The Addams Family: Pugsley's Scavenger Hunt (NES review)

Developer: Enigma Variations
Publisher: Ocean
Released: 1993

The Addams Family: Pugsley's Scavenger Hunt is an action-platformer based on The Addams Family (1992, SNES).

+ Game's sandbox approach gives you freedom in how you navigate through the mansion and which levels you take on first.

+ For those who love to explore there's plenty of secret areas to discover and ways to increase your hit points.

+ Each stage throws some fresh ideas into the mix and there's an impressive amount of enemy types throughout.

- There's no music during gameplay, so the levels are devoid of atmosphere and the boss fights lack intensity.

- Controls are slippery and the collision detection is questionable, both of which result in unfair damage.

- Trial-and-error is typically the order of the day, partly due to the fact that enemies can throw projectiles from off-screen.

- Missing all of the weapons from the SNES original, which compromises your ability to attack at long-range.

Top Players' Tennis (NES review)

Developer: Home Data

Publisher: Asmik
Released: 1990

Top Players' Tennis is a sports game featuring former champions Chris Evert and Ivan Lendl.

+ Excellent customisation options, as you can choose to increase your stats in different ways including speed and ball spin.

+ Includes a password feature to continue your Tournament, and supports up to four-players in a Doubles match.

+ Overall presentation is terrific with some neat opening scenes and plenty of impressive sounding voice clips.

- Your character moves around as if they're on ice, making it far too easy to overshoot your intended position on the court.

- Aiming shots is a struggle due to the reliance on player positioning, and balls ricochet over the net with alarming frequency.

- There's some bizarre spatial distance issues, as you can return the ball despite it being located behind you.

- By pressing Select during a match you can gain advice from the pros, yet it's usually generic and of absolutely no use.

Adventure Island 3 (NES review)

Developer: Now Production
Publisher: Hudson Soft
Released: 1992

Adventure Island 3 is an action-platformer and the sequel to 1991's NES title Adventure Island II.

+ Controls and gameplay feel as good as ever, and the level design features some fiendish layouts to test your skills.

+ Some fun boss battles, and the option to choose a playable dinosaur before each stage gives you a ton of flexibility.

+ Addition of triceratops character is a blast and being able to spin in mid-air is helpful for getting out of tricky situations.

- Minor graphical spruce-up with more background texture detail, and the overworld map makes the adventure seem grand.

- Very little in the way of series innovation and everything feels like Adventure Island 2.5 than a real sequel.

- New boomerang weapon is vastly inferior to the axe, as it leaves you in jeopardy and unable to fire until it returns.

- Difficulty spikes much quicker than the previous game, and many of the same jingles have been ported over.

Adventure Island II (NES review)

Developer: Now Production
Publisher: Hudson Soft
Released: 1991

Adventure Island II is an action-platformer and the sequel to 1988's NES title Adventure Island.

+ Dinosaurs are a great addition to spice up the gameplay and you can select whether to use them prior to each stage.

+ Bite-sized levels are the perfect length and each is well designed to challenge your skills / reactions in different ways.

+ Has some fun vertically-scrolling cloud stages, as well as levels where you can choose to travel underwater or above ground.

+ Controls are spot-on and there's a neat push/pull battle between rushing through and making sure you collect enough fruit.

+ Whimsical music compliments the scenic backdrops, and the game's difficulty curve is perfectly executed.

- Doesn't do enough to differentiate itself from the original game, and the locales / level design are very familiar.

- Heavy slowdown in later areas can affect your platforming accuracy, and the 'Choose an Egg' mini-game is lacklustre.

Bad Dudes (NES review)

Developer: Data East
Publisher: Data East
Released: 1989

Bad Dudes is a beat-em-up that was first released in the Arcade in 1988.

+ Spin kick is great for attacking foes on both sides, and there's a rudimentary, but decent attempt at speech synthesis.

- While a two-player mode is included, you can't play cooperatively and instead the fun is lessened by alternating tries.

- Sprite flicker and choppy animation are enormous problems, as it's often tough to tell if you're dishing out or taking damage.

- Questionable collision detection, especially when weapons inflict zero damage despite overlapping an enemy sprite.

- Jump and attack buttons are reversed which causes confusion, and unfortunately there's no way to change them.

- Barely any scenic variety in each stage, and once you've seen the first few seconds you've seen everything they have to offer.

- Graphics are ugly due to garish colour schemes, and your character doesn't always stand out from the background.

