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Post by Chris on Oct 31, 2007 13:46:15 GMT -5
As I have just finished my review for T & C Surf Designs, I have decided to review all of my other NES games. I don't really care what order I do it in, but if you see a game that you would like to see a review for, please tell me so that I will do that one next.
Games:
Super Mario Bros. Super Mario Bros. 3 The Legend of Zelda Zelda II: The Adventure of Link Metal Gear Excitebike Duck Hunt Castlequest Karate Champ Pinball Golf Wizards and Warriors Deadly Towers Robocop 3 Jurassic Park Operation Wolf
Games that have already been reviewed:
T&C Surf Designs
Note: I just bought three games online, so they will be added soon.
Coming Soon:
Super Mario Bros. 2 Punch-Out!! Super C
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Post by NintendoNerds on Oct 31, 2007 13:55:22 GMT -5
hey, that's great Ninjatiamat!! Any one of those games you listed above will be fine for a review...whatever is more convenient or easier for you. Also, just to let you know, I haven't forgotten about your T & C review. I will post it to the site as soon as I can Thanks again!! Keep up the great work!
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Post by Chris on Feb 13, 2008 16:09:52 GMT -5
I know I have been horribly slacking doing these reviews(having only done two in a little over three months), but I am about to do some more. I'm going to post both reviews here, and I will take any feedback into consideration when I write reviews in the future. I'm also thinking of switching my ratings system from X/10 to an A,B,C,D,F format.
T&C Surf Designs:
Back in the late 80's, a company called Town & Country Surf Designs was among the most popular surfing and skateboarding companies around. To help capitalize on that success, they allowed their logo and mascots to appear on the NES game T&C surf Designs, which was released in February 1988, which was coincidentally the month of my birth. T&C Surf Designs was a game that had three versions of play, the Street Skate Session(skateboarding), the Big Wave Encounter(surfing), and Wood and Water Rage(which alternated between Street Skate stages and Wave Encounter stages). There are four usuable characters, two each for skating and surfing. The surfing characters are Thrilla Gorilla(who was the hero of the superior T&C 2), and Kool Kat(which was a cat in a tuxedo). The skaters are Tiki Man(a dude with a giant tiki mask, also my favorite character), and Joe Cool(a guy in oversized pink shades). There is no difference in the abilities of these characters, however in the skating portion, the player's choice of character will determine the color scheme of the course,and in the surfing portion, the enemies are different looking, so it is a purely aesthetic choice. In both modes of the game, health is measured in blocks. Usually, when a player starts a stage, there are four blocks, however, in later levels, that number will diminish. The number of blocks may be increased to a maximum of eight. Both modes use the same music. It is repetive and annoying, as the same five second tune is repeated endlessly.
The surfing portion of T&C Surf Designs was very poorly made. The gist of that mode is to surf from one end of the wave to the other. The controls are atrocious and its difficult to survive for long without wiping out. In fact, a fat guy in an inner tube can work that wave better than I can. It's hard to believe how many times that inner tube guy took me out because I couldn't control the surfer well enough to get out of the way. Even when I make to the end of the wave, I have no idea how I did it. Sometimes I do the exactly same thing twice in a row and end up getting vastly different results, which adds to the confusion factor. A player can increase their amount of blocks and score points by performing very difficult tricks and staying on the wave. The best strategy I can make is to hold Right and hope it gets me to the end of the wave, which works for a few levels. The graphics on this portion are okay, but it doesn't really look much like a wave. There isn't much of a reward for finishing a level, only a small congratulatory screen of a bunch of sailors watching the character surf to the shore.
