Contra is a game that should need no introduction. This classic side-scrolling shooter was in such demand when it was released that stores could scarcely keep it in stock. The game hails from a time when seemingly every pseudo-military themed action game had to feature a main character who was some sort of Rambo variant. … Read more
This classic side-scrolling space shooter was one of the first on the NES and is easily one of the best games on the system. What makes Gradius unique is the custom power-up system that it uses. Rather than just giving you an upgraded weapon or shield, the power-ups that you collect can be used to … Read more
Probably the most famous thing about Lee Trevino’s Fighting Golf is the title. Fighting Golf? Was that meant to trick someone into buying this game thinking that it was the sequel to the Atari 7800 classic Ninja Golf? Now that game was fighting golf. Lee Trevino’s Fighting Golf is definitely one of the better golf … Read more
Galaga is my favorite arcade game of all time, so when I found out that there was a sequel on the Turbo, I had to play it. Galaga ’90 is actually the fourth title in the series, preceded by Galaxian, Galaga, and the lesser-known Gaplus. Galaxian’s game play was similar to Space Invaders, except that … Read more
Ninja Spirit is one part Shinobi and one part shooter, mixing the side-scrolling ninja action of the classic Genesis title with the power up system found in most shooters. The game play is almost mindless – jump around avoiding enemy fire while mashing the attack button, much like most shoot-em-ups. The only real strategy involved … Read more
Keith Courage in Alpha Zones was the original pack-in game for the TurboGrafx-16. It’s an action platform game consisting of 7 themed levels, each with an overworld and underworld stage. In the overworld, you control the human Keith Courage, making your way through a village fighting off small enemies with a dagger and collecting gold … Read more
Splatterhouse has a plot straight out of a cheesy 80’s horror flick. Rick and Jennifer visit a haunted mansion and are attacked by monsters. Rick is killed, but is brought back to life by a mask that gives him super-human powers which he uses to fight through the mansion to rescue his girlfriend, who has … Read more
Buck Rogers: Countdown to Doomsday is a science fiction-themed turn-based role-playing game developed by Strategic Simulations, a company known primarily for it’s “Gold Box” series of computer games based on the world of Dungeons & Dragons. You begin the game by creating a party of 6 characters, choosing their race and class and rolling their … Read more
Virtua fighter shares many traits with another Saturn game, Daytona USA, as both a Saturn launch title and a home conversion of a 1993 hit arcade game. The game is noteworthy in the annals of video game history for being the first fully 3D arcade fighting game, which in the early 90’s made it stand … Read more
Often times, ports of classic arcade titles either include nothing that updates the game or change the game so much that the fun of the original is lost. Ms. Pac-Man for the Genesis does an excellent job of recreating the arcade experience at home while adding several new options that make the game an upgrade … Read more
Altered Beast is a side-scrolling action game in which the hero, a shape-shifting resurrected Roman centurion, must rescue Zeus’ daughter from an evil demon god. Through the collection of power-ups the protagonist grows incrementally stronger before finally turning into a non-human creature with special powers. Once the final shape shift has taken place, a boss … Read more
This, the first version of Tetris on the NES, was pulled off of the shelves only 1 month after it’s debut and is therefore one of the rarest NES games released by a major publisher. Atari had licensed the game from British software publisher Mirrorsoft, who themselves had been granted a home console license from … Read more
As the game that kicked Tengen’s Tetris” The Soviet Mind Game off of the shelves, Nintendo’s Tetris had a lot to live up to. Unfortunately, and perhaps because they had a monopoly on the market, Nintendo chose to release a decent but entirely unimpressive port of Alexei Pahjitnov’s classic puzzle game. Gone are the head-to-head … Read more
It is a little-known fact that Tetris was not originally intended to be bundled with the Game Boy. Henk Rogers, a game developer and founder of “Bullet-Proof Software”, convinced Nintendo of America president Minoru Arakawa that Tetris, and not Super Mario Land, would give the Game Boy broad appeal across multiple age groups. Mr. Rogers … Read more
Track & Field is a home port of the 1983 arcade game of the same name. Although the original arcade game never gained much notoriety, the release of the game on the NES popularized the series and spawned numerous sequels on multiple platforms. Track & Field features 8 events; the 100-meter dash, long jump, 110-meter … Read more
Joe Montana Football was intended to be the first football game available on the Genesis, but due to various development problems the game was released one month after John Madden Football. Developed by Electronic Arts, the game was not meant to be a direct competitor to their own Madden franchise. Rather, Joe Montana Football provides … Read more
Anyone who played computer games in the late 80’s or early 90’s should instantly recognize this classic city building game. SimCity was originally released on the DOS PC, Mac, Amiga, Commodore 64, and Atari ST, and arguably launched a whole new genre of video games. As the mayor/city planner, you lay out roads, rails and … Read more
As an avid retro sports gamer, I’m always picking up old sports games that I either don’t have or have never played. Doubly-so when they’re Ice Hockey, Golf, or Baseball games. Sometimes I find a hidden (at least to me) gem, and sometimes that dollar would have been better spent if flushed down the toilet. … Read more
Although Welltris was the official sequel to Tetris, Blockout seems like more of a logical extension of the classic puzzle game. Blockout features a top-down view of a 3D well. As with Tetris, Blockout pieces are made up of smaller cubes, and the object of the game is to clear completed levels made up of … Read more
Tetris Plus was one of only two Tetris games released for the Playstation (the other being “The Next Tetris”), and is identical to the Sega Saturn release of the same name. Along with the requisite “Classic” and “Vs.” modes, Tetris Plus features a “puzzle” mode (isn’t the whole game a puzzle?) that is really the … Read more