by Brett Weiss
Playing Game, 1 player. 1991.
Poindexter, and other enemies and obstacles.
Magic items include a punching glove, Frisbees,
Like many action-oriented RPGs, Faria
an airplane, a submarine, a spaceship, and
borrows heavily from The Legend of Zelda.
more. Like the Kirby and Mario platformers, Players explore forests, towns, puzzle-filled
Felix the Cat offers cute, cartoon-like graphics, dungeons, and maze-like towers, with the time-nice animation, smooth controls, and a rollick-
worn objective being to rescue the proverbial
ing good time. Best of all, the game stays true
princess. To battle the various monsters that
to the spirit of the Felix franchise. Also released
inhabit the land, adventurers can use nine dif-
for the Game Boy.
ferent swords, plus five types of bows: wood,
bamboo, iron, steel, and cross. Other helpful
Ferrari Grand Prix Challenge
items include armor, shields, wings (for travel-
PUBLISHER: Acclaim Entertainment. DEVEL-
ing to previous townships), a flashlight, bombs,
OPER: System 3 Software. Formula-1/Indy Rac-
magic glasses, magic rope, and more. As play
ing, 1 player. 1992.
progresses, gamers can increase their hit points,
striking power, defensive power, and fighting
Viewed from behind the player’s car, Fer-
experience. The challenge and complexity of
rari Grand Prix Challenge has gamers racing
Faria will please most fans of the genre. In-against 24 cars and 8 teams on 16 twisting,
cludes battery backup.
turning tracks. The playfield takes up the top
two-thirds of the screen while the bottom one-
third shows the dash board displaying speed,
Faxanadu
gear (players can select from automatic or
PUBLISHER: Nintendo. DEVELOPER: Hudson
Soft. Third-Person Action Role-Playing
three-speed transmission), revs, lap number,
Game/Side-Scrolling Platform, 1 player.
lap time, position, radio (which gives such
1989.
warnings as oil on the track), rear view mirror,
and course map. Signs along the way keep play-
The elf town of Elois is under attack by
ers advised of forthcoming turns and overhead
meteorites and monsters, and it is up to the
view pit stops, in which players furiously push
player to journey through towns, fields, and
buttons to make the pit crew change tires as
dungeons, battling monsters to gain experi-
fast as possible. Background graphics include
ence, ultimately confronting the Evil One in
mountains and buildings, but roadside scenery
his fortress. By visiting shops, the hero can pur-
is sparse, depicting redundant gray and green
chase swords, shields, hints, keys, and armor.
striped grass. The Genesis version features a
He can also use magic (deluge, fire, thunder,
customizable car, two-player split-screen ac-
death, and tilt) and a variety of items, includ-
tion, and selectable road and weather condi-
ing a ruby ring (for moving rocks), wing boots
tions. Also released for the Game Boy.
(for flying), and a mattock (for destroying
walls). Platforming action comes in the way of
Fester’s Quest
jumping, climbing ladders, and a side-view
PUBLISHER: Sunsoft. DEVELOPER: Sunsoft. Ad-
perspective. Includes password feature.
venture, 1 player. 1989.
84
CLASSIC HOME VIDEO GAMES, 1985–1988
In this largely humorless Addams Family
Fire ’n Ice
spin-off, the bald, but bold Uncle Fester trav-
PUBLISHER: Tecmo. DEVELOPER: Tecmo. Maze
els streets and sewers, rescuing townsfolk from
Puzzle/Non-Scrolling Platform, 1 player. 1993.
aliens and battling bosses to gather clues. Dur-
ing his quest, he will enter seven houses (each
The follow-up to Solomon’s Key (NES) and
containing an Addams family member) and six
Solomon’s Club (Game Boy), Fire ’n Ice remains labyrinthine buildings. To ward off globules,
a deviously difficult puzzler, but changes the
hovering aliens, slime replicators, giant scor-
formula enough to keep things interesting. On
pions, and other enemies (which appeared dur-
a mission to protect Coolmint Island, the wiz-
ing a recent alien invasion), Fester can bran-
ard Dana, who can no longer jump or shoot
dish a gun, a whip, TNT, and missiles. Other
fireballs, must create, push, climb, and destroy
useable items include bulbs (for seeing under-
ice blocks to extinguish flames in 15 worlds,
ground), keys (for entering buildings), money
each containing 10 rooms. Every 10th room of
(for buying hotdogs), and a noose, the latter of
a world is a boss level, adding monsters, ghosts,
which makes Lurch appear and kill all on-
and other enemies to the action. Enemies vary
screen enemies. Two viewpoints are featured:
in abilities, such as those holding umbrellas
overhead and first-person maze. There’s lots of
cannot be destroyed by an ice block falling from
shooting, so the manual recommends playing
above. As in Solomon’s Club, gamers can play
the game with a turbo/rapid-fire joystick.
through the worlds in virtually any order. In
addition, a special Edit Mode lets gamers de-
sign and play their own rooms. The lack of bat-
Final Fantasy
tery back-up means players cannot save their
PUBLISHER: Nintendo. DEVELOPER: Square.
creations, but a password feature does enable
Third-Person Role-Playing Game, 1 player.
players to save their progress through the stan-
1990.
dard game.