Code Name: Viper (NES review)

Developer: Arc System Works
Publisher: Capcom
Released: 1990

Code Name: Viper is an action-platformer that's heavily inspired by Rolling Thunder (1986, Arcade).

+ Unlike Rolling Thunder, you can reposition yourself while in mid-air, as well as having the flexibility to shoot while jumping.

+ Lots of verticality to the stage design, with cleverly arranged layouts and obstacles that force you to rethink your strategies.

+ The need to locate hostages who provide the required bomb weapon encourages you to explore every inch of the stages.

+ Letter that continues to fill-in once you rescue hostages in each level is a great way to invest players into the narrative.

- Relies on its inspiration far too heavily throughout and brings little new to the table in terms of gameplay mechanics.

- Doors can blend into the background and unless you're being super diligent it's easy to miss some of them.

- Enemies have an irritating tendency to shoot from off-screen, and there's no bosses until the final showdown.

Rolling Thunder (NES review)

Developer: Arc System Works
Publisher: Tengen
Released: 1989

Rolling Thunder is an unlicensed action game that was first released in the Arcade in 1986.

+ The multiple platform levels result in a fun game of cat and mouse where you constantly need to think two steps ahead.

+ Being able to hide in a doorway to avoid an enemy and then pop out at an opportune time is an engaging mechanic.

+ Difficulty balance is superb in welcoming newcomers, before gradually ramping up the challenge with fresh enemy types.

+ Art style is striking and your character's otherworldly appearance along with the spy music sets a cool, mysterious tone.

- Jumping always feels awkward, as you can't shoot in mid-air, nor can you adjust to quickly get yourself out of harms way.

- Platforming in later stages is poor due to the aforementioned controls and enemies that suddenly appear from nowhere.

- Enemies frequently exit doors just as you're about to enter them, which results in a multitude of cheap hits.

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (NES review)

Developer: Winkysoft
Publisher: SETA
Released: 1989

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is an action-platformer that's based on the 1876 book of the same name.

+ Level 2 adds variety and the shoot-em-up style gameplay includes multiple paths and sections you need to jump over.

+ Keeps track of your times for each level and totals them, which is a nice idea to encourage speed running.

- Stage design is basic in terms of layouts, and many areas have objects that appear to be randomly placed.

- Level 6 has foes that suddenly appear in front of you and annoying leaps of faith that lead directly onto enemy sprites.

- Includes glitches (e.g. getting stuck on platform edges) and there's some slowdown that makes the action / music crawl.

- Bosses (including mid-level ones) are complete pushovers and barely put up a fight while you spam the attack button.

- For a 1989 release, the art style is painfully simplistic and what's here looks more like an early NES Black Box title.

Tetris (NES review)

Developer: Nintendo R&D1
Publisher: Nintendo
Released: 1989

Tetris is a puzzle game that was also released on the Nintendo Game Boy in 1989.

+ Type-A is an endurance mode that's both hypnotically relaxing and maddeningly stressful, which is a captivating balance.

+ Type-B is an excellent way to test your problem-solving abilities, as you can set the speed and block height beforehand.

+ Controls are simple but effective, and learning to clear four lines in one move is a skill that's fun to master.

+ Music cleverly speeds up when blocks start to rise toward the top, which increases the urgency and intensity.

+ A neat feature is how the game calculates the different block shapes you've had to withstand throughout each attempt.

+ Cute cut-scenes vary depending on your final score, and the three selectable music tracks are instantly catchy.

- Lack of a two-player competitive mode is a real missed opportunity to increase the game's appeal and longevity.

Attack of the Killer Tomatoes (NES review)

Developer: Imagineering
Publisher: THQ
Released: 1992

Attack of the Killer Tomatoes is an action game that's based on The Animated Series cartoon.

+ Has some interesting gameplay mechanics, such as the stage where you need to repeatedly shift gravity to find the exit.

+ Fake ending is very well done and the game frequently breaks the fourth wall in a humorous way.

- Controls are finicky and you're always bracing yourself in mid-air as you're never quite sure where momentum will take you.

- Collision detection is shocking, which leads to cheap hits and weird situations where you'll jump through a platform.

- At times, taking damage seems like an inevitability and your lack of projectile attacks makes you feel under-powered.

- Final zone is a nightmarish maze with swarms of unrelenting enemies and areas that look identical to each other.

- Art design is very inconsistent, as while there's some above-average texture work some enemy sprites look amateurish.