Despite the name T&C Surf Designs, this game should have just been a skateboarding game because that mode is actually fun for a while. The player rides a skateboard thourough an urban course littered with coins and obstacles. The first couple of stages are pretty good, but because every stage just adds a small section to the beginning of each stage, it gets repetitive quickly. By the twelfth stage, the course is at full length and you only start with one block, and every stage after repeats this. The player may increase the amount of blocks by passing checkpoints in the level. More often than not, the player winds up seeing the game over in this mode because of the time limit, which is one minute. The time is sufficient for the first few levels, but soon there just isn't enough time to make through the entire course. However, if you have eight blocks of health, the timer will freeze, allowing players to take their time, but if a block is lost, the timer restarts. Points can be scored by collecting coins or jumping on certain obstacles, as well as grinding on the higher guardrails(remember to hold Back when jumping to keep ahold of the board). The graphics of this portion are better, but not particulary great.
T&C Surf Designs is best played multiplayer with the skateboarding section and aiming for besting each others point scores. The game isn't bad, but it has some serious flaws. This game is a decent blast to the past overall. I can't stress this enough, if you ever play this game, remember to play the skateboarding section, because the surfing can just be infuriating.
Overall 6/10
Super Mario Bros. 3:
Back in 1985, Nintendo released a game called Super Mario Bros. for its fledgeling console, the NES. It completely changed the world of gaming, and the sequel was highly anticipated. Unfortunately, Super Mario Bros. 2 deviated from the formula of the first game. While SMB 2 wasn't a bad game, it was a disappointment to many gamers. Nintendo then decided to bring back the formula of the first game, which resulted in what many call the greatest game ever for the NES, Super Mario Bros. 3.
Super Mario Bros. 3 is far deeper than the first two installments, boasting almost 100 distinct levels spread over eight worlds. Each world has its own theme, and most of the levels within reflect that. The Worlds are called; World 1: Grass Land; World 2: Desert Land; World 3: Water Land; World 4: Giant Land; World 5: Sky Land; World 6: Ice Land; World 7: Pipe Land; and World 8: Dark Land. Each world has a map screen, a first for the Mario series, that allows one to choose a path to progress through the world. Many levels can be skipped entirely, but they often block off mushroom houses or minigames. Most worlds have minigames that can be completed for lives or items. These can range from duels with Hammer Bros. to a game of Memory that awards a life, coins, or a item for each match. There are also Mushroom Houses that gives one a free item. Not everything on the map screen is there to help you. There are fortresses, which vary in style, but are basically an area with dark themes with enemies that usually don't appear anywhere else. At the end of each fortress is a fight with a fairly easy mini-boss called Boom-Boom. At the end of the first seven worlds, there is a castle that will lead you to the airship level. The airship level is a sidescrolling level where an obscene amount of cannoballs, Bullet Bills, flamethrowers, and Bob-Ombs are thrown at you. Once you complete the sidescrolling portion, there is a duel with one of Bowser's children, which usually fight much the same way, although the two with projectiles bouncing around are the hardest to defeat.
The controls are superb, and the levels are designed well to take advantage of that. Many of the early levels are quite easy to beat, but the last two worlds pose a stiff challenge to even the most grizzled platforming vets. Early in the game, however, some newbies might despair when faced with the prospect that even the sun has turned against you, or slightly later when they must avoid a man eating fish, or even the end of the Third World and the showdown with Wendy O' Koopa. The difficulty is paced well throughout the game, however, i think the 3rd and 4th Worlds should have been switched in the order.
SMB 3 expands on the original in many ways, but perhaps the most important addition was the immense number of items and powerups. All of the items can be used on the map screen, and one can hold up to 28 at one time. The items range from the classic mushroom and fire flower, to a hammer to break rocks on the map screen, and a special whistle that takes Mario to the Warp Zone. There are many new powerups in SMB 3. The first is the leaf, whick gives Mario raccoon ears and a tail, and allows him to fly by building up the meter and repeatedly pressing A. The frog suit makes Mario look like a frog, with only his face sticking out. Its is near worthless on land, but it greatly increases his mobility in the water. The Tanooki suit is essentially the same as the leaf, but with two differences. First, in addition to the ears and tail, Mario is almost completely covered in fur. Secondly, and more important, Mario can turn into a statue by pressing down + B, crushing anything under him. The last suit is the rarest and best of the suits. The Hammer Bros. suit turns Mario into a Hammer Bro, with the ability to throw hammers and retreat into his shell to block projectiles. There is also a powerup of the leaf called the P-Wing, which allows Mario to fly over a level without needing to power up the meter. After completing one level, Mario reverts to Raccoon Mario. One special item appears in level 5-3, the Kuribo's shoe. To obtain it, Mario must attack one of the goombas wearing one from below. The Kuribo's shoe protects Mario from anything below him except pits, so Mario can stomp on anything, including Spinies. It disappears at the end of the level.
