Yo, Bro for TurboGrafx-16

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Yo, Bro

Berenstein Bears ate my Neighbors

Genre: adventure - overhead

Publisher: NEC

Year: 1991

System: TurboGrafx-16

Gameplay Score: 1

Gameplay Notes:

Plays just like Zombies ate my Neighbors. The objective is to kill all the monsters while rescuing innocents. However the controls are unbearable. The, see what I did there? Imagine if 720° we're a twin stick shooter. Yeah, the incredible momentum based movement doesn't work in a shooter, especially when enemies are bullet sponges.

Level Design Score: 3

Level Design Notes:

Each area is a big square town full of people and enemies. A handy arrow directs you too the nearest target.

Theme Score: 1

Theme Notes:

Your character says something 90s each time you pick up an item or kill an enemy. It's bodacious and radical and has not aged well. Plus, why are you a bear? You look like Brother Bear from the Berenstein Bears.

Art Style Score: 1

Art Style Notes:

Simple and not very attractive.

Audio Score: 4

Audio Notes:

Beach Boys songs. Nothing but Beach Boy songs. I like Beach Boy songs.

Overall Score: 36

Review ID: 1519

World Sports Competition for TurboGrafx-16

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World Sports Competition

I hope to never play one of these games again

Genre: minigame - n/a

Publisher: NEC

Year: 1992

System: TurboGrafx-16

Gameplay Score: 0

Gameplay Notes:

Rapidly press I and II. I don't understand these stupid games. Who on their right mind would do this? It's maddening and painful! and unless you've got three hands you can't possibly do the events where you have to press the d-pad to jump out whatever while running at to speed. My hands and forearms can't take this abuse.

Level Design Score: 0

Level Design Notes:

Alternate between I and II. Every event is the same thing

Theme Score: 1

Theme Notes:

They couldn't even get the Olympic license. Generic

Art Style Score: 2

Art Style Notes:

Ok so the sprites doubt look half bad. So what

Audio Score: 1

Audio Notes:

Overall Score: 7

Review ID: 1518

World Court Tennis for TurboGrafx-16

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World Court Tennis

Genre: sports - tennis

Publisher: NEC

Year: 1989

System: TurboGrafx-16

Gameplay Score: 3

Gameplay Notes:

Plays a lot like Super Tennis or Jennifer Capriati Tennis. It's just good ole fashion overhead Japanese tennis. You can direct the ball where you want it to go and hit detection is good but not great. I missed a lot of hits that I didn't think I ought to. The only real problem is that you only have two buttons. I is the regular hit and II is the useless lob.

Level Design Score: 4

Level Design Notes:

The best thing about this game is a light RPG mode similar to the one in Final Lap Twin. This predates Mario Golf, Mario Tennis, and Golf Story by many years but it's the same general idea. Here you play random encounters which are single game matches to win money. It's extremely simple but hilarious.

Theme Score: 4

Theme Notes:

Again, so cute

Art Style Score: 3

Art Style Notes:

The game is way too bright. It's colorful. Too colorful.

Audio Score: 4

Audio Notes:

Pleasant all around

Overall Score: 68

Review ID: 1517

World Class Baseball for TurboGrafx-16

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World Class Baseball

The best Japanese baseball game

Genre: sports - baseball

Publisher: NEC

Year: 1989

System: TurboGrafx-16

Gameplay Score: 4

Gameplay Notes:

I've used this word to describe several TG 16 games, but I'll use it again here. This is just a streamlined baseball video game. All the fluff is cut out. The game plays quickly and well. Hitting is fun. You can move around in the batter's box forward backward left or right, so there's nine different positions to hit from. And success is determined by your position in the box and the timing of your swing. Baserunning is also simple as is advancing all or some of your runners. It just seems to work as you'd expect. Pitching and fielding is also simple, although the opponents run pretty fast so I hit to the infield you have to get over to first base immediately to get a force.

Level Design Score: 4

Level Design Notes:

Exhibition playoff and a watch mode. Again, this is a pretty no-nonsense game so just pick up and play. My kind of video game sports title.

Theme Score: 3

Theme Notes:

There's no MLB or even Japan League license here, but who cares. There are 10 teams to choose from and they have named players which is fun. Each player has stats. It reminds me of Baseball Stars for the NES. The feel of the game is good despite not having MLB license.

Art Style Score: 4

Art Style Notes:

The Fielding graphics are top-down so the players don't have any detail but it's very clear and the camera tracks well. Hitting and pitching is your typical view with very good animation. Overall, I think it looks very clear and attractive.

