Castelo Rá-Tim-Bum (Sega Master System review)

Developer: Tec Toy
Publisher: Tec Toy
Released: 1997

Castelo Rá-Tim-Bum is an action game that was only released in Brazil.

+ There's a variety of locations on offer and each screen is basically a puzzle-like mini-game, which is a neat core concept.

- However, none of the gameplay types are fleshed out and you're left with basic scenes that fail to provide any excitement.

- Certain areas rely on luck over skill, such as the burger making game where you blindly click drawers to reveal items.

- Poor collision detection, resulting in simple platforming tasks (e.g. jumping from numbers 1-12) being super frustrating.

- Final level has peculiar speed up, followed by extreme slowdown, almost as if the game engine is confused.

- Characters walk at a snail's pace and their run ability takes forever to gain momentum, making it hard to avoid damage.

- Graphics are comically bad for a 1997 release, and the lack of tile art in the sprites and backgrounds is amateurish.

Virtua Fighter Animation (Sega Master System review)

Developer: Aspect
Publisher: Tec Toy
Released: 1997

Virtua Fighter Animation is a one-on-one fighter that was originally released on the Sega Game Gear in 1996.

+ Retains the feel of Virtua Fighter (1993, Arcade) with a good range of fighters that are unlocked as the story progresses.

+ Includes a multiplayer mode not found in the handheld version, and the decent quality voice samples add personality.

+ The story is so ludicrous that you'll want to stick around to see what madcap adventures the fighters get themselves into!

+ Music could be mistaken for a top-tier Neo Geo Pocket Color game, and the cut-scenes feature beautiful artwork.

- Missing the zoomed-in camera angle from the Game Gear version, and all moves that require a guard button have been cut.

- Some attacks are cumbersome to execute and you can spam repeated high kicks instead for an easy path to the credits.

- No difficulty settings and the two-player mode is devoid of match customisation options (e.g. timer length, number of bouts).

Croc: Legend of the Gobbos (Sony PlayStation review)

Developer: Argonaut Software
Publisher: Fox Interactive
Released: 1997

Croc: Legend of the Gobbos is a 3D platformer that was also released on the Sega Saturn and Windows in 1997.

+ Level design is good with fair checkpoints, and the collectable Gobbos and crystals provide incentives to return.

+ Some neat puzzles compliment the action-platforming, and World 4's Bowser-style castle stages offer fiendish challenges.

+ Plenty of secret areas to unlock, and unlike Crash Bandicoot (1996, PS1) your progress can be saved after each level.

- Controls are persistently troublesome, with overly-sensitive turning and basic swimming being especially problematic.

- Depth perception is tricky to judge, which makes platform leaps and combat anxiety-inducing affairs.

- Slowdown is prevalent throughout and the constant loading of small areas takes the flow out of the gameplay.

- World 1's sombre music doesn't compliment the locales, and the underwhelming boss battles are lacking in imagination.

Earthworm Jim (Sega Game Gear review)

Developer: Eurocom Entertainment Software
Publisher: Playmates Interactive Entertainment
Released: 1995

Earthworm Jim is an action game that was also released in 8-bit form on the Sega Master System in 1997.

+ Levels do a respectable job of mirroring the Sega Genesis (1994) version from the stage settings, set-pieces and music.

+ Includes several stages and bosses that were omitted from the SMS port, each being fundamental to the experience. 

+ Although the frame-rate is variable, it's still miles ahead of its 8-bit big brother and features smoother gameplay.

- Even though your shots will land, enemies can walk straight through them to attack you, resulting in many cheap hits.

- Simple tasks like grabbing a ledge, or whipping a hook can often be infuriatingly tough due to the sloppy collision detection.

- The three Snots a Problem levels are butchered due to your opponent being able to take a ridiculous amount of hits.

- The drastically cut-down animation and lack of voice clips mean that a lot of Jim's charm and personality is lost.

Earthworm Jim (Sega Master System review)

Developer: Eurocom Entertainment Software
Publisher: Tec Toy
Released: 1997

Earthworm Jim is an action game that was also released in 8-bit form on the Sega Game Gear in 1995.

+ Levels do a respectable job of mirroring the Sega Genesis (1994) version from the stage settings, set-pieces and music.

+ Pressing or holding the attack button to whip or fire isn't perfect, but it works okay given the lack of SMS face buttons.

- Missing several stages and bosses from the comparable 8-bit handheld version, making for a very incomplete port.

- Entire game feels like it's performing at a snails pace, and trying to accurately line up projectiles is a case of luck over skill.

- Andy Asteroids races scroll very slowly, yet bizarrely run fast and smooth once you manage to obtain a boost item.

- Even simple tasks like grabbing a ledge, or whipping a hook can be infuriatingly tough due to the sloppy collision detection.

- The drastically cut-down animation and lack of voice clips mean that a lot of Jim's charm and personality is lost.

Williams Arcade Classics (Tiger Game.com review)

Developer: Digital Eclipse Software, Inc.
Publisher: Tiger Electronics, Inc.
Released: 1997

Williams Arcade Classics is a collection of five games from the 1980s.

+ Each game caters for all skill levels, as they allow you to customise the difficulty level, lives and bonus thresholds.

- Defender is full of random slowdown and the sound effects frequently kick-in well after you've destroyed an enemy.

- Including Defender II is a bit overkill in a five game compilation and its poor frame-rate and awful SFX ruin the experience.

- Joust requires absolute precision to line-up hits, yet the unresponsive controls make this an impossible task.

- Robotron doesn't feature auto-fire and it often struggles to even allow you to shoot when too many sprites are on-screen.

- Sinistar includes the iconic voice clips, but trying to manoeuvre with the stiff controls in an exercise in frustration.

- Overall presentation is severely lacking, as each game menu looks exactly the same and there's no extra features.

Batman & Robin (Tiger Game.com review)

Developer: Tiger Electronics
Publisher: Tiger Electronics
Released: 1997

Batman & Robin is an action game that was packaged with the console.

+ The option to choose from five weapon types prior to each stage is a terrific idea that encourages experimentation.

+ Graphics are outstanding for the console with lots of detailed backgrounds and neat shadow effects.

- Combat is entirely broken as normal punches are usually ineffective, while jump kicking can be spammed throughout.

- The LCD ghosting makes it challenging to immediately determine when an enemy is approaching from off-screen.

- Action sections are repetitive, while the first-person gallery shooting areas fail as you can't see incoming attacks.

- The handheld always feels like it's punching above its weight due to the significant slowdown and unresponsive controls.

- The primitive bleeps and bloops that are supposed to pass for music add nothing to the experience or ambience.