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showing 1 - 50 of 99 games

name	publisher(developer)	year	description
Sir Eric the Bold	Matchbox (Source Research and Development)	?	"Sir Eric The Bold and his daring deeds of deliverance of a damsel in distress from the damsel in distress devouring demon dragon dungeons of death, doom, dispair and destruction!" is the full title. Prototypes of this game were created but their whereabouts are unknown. [Zerothis]
Donkey Kong	Nintendo (Nintendo EAD)	1983	[media=youtube]https://youtu.be/F1kcC4gxBFg[/media]* [142]* [22]* [52]One of the launch games for the Famicom/NES system in Japan. Considering the game's release date, it features great graphics and solid gameplay, which comes close to its arcade counterpart. The NES version only features three levels, instead of four as in the arcade version. Surely this game is a classic, although in my personal opinion the game and its three short levels become boring quite soon and doesn't reach the status of later games in which a certain plumber named Mario made his reappearance.**Donkey Kong has kidnapped Pauline, and it is up to Mario, the fearless carpenter, to come to her rescue. Throwing fate to the wind, Mario tries desperately to climb the labyrinth of structural beams from the top of which Donkey Kong taunts him. Help our hero ascend the metal structure by dodging an assortment of fireballs, steel beams, and exploding barrels the angry ape hurls at him. Prepare yourself for a never-ending adventure as Donkey Kong takes Pauline away to the next level every time Mario gets to the top. Based on the arcade game of the same name, this classic will keep hardcore and casual gamers entertained for hours.
Donkey Kong Jr.	Nintendo (Nintendo EAD)	1983	[media=youtube]https://youtu.be/y6t5zOsWAmU[/media]* [52]Donkey Kong Jr. was one of the launch games for the Famicom/NES release in Japan. An excellent arcade conversion, especially considering the release date of 1983. The game is a little improvement of the original Donkey Kong gameplay, although the concept stays basically the same with the only difference that now Mario is the bad guy (kind of) and Junior Kong wants to rescue his father. All in all a good game for its time and surely a classic, though very limited when compared to later platform games from the post 'Super Mario Bros' era.**Based on the popular arcade game, Donkey Kong Jr. is the sequel to the immensely successful Donkey Kong. Play as Donkey Kong's son, Junior, and rescue your dad who has been kidnapped and imprisoned in a cage by Mario. Use your jumping and climbing abilities to clamber up vines and chains, gather vital fruit and keys, and open the cage to free your father. Make sure you avoid the pesky birds, nasty electric sparks, and creepy chompers! Four different worlds filled with numerous climbing and jumping puzzles await you in this timeless classic.
Nuts & Milk	Hudson Soft	1984	[media=youtube]https://youtu.be/n47fKPH2Z70[/media]*"Nuts & Milk" involves the player moving through various levels while collecting an assortment of fruit scattered throughout each one. By gathering all the fruit on a particular screen, the player will gain access to a previously unopened house door containing Milk's fiancée, Yogurt. When the player makes contact with the female blob, they are advanced to the next level to start the process anew. Movement through these levels is accomplished by using the directional pad to move Milk across the stage while avoiding pitfalls and other obstacles, most notably the character's rival, Nuts. Milk can jump a short distance vertically or horizontally, allowing him transverse pits or quickly gain access to an adjacent platform. If the player falls from too great a distance, Milk will become momentarily dazed and unable to move until the player joggles him awake with the jump button. Rope bridges are suspended in mid-air on most levels, and by using the directional pad, the player can climb them up or down as well as walk across them once they reach the top. In all, 50 individual levels exist, and each one can skipped freely by pressing the select button. Once a player has cycled through all fifty, who will return to the first level and restart the sequence until all of Milk's lives are lost. [i]Source: Wikipedia[/i]The very first game for the Famicom published by a 3rd party.**The Famicom/NES version is different from the homecomputer versions. Instead of an overhead maze game you have a side-view platform game. The goal of the game is still the same. Collect all fruits in a level while avoiding or jumping over nasty enemies, then the door to the next level opens. An overall average game. Highlight is the build-in game editor that lets you create your own levels.
Spartan X	Nintendo	1985	[169]* [142]You'll need lightning fast reactions to knock out the Knife Thrower, stop the Stick Fighter, and trip up the evil Tom Tom Brothers in this action-packed martial arts contest! Are you sure you're tough enough? Because it'll take all your strength and skill to master the moves in KUNG FU, beat your opponents, and rescue the fair Sylvia who's held captive on the top floor! The action is non-stop, and just when you think you've got your enemies licked there's always a Giant, a Snake, or a fire-breathing Dragon to contend with in KUNG FU! [22]* [4]* [52]* [52]* [49]This game is a home version of an arcade coin-op that is not officially related to any movie. But the Famicom version was re-branded to make it the game for Jackie Chan's movie, Wheels on Meals (Spartan X). The Arcade version also was heavily influenced by Bruce Lee's movie, Game of Death, but it was not officially licensed as such. This is the first movie based game for 8-bit Nintendo.One of the first real scrolling beat'em up games. I have very fond memories of this game playing it a lot in the 80's on the C64. When I tried the Famicom/NES version the fond memories returned. Same music, same enemy attack pattern, same satisfaction when hitting three opponents at the same time. The game surely is rather simple, short and repetitive but at least the different enemies and "bosses" need special tactics. The coolest Kung Fu game of its time. Much better games with similar gameplay and martial arts setting would follow soon though.*One of the launch games for the US NES and a precursor of games like 'Double Dragon'. Nintendo licensed the game from Irem, who did the original Arcade version.
Super Arabian	Sunsoft	1985	Your task in Super Arabian is to collect letters spread around each screen to form a specific word. The game is a typical fixed-screen platform game and features four different screens after which you have completed a level. The next level will confront you with the same type of screens just with different enemies and letters making the game progressively harder. Sunsoft's first Famicom game is technically and gameplay-wise merely a below average game.
The Tower of Druaga	Namco	1985	Some may call "Tower of Druaga" an Action-RPG, I call it a clever maze game with usable extra items. Your goal on each floor is to find the exit. Besides that you have to find a treasure chest on each level, which often gives you a bonus item, which might become invaluable in later levels. Here is also my biggest complaint about this game. Besides the repetitive nature of such maze games the appearance of treasure chests is often triggered by certain events like killing a special enemy on the floor. Missing treasure chests on the first floots might make a much later floor nearly unplayable, which is a bit unfair system. Graphically the game is average. Since it is an early Famicom game the mazes don't come in many shapes and looks.
