TUM plays through NES games with videos

-I have decided to take a shot at my first real user project.

-Board 8ers will be nominating NES games they would like me to play.

-I will then record myself playing through each and every game and post the videos on youtube.

My youtube page - http://www.youtube.com/user/TheUtilityMan

My current Board 8 topic - http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/genmessage.php?board=8&topic=48905053

-

Rankings so far

 * 1) River City Ransom
 * 2) Super Mario Bros. 3
 * 3) Contra
 * 4) The Legend of Zelda
 * 5) Clash at Demonhead
 * 6) Gun.Smoke
 * 7) Crystalis
 * 8) Super Mario Bros.
 * 9) Marble Madness
 * 10) Burai Fighter
 * 11) Kid Icarus
 * 12) Captain Skyhawk
 * 13) Yo! Noid
 * 14) Friday the 13th
 * 15) Battletoads
 * 16) Spelunker
 * 17) Snake Rattle n Roll
 * 18) Silver Surfer
 * 19) Metal Mech
 * 20) Uninvited

Battletoads
Part 1 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJfxZf2AeiI&fmt=18

Part 2 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZF-H_dU450&fmt=18

Part 3 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9PeYbgDULc&fmt=18

Part 4 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJCn90yqfEg&fmt=18

Part 5 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L97QkRhs9bg&fmt=18

Part 6 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1BzS5QT6GU&fmt=18

Part 7 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkfAOJr8wFE&fmt=18

Part 8 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVcc9-x7k6U&fmt=18

Part 9 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=islsLEJHRuw&fmt=18

Yea....so despite remembering a lot of the game, I was never really a Battletoads fan. It isn't really the fact that it's hard, it's the fact that it's one of those trial and error games. It presents you with a challenge where you're just dead if you don't know what's coming.....that isn't difficulty that is just unfair. Now I know games aren't exactly meant to be fair, but Battletoads takes it too far. I'm ok with a little luck based stuff, but not when half the game is luck based if you don't know EXACTLY what's coming. Take Clash at Demonhead for example, you never know what's coming next on it unless you've played it, but....very rarely does it throw something at you where it's life or death and you only survive if you know exactly what's coming.

Burai Fighter
Part 1''' - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvnpZDDABrY&fmt=18

Part 2 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPd8GTAQVNI&fmt=18

Part 3 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrXpnuSBchM&fmt=18

Part 4 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ys5V7NcmFzU&fmt=18

Part 5 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jW4I_BrAQHM&fmt=18

Part 6 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgD_CZ4OzMg&fmt=18

Part 7 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHoYtJQveqo&fmt=18

I was tempted to put Burai Fighter higher on rankings.....but no, that last boss fight just had to ruin it. Ugh, my hand gets less tired playing fighting games for hours than it did rotating the d-pad over and over and over and over just hoping to hit the stupid dragon one time each rotation till he dies a million hits later.

Captain Skyhawk
Part 1 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDcPahxfSzE&fmt=18

Part 2 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSGRZGvKGjU&fmt=18

Part 3 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Dh2MA7YdVM&fmt=18

Part 4 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFp7et7F8I0&fmt=18

Part 5 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDdffN-VkUo&fmt=18

Part 6 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEYBiB9pTpo&fmt=18

WALL OF TEXT WARNING (I have a lot to say about this game =p)

Right off the bat let me just say the enemy fire in this game goes COMPLETELY against your natural human instincts....and I'll explain in a bit, I have to get 2 things off my chest first about this game.

1. What is the point of moving up and down in the main overhead stages? You start off low to the ground and if you stay low you crash into every single hill, so why WOULDN'T you want to move higher off the ground? There is no advantage I see to flying low to the ground, none...maybe I'm missing something but I really don't get it. If flying low is useless, which I find it to be, why do they even make you move up to begin with? Sometimes I forget to move up and end up dying very easy.

2. For as hard as the game was, the loss boss is a complete joke. Yes his form form can be a bit hard but mainly cause the controls aren't that good for it, but when facing the eyeball, as you saw, you literally don't even have to TRY to win.

Ok, with those 2 things out of the way, let's talk about the types of stages on this game.

