by Brett Weiss
taneous action. The sequel to Pac-Man, Ms.
In MotorCity Patrol, players take on the
Pac-Man had numerous follow-ups, including
role of a cop, driving around city streets, pa-
Super Pac-Man (arcade, Atari 5200) and Jr.
trolling five crisply drawn precincts: Financial
Pac-Man (arcade, Atari 2600).
District, Suburbs, Parks, Downtown Mo-
torCity, and Waterfront. Objectives include ar-
resting four types of people: citizens and speed-
Ms. Pac-Man (Tengen)
ers (by using the siren and giving chase); and
PUBLISHER: Tengen. DEVELOPER: Tengen.
Maze, 1 or 2 players (alternating, simultane-
robbers and public enemies (by shooting their
ous). 1990.
tires or blocking their pathways). Vehicles to
pursue include Matchbox versions of red vans
The Tengen version of Ms. Pac-Man in-
and blue sports cars. At the end of each shift,
cludes a straightforward port of Midway’s 1981
players can use merit points earned to purchase
arcade classic, but it also offers a host of un-
bullets, car repairs, or the following car up-
conventional features, including the use of a
grades: super steering, turbo acceleration,
Pac Booster, which makes Ms. Pac-Man and
higher top speeds, and super brakes. Although
Pac-Man (the character player two controls in
ambitious conceptually, MotorCity Patrol,
simultaneous mode) move faster and leave
which was the only Matchbox release for the
speed streaks in their wake. Other unorthodox
NES, suffers from repetitious gameplay and the
options include: a pair of two-player simulta-
disruptive necessity of switching back and forth
neous modes (Cooperative and Competitive);
between the playfield and the map screen (the
four different difficulty levels (Normal, Easy,
latter view courtesy of an “eye in the sky” po-
Hard, and Crazy); and a whopping 36 differ-
lice helicopter).
ent mazes, including Big, Strange, Arcade
(standard), and Mini (to cut down on vertical
Ms. Pac-Man (Namco)
scrolling). Unlike in the more conventional
PUBLISHER: Namco. DEVELOPER: Namco. Maze,
Atari 7800 version, players cannot level select.
1 or 2 players (alternating). 1993.
The Tengen version of Ms. Pac-Man was also
released for the Genesis and SNES, with both
The Namco version of Ms. Pac-Man for
games incorporating the same extra features.
the NES is an excellent, straight-up take on
Unlicensed.
Midway’s oft-ported arcade classic (1981), but
nitpickers will find some differences. The
playfield is square (as opposed to rectangular)
M.U.L.E.
P
to accommodate the shape of television
UBLISHER: Mindscape. DEVELOPER: Ozark
Softscape. Business Simulator/Turn-Based
screens, the coloring isn’t quite as rich, the in-
Strategy, 1–4 players (simultaneous). 1990.
troductory animation is missing, and the little
clapperboards are absent from the intermis-
A port of the 1983 computer game,
sions (nitpicking indeed). The simple, yet ad-
M.U.L.E. (which stands for Multiple Use Labor dicting and fun gameplay remains, with play-Elements) is an intriguing game of strategy and
ers guiding the titular femme (Pac-Man’s best
economics set on the distant planet of Irata
NINTENDO NES
137
(which is Atari spelled backwards). The goal is
has more in common in terms of gameplay
to amass wealth, which requires purchasing
with the coin-op classics Asteroids (1979), Space land, producing crops, mining minerals, mak-Dungeon (1981), and Robotron (1982). Armed ing trades, bidding at auctions, and even going
with a jetpack (which rotates and thrusts sim-
wumpus hunting. Mechanical donkeys per-
ilar to the ship in Asteroids) and a vaccine
form the dirty work (growing food, mining,
blaster, players fly around a series of single-
and producing energy) while earthquakes, acid
screen rooms, shooting computer virus clus-
rain, pirates, pest attacks, and other such
ters while trying to avoid virus-infected areas.
calamities randomly disrupt player progress.
The blaster has three types of charges: auto-
There are three modes of play: Beginner, Stan-
matic, short fuse, and long fuse. In addition to
dard, and Tournament, the latter of which in-
viruses, the infected computer has bits of code
cludes crystite, which is a particularly valuable
(in the form of capsules) that act as power-ups.
mineral, and collusion, which allows players
These include shields, super guns (bullets
to make private deals. Multi-tap adapter com-
bounce off walls), and countermeasures (clus-
patible.
ters of antibodies). Regrettably, despite its old-
school sensibilities, Mutant Virus lacks the fun, M.U.S.C.L.E. Tag Team Match
intensity, and excitement of the aforemen-
PUBLISHER: Bandai. DEVELOPER: Bandai.
tioned arcade games.
Sports/Wrestling, 1 or 2 players (simultane-
ous). 1986.
Mystery Quest
P
The acronym for “millions of unusual
UBLISHER: Taxan. DEVELOPER: Carry Lab.
Side-Scrolling Platform, 1 player. 1989.
small creatures lurking everywhere,” M.U.S.