Super Mario Bros.	Nintendo	1985	[22]* [1]* [52]* [52]* [33]*Super Mario Bros. is the pinnacle of pure, unblemished gaming. The 2D platformer, designed by Nintendo's legendary figurehead Shigeru Miyamoto, still remains in our minds the most intuitive and addictive entry in the genre. The title stars "Jump Man" himself, Mario, along with his brother Luigi, and takes players through more than 30 colorful levels of varied theme and design, all of them packed with cute, stylized enemies like the goombas and a wide array of platforms and obstacles. Super Mario Bros. is the first major showpiece for Nintendo's heightened quality of gaming: full of depth, layered with tight control and remarkably clever level creation that spills with secrets and extras.One of the most important and best-selling games in history. This game was the #1 reason to buy a NES console in its early days. Perfect controls, nice graphics and sounds for its time. Varied levels with many secrets. The major breakthrough for side-scrolling platform games.Also released on a compilation grouping [game=#8317]Tetris[/game], [game=#5128]Super Mario Bros.[/game] and [game=#8062]Nintendo World Cup[/game] (Only in Europe).*First side-scrolling Mario game. Huge sales for the NES, both in Japan and the USA. A superb platformer and early benchmark for the NES and 8-bit consoles. Guinness World Records reports this game as the best selling game of all time at 40230000 copies. [b]Tags[/b] Landing squarely on an enemies head to defeat them is the first and most common tactic in this game. It was available at the launch time of the NES in the USA (Famicom?). It stars Mario the plumber. he main plot includes rescuing the unfortunate Princess in distress, and saving her kingdom; which is threatened by Bowser. Successful completion of the game completes a story of deliverance. Other royal subjects can be rescued optionally. The common bricks in the game can be smashed directly or by hurdling enemies at them. Although a glitch, Mario or Luigi can preform wall jumps. [Zerothis]
Challenger	Hudson Soft	1985	Challenger consists of several scenes. The first one is a platform scene on a running train, then the game switches to an overworld view. Around the overworld you have to visit little caves (again in side-view) and ultimately have to find the princess and rescue her. The highlight of the game are the graphics. Especially the first scene on a train (featuring parallax scrolling) is impressive for a game from 1985. The gameplay though is far from being a real rival to either [game=#5128]Super Mario Bros.[/game] in the side-view scenes or [game=#9176]The Legend of Zelda[/game] in the overworld-scenes.
Ninja Jajamaru-kun	Jaleco (Tose)	1985	[media=youtube]bKtwWO5N7is[/media]**While UPL brought the official sequel to Ninja-kun into the arcades, Jaleco made this spin-off sequel for the Famicom. The game basically stays true to the original game. Kill all enemies on screen with your shuriken throwing little ninja to make it to the next scene where more enemies await you. Inside a level you reach higher platforms by destroying brick walls by jumping headfirst against them ouch*. Instead of the mainly up-and-down scrolling levels of the original Ninja-kun game, Ninja Jajamaru-kun scrolls horizontally. By the graphics and sound you can see that it is a rather early Famicom game.
Karateka	Soft Pro	1985	[media=youtube]RJoHgELbO5s[/media]*Karateka became somewhat famous because of its nice, fluent animations and little cut scenes. Both positive aspects are still in the Famicom version, but otherwise the game is very disappointing. Starting from very repetitive enemies and fights and ending with bad play control. Over ninety percent of the time you are just pressing the standard kick button, which is enough to beat nearly every opponent. The game is pretty easy. Except... well let's just say that this version also contains the stupid "gate of death" at about half-way in the game. Karateka is by the way one of the earliest western homecomputer games seeing a release on a Japanese console system.*The predecessor to Prince of Persia with a martial arts feel. The controls and gameplay feel exactly like PoP, although without the traps and jumping. However, unless you like walking forward and fighting endless waves of opponents in a slow, clunky manner every few steps, you're better off sticking with the Prince. [Jacquismo]
The Goonies	Konami	1986	[media=youtube]https://youtu.be/_VujmV_fkeI[/media]* [17]This was the second 8-bit Nintendo game based on a movie. And this on was actually created to be based on a movie (not a re-branded version of another game). Quite odd, its based on a North American movie and yet never released outside of Japan for the NES.The Goonies is a maze-like platform game based on the movie of same name. Your task is to find and rescue all your friends, who are behind closed doors which have to be opened with bombs that can be found from killed enemies. You also have to find key parts, which are also behind said doors. The game's difficulty level is low. Once you know your way through the rather small mazes the game offers not much challenge. Nevertheless it is maybe the second-best platform game for the NES at the time of its release (only beaten by Super Mario Bros.), due to its good playability and controls. Music is also well done when compared to the usual high-pitched noisy music of other early NES/Famicom games.*Released only in Japan, Americans had to settle for the playchoice-10 or Vs. System arcade versions [Zerothis]
Atlantis no Nazo	Sunsoft	1986	A platformer touted by Sunsoft to "surpass Super Mario". However, the developers were actually trying to out do Pac-Land for number and diversity of levels. Both of which it does in numbers of zones (levels) at 101. However, 3 zones are only accessible via cheating. Also the player is able to scroll the level left and right. The goal is to proceed through exits and warps in no particularly coherent order besides one that leads to the final zone. Each level has a timer that will kill the player if it reaches 0. The player throws dynamite to light up dark areas, destroy enemies, and open sealed exits. Dynamite will also bounce of of walkable surfaces (useful to find walkable surfaces in a totally dark room). Explosions can kill the player, open doors, find hidden doors, and drop a player into hidden warps. Shoe powerup allows walking on clouds. Light-bulb powerup causes explosions to light up dark areas. Clock powerup freezes the timer. Microphone powerup allows the player to speak into the Famicom microphone and freeze enemies. Star powerup results in invulnerability to explosions and enemies. Warps go forward and backwards. Many warps are incredibly obscure. Several require it be hit directly by dynamite to be visible. Several require the player to be caught in the explosion of their dynamite and fall off the screen into the warp. The game has many quirks. In dark zones, the all terrain is effectively invisible unless the player has a light-bulb powerup. Notably there is two BLACK HOLE levels. If the play enters one, they apparently cannot leave and will eventually lose all lives to the timer. Unless they have gotten then infinite lives mode, in which case they will fall forever. Zones 55 and 84 are not connected to any other zones and cannot be accessed via normal play. Zone 59's entrance is inaccessible. Zones 57 and 94 flash an epilepsy inducing pattern and were not included in later ports and emulated collections. Upon reaching the intended conclusion of the game. The protagonist is not shown rescuing the girl, rather the game continues from zone 6 with a harder playthrough. After concluding the harder play-through, it returns the protagonist to zone 6 indefinitely.***Atlantis no Nazo features 100 levels called "zones" of pure horizontally scrolling platform gameplay. The levels are astonishingly diverse, but are also the main problem of the game, because they are not strictly linear. Often levels have more than one exit which gives you access to different zones. That in itself is not bad, but many of the really useful exits are hidden. Sometimes you have to reveal them by using a bomb at the right spot, sometimes you have jump in the right hole or even have to suicide bomb yourself at the right spot, resulting you to fall down the screen and wondrously skip over 40 zones.. Without the secret exits it is unlikely to see the last zone because the game is incredibly difficult. Controls are ok, but sometimes some more control while jumping would make some scenes easier. Activision wanted to bring the game to the US under the title "Super Pitfall 2", but the US release was eventually cancelled.
