| Chiller | |||
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| Grade: D |
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Last modified 2007/7/1.
The overriding criteria is how fun the game is to play, although control, graphics, and sound are also taken into account. |
Screen shots courtesy of Video Game Museum, GameScreenShots.com, NES Player, Video Game Advantage, Pro-NES, Moby Games.
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Here's an interesting shooter similar to Nam 1974 (Neo Geo), although not nearly as good. In Cabal, you move a soldier side-to-side across the bottom of the screen, shooting and ducking behind barriers as enemies open fire in the background. By aiming a crosshair and holding the fire button, you blast enemy troops, tanks, trucks, and helicopters. Two people can play at the same time. Cabal would be pretty cool if not for the awkward control scheme that moves both your soldier and crosshairs. Not only do they move at the same time, but also at different speeds! Still, it's satisfying to mow down enemy troops and lob grenades at tanks. Each stage provides some interesting scenery, including an enemy fort, a murky swamp, and an exotic beach. I like the concept of the "enemy meter", which keeps you posted on how many more enemies you need to defeat to advance to the next stage. Sometimes Cabal doesn't make much sense. For example, when you complete a stage, all of the scenery on the screen collapses into a dusty heap. I can understand buildings collapsing at a fort, but is it really necessary for the swamp to cave in as well? It's equally strange how at the end of each stage your soldier celebrates by running around and waving his gun like a bow-legged hillbilly! Cabal isn't great, but if you're looking for a unique shooter, it has its moments.
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I wasn't very familiar with Captain Skyhawk when I began this review, but judging by the tons of copies at my neighborhood Funcoland, I'm guessing it must have been pretty popular at one time. And it's easy to see why, because this is a first class shooter with pseudo-3D visuals that represent the cutting edge for the NES. You guide a large, nicely rendered fighter plane over planets with geometric surfaces and triangular mountains. The landscapes don't look particularly realistic, but the crisp visuals convey a nice sense of depth. That's important, because you can adjust your altitude and even land to refuel during some missions. As you weave through valleys, you'll blast cannons, tanks, and helicopters. The animation is fast and smooth, with explosions that are modest but still satisfying. Enemy missiles can be hard to see, but moving side-to-side helps avoid these slow-moving projectiles. The diverse mission objectives include rescuing a scientist, dropping off supplies, and destroying strategic enemy bases. In addition to the planetary missions, there are also some air-combat and space station docking stages. The air-combat stages play like Afterburner, with enemy aircraft that zoom in and scale nicely over the horizon. Unfortunately, these air stages are lengthy and and tend to wear out their welcome. The docking stages are short but require precision and timing. Once docked, you can load up with several secondary weapons, including lock-on missiles. The game provides several continues. Be sure to check out the title screen music which is exceptionally good. Captain Skyhawk is an ambitious shooter that delivers with quality visuals and surprising depth.
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It's interesting to go back and play the original Castlevania - the game that started it all. I was particularly impressed with the soundtrack, which manages to be both melodic and haunting - a tall order for the NES. You assume the role of a vampire hunter attempting to slay Dracula in his castle. Initially armed with only a whip, you'll find special weapons which are unleashed by pushing up on the directional pad while pressing the attack button. These include knives, axes, holy water, crosses, and a magical watch that temporarily freezes foes in their tracks. Establishing the formula that will continue for all of eternity, you'll slash torches to reveal hearts, leap between ledges, and battle legions of evil creatures from skeletons to zombies to jumping fish-men. Castlevania's simple, arcade-style gameplay is compelling but slightly tainted by its preponderance of cheap hits. Being touched by a little bat can send you plunging into the nearest abyss, and many traps spell instant death. Castlevania's graphics are better than you might expect, with meticulously detailed walls that look properly aged. On the downside, some of the creatures are not well defined, and smaller creatures can be hard to discern. But despite its rough edges, Castlevania is a fun game that stands the test of time.
