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: retro gaming
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 Reviews7.2/10
The MS-DOS Double Dragon port trims the arcade original down to two players and one enemy at a time
A review of the MS-DOS port of Double Dragon: single-player only, fewer enemies, but the belt-scroll brawling and weapon steals still land. Score: 7.2/10.
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.
How Ultima VII Became One of the Greatest RPGs in History
A tale of Ultima VII: The Black Gate, wherein Origin Systems wrought a kingdom whole, and a fiend named the Guardian schemed against Britannia.
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 Reviews6.8/10
Tiger Electronics’ Mega Man 3 is a different game from the NES one
Tiger Electronics' 1991 Mega Man 3 handheld is a licensed LCD spin-off, not Capcom's NES game — a look at what it actually is.
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 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.