by Brett Weiss
ing between two distinct types of airborne
Mighty Bomb Jack for the NES is a port of
shooting: behind-the-plane/third-person and
Tecmo’s 1986 coin-op classic, which was the
overhead view/vertical scrolling. The Mig play-
sequel to Tehkan’s Bomb Jack (arcade, 1984).
ers control begins with one weapon, but com-
Mighty Bomb Jack is similar to Bomb Jack, but pleting missions adds double missiles, spiral
with side-scrolling action and “mighty pow-
missiles, cluster spread (triple firing), and op-
ers” added to the already fun formula. Players
timum (a combination of the other three
guide Jack as he runs and jumps (extremely
weapons). Enemies to avoid or blow out of the
high when necessary) on platforms, collecting
sky include bombers, fighter planes, guided
bombs and treasures (extra time, hidden door-
missiles, and more. There are ground-based
ways, gold coins, and the like) while avoiding
targets as well, such as tanks, artillery shells,
zombies, birds, skulls, and other enemies.
and rocket launchers. Refueling and landing
Grabbing mighty coins (for mighty powers)
sequences add to the challenge. The action
lets Jack open special treasure chests and briefly
takes place over forests, oceans, deserts, arctic
transform enemies into collectable gold coins.
landscapes, and a chemical factory. In two-
In addition to the labyrinthine side-scrolling
player “Share” mode, gamers pick up where the
areas, players will frequently enter royal palace
other player left off (which is different than
rooms, which evoke the non-scrolling stages of
most alternating games, in which players each
Bomb Jack. Also, if Jack collects too many
have their own separate level progression).
mighty coins, he will be sent to the aptly named
NINTENDO NES
133
torture room, in which he must jump around
Millipede
avoiding enemies for a set amount of time. This
PUBLISHER: HAL America. DEVELOPER: HAL
latter feature is a little annoying, and some
Laboratory. Non-Scrolling Shooter, 1 or 2
gamers will wish Jack could shoot or jump on
players (alternating). 1988.
enemies, but Mighty Bomb Jack is a challeng-
The coin-op classic Centipede didn’t make
ing good time nevertheless. Followed by: Bomb
it to the NES, but its less-well-known (though
Jack Twin (arcade, 1993).
still popular) sequel, Millipede, did. When
compared to the arcade original (Atari, 1982),
Mighty Final Fight
Millipede for the NES adds title music to the PUBLISHER: Capcom. DEVELOPER: Capcom.
formula (ala Joust for the NES), but takes away Side-Scrolling Combat, 1 player. 1993.
something even the Atari 2600 port managed to
Released late in the life of the NES, Mighty
get right: the ability to start the game at the
Final Fight is a cartoonish take on the 1989 ar-15,000 or 30,000 point level. In addition, the
cade game, Final Fight. Players guide small, super visuals aren’t as sharp (despite retaining the
deformed versions of Cody, Guy (who was miss-
rippling screen effect), and firing arrows sounds
ing from Final Fight for the Super NES), or Mike annoyingly scratchy. Gameplay remains largely
Haggar through five levels of slums, factories,
(and enjoyably) intact, with gamers guiding a
and city streets, using drop kicks, knee bashes,
firing mechanism around the bottom 1/4 or so
head butts, super kicks, throws, shurikens,
of the screen, shooting upward at segments of
knives, and other moves and weapons to fight
a giant millipede as it works its way, snake-like,
bad guys (including bosses Thrasher and Ka-
down an enchanted mushroom forest. Other
tana). There is no two-player mode, but the
bugs to shoot include spiders, mosquitoes,
game does add an experience points system that
dragonflies, mayflies, caterpillars, ladybugs,
gives it some degree of depth (at least for a
and “longicorns.” Destroying mushrooms al-
brawler). Flickering is abundant, and the game
ters the millipede’s pathway, and shooting any
is short and somewhat repetitive, but Mighty
of several DDT bombs stationed about the for-
Final Fight makes for an interesting addition est wipes out nearby enemies. Also released for
to the popular franchise (which includes such
the Game Boy Advance (via Millipede/Super
games as Final Fight 2 and Final Fight 3 for the Breakout/Lunar Lander).
SNES and Final Fight CD for the Sega CD).
Milon’s Secret Castle
Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out !!
PUBLISHER: Hudson Soft. DEVELOPER: Hudson
PUBLISHER: Nintendo. DEVELOPER: Nintendo.
Soft. Platform Shooter/Side-Scrolling Plat-
Sports/Boxing, 1 player. 1987.
form, 1 player. 1988.
