showing 9 games
| name arrow_downward | publisher(developer) | year | tags | description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ActRaiser | Enix (Quintet) | 1990 | actraiser-series angels bossbattles bossrush censored centaurs consoleclassix demons deuteragonist difficulty flying forest godgame godlingprotagonist grecoroman incarnateddivines inventory island jumping lives magic meleeweapons monsters multiphased multisequence possession premadeprotagonist saveram subterranean swords timelimit unusualprotagonist walking wiivirtualconsole | [100]*** [22]*** [64]*** [37]*** [32]*** [32]***European version [29]*** [27]***Generations ago, the world fell into deep Chaos. The Master had maintained the world in a state of peace and harmony. However, an evil one called Tanzra began to threaten its very existence. People spent their lives manifesting their love to their Master while fearing The Evil One. The Master and The Evil One were eternal enemies. In strength and power they were almost equals. Even though the world has fallen into Chaos, somehow the earth continued on its revolving course.***ActRaiser is a single player mix of alternating overhead city-building simulation and side-scrolling platform action. The protagonist in the English version is 'The Master'. A deity who's been away for a while and returns to find his people have been lead astray and their civilization destroyed by the demon Tanzra, "The Evil One". The player is controls things as the Master descends from heaven on a cloud to observer the people and causes a stone statue to be possessed with his spirit. Using this this living statue armed with a sword, demons are slain and souls are freed. The sim mode begins with the creation of a male and female to tend a population center as the Master eliminates more demons and miraculously prepares the way for the people to build and multiply in their little corner of the world. In this view, and angel armed with a bow and arrow is directed against demons emerging from their layers to attack the people. Meanwhile, the people are directed to seal the layers and build where the master directs. At a certain point, the local demons and their leader will regroup to stop the progress. At this point the Master inhabits a statue to finish the job in action mode. This continues for 6 regions until one final standalone action stage completed. The game's story is in fact a Judeo-Christian allegory; confirmed by the Japanese story of ActRaiser 2 where the protagonist and antagonist characters are revealed to be named God and Satan. No religion/faith tag yet applies to this game entry, however, because the religion of the game's creators is currently unknown to the uvl community (stay tuned). Even without the revelation of the true names of these characters, the allegory is pretty blatant. The Master descends and ascends to heaven, is accompanied by angel(s), creates life (beginning with a male and female), frees souls, performs miracles, destroys demons, creates order and peace out of chaos and strife, he cannot lose (though the player can), defeats the evil one, listens to and answers prayers, accepts offerings (which in turn benefit the people), casts false gods out of his temple, and is totally ignored by the people as soon as they perceive their problems have been eliminated and he loves them anyway. Hint: Preforming better in the action mode will actually cause more demos to inhabit the lairs in the sim mode. This in turns leads to a higher population potential for the region. The world map resembles North America The English version was much easier than the original. But, upon beating the game, the Japanese difficulty level for the action mode is unlocked. ActRaiser was provided for Wii's Virtual Console in 2007. [Zerothis]***A masterpiece of game design originally released in the early days of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System , ActRaiser's enduring popularity stems from its revolutionary combination of action- and simulation-based game play. The user plays the role of the Master, a dethroned deity whose once-idyllic world has fallen under the control of the Evil One. Stripped of godly power, the Master must somehow put an end to the Evil One's reign and rebuild his desolate realm. Game play alternates between two modes: Action and Simulation. In Action mode, the Master must battle against impossible odds to pacify six lands. Pacifying a land unlocks Simulation mode. In this mode, the Master must oversee the development and re population of the territory he has reclaimed. In doing so, he will gain followers who gradually restore his godly might, empowering him to take back the next land and, ultimately, defeat the Evil One.***Shame on you if you've never played Actraiser before! This version, other than having an amazingly badass logo, is actually a lot harder than the US release of the game. Even in Fillmore 1, there are more brambles, more monsters, more everything. It's crazy great. Ian Kelley wanted to retranslate the game, so here it is! Far be it from me to deprive one of my star translators from an awesome request or two! Unofficial English translation available at Aeon Genesis (romhack.net) [cjlee001] | labelimagesubject |
