Game Reviews6.1/10
Marble Madness Trades Its Rolling Ball for Buttons on NES, and Suffers for It
A marble rolls through six strange courses on the NES, and the controller wages a quiet war against every careful motion attempted.
CLAY TRIBUNE / THE ARCHIVE
Tag: NES
Game Reviews6.6/10
Kung Fu on NES: Five Floors, a Few Moves, and Boss Battles That Carry It
A tale of a single fighter's rise through five floors of foes, a captive ally, and bosses that demand true attention.
Game Reviews6.9/10
Kid Niki: Radical Ninja on NES — a Wide Sword, Slippery Bounds, and a 6.9 Verdict
A radical ninja bounds and sweeps his sword across six stages of trouble on this old NES title—a hero worth trial, with reservations.
Game Reviews6.5/10
Free-Roaming Exploration Lifts Ironsword Past Its Predecessor, but Spotty Difficulty Keeps the NES Sequel at 6.5
A knight roams open worlds seeking a magic sword's four pieces on the NES — bold freedom, uneasy difficulty, fine sound.
Game Reviews6/10
Vine-Swinging Fundamentals Carry Donkey Kong Jr., but the NES Port Runs Out of Rope at 6/10
Donkey Kong Jr. works his way upward on the NES, past platforms and peril, to free his father from Mario. Score: 6 of 10.
Game Reviews6.5/10
The NES Port of Donkey Kong Plays It Straight but Leaves an Arcade Level Behind — 6.5/10
A brief chronicle of Donkey Kong upon the NES, a copy faithful yet wanting one stage of the arcade original.
Game Reviews5.4/10
Clu Clu Land Scores 5.4/10 as Bubbles’ Post-Swinging Charm Wears Thin Through Repetitive Stages
A round creature turns about posts to disclose buried gold, in a game whose idea suffers from repetition and awkward control.
Game Reviews8.7/10
Base Wars: Baseball That Settles Its Disputes With Fists
A curious NES fancy wherein armored batters, vexed by disputed calls, quit calm play and settle their quarrel with blows.
Game Reviews5.6/10
Balloon Fight Lifts Two Players, Drops the Lone Pilot
A pilot floats above open water, popping foes before they pop him. A short, pleasant NES game, soon forgotten.
Game Reviews7.7/10
One Hit and You’re Back at the Start — Why Adventure Island’s Brutal Pace Still Scores a 7.7
A demanding island run of clocks, clubs, and boards, where one more blow sends the hero back to the very beginning.