Incredible game after incredible game, created by Shigeru Miyamoto and other brilliant game designers,was released for the NES in the early days. The market was still in itsinfancy and there was a lot of room to innovate. The Legend of Zeldawas one of those innovative games. Not only was it the first game to featurescreen scrolling in four different directions, but it was also the firstNES game to feature a save system. While the save system wasn't perfectthere is no way you could complete Zelda without the ability to save unless you had a lot of time on your hands or you used the trick I used sometimes and left the NES on while you were away. The Legendof Zelda didn't only bring about technical innovations, it also provided us with a seemingly never-ending quest that would keep us playing until our eyes were bleary. Then what happens? We are given a second quest, asomewhat new quest with brand new dungeons in new locations that was much harder than the original quest. The Legend of Zelda marked the birth of a series that is highly regarded in the gaming community as one of, if not the best series of games in existence. No review can really do the game justice but I'll give it a try.
Graphics
For it's time, Zelda had decent graphics. While it wasn't anything mind blowing like Donkey Kong Country was for the SNES, it looked up-to-par with the other early NES games. A limited number of colors were used to provide the mood of the different areas of the game. The early parts that Link could explore were bright and the green really made the place seem nice. Whereas the dungeons were dark and gloomy, and did a good job setting the tone along with the music. There were only a few occurrence of slowdown in the game, mainly in the dungeons, when there were a lot of enemies on screen but it didn't take much away from this great game.
7.5
Sound
Who doesn't remember the Zelda over world theme? Many gamers were shocked when the theme didn't reappear in Ocarina of Time. The sound, along with the graphics, provided the mood for this epic quest and the tunes, while some people may be annoyed by them, were good for the limited resources that the NES had to devote to sound. Not much you can do in the way of sound with an the 8-bit NES.
Zelda is the type of game that you yearn to play every once in a while. While it isn't the same type of epic quest as Ocarina of Time or Final Fantasy, it does provide hours of pure 8-bit entertainment. It's not the type of game you will pick up and put down in a hour. When you are bored and don't have any new games to play, pick up the Legend of Zelda and go on a quest to save Princess Zelda and the Land of Hyrule from the evil clutches of the monster Ganon.
8.5
Purchase Price
Even the gold cartridge of Zelda, which isn't as rare as some might like you to think, won't cost you too much. You shouldn't pay more than $10 for this game.
You are Captain Olimar, and while on vacation your ship crashes on a mysterious planet. The atmosphere contains oxygen, which is poisonous to Olimar. You have 30 days of oxygen in your suit and you must recover 30 missing pieces of your spaceship to go home. Upon landing you find a strange object you name the Onion, as you near it, it stands up on little legs and pop out seeds. Within seconds of embedding in the ground, it sprouts. You pull it out to find it’s not a plant, but a living creature, you name it a Pikmin. You soon find that the Pikmin can carry capsules to the Onion to make more Pikmin. Soon there are enough Pikmin to attack the other creatures on this planet. The defeated creatures can also be made into more Pikmin.
You can have as many as 100 Pikmin follow you at one time, and they can carry spaceship parts you find back to the ship.
Pikmin is a fun game that can get you addicted, and its flaws are that the days can go by kind of quickly, and it takes a bit of practice controlling Olimar and the Pikmin. Nevertheless, I rate Pikmin an 8.5 and recommend it to anyone with a Cube.
Posted by: Weltall - 12th February 2003, 5:23 AM - Forum: Tendo City
- No Replies
If you look on the main forum page in the 'Quick Links' list, you'll now notice our reviews are back. Obviously, the rest of the site will come back piece by piece, but this was always the most important part.
Now, however, our reviews section is much better than before. Instead of static HTML as it was before, the entire review section is based on modified forum code, so now anyone can post a review whenever they want. You'll of course notice that the setup is different than the regular forums, but posting reviews is as simple as making a regular post. Of course, I should remind everyone that this section is for reviews only, and anything in there that isn't a review will be deleted.
EdenMaster is the Reviews Editor, and he'll essentially moderate the section. Contact him or myself if you have any questions regarding the review section.
