Game Reviews7.3/10
Dragon Warrior: Erdrick’s Heir and the Founding of a Genre
Dragon Warrior (1986) set the template for console RPGs: Erdrick's heir, three keepers, the Dragonlord, and a 7.3 Metacritic score built on patience and grind.
CLAY TRIBUNE / THE ARCHIVE
Tag: NES
Game Reviews7.2/10
Double Dragon II Tightens the Brawling but Rents Its Best Ideas
Double Dragon II: The Revenge killed Marian and rebuilt the controls. A 1988 arcade sequel with a back kick, a clone battle, and reused assets.
Game Reviews8/10
Crystalis: A Post-Apocalyptic RPG That Trusts Its Systems
A retrospective on Crystalis, SNK's post-apocalyptic action RPG: four elemental swords, the Tower, and why its level gates still sting.
Game Reviews7.2/10
The grappling arm is the only thing Bionic Commando gets right
Bionic Commando's no-jump grappling arm still holds up, and its 1988 NES localization kept a Hitler villain and exploding face while renaming the Nazis.
Game Reviews7.1/10
Battletoads: A 1991 Classic That Still Plays Like a Test
Battletoads on NES still defines brutal difficulty three decades on. We break down its Smash Hit combat, Turbo Tunnel, and why it remains a classic.
Game Reviews7.1/10
Zelda II’s reputation problem is really a design problem
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link reviewed — the side-scrolling black sheep of the series, its magic meter, Dark Link, and why it scores 7.1 of 10.
Game Reviews8.4/10
The Legend of Zelda Review: Nintendo’s 8.4-Rated Blueprint for Adventure
A retrospective on The Legend of Zelda, Nintendo's 1986 adventure that taught a generation to explore, save their progress, and trust the unknown.
Game Reviews9.2/10
Mario’s Raccoon Suit and the Level Design That Outlasted Its Console
Super Mario Bros. 3 hit Japan in 1988, not 1993 — that was the All-Stars remaster. A look at Miyamoto's stage-play platformer and why it still holds.
Game Reviews8.9/10
Super Mario Bros.: World 1-1 Taught the World How to Play, and It Still Does
Super Mario Bros. (1985) review: how Shigeru Miyamoto's NES classic saved the console business and built the template every platformer still follows.
Game Reviews6.1/10
Super C Review: Red Falcon Returns, Co-op Carries the Load
Super C brings Red Falcon back to Earth in Konami's 1990 run-and-gun shooter. Co-op is the real draw, but a 6.1 Metacritic score says the rest coasts.
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.