SMB 3 looks far better than most NES games. The backgrounds are colorful, and thanks to the cartoony look of the game, everything looks like it should. Mario and Luigi look almost as good as they do in Super Mario World. All the Koopalings look distinctive, which is a huge plus. Overall, the game looks good, with the exception on the levels within Giant World, which look pixelated and ugly.
Overall, this game is almost perfect, and deserves a spot among the greatest games of all time. The replayability is through the roof because of the nonlinear paths and the larges amounts of secrets just waiting to be uncovered. The games even sports a Mario Bros. minigame in two player mode. This is a must-play for any gamer.
Rating 10/10
So, what do you guys think? I welcome any feedback, as it will make me a better reviewer.
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Post by Powerfullove on Feb 13, 2008 16:39:48 GMT -5
Nice job, reviews are well written, views are pretty good, great! Keep it up.
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Post by NintendoNerds on Feb 13, 2008 19:59:32 GMT -5
Ninjatiamat, I appreciate great work when I see it and this is great work. Keep in mind that all reviews will be published to the NintendoNerds.com website once Project: REVOLUTION has been launched. Your hard work will pay off and it will be a great addition to the site. Once I start publishing the reviews to the site, I will incorporate pictures to go with the review. I have learned that people (typically) enjoy reading more when there are pictures to along with the material. It makes it more exciting to read...especially when talking about video games :0
Here's the current rating system that I already have in place for the NN.com website. Feel free to use this as a guideline when writing reviews. This is taken straight from the newly finished page on the site:
"The game review specialist will write original reviews for games for the NES, SNES, N64, GameCube, and Nintendo Wii. The reviews should be well-written, free of grammatical errors, spelling errors, etc. Game features such as graphics, sound, story, challenge, control, and fun should be reviewed and scored from A-E with A being the best possible score. A "+" or "-" sign can be used for each letter rating as well."
Thanks again Ninjatiamat
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Post by Chris on Feb 14, 2008 13:13:35 GMT -5
Ah, so T&C would get a C, and Super Mario Bros. 3 would get an A+ from me. Also, expect Legend of Zelda, Punch-Out!!, and F-Zero reviews in the next few weeks.
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Post by NintendoNerds on Feb 14, 2008 13:17:23 GMT -5
Thanks Ninjatiamat. Hey would you mind rating the graphics, sound, story, challenge, control, and fun as well so I'll have that information when I publish it to the site? Thanks and I can't wait to see the others you do.
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Post by Chris on Feb 14, 2008 13:22:50 GMT -5
T&C graphics: C- sound: C+ story: N/A challenge: B control: C fun: B-
SMB 3
graphics: B+ sound: A- story: C+ challenge: B+ control: A fun: A+
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Post by NintendoNerds on Feb 14, 2008 13:29:21 GMT -5
perfect Ninjatiamat...thanks. I have noted your reviews and the scores for each category.
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Post by Chris on Feb 15, 2008 17:10:15 GMT -5
Punch-Out!! Featuring Mr. Dream
Punch-Out!! for the NES is a re-release of the classic Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!. After Tyson lost his heavyweight championship to Buster Douglas, Nintendo chose not to renew his contract. It is virtually identical to the prior release, with the exception that Tyson was replaced by a guy named Mr. Dream. In Punch-Out!!, the player uses the appropriately named character Little Mac. Nintendo was forced to make him short so that you could see the other boxers. This makes Mac the ultimate underdog. As his physical prowess is dwarfed by the other boxers, Mac must rely on his guile, grit, and determination to win.