1. Your main overhead stage, usually destroy an enemy base.

Well right off the bat you're going to notice the elevation thing I mentioned and you'll probably realize it's useless too. After you get that out of the way, you'll come to natural enemies and here is where I mentioned how the game goes against every natural instinct you have. For starters, touching enemies does not kill you, it doesn't even hurt you. So if you're use to how most video games are this thing is going to throw you off very quickly. Secondly, if you're use to any kind of game like contra or the 1940's games, you're going to have another serious problem. Usually, enemies fire at you intending to kill you, right? Well...not so most of the time here. Enemies fire just to the left or right of you usually. Now let me ask you a question....what's your natural instinct when you get shot at? To move right? Well...then you end up moving right into the enemy fire. Happened to me SO OFTEN. Also, while on the subject of enemy fire, a lot of times you won't even notice it because you're busy firing yourself and there's so much going on on the screen. Thirdly, If you study the enemy base as you go through the game, you'll realize as I did later on that it's actually extremely simple unless you're in a hurry. Just weave from left to right doding the fire and shooting as you get the chance. Fourthly, and finally, I'd like to mention the take off on later stages. When you start your take off you move VERY fast and if you're positioning is wrong you WILL die because of the mountains. If you haven't played the game you won't know they are there till it's too late. Not to mention the fact that you're dodging fire at the same time so your attention may be elsewhere.

2. Behind view where planes are the only enemies

This....is annoying. It isn't hard on the first one you come to, but after that they have missiles that easily screw you over. This can easily be avoided by flying at the top of the screen as you will see me do. The missiles never come up there, and you'll never get hit there. As for killing the planes themselves? Good luck, until you get use to the wonky controls it isn't going to be so easy.

3. Docking

This is actually quite simple, all you have to do is line yourself up and hit the button as the space station opening is even with your plane.

4. Supplies Drop

Same as the normal overhead missions except you have to drop supplies in 2 marked areas. Just aim carefully as you go by them.

5. Pick up a Scientist

Also the same thing as the usual main overhead stages except with a different and actually easier boss. The only thing noteworthy here is the mines on the last scientist stage. They are evil....EVIL I TELL YOU. If you do not destroy them, you're probably dead. They blow up and scatter everywhere and also have pretty good range. These things are usually in groups too, and if you come across one in a narrow corridor and don't destroy it first...yea, you're dead.

6 The Final Boss

His first form may be pretty hard depending on how use to the controls you are, because the controls and judging when his attacks are suppose to hit will be the real challenge. All you do is destroy every weapon he has, or part to him and then the eye opens. After that it's the easiest thing in the entire game.

Also, let me address the powerups. GO FOR CANNONS RIGHT AWAY!!!! After that you can pretty much get what you want. =p

In closing, as frustrating as this game was to get use to, it's really not a bad game. It takes some time to get use to but that can be said for a lot of games. It just so happens that this game is one of the more unique shooters of it's kind. As tedious as a lot of it was, you can actually beat it rather simple, avoid everything...don't try to shoot anything on the main stages except the boss, always wait for the planes to use their missiles on the back view stage, learn to line up your shapes on the docking stage. etc etc etc. Naturally, I couldn't do that the entire time for this play through cause that would have been very boring. =p So, this game gets a low placing just naturally due to me not enjoying it so much, but that doesn't mean it's a bad game at all. It's certainly not Silver Surfer hard, or Metal Mech spammy, or even Uninvited boring. I'd say it's a fairly likable game, it's just not for me.

Clash at Demonhead
Part 1 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8plFYju3FA&fmt=18

Part 2 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3t9IIyGJKIs&fmt=18

Part 3 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J32TwQwe5gc&fmt=18

Part 4 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPO7-h_975I&fmt=18

Part 5 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6j-ZBldi8k&fmt=18

Part 6 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaGKlWz-Z6c&fmt=18

Part 7 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWU65RAUpmg&fmt=18

Part 8 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSgJ8ujg7aM&fmt=18

Part 9 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMz5k2hduxE&fmt=18

Part 10 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FI6YG2nh_Dw&fmt=18

Part 11 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PJZJqgznEw&fmt=18

Part 12 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAJBbVNDexA&fmt=18

Part 13 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oB3G_dh1B3I&fmt=18

Part 14 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vp0gzHXHxt0&fmt=18

I gotta say, I really did like this game, even though some parts can be really confusing. The pitfalls in this game were by far the worst. I hated having to redo levels over again. Also the lack of knowing where to go can sometimes be a pain. However, this is a very fun game to play through. I actually think now that I know where I'm going, I could probably have more fun playing through this game again, and when a game has really good replay value you can let many of the tedious parts slide.

Contra
Part 1 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0S5eIet_Ee4&fmt=18

Part 2 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iesQS-A2pbY&fmt=18

Part 3 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89FJVtR2ypk&fmt=18

I went ahead and finished Contra before putting up the vids seeing as it's a short game and I love it so much. =) One of my favorite games as kid, and I believe the version I have belonged to my cousins who let me keep it. I can remember this game almost down to the last detail. I mean sure there are some things I forgot but the majority I remember. I even know how to manipulate random enemy appearances in some places. Anyway....this game is and easy pick for my top game so far!

