The Grade

Well so far so good! Around 12 new NES games beaten and going strong. I want to take the time to let you all know how I feel about some of these games. A short grading of some of these first time beats. First off; Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

Ugh..not much of an ending.

The game gets a D+. And that's being generous. One of the worst offerings by LJN. Its too bad really because I loved the movie so. But that last boss battle with Judge Doom takes WAY to long. Not only that but you have to finish him off with D.I.P. (an acid to toons) and must fire it off at a blistering speed. We're talking lightning folks! I enlisted the aid of the NES Advantage joystick for its turbo fire capabilities. Blech.

Next up, Capcom's Tailspin:

 Not much of an ending here either.

Final grade: C+. Much better than Roger Rabbit yet, where's the challenge? The last airship fight was cool and all, but I just never felt challenged. Shame really, I loved the cartoon in its heyday. One of Capcom's forgotten games for sure.

And finally. Top Gun.

 Slightly better end than the other two games.

Highway to the Danger Zone? Yes please!

A new favorite in my library. I'm not joking, this is one decent game. But that's just it. Decent. Not good. But decent. Top Gun receives WAAAAY too much flak thanks in (major) part to the Angry Video Game Nerd (James Rolfe). Don't get me wrong his show is just that. A show. A funny take on all of his misadventures as a gamer. One who (simply) couldn't land the plane. 

And that's the major sticking point. The landing mini game after you defeat a boss. The main control indicator even tells you what altitude and speed you should be at by the time your closing in on the aircraft carrier! For god sakes, I can land the plane about 75% of the time! It's not that tough! Funny thing though. I defeated the rocket ship, but crashed the final landing sequence, ha ha ha! Good thing I had an extra life or I would have been pissed. Final grade: B+

NES Games Thrashed 2013 Edition (The List)

Okay so my goal is to top my all time record of 17 games beat in one year (2010), with no re-beats. The list so far includes:

• The Little Mermaid
• Tailspin
• Wurm
• King's Quest V
• Snake Rattle N' Roll
• Solstice
• Little Nemo: The Dream Master
• Karnov
• Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
• Blaster Master
• Mission Impossible 
• Top Gun
• Mendel Palace
• P.O.W.
• M.U.S.C.L.E (Technically it has no ending, but I did surpass the original high score of 500,000! Made it to Round 12 as well) I call that a beat..
• Legendary Wings (with a score of 500,630 points!)
• Rocket Ranger
• Skate or Die 2
• Heavy Barrel
• Trojan
• Demon Sword
• Gremlins 2
• Batman: Return of the Joker

This year will be the year!

I have quite the backlog of NES games I could potentially beat too. Games such as: Pirates!, Snake Rattle N' Roll, Little Nemo the Dream Master, Bubble Bobble, Side Pocket...among a few others. ^>^

NES Games Thrashed 2013 Edition

To kick off the new year I just completed Capcom's wonderful game; The Little Mermaid. The game isn't very hard, its only downside IS the fact that its so simple to complete. But, for those that want to kick back, relax, and enjoy a rock solid game, look no further.

Not a re-beat either. A first time KO!

Macho pride aside, the music is a delight to listen to, with some theme's lifted from the film. If memory serves me correctly at least. The graphics are well done. Neat, colorful, and some great detail too. Not to mention the Tecmo Theater style cut scenes between levels!

Some great detail here.

The gameplay of this game reminds me a lot of Bubble Bobble. You flick bubbles from your tail that traps your enemies. You can then hold unto them and throw them at other baddies! Also, you can upgrade your bubbles distance and power by opening up treasure chests. A great game, while short, and easy, Capcom did an amazing job on the graphics, sound, and gameplay. Its a blast!

Give it a shot! Put your macho ego to rest.

A very NES Christmas.

Twas the holidays of 1990, and I was a wee lad of 6 years. I vividly remember begging my mom and dad to get my brothers (I have two of them) a Nintendo Entertainment System. I was so confident that they would buy it for me that I said something along the lines of "I can't wait to get it." Which my dad responded kindly (added that he was driving fast in his Ford Ranger truck) "Oh really?"