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You'd expect the first Castlevania sequel to expand on the solid gameplay of the original, but Simon's Quest took an ill-advised new approach. In an apparent attempt to make the gameplay "richer", Konami incorporated all sorts of RPG elements, transforming an exciting action adventure into a tedious exercise in collecting hearts, talking to characters, and killing time. Your quest begins in a quaint town, one of many you'll visit to collect items and gather information. Pressing the select button reveals a status screen which displays weapons, items, and other vital information - including the time of day. This is worth noting because time plays a vital role in the game. You'll need to purchase and trade items in order to progress through the game, but you can only do business with townsfolk during the day. At night, the villages are crawling with ghouls you slay to earn hearts. The idea is to rack up hearts before sunrise, and then use them to purchase items during the day, but it rarely works out so neatly. You need a lot of hearts to buy critical items, and too often I found myself waiting impatiently for the sunset or sunrise. Simon's Quest lacks the arcade flavor of the first game, but its graphics and sound are very good. The monsters include the usual suspects like skeletons, swamp creatures, and werewolves, but there are also new surprises like web-slinging spiders and hands that reach out of graves. The soundtrack is high quality, but much like the gameplay, it is repetitive. Simon's Quest is far more expansive than the first, so a much-needed password feature is provided. The game has three different endings, but don't expect much from them. Castlevania II just isn't as fun as the original game, and its new RPG elements weigh it down.
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When it comes to NES side-scrolling action, it doesn't get much better than Castlevania III. After a brief misstep with Simon's Quest, the series gets back on track with this action-packed gothic adventure. As vampire hunter Trevor Belmont, you'll journey through a village, swamp, forest, clock tower, and ghost ship before finally arriving at Dracula's huge castle. The graphics are remarkable, from the vine-laced ruins in the foreground to the soaring mountain peaks in the distance. Unlike most NES titles, the characters here actually look somewhat realistic. An amazing variety of creatures include floating medusa heads and pesky little hunchbacks. The controls are responsive enough, but navigating stairs takes a little finesse. The difficulty is fair, and a password feature allows you to save your game. Unlike Castlevania II, no separate status screen is required since all the vital information is displayed across the top of the screen. Perhaps Castlevania III's most innovative feature is the ability to play as boss characters you defeat along the way - an ingenious concept. The stages are separated by branching paths, adding even more replay value to an already extraordinary game. The first-rate musical score brilliantly captures the flavor of the game. Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse is a "must-have" NES game if there ever was one.
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With its humorous visuals and competitive head-to-head action, Caveman Games has an intriguing premise but is aggravating to play. Like a prehistoric version of Summer Games, it contains six individual "sports" events that pit two cavemen against each other. Events can be played individually or sequentially in one big tournament. The graphics feature impressively large sprites rendered with a comic flair. The action kicks off with the "clubbing" event, where two Neanderthal men beat the heck out of each other on an elevated stone platform. It sounds like a good time, but stiff controls and choppy animation take its toll on the fun factor. The "Mate Toss" event is inspired by the Olympic hammer throw, but in this case you swing a cavewoman by the leg and hurl her for distance. It looks pretty hilarious, and is probably the most entertaining contest of the bunch. In "Dino Vault", you attempt to soar over a hungry T-Rex, but the unforgiving controls make this event too frustrating. "Dino Race" is one of those split-screen, button-tapping foot races with rock obstacles to jump over. It would have been a lot better if the controls weren't so confusing and unresponsive. "Saber Race" is another split-screen affair, but this time both players are chased by a Sabertooth Tiger. Players can push and shove each other as they head toward the safety of a tree. In "Fire Start", both cavemen are sitting next to each other in front of a pile of sticks. For readers who aren't Eagle Scouts, igniting the sticks involves rubbing sticks together and blowing on them. Not only is this event time-consuming and hard on your hands, but your opponent can also reach over and club you in the head just as you're about to get a flame going. That sucks! I reviewed this game with several friends, and although we shared a few laughs, I think we were all pretty relieved when it was over. I usually enjoy head-to-head competitions, but Caveman Games is too hard for its own good.