Adventures in the Magic Kingdom (NES review)

Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Released: 1990

Adventures in the Magic Kingdom is an action title that contains five mini-games based on Disneyland rides.

+ Mini-game variety is fantastic and being able to trade collected stars for power-ups during a level is innovative.

+ Autopia race stage is enjoyable, as it plays similarly to Bump 'n' Jump (1982, Arcade) with its ramps and vehicle tussling.

+ Having to talk to people and answer trivia questions is a simple, but fun way to add an edutainment aspect.

- Enormous amount of slowdown throughout most mini-games, which isn't ideal during precision platforming areas.

- Space Mountain is a missed opportunity, as instead of an awesome ship battle you take part in a long quick-time event.

- Big Thunder Mountain features choppy scrolling and success relies on luck due to not being able to see very far ahead.

- While the overhead map is a great idea there's very little to do in the park, meaning exploration isn't that interesting.

Abadox: The Deadly Inner War (NES review)

Developer: Natsume
Publisher: Milton Bradley
Released: 1990

Abadox: The Deadly Inner War is a shoot-em-up that was only released on the NES in North America.

+ Stage design is excellent and the narrow corridors evoke feelings of claustrophobia that lead to intense battles.

+ Mixes in both horizontally and vertically scrolling levels, with the latter being a rare case of moving down the screen.

+ Nice array of weaponry available and the game does a good job of making you feel powerful when at max armoury.

+ Music is excellent with some energetic / memorable tunes, and the SFX feature some satisfying explosions.

- Like Gradius (1985, Arcade), losing a life means having your power-ups stripped away, which usually means Game Over.

- There's an enormous amount of slowdown, with boss battles being particularly affected due to too many bullet sprites.

- Art style is rather unimaginative, as it borrows heavily from both Contra (1988, NES) and Life Force (1987, NES).

Rainbow Islands (NES review)

Developer: Taito
Publisher: Taito
Released: 1991

Rainbow Islands is a 1987 Arcade game that additionally saw a European exclusive NES port by Ocean (1991).

+ Bite-sized levels encourage you to keep trying and there's a real satisfaction to conquering a tough stage.

+ Bonus items scattered around the playfield are a tantalising risk-reward tease for high score chasers.

+ The scoring system is deceptively deep and mastering advanced rainbow attacks can net you huge scores.

+ Controls feel tighter and more precise than the Ocean release, particularly when attempting to adjust in mid-air.

- However, this port is less faithful to the Arcade original in terms of level design and intermission screens. 

- Screen doesn't continually scroll as you advance upwards as it pauses a few times per level which breaks immersion.

- SFX are ear-piercingly shrill and the graphics feature less-detailed sprites than the European NES version.

Motor City Patrol (NES review)

Developer: Source Research & Development
Publisher: Matchbox International
Released: 1992

Motor City Patrol is a top-down driving game that was only released on the NES in North America.

+ Arresting bad guys is fun, and the addition of public enemies ups the ante in your attempt to maintain a service record.

+ Performing well gives you points that you can use to upgrade your weapon, repair your vehicle or improve its capabilities.

+ Need to veer away from your patrol buildings leads to some anxious moments where multitasking is constantly required.

- While the map shows law breakers, it doesn't display which direction they're facing, so it's easy to accelerate the wrong way.

- Having to repeatedly pause the action to check where criminals are located is tedious and immersion breaking.

- Upgrading your top speed is utterly pointless, as your vehicle drives too fast for the screen to adequately keep up.

- Gameplay variety is lacking and once you've seen the first location there's little to keep you invested in progressing.

Magic Darts (NES review)

Developer: SETA Corporation
Publisher: Romstar
Released: 1991

Magic Darts is a sports game that only saw a NES release in North America.

+ Diverse range of modes to choose from and the game allows you to play solo, or against CPU / human opponents.

+ Playable characters add personality and figuring out how to perform their specific trick shots is fun.

+ Controls are intricate and offer you a huge amount of flexibility in terms of the placement of your throws.

- However, the controls can be difficult to master compared to the intuitive cursor movement of 180 (1986, Atari 8-bit).

- Doubles can be incredibly tough to hit and there's a steep learning curve in finding the ideal sweet spot when throwing.

- Missing a Tournament mode, which is odd considering you can play individual matches against the computer.

- Round the Clock mode only tasks you with hitting digits 1-10 instead of the full suite of numbers on the dartboard.

