Chuck Rock II: Son of Chuck - SEGA Master System

     Son of Chuck has vastly improved from its first game on the Master System. There is stage music, the gameplay mechanics are understandable, and the level designs are coherent. And unfortunately, that’s where the compliments end. Chuck Rock II: Son of Chuck is very, VERY Bland. It is as basic as it comes for mascot platformers. Chuck Jr. is not even that appealing to be honest. Sure, he’s a baby on a quest to rescue his dad, but his sprite is kinda ugly. I guess they were going for the whole gross is cool thing they had in the American 90’s. Who really knows? Still, even if he was more appealing, the gameplay is still boring. Not even the boss fights are exciting to beat. You just stand there waiting for the dinosaurs to attack and then you counterattack. It’s very tedious and they have a lot of hit points. Yawnnnnn…. 

 

     This game is a Big Meh. Better than the first, but not really fun or challenging to play. You can try it, if you’re curious. It’s only six levels, but they’re six levels of boring. I wouldn’t blame anyone for skipping this one. 

Anticipation - Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)

     Anticipation is an original virtual board game developed by RARE for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Yes, an exclusive board game for the NES. I Googled it to make sure. This is a solely made to be played on the Nintendo Entertainment System. And what do you know? It’s not a bad game at all. It’s developed by RARE, so it was in good hands. Pretty simple and that is the key to its charm. You pick a token, roll the game’s dice, collect squares by winning the guessing game of that square. The player that collects all the colored squares advances to the next level board. It’s a race to get to the top. And each player has a chance to steal squares, if you’ve not guessed correctly. It’s really well balanced out, so no worries about falling behind the lead. The game can turn around on one miss of a player. 

     Just know, that you only need to press a button once to stop the drawing to guess. You don’t control the drawing, you are only signaling you know the answer to guess as fast as you can. You can lose your chance at guessing, by not pressing the button in time before the drawing is complete. It’s best to guess as soon as possible, because the timer to guess is always ticking from the start. 

     I had a lot of fun playing this. I did struggle a bit, because English is my second language, but I managed to still beat the computer opponent on the Easy mode. I absolutely recommend this game. Get your friends and family together, and have a great time. Even challenge it alone with the highest difficulty, with max three computer opponents. It’s fun and easy to get into.  Another win from the original development team of RARE. 

Chuck Rock - SEGA Master System

     I'm not gonna lie. This game is weird, very bland and bad. The only good things I can say about it is the controls are tight and the title music is nice. Too many flaws make this game unenjoyable. The character itself, Chuck Rock, is just not appealing at all. His belly attack is gross, but at least the enemy hit boxes are not broken. There are many mechanics and controls not obvious to understand. Why are arrows pointing at an alligator that does nothing? Why can't I reach items from high platforms? I guess you need the instructions for this game for those answers. There is no game music. Only the title song. That's it. This game is really, really, underdeveloped. 

     Chuck Rock is a short-lived mascot character. I can see why. You can pass on this game. So many flaws and no appeal. it's a wonder why it even exists.   

American Gladiators - Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)

     American Gladiators for the Nintendo Entertainment System is a surprise that subverted my expectations. At first glance, it look like another American licensed franchised low quality game. There is a verity of stages for you to select from at start. Rest assure, these are not throw away mini-games. This is a freaking Gauntlet! Four intense stages that will make the average Marvel Rivals player cry and throw the whole game away. This game is not for the weak. Every stage is a trial of precision, endurance and skill. It took me a hour to master the climbing stage alone. Thankfully, the game throws you some mercy, by letting you have a stage with no losses. You have to dunk a ball into goals, that are super overly guarded by very aggressive muscle men. If you manage to dunk into every goal, you can get a 1up. I don't know too much about this tv show. I am currently 23 and Japanese born, after all. Every stage is a resemblance of one of the games these gladiators participated in this show. All I can say is, Wow. I manage to beat all but one stage in my stream. It took a lot of grit to nail it down. Like I said, this game is not for the weak.       