Now no one has an excuse not to post reviews, so hopefully we'll all start contributing a lot more now that the process has been so simplified! :D
The Nintendo 64 sold roughly 30 million units in its lifespan. It would not be a bad guess to estimate that a good quarter of those were sold along with, or for this game. It is that damn good. This version of Zelda rode a bumpy road to its November 1998 release. Delay after delay plagued any news of it. But the ends, in this case, justified the means. Ocarina of Time, in this reviewer's opinion, is bar none the greatest title ever released for the console, and one of the best games ever. Rarely does a game present such a complete and satisfying package of gameplay, graphics, atmosphere. Even the N64's oft-maligned sound capabilites were used to the greatest extent
In this installment, chronologically the first in the series, the young Kokiri boy Link is summoned by the Great Deku Tree, via the fairy Navi, for an appointment with Princess Zelda, the evil Ganondorf, and ultimately destiny.
Graphics
Ocarina of Time showcased was is arguably the best real-time graphics of the entire hardware generation. Vast areas like Hyrule Field and Lake Hylia are rendered beautifully without the slightest hitch, and the game keeps a steady 30 FPS from start to finish. Character designs are iffy, except for the important ones. Textures can be a little blurry at times, but there isn't a hint of clipping to be seen, which is no mean feat. Artistically, the game is a wonder to behold. Town and dungeon designs alike fit the their respective themes. And there's nothing like watching your first sunset. There is little to complain about in this deparment whatsoever.
Sound and Music
Koji Kondo performed miracles with limited tools. His musical selections are superb, some of his best works. Even though the game lacks the classic Zelda theme, the new stuff is memorable, and you will be humming it, guaranteed. And though the classic theme is absent, there are certainly a few you will recognize, Kakariko for instance. Sound effects are good for the most part. I say for the most part because there is no option to rip out the vocal cords of your fairy partner Navi, who pops up CONSTANTLY with generally useless information. It's all good everywhere else.
Gameplay
Oh sweet mother, does this game have play! All your favorite classic Zelda weapons, plus a few new ones, brilliantly translated into the 3D arena. The move to 3D made some old weapons more fun to use. The Fairy Bow comes to mind. And the good old Hookshot is far more important than ever. Another wonderful, innovative addition is the Z-Targeting system. When Navi hovers over an enemy or object, pressing the Z trigger will make Link lock on to it. This is an invaluable combat tool, especially when speed is key. While locked on to an enemy you can do the dance of death like never before: sidestep, hop forward, leap backward, shield, thrust, jump-slash for double damage, and perhaps best of all, it gives projectile weapons (Bow, Slingshot, boomerang, etc) a much better chance of hitting it%27s target without fine-precision manual aiming. For a challange, try playing the game without using Z-Targeting. It's a LOT harder!
Posted by: Weltall - 12th February 2003, 4:52 AM - Forum: NES Reviews
- No Replies
Final Fantasy Review
By Ryan Usher
The one that started a revolution. Everyone knows the name Final Fantasy. Whether they like the series or hate it, it's a name among gamers as well-known as the likes of Mario and Zelda. While today the series is well-known for its epic storylines, great music and mind-blowing graphics, few people remember the series' humble beginnings in 1987, the first smash hit by the then-small and unknown developing house called Square, which had only done games like Rad Racer and a few even less-remembered. The "final" in Final Fantasy is there because Hironobu Sakaguchi, who is today a game guru among the ranks of Yu Suzuki and Shigeru Miyamoto, was disenchanted with previous games he made and was ready to leave the business. This RPG was to be his last ditch effort, his "final fantasy".
Your team of four children compose the Light Warriors. The Four Orbs of the Earth no longer shine, and because of that, the Four Fiends of the Earth are slowly killing the world, cancerous tumors on the planet. It's up to you to destroy these baddies and breathe life into the world once more, and to break a 2000 year cycle of destruction wrought by the evil Chaos.
Graphics
Nothing special, even by the standards of the day, but as far as NES graphics go, it wasn't all that bad. The monsters are nicely detailed, but most everything else is rather plain.
