Freedom Force		Grade: B
	Publisher: Sunsoft (1988) Reviewed: 2001/6/30

Freedom Force is a light gun game that's a cut above the rest. Your mission is to shoot terrorists that have taken over an airport. Fortunately, the terrorists all wear the same colored outfits, making them pretty easy to distinguish from the civilians (when will they learn?). Freedom Force features some nifty graphics. I love how the bad guys fall out of windows when shot, and the tied-up hostages also look exceptional. The gun control is dead-on, and the difficulty ramps in a gradual manner. The stages are linear, but enemies tend to pop-up at random, so you can't just memorize the game. A two-player mode is included, but you'll need to take turns. © Copyright 2001 The Video Game Critic.

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1 or 2 players

Friday the 13th		Grade: D
	Publisher: LJN (1988) Reviewed: 2007/10/15

I happen to be a fan of the Friday the 13th slasher movies, and although this game is surprisingly sophisticated, it lacks the tension that made the films effective. You control six camp councilors that you move individually around Camp Crystal Lake. When you're not rushing to the aid of children in danger, you're exploring cabins to gather notes, weapons, and other helpful items. The start button brings up a helpful map that makes it easy to navigate the campgrounds. In addition to cabin-lined trails around the lake, there are also cave and forest areas that hold secret items. The gameplay is pretty original, but a few ill-conceived elements put a damper on the fun. When wandering around, you're constantly attacked by zombies popping out of the ground. Not only are these irritating, but they destroy any sense of suspense by making you numb to being attacked. I will admit however that I jumped a mile the first time a zombie jumped out of the lake! I wasn't ready for that one. Another problem with Friday the 13th is the first-person perspective used to explore the cabin interiors. Instead of making you feel "in the game", it just makes you feel like a rat in a cage. Jason is large and menacing during his frequent appearances, and you'll need to mix dodges with attacks in order to turn him away. I like how the time of day changes as you play this game, and if you're good, a single game can extend over several days. Friday the 13th is tough, but as you learn specific strategies you'll discover hidden rooms and encounter new dangers like Jason's mother. When all the councilors are deceased, the message appears "You and your friends are dead. Game Over." I guess "Thank you for playing" would not have been appropriate in this case. © Copyright 2007 The Video Game Critic.

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1 player

G.I. Joe		Grade: A
	Publisher: Taxan (1990) Reviewed: 2000/9/10

I'm not familiar with the G.I. Joe cartoon that this game is based on, but this game impressed the heck out of me. You begin by assembling a team of characters, each with their own weapons and firepower, and you can switch between these characters on-the-fly. Missions take you from exotic jungles to icy Antarctica, and each offers a unique challenge and a seemingly endless supply of adversaries. GI Joe's graphics are crisp and colorful, with detailed characters and huge bosses. The controls are dead-on, and the music is also exceptionally good. A password is issued for each level completed. If you're looking for some shoot-em-up action on the NES, GI Joe is the whole package. © Copyright 2000 The Video Game Critic.

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1 player

Galaga		Grade: A
	Publisher: Namco (1988) Reviewed: 2004/9/24

It would be hard to give Galaga anything less than an "A" considering it's practically identical to the classic arcade version. In fact, until I noticed some very subtle differences I thought I was playing an emulated version of the original! In case you're not familiar with this mega-popular shooter, it features bug-like aliens that circle around the screen before settling into formation. One distinctive feature of the game is the double-shot power-up, which was really the first of its kind. In order to obtain it, you must first allow one of your ships to be captured. It's a risky proposition, but rescuing that ship effectively doubles your firepower, allowing you to breeze through the "challenge" stages and earn crazy bonuses. This game is noticeably easier than the arcade version, so Galaga veterans are likely to tally some big scores. Holding down the fire button will allows for continuous shooting (and less wear on your thumb), but you'll fire twice as fast by tapping it. If you have a Nintendo Advantage joystick, this is an ideal game to use it with. © Copyright 2004 The Video Game Critic.

