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.

All-Pro Basketball (NES review)

Developer: Aicom
Publisher: Vic Tokai
Released: 1989

All-Pro Basketball is a 5-on-5 sports game that was released in Japan and North America.

+ Players have unique stats, abilities and stamina, and you can substitute them during any dead-ball situation.

+ Includes a handy password feature that saves all of your progress during the 1-2 player (co-op) League mode.

+ Close-up dunk animations are inspired by Double Dribble (1987, NES), but there's less flicker here and more camera angles.

- Gameplay options are lacking, as you can't change quarter length, difficulty, or even play an exhibition match vs the CPU.

- Your teammates are useless and consistently shy away from opposing players when they're heading toward the basket.

- Screen rotates 180° when crossing centre court, which is disorientating and ruins your flow due to the action pausing.

- There's only one music track during gameplay that repeats incessantly, and there's no option to switch it off.

Bump 'n' Jump (NES review)

Developer: Data East, Sakata SAS
Publisher: Vic Tokai
Released: 1988

Bump 'n' Jump is a driving game that was first released in the Arcades in 1982.

Your girlfriend has been kidnapped and it's up to you to hunt down the Jackals gang and rescue your partner. To do this, you'll need to survive 16 courses that are split into four districts (city, country yards, mountains and seaside). The d-pad is used to increase/decrease speed, B is the emergency break, and A allows you to jump; the latter is a key mechanic, as although you can bump opponents into the scenery, landing on top of them is more effective and results in them being instantly eliminated! The stages are the perfect length and offer short, bite-sized challenges that foster the 'just one more go' mentality. There's also a good sense of speed, and if you do happen to crash, the checkpoints are very fair. I also like how each stage offers a unique challenge by trying something new through its level design; for example, while Course 1 has wide lane roads to navigate, Course 3 features extremely narrow lanes surrounded by swimming pools. This forces you to use every trick at your disposal and it's fun making split-second decisions thanks to the responsive controls. Course 6 ups the ante by splitting the roads to the left and right once you become airborne; this results in the need to swerve quickly in order to land safely. The Course 16 finale includes a boss battle where you must continually smash him from above while avoiding being wrecked; it's a superb change of pace and makes you wonder why more bosses weren't included. Despite this being a great NES port, it does look outdated when compared to other 1988 titles and the only minor upgrade from the original is the need to collect fuel icons.

In all honesty, Bump 'n' Jump is a redundant port of a six-year-old game, but what it lacks in upgrades and content it makes up for in quality programming and addictive, twitch-based gameplay. As long as you keep your expectations in check this is an enjoyable title that's ideal for a quick 30 minute play session.

Random trivia: Ports were also released on the Amstrad CPC, Atari 2600, ColecoVision, Commodore 64 and Intellivision.

The Krion Conquest (NES review)

Developer: Vic Tokai
Publisher: Vic Tokai
Released: 1990

The Krion Conquest is an action-platformer that was initially developed as a licensed game called The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

There's five stages (all with three acts apart from the finale) and your mission is to destroy the Krion Empire and its robot hordes. The B button shoots but you can also charge up a Super Shot that does massive damage. It's clearly a Mega Man clone but it does have a couple of tricks up its sleeve. Firstly, you can shoot upwards which gives you more freedom in your attacks. There's also six magic abilities but you can switch between them from the beginning. Normal is a standard gun that fires straight ahead while Freeze temporarily ices enemies. Fire wipes out everything on screen but uses up a third of your life while Ball ricochets shots at an angle. Shield forms a barrier to hide behind and Broom allows you to fly and reach otherwise inaccessible areas. The action is incredibly tough with respawning enemies and parts that rely on memorisation rather than skill. Cheap hits are a common occurrence and health pickups are scarce; your health doesn't even regenerate when you finish an act and if you die during a boss you're sent back to the start of the third act! This leads to frustration, especially later in the game when you're forced to replay brutal sections. To make things worse you only have three lives and no continues to beat the entire game! There are some decent ideas though such as the Water stage where you need to keep an eye on your O2 meter and the Sky stage which requires you to fly while fighting robots. The bosses are easy once you know their pattern but the final battle is fun as you have to switch between weapons depending on the displayed hit point location.

The Krion Conquest is a seriously challenging game that gets off to a bad start and never recovers. Instead of capitalising on its strong core mechanics it seems set on annoying the player with its cheap deaths, uninspiring level design and egregious lack of continues.

Random trivia: In 2004, the game was ported over to mobile phones on the Vodafone network in Japan.

Golgo 13: Top Secret Episode (NES review)

Developer: Vic Tokai, Seibu Lease
Publisher: Vic Tokai
Released: 1988

Golgo 13: Top Secret Episode is an action / spy game based on a popular Japanese manga series.