The Legend of Kage	Taito	1986	Lead your super-jumping and shuriken-throwing hero on his way to rescue a kidnapped princess through five rather small stages. Each stage has a certain "goal" like killing x amount of evil ninjas, killing a certain enemy or just reaching the end of the level. Controls in this game are rather weak. The super-big jumps are not really controllable, moreoften than you want you jump right into approaching enemies without being able to control your jump when in midair. Graphics and music are merely average and nothing special. Some levels are very short and after rescuing the princess, a small cutscene is played where the princess is just kidnapped again. Only after rescuing her three times you will be rewarded with a little congratulations screen until... well she is kidnapped once again.*[code] KAGE HERO NINJA KIRI KIDNAPPED PRINCESS SHINOBI EVIL NINJA YUKI EVIL SAMURAI YOSHI EVIL SAMURAI YōBō MAGIC MONK GENBō TWIN MONKS [/code] [Zerothis]published 1986-04-18 in Japan NES-KA-USA published 1987-08 in USA The Shinobi are depicted using bombs. This is a somewhat rare but realistic portrayal, as pyrotechnics/explosives are one of the disciplines of Ninjutsu. [spoiler=Extra Life;close]While in moat kill 7 ninja your sword. A little blue 1-up will appear near the top; grab it.[/spoiler][spoiler=10 Extra Lives;close]Start with the NES off. Hold select+A+B on controller 1 and Z+B on controller 2. Release all buttons when the game is done booting. Now holds A+B on controller 1 and B on controller 2.[/spoiler] [Zerothis]**This classic ninja-action game first appeared in arcades in 1985 and became instantly popular. As the Iga ninja named "Kage", players embark on an action-packed quest as they move toward a magic castle where the Princess "Kiri" is held captive by "Yohshirou Yukikusa." To stay alive, players move vertically and horizontally through forest and castle environments and execute massive jumps, all the while using throwing-star knives and a sword to take down hordes of enemies.
Mighty Bomb Jack	Tecmo	1986	[100]*Mighty Bomb Jack improves the single-screen platform action of the original [game=#24]Bomb Jack[/game] by featuring scrolling levels. The game plays generally very well, but is fully packed with sometimes very difficult to find secrets, secret rooms, different exits and so on. And you had to find a couple of hidden items to unlock the "best" ending.*Mighty Bomb Jack is an action/adventure game that was originally released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1987 by Tecmo. The hero of the game, Jack, must make his way through 16 levels of a pyramid in order to defeat the demon Belzebut and rescue the royal Pamera family. Each level is split into two parts; an action zone and a Royal Palace room. Action zones can be split up into several portions, and contain power-ups usually hidden in treasure chests such as money bags, Mighty Coins, and Mighty Drinks. Mighty Coins allow Jack to change colors; blue allows Jack to open orange treasure chests, orange allows him to open any treasure chest by simply touching it from the side, and green transforms all enemies on the screen into coins for 5 seconds. Mighty Drinks add 10 seconds to the game's timer.
Seicross	Nichibutsu;FCI (Nichibutsu)	1986	Seicross is a port of a rather unknown arcade shoot'em up game. You control a futuristic hovercycle on a planet's surface and avoid being shot by enemy projectiles, maneuver around obstacles and ram enemy hovercraft into the scenery or just shoot them down. Along the way you rescue persons to collect some extra points. Graphics and music are unspectacular. The whole game becomes boring after a short period of time. Many level elements are repeating itself and the game has no real end. The game didn't hold my interest for long.
Gumshoe	Nintendo	1986	Jennifer's been kidnapped! Now's your chance to prove you're a sharp-shooting detective by helping Jennifer's father find the five diamonds that will pay her ransom. You'll use your Zapper light gun to blow away anything that gets in your way. But even with the Zapper, this case will be hard to crack. Because not only are the diamonds hard to find, but you only have 24 hours to find them! What's more, you'll have to think fast and shoot even faster, because ferocious monsters, diving airplanes and hungry man-eating sharks will stop at nothing to prevent you from getting to the diamonds. Think you're a sharp-shooting detective? Well, you better be. Because if you're not, it's curtains for you in this quick-on-the-trigger Nintendo Light Gun game!* [49]* [4]* [22]* [52]*While the catalog number for the Canadian version is officially "NES-GS-CAN", the cartridge itself mere shows "CAN". Likewise, the Great Britain/Italy version shows "GBR". The Hong Kong version catalog number "NES-GS-HGK" does not actually appear on the cartridge. But this is known to be the correct catalog number from official Nintendo sources. Likewise, "NES-GS-ASI" is not shown on the Asian version cartridge. But this is known to be the correct catalog number from official Nintendo sources. Although the name "ガム･シュー" does not appear on any of the original game materials, other Nintendo sources do use this name. "ガムシュー" is used unofficially. The catalog number for the Japanese version is "HVC-GS". However, this does not appear on any game materials. This is a very obscure Japanese release. "HVC-GS" is the also catalog number used for the Wild Gunman and Zapper set sold in Japan. "HVC-WG" is the catalog number for the normal Wild Gunman package.The most notable thing about Gumshoe is the fact that this is the very first NES game that was not released in Japan. It is a Zapper game, but unlike other games the game looks and plays like a platform game. Shooting obstacles and enemies costs ammo, which can be filled by collecting balloons. Shooting the main character makes him jump. The constant switching between jumping and killing enemies can be very confusing and hectic, making this a very difficult game. The four stages are graphically varied and are well designed as is the music. I just wish they had made it a normal platformer with normal controls.**A Zapper game where you must rescue Mr. Stevenson's kidnapped daughter by helping him reach the five 'Black Panther' diamonds for the ransom. Shoot obstacles in the way, or shoot the main character to make him jump to avoid danger or reach higher platforms. [Jacquismo]
Ghosts 'n Goblins	Capcom (Micronics)	1986	[103]* [33]* [49]* [22]* [1]* [52]The Ghosts 'n Goblins series is known for its harsh difficulty level and sadly the NES version is no exception. On top of that you have to play through the game twice to see the real ending. However, if you are up for a real challenge (or have a good method to cheat at hand), the game might become enjoyable, because it features great graphics and music for an early NES game and is an all in all very faithful arcade conversion regarding the limited capabilities of the Famicom/NES.**Ghosts'n Goblins was a popular arcade game before it made the leap to the NES in 1986. Like later games in the series, Ghosts'n Goblins presents quite a challenge to players brave enough to take on the role of Arthur and delve into the realm of demons and monsters to rescue the kidnapped princess. Choose your weapons wisely and take advantage of their strengths to deal with the situation at hand. Pass through the six gates that stand between you and Astaroth, and teach him a lesson in chivalry he'll never forget. Demonstrating a high level of technical prowess for a game of its era, Ghosts'n Goblins presents a unique and unforgettable universe. The stage for adventure is set. Are you up to the test?