Audio Score: 4

Audio Notes:

Lively music plays throughout and little fanfare plays after hits and at the end of innings and whatnot. I really enjoy the sound design in this game

Overall Score: 79

Review ID: 1516

Vigilante for TurboGrafx-16

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Vigilante

Scrolling Urban Champion

Genre: action - beat em up

Publisher: NEC

Year: 1989

System: TurboGrafx-16

Gameplay Score: 1

Gameplay Notes:

I suppose this is what a beat-em-up was before Double Dragon came around. There's nothing wrong with a strictly 2D side-scroller view for this sort of game, so long as it's done well. See Ninja Warriors for an example. This is not one of those well-made games. It's a lightly upgraded Kung-Fu. Enemies spawn infinitely and come at you from both sides which is really the only element of gameplay other than walking to the right and mashing the attack button. Oh and don't drop those nunchucks or you may as well reset.

Level Design Score: 0

Level Design Notes:

Go to the right

Theme Score: 1

Theme Notes:

Girl kidnapped. Fight thugs. Rescue girl. This seems vaguely familiar.

Art Style Score: 2

Art Style Notes:

It looks like a 1985 arcade game. For better or worse.

Audio Score: 1

Audio Notes:

No. Just no.

Overall Score: 17

Review ID: 1515

Victory Run for TurboGrafx-16

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Victory Run

OutRun minus charm

Genre: racing - arcade

Publisher: NEC

Year: 1989

System: TurboGrafx-16

Gameplay Score: 2

Gameplay Notes:

I've never really liked the OutRun formula. Actually, it's the Pole Position formula but OutRun defines the arcade racer genre because it's got an X factor which so many similar games lack. In any case, this game is as run of the mill as you can get. Your car looks cool but everything else is just blah. Making turns is tough, avoiding traffic is even worse, and that darn checkpoint mechanic is here in full force. Worse still, taking even a single crash effectively ends your run. It's fun for a minute, but you won't spend much time with this game. Oh and before I forget you have to shift gears. There's no option for an automatic transmission.

Level Design Score: 2

Level Design Notes:

Turn right, turn left, go up and down some impressive looking hills. Rinse, repeat.

Theme Score: 2

Theme Notes:

You're driving. There are no other racers. It's just a race against the clock. Not sure why. And again, this lacks the vibe that gives OutRun a more interesting theme.

Art Style Score: 3

Art Style Notes:

Impressive scaling and sense of speed. Your car looks great but there are only three other cars that are repeated over and over. The background changes frequently.

Audio Score: 3

Audio Notes:

Some ok tunes. Nice engine noise which allows you to shift gears without looking at the RPMs in the HUD.

Overall Score: 44

Review ID: 1514

Veigues Tactical Gladiator for TurboGrafx-16

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Veigues Tactical Gladiator

Press down to turn around

Genre: action - gun

Publisher: NEC

Year: 1990

System: TurboGrafx-16

Gameplay Score: 1

Gameplay Notes:

Truly bizarre control scheme. II punches and I guess a cannon. Both attacks have a long animation that leave you vulnerable. Pressing down on the d-pad turns you around with another insanely long animation. Pressing up jumps although you have minimal control while in the air. That would all be fine if the enemies were better designed but alas they are annoying. Some deal no damage while others hurt you on every frame. Some home in and fire at you while others ignore you altogether. Many are too low to the ground to be hit by either of your attacks and nearly all of them take so many hits to kill that they leave the screen before you can take them down. It's infuriating. This could've been a good game with some balance tweaks. As is it's one to avoid.

Level Design Score: 1

Level Design Notes:

All levels are an autoscroller. It's just one long slog of enemy waves hitting you.

Theme Score: 3

Theme Notes:

The setting and artwork are great but there's no cutscenes to spruce things up. Mech fighting is awesome tho. Wasted potential for sure.

Art Style Score: 4

Art Style Notes:

You're mech looks great. Colorful graphics. Nice effects.

Audio Score: 3

Audio Notes:

Subpar music. I was hoping for some thumping bass but instead got high pitched, generic songs. The sound effects are solid. Lots of things going boom

Overall Score: 32

Review ID: 1513

TV Sports Basketball for TurboGrafx-16

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TV Sports Basketball

Pick a play

Genre: sports - basketball

Publisher: NEC

Year: 1991

System: TurboGrafx-16

Gameplay Score: 1

Gameplay Notes:

Awkward movement and shooting. For the life of me I can't figure out how to hit a jump shot. Tapping the button fires off a quick shot which always misses. Pressing and holding the button causes a long animation to play, and it also always results in a missed shot. I can't win. The only way to score is to drive or pass to the hole and make a point blank shot. Even then you're more likely to have the ball stolen or blocked. Oh and did I mention that passing is done with the same button as shooting? The II button inexplicably is used only to pick up the ball and pump fake. So half the time you want to pass you wind up firing up a quick shot from distance. So annoying. Defense isn't much better. Neither button seems to do anything so just try to stay in front of your opponent and hope they miss their shot.

Level Design Score: 3

Level Design Notes:

Exhibition and season. Has a unique feature where you can pick a play when transitioning from one side of the court to the other. I can make it work to my advantage but this is a nice attempt to do something unique.

Theme Score: 1

Theme Notes:

Fully generic unlicensed sports title

Art Style Score: 2

Art Style Notes:

Looks like an 8 bit title

Audio Score: 1

Audio Notes:

Overall Score: 32

Review ID: 1510

Turrican for TurboGrafx-16

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Turrican

How did this spawn a successful franchise?!

