Game Reviews7.5/10
Mario’s Oddest Sequel Holds Up Better Than Its Reputation Suggests
A review of Super Mario Bros. 2 as remastered in Super Mario All-Stars, covering Subcon, Wart, four characters, 20 levels, and its Doki Doki Panic origins.
CLAY TRIBUNE / THE ARCHIVE
Tag: game review
Game Reviews7.5/10
Ninja Gaiden II Sharpens Its Combat and Stumbles on Its Cutscenes
Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos review: Ryu Hayabusa returns on NES with wall climbing, new power items, brutal difficulty, and a weaker story.
Game Reviews7.4/10
Ninja Gaiden on the NES: Cinematic, Brilliant, and Cruel Enough to Break You
Ninja Gaiden on NES, reviewed: Tecmo's 1988 classic that pioneered cinematic cutscenes and brutal difficulty. Score: 7.4 of 10.
Game Reviews7.2/10
Mega Man 6 Sends the NES Series Out Without a New Idea in Its Head
Mega Man 6 (1993) was the NES's last 8-bit Mega Man game. Review of its Robot Masters, Rush Adaptors, Energy Balancer and 7.2/10 score.
Game Reviews4.5/10
Mega Man 4 Adds a Charge Shot and Not Much Else
Mega Man 4 review: Capcom's 1991 NES sequel added the charge shot, Eddie, and the Kalinka reveal. It earns a 4.5 out of 10.
Game Reviews8.2/10
Mega Man 2 Fixed What the First Game Got Wrong
Mega Man 2 review: Capcom's 1989 NES sequel, its eight Robot Masters, Energy Tanks, and why it's still ranked the best in the series.
Game Reviews7.3/10
Mega Man’s first outing gets the essentials right and little else
Mega Man arrived on the NES in 1987 as Capcom's first home-console game. A retrospective on its stage select, weapon loop, and 7.3/10 score.
Game Reviews7.8/10
Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse Review — A Prequel That Earns Its Place
Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse review — Trevor Belmont, three companions, two routes through sixteen stages, and a soundtrack that outlived the cartridge.
Game Reviews6.7/10
Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest Review — The Most Interesting Wrong Turn in the Series
Castlevania II: Simon's Quest (1987) review — Konami's cursed, nonlinear sequel with day-night cycles, lying villagers and three endings. Score: 6.7 of 10.
Game Reviews9.7/10
Disco Elysium: ZA/UM’s RPG where 24 voices solve a murder and a man
Disco Elysium review: ZA/UM's 2019 RPG casts you as amnesiac detective Harry Du Bois in Martinaise, where 24 skills argue and thinking is the main verb.
Game Reviews9.5/10
Portal 2 Review: The Sequel That Made the Holes Feel Like the Whole World
Portal 2 review: Valve's 2011 sequel turns a short puzzle joke into a full-length classic with GLaDOS, Wheatley, gels and a real co-op campaign.
Game Reviews9.6/10
Baldur’s Gate 3 Review: The Dice and the Companions
Baldur's Gate 3 review: Larian's D&D epic, from the nautiloid crash and the Sword Coast to ten companions, three uneven acts, and the dice that decide it all.