Game Reviews5.4/10
Clu Clu Land Review: A Clean Maze With One Good Trick
A retro review of Nintendo's 1984 puzzle game Clu Clu Land, where Bubbles hunts gold using Turning Posts. Score: 5.4/10.
CLAY TRIBUNE / THE ARCHIVE
Tag: game review
Game Reviews5.6/10
Balloon Fight Is a 5.6, and There Is Nothing Above It
Balloon Fight review: Nintendo's 1985 NES port of a 1984 arcade game earns a 5.6 — a Joust-like floater saved only by its two-player co-op mode.
Game Reviews7.2/10
Nintendo’s black sheep sequel still refuses to play by the series’ rules
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link broke the series in 1987 with side-scrolling combat, leveling, and a sleeping princess. A 7.2/10 experiment worth revisiting.
Game Reviews7.5/10
Zanac’s enemies adapt to how you fight, and the game is better for it
Zanac review: Compile's adaptive-AI shooter still holds up decades on, with eight weapons, twelve levels, and a difficulty that watches how you play.
Game Reviews7.2/10
Capcom released two Willow games in 1989. Only one of them is worth your password sheet.
Capcom's 1989 NES Willow is a solo Zelda-style action RPG with leveling, no money system, and a password save. We review the version worth playing.
Game Reviews7.5/10
Konami’s NES Turtles Port Rewrites the Arcade Original
Konami's NES port of TMNT II: The Arcade Game adds two new levels and bosses Tora and Shogun, plus a Baxter Stockman swap. Review score: 7.5/10.
Game Reviews7.5/10
Shadowgate’s remaster keeps the cruelty and adds the map
Shadowgate 2014 review: a brutal castle, torch countdown, sardonic deaths, and three artifacts. Zojoi's remake of the 1987 Mac classic scores 7.5/10.
Game Reviews6.2/10
Natsume’s NES Action Game Has One Great Idea and Repeats It for Six Stages
Power Blade is a 1991 NES platformer from Taito starring Nova, a boomerang that fires in eight directions, and a Power Suit. Our review scores it 6.2/10.
Game Reviews7.4/10
Jackal: Two Jeeps, Two Players, and One of Konami’s Tightest NES Ports
Jackal, Konami's 1986 run-and-gun jeep shooter, reviewed: two-player co-op, prisoner rescues and a turret that only fires up. Score: 7.4 of 10.
Game Reviews7.4/10
Batman: The Video Game Review: Sunsoft’s NES Platformer Earns 7.4/10
Batman: The Video Game on NES (1989) reviewed: Sunsoft's five-stage platformer, its Ninja Gaiden-style wall jump, three projectile weapons, and a 7.4/10.
Game Reviews6.6/10
Capcom’s NES Little Mermaid Game Is Better Than It Sounds, Briefly
Capcom's 1991 Little Mermaid game for NES and Game Boy: six stages, a bubble-throwing Ariel, and a 6.6/10 verdict on the licensed platformer.
Game Reviews8.2/10
Punch-Out!!’s Fights Are Rhythm Puzzles, Not Boxing Matches
Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! is a rhythm game in boxing gloves — a review of Nintendo's 1987 NES classic, its heart meter, star punches and three-loss career.