     To summarize American Gladiators for the NES: GIT GUD. I highly recommend this title, if you're into overcoming difficult challenges. See if you can beat all the stages and get the highest score. It is also 2-players, so bring a friend over to play.    

Choplifter - SEGA Master System

 

     This is Choplifter on the SEGA Master System. Your mission is to rescue hostages and prisoners of war from behind enemy lines. You have two attacks, straight missile and ground bomb. Dodge enemy fire to enter enemy basses. Drop down to pickup passengers and drop them off back at home base. 

     This game is DIFFICULT. 

     The controls take time to get use to, but it’s possible to handle. The biggest hurdle after getting the controls down is the enemies. They are way more accurate than you, and faster too. You can’t even skip over the ground enemies, because they will be there until you destroy them. I had so much trouble with dodging enemy fire, I could not even beat the first level. It is that hard. 

     The controls are very responsive. The music nice. The gameplay is fun. It is just very difficult. It’s the famous Choplifter. It’s cool seeing this game on the Master System. If you’re up to the challenge, I say play it. You just need to GIT GUD.

Amagon - Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)

     This is Amagon. A quirky shooter. You are an American Marine, that has crashed landed on a remote island full of monsters. Your rescue ship is way over on the other side of it. You have no choice, but to survive the perilous journey to be rescued. 

     Yeah, not exactly a cake walk. For starters, the enemies spawn in way too fast, so you need to walk carefully to make sure any are not charging right for you at any direction. You can’t just keep firing your gun, because you have a limited amount of ammunition. Once it’s out, you are left swinging your rifle like a club. The music has a fun theme to it. But like many NES games, the pitch is way too high, peaking your ears. The enemy placement is also very unfair. When you’re platforming obstacles, flying enemies will appear and swoop in or shoot projectiles. You have no time to react, so you are really going to have to memorize every enemy and every obstacle in every level to beat this game. 

     The boss battles are practically impossible, without the mega powered up form. They are bullet sponges, so it’s best to just reserve your mega form for the stage boss, if you can. You can change your form by reaching 70,000 points and collecting the power up icon. And with every 5000 points, you get a life bar for your mega form. You can only punch in your mega form, but it is more powerful than your rifle. You can even fire a special attack in your Mega form, by sacrificing one of your life bars. It is the most powerful attack you have in this game. 

     This game is rough, but it’s playable. Not a classic game gem, but it has its charm. If you’re looking for a challenging NES game, I say give Amagon a try. It’s not the worst game I’ve ever played. You just gotta “Git Gud” on this game’s difficulty. 

Cheese Cat-Astrophe Starring Speedy Gonzales - SEGA Master System

    This is a Sonic clone. Not necessarily a bad thing to replicate and spin a popular game into your own intellectual property. But, it all comes down in the execution. Speedy Gonzales is just too fast for his own game. There’s no way to avoid enemies when running full speed, especially when they directly b-line for you. Not only that, but there’s leap of faith jumps, cryptic gameplay, and bad hit detection on enemies. I only managed to make to the first boss fight, and it was so confusing to figure out how to attack. The goal is to search each stage to rescue one of Speedy’s friends, then find the exit. Not easy when the biggest obstacle is your clumsy speed and unfair enemy placement. It took a lot of memorization by trial and error to get to the first boss. I can’t imagine trying to beat the whole entire game like that. 

    If you’re going to clone a popular game, at least understand the fundamentals of what made that game successful. Game developing is more intricate than just putting a fast character and enemies in a level. This game failed hard and I really can’t recommend it. Too many flaws bringing it down to be a potentially fun game to play. It was probably a rushed development and cash grab by Warner Bros.