Genre: action - gun

Publisher: Accolade

Year: 1991

System: TurboGrafx-16

Gameplay Score: 1

Gameplay Notes:

Commits virtually every cardinal sin imaginable. Virtually unplayable. Pressing up makes you jump. This leads to frequent unintended jumps. Enemies have no hit boxes and drain health on every frame. So do their projectiles. You'll die constantly. 30% is completely unacceptable on a run n gun. No rapid fire. Tons of flying enemies but no ability to shoot up or angled. Controls are reasonably responsive, but everything else about the gameplay is horrid.

Level Design Score: 1

Level Design Notes:

I can't get past the first level, so I have no idea what other levels look like, but the first one is a mess. Platforms seem designed to hide enemies from your attacks so they can destroy you with impunity. There's also no obvious direction to take. Do you follow the platforms up? The cave down and to the left? The seemingly endless expanse to the right?

Theme Score: 2

Theme Notes:

Generic sci-fi setting. The title page looks bad. Like Silver Surfer merged with Col Sanders.

Art Style Score: 2

Art Style Notes:

The sprites have some impressive animation but their designs are incredibly bland. You look like a plastic Buzz Lightyear toy. The backgrounds are just an empty single color and there's nothing else interesting to look at. The whole things looks like it was created in MS Paint. Explosions look good, for what it's worth.

Audio Score: 2

Audio Notes:

The song loops quickly but has a fast tempo and isn't terrible. Not great. Sounds seem out of place, like they were lifted from a kids game.

Overall Score: 25

Review ID: 1509

Tricky Kick for TurboGrafx-16

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Tricky Kick

Tricky doesn't adequately describe the difficulty

Genre: puzzle - overhead

Publisher: IGS

Year: 1990

System: TurboGrafx-16

Gameplay Score: 3

Gameplay Notes:

Like all good puzzle games this one has an incredibly simple design. Just kick two like tiles together. There are some other rules that I had to look up on the internet. I couldn't figure out the game just by playing so that's a knock against it. Suffice it to say this is one of those easy to understand but difficult to master puzzle games. For what's worth the controls are fine but again, the concept is confusing but simple. Each puzzle has a restrictive time limit. Why do they do that in these games?

Level Design Score: 1

Level Design Notes:

This game is maddeningly brutal. You've got to be a savant to be more than a couple of levels. Thankfully you can pick from one of six chapters with 10 puzzles each. If you get stuck on one channel you can just move to the other. But again, the puzzles are unbelievably challenging.

Theme Score: 3

Theme Notes:

Each of the six stories stars of different character and has a different motif. There's a Japanese garden, a forest, an Ultraman style, Japanese city, etc. Little anime introductions to each level set the stage.

Art Style Score: 2

Art Style Notes:

Very simple graphics. Nice artwork. Kind of. The sprites are tiny but the environments are pretty.

Audio Score: 2

Audio Notes:

The same song plays in every level.

Overall Score: 46

Review ID: 1508

Timeball for TurboGrafx-16

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Timeball

I can't get past level 1

Genre: puzzle - overhead

Publisher: NEC

Year: 1990

System: TurboGrafx-16

Gameplay Score: 0

Gameplay Notes:

Plays a lot like Junction on the Genesis. It's a sliding tile puzzle with an unbelievably short time limit. Not much else to say. I can't even beat the first level. What. The. Heck. I hate this game with a burning passion.

Level Design Score: 0

Level Design Notes:

As I said, this game is quite literally impossible.

Theme Score: 0

Theme Notes:

I like overhead puzzle games but this is the worst one ever. It's got no presentation.

Art Style Score: 1

Art Style Notes:

Very very simple

Audio Score: 3

Audio Notes:

The music isn't half bad

Overall Score: 8

Review ID: 1507

Time Cruise for TurboGrafx-16

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Time Cruise

The other TG-16 pinball game

Genre: arcade - pinball

Publisher: TTI

Year: 1992

System: TurboGrafx-16

Gameplay Score: 3

Gameplay Notes:

Screen scrolls like Devil's Crush. Makes it hard to react as you can't see what's below you.

Level Design Score: 2

Level Design Notes:

Big table, with three levels and two columns connected horizontally. But each level is so boring that it doesn't feel very large. It's hard to move around the levels and again, there's barely anything to hit. Also the tables are so busy with colored elements which do nothing that it's hard to see what can be interacted with.

Theme Score: 2

Theme Notes:

I guess you're traveling through time or something. Maybe. It's got a "futuristic" theme that feels like a cross between Logan's Run and Batman Forever. Everything is neon colored and full of blinking diodes. Blech

Art Style Score: 2

Art Style Notes:

Oops I should've complained about the 80s futuristic vibe here. It's a mess of busy, neon colors drizzled over a brown brick background. I imagine a homeless guy eating a box of Neon Crayola Crayons in an alley and vomiting them on the side of a building. Oh and the scrolling is choppy which makes it even less visually appealing.

