Game Reviews7.7/10
Final Fantasy II Pixel Remaster Review: 7.7/10
Final Fantasy II Pixel Remaster review: Firion's rebellion, the use-based stat system, Word Memory, chocobos, and why it scores 7.7/10.
CLAY TRIBUNE / THE ARCHIVE
Category: Game Reviews
Every game we have scored, from the NES library to current releases.
Game Reviews8.9/10
EarthBound Review: Nintendo’s 1994 RPG Still Casts a Spell
EarthBound, Nintendo's 1994 SNES RPG, swapped swords for a meteorite in the backyard. A look at Ness, Giygas, and why it still scores 8.9/10.
Game Reviews8/10
Dixie Kong Finally Gets Top Billing, and the Result Is the Trilogy’s Odd One Out
Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! (1996) put Dixie and Kiddy Kong center stage in the Northern Kremisphere. A look back at Rare's SNES sequel.
Game Reviews8.6/10
Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest Review — Rare Sidelined Its Mascot and Won
Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest (1995) sidelined its own mascot and let Diddy and Dixie carry Rare's Super Nintendo sequel to 8.6/10.
Game Reviews9.5/10
Chrono Trigger Review: A Time-Travel Classic That Still Holds Up
Chrono Trigger review: Square's 1995 SNES time-travel RPG still lands its hooks, from the fair to Lavos. Score: 9.5/10.
Game Reviews6.5/10
Castlevania: Dracula X Review — A Harder, Thinner Version of a Better Game
A 6.5/10 review of Castlevania: Dracula X, the SNES remake of Rondo of Blood that cut levels, saves, and Maria Renard but added three endings.
Game Reviews7.2/10
Wizards & Warriors Is a Great Knight, a Great Sword, and a Castle Worth the Trip
A retro review of Rare's 1987 NES platformer Wizards & Warriors, starring knight Kuros and his Brightsword on a quest to Castle IronSpire.
Game Reviews5/10
Solar Jetman: Hunt for the Golden Warpship — A 5.0/10 Fight Against Gravity
Solar Jetman: Hunt for the Golden Warpship review — Rare's gravity-shifting NES shooter still punishes, twelve planets of inertia and tow cables. 5/10.
Game Reviews7/10
Skate or Die turns skateboarding into a party game, and the board barely matters
Skate or Die! on NES: five events, Bionic Lester, and a pool joust that beats every ramp run. A retro review of EA's 1987 skateboarding oddity.
Game Reviews7/10
Section Z: Capcom’s Alphabet-Shooter and the Two-Button Idea That Still Holds Up
Capcom's 1985 arcade shooter Section Z sends one astronaut through 26 alphabet corridors to Section Z. A retro review of its directional aim and L Brain finale.
Game Reviews5.8/10
Pro Wrestling Review: Nintendo’s 1986 NES Wrestling Game and Its In-Ring Referee
Nintendo's Pro Wrestling put six wrestlers, a live referee and a twenty-count in a cartridge. We revisit the 1986 NES rules machine and score it 5.8/10.
Game Reviews6/10
Pinball FX2: Portal Pinball Review — A Competent Table That Never Quite Becomes a Machine
Portal Pinball, Zen Studios' Aperture-themed table for Pinball FX2, plays cleanly but never turns Portal's ideas into mechanics. A fair 6/10.