Alpha Mission - Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)

    Alpha Mission is an Arcade Port by SNK. It’s a space shoot’em up with your standard weapons upgrades, with the unique gimmick that you can transform your space fighter with the energy pickups. Controls feel tight and responsive. Music is not ear piercing high, so that’s always good. The difficulty is about what you expect from this genre. Nothing really offensive about this game. It’s everything done by the book of space shooters, with its own gimmick that to stand out. It’s just a “Git Gud” kind of game. Can’t complain much about it. It’s fine. 

     If you’re a fan of this genre, this is recommended. You will struggle, but that’s the fun of shoot’em ups. Give it a try and see if you can Master it. 

Taito Chase H.Q. - SEGA Master System

    Chase H.Q. is an arcade port for the SEGA Master System. It is honestly not an offensive port. It’s your standard driving game with car upgrades. Its controls are tight and responsive. The music is nice and charming. 

      I’m gonna be real here guys: This game is way too easy. It’s so easy, it’s kinda boring. If you run out of time, you can just press start before the timer runs out to continue the game with more time. I guess the idea was to replicate the true arcade experience, but it takes all challenges away from the game. 

It is also very short. Only five stages, then it loops. It is an arcade port, so it’s all about points after all. I was hoping there would be more, but no. Just loop again to increase your score. 

    This game is a big Meh. The controls are good and the music is nice, but not much more is going for it. Even if you want to just play for points, it’s kinda an empty victory with the continues. If you’re in the mood for something short and easy to spend time, this game is fine. Otherwise you’re not missing anything. 

All-Pro Basketball - Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)

   I am no stranger to Basketball. I use to play in my American Jr. High team when I lived in Los Angeles. So, I figured I would nail this game easily. Oh, was I wrong. Two Words: GIT GUD 

   At first, the controls and the gameplay were confusing. It’s a bit clunky and fast paced, there’s a lot of position strategy and chance-luck involved in taking court shots. There’s two full teams on the court, so keeping track of yourself can be tricky. Nothing trial and error can’t handle. I was able to get the hang of it. The Free Throws is a precision challenge all on its own though. They don’t happen too often, so it may take some time to practice to master it. 

     Ok, enough about the fundamentals. The graphics are Amazing for an 8-bit game. The Slam Dunks and Blocks are so well done! I can see a lot of passion went into the sprite animations. It’s an art to appreciate. The halftime cheerleaders are a cute inclusion too. There’s even a post game report, with fun animations and well drawn sprite designs. Serious meticulous talented work is seen in this game. It’s really inspiring, if you’re into sprite art. 

     If you like basketball and want to play a challenging title, play All-Pro Basketball. It’s a bit clunky and will take practice to master, the short repetitive high pitched music is a little annoying with the length of the game, but it’s definitely a fun experience overall. Just put some music on and have some snacks ready for the halftime show intermission. Great basketball game! 

Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse - SEGA Master System

    Minnie Mouse has been kidnapped! It’s up to Mickey Mouse to brave the Castle of Illusion to save her! And boy, GOOD LUCK! This game is BRUTAL. A Renown SEGA Mega Drive / Genesis Classic, ported to the Master System. I haven’t struggled this hard on a platformer since I co-op with Melody playing Donkey Kong Country 2. The controls are fine and tight, but there is a slight delay when you want to jump. Not game breaking, but something to be mindful about. The enemies are sometimes unfairly placed and relentless. They even respawn, so you gotta make sure you keep pushing forward. The music is a bit repetitive and can be a little annoying with its high key melodies. You get 3 lives and 10 continues, so you gotta Git Gud to beat this one.  

    I am not one to quit on a difficult challenge. The game can be beaten, but it will take practice and persistence. I do recommend this game, but only if you’re up for the challenge. If you’re curious for the Master System Version of this beloved Classic, I say give it a try. 

