New Games Tagged 'NES' on The Great Games Experiment New Games on The Great Games Experiment http://www.greatgamesexperiment.com/css/logo.jpg New Games Tagged 'NES' on The Great Games Experiment en-us Battle Chess
]]> 05 Apr 2008 02:39:24 Tetris
]]> 24 Jan 2008 11:29:21 Bionic Commando
]]> 21 Jan 2008 08:43:03 Ninja Gaiden
]]> 19 Jan 2008 02:49:00 Pikachu
]]> 24 Nov 2007 12:45:54 Metal Storm
]]> 17 Sep 2007 07:22:07 Sid Meier's Pirates! (Original)
]]> 10 Sep 2007 02:28:50 Little Nemo: The Dream Master
]]> 02 Aug 2007 05:28:39 Battletoads & Double Dragon
]]> 02 Aug 2007 04:24:43 Bad Dudes
]]> 02 Aug 2007 03:46:38 Adventures of Lolo
]]> 02 Aug 2007 03:30:18 Bubble Bobble
]]> 02 Aug 2007 12:42:25 Mappy Game play

The player guides Mappy the police mouse through the mansion of the cats called Mewkies (Meowky in the U.S. version) to retrieve stolen goods. The mansion has six floors of long hallways in which the items are stashed. The items come in pairs; should Mappy get the same items twice in a row, the player earns more points. In addition to Mewkies, the boss cat Nyamco (Goro in the U.S. version) also roams around. He is faster, but less clever, than the Mewkies. Should Mappy get an item wherein Nyamco is hiding behind, the player gets a bonus of 1000 points. He only hides behind an object for three seconds, though.

Mappy and the cats move between the floors by bouncing on trampolines at the ends and middle of the hallways, and landing on a floor in the way up, but not on the way down. The trampolines will break if Mappy bounces on them continuously. When they pass in the air, Mappy is unharmed by the cats, but should Mappy run into a cat anywhere else, he will lose a life.

If Mappy tarries too long, a "Hurry" sign appears and the music and the cats are faster. A level is completed when all the loot is retrieved. If the player waits too long after this, the cat coin "Gosenzo" will drop onto the top-middle platform and chase Mappy in a manner similar to the Mewkies.

Many of the hallways have doors which Mappy can slam open or shut to temporarily knock out the Mewkies or Nyamco. Some of these are special "microwave doors" which release a wave which sweeps away any cat in its path (even off the edge of the screen). Every Mewky is 200 points; Nyamco is a multiplier of 200 points times 2. Any cat that is swept away reappears after a short while, jumping from the top center opening in the roof.

The third level and every fourth level after that is a bonus round. Mappy, unbothered by the cats, must bounce across a series of trampolines, popping suspended balloons along the way. A bonus is awarded if all the balloons are popped before the music ends. It is possible to pop the Nyamco balloon even if there is one balloon above him, because Nyamco will break any trampoline and will grab one balloon above him for Mappy.

The eighth to tenth levels have bells, which Mappy can hit so that it temporarily knocks out any cats below. Starting from these stages, the "Hurry" sign will also appear earlier, and there are more Mewkies.

The player uses a left-right joystick to move Mappy and a single button to operate the doors.
]]> 30 Jun 2007 11:52:44 Ikari Warriors Overview

The player (or players: see below) takes the role of a commando-like warrior, who must try to reach the village of Ikari. Enemy units attempting to kill the player include tanks, enemy soldiers and helicopters. A number of power-ups along the way help the player to achieve victory.

Ikari Warriors was the first to use rotary joysticks: those which could be rotated in addition to being pushed in eight directions. The game also featured two buttons, one for the standard gun and another for lobbing grenades. It allowed two players to play cooperatively, side by side - one of the few games to do so at the time. The game cabinet was a standard upright.

Description

The player begins as one of two commando-type warriors, garbed in red (Ralf) or blue (Clark) (depending on whether they are player one or two). They must proceed from the bottom of the screen upwards, towards the village of Ikari. Trying to prevent them from reaching the village are enemy soldiers and other units with a frightening arsenal of firepower. Along the way, players may commandeer enemy tanks to help fight their way through the enemy personnel. The tanks are immune to enemy bullets, but have a limited supply of fuel and will sustain damage when it runs out or the tank is caught in an explosion, taking the player with it unless he can exit the tank and get clear before it blows up.