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1 or 2 players

Ghostbusters		Grade: F
	Publisher: Activision (1986) Reviewed: 2000/3/10

It's hard to believe that David Crane, the genius behind the original Pitfall, came up with this sorry excuse for a game. Ghostbusters was a classic movie that should have made for a decent video game, but this thing is a colossal bore. For starters, you'll first need to raise money before you can even begin to do anything worthwhile. This involves driving down endless roads dodging cars and collecting items. Even the Ghostbusters theme gets old after hearing it loop a few times. By the time you actually start capturing ghosts, you begin to realize it wasn't even worth the effort. © Copyright 2000 The Video Game Critic.

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1 player

Ghosts 'N Goblins		Grade: A-
	Publisher: Capcom (1986) Reviewed: 2000/3/10

Let's face it, Ghosts and Goblins defies criticism. Not only is it fun and addicting, but it's spawned many fine sequels, including Maximo for the PS2. You play as an armored knight that can fire projectiles forward, backward, and straight up. Zombies and other creatures pour out of the woodwork as you forge through varied stages that include a graveyard, a burning village, mountains, and caverns. This is pure side-scrolling fun. The graphics provide plenty of variety, and the excellent background music plays a heroic refrain (much like the Genesis version). If there's one obvious complaint, that is that the game is too freakin' hard! The stages are short and you get unlimited continues, but it's still extremely difficult to make progress. © Copyright 2000 The Video Game Critic.

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1 player

Ghoul School		Grade: F
	Publisher: Electro Brain (1989) Reviewed: 2002/5/14

As much as I wanted to like this game, my conscience prevents me from grading it higher than an F. Ghoul School looks great on paper but doesn't play well at all. You control a punk kid trapped in a school crawling with all sorts of creepy monsters. A few of these tend to be quite imaginative and detailed, like the red creature with the huge eye. A toe-tapping tune plays as you wander the halls and classrooms, collecting the items needed to defeat various monstrosities. Unfortunately, the school is a confusing maze consisting of hallways, stairs, and doors that all look exactly alike. The room numbers aren't even consecutive or logical! As a result, you end up wandering aimlessly until you stumble upon a key item (like spring shoes) or weapon (bat, towel, gun). The combat aspect is awful. The pathetic weapons have such an incredibly short range that you'll be limited to repetitive "hit and run" attack patterns. Adding insult to injury, the controls are less than responsive and you're constantly being tossed around. I like the concept behind Ghoul School, but the execution is a mess. © Copyright 2002 The Video Game Critic.

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1 player

Godzilla		Grade: F
	Publisher: Toho (1988) Reviewed: 2000/5/14

I've always been a fan of those old Japanese monster movies, but Godzilla for the NES is just plain bad. The graphics are decent (despite some serious flicker), with characters pulled straight from the films, including Mothra (your weak ally), Gigan, Mech-Godzilla, and that big squid-looking thing. The gameplay involves taking turns moving Godzilla and Mothra around a hex-map (huh?) while attempting to wipe out all the enemies on the board. When you move to an empty space, you're forced to play a side-scrolling "city" level with everybody and their mother bombarding your slow ass with missiles. Your best bet is to just keep moving, because the missiles don't inflict much damage - they just slow you down. Get used to this ordeal, because you'll have to endure this painful stage every turn! That's right - even when you land on a monster's location, you must relive the same painful experience before the actual confrontation ensues. The battles themselves are a joke, consisting of both monsters floating in black space and smacking each other until somebody runs out of life. Even the music is dull and repetitive. © Copyright 2000 The Video Game Critic.

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1 player

Golf		Grade: B-
	Publisher: Nintendo (1984) Reviewed: 2000/8/6

It would be easy to be critical of this relic of a golf game. You can only aim in 45 degree increments. All trees are out of bounds. The screen doesn't indicate the range of your club, or even the ball's proximity to the hole. But despite having to perform the distance calculations in your head, Golf is actually pretty fun! The swing meter is not unlike those found in modern golf games, and you can at least partially compensate for the coarse aiming controls by applying a draw or fade to your shot. Putting is tricky however, because the greens tend to be very fast. The overhead view of the hole is terrific, and the course is challenging and interesting in design. The game moves along at a brisk pace, allowing you to play 18 holes in just a few minutes. Not bad, all things considered. © Copyright 2000 The Video Game Critic.

