U.N. Squadron		Grade: B
	Publisher: Capcom (1991) Reviewed: 2005/12/7

U.N. Squadron is a terrific, old-fashioned, side-scrolling shooter that also taps into the system's slick graphic capabilities. You are the pilot of a jet fighter blasting waves of helicopters, tanks, planes, and ships. The objects on the screen are sizeable, and I love how enemy planes rotate into formation. You're equipped with rapid-fire cannons and a limited supply of devastating bombs. The first stage features desert bas with scenery that looks practically photo-realistic. U.N. Squadron's exciting brand of nonstop shooting and bombing brought back fond memories of Scramble, an arcade favorite of mine from the early 80's. Naturally, each stage ends with an obligatory "boss", but these are not terribly hard to defeat. Upon completing the first stage, you can select from a number of subsequent missions. The wide range of scenic backdrops include open seas, jungle forests, rocky gorges, and in the clouds of an intense thunderstorm. Granted, the water stages look somewhat cheesy. Certain stages require you to make several "passes" at a strategic target (like a massive battleship), which I found to be a very cool concept. Your firepower and weapon options increase with each new life, as well as each "continue". With its awesome firepower and frantic gameplay, I could play U.N. Squadron all day. Only a few notable flaws knock it down a notch. Much of the music has an inappropriate "happy go lucky" quality more suitable for a cute platform game. Also, the game suffers from terrible slowdown when things get hectic. Nonetheless, I still found U.N. Squadron to be instantly fun and satisfying. © Copyright 2005 The Video Game Critic.

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1 player

Ultraman		Grade: F
	Publisher: Bandai (1991) Reviewed: 2007/3/16

I happen to be a long-time fan of Ultraman, but this is a bad game of colossal proportions. As a child, I was fascinated by the poor-dubbed Japanese television show featuring men in rubber monster outfits (who knew?) wrestling around miniature cities. This video game adaptation not only fails to capture the grand scale of those battles, but it makes them seem incredibly boring. Ultraman is barely playable, and its only entertainment value comes from mocking its deficiencies. Now I admit that some of the monsters in the old show looked pretty silly, but a few in this game look as if they were borrowed from Sesame Street. I'm pretty sure I defeated a Snuffleupagus in one stage! The slow, one-on-one battles lack strategy as the stiff combatants struggle to execute basic kicks and punches. You have a "special move" (usually a projectile attack) powered by a special meter that charges over time. Once you deplete your opponent's energy, the word "FINISH" appears on the screen, providing false hope that the end of the match is at hand. But your foe can only be defeated by performing a special attack at full power. This usually means backing off while waiting for your meter to charge, and in the meantime, your opponent can still execute attacks and even regain his health! Take it from me - there's nothing more humiliating than being defeated by a monster with no life. This idiotic design ruins what could have been a perfectly... um... aw hell - it would have been awful anyway! There's no two-player mode (!), and the elusive option screen is accessed by holding down select while pressing start (real intuitive huh?). You have to wonder about the state of mind of the guy who authorized this game to be shipped. At the very least, Bandai could have incorporated the kick-ass theme song from the television show, but just like the fun, it's nowhere to be found. © Copyright 2007 The Video Game Critic.

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1 player

Vegas Stakes		Grade: D+
	Publisher: Nintendo (1993) Reviewed: 2000/7/15

This is an attractive but average-playing casino game with two modes: adventure and multi-player. The adventure mode takes you and four fictional friends (who all look as if they've had extensive plastic surgery) on a trip to Las Vegas. Vegas Stakes tries to be realistic, but It feels pretty silly to sit through the "car trip" and then check into the hotel. From your hotel room, you have to call one of your friends to have them meet you at the casino! The casino itself offers slots, craps, poker, blackjack, and roulette. The graphics are crisp and clean, and the games are easy to play. Unfortunately, you are constantly being interrupted by annoying people trying to sell you stuff, pick your pocket, beg for money. One guy even asks you to take him to the emergency room! Sometimes you can make money from these people, but it's still annoying. The games themselves play well, but there are annoying pauses, and you can't quit a game in progress (even after you folded in a game of poker). The only games I really enjoyed were the card games. Chance games like roulette and slots are really boring with no real money on the line. The multiplayer mode only lets you select from four games: slots, blackjack, roulette, and craps. The game also lets you move to different casinos, altering the background graphics and music. A battery backup saves your place. Vegas Stakes tries to take gambling to the next level, with mixed results. © Copyright 2000 The Video Game Critic.