Ikari Warriors was the first 'Commando' style game to give the player a limited amount of ammunition (99 bullets and 99 grenades, not actually a great handicap) as well as power-up and bonus icons to improve your firepower, dropped by red soldiers. These are listed as follows:

  • Gun: restores machine gun ammo to maximum.
  • Grenade: restores grenade ammo to maximum.
  • Gas: restores all ammo to maximum and refuels the tank if the player is driving one.
  • K: Kills all enemy troops on-screen, except ones hiding underwater.
  • S: Gun and tank shots are sped up.
  • L: Long-range shot. Bullets travel the entire length of the screen.
  • F: Bullets turn red and can destroy trucks, gun emplacements and bases. Pierce shot. Bullets pass through rocks and other barriers without being blocked. Tank shots become rockets.
  • B: Blast grenades. Grenades turn red and produce giant-sized explosions. All tank shots become blast grenades as well.

    • The game's joysticks could be rotated in clockwise and counter-clockwise directions. Turning the joystick changed the direction the character faced independent of the direction the character might be moving. This gave the player freedom to attack or walk in eight different directions. This made it generally easier—but sometimes harder—to take out enemy units. Aiming must also be taken into account by the warrior using the machine gun in his right hand, while throwing grenades with his left; no shot is fired from directly in front of the player.

    Because of its innovative controls, this game was initially very popular. However, the joysticks proved somewhat fragile, especially when played heavily as this game was. They need to be repaired often since being unable to turn makes the game almost unplayable.
    ]]>     30 Jun 2007 11:48:08     Gauntlet Gauntlet, the original arcade smash hit, is a fighting game where you choose a character and let rip into the hordes of enemies that assault you on you way to the end of the level. One or two players must make their way through 100 levels of mayhem and magic.

    It featured a choice of four characters to play with, each with different weapons. Thor the Warrior, has a bludgeoning battle axe, Thyra the Valkyrie, has a close range sword, Questor the Elf has his long range bow, and Merlin the Wizard has magical bolts.

    Ghosts, goblins and even the life draining Death are your enemies. Enemies stream out of generators, so destroy these before tackling the rest.

    Keys are needed to open the many doors within the levels, and in some situations a door will contain only bonus items, not a progressive route. Scattered magic potions act like smart bombs and clear the screen of all enemies. Beware of poison though, this reduces your energy level. Treasure is abundant throughout the levels and adds to your score.
    ]]>     30 Jun 2007 11:43:12     california games California Games is a 1987 Epyx sports video game for many home computers and video game consoles. Branching from their popular Summer Games and Winter Games series, this game consisted of some sports purportedly popular in California.

    The game sold very well, topping game selling charts for winter months. It also got very positive reaction from reviewers. Many consider California Games to be the last classic Epyx sport game. After this game, the staff in Epyx changed.
    ]]>     30 Jun 2007 11:38:02     AD&D: Pool of Radiance The game takes place in the Forgotten Realms setting, in and around the Moonsea region and the City of Phlan, which has been overrun by forces of evil. The city had originally held off many attacks, but the forces were marshalled by a bronze dragon which was believed to be possessed by a powerful spirit named Tyranthraxus. The object of the game is to have the party clear the old city of its marauding inhabitants, so the people of Phlan can rebuild and repopulate the areas.

    The party begins in the civilized section of "New Phlan" that is governed by a council. This portion of the city is a place for the party to buy equipment at the shops, rest up in the inns, listen to rumors in the pub, and contract with the clerk of the city council for various commissions. The party can also go to the hiring hall and hire an experienced adventurer to accompany the party.

    Beyond this region the party enters the area of the slums, which have been overrun with low-level monsters such as goblins and orcs that the party must clear out (gaining experience in the process). Further into the slums, the going gets tougher, with ogres and trolls for opponents.

    The next commission is to clear out Sokol Keep, a fortified area located on an island. This is filled with undead, among other opponents. Inside the keep is a specter who suffers under a curse. When you remove this curse, the keep is cleared and the shipping lanes to the city are finally opened.

    There are a variety of other locations that are encountered as the party ventures further into the city, including Kuto's Well, catacombs filled with a bandit horde, a thieves' guild, Podol Plaza, and a buccaneer bar called the Pit. With the party making impressive progress, they are next contracted to go to the old Textile House, to recover the treasure of a council member. Pressing onward, the party can enter Mendor's Library, a temple of Bane in the wealthy section, Kovel Mansion, and the deadly Valhingen Graveyard.
    Encounter with Tyranthraxus, before the final battle.
    Encounter with Tyranthraxus, before the final battle.

