The Ninja Warriors (Mega CD review)

Developer: Aisystem Tokyo
Publisher: Taito
Released: 1993

The Ninja Warriors is a beat-em-up that was originally released in the Arcade in 1987.

+ Like Kung Fu (1985, NES), much of the fun comes from learning patterns and quickly executing attacks to defeat enemies.

+ Enemy types are slowly introduced to keep things fresh and some of their powerful projectiles require nimble strategies.

+ Several stages give you the option of choosing multiple routes, which is great for repeated play-throughs.

+ Mega CD arranged music is outstanding and does an amazing job of driving the action while upping the tension.

- Sewer stage design is lacklustre with many copy/paste areas that force you to slowly trudge along while ducking.

- Can be repetitive once you reach the later stages, especially as there's no power-ups or new weapons to boost your attacks.

- Bland bosses are duplicated far too often throughout the game and the final opponent is a complete let-down.

Rainbow Islands Extra (Sega Mega Drive review)

Developer: Aisystem Tokyo
Publisher: Taito
Released: 1990

Rainbow Islands Extra is an updated version of Rainbow Islands: The Story of Bubble Bobble 2 (1987, Arcade).

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

+ The Extra mode provides value-for-money, as it rearranges a number of things such as enemy types and music. 

+ Gradual introduction of new bad guys keeps things fresh and forces you to think about your movements more carefully.

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

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

- The controls can take a while to adjust to, and your inability to fully adjust mid-jump can result in lost lives.

- Slowdown is rampant is later stages which delays button presses and increases the already high level of difficulty.