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Whoa - this is the most bizarre NES game I've ever seen. Chiller is a gruesome, unlicensed light gun game created by twisted minds for twisted minds. The first thing you notice is its oddly-shaped cartridge that does not easily fit into the console. Once you get that working, you'll struggle with the controls. Configuring the game to work with the NES light gun is not easy. You'll need to plug the gun into the right port, but it's hard to tell if it's working because it's so unresponsive. You have to keep it within a few inches of the screen for your shots to register, and even then the accuracy is just not there. But as bad as the gun control is, it's actually a step up from the control pad, which uses a tiny, hard-to-aim crosshair. Chiller's control is deplorable, but I was fascinated by its graphics and sound. This game brings to life so many classic horror images. The first stage depicts a graveyard scene at night with a church in the background. Arms reach out of graves and toss skulls back and forth. Heads and limbs can be seen on the ground, and a mysterious woman pushes a baby carriage in the distance. Your job is to hit a certain number of targets in a fixed period of time. Actually, many targets are revealed by red dots that appear with when the screen flashes as you fire the gun. The second screen depicts the hallway of a haunted house with various creeps and apparitions. You'll see an arm fall from the ceiling and be retrieved by a hungry dog below. Then things get really twisted. The third stage shows some men strapped down, and you must shoot each part of their bodies until nothing remains. Is this sick or what? Fortunately, the cheesy NES graphics aren't realistic enough to be disturbing. In this final stage, a man is chained to the wall, another is in a guillotine, and a semi-naked woman is trapped in an iron maiden. Chiller is over-the-top by any standard. It provides some novelty value for adults, but it's definitely not for kids.
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Cobra Command is a second-rate Choplifter clone with uninspired gameplay and awful control. You pilot a helicopter on a side-scrolling screen, attempting to rescue hostages while contending with ground fire and enemy helicopters. With only three shooting angles, it's very difficult to aim. Controlling your sluggish aircraft is a chore, especially when the screen is in the act of scrolling. Cobra Command's background graphics are fair, but the explosions are just pathetic. Incredibly, shooting a helicopter or a soldier produces the same lame explosion. It's hard to find anything to like about Cobra Command.
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Games like this are the reason you need to hold onto your old NES console. Cobra Triangle is a compelling speedboat game that's unlike anything I've played before. With eight unique stages, variety is the name of this game. Commanding a small, red speedboat with a mounted gun, the action is viewed from a tilted overhead perspective. The various stages challenge you to race other boats, collect pods, dispose of mines, guard swimmers, and even practice shooting targets on the shoreline. The title screen features a huge green sea serpent, and I was pleased to see this beast brought to life in the impressive boss stage. Only the "jump the waterfall" stages fail to live up to their potential, mainly because the falls look so fake. The stages are very uneven in difficulty, so be sure to "power-up" your boat in the early going. In general, the stages tend to run less than a minute each, so even if you don't care for a particular one, you won't have to deal with it for long. You can tell that Cobra Triangle was programmed by talented programmers. The graphics are bright and attractive, with smooth animation and minimal flicker. After completing a stage, a tiny propeller sprouts from your boat and flies you to the next stage. Compared to its graphics, Cobra Triangle's music is pretty mediocre. You get three continues, but using a continue does not reset your score, and that's just wrong. Still, Cobra Triangle is a quality title that's unlike anything else out there.
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After recently playing this game on the Atari 7800, I can really appreciate the smooth, vibrant graphics of this superior NES version. Commando plays like Ikari Warriors or Rambo, as you control a single soldier forging up the screen into enemy territory. The action is intense as you shoot scores of enemy soldiers and toss grenades into bunkers. The action is smooth but the flicker can be excessive at times, detracting from the otherwise sharp visuals. Commando is extremely challenging, and can be frustrating for the novice. The mobs of regenerating enemies are relentless, and you're more likely to die from touching one of them than from actually being shot. Trying to aim diagonally can be especially frustrating. If there's a secret to doing well in Commando, it is this: Shoot constantly and keep moving. It turns out that enemies can't fire their guns or catch up to you once you pass them, so just concentrate on those ahead of you. The background graphics depict a bland, brown environment suggestive of Desert Storm. I wasn't terribly impressed with the gameplay, but Commando did keep me entertained for a little while. It's a shame that the two-player mode requires both players to take turns instead of playing at the same time.