Lo and behold its Christmas Eve and we have the entire family over to our house. Which was one of the few times that's happened (the gatherings are now at my Uncle's place to this very day). My twin brother and I were stalking the Christmas tree all night, guarding the presents just in case thieves, or ninjas would break in. At the stroke of midnight we started opening gifts...

A big box was placed before Matt and I. My little heart was about to burst from the sheer excitement! We tore into it and yes we finally got our Nintendo Entertainment System!

Xmas of 1990! Best one ever!

I was so happy that I kissed the box and gave it a hug! Ha, ha, ha. Not only could I play Super Mario Bros. whenever the hell I wanted, but also this game;

The greatest NES game of all time was in my possession. So I wake up on Xmas day late, I shake the fuzz from my brain and think to myself, "Was it all a dream?" I quickly remember that its not as I hear those great Nintendo sound effects coming from the living room. The NES had already been hooked up! Not only that but Mom, Dad, Matt, and Derek were playing! I was so upset that I almost cried! Why would they not tell me they were going to hook it up! Ha, ha, ha.

 As tears were welling up, Dad passed me the controller, and I soon forgot my worries. The rest they say is history. I still have the NES from way back in the 90's, I can't believe its 22 years old and still runs like a dream. Merry Christmas!

Art Attack! Nes style.

I love the old Nintendo art. That Japanese and Western mesh you would often see in the early issues of Nintendo Power. Crack open an NES manual and more often than not you would see hand drawn art in there too. Vintage stuff is great to look at! I guess its nostalgia, before computer programs made everything nice and shiny, glossy and clean cut, we had the rough and tumble art style.

Sometimes chubby, super deformed (chibi), or just plain outrageous. But that's what made the art from the eighties and early nineties fun.

My all-time favorite pic of Link

Now THAT is some great art! Let's Check out a few more pieces! ^>^

Most of these pictures are from Zelda 2 The Adventure of Link. But others include Super Mario Bros.2 and Faxanadu. There's so many more great art too be found in NES manuals and other forms of media too. Unfortunately that's a story for another day. ^>^

NES Games Thrashed 2012 part 2

15 longs years in the making. But finally after first playing this in '97, I beat Metal Gear 2: Snake's Revenge! An excellent game that is often looked at like the bastard child of the MG series. Why? Because Kojima the creator of the original Metal Gear didn't have any involvement.

And so what. He is one of the masters of the vijah game world, but this sequel is even better than the (mistranslated) first. Albeit the game's dialogue is hokey and cringe worthy at times, the action and sabotage, not to mention the stealth more than make up for it.

A sweet 15 year wait. Thanks Snake!

This game is in a category all in its own. The fact that you can go in guns-a-blazing or go with stealth make it unique. ^>^

Munchkin!

I love Munchkin. The hit card game by Steve Jackson Games hit me like 10,001 Orcs. The first time I actually played the game was my last year of high school (that would be in 2003). My friends were gathered around a table in the cafe, laughing hysterically, and shouting.

I walked to the table and lo and behold there were a mass of cards with a bunch of text and silly pictures. Fantasy troupes and all. Now at this time I have yet to play my first game of D&D (which is another passion that would break out the very same year). But I had to play.

My first character was a human wizard.

I didn't win the game. In fact I did rather horribly. If memory serves me correct I was last place too. Ha ha ha. :) But, I had so much fun that I asked where I could pick up a copy of this wonderful game...and raced over the Game Masters Emporium (now called The GME). Plopped my money down on the counter and proceeded to play the rest of the weekend away!

We got my girlfriend at the time playing, my brother, my friends from other social circles, and yes quite a few ladies to play! It was one of the best times of my life. Just laughing, and screwing up our plans for a level 10 conquest. Those were awesome times. Ha!

There's a Munchkin board tracker?! I need this!

I would go on to play mostly every other Munchkin game that came out on the market. But eventually I just got burned out. Stopped playing for so many years...until now. I got bit by the big ole' Munchkin-itis! Pictured above is the original set. But now in full color, with a board tracker, and game pawns! I think I'm in love again.. ^>^