    Eventually the party ventures outside the city by boat, where they encounter a silver dragon. Various side treks and adventures occur, including visiting an encampment of the Zhentarim, as the party continues to build up experience and aid the city by defeating the plans of the mysterious "Boss".

    Now the more difficult endgame begins. The party reveals a traitor in the city council, and is commissioned to hunt him down. At some point the party will have to assault Stojanow Gate, a difficult task against bugbears and ettins. The party then enters Valjevo Castle and its inner sanctum, descends a stairwell to encounter some guards of the impostor Tyranthaxus (who assumes the form of a bronze dragon). After defeating his guards, the party refuses his offer to join his side and engages the dragon boss in a deadly battle, emerging victorious.
    ]]>     28 Jun 2007 10:56:44     Final Fantasy Hironobu Sakaguchi's Final Fantasy... the first of one of the longest role-playing game series known to mankind. Final Fantasy is the game for the NES console that started it all.

    The world is veiled in darkness. Winds don't blow, the seas are stormy, and the earth rots. All people can hope for is that the ancient prophecy will be finally fulfilled. "When the world is veiled in darkness, four warriors will come..." And indeed, they come - the four characters you have previously chosen. Their first quest is to free a princess from the evil Garland.

    Final Fantasy uses a turn-based combat system. The enemies wait until all of your party members have performed their moves, and the ATB (active-time battle) system is not used. You can buy weapons and rest in the towns, and the world map is populated by monsters, with which you will be engaged in random fights.

    Before the game starts, you choose four characters from six different classes: Fighter, Thief, Blue Belt, White Mage, Red Mage, and Black Mage. Which four classes you choose for your character is entirely up to you. You also give the characters names. And then the classic quest for the orbs begins....
    ]]>     22 Jun 2007 03:45:49     Faxanadu A fairly difficult side scrolling action RPG. You play the role of a nameless wanderer who is destined to save the elves from the Evil One. The Evil One has transformed their former allies, the dwarves, into monsters. The player must ascend the World Tree and destroy the Evil One in his fortress.
    ]]>     21 Jun 2007 10:35:54     Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom The saga continues with the final tale of battle for our brave hero. After Ryu's victorious duel with Jaquio, Ashtar returned to the bowels of darkness and bided His time. But another evil creature was already on its way as another adventure awaits the unsuspecting Ryu Hayabusa...

    ... in this, the final chapter of Ninja Gaiden.
    ]]>     21 Jun 2007 05:50:17     Joust Joust's simple controls, and the fact that it was one of the few games two players could play together, helped make this arcade game a hit.

    You play a knight mounted on an ostrich. You must use your lance to joust against wave after wave of enemies. The only controls you have are to flap your wings and to move left and right, making it quite easy to get into the game. You may defeat an opponent by colliding with them with your lance higher than theirs.

    When you beat an enemy, they drop an egg. If you let it hatch by not collecting it, it will spawn a tougher enemy than the one who dropped the egg.

    Other dangers include a lava pit at the bottom of the screen, a lava troll which tries to drag you into the lava pit, and a very tough-to-beat pterodactyl which appears if you take too long on a level.

    Designer: John Newcomer
    Released: 1982
    ]]>     13 May 2007 09:11:30     The Bard's Tale II: The Destiny Knight Developed by Interplay Productions and distributed by Electronic Arts, The Bard's Tale series is considered by many to be one of the pillar classics of computer fantasy role playing games.

    The Bard's Tale II: The Destiny Knight allows players to create characters, form parties and adventure throughout the lands. Combat is turn based and players can choose the actions of every member of the party.

    From the box text:

    "Do you believe in legends? Legend states that, 'Unimaginable power is bestowed upon the one who reforges the Destiny Wand...' Regardless of whether or not you hold faith in the stuff of legend, you must defeat Lagoth Zanta, regain the seven fragments, and reforge the Destiny Wand â€â€
    ]]>     10 May 2007 02:27:38     The Bard's Tale Developed by Interplay Productions and distributed by Electronic Arts, The Bard's Tale is considered by many to be one of the pillar classics of computer fantasy role playing games.

    The Bard's Tale allows players to create characters, form parties and adventure through Skara Brae. Combat is turn based and players can choos ethe actions of every member of the party.

