Xenophobe (NES review)

Developer: Sunsoft
Publisher: Sunsoft
Released: 1988

Xenophobe is an action game that was first released in the Arcade in 1987.

+ Two-player co-op mode is mildly entertaining as you work together to stop enemies from overrunning the bases.

+ Provides you with an assortment of weapons and figuring out the strengths / weaknesses of each is fun.

- Little challenge with no difficulty options, inordinate amount of health pickups, and easily exploitable enemy patterns.

- Aliens respawn indefinitely in single rooms, meaning you can complete bases without leaving the opening screen.

- Missing the Festor enemy from the Arcade original and Atari Lynx (1990) port, which added more variety.

- Controls are unbearably stiff and you always feel like you're battling against them throughout each play-through.

- Graphics have been dumbed-down in an overly cartoony way and they no longer evoke the original's creepy vibe.

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.

Ufouria: The Saga (NES review)

Developer: Sunsoft
Publisher: Sunsoft
Released: 1992

Ufouria: The Saga is an action-adventure game that was released in Australia, Europe and Japan.

+ Very accommodating to newcomers in terms of its difficulty and how it guides players at the start of the game.

+ World design is thoughtfully and meticulously crafted, and backtracking is a real joy rather than a chore.

+ Never feels too overwhelming and unlike Metroid (1987, NES) the inclusion of a map helps to focus your plan of attack.

+ The four playable characters have unique abilities that can often be combined with quick-switching to open up exploration.

+ Catchy music with area-specific tracks and bass-heavy tones synonymous with Sunsoft NES games.

- The need to press Down while jumping in order to attack is cumbersome and doesn't always work correctly in tight corridors.

- Boss battles are a huge let-down, as most require you to employ the same attack strategies to defeat them.

Mr. Gimmick (NES review)

Developer: Sunsoft
Publisher: Sunsoft
Released: 1993

Mr. Gimmick is an action-platformer that was only released in Japan and Scandinavia.

+ Spectacular physics engine / level design, and attempting to find all six magic items to unlock the true ending is fun.

+ Learning how to competently use your star attack to reach higher platforms adds a cool puzzle-like element.

+ Enemy A.I. is mind-blowing, as foes make a conscious effort to dodge your attacks and evade perilous death pits.

+ Music has the typical Sunsoft flair with some funky bass lines, while the graphics push the console to the absolute limit.

- Controls are slippery to an infuriating degree and it can take a while to avoid over-shooting your intended target.

- Star attacks are under-powered and never make you feel that you have a truly effective way of battling swarms of enemies.

- While there's unlimited continues, the game removes your magic items, meaning you can't unlock the final boss.

Sky Kid (NES review)

Developer: Namco
Publisher: Sunsoft
Released: 1987

Sky Kid is a horizontally-scrolling shooter that was first released in the Arcade in 1985.

+ Wide range of enemy types with unique attack patterns keeps you on your toes and guessing as to what lies ahead.

+ Gameplay includes a nice risk-reward element where you can loop near certain objects to collect bonus points.

+ Your inability to perform a loop once you've obtained up a bomb puts you in a perilous state that adds to the intensity. 

- Despite the cutesy art style, the challenge is brutal and it's puzzling why some difficulty options weren't added. 

- The minor layout changes aren't enough to keep the action from feeling stale and repetitive after the first few stages.

- No power-ups are on offer, so you're constantly stuck with a weapon that only covers a limited part of the screen.

- The music is catchy, but the short loops and ear-piercing sound effects grate on you very quickly.

Gremlins 2: The New Batch (NES review)

Developer: Sunsoft
Publisher: Sunsoft
Released: 1990

Gremlins 2: The New Batch is an action-platformer that's based on the 1990 movie of the same name.

Playing as Gizmo, your objective is to stop the evil creatures from taking control of the Clamp Centre. Your method of attack is a projectile, and downed opponents drop Crystal Balls that you can collect; these allow you to power up your weapon in the shop, or to buy other items such as health / lives. Right off the bat, the game shines in its presentation which includes the customary bass-heavy music from Sunsoft and some impressive movie-inspired cut-scenes that are superbly animated. Gameplay wise, everything moves at a brisk pace, but learning to use the environment in order to flank enemies and get a better angle results in a fun game of cat and mouse. The difficulty does ramp up fairly significantly as early as Stage 2-2 (a long level with tough platforming), but thankfully unlimited continues are available. Alongside this, the ability to buy items during each stage is a great touch and upgrading your weapon or obtaining an extra life can often get you out of an otherwise tricky situation. Unfortunately, the action does begin to tire after a few stages, mainly due to the lack of any meaningful gameplay additions, set-pieces or surprises. In many ways, it's reminiscent of Sunsoft's Fester's Quest (1989, NES) in that the entire adventure is basically rinse-and-repeat, with nothing to keep the player invested. Even the stage design is lackluster with bland, oft-repeated hazards and a notable absence of memorable moments. While the controls are decent (and I like that you can correct your path in mid-air), the collision detection is spotty, leading to maddening issues with spatial distancing.

Gremlins 2: The New Batch features above-average gameplay and some remarkable cut-scenes and music, but the rest of its offerings are rather insipid. The forgettable stage design is perhaps the worst offender and when coupled with the poor collision detection you're left with a game that's quite a chore to slog through.

Random trivia: A prototype ROM is available online that features various stage design and musical differences.

Blaster Master (NES review)

Developer: Tokai Engineering

Publisher: Sunsoft

Released: 1988

Blaster Master is an action-adventure game that was known as Metafight on the Nintendo Famicom.

Your mission is to rescue your frog that's fallen into a radioactive hole, and destroy the Plutonium Boss of the underworld. There's eight levels and the basic action consists of two styles; the majority of the time is spent in side-scrolling areas where you drive an armoured vehicle while shooting enemies and exploring. The Select button allows you to travel on-foot, and if you then find one of the small doorways the action changes to a top-down view where you fight mutants, hunt for power-ups and attempt to locate the end-of-level boss. While the gameplay is exploration based like Metroid (1987, NES), it's basically a much better version of Sunsoft's Fester's Quest (1989, NES), due to its similar power-up system and multi-angle stages. Your vehicle is nimble and controls great, while its numerous abilities and power-ups give it a large number of ways to tackle enemies and levels. One of the game's best features is its focus on upgrading your weapons and abilities after you beat each boss, similar to Double Dragon (1988, NES). It's a fun, engaging system that makes you want to continue seeing what lies ahead. The majority of the level design is superb, with huge areas to explore and lots of opportunities for power-ups. Stage 4's side-scrolling area is a highlight, as towards the end it forces you to travel on-foot to unlock a door from the other side in order to allow your vehicle to pass through; it's daunting due to your limited on-foot abilities, making for some intense moments! The level design does falter at times though, particularly at the end of Stage 3; here, players somehow need to know to backtrack to the beginning of the game so they can use a new Hover ability and access the next level... all with zero hints!

Blaster Master is a lengthy and addictive adventure game that wraps you up inside its enticing and well thought-out world. The level design, while mostly excellent, could have used some refinement, but it's still full of standout moments and the fact that each stage can be tackled in multiple ways gives it lots of replayability.

Random trivia: In 2017, the game was remade and released as Blaster Master Zero on the Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo Switch.