This super fun game is based on Nin-
At first glance, Milon’s Secret Castle ap-
tendo’s Punch-Out!! (arcade, 1984), but adds a pears to be a Super Mario Bros. wannabe, but final match against controversial boxing leg-with mediocre graphics and a Little Nemo-like
end Mike Tyson. The perspective is from be-
protagonist who shoots bubbles instead of
hind the player’s pugilist, but he is short, giv-
jumps on enemies (bubbles are shot at a down-
ing gamers a good view of the action. (In the
ward or upward angle, but not straight ahead).
arcade original, the player’s boxer is a translu-
However, Secret Castle is more difficult (and cent green). Boxers can block, duck, dodge,
more frustrating) than Super Mario Bros. ,
throw uppercuts, and punch left and right to
thanks to re-spawning enemies, tough bosses,
the face and body. There are 10 different oppo-
and hidden items that must be found in order
nents of varying fighting styles, and it takes
to complete the quest. Finding hidden items
strategy and technique to beat each one of them
requires lots of random shooting at bricks that
(as opposed to simple button-mashing). Re-
all look alike, which is a tactic that now seems
released in 1992 (sans Mike Tyson) as Punch-
hopelessly dated. Items to search for include:
Out!! Followed by: Super Punch-Out!! (SNES).
keys (for opening doors); protective shield
134
CLASSIC HOME VIDEO GAMES, 1985–1988
bees; energy-rich honeycombs; coins (for pur-
inative patterns (mostly in straight lines), but
chasing items in shops); umbrellas (for rapid
there are enough of them to put up a challenge.
fire bubbles); and music boxes (for advancing
The backgrounds are flat and lacking in detail,
to bonus stages). When the running, jumping
and the constant noise of the helicopter blades
Milon gets hit be an enemy, he does not become gets annoying in a hurry. Unlicensed.
invincible for a few seconds, add
ing to the
difficulty. Thankfully, there is a continue fea-
Mission: Impossible
ture, which is achieved (only after the collection
PUBLISHER: Ultra Games. DEVELOPER: Konami.
of the first crystal ball) by holding down the
Overhead View Action/Adventure, 1 player.
left arrow on the control pad while pushing
1990.
start. Also released for the Game Boy.
Based on the late 1980s TV show (as op-
posed to the original series, which aired from
The Miracle Piano Teaching System
1966 to 1973), Mission: Impossible for the NES
PUBLISHER: The Software Toolworks. DEVEL-
lets players control three IMF agents, each of
OPER: The Software Toolworks. Musical In-
whom is outfitted with different weapons and
strument/Band Simulator, 1 player. 1990.
skills, such as guns, bombs, boomerangs,
Packed-in with a full-sized electronic
and/or sleeping gas. One character can even
piano keyboard, which is enhanced with two
don disguises that make enemies steer clear.
speakers for stereo sound, Miracle Piano Teach-
The mission, for those who choose to accept it,
ing System teaches gamers how to play the tit-is to rescue Dr. O and Shannon from the Sin-
ular instrument. As players pound away at the
ister Seven. This involves traversing sewers,
pressure sensitive keys, onscreen keys flash to
avoiding bomb-throwing enemies, battling ro-
mimic the movements of the real keys. A vari-
bots, disabling alarms, flipping switches, ski-
ety of drills, musical numbers, and games (such
ing down the Swiss Alps (using ski poles as
as shooting ducks and making robots jump)
weapons), killing machine gunners, and much
enable players to practice music notation,
more. This is a long, involved game with lots of
fingering techniques, pedaling, and more. In
variety and graphical detail, but it’s very
addition, the keyboard is equipped with more
difficult. Fans of the franchise will miss the
than 100 virtual musical instruments and other
theme music. Includes password feature.
sounds, including guitars, drums, and voice ef-
fects.
Monopoly
PUBLISHER: Parker Brothers. DEVELOPER:
Mission Cobra
Sculptured Software. Board Game, 1–8 players
PUBLISHER: Bunch Games. DEVELOPER: Color
(simultaneous). 1991.
Dreams. Vertical Scrolling Shooter, 1 or 2
Monopoly for the NES does a nice job
players (simultaneous). 1990.
recreating the popular board game, letting up
In Mission Cobra, players pilot a helicop-
to eight players take turns rolling dice, mov-
ter over land and sea while shooting choppers,
ing a token around the board, earning money,
sonic jets, flying saucers, and other enemies,
drawing Community Chest and Chance Cards,
some of which drop power-ups when de-
and trying to bankrupt the other players by
stroyed. Said power-ups include double mis-
purchasing, renting, and selling houses, hotels,
siles, triple missiles, and angled triple missiles,
railroads, and other properties. The advantage
as well as circular fire, invincibility, and energy,
of the video game lies in the computer handling
the latter of which is extremely important since
all the accounting and money management
mere flying drains energy at a steady pace. At
tasks, giving the game a faster pace than its
the end of each level, players must battle a
more tangible, more tactile counterpart. Ani-
mother ship boss, such as a chopper carrier, an
mated tokens, a game editor (for giving play-
eagle destroyer, or a double-winged fighter.
ers cash and properties before the game even
The standard enemies move in boring, unimag-
begins), a timed mode, and a human looking
NINTENDO NES
135
hand rolling the dice add to the fun. When
pants, and a legless punk rocker. Mark can also
compared to the SMS version, the NES game
transform into a flying, eyebeam-shooting gar-
has better sound effects (including digitized
goyle. To clear each level, Mark must find and
voices), but the Sega game benefits from battery
enter all the doorways and defeat the bosses
backup and up to 10 contestants. Also released
contained therein. Each boss leaves a key to an
for the Genesis, SNES, and numerous other
exit that Mark must also find.
systems.