Audio Score: 2

Audio Notes:

Serviceable music and sound effects

Overall Score: 50

Review ID: 1506

Tiger Road for TurboGrafx-16

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Tiger Road

If only it had hit detection

Genre: action - hack n slash

Publisher: NEC

Year: 1990

System: TurboGrafx-16

Gameplay Score: 2

Gameplay Notes:

Difficult combat. Horrible hit detection. Enemies bound around randomly. You can find one of three or four weapons. Enemies have a longer reach than you and attack rapidly so it's hard to avoid taking damage. It's a shame because movement feels ok and the weapons and fun to use.

Level Design Score: 3

Level Design Notes:

Whoever designed this was playing a lot of Ninja Gaiden at the time. Or perhaps it was the reverse. Either way the level designs look like they could be straight out of NG. Actually, they don't use as much platforming. Combat is the name of this game.

Theme Score: 3

Theme Notes:

I love the chibi art style married to a Ninja Gaiden world. Unfortunately there's not much of a story with minimal presentation.

Art Style Score: 4

Art Style Notes:

Cute artwork. I like the style more than the actual quality.

Audio Score: 1

Audio Notes:

Ick. The song that plays in the first two levels is...uh...terrible

Overall Score: 48

Review ID: 1505

TaleSpin for TurboGrafx-16

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TaleSpin

Disney Afternoon peaked at DuckTales

Genre: action - platform

Publisher: NEC

Year: 1991

System: TurboGrafx-16

Gameplay Score: 1

Gameplay Notes:

Typical platformer but your only attack is throwing some sort of projectile. It goes about 1/3 of the length of the screen so you have to be fairly close. Enemies love to throw their own projectiles, often from off screen making it hard to avoid their attacks. Short jump, so you're grounded and platforming is a challenge. Jump has a landing animation which prevents you from jumping until it finishes. This causes you to pause after each jump or risk missing it and walking off cliffs. Weird and unnatural.

Level Design Score: 2

Level Design Notes:

Very short levels. Pick which one you want, Mega Man style. Short minigame between levels is pointless but might be more fun than the actual game.

Theme Score: 4

Theme Notes:

TaleSpin was awesome back in the day! Unfortunately this game looks and plays like one of those late 80s PC games so it doesn't do the license justice. Louie, Rebecca, and her daughter show up as NPCs.

Art Style Score: 1

Art Style Notes:

Terrible. Horrible. Again it looks like one of those PC games from that era.

Audio Score: 2

Audio Notes:

Ok

Overall Score: 30

Review ID: 1504

TV Sports Hockey for TurboGrafx-16

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TV Sports Hockey

Easily the best (and worst) hockey game on the TG-16

Genre: sports - hockey

Publisher: NEC

Year: 1991

System: TurboGrafx-16

Gameplay Score: 2

Gameplay Notes:

Slow, difficult movement. Actually, skating in a straight line works fine but lateral movement is stilted. It's not terrible, but not fluid either. Shooting is done by holding down the button which causes a moving cursor to appear in the goal. You shoot by releasing the button when the cursor is where you want it. Sometimes this initiates a cutscene showing the goalie block the shot. Other times the puck just goes in. Passing is impossible so there's no point in trying. Defense is weird - pressing II switches to the nearest player and I does nothing, so far as I can tell. Basically you just have to get in front of the opponent which dispossesses him. Hard to tell who has the puck. Like all hockey games this has a fighting mode. It's predictably terrible.

Level Design Score: 1

Level Design Notes:

Exhibition and tournament modes. AI is horribly bad. Don't bother with this unless you're playing with friends. And even then, play NHL 94 or NHL Hitz 2002 instead.

Theme Score: 1

Theme Notes:

There's a blond headed doofus missing teeth at the announcers desk, but otherwise this game has zero personality.

Art Style Score: 2

Art Style Notes:

Tiny sprites. They move smoothly, so props for that I guess.

Audio Score: 2

Audio Notes:

There are several fanfares whihc play at various times. They're repetitive, obviously, but are enjoyable. Crowd noise plays at appropriate times.

Overall Score: 34

Review ID: 1512

TV Sports Football for TurboGrafx-16

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TV Sports Football

Before-Madden was a weird time

Genre: sports - football

Publisher: NEC

Year: 1990

System: TurboGrafx-16

Gameplay Score: 0

Gameplay Notes:

Yes, there are 11 players on each team but only 5 or 6 move at any given time. On defense, you can't move into the backfield, nor can you dive. You just have to walk into the opponent's hitbox which will initiate a tackle. If that sounds rough then wait until you get a load of offense. Offense is extremely strange. Passing is an absolute crapshoot. The QB takes a few steps back and pauses. This is your cue to press right or left to choose the angle of your throw. Press II to throw and hold down until it reaches the distance you need to hit the receiver. Good luck even getting the throw off because rushers get to the QB quickly and bat down the ball most of the time. So, you better know the route and get the timing right on both the QB and the receiver's movement. Running the ball is completely useless since you can't move fast enough to get around a tackler. Play selection is patterned after Tecmo Bowl. Use the d-pad to pick a formation, then a play.