| BlackThorne | Interplay;Virgin;Kemco (Blizzard) | 1994 | actionadventure aimdirlimit bombs cave cinematicplatformer consoleclassix coversystem displacementfiction elevators fallbackweapon falldamage fallimpact firearms fromanotherworld healingitems highbornprotagonist inventory itempickup-normal jumping ladders ledges lowfantasy lutris monsters neutralnpcs noaircontrol orcs potions prison savepassword sciencefantasy serious shotguns slavery stationaryattack subterranean tumbling tutorial unrestrictedviolence walking | After years of awaiting his destiny on Earth, Kyle Blackthorne has finally come home to face the galaxy's most terrifying mutant monsters and goblin hordes. With brute strength, animal cunning and a lead-spewing shotgun he's on a quest to reclaim his once peaceful Planet Tuul. Surrounded by enemies and confronting danger at every turn, Blackthorne's commando training and survival skills are put to the ultimate death-defying test in this brutally savage land. So prepare to enter Blackthorne's world and blast your way through one of the most intense, challenging games ever.*** [45]*** [29]***Very dark game, as you can see on screenshots. Close to 'Flashback' or 'Prince of Persia'. You have to save human beings against orcs that take your race in slavery. | labelimagesubject |
| BS Zelda no Densetsu Remix | Nintendo | 1995 | ancientenemy ballistics bossbattles bows forest foundmaps gunblades humanoidprotagonist illequipped insectoids inventory meleeweapons monsters nohumans rewardingvandalism roombased ruins satellaview secrets shopping simulateddisorientation stonemen subterranean trees undead unexpectedsituation walking zelda zelda-universe | Released only on the Bandai-Satellaview add-on for the Japanese SNES console. Available for a total of 4 hours over a satellite network in Japan. Two unofficial English translations available. [cjlee001] | labelimagesubject |
| Donkey Kong Country | Nintendo (Rare) | 1994 | alligators anthroprotagonist bananas butterflies cave characterswitch consoleclassix donkeykong factory firstpartytitle fish forest frog giantinsects giantwasps gorillas jumping jungle lives minecarts parrots primateprotagonist primates rhinoceroses ropeswinging saveram secrets secrets-falling sharks snakes snesclassic subterranean treetoptown tropic tumbling underwater unusualmounts wiivirtualconsole wintery | [100]*** [45]*** [29]*** [27]***While some thought it would never be possible, DONKEY KONG COUNTRY is here for the Super Nintendo in all of its glory. Play as Donkey Kong and his good buddy Diddy Kong as they attempt to reclaim DK's stolen banana hoard from the wicked King K. Rool and his vicious Kremlings.***Donkey Kong Country is an incredible island adventure, and the first game to feature Donkey Kong's sidekick, Diddy Kong . Challenged by the crazed tribe of reptilian Kremlings, the Kongs face their cunning adversaries armed with lightning-quick moves, chest-pounding muscle and awesome aerial acrobatics. The duo also gets help from a host of friends and family, from Funky Kong , Cranky Kong and Candy Kong to Rambi the rhino, Expresso the ostrich, Enguarde the swordfish, Squawks the parrot and Winky the frog. This game has more than 30 levels, plus dozens of hidden caves and secret rooms - more than 100 areas in all. Help the Kongs recover their stolen banana hoard!***Donkey Kong Country hit the SNES with a big impact when it was released back in 1994. That's also when people started recognizing the company 'RAREWARE'. Donkey Kong JR.(from the original Donkey Kong Junior for NES) is on a quest to find his banana hoard stolen by the kremlings. The Original Donkey Kong, which is now Cranky Kong, makes an appearance in this game, and gives you tips and hints(for a fee, of course). You must be wondering,'Why is this game is big? Why did it have a big impact on the SNES?' Simply put, it was revolutionary. It was the first game of its type. It boasts highly advanced graphics for the SNES. RARE, along with POWER ANTIALAS tools, created 3d models, which were then converted into sprites with shading. There are many weather effects, such as rain and snow, and the backgrounds are gorgeous. But the game's graphics really shine in the character's smooth animation. Since they were, to begin with, 3d models, their animation is very smooth and correct. Donkey Kong Country also has unforgettable music. I'm sure the tunes will be stuck in your head all day long. Unlike other games where it seems as if they just plopped random notes down at places, RARE took the time the fine-tune the music, making it very exciting and memorable. Aside from graphics and music, this game also boasts very great gameplay. the controls are easy to