logs that are dropped without warning, and heavy memorisation is required to succeed.

- Missing the Shooting Gallery from the Sega Genesis version (1991) and with only three stages the game's content is thin.

- Pie Throwing level is a shambles due to unintuitive controls and the isometric viewpoint affects launch angle calculations.

- The final Train level is hindered by oppressive checkpoints and the game often refuses to throw a dish towards enemies.

- Even if you do suffer through all three stages it's not worth the grind, as the ending sequence is lacklustre.

Back to the Future Part III (Sega Mega Drive / Genesis review)

Developer: Probe Software
Publisher: Arena Entertainment
Released: 1991

Back to the Future Part III is an action title that's based on the 1990 movie of the same name.

+ Music is one of the game's redeeming features, and once you've beaten a stage you can continue from that point indefinitely.

- Punishing horse riding level relies on memorisation due to a lack of horizontal space and hazards that zoom towards you.

- Shooting Gallery doesn't display the score criteria and uses a three-position vertical input instead of a free-moving crosshair.

- Pie Throwing level is an utter shambles, as the controls are unintuitive and it's far too easy to apply unwanted spin.

- The final Train level is hindered by unresponsive controls, enemies that fire from off-screen and oppressive checkpoints.

- There's only four stages in the entire game and it's not worth grinding through to see the lacklustre ending.

- Weirdly, the game is overly dark stemming from a programming oversight rather than a defect with the selected TV!

Back to the Future Part II (Sega Master System review)

Developer: Images
Publisher: Image Works
Released: 1991

Back to the Future Part II is an action-puzzle game that's based on the 1989 movie of the same name.

+ Brave attempt at housing multiple gameplay types and the shifting camera scrolling in the first level is a cool concept.

- Hoverboard stages are far too long with spaced-out checkpoints, relentless enemies and bad collision detection.

- Controls are infuriatingly stiff and your inputs never feel like they're being accurately represented by Marty.

- While you can attack using your punch, it's utterly pointless due to its short range that seldom makes contact with foes.

- Level 2's door puzzle brings the action to a crawl, while Level 4's sliding puzzle is a laborious snoozefest.

- Beat-em-up level is pathetic as you can hit enemies from yards away and destroy incoming bikes by simply kicking them!

- Has unfortunate game-breaking bugs, including one that traps you in the corner until your lives are depleted.

The Addams Family (Sega Game Gear review)

Developer: Arc Developments
Publisher: Flying Edge
Released: 1993

The Addams Family is an adventure title that's loosely based on the 1991 film of the same name.

+ Mansion is an absolute joy to navigate due to its themed rooms, and the fun platform challenges add to the game's variety.

+ Does a brilliant job of guiding players to their next objective and there's plenty of secret rooms to find hidden cash.

+ Unlike many games in the genre, the puzzles aren't obtuse and the solutions can be figured out by using logical methods.

+ Graphics are a nice step up from the NES version (1992) with more detailed sprites and amazing character portraits.

- Hit detection can often be wonky, causing you to fall through platforms or take damage despite landing on an enemy.

- A few of the Mansion's rooms contain instant hazards upon entering, which is a rather cheap way of draining your life bar.

- Adventure is a very brief affair and the zoomed-in screen results in having little time to react to incoming enemies.

The Addams Family (Sega Master System review)

Developer: Arc Developments
Publisher: Flying Edge
Released: 1993

The Addams Family is an adventure title that's loosely based on the 1991 film of the same name.

+ Mansion is an absolute joy to navigate due to its themed rooms, and the fun platform challenges add to the game's variety.

+ Does a brilliant job of guiding players to their next objective and there's plenty of secret rooms to find hidden cash.

+ Unlike many games in the genre, the puzzles aren't obtuse and the solutions can be figured out by using logical methods.

+ Graphics are a nice step up from the NES version (1992) with more detailed sprites and amazing character portraits.

- Hit detection can often be wonky, causing you to fall through platforms or take damage despite landing on an enemy.

- A few of the Mansion's rooms contain instant hazards upon entering, which is a rather cheap way of draining your life bar.

- Doesn't take long for the credits to roll and one wonders if content was cut due to some padlocked doors never opening.

After Burner (Sega Master System review)

Developer: Sega Enterprises, Ltd.
Publisher: Tonka
Released: 1988

After Burner is a rail shooter that was first released in the Arcade in 1987.

+ Has 18 stages of chaotic action and using a barrel roll to deftly avoid an inbound missile is a thrill that never gets old.