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Contra's rousing theme song is instantly recognizable to many gamers raised on the NES. Most of my buddies played this game religiously as kids, and still love to play it today. Contra set the standard for commando-style, side-scrolling shooters, with top-notch graphics, memorable audio, and a superior control system. Incorporating stages with various points of view and intimidating bosses, Contra keeps you coming back for more. Your Rambo-like character battles soldiers, cannons, and aliens as he traverses jungle, snow, waterfalls, hangars, and a climactic alien lair. The control is dead-on; you can jump, duck, and aim in eight directions. The fact that you can fire diagonally was actually quite a luxury in 1988. Power-ups abound, but the "spray" weapon is by far the most desirable. The finely-detailed, side-scrolling stages are expertly designed to provide multiple routes and allow for strategic crossfire opportunities in the excellent two-player simultaneous mode. You know it's not your typical side-scroller when you fall off a platform into water below, but instead of losing a life, you can wade safely to shore. Well-executed pseudo-3D shooting levels elevate the game to the next level, and the bosses are immense but never frustrating. This game is challenging - the standard three lives is hardly sufficient - so don't hesitate to use the popular 30-life cheat code (Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, Start at title screen). Contra is a classic NES shooter, and one of the definitive titles for the system. Konami released a sequel called Super C.
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As a late arrival on the NES, many gamers missed out on this overhead racer the first time around. With its toy-sized cars, screen-sized tracks, and quick races, Danny Sullivan's Indy Heat is like a dream come true for old-school fans. Despite its small scale, Indy Heat boasts better visuals and more strategy than most NES racers. The tracks are rendered exceptionally well from an isometric point of view, giving them a distinct sense of depth. Each of the nine courses sports a different configuration, and there's plenty of eye candy among the crowds in the stands, trucks, trees, and buildings. A tall scoreboard in the center clearly shows the lap count of each racer, and a tiny man waves the white and checkered flags. There are even men that hold up "PIT" signs when it's time for maintenance. Each race consists of five cars, and if you have a multi-tap, you can connect four controllers and challenge a group of friends! Can you guess who's driving that yellow car that always seems to win? Yeah - that's Danny Sullivan! The controls are simple as can be, but there's plenty of strategy involved with timing your turbo boosts and using the pit stops in the most efficient manner. The tracks tend to be narrow, so there's a lot of bumping going on as you jockey for position. In the pit area, tiny crew members leap out to work on your car, which looks funny but impressive at the same time. This is one of the few games where pit stops really do make a difference! Between races you can easily and quickly use winnings to upgrade your vehicle. Expertly designed and programmed with care, Indy Heat sets the high water mark for old-school racing fun.
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Known as Stargate in the arcade, Defender II never approached the popularity of the original. This is a good-looking translation, but many key features are missing. Why is it that when you catch a humanoid, you don't have to return him to the planet surface? And what happened to the inviso-shield and hyperspace controls? Considering they were included on the Atari 2600 version, their absence here is glaring. Defender II also tends to be too fast, making it difficult to avoid collisions, especially when changing direction. If anything, this game makes me want to play the original Defender.
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Demon Sword has its share of fans, but I have no idea why. Upon firing up the cartridge, brace yourself for the worst music ever heard in a video game. Like its soundtrack, Demon Sword's gameplay is different, but not in a good way. You control a male ninja wearing a red skirt with a slit up the side (sexy!). He's armed with throwing stars and a sword that's initially about the size of a pencil. That's right - a pencil. What are you supposed to do, poke somebody's eye out? Most ninja games feature a certain degree of jumping, but in Demon Sword everybody and their mother is soaring through the air and leaping over treetops. The movie Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon has nothing on this game. Unfortunately, after you leap a country mile there's often no place to land, and that's not good. Fight in mid-air is hard, so you're better off keeping you feet on the ground. Even then, the levels are so poorly designed that I felt as if I was going in circles (okay, maybe I was). You'll battle a lot of skeletal creatures, and I have to admit they look pretty wicked - especially the dogs. The bosses seem relatively brain-dead, moving in random patterns with no regard to your attacks. Demon Sword is unquestionable wild, but I really wish it was fun instead.