The object of the game is to rise to the top of the three W.V.B.A. circuits, then to win the dream fight against Mr. Dream. Along the way, you will encounter a number of wacky boxers, such as the over-the-hill Glass Joe, the incredibly fat King Hippo, the drunkard Soda Popinski, and the ever flexing(and disturbingly jiggly) Super Macho Man. You begin at the bottom of the standings. By defeating each boxer you take their spot in the rankings. You progress through the Minor, Major, and World Circuits in order to get to the Dream Fight.
Each boxer fights in a given pattern. You will see the normal jabs and hooks, but most of the boxers have a special attack that is devastating to Mac if he can't avoid it. Most of the boxers also have moments when they are vulnerable. They also tip off what attack they are going to use. Learning to exploit each opponent's weaknesses is key to beating the game. The challenge is learning how to defeat each boxer. Doc Louis, your trainer, may give you clues between rounds, or he will give you basic boxing advice like "Keep your guard up!' or "Join the Nintendo Fun Club today, Mac!!" The boxer might also inadvertently spill the beans. However, once you know how to defeat each boxer, the game gets pretty easy.
Mac can throw punches with both hands, either to the body or the head. If you can catch your opponent unawares, you can earn a star. You can collect up to three at a time. When Mac has at least one star, he can use a powerful uppercut. He can dodge to each side, and block as well. However, blocking has a downside. It uses up a heart. But its better than getting hit, in which you lose three. If the opponent blocks or dodges your attack, you lose a heart. Hearts are important, for without them, Mac cannot attack. Mac is forced to dodge until he gets them back. The controls work flawlessly, as is necessary because timing is very important. You start with a different amount of hearts in each battle. There are three ways to win a fight: KO, TKO, and decision. KOs and TKOs both require knockdowns, which are achieved by depleting the opponent health bar to empty. If the boxer stays down for 10 seconds, it is a KO. A TKO requires the player to knock down the opponent three times in a single round. It is the most common way to win. To win by decision, you must meet a predetermined point total and both boxers must be standing at the end of three rounds. Sometimes, it is impossible to KO and/or win by decision.
The game features huge sprites with great detail. However, the ring looks drab and boring. And, apparently, everything requires two exclamation points. The sound on a whole is pretty good, although the sound effects leave something to be desired. Simply put, the game is fun. I still enjoy pummeling Don Flamenco into submission even when it has become ridiculously easy. The characters are all pretty funny stereotypes. They all seem to have personality, except Mr. Dream, who is generic. The Mike Tyson version is slightly better this because beating up Tyson is cooler than fighting some cheesy Tyson-wannabe. Still, Punch-Out!! is worth playing, unless you can play the Tyson version.
graphics: B+ sound: B story: C- challenge: C+ control: A fun: A overall: A-
(REVISED)
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Post by NintendoNerds on Feb 15, 2008 17:13:56 GMT -5
another great job, Ninjatiamat! Let me know when and if you revise so it will be published as the revision.
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Post by Chris on Feb 21, 2008 15:26:37 GMT -5
F-Zero
The Super Nintendo came out in 1991, boasting superior technology than that of its rival, the Sega Genesis. One of Nintendo's main boasts was the fact that background tiles could be rotated and scaled, this technology is known as Mode 7. Nintendo created F-Zero to show off the effects of Mode 7. F-Zero is a futuristic racing game that blew people away with the sense of speed it evoked. Because of this, it became very popular and spawned sequels.