Quarterback Attack with Mike Ditka (3DO review)

Developer: Digital Pictures
Publisher: Digital Pictures
Released: 1995

Quarterback Attack with Mike Ditka is a Full Motion Video (FMV) American Football game.

+ Huge amount of plays available and you can even call pre-set audibles depending on the defense's formation.

+ Selected play remains visible at the line of scrimmage, which is a handy reminder of where your receivers will be located.

+ During passing plays, you can switch between camera angles of each receiver (with no loading) to see if they're open.

- While the absence of defense is in-line with the game's title, you only see the final play of opponent's offensive drives.

- Likewise, Special Teams requires no input and you're completely at the mercy of a randomised FMV clip for field goals.

- Running plays are a complete crapshoot as to whether you gain yardage, and success is more luck over skill.

- FMV footage is rather limited, so you'll likely tire of seeing the same clips repeated in quick succession.

Foes of Ali (3DO review)

Developer: Gray Matter
Publisher: EA Sports
Released: 1995

Foes of Ali is a boxing game that's exclusive to the 3DO console.

+ Features an impressive amount of customisation options to tailor the rules to your preferred style.

+ Allows you to choose between 20 camera angles, with the first-person option blurring your vision as you take damage.

- However, some of the angles are unusable, particularly the bizarre option to move the camera to a ceiling view!

- Most fights end up in non-stop button mashing, as it's often hard to tell who (if anyone) is actually connecting with punches.

- Severe clipping issues, as hooks to the body often do no damage despite your fist travelling through your opponent's body!

- SFX when you land a punch are unsatisfying, and the atmosphere is lacking due to the absence of a commentary team.

- Little rhyme-or-reason as to when a foe gets knocked down, despite them getting punched repeatedly with no energy.

Keith Courage in Alpha Zones (TurboGrafx-16 / PC Engine review)

Developer: Advance Communication Company
Publisher: Hudson Soft, NEC
Released: 1989

Keith Courage in Alpha Zones is an action-platformer that was packed-in with the console in North America.

+ Has similarities to Wonder Boy in Monster Land (1988, Sega Master System) in terms of gameplay and upgrade options.

+ Being able to upgrade weapons is a great incentive to keep playing, and the game even affords you unlimited continues.

- Level design leaves a lot to be desired, as there's copy/pasted layouts and little difference between each area.

- Overworld areas only feature rudimentary platforming, while underworld sections include far too many leaps of faith.

- Relentless enemy respawning, as they attack incessantly from all angles and often knock you back into instant death pits.

- Grinding to pay for more powerful weapons can be excessive, especially as your coins halve with each continue used.

- Controls never feel tight enough, as they're too stiff in the overworld and too slippery when adopting the Nova Suit.

Crash 'N Burn (3DO review)

Developer: Crystal Dynamics
Publisher: Crystal Dynamics
Released: 1993

Crash 'N Burn is a vehicular combat / racing game that was a launch title for the 3DO console.

+ Decent course design and there's even a free-floating track that wouldn't look out of place in the F-Zero series.

+ Like Road Rash (1991, Sega Genesis), there's a huge amount of upgrades available to tailor your strategy for each race.

+ Ability to choose how long to stay in the pit-stop for repairs / reload is brilliant, as the race position map remains visible.

+ Some excellent graphical texture work / explosion effects, while the frame-rate and draw distance are respectable.

+ Tournament mode is lengthy and the game automatically saves your progress, weapons and earned cash.

- It would have been nice to see opponent's energy metres, as standard offensive weapons seem to do little damage.

- No multiplayer mode, and the screen flashing when enemies crash into your vehicle or use a Flash Laser is excessive.

Starblade (3DO review)

Developer: HighTech Lab. Japan
Publisher: Panasonic
Released: 1994

Starblade is a rail shooter that was originally released in the Arcade (1991) and later ported to the Sega CD (1994).

+ Scenically, the battle territories are breathtaking and the trench runs / meteor showers are clearly inspired by Star Wars.

+ Better quality FMV than the Sega CD and you respawn at the same point here instead of being taken back to a checkpoint.

+ Mixes wide-open spaces with claustrophobic areas, and the boss battles take the form of huge, intimidating structures.

+ Distance indicator on the right-hand-side is a great motivator to keep you playing until you finally reach the destination.

- At times, taking damage seems unavoidable due to the sheer amount of incoming projectiles being thrown towards you.

- Game is extremely short (with no replay value) and unlike the Sega CD version there's no difficulty options.

- Includes a mode that adds texture mapped polygons, but the result is a lower frame-rate and jerkier cursor movements.