    From the box text:

    "Long ago, when magic still prevailed, the evil wizard Mangar the Dark threatened a small but harmonious country town called Skara Brae. Evil creatures oozed into Skara Brae and joined his shadow domain. Mangar froze the surrounding lands with a spell of Eternal Winter, totally isolating Skara Brae from any possible help. Then, one night the town militiamen all disappeared. The future of Skara Brae hung in the balance. And who was left to resist? Only a handful of unproven young Warriors, junior Magic Users, a couple of Bards barely old enough to drink, and some out of work Rogues. You are there. You are the leader of this ragtag group of freedom fighters. Luckily you have a Bard with you to sing your glories, if you survive. For this is the stuff of legends. And so the story begins..."
    ]]>     10 May 2007 02:08:39     Shadowgate Adventure in Castle Shadowgate and solve the many puzzles to defeat the evil Warlock Lord. Some puzzles if not done correctly lead to your death.
    ]]>     19 Apr 2007 11:14:43     Pac-man Control a yellow circle, eating dots in a maze while evading the four ghosts. When you eat a power pellet, you can eat the ghosts for a limited time. Clear out all of the pills in a maze to get to the next level.

    Eat the fruit for bonus points, and use the transporters on either side of the maze to lose any ghosts on your tail.
    ]]>     19 Mar 2007 01:52:22     Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (NES) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a 1989 platformer video game for the NES by Ultra Games/Konami based on the popular animated series and comic books. It is also the first video game ever to be based on the series. The same year, Konami released Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, an arcade game by the same name but unrelated to this NES title. The game was converted for many home computers. In February 2007, the game would appear on the ESRB site as a Virtual Console title.

    The game begins with all four Ninja Turtles: Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo and Raphael, who can be rotated through at any time during gameplay. The turtles are practically identical except for their weapons, which differ in attack speed, range, and damage (i.e. Donatello's bo has the best damage and range, but the worst speed). The player travels through the first 5 levels using an overview map to enter various sewers, warehouses, and other areas which lead to the goal of each level. Along the way the player fights various enemies which range from Foot Soldiers and Rat Kings to bomb dropping-blimps and chainsaw-wielding baddies. Each turtle serves as a life, and there are only 2 continues. Later in the game, the player is given several opportunities to rescue those who been captured after failing in combat.

    Donatello: Has great reach, but his weapon is slow and doesn't hit small targets with a standing swing. His Bo does the most damage of all the turtles and is the best for boss fights.

    Raphael: The Sais have the worst reach and flexibility of all the weapons in the game. They are noticeably slow, but he does most damage to some enemies - especially on later levels.

    Michelangelo: Average character all around. Doesn't have a downward attack like Donatello or Leonardo, and while his nunchaku weapon is weak, once he has taken half damage his weapon becomes as strong as Donatello's.

    Leonardo: With his ninja swords he has long reach and the greatest weapon range when swinging, but doesn't do much damage. Fortunately, he seems to take less damage from smaller creatures as well.
    ]]>     03 Mar 2007 01:33:16     Killer Instinct Killer Instinct is a fighting game by Rare and Nintendo. Initially released in arcades in 1994, and claiming to use an "Ultra 64" hardware engine. The game received a high profile launch on the Super Nintendo, as well as on the Game Boy. It led to a sequel, Killer Instinct 2.

    Unlike many other fighting games, especially its contemporaries, Killer Instinct takes place in a modern/futuristic setting. Ultratech is a very powerful company which organizes a tournament called Killer Instinct. Along with regular participants, experimental creatures created by Ultratech also fight in the tournament. Ultratech also discovers a technology to make bridges between dimensions, and to also release from his dimensional prison a two-headed monster called Eyedol, an ancient warrior that was locked away along with his rival.
    Developed using SGI computers and 3D modeling software from Alias, Killer Instinct was considered a graphical leader when it was released. It featured animated backgrounds that were pre-rendered movies which changed angles depending on the character location. This technique causes the backgrounds to have an unprecedented three dimensional look — a look far better than was possible at the time in real time 3D rendering.

    Killer Instinct plays like many other typical fighting games, in which the player controls a character in order to beat an opponent in a one-on-one encounter. The game borrows Street Fighter IIs attack set (a weak, medium and strong attack for punches and kicks, respectively), but also is inspired by Mortal Kombats graphic violence and finishing sequences. There are several features that distinguish it from other franchises: A double energy bar; Automatic combos; Finishing moves; Ultra Combos; Combo Breaker.
    ]]>     02 Mar 2007 12:42:09     Yo! Noid The game is about The Noid (a former claymation character from Domino's Pizza commercials) trying to get more and more pizza, while at the same time ending crime on the streets of New York.

