Classic Home Video Games (1985-1988)

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Classic Home Video Games (1985-1988) Page 52

by Brett Weiss

player), and the fact that the computer players

  other weaponry); riding a horse and a magic

  frequently hold on to the ball after trying to

  carpet; searching dungeons for treasure; boost-

  dunk. Includes player substitutions, fouls, back

  ing karma, compassion, and other virtues (by

  court violations, and a Tournament mode (in

  doing good deeds); and much more. Includes

  which players have to beat two of the game’s

  battery backup. Followed by numerous sequels

  seven fictional teams). The elevated view is from

  202

  CLASSIC HOME VIDEO GAMES, 1985–1988

  the side, and the screen scrolls horizontally to

  disgrace to the popular comic book series. Play-

  show the entire court.

  ers guide a small, pitifully rendered version of

  Wolverine, Cyclops, Storm, Colossus, Night-

  Ultimate League Soccer

  crawler, or Iceman up the screen, using his or

  PUBLISHER: American Video Entertainment.

  her special powers (along with bombs) to bat-

  DEVELOPER: C&E. Sports/Soccer, 1 or 2 players

  tle Juggernaut, The White Queen, Boomerang,

  (simultaneous). 1991.

  Sabretooth, and Magneto, along with scores of

  Ultimate League Soccer lets players select

  lesser villains. The computer or a second player

  from eight different international teams, each

  guides a tagalong X-Man, and solo gamers can

  of which is ranked according to offense, de-

  toggle control of the two characters selected.

  fense, speed, skill, accuracy, and experience.

  Five missions, each of which contains two keys

  The game, which scrolls in all directions to

  to find, are included: Practice (which takes

  show the entire field, offers an overhead view

  place in the Danger Room); Future City Street

  and two modes of play: Ultimate League (a sin-

  Fight; Search and Destroy the Robofactory;

  gle game) and World Cup. Players can select

  Subterranean Confrontation; and Battle

  from four different uniform colors (white,

  through a Living Starship.

  green, gray, and red) and three different game

  lengths and player formations. Penalty kick

  Uncharted Waters

  contests determine the winner of games that

  PUBLISHER: Koei. DEVELOPER: Koei. Role-Play-

  end in a tie. Unlicensed.

  ing Game/Adventure, 1 player. 1991.

  Ultimate Stuntman

  Set in 1502, which is a decade after the leg-

  P

  endary voyage of Christopher Columbus, Un-

  UBLISHER: Camerica. DEVELOPER: Codemas-

  ters. Multi-Genre Game, 1 player. 1991.

  charted Waters puts players in the role of a Por-tuguese captain, bartering for precious treasures

  Ultimate Stuntman is a fun, good looking

  as a merchant or plundering and pillaging as a

  game that oozes with variety. In pursuit of Dr.

  ruthless pirate. Players must: walk through the

  Evil, players race (overhead view/vertical scroll-

  streets of Lisbon; recruit sailors; sail the open

  ing) through streets, over lakes, and across

  seas; discover hidden ports (along the coast-

  beaches, shooting enemies and dodging mis-

  line) and new trade routes; rescue people in

  siles, rockfalls, bombs, and other obstacles.

  distress; fight Spanish and Turkish fleets (in

  Then players take to the side-scrolling streets,

  turn-based battles); gain allies for Portugal;

  collecting keys, jumping on platforms, and

  purchase and repair ships; stock ships with sup-

  shooting robots. Crazy Climber-like action is plies; play cards; visit inns for food and gossip;

  next as players, as a human fly, scale a building,

  deal with typhoons and strong currents; and

  with the added thrill of guiding a crosshair

  much more. Much of the action is viewed from

  around the screen, shooting giant spiders. More

  overhead. Success increases the player’s sailing

  shooting ensues, plus some puzzle elements in-

  experience, sailing level, leadership, strength,

  volving the diffusing of a bomb. Finally, play-

  wisdom, courage, and intelligence. Includes

  ers pilot a microlight plane, avoiding crashing

  battery backup. Also released for the SNES and

  into rocks and cliffs while shooting enemies.