C.L.E. for the NES is based on a Japanese comic On a quest to find four magic talismans
book and cartoon called Kinnikuman, and on
(wealth, wisdom, happiness, and peace), a
the resultant line of tiny, rubbery toys (which
young boy named Hao must explore in and
was released in the U.S. by Mattel). Players se-
around four mystery castles, each riddled with
lect from eight different wrestlers: M.U.S.C.L.E.
mazes, underground passages, and such crea-
Man, Robin Mask, Ashra Man, Terry Man,
tures as snakes, gophers, wasps, bats, and drag-
Geronimo, Larmen Man, Buffalo Man, and
ons. To battle the various enemies, the boy can
Wars Man, each of whom can pull off a special
shoot magic in the form of round projectiles
move, along with the following standard
that can be upgraded (doubled) by finding a
moves: punch, kick, jump, back drop, push,
scroll. Other helpful items to pick up include:
dropkick, clothesline, and flying body attack.
vitality for maintaining energy; an SOS raft for
The elevated view of the ring is from the side,
swimming; keys for opening doors; arrows
and the screen scrolls a bit horizontally. With
showing which direction to go; and power
its blocky fighters, lack of detail, and washed
boots and a power helmet for breaking blocks.
out colors, M.U.S.C.L.E. looks primitive com-Castles are made of blocks, some of which con-
pared to other wrestling titles of the era, such
tain springs for jump
ing higher. The moun-
as Pro Wrestling and Ring King, but fans of the tains, chimneys, clouds, and other objects to
franchise may want to check it out.
jump on have a primitive look, matching the
clunky gameplay. Fans of the genre should stick
The Mutant Virus
with Super Mario Bros.
PUBLISHER: American Softworks. DEVELOPER:
Rocket Science Games. Non-Scrolling
NARC
Shooter, 1 player. 1992.
PUBLISHER: Acclaim. DEVELOPER: Rare. Plat-
form Shooter, 1 player. 1990.
Although it borrows a key element (shrink
down in size to battle an infestation) from the
Based on Williams’ 1988 arcade game,
feature film Fantastic Voyage (which was made NARC for the NES was approved by Just Say
into an Atari 2600 video game), Mutant Virus
No International, which was a product of the
138
CLASSIC HOME VIDEO GAMES, 1985–1988
Reagan-era War on Drugs. Players, as Max
players hauled away on stretchers (and the re-
Force, must battle their way through nine side-
sultant player substitutions); and line judges
scrolling levels, using a machine gun and rocket
who bring out chains to measure close calls.
launcher to blow away thugs, dealers, pushers,
The view of the field is from a diagonal/over-
gangsters, terrorists, and other minions in drug
head perspective, which is highly unusual for a
kingpin Mr. Big’s employ. In addition, players
football title, and the game begins with a nice
must dodge land mines, destroy helicopters,
rendition of the “National Anthem.” Unfortu-
battle pit bulls and mutant bugs, confiscate
nately, gameplay is terribly slow. Multi-tap
cash, open locked doors (with color-coded safe
adapter compatible.
cards), destroy vats of drugs, and drive a
Porsche 911 Turbo Carrera NarcMobile. There
NFL Football
are nine seedy sectors to battle through, includ-
PUBLISHER: LJN. DEVELOPER: Enteractive.
ing Junkyard, K.W.A.K. Street (called K.R.A.K.
Sports/Football, 1 or 2 players (simultaneous).
Street in the arcade version), Sunset Strip, and
1989.
Skyhigh’s Nursery. The arcade original, which
The first NES football game licensed by
benefited from digitized graphics and sound
the National Football League (though not by
effects, unlimited continues, and faster, more
the NFLPA, meaning real player names aren’t
intense gameplay, was designed by Eugene “De-
used), NFL Football lets gamers play as any of fender” Jarvis.
the 28 teams from the 1988 season. The side-
scrolling action is viewed from overhead, with
NES Open Tournament Golf
the camera zooming in when a pass approaches
PUBLISHER: Nintendo. DEVELOPER: Nintendo.
a receiver. Players can enhance their team with
Sports/Golf, 1 or 2 players (alternating). 1991.
two upgrades, but this increases the chance of
Like many later Nintendo sports games,
random penalties and fumbles. Other features
such as Mario Tennis (various) and Mario Golf: include: coin toss, sacks, kickoffs (including
Toadstool Tour (GameCube), NES Open stars onside kicks), and lots of offensive and defen-the company’s famous mascot, the every-lov-
sive plays (including audibles). Regrettably,
able Mario. The Italian plumber competes for
poor controls ruin the fun.
top ranking against 36 computerized golfers,
including his brother Luigi. There are three
Nigel Mansell’s World Championship
modes of play (Stroke, Match, and Tourna-
Racing
ment), three courses (U.S., U.K, and Japan),
PUBLISHER: GameTek. DEVELOPER: Gremlin
and a trio of three-tap swing meters (slow,
Graphics. Formula-1/Indy Racing, 1 player.
medium, and fast). Ball spin, wind speed, club
1993.