Super Chinese	Namco;Culture Brain (Culture Brain)	1986	The monsters have taken Princess Min-Min and the treasures. The land has fallen into sorrow. Can Jacky and Lee really save the princess? Now, defeat the enemies with Punch and Miracle Kick! What's waiting for you at the 8 castles? Monster Land is full of thrills and mystery!*In Super Chinese you play the role of a martial arts guy on his way to rescue a princess. He has to fight his way through 8 palaces, each consisting of 4 screens, making for a total of 32 levels. In each screen you have to kill about twelve enemies so that the door to the next screen opens up. Punching blocks might reveal some extras or even give access to a bonus stage. Each enemy has its own way to defeat, some can be punched, some only die by kick-jumping, and yet others only die by slaying them with a sword (which must be found first). The game suffers from bad hit detection and I wonder why Culture Brain decided to release a merely mediocre game from 1986 three years later in the US. At least the two-player cooperative mode can be quite fun and makes the game a bit easier.*NES-CE-USA Kung-Fu Heroes, published by Culture Brain USA, Inc., 1989 in the USA Super Chinese, published by Namcot, 1986-06-20 1 player or 2 players simultaneous. Based on the Arcade game called Chinese Hero [Zerothis]
Choplifter	Jaleco (Tose)	1986	Choplifter for the Famicom is a port of Sega's arcade version, which itself is an enhanced remake of the old Apple II original game Choplifter. The Famicom version features all four arcade levels. The goal is to rescue a certain amount of prisoners in each level with your helicopter. You start from a base and fly left until you come to structures or buildings which contain people. Destroying them will release the people and you can pick them up by landing near them. While flying you can shoot down hostile air and ground forces, which try to stop you. Graphics are only average and the music is on the weak side. The helicopter's controls are not the best, movements feel too slow. Despite being a (semi)-classic, the game didn't age very well. If you want to play a good home conversion you might better try the much better Master System version, which lacks one level, but features better audiovisuals and controls.
Sqoon	Irem (Home Data)	1986	Sqoon is a horizontally scrolling shoot'em up game. The player controls a submarine where he not only has to shoot everything in sight but also has to rescue as many humans as possible from underwater farms (where they are held like cattle by hungry alien invaders cough). Only by delivering people or gold bars to the surface you can fill up necessary fuel. Without fuel or touching an enemy you die. The graphics are not very detailed, background graphics consist mainly of simple blue water. Controls are average. Worst part is the miserable hit detection and the boringness that comes as soon as you have seen two levels. There is virtually no variety in later levels. After the eighth stage the game starts at stage one with some more palette swapped backgrounds.***The proper name is "Sqoon", however, proper spelling would be Squoon. which is not the actual title of this game.
Jajamaru no Daibouken	Jaleco (Tose)	1986	The third game in the Ninja-Kun series from Jaleco. In contrast to the first two games you don't have to kill all enemies in each level to finish it. Here you have just to reach the exit door at the end of the level, which is scrolling from left to right. The game is a standard side-scrolling platform game borrowing many elements like destructible blocks with possible extra items from [game=#5128]Super Mario Bros.[/game]. The game is not bad, and a slight improvement over the other two Ninja games, but also not particularly groundbreaking or memorable.
Adventure Island	Hudson Soft (Hudson Soft;Westone)	1986	[media=youtube]https://youtu.be/dwxJ7QO3hlk[/media]* [37]* [29]* [27]Adventure Island is the NES version of Sega's [game=#158027]Wonder Boy[/game], only with having the main character and music changed. It is a simple and fun platformer with colorful graphics and really good gameplay and controls. Some later levels are rather hard to beat, especially when you die and must start the section again without a weapon. There is a life bar that functions as some kind of time limit. You refill the bar by collecting food. At the day of its (Japanese) release this might be the best Famicom/NES platform game since [game=#5128]Super Mario Bros.[/game] made its appearance.A mysterious tropical paradise known as Adventure Island is the setting for this side-scrolling action game. The evil Witch Doctor has kidnapped Tina, the true love of Master Higgins. To save her, you must safely guide Master Higgins through eight perilous stages - including dense forests and creepy caves - while defeating all of the enemies in your path. Each area is made up of four rounds filled with enemies determined to stop you in your tracks. In addition, as time passes, Master Higgins's vitality is automatically drained. To keep going, he must eat constantly by grabbing fruit, milk and whatever other goodies he can as he races toward his goal. Sometimes eggs containing miraculous items like axes to throw at enemies or honey that grants temporary invincibility will appear. Use items skillfully to help you clear the areas. At the end of each area you'll face the Witch Doctor, who you must defeat to advance. Go, Master Higgins, go!*A platform game that is simply an altered version of Sega's Wonder Boy. Help Master Higgins save his girlfriend! The Japanese title means 'Master Takahashi's Adventure Island'. Takahashi is the original Japanese name for Higgins. [Jacquismo]
King's Knight	Square (Bits Laboratory)	1986	[100]*King's Knight is one of the pre Final Fantasy games and looking at screenshots you might get the opinion that this is a typical action-adventure in Legend of Zelda style. But it is not. It is a vertical scrolling shooting game and a bit unusual. That's because you are controlling four different characters. The first four levels are training stages for each of the characters. In these training stages you have to upgrade your characters by collecting powerups which give you better defense, shooting, speed or jumping abilities as well as extra magical abilities. Nearly everything is hidden beneath rocks, buildings or trees, which can all be shot down. As more powerups you collect as easier will be the fifth and final stage. In the fifth stage you control all of the surviving characters simultaneously, being able to switch the lead character at some points. For a shooting game this feels very strange and ends up less interesting as it might sound. Graphics, music and controls are average and must have felt rather unimpressive when it was released three years after the initial Japanese release in the US in 1989.キングスナイト is transliteration of "king's knight" and literally reads [code]kingusu naito[/code].**In the kingdom of Izander, the fair Princess Claire has been kidnapped by a foul and insidious dragon, and it is the mission of four brave fighters to save her. Through five thrilling, fast-action stages, our gallant heroes-a knight, a wizard, a monster and a thief-will take on an army of incredible enemies. You must help them reach their goal, as you are now part of the team that will fight to free the princess from her imprisonment. Keep your wits about you, plan your strategy and set off on an exciting adventure.
Commando	Capcom	1986	[22]* [52]* [52]*I really liked the C64 version of Commando (which C64 user doesn't remember that awesome music?), so I was really curious how the NES version would play. Commando is an early Run and Gun game, one of the genre defining games so to say, originally released in the arcades and converted to virtually every homecomputer possible. The NES version is an interesting version and playable, it even has a new feature. Throwing grenades at some places reveals otherwise hidden stairs which you can climb down and enter extra mini-rooms sometimes filled with enemies but often also having extra items in them. But the game fails to be as good as it could have been. The music doesn't drive me forward as it did in the C64 version. The graphics are adequate for a 1986 game but there is often much flickering. Sometimes enemy soldiers just disappear completely from the screen. The game has only four short levels, but despite this it is rather difficult.*Publish in Japan, 1986-09-27 NES-CO-USA, Published in the USA, 1986 -11 [Zerothis]
Bump 'N' Jump	Vic Tokai;Data East (SAS Sakata)	1986	Bump 'n' Jump is a reinterpretation of an arcade title of the same name. The general game concept stays the same. With your buggy you drive in top-down perspective towards the end of each level, trying to avoid other cars or ram them from the street. You must also frequently jump over big obstacles. Jumping on other cars is also a great way to dispose of them. Among the new things are updated graphics and music as well as a fuel meter. Once you run out of fuel you lose a life. Luckily there are fuel cans along the way which can and should be picked up. There are 16 levels in total with 4 different sceneries. Bump 'n' Jump is a typical representative of an average unspectacular game. Playable but it gets boring very soon. A little bit more enjoyable than the similar [game=#8152]Road Fighter[/game]. But that doesn't mean much.