  Genesis. Followed by: New Horizons (SNES,

  The Uncanny X-Men

  Genesis).

  PUBLISHER: LJN. DEVELOPER: Enteractive Video

  Games. Overhead View Action, 1 or 2 players

  Uninvited

  (simultaneous). 1989.

  PUBLISHER: Seika. DEVELOPER: ICOM Simula-

  tions. First-Person Graphic Adventure, 1

  Called “Marvel’s X-Men” on the title

  player. 1991.

  screen, The Uncanny X-Men marked the first

  appearance of the mutant super-group on a

  This adventure game finds the lead char-

  video game console. Unfortunately, thanks to

  acter exploring a haunted house, searching for

  lousy gameplay and hideous graphics, it is a

  his sister who disappeared after a car crash.

  NINTENDO NES

  203

  This involves pointing and clicking on a vari-

  zens drop flower pots out of windows, adding

  ety of commands (exam, open, use, hit, speak,

  to the challenge. If the cops show up, players

  and the like) to interact with characters, solve

  should stop fighting until the heat is off. Back-

  puzzles (some of which are unreasonably

  ground graphics largely consist of generic look-

  tough), search for clues, manipulate objects

  ing buildings. Nintendo released the game in

  (including weapons), maneuver through the

  the arcades the previous year as Vs. Urban

  house, and more. Fans of Shadowgate and Déjà Champion.

  Vu should enjoy Uninvited, which was originally a Macintosh computer game (1986). In-

  Vegas Dream

  cludes battery backup.

  PUBLISHER: HAL America. DEVELOPER: HAL

  Laboratory. Gambling, 1–4 players (simulta-

  The Untouchables

  neous). 1990.

  PUBLISHER: Ocean. DEVELOPER: Special FX

  Vegas Dream is comprised of four differ-

  Software. Third-Person Shooter/Platform

  ent casino games: Blackjack (which includes

  Shooter/First-Person Shooter, 1 player. 1991.

  the ability to buy insurance, double down, and

  Based on Brian De Palma’s 1987 feature

  split pairs); Roulette; Slot Machines (Jackpot

  film (which in turn was based on the 1959 TV

  Bar and Pot’o Gold); and Keno. Unfortunately,

  series), The Untouchables takes place in prohi-poker is not included. One Spot mode offers

  bition era Chicago, with players controlling

  standard gambling action while the more ad-

  Eliot Ness and his elite squad of crime busters:

  venturous Vegas Dream mode incorporates

  Malone, Stone, and Wallace. There are seven

  people who will approach you looking for side

  levels of play, the first of which (Streets) finds

 
bets, romance, handouts, and more. Players

  Ness, viewed from behind, popping out from

  begin with $700 and can loan money to one

  behind a wall, taking shots at gangsters appear-

  another in this fun, nicely programmed gam-

  ing in alleyway windows. Unfortunately, the

  bling simulator. Includes password feature.

  gun site is slow, and Ness must reload after

  every two shots, causing sheer frustration. Sub-

  Venice Beach Volleyball

  sequent levels of play include: Warehouse

  PUBLISHER: American Video Entertainment.

  (jump on crates, shoot bad guys, grab evi-

  DEVELOPER: Idea-Tek. Sports/Volleyball, 1 or 2

  dence); Bridge (lie on ground for cover, use

  players (simultaneous). 1991.

  rapid fire to kill gangsters); Alley (similar to

  Venice Beach Volleyball lets players select

  Streets); Train Station (guide baby carriage

  from four different two-player teams, each of

  down stairs while avoiding enemy fire and ob-

  which is rated according to speed, smash (spik-

  stacles); Hostage (take out Al Capone’s hench-

  ing ability), and receiving (how well the team

  man using only one shot); and Rooftops (sim-

  plays an opponent’s serve or hit). Players can

  ilar to Streets). The SNES version is somewhat

  compete or team up against the computer, and

  similar, but has better graphics (of course) and

  there are two types of serves (flat and jump),

  some overhead view action.

