A review of Donkey Kong Jr. (1982), Nintendo's arcade sequel where Mario becomes the villain, plus its four stages, vines, NES port and level-22 kill screen.
A retro review of Nintendo's 1984 puzzle game Clu Clu Land, where Bubbles hunts gold using Turning Posts. Score: 5.4/10.
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.
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.
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.
Vice: Project Doom blends Ninja Gaiden-style platforming with driving and shooting stages on the NES, wrapped in a wild alien drug conspiracy.
A retro review of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: The Manhattan Project, Konami's original 1991 NES beat-'em-up, scored 7.7 of 10.
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.
Snake's Revenge was Konami's 1990 NES Metal Gear sequel made without Hideo Kojima. A review of its stealth loop, interrogation system, and flaws.
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.
Metal Gear (1987) review: Kojima's stealth origin on NES vs MSX2, Outer Heaven, Alert Mode, bosses, and why the port changed the game.
Maniac Mansion on NES: Lucasfilm Games' horror-comedy classic, its heavy Nintendo rework, SCUMM engine origins, and why it still scores 8.3.
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