Level Design Score: 1

Level Design Notes:

Exhibition, season, and practice.

Theme Score: 1

Theme Notes:

No NFL or NFLPA license. Just 8 teams named after animals. No crowd, no stadium, etc. It looks and feels more like electric football than a video game.

Art Style Score: 1

Art Style Notes:

Very very very simple artwork and sprites. Nothing to look at.

Audio Score: 2

Audio Notes:

No music. Crowd noise is ok but overall the sound is more like a handheld title than a Madden game.

Overall Score: 12

Review ID: 1511

Takin' it to the Hoop for TurboGrafx-16

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Takin' it to the Hoop

Double Dribble Jr.

Genre: sports - basketball

Publisher: NEC

Year: 1989

System: TurboGrafx-16

Gameplay Score: 2

Gameplay Notes:

Plays a lot like Double Dribble. Drive to the hoop and jump to start a very simple and easy quick time event to dunk the ball. Jump shots never go in so dunks are the best bet. Then again opponents are so insanely aggressive that you're far more likely to be fouled or have the ball stolen. I played a full game and scored more than half my points from the free throw line. It's ridiculous and ruins what would otherwise be a pretty decent basketball game.

Level Design Score: 2

Level Design Notes:

All the usual modes.

Theme Score: 3

Theme Notes:

I like the idea. It's a very video gamey sports title No simulation going on here.

Art Style Score: 3

Art Style Notes:

The regular view features cute sprites with huge heads. The QTE cutscenes are decidedly more macho looking so they don't quite fit but they look good. Again, it reminds me of Double Dribble.

Audio Score: 2

Audio Notes:

An ok song plays constantly. The generic video game sounds and not reminiscent of something you'd hear on a basketball court.

Overall Score: 43

Review ID: 1503

Super Volleyball for TurboGrafx-16

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Super Volleyball

Naw, just normal volleyball

Genre: sports - volleyball

Publisher: NEC

Year: 1990

System: TurboGrafx-16

Gameplay Score: 1

Gameplay Notes:

Plays exactly like Hyper V-Ball on the SNES. One button gameplay. Bump set spike, bump set spike, repeat. Just painfully boring stuff. Pong has more engaging gameplay

Level Design Score: 1

Level Design Notes:

No modes

Theme Score: 2

Theme Notes:

Pick a country and play. Doesn't even have the sci-fi theme from Hyper V-Ball going for it

Art Style Score: 2

Art Style Notes:

Flat as a pancake. Animations are fine, but this game isn't impressive in the visual department.

Audio Score: 2

Audio Notes:

Does have the annoying sound from the Genesis version. Sounds are fine, but minimal.

Overall Score: 25

Review ID: 1502

Super Star Soldier for TurboGrafx-16

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Super Star Soldier

Good, but not as good as the sequel

Genre: shooter - vertical

Publisher: NEC

Year: 1991

System: TurboGrafx-16

Gameplay Score: 4

Gameplay Notes:

Far more difficult than its sequel Soldier Blade. And more often than not it's because you have to memorize the movement of an enemy that moves too quickly for you to avoid it. There are four weapons (one useless one) and three speed levels instead of two in the sequel. This one seems overstuffed compared to the lean and streamlined sequel. Still very good.

Level Design Score: 3

Level Design Notes:

Bosses are a bit unfair. Enemy movement is too fast and they come in huge waves making it nearly impossible to survive when not fully powered up.

Theme Score: 3

Theme Notes:

Generic sci-fi shooter with no story

Art Style Score: 4

Art Style Notes:

Eye popping backgrounds. So well drawn! Sprites are less impressive but still very good. Some stories even scale! Overall very good.

Audio Score: 4

Audio Notes:

Lovely music and sound effects

Overall Score: 74

Review ID: 1501

Street Fighter II: Champion Edition for TurboGrafx-16

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Street Fighter II: Champion Edition

Japan-only, but had to include it

Genre: fighting - 1v1

Publisher: NEC

Year: 1993

System: TurboGrafx-16

Gameplay Score: 3

Gameplay Notes:

This is an impressive port, but it's clearly inferior to both the SNES and Genesis versions. I mean, come on, there's a reason why this is never included in compilations. There was even a SMS version, if you can believe that. The controller holds this game back big-time. You use I, II, and Start for attacks and Select to switch between punch and kick. Lovely, no?

Level Design Score: 4

Level Design Notes:

Love SF2's distinct fighting arenas.

Theme Score: 4

Theme Notes:

Same game as before. I like the post fight insults, even if they're in Japanese

Art Style Score: 4

Art Style Notes:

Wow. Looks even better than the Genesis game! It's slightly letterboxed though. The colors are beautiful and animation is nearly on par with the SNES version. Oh and some details in the background are missing.