  two scoring systems (normal and rally point),

  and three difficulty levels. The elevated view is

  Urban Champion

  from the side, and the action scrolls horizontally

  PUBLISHER: Nintendo. DEVELOPER: Nintendo.

  to show the entire court. Although unlicensed

  Fighting, 1 or 2 players (simultaneous). 1986.

  and somewhat limited (there’s only one court

  Although sluggish and limited by today’s

  and no tournament mode), VBV plays a decent

  standards, Urban Champion was a fun game

  game of beach volleyball.

  upon release. Players control a blue- or green-

  haired street brawler, each of whom has but

  Vice: Project Doom

  two surprisingly strategic fighting moves: a

  PUBLISHER: American Sammy. DEVELOPER:

  fast, soft punch and a slow, hard punch. The

  Aicom. Side-Scrolling Platform/Demolition/

  objective is to back the opposing fighter into a

  Combat Racing/First-Person Shooter, 1 player.

  manhole or reduce his stamina to zero. Citi-

  1991.

  204

  CLASSIC HOME VIDEO GAMES, 1985–1988

  Boasting cinematic visuals and robust,

  Mega-Brain) guard doorways between each

  challenging, fast-paced gameplay, Vice: Project

  space station, and it is necessary to pick up keys

  Doom begins with players driving up the screen to progress from level to level. Destroying space

  (ala Spy Hunter), shooting at enemy vehicles.

  station control centers plays a factor as well. In

  The action then switches to a side-scrolling per-

  two-player mode, shooting the other player’s

  spective (ala Ninja Gaiden), with gamers jump-tank transfers fuel from the shooter tank to the

  ing on platforms and over gaps, using a nifty

  tank that has been shot. This is a nice port of

  laser whip, grenades, and a .44 magnum to fend

  Atari’s 1988 arcade game, which did benefit

  off flying creatures, thugs on pogo sticks, and

  from dual joystick control, detailed onscreen

  other enemies. There’s also first-person shooter

  instructions, and a much cooler title screen.

  action (ala Operation Wolf), in which gamers

  Followed by: Vindicators Part II (arcade), which guide a cursor around the screen, blowing away

  was simply a stripped down version of the orig-

  bad guys, destroying backgrounds, and gain-

  inal Vindicators.

  ing power-ups. The storyline, which is told

  through cut scenes, revolves around the man-

  Volleyball

  ufacturing of an alien-produced gel that is ad-

  PUBLISHER: Nintendo. DEVELOPER: Nintendo.

  dicting and lethal to humans.

  Sports/Volleyball, 1 or 2 players (simultane-

  ous). 1987.

  Videomation

  P

  This six-on-six Volleyball game for the

  UBLISHER: THQ. DEVELOPER: Western Tech-

  nologies. Art, 1 player. 1991.

  NES lets players compete as the men’s or

  women’s U.S. team against seven different

  Videomation lets aspiring artists use a va-

  countries: Russia, China, Cuba, Japan, Brazil,

  riety of virtual tools (pencil, line, arrow, square,

  Korea, and Tunisia. The Training mode is for

  circle, paint bucket) to draw and paint designs

  practice while the Game mode presents a

  and pictures on the screen. The tools can be ad-

  tougher challenge. Players can feint, block, vary

  justed to move slowly or quickly and thin or

  the strength and direction of serves, set the ball

  wide, and players can erase, select from a vari-

  high or low, and spike the ball hard or across.

  ety of colors, and add stamps and animations.

  Unfortunately, poor controls and bad collision

  Art cannot be saved, but, as with any video

  detection make the game virtually unplayable.

  game played on a TV, the images can be recorded

  The elevated view is from the side, and the

  on video cassette.

  screen scrolls horizontally to show the entire

  court.

  Vindicators

  PUBLISHER: Tengen. DEVELOPER: Tengen. Verti-

  Wacky Races

  cal Scrolling Tank Shooter, 1 or 2 players (si-

  PUBLISHER: Atlus. DEVELOPER: Atlus. Side-

  multaneous). 1988.