    The Noid is the star of this game, though. He runs around the game with his trusty yo-yo, but he's sometimes strapped to a propeller so that he can fly in the air, on a skateboard, and other times he can jump around on a pogo stick. The game has many different enemies, most of which are pretty unique and interesting. If The Noid isn't doing battle with Elvis (who will try to attack with a plunger) then he might be facing a clown on a unicycle.

    The gameplay is a basic side-scroller. If The Noid is ever hurt, then the level must be restarted. He can attack with his yo-yo, but if enough scrolls are collected, he can use a very powerful, screen-clearing move, where the screen shakes and the enemies turn to a pile of white.

    The game is unique because of its difficulty and style.. It was very tough for me as a youngster, and I never did beat it until I started to play video games much more regularly. It takes a lot of patience to repeat the levels and memorize the patterns of the enemies. The style of the game is also fairly unique; with flying football players dropping bombs, eskimos, pizza eating contests, and a yo-yo as the main weapon, it's easy to see why this game is thought to be so unique.
    ]]>     22 Feb 2007 06:05:20     Blades of Steel Blades of Steel is an ice hockey video game released by Konami for the arcade in 1987, and ported to the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in 1988. All teams are fictional but based out of real Canadian and American cities. The game is known for its fast paced hockey action and especially for the fighting. It is a one or two player game. When playing against the computer, there are three difficulty levels to choose from: Junior, College, and Pro (with pro being the most difficult and Junior being the easiest). Each team consists of three forwards, two defencemen, and a goaltender.

    The Teams

    There are a total of eight teams, four from Canada and four from the United States. The four Canadian cities are Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, and Edmonton. The four American teams are from New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Minnesota. Each team sports a different coloured sweater, but some team colours are very similar making it difficult to distinguish between them. Presumably this is because of the limited capability of computer graphics in 1988.

    The game

    At the beginning of the game, the gamers can select either "Exhibition" or "Tournament" matches. An exhibition match is just one game played against either the computer or another player. Tournament matches are similar to the NHL playoffs. It starts out as one team of the player's choice going against other teams in a playoff style tournament. The team that is successful in beating all of the opposing teams is awarded the Konami Cup.

    Fighting in the game occurs whenever two players bump into each other three times in a row without hitting another player. The fight screen appears and the gamers take control of their players. The loser is given the penalty and sent to the penalty box. If a fight occurs close to one of the nets, the referee may break up the fight and call a "penalty shot".

    During the second intermission, either a video game will appear for Player One to play or a Konami ad will appear featuring a bear shooting the puck into a net mouthing the words "Nice Shot!" The video game is modelled off an old arcade game, Gradius, in which a little spaceship is trying to destroy a much larger spaceship.

    If the score is tied at the end of the game, a shoot out (similar to a penalty shot) is used to determine the winner. Each team gets five shots. The team with the most goals after five shots is the winner. If, after that, the game is still tied, each team keeps getting one more shot until a winner is determined.
    ]]>     22 Feb 2007 01:47:22     Battletoads Battletoads is a video game franchise by Tradewest created to rival the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles games. The first game is a 2D beat 'em up from Rare Ltd. released for the NES in 1991 and for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, Sega Game Gear, Game Boy, Amiga CD32 in 1993. It was arguably the most graphically advanced video game for the NES, at a time when the video game market was turning to Sega Genesis and SNES. Some also argue that it is the most difficult NES game to finish.

    The Game Boy port of the original Battletoads for the NES that was released in 1993 was entitled Battletoads in Ragnarok's World to avoid confusion with the Battletoads game that had previously been released for the Game Boy in 1991, called simply Battletoads.

    The distinctive music of the Battletoads series was composed by David Wise.


    Story

    Two toads named after skin disorders (Rash and Zitz) have to save their brother (Pimple) and the Princess Angelica from the Dark Queen, ruler of Planet Ragnarok, with the assistance of Professor T. Bird and his space ship, The Vulture.
    ]]>     16 Feb 2007 01:56:58     Donkey Kong Donkey Kong is an arcade game released by Nintendo in 1981. The game is an early example of the platform genre as the gameplay focuses on maneuvering the main character across a series of platforms while dodging obstacles. The storyline is thin but well developed for its time. In it, Mario (originally called Jumpman) must rescue a damsel in distress from a giant ape named Donkey Kong. The hero and ape would go on to be two of Nintendo's more popular characters.