Ikari Warriors	SNK;K Amusement Leasing (Micronics)	1986	You and a friend are warriors with secret orders to invade an enemy nation. Working together as a team, you must fight for survival against a relentless onslaught of enemies!* [1]* [52]*Ikari Warriors is a run and gun arcade game port and very similar to Commando. It is longer and more diverse than [game=#7674]Commando[/game]. You can even use tanks and helicopters which make the game a bit easier. Speaking of difficulty... the game is really hard. That is not only because you are constantly attacked and several grenade throwing enemies are extremely unfair, but also because of the bad controls. The first two levels have a jungle theme and the last two levels you are in a kind of enemy base. The levels are rather long and boringly designed and nearly impossible to complete if you don't have a cheat method at hand. I prefer Commando over this.*1 player or 2 players simultaneous cooperative. 怒 (Ikari) means Anger [Zerothis]
Castlequest	ASCII;Nexoft (ASCII;Bits Laboratory)	1986	A long time ago in a faraway land, there lived a lovely young princess named Margarita. Her beauty and grace were known throughout the land - especially to Mad Mizer, the Dark Lord of the grim Groken Castle high in the Forbidden Mountains. He had vowed to make the Princess his queen; and so, one terrible day, he sent his ghoulish helpers to capture her, and she was carried off and imprisoned in one of the hundred miserable rooms of Groken Castle. News of the kidnapping spread throughout the kingdom, and many courageous young men braved the perils of Groken Castle in an attempt to rescue the Princess - only to become hopelessly lost in the complicated maze of rooms, ensnared in one of the many treacherous traps, or foiled by Mad Mizer's deadly servants. Finally the news reached the worthy Prince Rafael, who had long loved the Princess from afar. Raising his sword to the heavens, Prince Rafael swore that nothing would keep him from her side, and set out on his Castlequest. The odds against him seemed hopeless... But legend has it that two magical fairies have been held captive in the Castle for centuries. If the Prince can find and release them to gain their help, he may yet succeed in his quest. And to rescue his fair Princess, he is prepared to face the deadly wrath of the Dark Lord himself!*This is a different game from [game=#i196277]Castle Quest[/game]*In this platform/puzzle mix you control a brave knight trying to rescue a princess which is trapped inside a huge castle. The way to the princess however is blocked by doors. Many doors. So your main objective is to collect keys with the appropriate colors to make progress. Although you start with 50 lives (at least in the US version) the game is not easy. Pixel-perfect jumping is needed and there is the constant threat that you run out of keys and trap yourself. This is also my main complaint about this game, cause it tends to become confusing and frustrating. And your only attack (with a knife) has a much too short range. As with many early ASCII Famicom/NES games this game originated on MSX homecomputers. The rooms of the castle are bigger though in the NES version (the MSX games featured only one-screen rooms). Graphics and sound get their job done but are far from being great.
King Kong 2: Ikari no Megaton Punch	Konami	1986	This game is based on the 1986 movie "King Kong Lives", which was also known as "King Kong 2" in Japan. Your goal is to rescue a lovely giant pink female gorilla at the end of nine levels. First you have to find eight keys throughout the levels, each guarded by a boss monster. The game plays similar to the overworld of [game=#9176]The Legend of Zelda[/game] or [game=#156357]Nazo no Murasame-Joe[/game], but lacks any RPG or adventure elements. Throughout the levels you can destroy many ground objects in the hopes to find extra items or hidden doors. I doubt however that the game's content has much to do with the movie. So many strange surroundings Kong has do wander through with even stranger enemies. "King Kong 2" is one of the first 2Mbit cartridge games and Konami did a good job with the graphics and music once again. The game also plays well enough.***The subtitle means 'Megaton Punch of Anger'. [Jacquismo]
The Wing of Madoola	Sunsoft	1986	Developers were self-compelled to amp up the animation and graphics of this game and some other sunsoft games due to the talent of a new artist at Sunsoft that was creating the cover art for the boxes and labels of several of their games.***In Wing of Madoola you are controlling a girl who is trying to rescue a prince (how original) and defeat the source of all evil at the end of 16 levels. You have a sword and several magical abilities at your disposal. Upgrades for each ability can be found behind doors that are placed in many locations. The game is overall quite nice with graphics that are generally good but which in the end only feature three different graphical themes with lots of color swapping. The game is rather difficult, which in itself is nothing special for a game from around that time, but several wicked monsters that constantly reappear, especially while trying to time difficult jumps, are really annoying. Too often running away from enemies is the best solution.
Seikima II: Akuma no Gyakushuu	Sony (ISCO)	1986	This game is based on the Japanese heavy metal/rock band "Seikima-II" and is not as I first thought a sequel to another game. You are out to rescue your fellow band members in four zones which are divided into eight scrolling "rooms" each. In each room you have to collect all items so the exit opens. Your life bar goes down continuously but can be refreshed by finding or buying potions from shops. You can also upgrade your weapons and buy music instruments which are needed to successfully finish the game. Each of the four zones has its own graphical theme and music. After rescuing the complete band you must face the endboss Zeus. The game is rather poor, with very strange and not very well working controls and only average graphics and sound.
Dragon Buster	Namco (Namco;Tose)	1987	"Dragon Buster" for the Famicom is a port of a 1984 Namco arcade game. The game consists of 12 rounds, each represented by a more or less big overworld map with several levels each. Inside the levels you kill standard enemies with your sword and lots of mid-level bosses inside of rooms. These bosses might open up the passage to the next level or leave extra items behind. Sounds not too bad for a 1987 game but the game suffers from its extreme repetitiveness. There are four or five different graphic sets and you will see them repeating a lot. Every level feels the same. After two or three sub-levels you will have seen everything the game has to offer. After that it becomes very tedious and boring making your way through the more and more labyrinth-like levels. Graphics are not on par with the arcade version; I expected more from a port that comes three years after the arcade game. Controls are rather complicated. Dragon Buster was one of the first (if not the very first) game that implemented mid-air jumping. Pulling this of is not easy though and the controls generally annoyed me.***ドラゴンバスター literally reads [code]doragon basutaa[/code]
Labyrinth: Maou no Meikyuu	Tokuma Shoten;Activision (Atlus)	1987	Activision did plan to publish this game in the USA. But it seems nothing became of this project. Perhaps there is a prototype in existence. Regardless, anyone dedicated enough to track down a prototype of this game may as well buy the Japanese version to play (English translation patch is available). Once again a Japanese only release of a game based on a North American movie.*Labyrinth is a game based on Jim Henson's Labrinth movie from 1986. The Famicom version is a totally different game from the Lucasfilm Games/Activision adventure game for home computers. Your goal is to find 12 parts of a key to rescue your little brother from the Goblin king. And true to its name the levels are complicated mazes, complete with secret warps and so on. Having a walkthrough and maps at hand really helps for this game. The game is unspectacular but playable and implemented a few interesting ideas, like a level where the forest trees change location or another level where the directional controls are changing randomly. Collected coins and treasure can be spend to upgrade offensive and defensive capabilities as well as buying more time.*Teenager (jail bait) Sarah (Jennifer Connelly) refuses to grow up and during a childish fit, accidentally gives her little brother to the The Goblin King (David Bowie). Needless to say she wants him back (so she won't get in trouble). The Goblin King agrees she can be let out of the deal and rescue her little brother if she can navigate his labyrinth before his clock, with 13 hours instead of 12, runs out. The biggest obstacles are presented by Sarah's refusal to grow up. She insists on collecting junk like stuffed animals, costume jewelery, books for little girls and other such things that adults don't need. Furthermore, the labyrinth is unfair and the Goblin King cheats, often pushing his clock forward. This time limit and unfairness of the movie is included in this game. Us Americans are too dumb and lazy to play an unfair game, so it was never published outside of Japan. [Zerothis]
Pocket Zaurus: Juu Ouken no Nazo	Bandai (Tose)	1987	In "Pocket Zaurus" you are a boy who gets transformed into a dinosaur and has to jump and run his way through several levels in different time zones to rescue a female. "Pocket Zaurus" is a standard platform game with ok graphics and varied levels for a 1987 game. As far is I know it was the second 2 Mbit cartridge for the Famicom ever released ([game=#155964]Ganbare Goemon: Karakuri Douchuu[/game] being the first one). The game plays well enough, but there is nothing really outstanding or memorable about it.