  Scrolling Platform, 1 player. 1992.

  Set in the year 2525, Vindicators has play-

  Despite being based on a racing cartoon,

  ers driving a battle tank (which can rotate and

  Wacky Races for the NES is not a racing game.

  fire in all directions) through 14 labyrinthine

  Rather, it’s a standard (if fairly enjoyable) plat-

  space stations (viewed from overhead), shoot-

  former in which players guide Muttley through

  ing tanks, turrets, mines, and flying saucers

  such areas as a desert, a castle, a forest, an is-

  while gathering up fuel and battle stars, the lat-

  land, downtown, an ice village, a mountain,

  ter of which are used to upgrade/customize the

  and a western town. Muttley runs, jumps (over

  tank’s speed, fuel, shot range, shot power, shot

  cacti, spikes, houses, and other obstacles),

  speed, and force shields. Battle stars are also

  crouches, and bites (fish, cats, snowmen, snakes,

  good for purchasing smart shots (which track

  and other enemies), and he can gather bones

  most any type of enemy) and bomb cannons.

  to earn bombs, wings (for better jumping con-

  Enemy bosses (including Sentry Robot and

  trol), sonic barks, and health. Th
e graphics are

  NINTENDO NES

  205

  flat (if nicely drawn), but the game does in-

  The last licensed NES game released in

  clude other racers from the TV show as bosses.

  North America, Wario’s Woods is a clever and Muttley’s ultimate goal is to rescue the nefari-engaging take on the “falling block” subgenre

  ous Dick Dastardly. Actual racing games based

  invented by Tetris. As bombs (provided by

  on Hanna-Barbera’s cartoon franchise include:

  Sprite) and monsters (unleashed by Black Bat)

  Wacky Races (Dreamcast, Game Boy Color)

  descend from the sky, Toad, in a rare starring

  and Wacky Races: Crash & Dash (Nintendo DS, role, must scurry about, arranging them in

  Wii).

  groupings of three or more (horizontally, ver-

  tically, or diagonally) in order to make them

  Wall Street Kid

  vanish. Toad can climb, kick objects, move

  PUBLISHER: Sofel. DEVELOPER: Sofel. Business

  stacks, and more. For the bombs and monsters

  Simulator, 1 player. 1990.

  to disappear, they must be of the same color,

  and at least one bomb must be in the line.

  This cartoonish point-and-click stock

  Pulling off chain reactions, eliminating dia-

  market simulator has players buying, selling,

  monds, and making rows of monsters disap-

  and trading stocks (blue chip, speculative,

  pear cause special things to happen, such as

  cyclical, and growth) from such semi-familiar

  raising the ceiling (the fiendish boss Wario is

  companies as YBM, Yapple, and American De-

  on hand to lower the ceiling) or turning the op-

  press. Armed with $500,000, players must in-

  ponent’s bombs into diamonds (in two-player

  vest wisely to make their assets grow. To help

  split screen mode). The SNES version of

  facilitate the process, players can consult

  Wario’s Woods has better graphics, battery

  the “Wall Street Times” and get advice from

  backup, a VS Com mode, and diamonds that

  Connie the Arrogant Advisor and Ruth the

  can be lifted, dropped, and kicked.

  Ruthless Banker. Other aspects of Wall Street

  Kid include keeping physically fit (by swim-

  Wayne Gretzky Hockey

  ming, going to the gym, and hiking) and pam-

  PUBLISHER: THQ. DEVELOPER: Bethesda Soft-

  pering your girlfriend with gifts. Includes pass-

  works. Sports/Hockey, 1 or 2 players (simulta-

  word feature.

  neous). 1991.

  Wally Bear and the NO! Gang

  Viewed from overhead, Wayne Gretzky

  P

  Hockey is one of the lesser sports games for the UBLISHER: American Game Cartridges. DENES. Players can shoot, pass, demand passes

 

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