+ Day-night cycles are fantastic, and the changing scenery after beating each stage keeps you wanting to progress.

+ Great vehicle sprite work, and the take-off sequences look awesome while including the iconic "Get Ready!" speech.

- Frame-rate is low and the lack of proper scaling makes it difficult to judge the path of incoming enemy projectiles.

- Gameplay is punishingly tough and with no continues you'll need to repeatedly grind through the opening stages.

- Your jet is incapable of smooth circular motions, meaning skillful dodging of aircraft / missiles is problematic.

- Boss-style battles against Flying Fortress enemies slows the action to a crawl and negates any attempt at precision.

Alf (Sega Master System review)

Developer: Nexa
Publisher: Sega of America
Released: 1989

Alf is an action-adventure title that's based on the hit TV sitcom of the same name.

+ There's some humorous quips from Alf if he's left idle, and the music (while admittedly repetitive) is very catchy.

- Gets off to a brutal start in the tough cave section and it's potluck whether you successfully hit the respawning bats.

- Collision detection is terrible and the game often thinks you've made contact with street bikers despite clear distance.

- Light on content / locations, and if the Book item is purchased the game cheaply sends you back to the title screen!

- In-game hints have an irritating tendency to quickly disappear if you're holding a button or d-pad direction at the same time.

- Game engine feels like it's always on the verge of breaking down, with frequent stutters and slowdown throughout.

- Animation is poor (especially when using the staircase), and Alf's sprite briefly disappears when turning.

Toki: Going Ape Spit (Sega Mega Drive / Genesis review)

Developer: Santos
Publisher: Sega
Released: 1992

Toki: Going Ape Spit is an action-platformer and an enhanced version of the 1989 Arcade original.

+ Great level design with a nice assortment of enemies, environmental hazards and stage verticality to mix things up.

+ Fans of the Arcade original will find plenty to enjoy here thanks to the expanded levels that now span three areas each.

+ Solid controls and your ability to fire diagonally opens up your attack arsenal and protects you from airborne enemies.

+ Offers lots of customisation options in terms of lives, difficulty, points needed for extended play, and continues.

- Relies heavily on trial-and-error due to blind leaps of faith and enemies lurking just outside of your peripheral vision.

- Toki's movements are painfully slow, and the maze-like underwater level and Stage 7's sludge don't help matters.

- Graphics are dark and desaturated, and Toki is lacking in personality and charm compared to Bonk (Turbografx-16).

Toki (Atari Lynx review)

Developer: Atari Corporation
Publisher: Atari Corporation
Released: 1992

Toki is an action-platformer that was first released in the Arcade in 1989.

+ Great level design with a nice assortment of enemies, environmental hazards and stage verticality to mix things up.

+ Provides ample opportunities to gain power-ups, with some only obtainable by skillfully jumping off foes' heads.

+ Solid controls and your ability to fire diagonally opens up your attack arsenal and protects you from airborne enemies.

+ Has multiple continues, the graphics make good use of the handheld's colour palette, and the fun bosses have giant sprites.

- Projectiles blend into the backgrounds, and there's one-hit kills instead of the life bar found in the NES port (1991).

- As a lead character, Toki is lacking in personality and charm, especially when compared to Bonk (Turbografx-16).

Toki (NES review)

Developer: Taito
Publisher: Taito
Released: 1991

Toki is an action-platformer that was first released in the Arcade in 1989.

+ Great level design with a nice assortment of enemies, environmental hazards and stage verticality to mix things up.

+ Ample chances to power-up and while the 1992 Atari Lynx / Sega Genesis ports had one-hit kills this game adds a health bar.

+ Solid controls and your ability to fire diagonally opens up your attack arsenal and protects you from airborne enemies.

+ Cool stage intros resemble Ghosts 'n Goblins (1986, NES) and the gigantic bosses are enjoyable to fight.

- As a lead character, Toki is lacking in personality and charm, especially when compared to Bonk (Turbografx-16).

- Often has severe sprite flicker that distracts, and although there's a wide range of enemies they're rather unimaginative.

- Minecart section in the finale is laden with funky jumping physics and the collision detection takes a nosedive.

Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory (Nokia N-Gage review)

Developer: Gameloft
Publisher: Gameloft
Released: 2005

Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory is a stealth game that was also released on the Nintendo DS in 2005.

+ Contains ten sizeable missions with intricate layouts, and the gameplay has a great mix of pure stealth and weapons-based scenarios.

+ Scouring the environments for paths to avoid detection is captivating and there's typically multiple ways to tackle situations.