master, and they respond instantly at the press of a button. This is very important in later levels, when the challenges become tougher. RARE did a great thing by adding what most games lacked, a map screen! Yes, with the map screen, you can easily travel between levels, replay the ones you like, or just go back and earn 1-ups. Another neat feature is the ability to complete the whole game. By this, I mean RARE has given you tasks in each level you must complete. These tasks are in the form of mini-games. See if you can achieve all 101%(Believe me, it can be quite a challenge)! If you're the type who enjoys playing with other people, then you can select from two different multiplayer modes: Team and Competition. In team mode, one player takes control of Diddy while the other takes control of Donkey Kong. In competition mode, there are two different sets of Kongs, the original and the Kongs wearing the yellow ties(the tie makes a whole difference!). All in all, I would say Donkey Kong Country is a masterpeice. You can easily see how much time and effort RARE put into this game, and they didn't skimp on the detials. Some say this game rivals PSX games, and they're right. This game is still fun and challenging, years after it was released! [Dynamiton] | labelimagesubject |
| Eye of the Beholder | Capcom Entertainment;SSI;TSR (Capcom Entertainment) | 1994 | adnd axes beholders bludgeons bodyarmor bossbattles bows capacity-slots capacity-toolslots cephalopoids classbased consoleclassix disguisedtriggers dnd doors dualwielding dungeon dungeoncrawler dwarves elevators elves eob eob-engine fantasyworld femaleprotagonist fictionaluniverse forgottenrealms genderchoice giantinsects gridmove hazardouspowers heroprotagonist humans hunger insectoids jewelry keys knives lockpicking magic magicweapons maleprotagonist medieval meleeweapons monsters mouse multiclassing oneeyedcreatures polearms pressureplates resting sewers skeletons slings sorcery spellmemory subterranean swords thrownweapons titularobject unarmedfighting undead uvl-tiein weefolk xp-deeds xp-kills | labelimageminimize | |
| Plok! | Pickford;Software Creations;Tradewest (Tradewest) | 1993 | bossbattles burrowers consoleclassix deadlywater difficulty difficulty-punishing fish flashbacks fleas flyingsaucers forest fruits giantspiders harmfultouch helicopter island jeep jumping lighthearted lives mimics motorcycle nofalldamage platformer powerups savepassword score secrets subterranean tank unicycle walking | labelimageminimize | |
| Secret of Mana | Square | 1993 | 3ormoreplayers adv-static amoeboids axes boomerangs bossbattles bows chakrams chargedattack chiroptera cityofgold claws consoleclassix controlswitch dragons dryads enemyscan energydraining energyitems felinoids forest genderequipment gnomes group healingitems healthdraining hiddenvillage hires inventory lighthouse losttechnology magic meleeweapons minotaurs mitoticcreatures mode7 monsters mountain mp-bots mp-cooperative mp-dropin mpfocus naga nplayers orphanprotagonist plantcreatures polearms premadeprotagonist radialmenu rapidmovementplants resting robots sandsea santaclaus saveram seikendensetsu shopping simulacrums snesclassic sprites subterranean subway summery swords thrownweapons tigers town traps undead unrootedplants volcano walking wasteland whips wiivirtualconsole wintery worldtree xp-kills xp-literal zombies | [media=youtube]https://youtu.be/IhkrKmANoik[/media]***[b]Development History:[/b] Seiken Densetsu: The Emergence of Excalibur was planned to be a massive 5 disk, 4 player RPG for Nintendo's Disk System that reached a stage of development that had Square confident enough to accept payments for pre-orders. But it never quite came together before financial troubles threaten to bankrupt Square in 1987. As a last magnus opus, Square published Final Fantasy before closure. Surprise, FF rescued the company from financial demise. Square was reluctant to give up Seiken Densetsu because they had spent resources setting up the intellectual property rights associated with it (and taken pre-orders). The Seiken Densetsu project was reopened, this time as an cartridge based game, due to the waning popularity of the Disk System. But other projects kept occupying their people, such as Final Fantasy II, and Final Fantasy III. At one point, the title was referred to as ファイナルファンタジーIV (Final Fantasy IV) in the press; but internally, the massive project seemed doomed, so much so, that Square slapped the name on a Final Fantasy spin-off for Gameboy, 聖剣伝説 ～ファイナルファンタジー外伝～ (Seiken Densetsu: Final Fantasy Gaiden/Final Fantasy Adventure/Mystic Quest) that was originally named Gemma Knights. This is where the NES version of the game ends. Then came the announcement of the Super Nintendo CD-ROM add-on. Final Fantasy Gaiden did well enough for a sequel, so Seiken Densetsu: The Emergence of Excalibur was reinvigorated as a CD-ROM project. Some elements of Final Fantasy Gaiden were added to the design. Finally, the project was finished, then Super Nintendo CD-ROM venture collapsed, Seiken Densetsu was over, sort of. The game was speedily chopped down to cartridge size and published as Seiken Densetsu 2/Secret of Mana. DOG was a cooperative venture between 7 videogame companies that developed games then published them under the Square brand. During the "ファイナルファンタジーIV" stage, all materials used the DOG Square label.