Grand Prix mode is the heart of the game. You can choose one of three leagues, consisting of five tracks apiece. You then choose one of the four cars, and choose from four different difficulty levels(one of which is unlockable). There are 20 cars competing in a Grand Prix race. Each course has five laps. You must finish each lap in at least a predetermined position, otherwise you lose your car and must try again. On the first lap, for example, you must finish in at least fifteenth place, but on the last lap you must place at least third. If you ever slip to twentieth place you lose a car also. There is no penalty for not winning a race, as long as you finish at least third. After each lap, you are given a speed boost to use at any time. Also, after the first lap, "traffic" cars show up. These serve no purpose except to get in your way and deal damage. Each car can only take damage for so long before losing power and eventually blowing up. You take damage by running into other cars, hitting the outside boundary of the track, or by hitting various pitfalls. You automatically blow up if you land outside the track. If you blow up, obviously you lose your car. There is also a pseudo-point system, as it is only a way to get extra cars. You get points based on what place you finish a lap in and a race in. The point system can be maxed out by finishing every lap in all five races first. By getting 10,000 points, you get another car. These are used to continue the game if you lose. The track order in the Grand Prix often feels wrong as there are some easy courses in the Queen and King leagues, especially the second to last course, Red Canyon II.
The other mode is Practice. Essentially, this is a time trial mode. You have the option of racing against one car of your choice or going solo. The biggest drawback to this mode is the fact that only seven out of fifteen tracks are available. These are all the tracks in the Knight League, and one each from the Queen and King Leagues. It is easier to race because there are less cars, no traffic, and no placing requirements.
Each track is flat, bounded on each side by barriers made of connecting circles. Hit one, and the car bounces away, using strange physics to do so. There are other pitfalls such as magnetic bars that can deal a lot of damage, road mines, or just rough patches that will slow you down. Jumps are also prevalent, and they can be beneficial or dangerous, depending on how they're handled. A jump can speed you up, but if you're not careful, you could fly off the track. There are arrows on the Death Wind and Fire Field tracks, these provide huge speed boosts. There is a pit road you can use to recharge your energy, but it does slow you down a bit. The Death Wind courses have an additional twist; there is an invisible wind pushing you to one side. This highly affects turning ability. Some courses reuse parts of prior courses, and the two Red Canyon courses are remarkably similar.
There are four cars usable in F-Zero. Each car has its own stats and abilities. The Blue Falcon is mostly average, with slightly bad turning, but good acceleration. The Golden Fox is the worst of the bunch. While it does have the best acceleration in the game, the turning is awful, the top speed is very slow, and the body is terrible. The Wild Goose has good handling, top speed, and the best body, but it doesn't accelerate particularly well. Still a good car, but the best one is the Fire Stingray. The Fire Stingray has incredible handling, the highest top speed, and the second-best body, but has weak acceleration. This car isn't very well-suited for beginners, but once you get the hang of the game, there is no turning back.
The graphics are somewhat lacking, especially in the backgrounds. The background is usually a sea of waves, while this works for Big Blue, it doesn't for Silence(Purple waves?). There are couple things in the distance, but they are small and usually ignored. Not all tracks use the wave background, but none of the backgrounds look any good. The cars look decent enough, but detail is sacrificed in order to make the cars look like they are going really fast. The speed makes the graphics passable, as you're not not paying much attention to them. The music and sound are decent, but the sound is muffled, which is slightly annoying.
Overall, despite its shortcomings and lack of options, this is a really fun game to play. The omission of multiplayer hurts this title, but otherwise it is very solid. The replayability is somewhat low, although I tend to play this game a lot, others forget about it. It can get very difficult on the Expert and Master difficulty levels. I'd recommend this to anyone who has a SNES or a Wii.
graphics: C sound: B story: N/A challenge: B control: A- fun: A overall: B
(REVISED)
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Post by NintendoNerds on Feb 28, 2008 17:32:40 GMT -5
Both reviews have been revised. There is very little change between the versions. Great job Ninjatiamat! They are well-written and will be added to the queue for the website. Thank you.
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Post by NintendoNerds on May 14, 2008 18:00:22 GMT -5
Ninjatiamat, what are your overall scores (what letters) for SMB3 and T&C? I am adding the reviews right now Thanks, ~NN~
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mignelli
Untouchable NintendoNerd
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Posts: 919
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Post by mignelli on May 14, 2008 18:53:03 GMT -5
good job, ninja! I havent posted here, but ive read your reviews. Keep up the good work!
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