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This first-person space shooter may look better than Star Raiders (Atari 1982), but it's certainly not as fun to play. As with most games of the genre, you first locate your enemies on a galactic map and then hyperwarp to their location. Thankfully, you don't need to switch to a separate screen for the map, and traversing the sectors is pretty easy. Unfortunately, the boring battles that ensue are not worth the trip. Armed with lasers and completely useless torpedoes, you encounter enemies that resemble imperial transports from Star Wars, and these typically appear one at a time. Earthstar's sloppy animation prevents you from ever feeling in control. Enemies tend to jump across the screen schizophrenically, forcing you to shoot fast and hope for the best before they zoom off. At that point you'll have to slowly turn your ship 180 degrees to get them back in your sights. It takes several hits to destroy anything, making the battles feel long and arduous. The screen contains a slew of gauges on the lower half, but as it turns out, it's mostly just for show. Perhaps a more appropriate name for this lame shooter would have been Destination Bargain Bin.
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Sometimes it takes more than bright graphics and an innovative concept to make a good video game. The original Dig Dug has that certain intangible quality to it, with gameplay that's aged like wine. Sadly, Dig Dug II is just the opposite. It's less than the sum of its parts. All of your favorite characters have returned, but the gameplay is completely revamped. Wandering freely around a flat island, the idea is to drill into the ground, creating fissures that cause large chunks of the island to break away into the sea, sending your foes to Davey Jone's Locker. It sounds like a blast, but the controls are surprisingly counter-intuitive. You can only drill in certain spots, and it's not readily apparent which half of the island is going the break off. More often than not, it's the side you're standing on! You can still pump enemies full of air, but blowing them up won't earn you any high scores. As the stages progress and the islands begin to assume odd shapes, Dig Dug II becomes more of a puzzle game than an arcade title. I can certainly appreciate how its sharp graphics and excellent music stay true to the original, but frankly, this game is not very fun. Much of the blame lies with the awful controls. My friend Steve was so unimpressed that he asked me if this was some sort of "bootleg" game! Without an ounce of the magic of the original, Dig Dug 2 has largely faded into obscurity.
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I've played many home versions of Donkey Kong, but this one may be the best. That shouldn't come as a surprise, considering Nintendo invented the game in the first place. The two main characters would go on to become legends in the game industry. The hero is a little plumber with a big mustache named Mario, and the villain is a giant ape named Donkey Kong. Each stage involves navigating Mario up a series of girders while jumping over barrels and fireballs in order to rescue a girl being held hostage by Kong. Hammers allow you to smash oncoming barrels and fireballs, but don't get overconfident because the hammer does not make you invincible. You can also seek additional bonus points by grabbing out-of-the-way items like umbrellas and pocketbooks. Donkey Kong's graphics are nearly identical to the arcade, but the stages have been "flattened" to better fit a TV screen (the arcade used a vertically-oriented monitor). Three out of the four screens are included. Missing is the conveyer belt screen, but that was never too popular anyway. The audio is faithful to the arcade, but Mario's loud squeaky shoes are slightly obnoxious. Two skill levels are included, but the "expert" level is relatively tame. Perhaps I've just become a Donkey Kong whiz over the years, but I was able to clear the first few sets of screens without much trouble. This NES translation has it quirks but ultimately succeeds in bringing the arcade experience home.