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1 or 2 players

Goonies II, The		Grade: D
	Publisher: Konami (1987) Reviewed: 2007/7/27

I love the 1985 film "The Goonies" (who doesn't?), but this video game adaptation is a confusing mess. You control little Mikey attempting to rescue his six Goonie pals from the evil Fratelli family. At first glance, the game looks awfully generic as you hop around platforms in a large house while fending off giant spiders with a giant yo-yo. Underground you'll find a huge maze of floating platforms, doors to new areas, and creeps that materialize out of thin air (that sucks). Upon entering one of the many doors, the game changes into a pseudo-3D, first-person dungeon crawler not unlike the early Dungeons and Dragons games. In this mode you'll find helpful items, uncover clues, and talk to mysterious figures who don't seem to know why they're in the game ("I'm Eskimo. There's nothing here."). This 3D aspect breaks up the monotony, but navigating the mazes is confusing as hell! Even the 2D areas look so similar that you often can't tell if you've entered a new area or returned where you came from. I gave Goonies II the benefit of the doubt until I stumbled upon the slippery "ice" area, complete with walruses, Eskimos, and penguins! I sure as hell don't remember that from the film! Clearly the highlight of Goonies II is its excellent rendition of the movie's theme song "Goonie R Good Enough" (originally performed by Cyndi Lauper). It's catchy as hell, but sadly, this game is not good enough. Not even close. © Copyright 2007 The Video Game Critic.

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1 player

Gotcha! The Sport		Grade: A-
	Publisher: LJN (1987) Reviewed: 2004/1/22

Do the words "Best light gun game ever made" mean anything to you? That's exactly what was running through my mind while playing this innovative and genuinely fun shooter. With its "capture the flag" gameplay, Gotcha The Sport is not unlike paintball (was that even around in the 80's?). The control scheme is unique, requiring you to use the control pad with one hand while firing the gun with the other. The pad is used to scroll the screen until your opponent's flag comes into view. Once you acquire it (by shooting it), you must scroll all the way back to return it to your base. In the process, you're constantly being shot at by enemies ducking behind obstacles and hiding in trees. Picking these guys off can be tricky, although the lack of accuracy can be partially attributed to the Nintendo light gun. The game is over when you run out of ammo, so be sure to shoot any "ammo packs" you come across. Keep in mind that enemy soldiers can also snag your flag! Use your scanner to locate the guy who has it, and shoot him to get it back. It's interesting how LJN went to great lengths to downplay the violence angle. For one thing, all your opponents wear protective gear (including goggles). When shot, orange paint splatters across their chest, and they simply run off the battlefield. Oddly enough, when you get shot, you see a big red splotch (I told you to wear that protective headgear - but noooo!). Gotcha's three stages include some colorful scenery, including a lush green forest level with scenic waterfalls, and a city stage with boarded-up buildings. But the third stage is by far the best, with its bright white snow and gorgeous blue mountains. The lounge music on the intro screen sounds a bit out of place, but otherwise the soundtrack is absolutely superb. Gotcha is a fun game that rekindled memories of playing "guns" as a kid. © Copyright 2004 The Video Game Critic.

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1 player

Gradius		Grade: A-
	Publisher: Konami (1986) Reviewed: 2000/4/9

This classic side-scrolling was extremely influential on the shooting genre. Gradius is a difficult space shooter, but also insanely addictive. One aspect that sets the game apart is its innovative power-up system. As you destroy enemies, they produce icons you can "cash in" for new weapons or abilities. The more you collect, the better the available power-up. But no matter how much firepower you've accumulated, once you crash, you lose everything. A well-designed shooter with superb graphics and audio, Gradius stands the test of time. © Copyright 2000 The Video Game Critic.