Audio Score: 4

Audio Notes:

The sound is amazing! There are some missing sounds from the SNES version and the music is missing channels but the voices sound great. It puts the Genesis version to shame.

Overall Score: 70

Review ID: 1520

Splatterhouse for TurboGrafx-16

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Splatterhouse

Gore, and little else

Genre: action - punch n kick

Publisher: NEC

Year: 1990

System: TurboGrafx-16

Gameplay Score: 3

Gameplay Notes:

Plays just like the Genesis sequel. Slow movement, laggy controls, short jump, et al.

Level Design Score: 3

Level Design Notes:

I could swear this has the same levels as its sequel. Or maybe they're just so simliar that neither one stands out. In any case, meander to the right for a little while.

Theme Score: 4

Theme Notes:

Lacks some of the oomph put in its sequel, but this game still oozes style. A bloody, gory style, but style nonetheless.

Art Style Score: 3

Art Style Notes:

Lacks detail compared to its sequel. Also, the colors used are very bright. Doesn't match the horror motif.

Audio Score: 3

Audio Notes:

Overall Score: 61

Review ID: 1500

Space Harrier for TurboGrafx-16

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Space Harrier

Much better than the sequel

Genre: shooter - corridor

Publisher: NEC

Year: 1989

System: TurboGrafx-16

Gameplay Score: 2

Gameplay Notes:

Framerate and gameplay are much better than the sequel on the Genesis. Still not great, mind you. There are fewer boss fights and the levels are super short. Far easier than the sequel as well. Ultimately just a boring game. Kind of a one trick pony. I'm sure it was impressive in 86 but not anymore.

Level Design Score: 1

Level Design Notes:

Levels are about 45 seconds long and composed of a handful of enemy waves that repeat. Some levels have a much of obstacles.

Theme Score: 3

Theme Notes:

Art Style Score: 1

Art Style Notes:

Some of the worst artwork on the 4th generation. But the scaling and framerate are better than its sequel, so props for that I suppose.

Audio Score: 3

Audio Notes:

How much do you like Sega Master System music? At least it's recognizable as music, which is more than I can say for the sequel. Sounds effects and the voice samples are horrendous but the decidedly 8-bit music balances out the rating.

Overall Score: 36

Review ID: 1499

Sonic Spike Volleyball for TurboGrafx-16

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Sonic Spike Volleyball

Volleyball is a beach

Genre: sports - volleyball

Publisher: IGS

Year: 1990

System: TurboGrafx-16

Gameplay Score: 1

Gameplay Notes:

Looks and feels a lot like that old NES Dodgeball game whose name I don't recall. It's a 2v2 beach volleyball game. Movement is fast and loose. You tend to move between invisible tiles on the floor. You can't move in small increments. The controls are also weird with II being your jump button but also the button to bump the ball. Hit detection is awful. This is most noticable on the serve (when do I hit the ball?!) and when bumping a weak hit. It's basically a completely random experience. You can place yourself in the same place 10 times in a row and you'll get different outcome every time. And 9 times out of ten it won't go in your favor. Opponents spike the ball in your face with impunity.

Level Design Score: 1

Level Design Notes:

There's not much to this game. There are no modes or features. Just a 2v2 game of beach volleyball

Theme Score: 3

Theme Notes:

The characters are colorful and have some personality. Plus it's on the beach on a sunny day. I can almost feel the sunrays from here.

Art Style Score: 3

Art Style Notes:

I like the cartoony Kunio-kun style artwork and character models. However, animations aren't great and the camera pans too slowly to keep up with the action.

Audio Score: 3

Audio Notes:

There's an upbeat song playing thoroughout a match. It's repetitive but is basically just a rhythmic beat. It matches the beach setting. Sounds are nice.

Overall Score: 30

Review ID: 1498

Somer Assault for TurboGrafx-16

Image: MobyGames

Somer Assault

Combat Slinky

Genre: action - platform

Publisher: NEC

Year: 1992

System: TurboGrafx-16

Gameplay Score: 3

Gameplay Notes:

Imagine playing a platformer as a Slinky. You've got a gun on each side of your body which shoots parallel to the wall when you're not outstretched or up from the wall when you're stretched. Most of the challenge is not the combat but it's just slinking around the walls and platforms of the level. It's...different, but not very engaging. You can obtain power-ups which enhance your gun, speed you up, or give you the ability to jump between walls that are very close together. There are 12 levels, each with a boss.

Level Design Score: 2

Level Design Notes:

The first level is straightforward but the second one has two ways to go but no way to know which direction is correct. I apparently chose poorly and ran out of time. An oppressive time limit sucks what little fun there is. You're far more likely to run out of time than to die any other way. All levels are maze like.

Theme Score: 3

Theme Notes:

I like the vaguely Egyptian/fantasy setting and a Slinky with eyes fighting against an evil human sorceress bent of world domination is positively nutty. I can dig it.

