by Brett Weiss
PUBLISHER: LJN. DEVELOPER: Probe Software.
icons, the SYD can increase its speed, warp
Platform Shooter, 1 player.1993.
ahead or back three levels, and boost the power
Based on David Fincher’s disappointing
of its lasers and missiles. An arsenal of special
film from 1992, Alien 3 for the NES is much
weapons, including eight-way fire, guided mis-
better than its silver screen counterpart. Play-
siles, thunder, and nuclear warheads, can also
ers guide Lt. Ripley through six stages of the
be acquired. Alpha Mission looks and plays
Fiorina 161 prison colony (consisting of maze-
similar to Xevious, but is less nuanced, less bal-like tunnels, passageways, and ladders), using
anced, and less enjoyable. Followed by: Alpha
a machine gun, grenades, and a flame thrower
Mission II (arcade, Neo Geo, Neo Geo CD).
to battle the trademark creepy creatures. A mo-
tion tracker warns Ripley of nearby aliens and
Amagon
prisoners, the latter of which are cocooned and
PUBLISHER: American Sammy. DEVELOPER:
must be rescued. Atmospheric visuals and
Aicom. Platform Shooter, 1 player. 1989.
music, solid controls, and a nice mix of explo-
In Amagon, players control the titular Ma-
ration and intense action make Alien 3 one of rine, who must run, jump, and shoot his way
the best movie-based games for the system.
through the plains, jungles, rivers, rain forests,
Also released for the Genesis, SNES, and Game
mountains, and beaches of a monster-infested
Gear (the overhead view Game Boy version is
(though bland looking) South Pacific island.
much different).
Amagon is equipped with a machine gun for
battling the dinosaurs, bats, snakes, wasps,
All-Pro Basketball
skeletons, aliens, elephant men, hippo demons,
PUBLISHER: Vic Tokai. DEVELOPER: Vic Tokai.
and other creatures. Transforming Amagon
Sports/Basketball, 1 or 2 players (simultane-
into Magagon, which is done by finding a
ous). 1989.
mega-key and scoring at least 5,000 points,
A game of five-on-five hoops (players can
makes the character tougher and gives him laser
go at it head-to-head or team up against the
beams and a megapunch maneuver. The action
computer), All-Pro Basketball features eight dif-leaves little margin for error (the one-hit kill
NINTENDO NES
37
system will frustrate many), making for a
Arch Rivals
difficult game.
PUBLISHER: Acclaim. DEVELOPER: Rare.
Sports/Basketball, 1 or 2 players (simultane-
American Gladiators
ous). 1990.
PUBLISHER: Gametek. DEVELOPER: Incredible
A precursor to the two-on-two arcade
Technologies. Sports/Extreme, 1 or 2 players
stylings of NBA Jam, Arch Rivals was first re-
(simultaneous). 1991.
leased in the arcades in 1989 by Bally/Midway,
Inspired by the television series (1989–
scoring big points with fans for its irreverent,
1996), American Gladiators for the NES lets
over-the-top gameplay. Players dribble, shoot,
players compete in five different events: Joust,
pass, rebound, dunk, and play defense, but they
Wall, Human Cannonball, Powerball, and As-
can also punch one another (the most enjoy-
sault. Activities include battling with padded
able aspect of the game) and pull down each
sticks, climbing walls while trying to avoid get-
other’s shorts. The referee only gets in the way,
ting knocked off, swinging on ropes to knock
and players sometimes slip on the trash thrown
the other Gladiator off his or her platform,
onto the floor by fans. Although not as fast or
throwing balls into a chute, running through
as fun as Double Dribble (another NES fa-
obstacle courses, shooting missiles, and more.
vorite), Arch Rivals is entertaining, especially in The graphics are plain, but the events are a fun
small doses. Not surprisingly, the Genesis ver-
(if ephemeral) diversion from standard sports
sion slam dunks the already impressive NES
video games. Includes three “real” Gladiators
game with voice effects and richer, more color-
from the TV show: Gold, Laser, and
Nitro. The NES cartridge lacks the
Atlasphere and Eliminator events,
which are in the Genesis and SNES
versions.
Anticipation
PUBLISHER: Nintendo. DEVELOPER:
Rare. Board Game, 1–4 players (si-
multaneous). 1988.
Anticipation has up to four
players competing to identify pic-
tures being drawn onscreen by the
computer. The first player to buzz in
must identify the picture correctly to
move their marker—shoes, ice cream,
a teddy bear, or a trumpet — around
a color-coded game board. There are
16 picture categories, including
music, weaponry, math, tools, food,
and clothing. In easier levels of play,
the computer connects dots to create
the pictures. In advanced levels, there
are few or no dots. Advanced levels
also introduce feature squares and
drop-out squares, both of which
Two NES hoops titles: Arch Rivals, which is based on the should be avoided. Fans of Pictionary
1989 arcade game, and Jordan vs Bird: One on One, which has and Win, Lose or Draw should enjoy
its roots in the 1984 computer game Julius Erving and Larry
Anticipation.
Bird Go One-On-One.