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1 to 4 players

Vortex		Grade: F
	Publisher: Argonaut Software (1994) Reviewed: 2006/12/27

For those of you who slept through Astronomy class, a "vortex" is a celestial body of such high mass and density that its gravitational pull will literally suck the fun out of any game named after it. This cartridge has all the ingredients of a decent game, but they never come together quite right. Vortex's 3D graphics and explosions are comparable to Star Fox (they employ the same graphics chip), and the techno soundtrack is pretty bumpin' as well. While a basic 3D shooter at heart, you ship has the ability to "morph" between a jet, tank, walker, and protective shell. This provides a lot of potential strategy as you size up each stage and boss. Too bad this promising concept is wasted due to poor design. A good video game should "hook" the player from the start, and gradually draw him in with a reasonably ramping difficulty. The Star Fox developers knew this, but the Vortex developers apparently did not. The controls are daunting, with over 20 button combinations that will flummox casual gamers right off the bat. Then you have a bunch of time-consuming "training stages", which I found to be a serious turn-off. The first "real" stage is awfully boring, set in deep space with nothing but a fence (huh?). Worst yet, the first boss is nearly insurmountable, bringing any novice player to his knees. With shoddy design like this, Vortex never really had a chance. I'm sure there are a few dedicated players who will stick with Vortex long enough to see what it has to offer, but most will find themselves shouting "next!" after just a few minutes. © Copyright 2006 The Video Game Critic.

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1 player

Wayne's World		Grade: F
	Publisher: THQ (1993) Reviewed: 2005/6/1

Despite what other critics say, Wayne's World will go down as one of the greatest movie-related video games of all time. NOT! This piece of crap is barely playable; it's a complete waste of a movie license. The ordeal begins with a semi-animated episode of the Wayne's World public-access television program. Most of the dialogue is conveyed through word "bubbles", and the few actual voice clips sound as if they were recorded at the bottom of a well. "Dream sequences" are used to segue into the stages of the game. Instead of using locations from the movie, the five stages are weird, surreal worlds that I hate with a passion. There's a record store with attacking musical instruments, a donut shop where you fight food-shaped monstrosities, and some kind of drug-induced suburbia with houses floating in the sky. None of these are interesting or funny, and their overall designs are painfully monotonous. Assuming the role of Wayne, you shoot at monsters with a guitar and perform tedious jumps between platforms. The controls are anything but exact, and perpetual cheap hits force you to fire non-stop. Wayne's digitalized face looks impressive, but you'll tire of his one liners in a hurry. The few lame references to the film include a "No Stairway to Heaven" sign in the music store, but in general the game does a miserable job of capturing the spirit of the movie. Even the music is weak, mainly consisting of generic guitar noise looped over and over. To say Wayne's World is "not worthy" is an understatement. If I have to play it again, I may spew. © Copyright 2005 The Video Game Critic.

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1 player

Weaponlord		Grade: C
	Publisher: Namco (1995) Reviewed: 2001/9/8

I recall this one-on-one fighting game getting a lot more advance press than it deserved. With preview screen shots depicting blood and decapitation, parents were anticipating this to be the next Mortal Kombat, but it never happened. The characters in Weaponlord are barbarians that slug it out with weapons. The scenery has a surreal medieval appearance - sort of a cross between Mortal Kombat and Primal Rage. The characters look great standing still, but in action they can be hard to make out. Hits are accompanied by a splatter of blood, and blocking results in a satisfying clank sound. Weaponlord's gameplay is pretty mediocre, and all the moves are weapon based: thrust, slash, and strike. To be honest, there's not much difference between them. There are some special moves and throws, but the throws do minimal damage, and the action is slow compared to fighters like Street Fighter 2 Turbo. Some might appreciate the slowness since it fosters a more deliberate, calculated approach as opposed to button mashing. You can decapitate a defeated opponent, but the lousy animation makes it hard to see what's going on. As far as fighters go, Weaponlord is unusual but not exceptional. © Copyright 2001 The Video Game Critic.