*** [100]*** [32]***Once upon a time, the power of Mana was used by all people and helped their civilization grow. But as evil forces took control of Mana Fortress, there was no way out but a war which destroyed the Mana-based civilization but eventually brought peace to people. The events of the past became but legends to the new generation of humans. But history repeats itself... One day, a young village boy finds a rusty sword stuck at the bottom of a river. He doesn't know this sword is the famous Mana sword, the one that won so many battles before. By drawing the sword out of the river bottom, the boy unwillingly summons hordes of monsters, and is expelled from his village. A mysterious knight Jema is the only man who helps him and gives him instructions for the future. First, he must repair the sword, and then, with its help, take control of Mana seeds which can be found in eight great castles.*** [45]***European version [29]***Japanese version [29]*** [27]***[b]Tags[/b] While developed as the first game in the Seiken Densetsu series, it ended up becoming the sequel to [game=#8669]Final Fantasy Adventure[/game]. Each player (up to 3) controls a member of a cooperative group. Uncontrolled characters are played by computer AI according to strategy set by the lead player. There are sprite like characters in the game. A good portion of the game takes place in forest areas. androgynouscharacter? There are rooted and unrooted plants that move rapidly to attack the player. There are unrooted plant based creatures that move freely as if they were an animal. Ther are sprite like beings in the game. Killing enemies gains personal experience points for a player but a strike gains points for the skill level of the weapon that are holding during deed. [Zerothis]***Good and evil battle for a young warrior's heart. There is one force in the universe that keeps good and evil in perfect balance. It is called the tree of Mana. But a magic sword has tricked a young warrior into upsetting this balance, spreading evil throughout the land. Thus, the warrior must undertake a dangerous journey to find the seeds of the Mana tree, which have been hidden for centuries. Only then can perfect harmony be restored. In this incredible adventure, things are not as they seem. Magic swords release evil as well as fight it. Treasure chests hold booby traps. Monsters are friends and friends are enemies. Potions give power, black magic takes it away. Dragons fly, weapons change. It's a world turned upside down that you must help the warrior make right. And the only way to succeed is to solve the Secret of Mana.***Ahhh, old school SNES RPGs... aren't they great? And Secret of Mana (henceforth SoM) was, and indeed still is one of the best. An action-orientated RPG along the same lines as the equally wonderful Zelda games, SoM is one of those games that I can keep playing through without getting bored. The plot is good, if a little unoriginal, and it has a great multiplayer option, a rarity in SNES RPGs.***One of the greatest RPG's ever made for SNES. It comes in English and a few other languages, like French, German and Spanish. [DjOuL]***I likeit.It's the best!! ... thats all [WOODY] | labelimagesubject |
| Shadowrun | Data East;Laser Beam (Beam Software) | 1993 | 1life 2050s 21stcentury adv-ptdistr amnesia apartmentbuilding arena assaultrifles book bossbattles cemetery city city-seattle-wa communicator consoleclassix cyberpunk cyborgs demons dogs dragons earth elevators elves encounters-unset entityvinvention entityvsupernatural fantasticearth firearms future grenades group hackers hacking handguns hirelings inventory lineofsight lowtech-future lutris magic meleeweapons mercenaryprotagonist mollusk music-funk music-hiphop music-metal music-punk music-rock neutralnpcs nojumping noncombpenalty northamerica orcs organizedcrime publictransit robots saveram sciencefantasy sequelhook sequence-timed shadowrun shapeshifters shopping sorcery squid stealth subterranean ttrpgtiein unarmedfighting undead upgrades-abilities upgrades-health upgrades-other upgrades-permanent virtualreality walking xp-kills zombies | According to game developers, this game was built upon the "core" of [game=#8055]Nightshade[/game]. This was done to meet the short deadline they had to complete a game based on the Shadowrun license. Another reason they needed to take this shortcut was because most of their adventure game designers left the company after Nightshade was done. To further complicate things, the game's development was put on hold for years and restarted with 6 months left to finish. Even though there was a new team and a new writer, everything had to fit with the story that had already been approved by FASA (there was no creative control to alter this previously approved story)***Loosely based on the novel [i]Never Deal with a Dragon[/i], by Robert N. Charrette.