38
CLASSIC HOME VIDEO GAMES, 1985–1988
Arkanoid for the NES, with box and special “Vaus” controller, which is a rotary device similar to the Atari 2600 paddle controllers.
ful graphics. Released for the Game Gear as
Packaged with a special “Vaus” rotary
Arch Rivals: The Arcade Game.
controller for precise and speedy paddle move-
ment, Arkanoid is a stellar port of Taito’s own Archon
1986 arcade game. Players guide a paddle along
PUBLISHER: Activision. DEVELOPER: Beam Soft-
the bottom of the screen, rebounding a bounc-
ware. Board Game/Fighting, 1 or 2 players (si-
ing energy ball off of various space walls, elim-
multaneous). 1990.
inating colored bricks as they are hit. There’s
A fine translation of the groundbreaking
space debris to contend with, and certain walls
1983 computer game, Archon for the NES is
contain power capsules that can widen the pad-
similar to Battle Chess, but uses such mytho-
dle, give the paddle laser fire, warp the game to
logical creatures as wizards, unicorns, and gob-
the next round (there are 33 rounds in all), split
lins instead of traditional chess pieces. When
the ball into three, and more. Arkanoid is a two characters land on the same spot, the action
terrific expansion of the brick-busting concept
/>
switches to a combat arena in which players
pioneered by Breakout. Similar to: Thunder & battle to the death with swords, fireballs, clubs,
Lightning (arcade, NES). Followed by several
or other weapons. The chess board squares
sequels (including Arkanoid: Doh it Again for fluctuate between light and dark, giving one
the SNES) and a remake ( Arkanoid DS for the
side or the other the advantage, and certain
Nintendo DS).
characters can conjure spells to teleport, sum-
mon the elements, reverse color patterns, and
Arkista’s Ring
revive or regenerate weary or dead creatures.
PUBLISHER: American Sammy. DEVELOPER:
Archon is an excellent game of strategy, broken American Sammy. Maze Shooter/Third-Per-up nicely by intensive battles.
son Action Role-Playing Game, 1 player. 1990.
Arkanoid
Arkista’s Ring is a simplistic, action-ori-
PUBLISHER: Taito. DEVELOPER: Taito. Ball-and-
ented RPG in which players guide an elf girl
Paddle, 1 or 2 players (alternating). 1987.
named Christine through villages, castles,
NINTENDO NES
39
graveyards, caves, and other colorful locations
to fly, shell necklaces change her into a mer-
(which are viewed from overhead), firing ar-
maid, and she can grab a number of other use-
rows at such enemies as scorpions, goblins,
ful items, including hourglasses, swords, billy
wolves, skeletons, bats, magicians, and ninjas.
clubs, magic sticks, weapon power-ups, hel-
Killing enough baddies makes a key appear,
mets, shields, armor, and life flowers. Athena
which unlocks the next stage. After stage 31,
looks a lot like its arcade counterpart (SNK,
the stages repeat, but get harder. Defeated en-
1986), but that’s faint praise indeed.
emies frequently leave behind a pouch contain-
ing an item or a power-up, such as a fire wand,
Athletic World
a holy stick, armor, a helmet, a shield, or a
PUBLISHER: Bandai. DEVELOPER: Bandai.
ninja stunner. Gauntlet fans may enjoy Ark-Sports/Exercise, 1 player. 1987.
ista’s Ring, but Legend of Zelda buffs will find it overly linear and lacking in complexity.
Athletic World makes players get up off the
couch and onto the Nintendo Power Pad con-
Astyanax
trol mat (or Bandai’s own Family Fun Fitness
P
pad). By physically walking, jogging, running,
UBLISHER: Jaleco. DEVELOPER: Jaleco. Side-
Scrolling Combat, 1 player. 1990.
and jumping in place on side A of the Power
Pad, players guide the onscreen character
Based on Jaleco’s The Astyanax (arcade,
through five tiring events: Hurdles, Animal
1989), Astyanax for the NES puts players in the Trail, Dark Tunnel, Hop-a-Log, and Rafting.
titular role of a teenager who must rescue
Depending on the mode of play selected, there
Princess Rosebud from the castle of wizard
are obstacles to hop over or otherwise avoid,
Blackhorn. As he runs, jumps, ducks, and tele-
including moles, bats, frogs, fish, logs, and
ports his way through 12 levels of play,
water. Sometimes it is necessary for the player
Astyanax must use a broad axe, a spear, and a
to drop to his or her knees. Although it has flat
sword to fend off a variety of monsters. He can
graphics, Athletic World is a fun and challeng-conjure spells that freeze or damage all on-
ing exercise tool that fans of World Class Track
screen enemies, and he can smash stone idols
Meet will enjoy.
to reveal recovery potions, extra lives, weapon
power-ups, and more. The controls and col-
Attack of the Killer Tomatoes
lision detection could use some fine tuning,
PUBLISHER: THQ. DEVELOPER: Imagineering.
and the arcade version has richer graphics,
Side-Scrolling Platform, 1 player. 1992.