City Adventure Touch: Mystery of Triangle	Toho (Compile)	1987	A game based on the highschool/sports manga and anime series "Touch". Your goal is to rescue ten cats which are hidden somewhere in a huge city and its surroundings. You are controlling two male characters at the same time (another female character is constantly following you around). That makes controlling the characters very complicated. You have to buy items from time to time to open up new part of the game world or to beat some bosses. The game is not very playable. Worst thing is the very limited inventory space. In order to free some space you have to drop several items from time to time. But this can only be done in certain houses! Also, shuffling through the inventory items is bothersome. The city is a huge maze with many streets, a forest, beach etc. Its hard to find your way around without a map and walkthrough. Compile should have kept with making great shoot'em ups instead of doing such a below average Action-Adventure game.
Nekketsu Kouha Kunio-Kun	Technos;Taito (Technos)	1987	[b]REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE[/b] In the knife-edge world of the vigilante there is no place to rest, no time to think — but look sharp — there is always time to die! From the city subways to the gangland ghettos you will always encounter the disciples of evil who's mission it is to exterminate the only man on earth who dares to throw down the gauntlet in their path — the Renegade. [b]PLAY RENEGADE... PLAY MEAN![/b]***Renegade has some significance for the Beat'em Up genre which would implement lots of Renegade's gameplay elements. But I don't think the NES version plays very good. I felt that kick-jumping is the most effective method for the whole game. Parts of it are frustrating. The last level annoyed me quite a bit with trying to find the right way through many screens. The Japanese and US versions have in parts different background and sprite graphics. The overall quality of the graphics is ok, and there is even some variety in gameplay with a scene where you must ride a motorbike. And as mentioned at the beginning, it is a rather innovative game.
The Legend of Zelda	Nintendo;Hyundai;Playtronic (Nintendo)	1987	[83]* [4]* [33]* [22]* [52]* [49]* [47]* [27]The NES version of the first Zelda game appeared roughly a year after the Famicom Disk System version and is of course nearly identical. Fine graphics and music, a huge overworld and many tricky dungeons. Complexity combined with good playability makes it a genre defining masterpiece and started one of the most popular game series ever. The Japanese cartridge version was released way after the original release in February 1994, most likely due to the fact that even in Japan nobody used a Disk System anymore at that time. It was also one of the very last Famicom releases.Gather the Triforce Fragments, collect the weapons needed to defeat Gannon (its says "GANNON" in the game).Rescue the princess. Then do it again (1st Quest, 2nd Quest). This is an appropriately difficult action-adventure with minor puzzle elements and maze like dungeons. There are enemies on nearly every screen to be dispatched by sword, boomerang, arrow, bomb, flame, recorder (flute), and/or magic. Originally released 1986 on the Famicom Disk System, the game was "ported" to cartridge and brought to the western world a year later. In 1994 a cartridge version was created for Japan also. Suggested simple instructions: Kill anything that moves; burn, blow up, feed, and/or steal anything that doesn't; in proper order. You can stop and save your game at anytime without dying. Press start to go to the sub-screen menu. Then on controller 2 press ↑+A. This is often incorrectly regraded as a 'secret'. But in reality, its written in the game instruction booklet. North American (English), European (English), and Japanese (Japanese based with English text also) versions of this cartridge were officially published in 1994. It has been unofficially translated, via ROM patches, to the follow languages: Croatian, Danish, Dutch, Esperanto, French, German, Greek, Italian, Latin, Lojban, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish and Turkish. 젤다의 전설 NES-LZ-KOR published 1987 by Hyundai Electronics Industries Co., Ltd. in Korea. ????????? NES-LZ-HKG Gold cartridge published 19?? by Hi-Tech Expressions in Hong Kong A Lenda de Zelda (NES-LS-BZL not printed on product) Grey cartridge published 19?? by Playtronic localized by Hi-Tech Expressions Tags: The first game in the Legend of Zelda series. Miyamoto has stated that Mario and Zelda titles were intended to be playable animated cartoons. A character in the game, Zelda, is kidnapped by the antagonist in the hopes of forcing her to reveal a secret. One of Link's goals is to rescue her. Link can obtain a bow and shoot arrows at enemies. Damaging an NPC causes balls of energy to be launched at Link from out of fires. Miyamoto is a Shintoist and has publicly acknowledged incorporating Shinto into the Zelda games. This cartrige include 3 save slots via battery backed Save RAM. When played on a NES deck modified for stereo or an emulator with stereo, many have noticed that this game seems to have been designed for it. Their are Christian Crosses on Link's shields and on gravestones which has been shown to be against Nintendo's Content Guidelines by other games which have had Christian Crosses censored. [Zerothis]*Zelda. What more is there to say? Now that the N64 version is out, I hope this one isn't forgotten. I bought this when it came out and it is probably THE best game ever. Out of the NES versions, SNES versions, and this one, this one is probably my fave. The gameplay is amazing, the challenge is kick-ass, the storyline is pretty sweet, and it will keep you glued to your NES from start till finish. Trust me, this one is as good as the N64 version. Even though it doesn't have fancy graphics, the gameplay is unlike any other. You won't be disappointed!!!!