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If you're reading this for the first time, you may be thinking, "There was a Donkey Kong 3?!" The answer unfortunately is yes, and to say it was a major flop is like saying fish enjoy swimming. To put it bluntly, this game positively stinks! Mario is nowhere to be found, and that should set off some warning alarms right there. Believe me - it was a good career move on his part. The screen is set up with Donkey Kong hanging from two vines at the top of the screen, aggravating bees' nests on either side of him. This causes the bees to swarm down and steal flowers lined across the bottom of the screen. To protect the flowers, you move some non-descript guy side-to-side across the bottom, firing bursts of bug spray at the oncoming insects. Who would have thought that the third Donkey Kong would be a shooter of all things? Shooting at Donkey Kong pushes him higher up the vines, and the stage ends when he reaches the very top. Donkey Kong 3 isn't very fun, and having to constantly tap the fire button put a serious cramp in my wrist. Considering the genius of the first two games, it's hard to fathom that this ill-conceived dud got the green light from Nintendo. Even the graphics and sound fall flat. Donkey Kong 3 is one ill-advised game even Nintendo would like to forget.
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You can't go wrong with both Donkey Kong and Donkey Kong Jr. on one convenient cartridge. Both of these games are superb adaptations of the arcade originals, and both offer two skills levels. There's nothing here you won't find on the individual carts however.
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You don't see many sequels as inventive or enjoyable as Donkey Kong Jr. This underrated title maintains the flavor of the original game while introducing a completely new style of play. This time the tables are turned and Donkey Kong is being held captive by Mario at the top of the screen. You control Donkey Kong's diminutive son coming to the rescue, but instead of traversing steel girders, junior climbs across vines and hop on grass-covered platforms. The vertically hanging vines are easy to move between and scuttle up and down. Complicating matters are egg-dropping birds and small munching "jaws", but you can dispose of these pests by strategically dropping hanging fruit. Donkey Kong Jr. is far more challenging than the original Donkey Kong. You can bump your head on platforms, and even falling a modest distance will kill your monkey. All four screens from the arcade are present in this version. Imaginative and fun, Donkey Kong Jr. is a worthy sequel to one of the greatest video games of all time.
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A ground-breaking arcade game, Double Dragon popularized the side-scrolling, beat-em-up genre. On the NES however, its title is deceiving because only one person can play at a time, and that's disappointing. Otherwise Double Dragon is pretty solid fighter with graphics and music that are pretty faithful to the arcade. In addition to fighting in the streets, you can also scale ladders and fight on buildings. The characters are small but the controls are responsive. Flicker in the graphics is seen on occasion, but is not too disruptive. A few of the "thugs" you battle are pretty laughable, like the guys in purple tights, the female aerobic instructors, and the black guy with the enormous head. In order to dispose of enemies most efficiently, keep an eye out for ledges you can knock them off of. Your attacks are limited at first, but eventually you have the opportunity to toss barrels and brandish weapons like whips, baseball bats, and knives. Should you progress far enough, you'll also gain additional moves like the uppercut, hair pull, spin kick, and my personal favorite, the head-butt. A two-player "duel" (one-on-one) mode is included, but it's hardly worth your time. A very challenging and addictive game, Double Dragon spawned a number of sequels, including two on the NES.
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This Double Dragon sequel offers additional options, improved gameplay, and most importantly, two players can now fight side-by-side! The characters are slightly larger, and heroes Billy and Jimmy Lee sport hilarious bouffant hairdos! Unlike the first game, all of the special moves are available up front, including throws and spin kicks. The control scheme is confusing at first since the button functions change depending on which way you're facing, but it doesn't take long to get the hang of. The two-player action is what makes the game enjoyable, despite a noticeable amount of slowdown and flicker. Double Dragon II begins in the streets but ultimately moves into unique locations like an undersea base, a forest, and a mysterious mansion. In one particularly innovative stage you even fight inside of a helicopter, and whenever the door opens people are sucked out! The game includes three skill levels. Double Dragon II is great fun and represents a major step forward for the NES series.