6.0
Sound
The sound for this game is quite good for NES, and you'll be humming some songs in your head. Sound effects are blah, but again, it's NES and I'm unfairly weighing against later efforts.
4.5
Gameplay
A caveat to hardcore FF Fans who never played this game before: THIS GAME PLAYS MUCH DIFFERENTLY FROM OTHER FF GAMES. After replaying it years later, I was completely stupified. Each enemy must be individually targeted, otherwise, the attack is for naught! Only certain character types can use magic, magic must be bought, and instead of MP, each spell level has a certain number of times it can be used, adding much challenge to those who like magic-users. The battles are mind-numbingly slow-paced as well. Playing through this game takes a saint's patience, indeed.
5.5
Modern Appeal
Certainly diverging from other FF games. If you want to see where it all began, go for it, but if you don't already like FF or RPGs in general, this game won't change you.
Purchase Price
I don't honestly know. I've seen it at FuncoLand for about $25-30, which isn't really too bad as long as the battery still works.
Posted by: Weltall - 12th February 2003, 4:47 AM - Forum: NES Reviews
- No Replies
Maniac Mansion Review
By Ryan Usher
A well known ancient PC game got its port to the NES ten years ago. Maniac Mansion, developed by LucasArts using the SCUMM Engine, is one of those old point and click games that were so popular in the early 90s. The game has a certain charm to it, and there are a number of different ways to play through the game, utilizing different characters and their unique talents.
The Characters
DAVE is Sandy's boyfriend, and the only character you're forced to bring. He has no special talents. His favorite song is The Boys are Still Back by Fat Patty.
RAZOR is a punk rocker and leader of the band Razor and the Scummettes. Her talent is Music, and that talent may come in handy later on for a particular aspiring musician you will meet inside. Her favorite song is No No Never Never Well Maybe Sure Ok by The Void.
BERNARD is the archetypal geek, glasses and pocket protector at the ready. He is actually one of the most useful characters, he is handy with tools and knows how to fix anything. He likes Comp-U-Nerd by The Rocket Scientists.
WENDY is prim and proper, and is an aspiring novelist. She is the only character who knows how to type. She jams with The Sonatina in G Opus.
SYD is also an aspiring musician. Decked in black and yellow, with shades, he looks to be a spy type. His skills are the same as Razor's, and it doesn't really matter which you pick. Syd enjoys Psychedelic Brie by Metalflake.
JEFF is a surfer dOOd. He is handy with tools, and can fix telephones. Bernard does that and more, so Jeff really isn't that useful. His theme is Surf Face by Goofy Feet.
MICHAEL is a photography student and can develop any rolls of film you may happen to find. He listens to Flashbulb Funk by Princess.
Graphics
For the NES this is about as detailed as they get. In my opinion Maniac Mansion has the best graphics of any NES game. There are tons of color variations and each room seems to have a different style. The little details are everywhere. Excellent job.
10.0
Sound
Most of the character themes are pretty good, but they can get a bit repetitive after awhile. You do have the option of turning their CD Players off but then you have nothing but silence to listen to.
8.5
Gameplay
Standard point and click fare. This game is more brainpower than it is reflex only in a few select situations is fast fingerplay required. The game does play slightly differently depending on the characters you choose and you can win with any combination. There are also multiple endings depending on how you do certain things. It's good for 4 or 5 plays to see everything.
Final Fantasy III is bar-none my favorite SNES game of all time. From the time I first discovered it, to the day I held it in my hot little hands three agonizing months later, to today, four years to the day I discovered the game (April 11, 1997), it will always remain so. In 1999 it was re-released on the PlayStation in Square's Final Fantasy Anthology collection, but the original deal is far superior. With a perfect blend of herbs, spices, kickass storyline, beautiful graphics, awesome music and epic length, this game will always be ranked among the best RPGs of all time.
The game begins with Terra,enslaved by the evil Empire of Vector, who, with two other Imperial Soldiers, is seeking a magical creature known as the Esper, which was found in the mines of the coal town of Narshe. As the story unfolds, Terra and her friends must combat the tyranny of Emperor Gestahl and his insane lieutenant Kefka, while discovering their inner demons and destroying them before they destroy the heroes.