The Magic of Scheherazade	Culture Brain	1987	The Magic of Scheherazade. It's the fantasy role-playing game that's unlike anything you've encountered. It's the action-adventure game you've been waiting for. Five chapters of magic and mystery, over 750 dazzling screens. Unprecedented scale, challenging puzzles, and intense combat, unlike anything else. And a finale full of awe and wonder. The world of Scheherazade is an adventure full of glory. Magical battles with eleven allies! Seek out your trusty companions and invoke an astonishing variety of magical spells. Through the past and the future, you are the hero, battling the sinister forces of evil. Artificial intelligence enhances the game even more! With the support of the artificial intelligence programming, even beginning players can enter the magical world of Scheherazade and behold its wonders. Graphics and sound from a world of fantasy! With stunningly beautiful visuals and a musical soundtrack that will captivate your imagination, The Magic of Scheherazade is a gaming experience that'll leave you spellbound!*Pretty good Action-RPG which mixes action based gameplay from [url=http://www.uvlist.net/game-9176-The+Legend+of+Zelda]The Legend of Zelda[/url] with turn-based battles similar to [url=http://www.uvlist.net/game-7747-Dragon+Quest]Dragon Quest[/url]. The story plays in an Arabian setting and you have to stop an evil wizard from doing evil things and rescue the king and his princessess. The game is mostly linear, finishing a "world" leads to the next one. Controls are good as are the graphics and music. I liked the fact that there is nearly no grinding involved. The leveling pace is nearly perfect. At least in the US version, which has quite a lot of differences from the original Japanese version. Some graphical and sound changes were made. Leveling is easier, I think they even cut out some dungeons. But it seems to be the much better balanced version.Simply put one of the best ARPGs you'll find on the NES. The game has a nice time-traveling plot and has a weird mix between action fights and traditional RPG battles. Just give it a try, you'll be surprised.**This game was very good for it's time. It's a strange mix between action and normal RPG battles. The best ARPG for NES you'll find! [Ok Impala!]
Wizards & Warriors	Acclaim (Rare)	1987	[103]* [49]* [62]* [33]* [1]*The first game in Rare's "Wizards & Warriors" series, and the only one which made it to Japan as well. Technically well done with decent controls. The story is from the typical "heroic knight saves the princess from an evil wizard" type. In order to finish a level you have to collect a certain amount of gems. You also have to collect colored keys to open corresponding doors and chests. At the end of a level a boss fight awaits the hero. The levels are varied enough to have kept me interested and everything looks interesting. All in all not the super best game ever, but quite enjoyable.* [52]* [27]You are Kuros, the knight warrior. Your journey begins deep within the woods of Elrond, where even the wind obeys the Supreme Wizard, Malkil. But Malkil has strayed from the path, and is now part of the dark side. You are the only knight with the strength to wield the Brightsword. The prisoner of the wizard calls to you from Castle IronSpire. But the wizard is watching you, warrior. And this tale has just begun.**NES-WW-USA, published by Acclaim Entertainment, Inc. in the USA, 1987 Published by Jaleco Ltd. in Japan, 1988-07-15 [Zerothis]
Rambo	Acclaim Entertainment;Pack-in-Video (Pack-in-Video)	1987	Freedom is everything. You are Rambo. Fallen hero. Once a decorated green beret; special weapons expert; master of the martial arts. Now, you're living in solitary, a prisoner of the government you swore to defend. Intelligence sources believe they have discovered a hidden POW camp deep in the jungle. Your brothers in arms have been enslaved there for years. It's your choice: accept a suicide mission to find the camp, or spend the rest of your life in a 6' by 8' cell. Your body is a weapon. Your mind, a disciplined machine. The most advanced military hardware is at your disposal, and a chopper waits to carry you to the drop site, where once again, you will be alone deep in hostile territory. This is your war, Rambo. A war that will test your every skill. A war with only two possible results: freedom or death. Armed and alone, you parachute into enemy territory. Match courage and wits with the animals that rule the jungle. Race to the landing site. It may be your only way to escape. Weave your way through the enemy weapons warehouse.* [33]This game gets lots of hate from players, but I think this one is actually pretty average. There are some elements that I don't like. Most of the fights, especially at the beginning is against wildlife, the whole side-scrolling knive-stabbing action is not as typical Rambo-like as other more standard Run and Gun style top-down shooters of other Rambo versions in the 80s. While not a better game per se, the C64 Rambo game from Ocean just fit the Rambo style much better. The character also looks a bit goofy and is not really well animated. On the plus side must be noted that they tried to tell a story. When I compare this to other NES games released in or before 1987 this one does pretty well in the story section and its not your typical fantasy scenario that often came with such kind of Action-Adventure titles.**This game is based on them movie [i]Rambo: First Blood Part II[/i]. This is a Zelda II clone. In Japan, Zelda II for the Famicom Disk System was released about 11 months before the Famicom version of Rambo. The Famicom version of Rambo has a level layout very similar to Zelda II. The USA version reduces the similarity be rearranging the levels a bit.
Star Wars	Namco	1987	[media=youtube]_TG3BEHdRHI[/media]*The first Star Wars game for the NES never made it outside Japan. You control Luke Skywalker light-saber swinging through tpyical platform levels on different locations/planets (very) loosely following the plot of the first movie. Between the platform levels you have some space flight shoot'em up action in first-person view, similar from what the old Star Wars arcade game showed us. The last level is a top-down shoot and avoid everything part in the trench of the Death Star. The game has quite diverse levels and sub-sections and nice graphics. But it is very very hard. You have several lives and you can use the force for some bonus abilities but you don't have a life meter. One wrong move, one wrong jump and you lose a life. And the environments and enemies are unforgiving. A typical game where save states are a must to enjoy (and finish) the game. But at least it is worth it afterwards.*Another odd North American movie game not released outside of Japan.
Metal Gear	Konami;Ultra Games;Playtronic (Konami)	1987	Outer Heaven leader CaTaffy has activated the ultimate super weapon: Metal Gear! Responding to the crisis, covert unit "Fox Hound" is called into action, and that's where you come into play. Trained in hand-to-hand combat and skilled in every weapon known to man, you're Fox Hound's lethal fighting machine, code named "Solid Snake". But on this mission you better be sly as well, to surprise heavily-armed enemies, busting 'em up quietly and rescuing their hostages before alarms are triggered. Plus you gotta maintain radio contact with Commander South, who'll feed you crucial info on Metal Gear's whereabouts. To survive, capture sub-machine guns, Barettas, grenade launchers, and plastic explosives, until you find and destroy Metal Gear, ending CaTaffy's reign of terror!* [49]* [33]* [1]On the one hand "Metal Gear" is a classic, introducing stealth elements into the action-adventure genre and the first game in one of the most successful and acclaimed videogame series ever. Graphics are nice and controls are good. However there are numerous small and bigger gameplay issues. First of all its pretty difficult with lots of trial and error scenes (sudden pitfalls). The inventory and item management is not very good. Example: In order to open doors you must acquire key cards. There are up to eight cards. To open a door with it you have to activate the card. So when you stand before a new door you must constantly switch between all cards until you have found the right one. Also the constant respawn of enemies once you return into another screen is something I disliked. The game has some sort of story (mostly told by radio calls), but I expected a bit more in this regard. [52]* [27]*[b]Tags[/b] This is the first game in the Metal Gear series. Stealth is extremely important to playing the game. This game is not compliant with Nintendo's content guidelines for at least two reasons:[spoiler=1. fowl language hidden;close]This password,**M E1111 11111 11111 11111, will start you off at the end of the game with nothing except a pack of cigarettes.[/spoiler]2. cigarettes. (this article has been censored by the author pending a feature for users to filter descriptions to their personal preferences) [Zerothis]
Attack Animal Gakuen	Pony Canyon (Newtopia Planning)	1987	[media=youtube]nubW-J_Yokk[/media]*"Attack Animal Gakuen" is an average "Space Harrier" clone with bizarre animals as enemies and a Japanese schoolgirl as heroine.This games uses the Famicom 3D system. Press select to activate the stereographic display. [Zerothis]**Although I can't imagine why anyone would want to play this... [cjlee001]
Konami Wai Wai World	Konami	1988	[30]***From time to time I get surprised by games, something that Konami Wai Wai World achieves. I did not expect a strange crossover platform/action title starring a dozen or so of Konami's heroes. The main protagonists are Konami-Man and Konami-Girl who try to rescue kidnapped Konami heroes from their respective levels. And there you have them all. Castlevania, The Goonies, Getsu Fuumaden, Goemon and even a classic vertical scrolling shooting level very similar to Twinbee and Life Force. Once you rescue one of the other Konami heroes you can switch to them whenever you want and use their special abilities which are sometimes needed in order to rescue the next hero. Otherwise the six starting levels can be finished in any order you want. Graphics are fine with lots of different stages and enemies and the music resembles the classic tunes of the other games which is a good idea. The bad part of the game is the gameplay itself, which is only slightly above average with some very difficult moments. Walking down stairs, and hitting enemies proved to be more annoying than I hoped.