Art Style Score: 3

Art Style Notes:

Surprisingly the artwork isn't too bad. There isn't a lot to admire but what's here is interesting.

Audio Score: 4

Audio Notes:

Very goofy music that matches the theme. Fun stuff

Overall Score: 57

Review ID: 1497

Soldier Blade for TurboGrafx-16

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Soldier Blade

The best 16 bit shooter?

Genre: shooter - vertical

Publisher: NEC

Year: 1992

System: TurboGrafx-16

Gameplay Score: 5

Gameplay Notes:

Amazing controls, weapons, health progression, and bomb mechanic. This is shoot em up perfection. Select toggles between fast and slow movement. No messing around with a medium speed. II shoots and I fires a bomb by spending one of your three power-ups which are shown on screen. Health diminishes when hit and powers you down one level. All enemies have fair patterns. Only three weapons with the power levels each.

Level Design Score: 4

Level Design Notes:

Levels are short but jam packed with action. Enemy waves vary between a line of small enemies, a couple of big heavy enemies, those that shoot, etc. Great variety. Also lots of interesting and unique set pieces like a screen filling ship that come past quickly too drop a set of enemies. I wish the game was longer but the Challenge mode is a fun inclusion to add replayability. Also two difficulty levels.

Theme Score: 3

Theme Notes:

Generic sci-fi setting. No story

Art Style Score: 5

Art Style Notes:

Wow. Colorful and energetic but enemies and projectiles are easy to spot. Amazing scrolling effects. Incredible sprites and other artwork.

Audio Score: 4

Audio Notes:

Rocking tunes and pleasant, quiet sound effects.

Overall Score: 91

Review ID: 1496

Sinistron for TurboGrafx-16

Image: MobyGames

Sinistron

R-Type with a bird beak

Genre: shooter - horizontal

Publisher: IGS

Year: 1991

System: TurboGrafx-16

Gameplay Score: 3

Gameplay Notes:

Blatant R-Type clone. Options hang out above and below your ship but don't do much since enemies swarm to you and therefore come at you from the front. Only three weapons and none are very interesting. Only minor upgrades too. No rapid fire.

Level Design Score: 3

Level Design Notes:

Long stretches of nothing. Short bursts of something. Very slow progression. Boring boss fights.

Theme Score: 2

Theme Notes:

Piss poor presentation. There's no cutscenes. No story, no fanfare at the end of a level. Nothing at the start of a level. They're not even a menu on the title screen. Otherwise it's your typical space shooter.

Art Style Score: 4

Art Style Notes:

Easily the best feature of the game. Lovely artwork and sprites. The backgrounds have animation and character to them. However, your ship looks like a storks beak. Is this big long yellow thing attached to the end of a normal looking spaceship. Hideous

Audio Score: 3

Audio Notes:

At first the music doesn't seem too bad but it loops every 10 seconds so it gets old super fast.

Overall Score: 61

Review ID: 1495

Silent Debuggers for TurboGrafx-16

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Silent Debuggers

Aliens: The dungeon crawler

Genre: shooter - fps

Publisher: NEC

Year: 1991

System: TurboGrafx-16

Gameplay Score: 2

Gameplay Notes:

This one was hard to classify. It looks and plays like a dungeon crawler but features real-time shooter combat. So it's not quite a dungeon crawler, nor is it a typical first-person shooter. Your objective seems to be to find and destroy all of the floating-head monsters that are infesting the corridors of a derelict space station. The designers had obviously watched Aliens recently. Gameplay is first person and moves like a dungeon crawler - one tile at a time. Monsters appear in the hallway ahead whereupon you can press and hold I to shoot your gun or press Start to fire a grenade. After 4 or 5 enemies you'll run out of ammo and be forced to return to the armory to refill. This is the by far the worst aspect of the game.

Level Design Score: 3

Level Design Notes:

It's a dungeon crawler, so you wander around a bunch of identical looking corridors. There's a barely helpful on-screen map that shows which direction you're facing but none of the corridors. It's just a big black square. Either the map should've been improved or the 8 different areas of the space station should've been colored to help you orient yourself. But getting lost in a dungeon crawler is expected, huh? Still, I liked it more than most dungeon crawlers.

Theme Score: 4

Theme Notes:

You're some sort of bounty hunter investigating a derelict stace station overrun by monsters. Wait. This sounds vaguely familiar. So yeah, there are definite Metroid and Alien vibes, but the toher inspiration I sense is Cowboy Bebop. Your radio buddy briefs you for your mission and has an 80s anime look. It's good stuff all around.

Art Style Score: 3

Art Style Notes:

Very nice artwork, but there's precious little of it. All of the monsters are pallette swaps of the same sprite so once you've seen it you've seen it all. The gun effects are severaly underwhelming. The first time I shot my grenade launcher I was expecting an earth shattering KABOOM but it had the same impact as my peashooter did. Disappointing. Oh and the corridors again are well drawn but they all look the same.

Audio Score: 2

Audio Notes:

Minimal music and sound. The pulsing of your radar is the main sound you get to experience.