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1 player.

Guerilla War		Grade: A-
	Publisher: SNK (1989) Reviewed: 2007/7/27

SNK's knack for creating fast-action shooters is on full display in the amazing Guerilla War. I've always been a fan of Rambo-style games like Ikari Warriors, but this one-man-army game really ups the ante with tight controls, lush graphics, and pacing best described as "frantic". You are a soldier forging his way through well-fortified beaches, villages, rivers, and sewers. Like Rambo, you gun down legions of enemy troops, toss grenades to clear out barriers, and commandeer tanks. Guerilla War plays almost exactly like Ikari Warriors and Rambo, but it's about ten times faster. Some of my friends thought it was too hectic, but not me. The action never lets up despite a crazy amount of sustained screen activity. There's no shortage of firepower, as even the default gun lets you spray bullets liberally. Other weaponry includes machine guns, rocket launchers, and devastating flamethrowers. Side effects of the ample mayhem include occasional flicker and "break-up" in the graphics. It's a small price to pay however, as Guerilla War delivers one of the most exciting shooting experiences you'll find on the NES. The only thing preventing you from blasting everything to oblivion are the tied-up hostages that frequently appear. Picking them up will net you a cool 1000 points, but accidentally shooting them deducts 500 points from your score. Some enemies are a bit cheap, leaping into the fray as if they were on pogo sticks! If you grab a friend you can double the mayhem and compete for high score (which is not displayed until after the game). Guerilla War's musical score isn't great, but its chaotic layered melodies are still impressive. You may have a tough time going back to Ikari Warriors after playing this buck-wild blast-a-thon. © Copyright 2007 The Video Game Critic.

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1 or 2 players

Gyruss		Grade: D
	Publisher: Ultra (1988) Reviewed: 2007/9/8

Ultra took a few liberties with this "semi-classic" space shooter, incorporating oversized sprites, boss stages, and even a special weapon. In this case, it would seem that more is less. Gyruss is played by moving a ship around in a circle as aliens scale in from the edge of the screen before settling into the center. Like Galaga, there are "double-shot" power-ups and "chance" bonus stages. Two control schemes are available, and they both work pretty good. The lively musical score includes a piece by Sebastian Bach, and no, I'm not talking about the guy from Skid Row. Gyruss was challenging and addictive in the arcade, but this watered-down version can't even hold its jockstrap. This NES edition is so excessively easy that it's a bore. You get five lives, and there's only one lame difficulty level. Unless you absolutely suck, you'll lose interest in the game far before you go through those five lives! The swirling aliens are huge compared to the original game, but that just makes them easier to shoot (it's hard to miss really). In addition, they are totally harmless as they make their initial entrance. Every few stages you'll encounter an unimaginative boss, usually taking the form of four connected pods (oh brother!). You also have a limited number of "super shots", but who even needs them? Ultra was clearly trying to "beef up" Gyruss for the NES, but they inadvertently butchered it instead. © Copyright 2007 The Video Game Critic.

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1 player

Hogan's Alley		Grade: C-
	Publisher: Nintendo (1984) Reviewed: 2007/6/15

While simplistic, this light gun game does add a few wrinkles to the standard "Duck Hunt" formula. The first variation places you in a shooting gallery with cardboard figures that appear three at a time. You'll want to shoot the dirty crooks but hold your fire against the woman, professor, and policeman. In general it's pretty dull affair. The second variation places the figures in side-scrolling urban scenery, which spices things up a bit. But the third stage really steals the show. In this one you repeatedly shoot tins cans that appear on the right side, keeping them in the air long enough to have them land on ledges on the left. Each ledge has a different point value, so it's a nice combination of skill and strategy. Hogan's Alley isn't bad for a light gun game, but it certainly won't have you hooting and hollering and keeping the neighbors up all night. © Copyright 2007 The Video Game Critic.

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1 player