You play as Duke Togo and your mission is to investigate a helicopter wreckage and track down a stolen CIA vaccine. To attack you can either use your flying kicks or fire your gun. The gameplay is varied with the majority of the action taking place in side scrolling stages that are reminiscent of Rolling Thunder (1986, Arcades). However, your character can't shoot while crouching (even though bad guys can) meaning your pistol is useless in most situations as your shots fly straight over their heads. Jumping is also difficult as there's a slight delay with the game reacting to your button presses. The helicopter shoot-em-up stages lack any excitement or action as you only need to blow up the occasional plane. In the underwater swimming areas you dodge and shoot bad guys and the controls are much better than the infamous stage in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1989, NES). The 3D maze areas are done in first-person mode as you move through corridors and blow up walls in an attempt to find the exit. Technically it works well but it's easy to get lost or find yourself falling down a trapdoor and having to work your way back up. The maze is Rio is particularly annoying as it's almost impossible to beat without a walkthrough. The light-gun style stages are the most fun where you're given a set number of enemy vehicles to destroy in order to advance. Overall the music is awful with repetitive bass tones and the graphics lack detail, especially in the character sprites and animation. There is a complex and intriguing story though and it's really the only reason to keep playing until the credits roll.

Golgo 13: Top Secret Episode is a frustrating experience, mainly because if it had tighter controls it could have been one of the top-tier games on the NES. The variety is a great idea but unfortunately the gameplay is so awkward that seeing it through to the end is a real test of patience.

Random trivia: Despite Nintendo's strict censorship policy on the NES a number of adult themed references made it into the game including sexual innuendos, smoking and even swastika symbols!

Mansion of Hidden Souls (Mega CD / Sega CD review)

Developer: System Sacom
Publisher: Vic Tokai
Released: 1993

Mansion of Hidden Souls is a point-and-click adventure game that was also released on the Sega Saturn (1994).

You play the role of Johnathan and your mission is to rescue your sister who's trapped inside the mansion and in danger of being turned into a butterfly! Although the environment is fully 3D you can't actually move freely around; instead there's a pre-determined path and you simply push Up on the d-pad to make your character move in that direction. The main objective in each room is to leave no stone unturned and interact with objects or pick up certain items to advance the plot. These items include things like matches, candles, emblems, as well as keys that open locked doors. It's a slow-paced game but each puzzle is fairly intuitive and doesn't resort to cryptic clues like some games in this genre. There's also a few black windows scattered around that you can peer into to get clues regarding your next objective and its location; this is a nice touch and stops you from getting too lost or frustrated. The mansion initially appears to consist of just a few rooms spread across a couple of floors but there's some secret doors that expand the environment. The main areas house things like a Study and a Music Room but eventually you'll end up in the basement where things just get creepy! The game can be beaten in less than an hour and the plot is a bit out-there but it's compelling and each room is different enough to keep you engaged. The graphics are grainy like all Mega CD games but for some reason these look much clearer than usual with less artefacts and pixilation. The voice acting is cheesy but the music is outstanding with some great tunes that help set the atmosphere of each room.

Mansion of Hidden Souls is a charming game that pulls you into its world with its fun puzzles and intriguing storyline. It doesn't last long but it's incredibly entertaining and even though I'm not a big fan of this genre it completely won me over!

Random trivia: Vic Tokai also published two other games for the Mega CD which were Dark Seed (1994) and Flink (1994).

Psycho Fox (Master System review)

Developer: Vic Tokai
Publisher: Sega
Released: 1989

Psycho Fox is a side-scrolling platform game and the only title developed for the Sega Master System by Vic Tokai. 

It consists of seven stages with three acts each and your task is to take down the evil Madfox. It's somewhat of a generic platformer but once you collect a Shinto stick (found by cracking open eggs or defeating enemies) you'll be able to switch between four playable characters at any time. These include a fox (who can pick up a bird ally to hit enemies from a distance), a hippopotamus (slow but powerful), a monkey (highest jumper) and a tiger (fastest runner). There are tons of different routes through each stage and points where you'll need a particular character to advance. Each stage is beaming with colour and the level design, enemies and characters are full of personality. At first the controls are tricky to get used to as your progress relies on momentum. If you're standing still and try to jump across a platform you won't get far; that's because you always need a run-up. The key is to take things slowly and not rush; doing so will get you killed quickly as the game doesn't have the precision or in-air adjusting of a Mario title. Enemy placement can be frustrating and there are too many leaps of faith, especially if you prefer to take the higher platform routes. You'll frequently reach the end of a platform and have nowhere to go except down - however, most of the time you'll end up landing in the water or being immediately hit by an enemy. Most of the bosses are easy but highly imaginative and I especially love the giant bug that can only be killed by jumping on the bug spray! The cheery music is perfect and wouldn't sound out of place in a Sonic the Hedgehog game.

Psycho Fox is a fun title but unfortunately it's let down by some questionable design choices and lack of variety. The idea of being able to switch between characters on-the-fly is excellent but it's disappointing that the levels don't play more on these mechanics. Still, give it a go if you're looking for a decent platformer on the system.

Random trivia: In 1994, Tectoy re-released the game in Brazil under the title 'Sapo Xulé: Os Invasores do Brejo'. The developers switched all of the characters and replaced them with a frog, a mouse, a pig and a turtle.