AutoBahn Tokio (3DO review)

Developer: Sanai Enterprise, Sanyei Shobou
Publisher: Panasonic
Released: 1995

AutoBahn Tokio is a racing game that was released exclusively in Japan.

+ Interesting and scenically diverse course design, and your fastest times are automatically saved.

- Anaemic content, and the Championship mode only counts single races rather than performance across all three courses.

- Frame-rate is shockingly low and borders on unplayable, while the poor draw distance results in lots of pop-in.

- Almost impossible to drive with precision due to severe under/over-steer caused by the single-digit frame-rate.

- Drift mechanic is unreliable, so you'll find yourself bumping into walls and brute forcing your way to the finish line.

- Some cars are pointlessly slow, and opponents drive too fast (and flawlessly) for you to even stand a chance of winning.

- Despite featuring five music tracks, only one will play on repeat until you change it in the Options screen of the main menu.

Somer Assault (TurboGrafx-16 / PC Engine review)

Developer: Atlus
Publisher: Atlus
Released: 1992

Somer Assault is an action game where you control a Slinky spring toy.

+ Your Slinky is nimble, and while the controls are unusual it offers 8-way fire by strategically positioning yourself on platforms.

+ Includes a ton of power-ups that give you a multitude of ways to attack the levels, and unlimited continues are on offer.

+ Learning how to shave off precious seconds by traversing the stages using the jump button to stick to platforms is great fun.

- Power-ups released from destroyed enemies pass by far too quickly, leaving you with little chance of actually collecting them.

- Reverse controls icon serves no purpose but to annoy players, especially as the stage timer is already rather stingy.

- Countdown timer displays a 60-second warning that momentarily freezes the action and takes you out of your flow. 

- Finale boss rush artificially lengthens gameplay, and the music / SFX can resemble the harsh tones of the Atari 7800.

The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle (NES review)

Developer: Radical Entertainment
Publisher: THQ
Released: 1992

The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle is an action game that's based on the animated TV series.

+ You can select between either Rocky or Bullwinkle on the fly and each has their own abilities.

- Bullwinkle's attacks are useless, as special moves cost life and your bombs have a ridiculously small blast range.

- Abysmal controls often have a mind of their own, and trying to make micro-adjustments in mid-air is treacherous.

- Screen doesn't scroll far enough ahead to avoid enemies that weirdly enter the screen an inch from the edge.

- Awful collision detection sees you falling through platforms, and the single screen ending isn't worth the effort.

- Ugly graphics with poor texture work and colour clashing, and despite the basic sprites there's still some slowdown.

- Short, looping music is enough to drive you crazy, and the off-key, ear piercing sounds are reminiscent of the Atari 2600.

Batman (PC Engine review)

Developer: Sunsoft
Publisher: Sunsoft
Released: 1990

Batman is a maze game that was only released in Japan.

+ Fans of the Bomberman series of games will find lots to enjoy due to similarities in maze layouts and power-up items.

+ New paths open up as you explore Gotham City's maps, and foes can be shot through walls for a strategic advantage.

+ Music is top-tier with bass-heavy tracks that set a gritty mood, and there's some excellent cinematic cut-scenes.

- Level objectives aren't engaging and the game's repetitive nature is its Achilles heel in terms of longevity.

- Using arrows to transport you around levels is a tedious chore and the game never makes you feel like a superhero.

- Batman is momentarily inoperable once a batarang is launched, which often leaves you in harms way from rear enemies.

- Bosses are entirely absent until the finale, and even the battle against Joker is lacklustre in its simplicity and scope.

Championship Bowling (NES review)

Developer: Athena
Publisher: Romstar
Released: 1989

Championship Bowling is a sports game that was later released on the Nintendo Famicom in 1991.

+ Supports four players (turn-based) and there's a ton of options to explore including different avatars, lanes and ball weights.

+ Action moves along at a brisk pace (allowing you to play a full game in minutes) and the bowling mechanics are intuitive.

+ Secondary lane view is handy for making micro-adjustments, particularly when attempting a 7-10 split-pin shot.

- Longevity when playing solo is debatable, as without a Tournament mode you're stuck with bowling single games only.

- Little difference between the five available lanes and the associated alley backdrops are almost identical.

- Spin control only takes effect once the ball reaches the pins, which severely limits where you can line up your bowler.

- While the music is good, there's no option to turn it off and the energetic tunes eventually start to irritate.