    The game was the latest of Nintendo's efforts to break into the North American market. Nintendo's president, Hiroshi Yamauchi, assigned the project to a first-time game designer named Shigeru Miyamoto. Drawing from a wide range of inspirations, including Popeye and King Kong, Miyamoto developed the scenario and designed the game alongside Nintendo's chief engineer, Gunpei Yokoi. The two men broke new ground by using graphics as a means of characterization, including cut scenes to advance the game's plot, and integrating multiple stages into the gameplay.

    Despite initial misgivings on the part of Nintendo's American staff, Donkey Kong proved a tremendous success in both North America and Japan. Nintendo licensed the game to Coleco, who developed home console versions for numerous platforms. Other companies simply cloned Nintendo's hit and avoided royalties altogether. Miyamoto's characters appeared on cereal boxes, television cartoons, and dozens of other places. A court suit brought on by Universal City Studios, alleging that Donkey Kong violated their trademark of King Kong, ultimately failed. The success of Donkey Kong and Nintendo's win in the courtroom helped position the company to dominate the video game market in the 1980s and early 1990s.
    ]]>     11 Feb 2007 09:08:08     Metroid It's Metroid. If you don't know this game by now, shame on you.
    ]]>     11 Feb 2007 02:36:33     Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse Castlevania 3 took a step away from the RPG elements of Castlevania 2, returning to the original game's style. Set about 100 years after Castlevania 2, Trevor Belmont is the protagonist in this adventure. Trevor sets off to combat evil once again. The other main addition in this game were the three "Spirit Companions," each having its own abilities.
    ]]>     11 Feb 2007 01:46:51     Castlevania II: Simon's Quest Simon returns in his second adventure. While retaining the classic side scrolling Castlevania gameplay, Simon's Quest integrated many new RPG-esque elements. Rather than the straight forward approach of the original, you have to find items, solve puzzles, and actually figure out where you need to go.
    ]]>     11 Feb 2007 01:38:27     A Boy And His Blob This platformer followed you and your blob companion through some blobby adventures. The main gameplay component was feeding the blob jellybeans to transform him into different things (a ladder, a bridge, etc.) in order to progress through the game. A remake/sequel was announced for the Nintendo DS by Majesco, but has thus far never made it into the marketplace.
    ]]>     10 Feb 2007 03:36:39     Wario's Woods Wario's Woods, the last game made for the NES in 1994, is a puzzle game starring Toad.
    ]]>     09 Feb 2007 03:39:57     Mario Bros. Mario Bros. was originally released in 1983 as an arcade game and was later ported to consoles.
    ]]>     09 Feb 2007 03:21:47     Ice Hockey Ice Hockey!

    Mike from The Ice Hockey Shrine said,
    Ice Hockey, in twenty words or less, is a highly addictive game that thrived on the plainest of facts: simplicity equals fun.
    ]]>     09 Feb 2007 01:00:47     Lode Runner The Bungeling Empire has stolen a huge cache of gold from its rightful owners, and your mission is to infiltrate its treasury and recapture it. This entails progressing through 150 screens of platforms, ladders and ropes.

    The Empire has sent robotic guards down to protect the gold, and contact with any of these will cost you a life. Your method of escaping them is to press fire to dig a hole in their line of movement, thus causing them to fall in briefly, allowing you to move across the gap safely. Once all the gold has been collected, a ladder allowing you to move onto the next screen is added. Completing these screens often requires forward planning and precision.
    ]]>     09 Feb 2007 06:28:37     Super Mario Bros. 2 Super Mario Bros. 2 was the highly anticipated 2nd installment to the Super Mario Bros. Series for the NES in the US.

    While still a side-scrolling platformer, the game differed greatly from its predecessor Super Mario Bros. and introduced character selection, with each character lending a special ability to gameplay, a brand new set of enemies and bosses new and never seen again to the Mario series, as well as a whole new setting.

    The reasons for this are due to Super Mario Bros. 2 not being based off an actual Mario Bros. game. Super Mario Bros. 2 was first released in Japan and was simply an extension of the original NES title Super Mario Bros. with new and harder levels, but essentially the same in terms of concept, gameplay, characters, and art assets.