Graphics
For its day, FFIII had some stunningly beautiful graphics. To get the one drawback out of the way, character graphics are short and stubby when compared to the likes of Chrono Trigger's, however, a fair amount of character animation really brings the heroes and villians alike to life. That said, the environments are simply stunning as often as not, the best standouts being the Opera House, Narshe and the Phantom Forest. Monster graphics are large, colorful and wonderfully detailed, though static. Magic effects range from piddly (Ice, a two-second cold sweep) to magnificent (Ultima, a blue expanding blast of nuclear proportions).
10.0
Sound
Even against today's games, FFIII holds its own, and compared to other SNES games, this game was simply awesome in the sound department. Opening with a foreboding, overshadowing strings and bells and trumpets sets the mood for this wonderful adventure. The battle themes are not so great and can get to you, but that is one problem stacked against a hundred shining examples. The overworld themes are both excellent, conveying a perfect sense of the grand scale of the adventure awaiting you. The biggest, best, most notable piece is the famed Opera House theme, the Aria de Mezzo Caraterre, which would definitely rank as one of, if not the single best musical experience you would ever find on the console, complete with synthesized voice! The SFX are somewhat tinny, but it is not all that noticeable.
9.5
Gameplay
As far as RPGs normally go, this is your standard fare, with some notable exceptions. Twice early in the game, you are given a strategy, almost FFT-like battle scenario in which your party members are divided into groups that either position themselves for defense or try to move past the ever-advancing enemy units to attack the leader. There are not a few timed events which put a nice sense of urgency to certain matters as well. Battles are usually pretty fast-paced, especially when compared to the PlayStation versions.
8.5
Modern Appeal
I still play this game regularly to this day. 'Nuff said.
Purchase Price
Good luck, my friend. I had a bitch of a time finding this game four years ago. Even on the off-chance FuncoLand did have it, you're gonna pay in upwards of $60-$70 for it. You could also get the Final Fantasy Anthology on PSX, as it is easier to come across, but the SNES cart is a much better version. Your only real hope is to hit eBay and hope you don't get shafted.
Final Fantasy II, known as IV in Japan, was the first really great game in the long-running series in my opinion. This ten-year old game sported, for its time, good graphics, excellent music and solid gameplay that was improved upon a hundred-fold for the next installment. Because it's unfair to compare this game to its predecessor, I'll leave FFIII out of this. You are Cecil, the captain of the Red Wings Airship Squadron of the kingdom of Baron, the most powerful nation in the world. Feeling that missions of petty theft and murder that his king commands him to complete are too much, Cecil rebels against his king and slowly discovers just how vast this evil is, and the consequences of it completing it's goal of acquiring the four Crystals of Earth.
Graphics
The graphics of FFII could rightly be called NES graphics with 16-bit enhancements. Graphically, not much really stood out and took advantage of the SNES's extra power, leading one to believe this game may have started development on the NES. The environments are large and colorful, but character graphics are very small and squarish. Monsters are large and have a fair amount of detail. Magic animations, for its time, were pretty nice, though some of the more complex ones create noticeable slowdown.
6.0
Sound
The sound for this game is quite good, and when compared to the graphics, it's much more apparent that the sound was developed with the SNES's far-superior sound capabilities in mind. While nothing really stands out, altogether it's a nice ensemble.
8.5
Gameplay
Not quite so varied as RPGs are nowadays, but it's still soild RPG fare. There are many places to explore, and there are three world maps! Certainly a very epic game, and definitely worth playing.
8.5
Modern Appeal
If you like traditional RPGs, there's not much to dislike about FF2. It's a regular RPG. No more, no less.
Purchase Price
I had an easier time finding this game than I did finding FFIII, but this was four years ago as well, and you would likely have to resort to eBay and pay $60-plus for it. Unlike FFIII, this game was and is an SNES-exclusive, for it was not re-released in the FF Anthology CD in 1999. If you can't stomach playing it on an emulator, good luck finding it.
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