Alien 3 - Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)

     Alien 3 on Nintendo Entertainment System is a let down for me. The goal of the game is rescue all the captured prisoners that have been impregnated by the facehuggers, before the timer runs out and they are killed by the Xenomorphs bursting out of their guts. It sounds simple, but it really is an unfair game. The enemies are faster than you, and appear too rapidly for you to react in time to avoid or defeat them. The controls are stiff and Ripley has fast movement. Which is amazing that you can be both sluggish and slippery at the same time. Jumping has a slight delay, causing a lot of missed platforms. You need to be pixel perfect to go down a ladder. It’s so frustrating. The levels are large and full of dead ends. You lose precious time exploring them to complete each stage. Honestly, the only way this game is beatable is to memorize every enemy placement to kill them fast and know every location of the captured prisoners. What’s the fun in that!? 

    There is challenging and there is unfair difficulty. I did not enjoy my time with this game. It’s not the worst game ever, but I know there are better titles out there to play. Unless you want to tear your hair out and destroy furniture for this game’s grueling difficulty and broken controls, I say skip it. 

Captain Silver - SEGA Master System

 

    Talk about the most basic of basic. Captain Silver does not take any risks or tries to be different. Swing sword to attack. Collect points to gain 1Ups. Find keys to open hidden stores. Get power ups to raise your offense and defense. 

    The music is bland. Nothing special about it. The enemies are large, so it’s not difficult to hit them. Spam your attack to take out bosses fast. It’s not even a challenge when you’re fully powered. And from what I learned, the game is short. Depending on what version you have, there are only 3 to 6 levels. Since this is the U.S. Master System Version, there are only 4 levels. 

It’s so slow and boring. The biggest problem is not the gameplay, but how mediocre it is to play. It’s not a bad game, it’s just not very interesting. I say skip it if you’re looking for something more exciting to play. 

Alfred Chicken - Nintendo Entertainment System

     This is Alfred Chicken. A platformer for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It’s your standard platform game, with some variety. Alfred controls well with tight controls. He uses a dive attack to take out enemies with his beak. Lots of platform gimmicks in the level design and some obstacle puzzles. He even uses a little fun spaceship to fight bosses firing projectiles. 

     The music can be repetitive and a little annoying, because the songs are short and loops nonstop. The color palette is too washed out for my liking, but I can objectively see its charm for it.  The enemy placement is a little cruel, but nothing a little practice can’t handle. I did die a lot, but I managed to beat the first boss. GIT GUD is all it takes. 

    If you’re looking for a different platformer that isn’t Mario, I say try Alfred Chicken. It’s a little difficult, but that just means beating the game will be more triumphant. 

California Games - SEGA Master System

     California Games. Yup, It’s California and you are playing games. Well, trying to play games. A collection of Mini-games with the most unintuitive controls. Are you serious? Like really? REALLY!!? Why is moving right such a trial!? I am pushing every button on the controller. The SEGA Master System only has 2 and the directional pad!! Uhh!! To quote my favorite childhood YouTuber, “WHAT WERE THEY THINKING!?” -Angry Video Game Nerd 

     OK! Let’s get pass the bad controls. Let’s take a hour to figure it out. Well, MOSTLY figure it out. How are the games? They are Score Games. Your only goal is to get the highest score possible. You are competing against yourself, unless you have friends who are willing to play California Games with you. Yeah, good luck with that. 

     Final Verdict: This game is LAME! I hate it. I would title it “Rina HATES California Games”, but this is the first video of our new branding designs. Terrible controls. Boring mini-games. I do not recommend it. Go outside and play real games instead of this.

Al Unser Jr.'s Turbo Racing - Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)

     Al Unser Jr.’s Turbo Racing is an ambitious and difficult game. A professional racing simulator on NES is a welcoming idea, but the execution is what makes or breaks the game. Simulators are very niche, because it is usually the hardcore fans that like them. Objectively, this is a good game. The controls are tight and responsive. The graphics are excellent. Gameplay is a bit confusing, but you can learn the mechanics. You need to constantly shift gears to adjust your speed for turns and stay alert of your opponents on the track. Honestly, if you’re a retro racing fan, you’ll have a good time here. You’ll just need to practice the tracks, a lot. Going in without a feel of the tracks will likely send you crashing at every turn. So, Git Gud. 