    However, Nintendo felt that American gamers would not enjoy the high difficulty the game processed and therefore decided to remake a Japanese title named Doki Doki Panic, swap out the characters with Mario characters, and rename it Super Mario Bros. 2 for a US release.

    The original Japanese version of Super Mario Bros. 2 was later released in the US under the name, Super Mario Bros. All-Stars along with remakes of a few other classic Mario Games.

    This game was featured in Nintendo Power Issue #1 July-Aug 1988.
    ]]>     08 Feb 2007 08:17:50     Yoshi's Cookie Mario and Yoshi are baking cookies but they're about to fill the cookie jar. Now, the two must arrange the matching cookies horizontally or vertically to eliminate them from the jar. When all of the cookies are gone, you move on to the next level, which is a little more difficult. If the jar starts to overflow, the game is over. After you make it through all 100 levels, you can challenge a friend to a game. Satisfy your sweet tooth with YOSHI'S COOKIE.
    ]]>     08 Feb 2007 07:29:13     Excite Bike The Nintendo EAD-developed 2D racer was one of the first to stick you on the steep hills of the off-road biking bracket. Forced to worry about overheating and launching off each jump at just the right angle, players were privy to a very unique and demanding gameplay experience. Not only that, but it also offered up a rare create-a-track mode. Not only has this highly respected classic endured the test of time, but it went on to see a warmly received 3D follow-up, Excitebike 64.
    ]]>     08 Feb 2007 07:24:10     Spy vs Spy Developed from the popular Mad Magazine comic series, the White Spy and Black Spy do battle on your Nintendo Entertainment System in this split-screen action game. Your mission is to penetrate the foreign embassy, obtain the top secret briefcase and leave in time to catch your private getaway plane. Players control their spy's every action as the zany agents in black and white search for items needed to complete the mission. To escape, each spy must acquire a passport, secret plans, keys and money. The search gets more challenging as the number of booby-traps are increased. But remember where you put them -- booby traps can backfire, so be careful to not get caught in your own trap!
    ]]>     08 Feb 2007 06:02:35     Zoda's Revenge: StarTropics II This game, from 1994, picked up right where the original left off. However, the plot take a rather distinctive turn into time travel, which included many historical figures. The weaponry also changed into historical items based on the time period you were in.
    ]]>     08 Feb 2007 05:59:35     Star Tropics Nintendo's 1990 title Star Tropics for the NES played in a style similar to the original Legend of Zelda. However, the weapons (yo-yo, baseball bat, etc.) make it seem more like Earthbound. The most unique aspect of the game was a piece of parchment that was included with the manual. It contained a letter from one character to the main character, Mike Jones. The game actually instructed players to dip the paper in water, which revealed the hidden number "747," which was required to advance in the game. This, obviously, posed a problem for anyone who bought the cartridge second hand.
    ]]>     08 Feb 2007 05:51:38     Magic of Scheherazade A little known classic of the NES era, Magic of Scheherazade was created in a style very similar to the original Legend of Zelda. Th plot was enjoyable, and involved a bit of time travel. The main difference to the Zelda titles was the implementation of a password system rather than a battery save system.
    ]]>     08 Feb 2007 05:42:11     Terranigma Terranigma is a 1995 action role-playing game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System developed by Quintet and published by Enix. It is the story of the resurrection of the world (as we know it), and its progress from prehistoric times to the near future.

    Terranigma keeps a constant top-down view of the world. Instead of turn based battles, which were common in most RPGs at this time, Terranigma utilizes a combat system that allows the player to perform different attacks based on whether or not the player is running, in a jump, tapping the attack button, or a combination of the three.

    (source en.Wikipedia)
    ]]>     08 Feb 2007 03:07:38     Metroid II: Return of Samus After the events on planet Zebes (alternately known as 'Zebeth'), the Galactic Federation decided that the Metroids must be eradicated to prevent anything similar from happening in the future. The danger was simply far too great. An extermination squad was sent to the Metroids' homeworld: SR388. Mysteriously, they were never heard from again...

    Samus Aran was considered the only one capable of completing this mission, and so she was called on once again, to wipe out the entire Metroid species by herself. In spite of the disturbing disappearance of the special squad sent in before, Samus ventures into the depths of SR388 alone, collecting upgrades to her Power Suit and hunting down these dangerous, yet curiously fascinating, creatures.