***The hilarity of the Johnny Mnemonic movie review aside, the story actually seems inspired by William Gibson's short story title [i]Johnny Mnemonic[/i] published via Omni magazine in 1981 and again via his [i]Burning Chrome[/i] collection of short stories in 1981. The Johnny Mnemonic movie actually came 3 years [b]after[/b] this game. You wake up on a slab in a drawer in the local chop shop (morgue) in Seattle. Find out what happened. Discover Jake's life path. Discover who you can trust. Retaliate against the ones responsible. Fight against and with elves and dwarfs. Banish the undead. Battle sea monsters and dragons. Hack computers. Augment you body with technology and learn magic. Use a bit of detective work, lots of bullets, and public transportation. [Zerothis]***This game is one of those timeless (although strangely unknown) games, which I so enjoy playing. Set in the 'distant' future, it follows the same path as the movie, no doubt based on this, staring the infamous Keanu Reaves, Johny Mneumonic. Summed up: You got a harddrive in your head, it's costing you a hell of a headache, and damn, you're going to get it out. Very creative RPG-type level system, multiple weapons, but system of conversations get tiresome. Definitely a game worth playing, but you better be ready to try EVERYTHING to beat it.***Loved this game right from the start when i bought is for my snes 10 years ago for christmas. I bought secret of mana at the same time and shadowrun ranked before secret of mana. i spent all christmas holidays to finish the game. Unfortunatelly i felt it was a bit short. Nevertheless if there would have been a part2 i would have bought it for sure. [otaku-kun] | labelimagesubject |
| The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past | Nintendo | 1991 | achillesheelfoes amoeboids ancientenemy automap ballistics bees bossbattles bows bridge burrowers cemetery centauroids chapel childprotagonist children chosenone cloaking compositeattacks consoleclassix currency dashing directionalforce directionalforce-movingsurface disappearingplatforms doors elvenprotagonist elves fae fish floatingeyes forcedpolymorph forest fortunetelling foundmaps giantinsects giantworms groundslamming gunblades heads healingstations healthwarning humanoidprotagonist illequipped itemget keys ladders lamp lethalobjects limitedcapacity lockpicking lutris magic maleprotagonist map meleeweapons minigames mode7 monsters mountain mummies mystics nohumans outlaws parallelworld plains rewardingvandalism rocketjumping ruins saveram secrets seers shields shinto shooting-gallery shopping shovels similliteracy skeletons slipperysurfaces snakes snesclassic sourcecodestolen stealing stealingnpcs stunning subterranean swords teleportmaze testudines titularcharacter town traproom treants trees undead unexpectedsituation wasteland wiivirtualconsole wintery zelda zelda-universe zeldalike | [30]*** [66]***Japanese version [32]*** [64]***Also reviewed in Nintendo Player #7 without score. [46]*** [37]***European version [29]***Japanese version [29]*** [27]***A Link to the Past (LTP throughout) was a ground-breaking game for the Zelda series. Besides being the first Zelda for the SNES, it was the first to have a semi fleshed-out plot. By semi fleshed-out, I mean something more than collect crystals and kill Ganon. Instead, it had a retrieve 3 pendants, collect the 'Master Sword,' kill Agahnim, _then_ collect crystals and [spoiler]kill Ganon (revealed to be Agahnim's alter-ego).[/spoiler] Despite my sarcasm, I actually enjoyed (and continue to enjoy) this game having beaten it at least 15 times and I still keep coming back for more. The wonderfully engaging plot (mentioned above) actually takes place *before* the first 2 Zeldas, and so is technically a prequel. The game-play departs from the Zelda 2 RPG style, and returns to it's roots as a top-view adventure game with RPG elements. Unlike the first Zelda, communication plays a fairly important role in this installment. There are friendly, non-cavedwelling NPC's that you can, indeed are required, to get information from. Some play an important role, some are there just to annoy the living shnike out of you. Fighting is still basicly the same as in the original, as is the heart and money system. However, the overworld/dungeon system has changed drastically with the addition of an in-game map that actually shows important locations. i.e. Where you are, where you need to go, and enough detail to make getting there possible.***The Zelda Link to the Past [[link:http://www.romhacking.net/hacks/170/ Master Quest]] hack has brand new dungeons, overworlds, music, etc. [cjlee001] | labelimagesubject |