     Overall, good game, just difficult and a little unintuitive. Probably be easier if you have the original instructions manual. I never figured out how to refuel my car during the race. You definitely need a tutorial before you start a race. Give it a shot if you’re a fan of racing simulators. It’s definitely interesting to see simulators on the Nintendo Entertainment System.

Buggy Run - SEGA Master System

    Buggy Run is an isometric racing arcade style game. It is difficult. This game makes you hit the ground running. You absolutely need to upgrade your engine and stock up on turbos to get a win. Your opponents are very quick and can take you out without warning with weapons. It took me lots of practice before I got my first win. Upgrading to max my speed was top priority, then the other upgrades followed. I can't stress enough that this game will not give you chances to catch up. It's get good to win. Use the prize money at every race to increase your speed and buy as many turbos you can. 

    Nothing wrong with a difficult racer. However, I would say all the upgrades are kinda superfluous, if all  you need to rely on is max speed and turbos to win a race. The game does offer a practice mode, so you can master all the tracks. It really feels like the game wants you to take it seriously, rather than treating it like a kiddy racer with colorful cars. Credit for not babying us.     

    It's not a bad game. It's just difficult. Maybe it takes itself too seriously at a fault. I say give it a shot if you're looking for a challenge. Just don't expect to win any races right away, unless you're an isometric racing game wizard. 

Airwolf - Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)

     Airwolf is based off an 80’s American television series. It is a fast-paced arcade style game, that takes practice to get use to playing. Once you do, it is a fun game to pass the time with. All in all, it is a score game. Each mission has the same objectives, but they get more difficult as you progress. Save the hostage, take out the enemy target, and escape. The enemies are frantic and infinite. Just keep firing and conserve your missiles for the bigger targets. When rescuing the hostages, take it slow. Don’t just drop like I instinctively did. You will crash. If you’re running out of fuel, head to the fuel station. More points can be gained by taking out the enemy control tower. If you don’t take it out, the enemies will be alerted and more will attack you rapidly. It’s a risk over reward points system. Very simple, but challenging. 

     If you need a quick game to pass a short time, Airwolf is good choice. Fast action and fun gameplay. May take practice, but once you get it, it’s a simple arcade style game. Get your best score and try to top it. 

Bubble Bobble - SEGA Master System

    It's Bubble Bobble! A Taito Arcade Classic! What's to say? It's Bubble Bobble, and it plays great! Controls are tight. Music is clean and faithful to the arcade original. There is sprite flickering, but not bothersome. It is difficult, as it is a port of an arcade game, but you get unlimited continues and passwords. This version is very faithful to the arcade original, and you get an additional 100 rounds! More Bubble Bobble to play! 

    Yes! Definitely play this version of Bubble Bobble, or even the Mega Drive version. They both have the extra rounds and are arcade faithful. It's even more fun with 2-players! 

Air Fortress - Nintendo Entertainment System NES

 

     Before Kirby, before Lolo, there was Hal Bailman. Your mission: Destroy the cyber alien space stations that threaten your home world. You are the last hope, because your fleet was already wiped out. Infiltrate and destroy each station’s power core, then escape before they explode. 

     Gameplay has two phases for each level. Flying into the fortress and traversing the inside to seek and destroy the power core. Collect as much power ups as you can in the flying segment, because they will increase your survival rate to accomplish your mission. You have unlimited continues, but a pro can beat the game within a hour. 

     Controls are tight and responsive. Enemies and level design is difficult, but very fair. Music is good and atmospheric. Graphics are simple, but very clean designed. A very solid title from Hal Laboratory. 

     I definitely recommend Air Fortress. It is a Certified Hal Laboratory classic. If you’re in the mood for a space shoot’em up and an exploration game, play Air Fortress.