Crystalis
Part 1 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKPBaJR8yB8&fmt=18

Part 2 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ikk0m7szI8k&fmt=18

Part 3 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eU2AnvoZsjg&fmt=18

Part 4 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARkJS9Ef6sQ&fmt=18

Part 5 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2alBf1bwAA&fmt=18

Part 6 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBr8TghvwM4&fmt=18

Part 7 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nD4FnP8laDk&fmt=18

Part 8 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OveGJIJs74&fmt=18

Part 9 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1G6HyIwvsB4&fmt=18

Part 10 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoMbgprci5M&fmt=18

Part 11 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiW_M-9JAlo&fmt=18

Part 12 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kj8t-YvI5g&fmt=18

Part 13 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEyAok3sgAE&fmt=18

Part 14 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjE2Uj7OFwo&fmt=18

Part 15 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzPDtw1NRsY&fmt=18

Part 16 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xW0dJmmPh0k&fmt=18

Part 17 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3V-HImEavS4&fmt=18

Part 18 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apKrWCDkyDA&fmt=18

Part 19 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQ0hb9di_gs&fmt=18

Part 20 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ookcfEq-HQ&fmt=18

Part 21 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeyVli9xLd0&fmt=18

Part 22 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ayT0xgvScI&fmt=18

Part 23 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwRHPxemnis&fmt=18

Part 24 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1bQy0Ac7tA&fmt=18

Part 25 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cLAFqosyQU&fmt=18

Part 26 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPZu_eePYDQ&fmt=18

Part 27 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32RyHNcTVdI&fmt=18

Part 28 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CiZ-5RtlEu4&fmt=18

Part 29 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUEaE0kZXWc&fmt=18

Part 30 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ku8FTmLivI&fmt=18

Part 31 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xroxOxGuqV0&fmt=18

Part 32 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMpuZ1iiXww&fmt=18

Part 33 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEU2DeMgTTI&fmt=18

It was a bit hard to rank this game as I did have a lot of fun with it, however...many things that make this game fun can also make it annoying.

You have the leveling system which is your traditional thing. You level up by getting a certain amount of exp, and you get stronger when you do. They decided to take this a bit further in the fact that once you get strong enough weaker enemies can't even hurt you. I thought the idea of that was pretty clever and would make perfect sense, but then you realize the reverse side to that coin. If you are too weak, you can not damage some enemies at all, this includes bosses and that's where the trouble starts. Before you reach a boss you have no idea what level you need to be able to hurt him, you're given no warning at all that you even NEED to be a certain level the first time. If you aren't at least that level, you're screwed, there's nothing you can do to beat it.

Having 5 different swords was also really cool at first. They're each different types of attacks and can each do different things based on where you use them. Again at first it was cool.....but the flip side rears it's ugly head again. Too often you are forced to switch between your swords as not only bosses but even common enemies can be immune to some of them. Also there are many times in the game where you will come across an area as a wall or lake that you HAVE to change weapons to get by. Having the option of different weapons in the game is nice, even the fact that you have to figure out some puzzles with them, but they wayyyyyy overused it and force you to switch a lot more than you should have to.

There are many more examples but I think I will leave it at just those 2. It's a great game even with it's downsides. It reminds me of a mix between Zelda 1 and 2 both of which I liked. Solid game overall though, worth a try to anyone who likes Zelda.

Friday the 13th
Part 1 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Po4tVo_0Mh4&fmt=18

Part 2 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pazOoltmv4Q&fmt=18

Part 3 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzereD1ycMs&fmt=18

Part 4 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pb9Mn1wRLps&fmt=18

Part 5 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DF5_HXGPOA&fmt=18

Ok, I know this game is iffy for most who have played it.....but, I kinda like it. Sure it isn't the best game on the NES...or even close for that matter, but I do enjoy playing this game.

The thing about this game is, 2 of your characters are almost useless, they're good for nothing but taking hits. 2 of your characters are semi helpful, but not really characters you should focus on. So that leaves you with 2 characters are that are much better than the others, Mark and Crissy. Without those 2, this game can take quite a bit longer to beat, so don't let them die!

Beware the dreaded forest.......that kind of maze is just terrible. The rock is an awful weapon, upgrade it IMMEDIATELY. Do not use George...seriously for your own safety AND enjoyment, stay the hell away from George! Jason's mother is a huge pain without a good weapon, so be careful there too. And also...after you get a good weapon don't accidentally pick up the BILLIONS of knives that just so happen to be hovering around in the air everyone, it screws you out of your good weapon, and if you had the pitchfork you can't get it back.