but Astyanax is notable for its nifty (if unintentionally funny), Ninja Gaiden-like cut
Based on the 1991 cartoon series (which
scenes.
in turn was based on the 1978 B-movie semi-
classic), Attack of the Killer Tomatoes for the Athena
NES puts players in control of Chad Finletter,
P
who must run and jump through four monot-
UBLISHER: SNK. DEVELOPER: Micronics. Side-
Scrolling Platform, 1 player. 1987.
onous stages, plus a fifth stage that appears
after the credits have ended. To stomp a
Marred by poor collision detection, unre-
tomato, it must be jumped on in the direct cen-
sponsive controls, bland graphics, cruddy
ter, making for a frustrating central gameplay
sound effects, and weak weaponry, Athena gives element, especially since there are no weapons.
platformers a bad name. Players guide the big-
The buildings and city streets are very nicely
headed, poorly animated title character
illustrated, and the running and jumping ac-
through Fantasy World, which is populated
tion is broken up somewhat by ladders, con-
with ladders to climb, obstacles to jump (or
veyor belts, and other staples of the genre.
double jump) over, oddly cartoonish monsters
However, the game remains a disappointment
to kick (or otherwise destroy), brick walls to
to fans of the franchise. Also released for the
smash, and more. Pegasus wings enable Athena
Game Boy.
40
CLASSIC HOME VIDEO GAMES, 1985–1988
Baby Boomer
climbable tree in 1985. In addition to running,
PUBLISHER: Color Dreams. DEVELOPER: Color
throwing projectiles, and jumping on plat-
Dreams. Light Gun Shooter, 1 player. 1989.
forms and on top of enemies, players must look
for and enter object rooms that contain a mini-
Baby Boomer is an unusual game in which
game involving collecting a certain number of
players use Nintendo’s Zapper gun to help a
watches within 60 seconds while avoiding cacti,
baby make it through a series of hazards and
quicksand, and other obstacles. Beating a mini-
to his mother. While the baby crawls from left
game grants players an object that must be
to right, players must shoot fireworks, spiders,
taken to the correct puzzle room, wherein waits
ghosts, bats, and other obstacles while avoiding
a word scramble mini-game. Back to the Fu-
shooting gold nuggets, which the baby will
ture Part II & III follows, to some degree, the gather for extra lives. Milk should be shot or
plots of the 1989/1990 feature films, including
the baby will get hungry, and a variety of items
such elements as Marty traveling through time
can be shot for extra points. Puzzle elements
and Biff stealing an old sports almanac.
come into play as well. For example, clouds can
be shot to form ice bridges, and shooting valve
handles can determine which pipes the baby
&
nbsp; Bad Dudes
crawls through. Hampered by bland graphics
PUBLISHER: Data East. DEVELOPER: Data East.
Side-Scrolling Combat, 1 or 2 players (alter-
and lousy collision detection, this unlicensed
nating). 1989.
oddity was Color Dreams’ first game.
When compared to the 1988 Data East ar-
Back to the Future
cade original (which was called Bad Dudes vs.
PUBLISHER: LJN. DEVELOPER: Beam Software.
Dragon Ninja), Bad Dudes for the NES suffers Overhead View Action, 1 player. 1989.
from flickering graphics, choppy controls, poor
Loosely based on the 1985 feature film,
voice effects (“I’m Bad!”), and the lack of a two-
Back to the Future for the NES has players guid-player simultaneous mode. The game, famous
ing Marty McFly up a vertically scrolling
for its campy storyline in which ninjas have
screen, collecting clocks while avoiding bees,
kidnapped the president, plays like a poor
hula hoop girls, trash cans, and other obsta-
man’s Double Dragon, with gamers walking,
cles. McFly can throw bowling balls at enemies,
jumping, punching, and kicking their way
grab skateboards that make him go faster (time
through seven levels (City, Big Rig, Sewer, For-
is a major factor), and jump over manholes.
est, Freight Train, Cave, and Factory) filled
Four different mini-games let McFly shoot milk
with mindless ninjas, plus some dogs, samu-
shakes at bullies, block hearts from his mom,
rai, and super warriors. There are only two
catch guitar notes, and drive up a road while
types of weapons to grab: knives and nunchuks.
maintaining a speed of 88 mph. The game is
President Ronnie (based on Ronald Reagan)
playable, but it frequently ignores the plot of
from the arcade version has been replaced with
the movie, and it has a disappointing ending
a man resembling George H. W. Bush (who was
and crude graphics and sounds. Paperboy fans president at the time of the NES release).
may find something here to enjoy.
Bad News Baseball
Back to the Future Part II & III
PUBLISHER: Tecmo. DEVELOPER: Tecmo.
PUBLISHER: LJN. DEVELOPER: Beam Software.
Sports/Baseball, 1 or 2 players (simultaneous).
Side-Scrolling Platform, 1 player. 1990.
1990.
Back to the Future Part II & III plays someThis fun, fast paced baseball game appears
what similar to Super Mario Bros. (complete
to have been made with younger players in
with enemies that look like Spiny and