Along with Phantasy Star (SMS, 1988) and
Dragon Warrior (NES, 1989), Final Fantasy Firehawk
helped popularize console role-playing games
PUBLISHER: Camerica. DEVELOPER: Codemas-
ters. Overhead View Free-Roaming Shooter, 1
in the United States. In this game, players cre-
player. 1992.
ate a party of four adventures (called Light
Warriors) from six different character classes:
The helicopter gunship players pilot in
fighter, black belt, thief, red mage, white mage,
Firehawk moves fast and can shoot bullets,
and black mage, each of whom can mature into
launch bombs, rotate, and fly in all directions.
an adult over time, and each of whom has dif-
Throughout the game, players can acquire
ferent strengths and weaknesses. For example,
extra shields, ammo, and fuel and can power-
unlike the fighter, whose specialty is wielding
up the helicopter with faster firing, faster ma-
weapons and armor, the black mage excels at
neuvering speed, bigger bullets, and triple
casting powerful magic spells. Gameplay con-
firing. There are seven missions, each of which
sists of exploring a huge world (in
cluding
has players destroying military targets (run-
towns, castles, forests, and caves), talking to
ways, tank hangers, heli landing pads and the
characters to garner clues, setting sail on the
like) and rescuing paratroopers, the latter of
ocean, opening treasure boxes, and much
which are found by following a moving arrow.
more. Random, turn-based battles frequently
Once a paratrooper has been located, the ac-
occur, with players selecting from a menu of
tion switches to behind the helicopter, where
such options as fight, run, magic, drink, and
heat-seeking sights will automatically track and
item. During battles, the overhead perspective
lock onto enemy choppers moving across the
switches to side-view. Includes battery backup.
screen. Players must time their shoots accord-
Followed by: Final Fantasy II (SNES), Final ingly to destroy the enemy choppers and give
Fantasy III (SNES), and numerous other se-
the paratrooper time to climb up a rope ladder
quels and offshoots (including a PSP remake).
and safely into the helicopter. Unlicensed.
NINTENDO NES
85
Fisher-Price: Firehouse Rescue
screen. Players must maneuver each toy onto
PUBLISHER: GameTek. DEVELOPER: Imagineer-
the playfield and over a matching shadow of
ing. Maze/Action, 1 player. 1992.
that toy. If the object is not placed properly, or
it is placed over the shadow of a different toy, a
Fisher-Price: Firehouse Rescue features two
buzz will sound, letting gamers know of their
types of extremely basic gameplay. During the
error. In more challenging levels, players must
first part of each level, the action is viewed from
flip the images and work against a time limit.
overhead, and players must drive a fire truck
The game is designed to help children ages
around a maze of streets and to a house. Once
three to six develop object recognition and eye-
the truck reaches the house, a side-view is
hand coordination, but boredom can set in
shown, with players rescuing (with a fire truck
after repeated play. The action is comple-
ladder) Fisher Price toy people trapped in the
mented by such traditional favorites as “Twin-
upper level of said house. There are no enemies
kle, Twinkle Little Star.”
or obstacles to speak of, and there’s no actual
representation of fire (this is a kids’ game, after
all), but harder difficulty levels do introduce
Fist of the North Star
side-scrolling mazes and keys to find before
PUBLISHER: Taxan. DEVELOPER: Shouei System.
Side-Scrolling Combat, 1 player. 1989.
reaching houses. The tune “Barnum and Bai-
ley’s Favorite” plays during the title screen.
In Fist of the North Star, a karate expert
named Ken walks (stiffly and awkwardly),
Fisher-Price: I Can Remember
punches, kicks, crouches, and jumps (on brick
PUBLISHER: GameTek. DEVELOPER: Beam Soft-
platforms, over gaps, and up stairs) his way
ware. Board Game, 1 or 2 players (simultane-
though eight boring levels of bad guys who are
ous). 1990.
capable of a variety of attacks, including fire-
Designed for children ages three to eight,
balls, sliding kicks, clenching claws, and white
Fisher Price: I Can Remember is essentially an light bombs. When killed, enemies explode or
electronic version of Concentration, the classic fly off the screen. Defeating certain enemies in-memory game. From a playfield consisting of
creases Ken’s strength or, in the case of besting
12, 16, or 20 boxes (depending on the skill
20 baddies, charges him up for a special shoot-
level), players take turns flipping boxes two at
ing attack. Power-up items include flags for re-
a time, with the objective being to create
gaining energy, a silver necklace for restoring
matches. Each box contains a small toy, such
shooting power, and a gold necklace for using
as a roller skate or a drum, and completing the
Gento Karate (transparency/invincibility). Fist
entire board reveals a large Fisher Price toy or
of the North Star is based on the anime and
grouping of toys. The graphics are flat, blocky,
manga series, which was originally serialized
static images, and such standards
as “Old MacDonald” and “Mary
Had a Little Lamb” play in loops.