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1 or 2 players

Wild Guns		Grade: A-
	Publisher: Natsume (1994) Reviewed: 2001/11/24

This awesome shooter places you in the wild west with cowboys, saloons, horses, trains, and... robots? Yeah, nothing spices up a history piece like some giant mechanical behemoths, and they make great bosses too! Wild Guns' gameplay is rather unique. You view the action from behind your cowboy (or cowgirl), blasting everything in sight by aiming a cursor. Thugs, cannons, and mechanical creatures fire large, slow-moving projectiles your way, but you can avoid these by moving sideways or jumping. Power-ups upgrade your firepower, and smart bombs are also available. The action is intense, and there's even a two-player simultaneous mode! The stages (selectable after stage one) feature all sorts of western locations, including trains, mines, and saloons. Best of all, Wild Guns is super fun and easy to play. This is one shooter that should not be overlooked. © Copyright 2001 The Video Game Critic.

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1 or 2 players

X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse		Grade: B
	Publisher: Capcom (1994) Reviewed: 2000/7/15

Mutant Apocalypse is an impressive side-scrolling platformer. Embarking on individual missions, you control five X-Men including Wolverine, Cyclops, Psylocke, Gambit, and Beast. Your ultimate goal is to free mutants from an island where they are being held by the evil Mighty Apocalypse. Despite using only two buttons, the game offers about seven or eight attacks for each hero. The stages exhibit great variety and showcase the X-Men's individual talents. For example, Wolverine can climb walls and Beast can walk on ceilings. The characters are huge, backgrounds are interesting, and the huge bosses are exciting. Even the sky high difficulty won't prevent you from coming back for more superhero action. © Copyright 2000 The Video Game Critic.

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1 player

Yoshi's Island: Super Mario World 2		Grade: A
	Publisher: Nintendo (1995) Reviewed: 2008/4/7

I was expecting more of the same ol' Super Mario action from this one, but Yoshi's Island feels very unique. Apparently gamers really enjoyed riding on Yoshi's back in the previous Super Mario game, because that's all you do in this one! This time however Yoshi carries a baby in search of its twin. The first thing you'll notice about Yoshi's Island is its innovative graphic style. The simple clean lines and solid colors of the first Super Mario World give way to visuals that appear to have been rendered with crayons and magic markers! It looks strange at first, but it ultimately gives the game its distinctive personality. Many enemies resemble kids in Halloween masks, although you'll also encounter the familiar Super Mario mainstays. Yoshi's Island introduces some cool new moves, including the ability to "manufacture" and throw eggs at targets, and stomp the ground to break through weak areas. Special power-ups give Yoshi the ability to morph into a vehicle including a helicopter, train, tank, or sub. Yoshi's Island has a huge number of levels, not to mention bonus challenges and mini-games. Up to three people can save progress to one cartridge. I was apprehensive about Yoshi's Island at first, but it won me over in a big way. It may look like a kiddie game, but there's no age limit to fun. © Copyright 2008 The Video Game Critic.

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Save mechanism: Battery 1 player

Zombies Ate My Neighbors		Grade: A-
	Publisher: Konami (1993) Reviewed: 1999/10/18

In this lighthearted shooter Konami parodies a number of classic horror films to good effect. Playing as a boy or girl, your character must rescue a certain number of civilians from rampaging monsters in a series of imaginative overhead stages. Released at a time when Nintendo did not allow blood in their games, Konami made the graphics appear cartoonish and whimsical in order to tone down the violence. You'll make use of unconventional weapons like water guns, pop sickles, and exploding 6-packs. Items you can collect include a potion that temporarily transforms you into a super-monster. Zombie's graphics are beautifully detailed, and each of its 50+ stages boasts its own unique theme. There's a mummy-infested pyramid, a school invaded by aliens, and a mall loaded with zombies, just to name a few. Creatures include a wide range of movie monsters ranging from the Creature from the Black Lagoon, to little Chucky the doll, to a chainsaw-wielding Leatherface. The game is expertly programmed, and the controls are super responsive. Another feature worth mentioning is the catchy music that plays throughout each stage. I would love to have the soundtrack to this! A two-player simultaneous mode is included, but that requires cooperation to keep both players on the screen, which is more confusing than fun. Overall Zombies Ate My Neighbors is a winner that will especially appeal to horror movie buffs. © Copyright 1999 The Video Game Critic.

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Save mechanism: Password 1 or 2 players