+ Each area feels like a mini-puzzle and there's many awesome gadgets to assist, such as the Optic Cable that lets you peak under doors.

+ Dramatic music evokes a tense atmosphere, and your need to remain in the shadows makes light an unrelenting source of fear.

+ Load times are super impressive and the game has many checkpoints to alleviate any frustration from failed mission attempts.

- Frame-rate isn't the best, which creates the knock-on effect of a jittery reticle when trying to precisely line up a shot.

- Complex controls take a while to adjust to, and the dreadful microphone hunt in the Hokkaido mission is busywork at its worst.

Space Impact Evolution X (Nokia N-Gage review)

Developer: Kuju Entertainment
Publisher: Nokia
Released: 2003

Space Impact Evolution X is a vertically-scrolling shooter that was available as a console pack-in on the included CD-ROM.

+ Action is perfectly suited to the handheld's portrait screen, and the game has a good range of locales and multiple continues on offer.

+ Features detailed sprite work (particularly on the bosses and orb enemies), and some areas have awesome background layering.

- Takes a long time for the action to heat up due to predictable enemy patterns and your ability to safely blast their own shots.

- Difficulty options are entirely absent, so unless you want to try and beat your high score there's little reason for repeated play.

- Manages to suck the fun out of powering-up, as collected items are only available to use for a few precious seconds.

- Collision detection is awfully sketchy and you'll likely lose many lives despite clearly being a few pixels away from a projectile.

- Seriously lacking in atmosphere, as the gameplay doesn't include a note of music and the SFX often randomly stop playing.

Sesame Street: Countdown (NES review)

Developer: Riedel Software Productions
Publisher: Hi Tech Expressions
Released: 1992

Sesame Street: Countdown is an educational game that's exclusive to Nintendo's 8-bit home console.

+ Good variety in the level backdrops, with standouts being the dinosaur stage and the Moon setting that alters gravity.

+ Bonus Rounds are a neat concept for learning basic mathematics, especially the visual guides in the Barrel & Jar game.

+ Audio clips are incredible in their clarity, as well as the personality they inject into the gameplay and presentation.

- Stage design plays it safe with cyclic layouts and little that will excite, captivate or surprise gamers as they progress.

- Not as many audio guides as Sesame Street: Big Bird's Hide & Speak (1990, NES) to help players learn the mechanics.

- User interface could have been clearer, as using bat icons for mistakes and lightning bolts for passes isn't intuitive.

- Despite the game being predominantly aimed at young children the manual is overly wordy and confusingly repetitive!

Sesame Street: Big Bird's Hide & Speak (NES review)

Developer: Riedel Software Productions
Publisher: Hi Tech Expressions
Released: 1990

Sesame Street: Big Bird's Hide & Speak is an educational game that's exclusive to Nintendo's 8-bit home console.

+ Graphics are terrific with many beloved characters well represented, and there's a nice rendition of the series' theme tune.

+ Has a substantial amount of voice clips with astonishing quality that could easily rival samples on 16-bit machines.

+ Includes some entertaining (and often humorous) animations that act as rewards for successfully beating a mini-game.

- Gameplay is painfully shallow with repetitive mini-games that wear out their welcome after one or two attempts.

- Using letters to make as many words as possible before sunset is great, but the game keeps interrupting to narrate!

- Forces you to control a plodding bird instead of a cursor to select items, and it can only move in one direction.

- Could have used more locales to add scenic variety, as everything takes place on the same confined street set.

Winter Games (NES review)

Developer: Atelier Double
Publisher: Acclaim Entertainment
Released: 1987

Winter Games is a sports title that was released on numerous other systems including the Atari 7800 (1987).

+ Allows two-players to compete for the gold medal, and you can practice any event to improve your technique.

+ Bobsled has a good sense of speed and it's fun trying to shave off milliseconds by taking corners at the perfect angle.

- Figure Skating is a mess with its needlessly complex controls that aren't properly explained in the manual.

- Hot Dog Aerials pails in comparison to Atari 7800's Ski Jump, as it strips away the complexity and skill of landing.

- A few more events would have increased the game's longevity, as the four events won't hold your attention for long.

- CPU contestants don't join you in the single player leaderboard, and continuously winning gold feels rather soulless.

- Presentation is super basic, with the dull Speed Skating event looking (and sounding) like an Atari 2600 game.

Rayman 3 (Nokia N-Gage review)

Developer: Gameloft
Publisher: Gameloft
Released: 2003

Rayman 3 is a platformer that was also released on the Game Boy Advance in 2003.