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Double Dribble is a arcade-style, four-on-four basketball title. The action is fiercely competitive with two players, and the CPU serves as a worthy opponent with three skill levels. On offense you simply shoot or pass, and on defense you steal or block. There's no turbo button (that wasn't invented yet), but the swift players move with fluid motion. The passing controls are crisp, but the highlight of the game occurs when a player goes up for a dunk. This causes the to screen to switch to a close-up showing a huge player slamming the ball down. It's very satisfying, despite the fact that the graphics are rendered in black and white. I also love the well-designed foul-shooting system, consisting of a simple ring moving up and down over the hoop. It requires good timing, and is far superior to the overcomplicated schemes employed by modern basketball games. The court itself looks terrific, but it can be hard to determine which player you're controlling. Defense is especially tough because there's no audible cue when a steal occurs. Once the player with the ball blows by the defender, he's home free, violating the unwritten rule stating "the defender should always be slightly faster than the man with the ball". Double Dribble's audio is rough, mainly limited to the basketball pounding against the hard wooden floor. The teams are uneven, providing a convenient excuse when you're getting your ass handed to you (not that this ever happened to me). As you might expect from Konami, there's a terrific halftime show complete with cheerleaders and mascots. Although somewhat uneven, Double Dribble still provides for a very fun and easy-to-play game of hoops.
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This NES edition of Dragon Spirit is less challenging that the Namco arcade version, but that turns out to be a mixed blessing. New Legend incorporates a storyline between stages, but you'll be wise to skip past these brainless cut-scenes. The overcomplicated intro almost suggests an RPG, but rest assured Dragon Spirit is a straightforward vertical shooter. You control a flying dragon blasting monsters with your fiery breath over islands, jungles, caves, and even deep in the sea. Much like Xevious, you can shoot missiles at foes in the air and bomb those on the ground. Unlike the arcade version of Dragon Spirit however, you can't shoot and bomb at the same time. I think it's better this way, since it adds a bit more strategy. Your missiles and bombs are unleashed in a rapid-fire manner, which is great for spraying pterodactyls or carpet-bombing deadly plants on the ground. There are ample power-ups which tend to drift toward you, including some that let you grow a second or third head to double or triple your firepower. Dragon Spirit's graphics are colorful and vibrant, but while some creatures look great, many appear to be shapeless blobs. You're bound to confuse some of them with the pixilated background scenery. While I enjoy Dragon Spirit's rapid-fire shooting, I found this version to be a bit easy. Each of your three dragons can withstand a number of hits before dying, and your enemies don't stand much of a chance against your considerable firepower. Also, there's never more than a few enemies on the screen at a time. If you're looking for a standard shooter, Dragon Spirit will do the trick, but it probably won't set your world on fire.
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It's ironic that an arcade game known for its ground-breaking graphics and audio is probably the worst game ever to grace the NES. A 2D adaptation of the famous (infamous?) laserdisc game, Dragon's Lair excels in terms of presentation but is an utter nightmare to play. You assume the role of Dirk the Daring, a knight attempting to rescue a princess in a mysterious castle. The graphics are beautifully illustrated, with very large characters and detailed castle interiors. Impressive classical string music also compliments the theme. It's a shame that the game is practically unplayable. Like the arcade version, cheap hits abound and only through tedious trial and error will you forge ahead. Actually, it's worse than the arcade because you have a lot more options available at any given time. It doesn't help that Dirk is so freakin' unresponsive - it takes a full second for him to duck after you press the directional pad down. The stage objectives are completely counter-intuitive, and luck plays a critical role. The very first screen involves crossing a bridge to enter the castle, and I was so baffled that I had to resort to a walk-thru just to survive it. Dirk is so fragile that even jumping into a wall causes him to shatter into a pile of bones! Dragon's Lair for the NES is a complete debacle, and I can't imagine anyone deriving any degree of enjoyment from this.