Ripple Island	Sunsoft (Tokai Engineering)	1988	In a country where humans and animals live peacefully together, an evil being kidnaps the princess. Your task is of course to rescue the princess. The game is divided into areas. Each area (consisting of about 20 screens) has to be played through in order. In contrast to most other early console adventures, the game uses icons instead of a verb list. It is also centered more about finding objects inside the screen, which is the main problem with objects sometimes not very easily recognisable to be able to interact with. Graphics are very cute and fitting for the fairy tale scenario. Language is in Japanese only with no translation patch available yet. All in all a decent and a bit "different" adventure game for the Famicom.***Developers were self-compelled to amp up the animation and graphics of this game due to the talent of a new artist at Sunsoft that was creating the cover art for the boxes and labels of several of their games.
Donald Land	Data East	1988	"Donald Land" wasn't the only game based on the McDonalds brand, but it was the first one for a videogame console and only released in Japan. It is a straightforward platform game. I kinda liked it more than I first expected that I would. Controls are ok, difficulty level just right and the levels are varied enough. Gameplay-wise the only thing I did not like was the attack method with bombs. You can't shoot forward in this game, but only throw bombs in a certain angle. Quite often its hard to aim correctly to hit enemies. I also really dislike the Ronald McDonald character, which you control as the hero. That guy is creepy and ugly. But doesn't change the overall good impression the game left with me.***[media=youtube]u_VILmI6kT8[/media]
Freedom Force	Sunsoft	1988	[media=youtube]kD9oYi7kT9g[/media]*"Freedom Force" is a straightforward, average light gun shooter game, that doesn't offer anything new or surprising.*Mission: Neutralize Extremist Element! The fate of the airport is in your hands. Standing in your way are two deadly units of extremist guerillas. Four stunningly lifelike - and deadly - airport scenarios, and a climatic one-on-one duel with the most feared anarchist in the world today. Your assignment is to terminate the enemy element with extreme prejudice. You, and you alone, are freedom's last hope!
Double Dragon	Tradewest;Technos (Technos)	1988	[144]* [142]* [62]* [4]I played lots of other "Double Dragon" versions so far and wondered how the NES version would turn out to be. Well it was quite different and had much more changes compared to the arcade original than other home conversions. The level structure is a bit different. There is no cooperative mode. Instead the 2-player mode is a hot-seat mode with the players taking turns, which is quite lame. There is an extra 1 vs. 1 battle mode that lets you choose a character to battle against another character that only appears in the NES version. Graphics and music are really well done compared to other NES games of its time. However there is only a maximum of two enemies on screen simultaneously. I am not so fond of the controls. They are what you would expect from an early beat'em up game but the fighting didn't feel really good to me. And there are too many sections with platform / jumping scenes, especially in the third level, that don't work very well with this kind of game. So in the end it is a graphically very good game with average playability. [64]* [63]* [37]* [27]***Double Dragon begins with Billy Lee's girlfriend, Marian, being kidnapped by a group called the Black Warriors. They demand to know the secrets of Billy's martial-arts style in exchange for his girlfriend. However, Billy won't stand for these underhanded tactics and decides to rescue her himself. Help him fight through city streets, buildings, jungles, temples and various other locations in a quest to find his girl. He'll gain experience by using different fighting techniques to obtain more hearts, which will unlock more powerful techniques to use against his enemies. Keep an eye out for crates, boulders, whips, bats, knives and even dynamite along the way, as Billy can also use them to annihilate opponents. Armed with his mysterious and powerful martial arts, help Billy pummel his way through an array of goons, gang members and other Black Warrior scum to free Marian from their clutches.
Princess Tomato in the Salad Kingdom	Hudson Soft	1988	"Princess Tomato in the Salad Kingdom" first appeared on Japanese computer systems. The NES/Famicom version is a rather heavily modified. Instead of typing in words the NES version everything is controlled via menus, similar to other console adventure games. The puzzles and scenes also got quite a lot of changes. The game is divided into nine chapters after which the player is provided with a password. I liked that concept and the game itself plays reasonably well. Especially since this is for once not a Japanese-only game. My biggest issue is the scenario itself. Seriously, I mean the characters are vegetables? Even if this were a game solely meant for children this is more than silly.***Taking the role of Sir Cucumber, a knight, the player is assigned by King Broccoli (now deceased) to defeat the evil Minister Pumpkin who has kidnapped Princess Tomato. Early on, Sir Cucumber gains a sidekick, Percy the baby persimmon, who offers advice and helps throughout the quest. Princess Tomato in the Salad Kingdom plays similarly to a text adventure, though due to the NES's lack of a keyboard accessory, the possible commands are represented by buttons which line both sides of the screen. The commands are fixed and do not change during gameplay. Primarily, the game consists of still screens with the exception of the "finger wars", mazes and occasional animated character, such as the octoberry and fern birds. Commands within the game are: MOVE, LOOK, CHECK (used to examine things), TALK, TAKE, USE, GIVE, BUY, HIT, FIGHT (also called "finger wars", challenges enemies to rock-paper-scissors), PRAISE (for flattery), DUMP (for getting rid of inventory items, since you can only carry a limited number), ITEM and PERCY (to get help from your sidekick Percy Persimmon after rescuing him; he always refers to you as "boss"). The only way to "lose" is by not being able to determine which action is required to advance (i.e.: there is no way for the player, Sir Cucumber, to "die" except for in one specific "finger wars" battle). [i]Source: Wikipedia[/i]
Asteka 2: Templo Del Sol	Tokyo Shouseki;Infocom (Compile)	1988	Deep in the jungles of Mexico lie the ancient Mayan tombs of Chichen Itza. Eternal resting place of kings - and the vast treasure that was buried with them, including the legendary Sun Key. Now a famous archaeologist has vanished there, leaving behind only a tattered notebook that speaks not just of treasure, but of the bloodthirsty demons that guard it. And with the notebook, the legacy of treasure and terror has passed to you... Can you penetrate the heart of the mystery, and find the mythical Sun Key? Or will the tombs of Chichen Itza claim you among the dead?

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