+ Exploring each level to obtain all the lums and caged creatures is extremely addictive thanks to well-designed stage layouts. 

+ Mixes in various challenge types to spice things up, such as vertical platforming and hitting switches to unlock gates.

+ Slowly introduces new power-ups to aid progression, and does an admirable job of explaining the fundamentals in-game.

+ Often has a rhythmic, parkour style quality, such as in Boulder Brink where fast reactions are required to avoid crumbling platforms.

- Despite the levels needing precision, the game engine frequently has a stuttering issue that results in button presses being ignored.

- Dreadful checkpoint spacing and stingy life counters make for rage-inducing platforming that relies on trial-and-error.

- Minimal horizontal vision does hurt the gameplay, as you can't always see hard-to-reach platforms or enemy projectiles.

NBA Jam (Sega Game Gear review)

Developer: Iguana Entertainment
Publisher: Arena Entertainment
Released: 1994

NBA Jam is a sports game that was first released in the Arcade in 1993.

+ Scaled-down port is remarkable, and the extravagant gameplay is addictive due to its fast-paced approach.

+ Includes an enormous range of official NBA players and their avatars are beautifully crafted for impressive likenesses.

+ Absence of fouls makes for some fun combat, and the half-time stats detail lots of information about each player.

+ Majestic jams look spectacular and there's a breathtaking amount of dunk animations to amplify the excitement.

- Combining Turbo with the face buttons for super moves is awkward due to the split placement of the Start button.

- Doesn't have a true Season or Playoff mode, and there's no Gear-to-Gear Cable support for 2P multiplayer.

- While understandable, the lack of Tim Kitzrow's voice clips hurt the presentation and text-only lines might have helped.

NBA Jam (Mega CD / Sega CD review)

Developer: Iguana Entertainment
Publisher: Acclaim Entertainment
Released: 1994

NBA Jam is a sports game that was first released in the Arcade in 1993.

+ Extravagant gameplay is highly addictive due to its fast-paced approach and control scheme that's easy to master.

+ Outlandish dunks provide showstopping moments, and the lack of fouls makes for some hysterical multiplayer combat.

+ Includes an enormous range of official NBA players and their sprites are beautifully crafted for impressive likenesses.

+ Turbo function is versatile for both offense and defense, and the metre always refills quickly to keep the action tense.

+ Iconic voice samples from Tim Kitzrow add excitement and the clips are higher quality than on the Sega Genesis (1994).

- No substantial improvements over Sega's cartridge version, and for some reason the load times are unbearably long.

- No true Season or Playoff mode means there's no real consequence to losing apart from your overall win-loss record.

NBA Jam (Sega Mega Drive / Genesis review)

Developer: Iguana Entertainment
Publisher: Arena Entertainment
Released: 1994

NBA Jam is a sports game that was first released in the Arcade in 1993.

+ Extravagant gameplay is highly addictive due to its fast-paced approach and control scheme that's easy to master.

+ Outlandish dunks provide showstopping moments, and the lack of fouls makes for some hysterical multiplayer combat.

+ Includes an enormous range of official NBA players and their sprites are beautifully crafted for impressive likenesses.

+ Turbo function is versatile for both offense and defense, and the metre always refills quickly to keep the action tense.

+ Iconic voice samples from Tim Kitzrow take the game's personality to the next level and interject pure excitement.

+ Half-time stats detail lots of information about each player, which can be useful for making second half adjustments.

- No true Season or Playoff mode means there's no real consequence to losing apart from your overall win-loss record.

Asphalt: Urban GT 2 (Nokia N-Gage review)

Developer: Gameloft
Publisher: Gameloft
Released: 2005

Asphalt: Urban GT 2 is a racing game and the follow-up to the 2004 Nokia N-Gage original.

+ Gigantic range of races and vehicle upgrades, and the Championships mix in different challenge types to test your driving skills.

+ Winning races and driving recklessly results in dopamine-style rewards that hook you into the game's awesome progression system.

+ Breathtaking speed and the addition of nitrous top-ups on the road means you'll need to take some gambles to stay ahead.

+ Inclusion of police chases gives the action an exhilarating edge that's reminiscent of Road Rash (1991, Sega Genesis).

+ Amazing course design and the graphics are a real showpiece with an enormous amount of detail and scenic variety.

- Can be tough to spot upcoming turns due to the game's low resolution, and the frame-rate tanks in higher speed classes.

- Swooping camera when riding a bike can be disorientating, and the random screens featuring The Pussycat Dolls feel tacked-on.