Duck Tales - NES Review

Not your typical platform game for the time.  Most platform games that came out then were linear and scrolled from left to right only.  This game is more of an adventure platformer.  When you start the game, there is a difficulty select, easy, normal, and hard.  I think the difficulty just sets the amount of damage that an enemy will deal when they hit you.  When you start, you have to select between six stages.  The whole purpose of the game is to beat all six bosses and get their special treasure.  The cool thing about the game is that you explore every level trying to get the most money in treasure.  Their are lots of hidden rooms to find and secrets in this game.  The controls are pretty good, and you will find yourself pogo sticking on your cane for most of the game.  Most enemies can be killed by jumping on top of them.  The graphics in this game are great for the NES and so is the music / sound.  The game play is also very good and fun.  Overall, I give this game a 9 out of 10 stars.  Even if you don't like platform games, try this one, its awesome.

Alien Crush TurboGrafx 16 Review

This is a pinball game for the TurboGrafx 16.  Not your ordinary pinball game however.  You are on a two screen playing field with moving aliens, living alien pod bumpers, and a huge alien brain. The game has 2 settings, slow and fast.  Playing on each setting has different effects. I prefer to play on fast as it seems more challenging. The game play is awesome and the graphics are equally awesome and super smooth.  There are a few bonus screen that you can play where you have to kill aliens for points. The music in this game is great and very catchy.  A great game overall and fun to play anytime.  I give the game a 9 out of 10 overall.  It would have gotten a perfect 10 but it seems that they could have done a little more with it.  Something very small is missing but I am not quite sure what.

Bionic Commando NES Review

This game was not a favorite of mine back when I was a kid.  It is difficult and tedious.  There is no password or save feature, and when you first start, no continues.  Your goal in the game is to infiltrate the enemies areas and save a guy named Super Joe.  You start with a gun, a communicator and a Bionic Arm which you can shoot out and swing from things and go up to other platforms.  It takes a lot of practice to get proficient with the grappling arm.  There are times when this game is so frustrating that you just want to give up.  I can understand why I didn't like it too much when I was a kid.  Now, I think the game is awesome!  You travel to different areas by helicopter and sometimes run into convoys on the map.  When you run into a convoy, you have to fight them.  This fight is a top down, top scrolling, 360 level kind of like the original Commando.  This level is where you can get up to 2 continues per level.  This game has lots of weapons upgrades and although some of the levels are short, they are very challenging.  You can't just run through the game, you actually have to think.  You have to revisit some areas and also use certain special weapons to advance.  You also get bullets when you kill enemies which are like experience points.  If you collect enough of them, you level up and get another bar on your health meter.  Awesome concept to mix in RPG elements into a platforming adventure game.  Overall, I give this game a 9 out of 10 stars.  It would have gotten a perfect 10 if it had a password feature or a save feature and if it wasn't so damn hard.  Seriously, there are points in the game that are absolutely ridiculous.  I won't spoil the ending for you but it is awesome and challenging.  Pick this game up if you have the chance, I recommend it.

Phantasy Star Collection Game Boy Advance Review

This game is a collection of 3 classic RPG's by Sega.  The collection was released in 2002 for the Game Boy Advance.  I am not going to review each game in the collection individually.  I will review the collection as a whole.  I am a big fan of the Phantasy Star series so I was happy when this came out.  This collection has Phantasy Star for the Sega Master System, Phantasy Star 2 for the Sega Genesis, and Phantasy Star 3 for the Sega Genesis.  The only one missing for the 8 bit / 16 bit systems is Phantasy Star 4.  If you have never played any of these games, I highly recommend them.  This collection contains the roms of these three games and they play and sound identical to the single versions.  There is a battery back up so you can save your progress just like the originals.  I give this a 9 out of 10 overall.  It would have gotten a perfect 10 if it contained part 4. 

GunNac NES Review

This game is a shooter.  I love shooters.  Many people have not played this game before because of its rarity.  As of this review, prices on Ebay range from $79 to $167 for a loose cartridge.  I was lucky enough to get my copy for $7.50 at a garage sale.  The lady wanted $25 because she looked it up online she said.  This was a recurring barn sale where I saw this game for months.  She also had Tombs & Treasure another rare NES game.  I talked her down to $15 for both which was an awesome deal.  I told her that I had seen it there for months and it is not selling.  Anyway, this is a pretty awesome shooter.  I just re played through it tonight without dying.  I amassed over 4 million score and had 34 ships when I beat it.  In my opinion this game is the fastest you will see on the NES with no slowdown at all, no matter how many sprites are on the screen at once.  The game plays like a cross between Blazing Lasers on the TurboGrafx 16 and The Guardian Legend for NES.  The power ups are good and can be utilized for many different areas of the game.  there are mini bosses half way through every level with 8 levels total.  The 8th level has 4 mini bosses however.  The game play is awesome, the graphics are top notch for the NES and the music and sound is great.  My only beef with the game is that it is too easy.  It might have been nice to include a difficulty select mode to make it harder.  You can upgrade your weapons between stages in a shop using money that you collect during levels.  Overall I give this game a 9 out of 10 on the Jason scale.  It would have gotten a perfect 10 if it were just a bit more difficult.

Zelda 2 - The Adventure of Link NES Review

I remember eagerly anticipating this game after being a huge fan of The Legend of Zelda.  This game does not disappoint in any way.  The game is awesome for its time with lots of secrets and hidden areas.  This game is also very challenging.  A lot of people don't like it because it was a totally different game from the original, which in my opinion is how it should be.  I just played through the entire game again yesterday and it is still as cool as I remember it.  Very entertaining and arguably one of the best NES titles ever.  If you have never played this game, you need to now.  You will find hours of fun and challenge.  I would have to say it is my favorite in the Zelda franchise.  I have a lot of hours logged into this one as a kid.  Overall, I give it a 9 out of 10 with a great story and great game play.  Do yourself a favor, dig this oldie out and play through it again!