Similar to Hunt & Score for the
Atari 2600, but the Atari game ac-
tually offers a 32-square board.
Fisher-Price: Perfect Fit
PUBLISHER: GameTek. DEVEL-
OPER: Beam Software. Action
Puzzle, 1 or 2 players (alternat-
ing). 1990.
In Perfect Fit, Fisher Price
Like most consoles, the NES is no stranger to children’s educa-toys drop down, one at a time, out
tional titles. Pictured are Fisher Price: Perfect Fit, Donkey Kong
of a chute on the left side of the
Jr. Math, and Sesame Street ABC.
86
CLASSIC HOME VIDEO GAMES, 1985–1988
in Japan (as Hokuto no Ken) in the weekly magThe second Flintstones game for the NES,
azine, Shonen Jump.
The Surprise at Dinosaur Peak! is much harder to find than The Rescue of Dino & Hoppy, but Flight of the Intruder
it’s just as fun. At any time, players can select
PUBLISHER: Mindscape. DEVELOPER: Imagi-
between Fred and Barney, which is important
neering. Flight Combat Simulator, 1 player.
for getting past certain areas. Both characters
1991.
can run, jump, and use items (bowling balls,
Set during the Vietnam War, Flight of the
stone hammers, and the like), but Fred scales
Intruder for the NES is based on the 1990 fea-cliffs while Barney climbs poles, ropes, and
ture film, and on the 1990 computer game.
vines. Also, Fred wields a club while Barney
Faced with 12 missions, players can fly two
carries a sling. There are 12 levels of play, with
planes: the F-14 Phantom all-weather intercep-
activities ranging from using crocodiles as
tor, which fires at North Vietnamese MiG 21
trampolines to battling dinosaurs to using
jets; and the A-6 Intruder all-weather carrier-
Pterodactyls to fly over gaps to riding in mine
based strike bomber, which destroys ground
carts to playing prehistoric hardball. The ob-
and sea targets while avoiding flak and ground-
jective is to rescue Pebbles and Bam-Bam. Fans
to-air missiles. Viewpoints include cockpit,
of the Flintstones animated series, which orig-map, and bombing/strafing, the latter of which
inally ran on ABC during prime time from 1960
is from behind the plane. While landing, play-
to 1966, will especially enjoy the game’s car-
ers must consider thrust, altitude, vertical ve-
toon-like graphics and nicely recreated theme
song.
the landing gear and arrestor hook.
Flying Dragon: The Secret Scroll
The Flintstones: The Rescue of Dino &
PUBLISHER: Culture Brain. DEVELOPER: Culture
Brain. Side-Scrolling Combat/Fighting, 1
Hoppy
player. 1989.
PUBLISHER: Taito. DEVELOPER: Taito. Side-
Scrolling Platform, 1 player. 1991.
Despite poor controls, Flying Dragon
boasts an interesting mixture of genres. It of-
A time-traveler from the 30th century has
fers side-scrolling combat/platforming action,
kidnapped Dino the dinosaur and Hoppy the
with players punching and kicking ninjas and
hopposaurus. To rescue his beloved pets, Fred
jumping over obstacles. However, much of the
Flintstone must help Gazoo rebuild the friendly
game consists of one-on-one fights, with the
alien’s time machine. The result of this
added twist of having to hit certain areas of the
confluence of events is a standard, yet fun and
opponent’s body marked by red symbols. Oppo-
colorful platformer. Players guide a nicely an-
nents consist of a boxer, a kickboxer, a wrestler,
imated Fred as he runs, jumps, and climbs
and karate, kung-fu, and martial arts experts.
through jungles, the town of Bedrock, an ice
RPG-style power-ups include increased punch-
village, dungeons, and other areas, clubbing
ing, kicking, and jumping abilities, plus keys
criminals, prehistoric animals, and barrels, the
for opening doors and cosmic saucers for
latter of which release such helpful items as
throwing at enemies. Includes password fea-
coins for using a slingshot, an axe, and
ture. Followed by: Flying Warriors (NES).
boomasaurus egg bombs. Periodically, Fred will
play a simple one-on-one basketball game
where he can win the ability to fly, swim, and
Flying Warriors
jump long distances.
PUBLISHER: Culture Brain. DEVELOPER: Culture
Brain. Side-Scrolling Combat/Fighting, 1 or 2
players (simultaneous). 1991.
The Flintstones: The Surprise at Di-
nosaur Peak!
The sequel to Flying Dragon: The Secret
PUBLISHER: Taito. DEVELOPER: Taito. Side-
Scroll, Flying Warriors offers the same type of Scrolling Platform, 1 player. 1993.
side-scrolling combat and one-on-one fight-
NINTENDO NES
87
ing action, but improves upon the formula with