    However, the Metroids aren't simply the floating green parasitic jellyfish she encountered before... No, here in their home world, they grow beyond that and evolve into far more unnerving and powerful creatures, becoming increasingly tougher to kill. These creatures are defined by the stages of their evolution: Alpha, Gamma, Zeta, and Omega. Finally, the source of all Metroids, the Queen, lurks at the climax of the game.

    Thoroughly scouring the murky depths of SR388, finding herself frequently lost in it's maze-like catacombs, and barely struggling her way out of some frightful close encounters with the Metroids, Samus clearly has her work cut out for her. However, with the help of conveniently hidden Missile and Energy Tank expansions, as well as the Varia Suit and arm cannon upgrades (the Ice Beam in particular was helpful - those savvy with the series will understand why!), she manages to battle through this challenge and arrive at the Queen Metroid... A massive, freakish monster that is so advanced in her mutated evolution she barely even resembles her own offspring...

    The Queen, outraged at Samus for destroying her children, bursts through a wall and -eats- Samus! With some quick thinking, Samus curls into her Morph Ball and sets off as many bombs as she can inside the beast's stomach. After being consequently expelled out in result (and likely covered in some sort of mucus or slime), she's immediately attacked again! Narrowly scraping the surface of death, Samus leaps away from the lashing maw of the Queen, and frantically plugs her with every Missile she's got.

    After suffering enough concussive blasts, the Queen is reduced into nothing but withering ash... Victorious, Samus makes her way through the giant tunnel the Queen had occupied during the battle, and heads for the planet's surface, where her ship waits for her. But wait.. what is this pulsing mass in the dark..? An.. egg..?

    Samus witnesses the birth of the last Metroid as it breaks free of it's shell... The hatchling is immediately drawn to Samus - yet, it doesn't attack her. In an alert, confused analysis, Samus decides that since she was the first thing it saw after being born, it must see her as it's mother..! The little hatchling eats through obstacles in Samus' path as she treks for her ship to finally leave SR388, exhausted, her mission complete. Seeing this kind of behavior in the creature causes Samus to take the last survivor of the species back with her to the headquarters of the Federation...

    This bizarre turn of events on SR388 results in the next compelling chapter in the franchise: Super Metroid. It's an underrated and misunderstood gem in the series, one that definitely deserves a chance, especially considering that it's the story that defines the rest that follow it.

    Give it a play, you might be pleasantly surprised...

    See you next mission!
    ]]>     08 Feb 2007 01:39:50     The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening Link, after setting sail for new experiences and adventures, finds himself caught in a squall at sea. Helpless in spite of his valiant efforts to last through the storm, he is overwhelmed by vicious waves and lightning...

    Some time later, a gentle girl named Marin discovers him washed up on Toronbo Shores.. the beach of Koholint Island. She finds a way to get him home and takes care of him until he finally awakens. Marin and her father, Tarin, explain to him where he is, and after he sets out to reclaim his sword, he encounters a mysterious owl... The owl cryptically warns Link about the perils this island faces should the Wind Fish be disturbed from his slumber, and thus Link decides he must do something to save them.

    This owl guides him throughout the rest of his journey, slowly helping him uncover just what exactly is going on. Link learns that, unfortunately, in order to save the islanders he had grown to love, and to set himself free, he must also end a dream, a romance that he might not want to... To save all those people he had come to know and cherish from the Wind Fish's Nightmares, he would also have to end the illusion that caused them to exist in the first place.

    It's a heart wrenching choice to confront, one that Link no doubt regrets with every deep ache of his very soul.. but the only alternative was to let the Nightmare take over and destroy everything.. This was the only fate he could offer them...

    A tragic, touching tale that is told in the simplest way, Link's Awakening is a dream that I'll always hold dear to my heart...
    ]]>     08 Feb 2007 11:34:05     Dr. Mario Dr. Mario is an arcade-style puzzle video game produced by Nintendo. It was originally released for the Nintendo Entertainment System and Game Boy in 1990. Its gameplay is often likened to that of Tetris. In this game, Dr. Mario throws vitamins that the player must align in order to destroy the viruses that populate the playing field (designed to resemble a medicine bottle). It is also a confirmed title to be available on Wii's Virtual Console.

    A puzzle game similar to Tetris, Dr. Mario features Nintendo mascot Mario as a doctor. Play consists of dropping two-sided vitamin capsules into an eight-block-by-16-block playing field populated by viruses of three colors (red, yellow, and blue).
    ]]>     08 Feb 2007 09:18:54