choice, hazards, and other factors come into
World Championship Racing for the NES is
play in this agreeable, finely tuned golf title.
roughly patterned after the Super NES version
Includes battery backup and typical overhead
(complete with in-the-cockpit perspective), but
and behind-the-golfer viewpoints.
the in-game information (lap time, mph, and
the like) is placed in a strip along the bottom of
NES Play Action Football
the screen (as opposed to varying locations
PUBLISHER: Nintendo. DEVELOPER: Nintendo.
around the top), making the data less accessi-
Sports/Football, 1–4 players (simultaneous).
ble. Also, though the game is certainly playable,
1990.
the courses are more simplistic in design, the
This flawed, but ambitious football game
graphics aren’t as sharp, and the animation isn’t
has numerous features, including: eight teams;
as smooth. On a more positive note, the game
NFLPA licensing (meaning real players are
does have some nice features, including selec-
used); cooperative play against the computer;
table gears (automatic and manual), selectable
a halftime show; replays; diving tackles; good
tires (hard, soft, and wet), pit stops, qualify-
controls; voice effects (however terrible); injured
ing laps, Full Season mode, and tips from Mansell
NINTENDO NES
139
himself. Includes password feature. A surpris-
A too-easy port of Capcom’s highly playable
ingly good version of the game was also re-
arcade game (which was released in 1984), 1942
leased for the Game Boy.
for the NES has players piloting the World War
II-era Super Ace over land and sea, shooting
A Nightmare on Elm Street
enemy planes while dodging their bullets. De-
PUBLISHER: LJN. DEVELOPER: Rare. Side-
stroying complete red formations emits POW
Scrolling Platform/Side-Scrolling Combat,
power-ups, which can be grabbed for double
1–4 players (simultaneous). 1990.
machine guns, triple firepower (via an ally on
either side of the plane), extra points, or an
This 8-bit take on the Nightmare on Elm
extra “loop the loop.” The looping maneuver,
Street film franchise (which began in 1984) of-which is useful when the screen gets overly
fers more than typical running, jumping, mon-
crowded, temporarily removes the plane from
ster-punching action (though there’s plenty of
the heat of battle. NES owners who are fans of
that). Players, as Dream Warriors, must enter
the “194x” series should stick with 1943: The
buildings to gather bones and battle the ulti-
Battle of Midway, which is 1942’ s more chal-mate nightmare himself — Freddy Krueger —
lenging, more versatile sequel. 1942 was also in his various horrifying forms. If the player’s
released for the Game Boy Color.
sleep meter gets too low (by inactivity or not
drinking
enough coffee), he or she will enter
the Dream World, in which Dream Warrior
1943: The Battle of Midway
P
icons can turn players into a shuriken-throw-
UBLISHER: Capcom. DEVELOPER: Capcom.
Vertical Scrolling Shooter, 1 player. 1988.
ing Shadow Warrior, a javelin-throwing Acro-
bat, or a magic-firing Necromancer. Enemies
Despite the exclusion of the two-player si-
to battle include skeletons, hounds, bats, zom-
multaneous mode, 1943 for the NES is an ex-
bies, and more. Multi-tap adapter compatible.
pertly programmed port of Capcom’s own 1987
arcade game and is a nice upgrade over 1942.
Nightshade
Players pilot a P-38 fighter plane over Pacific
PUBLISHER: Ultra Games. DEVELOPER: Beam
waters, shooting bombers, aircraft carrier gun
Software. Third-Person Graphic Adventure, 1
sites, and other enemies. As in 1942, the plane player. 1992.
can loop out of harm’s way. Power-ups to grab
include super shells, three-way shots, energy
Modeled after such comic book heroes as
tanks, and more. Exclusive to the NES version
Dick Tracy, Batman, and The Spirit, Night-
is a password feature for saving progress and
shade is an encyclopedia researcher by day and
the ability for players to distribute points to
a hero by night. Outfitted in a trench coat, fe-
power-up their plane’s offensive power, defen-
dora, and shades, Nightshade must stop crime
sive power, energy level, special weapons, and
lord Sutekh and his evil minions. This requires
the time limit for those special weapons. Fol-
guiding a cursor around the screen, examin-
lowed by: 1944: The Loop Master (arcade),
ing clues, interrogating townsfolk, and finding
Strikers 1945 (arcade, PlayStation), and other and using gas masks, whistles, food, screw-sequels.
drivers, keys, bombs, crowbars, and other
strategically important items. There are obsta-
cles to jump over and some lackluster fighting,
Ninja Crusaders
P
but the appeal of this slowly paced game lies in
UBLISHER: American Sammy. DEVELOPER:
Sammy. Side-Scrolling Combat, 1 or 2 players
using your brain to solve mysteries and escape
(simultaneous). 1990.
death traps.
Ninja Crusaders looks and plays enough
1942
like Ninja Gaiden to call it a clone or a copycat, PUBLISHER: Capcom. DEVELOPER: Capcom.
not a mere homage. However, Ninja Crusaders
Vertical Scrolling Shooter, 1 or 2 players (al-