Monster Truck Rally
Monster in My Pocket
PUBLISHER: INTV. DEVELOPER: Realtime Asso-
PUBLISHER: Konami. DEVELOPER: Konami.
ciates. Monster Truck Racing, 1–4 players (si-
Side-Scrolling Combat, 1 or 2 players (simul-
multaneous). 1991.
taneous). 1992.
Published by INTV, the company that kept
Based on the Matchbox toy line, Monster
the Intellivision going after the Great Video
in My Pocket for the NES will delight fans of Game Crash of 1983/1984, Monster Truck Rally
the small, soft, squishy playthings. Gamers
offers nine events: Hill Climb, Drag Race, Bog,
guide The Vampire or The Monster (i.e. Frank-
Car Crush, Tug-O-War, Sled Pull, Draw
enstein) through six nicely drawn, human-
Bridge, Donuts, Combo Course, and Custom
sized levels (including Jack’s room, a sewer, a
Track, the latter of which lets players race on
construction site, and an oriental palace), bat-
tracks of their own creation. Unfortunately, the
tling a nice assortment of familiar creatures,
racing action is marred by the following: a slow
including Bigfoot, Medusa, Cerberus, Cyclops,
truck (the computer’s vehicle is prohibitively
zombies, ghouls, ogres, and gremlins. The
faster); confused obstacle placement (it’s easy to
Vampire and The Monster can punch their en-
run into stuff you can’t quite see); shoddy
emies and throw various objects at them. They
physics (jumping is especially pathetic); and
can also climb stairs, run across rooftops, jump
horrible controls (pressing a single button con-
over fences, scale steel girders, ride a large
trols both acceleration and gear shifting). The
hook, dodge huge golf balls, and much more.
3/4 perspective evokes R.C. Pro-Am, but the
No matter how far either creature falls, the
game is nowhere near as good. Multi-player
drop will not kill them, which is a nice change
adapter compatible. Similar to: Stadium Mug
of pace from the typical side-scroller. Monster
Buggies (Intellivision).
in My Pocket is easy to beat, but gorgeous
graphics, fast-paced gameplay, and two-player
Moon Ranger
simultaneous action make it a winner.
PUBLISHER: Bunch Games. DEVELOPER:
Odyssey Software
. Side-Scrolling
Monster Party
Shooter/Platform Shooter, 1 player. 1990.
PUBLISHER: Bandai. DEVELOPER: Bandai. Side-
Moon Ranger has players guiding a ship
Scrolling Platform, 1 player. 1989.
through space, firing plasma bolts at asteroids,
Monster Party is an average platformer in
frogs in bubbles, spinning aliens, claw-shaped
terms of gameplay (hit enemy with bat, step
cruisers, pairs of eyes, and other enemies. To in-
back, hit enemy again), but distinguishes itself
crease the power of their weaponry, players can
with a goofy storyline, nice box art ( Famous
analyze and adapt the aliens’ equipment, which
Monsters of Filmland fans will be pleased), at-includes wave rider beams, plus shots (which
mospheric visuals (including blood-soaked
travel in loops), lightning blasts, flam (which
skulls), and a cool mix of traditional and highly
travel like boomerangs), and “it” (the most
original monsters. Players guide a boy named
powerful alien weapon). Players will also don a
Mark through eight levels (including dungeons,
space suit and clumsily walk along shooting en-
castle ruins, and a haunted house), battling
emies and jumping on platforms and over spike
(batting, actually) such creatures as Medusa,
pits and other obstacles. The Moon Patrol-like spiders, ghosts, a kitten-throwing cat, walking
sixth level (of seven) has players driving an all-
136
CLASSIC HOME VIDEO GAMES, 1985–1988
terrain vehicle across the surface of the moon,
girl) around four different mazes, gobbling up
jumping over obstacles and shooting at robots,
pellets while avoiding color-coded ghosts
space crabs, and bulb monsters. Other activities
Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Sue (actually, the
include recharging the suit’s armor, recharging
ghosts in this version are unnamed). Eating
the all-terrain vehicle’s shields, collecting four
bouncing fruit grants bonus points while gob-
pieces of a gamma bomb, and destroying an el-
bling Power Pellets lets Ms. Pac-Man temporar-
ement converter cannon. Unlicensed.
ily turn the tables on the ghosts. Unlike the un-
licensed Tengen version of Ms. Pac-Man, the
MotorCity Patrol
Namco rendition does not include such
PUBLISHER: Matchbox. DEVELOPER: Source.
tricked-up features as the Pac Booster, Strange
Overhead View Action, 1 player. 1992.
mazes, vertical scrolling, or two-player simul-