Overall Score: 49

Review ID: 1494

Side Arms Hyper Dyne for TurboGrafx-16

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Side Arms Hyper Dyne

Mechs in space

Genre: shooter - horizontal

Publisher: Radiance Software

Year: 1989

System: TurboGrafx-16

Gameplay Score: 4

Gameplay Notes:

This is more like it! Movement is great and weapons are awesome. The gimmick is the ability to turn around and shoot backward via the II button. Comparable to Forgotten Worlds in that regard. Weapons can be toggled from the Pause screen. Kind of weird since the Select button is unused. Three levels of powerups convert your ship into a powerful mech. Very Gundam-like. Some enemies take a few too many hits, but otherwise this is a great shooter. The only downside is having to mash. Sigh

Level Design Score: 4

Level Design Notes:

Again, good stuff all around. Enemy waves makes sense and aren't overused. Powerups are littered throughout the levels.

Theme Score: 4

Theme Notes:

There's an opening cinematic and between-level artwork. Nice stuff.

Art Style Score: 4

Art Style Notes:

Again, lovely stuff. Nothing that will knock your socks off, but all the artwork is interesting. Nice sprites and great use of color.

Audio Score: 3

Audio Notes:

Nothing spectacular, unfortunately. The music is decent but the sound effects are quite good.

Overall Score: 78

Review ID: 1493

Shockman for TurboGrafx-16

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Shockman

Don't call him Rockman

Genre: action - gun

Publisher: TTI

Year: 1992

System: TurboGrafx-16

Gameplay Score: 2

Gameplay Notes:

Uhh, ok. There's homage and then there's plagiarism. This is the latter. The devs copied Mega Man as closely as they could, but failed where it counts. The controls are laggy and unresponsive. You can't fire and jump at the same time so it eats your inputs frequently. You can power up your shot, X-style. You only get one life. Seriously, one stinking life and then it's game over.

Level Design Score: 3

Level Design Notes:

Discount Mega Man levels. They throw in subpar shoot em up levels here and there. These are novel but not good.

Theme Score: 3

Theme Notes:

Mega Man is great. Discount Mega Man isn't too bad.

Art Style Score: 3

Art Style Notes:

Again, tried to ape Mega Man but falls flat. Sprites look good but have no animation. Backgrounds are also flat and uninteresting. Platforms and projectiles don't stand out.

Audio Score: 3

Audio Notes:

The first level song is hideous but later levels have decent tracks. However, you're meant to compare this to a series which sports incredible soundtracks. The so so sound here further reinforces that this is dollar store Mega Man.

Overall Score: 50

Review ID: 1492

Samurai Ghost for TurboGrafx-16

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Samurai Ghost

Kabuki Ragdoll Fighter

Genre: action - hack n slash

Publisher: TTI

Year: 1992

System: TurboGrafx-16

Gameplay Score: 2

Gameplay Notes:

Combines the ragdoll physics of Earnest Evans with the uber Japanese theme of Kabuki Quantum Fighter. Combat is really weird. Press up, down, or neutral to choose your sword stance and the I button to attack. Your attack has a very long, laggy motion which requires you to press long before you would think you to. Most enemies die in one hit but they swarm and move quickly. Unique but not enjoyable.

Level Design Score: 2

Level Design Notes:

Go to the right. There are some interesting themes and some difficult platforming but the level designs are bare bones.

Theme Score: 3

Theme Notes:

Kabuki ancient Japanese folklore weird stuff.

Art Style Score: 2

Art Style Notes:

Lots of parallax scrolling. Large sprites. Ugly

Audio Score: 2

Audio Notes:

Also ugly

Overall Score: 41

Review ID: 1491

Raiden for TurboGrafx-16

Image: MobyGames

Raiden

A few powerups would be nice... Please?

Genre: shooter - vertical

Publisher: NEC

Year: 1991

System: TurboGrafx-16

Gameplay Score: 3

Gameplay Notes:

Like so many other shmups this one is brutally difficult. You can get screen filling firepower with bullets and homing missiles although you lose everything if you're hit. Powerups relatively few and far between so it's tough to keep going after taking a death. Movement is very slow with no way to adjust your speed. Good but has some flaws. Only two weapons

Level Design Score: 4

Level Design Notes:

Good level design. Enemy waves are understandable with some randomness in their bullets. Several sections require bullet hell reflexes but the slow controls will test your patience.

Theme Score: 3

Theme Notes:

Generic shooter with no introduction at all. Still, the near-future vibe is pretty cool.

Art Style Score: 3

Art Style Notes:

Pretty simple. Even the enemy sprites are quite basic designs. I like your character's sprite. Looks a bit like an F-22. Only a handful of enemy sprites. No slowdown. Hard to sport enemy projectiles. They tend to blend in with the background.

Audio Score: 3

Audio Notes:

Nice composition but only a couple of tunes. Sounds is much better than the Genesis version although the music is still rather boring.

Overall Score: 65

Review ID: 1490