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Few video games are as distinctive and memorable as this old favorite, with its goofy fluttering ducks and that wacky dog hiding in the hedges. As one of the original NES "pack-in" games, there's not much substance to Duck Hunt, but its simple gameplay and comical graphics make it likeable nonetheless. The first variation challenges you to shoot one duck at a time, and you get three shots per duck. If you make the quota, you'll advance to a slightly harder round. A cartoon dog adds comic relief by holding up ducks you shoot down or laughing at you when you miss. The sparse scenery consists of a tree and bush, and it never changes. Although the instructions claim the NES light gun has a range of up to six feet from the TV, the optimal distance seems more like three or four feet. To be honest, the difficulty of the game is largely a function of how close you're sitting to the screen. The first variation (one duck at a time) bored me to tears, but the second variation is better, tossing out two ducks at a time. A two-player option lets the second player control the ducks, but there's really no point to that. The best variation is the clay shooting, where you take aim at pairs of small gray disks launched into the sky. Duck Hunt hasn't aged particularly well, but it's just the ticket if you're looking for some simple shooting action, or maybe just a stroll down memory lane.
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Dusty Diamonds is a real gem of a baseball game. You construct a team from a set of comical characters with oversized heads that include witches, goblins, and aliens. Dusty Diamonds plays 95% like regular baseball, but are a few minor rule changes. Foul balls are considered outs, and it's possible to catch the ball well beyond the "home-run line". Unlike regular baseball, the gameplay is fast and entertaining. You get a behind-the-batter view during the pitches, and a wide angle view of the field once the ball is hit. Perhaps the best part of the game is its wacky playing fields, located in six interesting locations including a cliff, an island, and a schoolyard. Each has its own little quirks that add an element of unpredictablity. Fun and easy-to-play, Dusty Diamonds puts the fun back into baseball.
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Compared to the first Star Wars game for the NES, Empire Strikes Back represents a huge step forward. At the very least, Empire makes an effort to capture the spirit of the saga, with graphics and music that are faithful to the film. Stages range from the snowy terrain of Hoth, to the green swamps of Dagobah, to the modern building architecture of Cloud City. The first stage places Luke on a Taun-Taun (a creature resembling a kangaroo) as he investigates a mysterious transmission on the ice planet Hoth. Hoth's snowy scenery is featured prominently, and it looks terrific. Upon entering some icy caverns, Luke can dismount from his Taun-Taun and explore the more narrow caves on foot. Here, Luke locates his lightsaber and begins acquiring his Force powers. There's some tedious jumping (including the ubiquitous "floating" platforms), but the controls tend to be forgiving. What stinks is how the game sends you all the way back to the beginning of each stage when you die - even when you've reached the boss! Although small, the characters are realistically proportioned and nicely animated. One particularly useful new move is the "power jump", which is charged by holding back on the directional pad. Most of the action in Empire is standard platform fare, but there are two exceptional shooting stages, including a battle against the AT-AT Walkers on Hoth which looks fantastic. Reminiscent of the original first Empire Strikes Back game (Atari 2600, 1982), you fire at Walkers with your snowspeeder, and can even employ tow cables to trip them! It looks awesome when they collapse, and you can even go back and "finish" them! I love the way the snowspeeder is animated as it "loops around" for another run. Upon getting shot down, Luke can still run around the planet surface on foot, blasting incoming Snow Troopers. A second cool shooting stage takes place outside of Cloud City where you must blast a certain number of enemy aircraft. While both stages certainly look impressive, their gameplay is slightly compromised by the fact that the objects are so large you can't easily see what's coming. Despite the flaws, LucasFilm was clearly headed in the right direction, as the SNES versions would ultimately prove. Note: Although it was once under development, Return of the Jedi was never released for the NES.
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Excitebike's graphics and sound won't win it any awards, but its tight control and addictive gameplay are hard to resist. The side-scrolling tracks feature hills, obstacles, mud, and ramps. Crisp control allows you to accelerate, turbo, and adjust the angle of your motorbike in the air (which affects your distance and landing). You can either race against other motorbikes or go solo. Racing against other bikers is more exciting, but it's also harder because touching another racer can knock you off your bike. There's no score here - the goal is to achieve the best time so you can advance to the next track. There are only five tracks included, but you also have the option to construct your own! That's right, there's a track editor that even lets you save your work! Excitebike is a quality game, and the only thing missing is a split-screen, two-player mode. This addictive motorcross game was recently "updated" for the Nintendo 64.
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