Lastly, don't expect that much out of this game. It's not a long game, it can be beaten pretty quickly if you're really good. But for what it is, I somewhat like it.

Gun.Smoke
Part 1 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxO7RmAI2vY&fmt=18

Part 2 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kp1VqvWnNGw&fmt=18

Part 3 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvODHGJ_XSs&fmt=18

Part 4 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvODHGJ_XSs&fmt=18

Part 5 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSVXeRimuug&fmt=18

Part 6 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Si6QY7tM3SE&fmt=18

Gun.Smoke was a lot of fun, but it was pretty short. These are one of my favorite types of games. Galaga, 19XX, things like that. However, as mentioned seeing as it was so short of a game I have to put it lower than I normally would.

Kid Icarus
Part 1 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3u450nrkuU&fmt=18

Part 2 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0joEAWP0DM&fmt=18

Part 3 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsYegdXaNlM&fmt=18

Part 4 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vw40o-DgSIY&fmt=18

Part 5 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tW4_wPRc0qo&fmt=18

Part 6 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZatWsMREQxs&fmt=18

Part 7 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkeBVdsRQ8Y&fmt=18

Part 8 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rgea8K51lLM&fmt=18

Part 9 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCAN7zpmvXw&fmt=18

Part 10 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvgJh0mlDdg&fmt=18

Part 11 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwVRcMZSQ6E&fmt=18

Part 12 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xp6KmhbYEnU&fmt=18

Part 13 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vv8sZwsb_bY&fmt=18

Part 14 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iY5pCaKMG2s&fmt=18

Part 15 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7CQs6HqcuU&fmt=18

This was another really difficult game to place, it had drastic ups and downs for me. I didn't dislike the game so it was at least above Battletoads, but I didn't REALLY like it either so it had to be below Super Mario Bros. So what's good, what's ok, and what's bad?

Good The 2nd set of 4 levels. Sure it was your basic sidescrolling platformer, but it was fun. The challenge was not overly done but wasn't really simple either. The boss fights other than the last one. The training grounds I guess I'd call them. In one you get a special item for surviving and in the other you kill stuff to get the hearts to buy things with. The dungeons. I almost decided to bump this down to the ok category, but I decided that even though it's a maze, the fact that they added shops, a healing spot and a place to remove the curse off you makes it a little be more than just average.

Ok The variety of enemies. There were plenty of enemies, but some of them were just slightly altered. Though tons of games have this so I'll just leave it here in ok. The way you power up. It goes against you when you either don't know how to do it or when you're doing videos of it like me and don't want to wait around. The Controls, for the most part, are ok but not as good as I think they should be. Hitting a ceiling makes you come to a complete stop which can really throw you off. Ice makes you continue going forward even if you jump off it. And you can't jump while holding up... Item prices....a bit too much but not terrible I guess. The difficulty, which is completely nuts. The game is quite hard until you get powerups, or at least I think so. Once you do get powerups though, the game is a lot more balanced and fun.

Bad The room with the pots.....hit the wrong one and not only do you get nothing but you lose your special items and with no warning that you will. Not only that, I hear there is a pattern to knowing which pot the guy is in but how would you know that by just playing? The climbing stages, ugh....so many places to fall and die and so many ways to do it. Enemies falling out of the sky on top of you or when you're trying to make jumps. STUPID EGGPLANT WIZARDS!!!! The amount of enemies, which can many times lag the screen. The final level, which I felt was very boring including the boss fight once you realize his pattern.

So in closing, the game is just ok for me, not awful, not outstanding, but can be fun.

Legend of Zelda
Part 1 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuBz-Zn4ZD0&fmt=18

Part 2 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RFY6cxf4iQ&fmt=18

Part 3 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdYl-TWgp0c&fmt=18

Part 4 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFqXtum4-48&fmt=18

Part 5 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuGSXDt6cRs&fmt=18

Part 6 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTh7WGK20oM&fmt=18

Part 7 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpum_5tsUEA&fmt=18

Part 8 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpFneW5Zr3Q&fmt=18

Part 9 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAYzAdbqbCc&fmt=18

Part 10 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92wOHzUUWts&fmt=18

Part 11 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWLYEg5uW3I&fmt=18

Part 12 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtpvFW2NEu4&fmt=18

Part 13 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8RiBYDkKWM&fmt=18

Part 14 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAIOBmIcBPs&fmt=18

Part 15 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkWZidk1gHY&fmt=18

Part 16 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEV5q51oblY&fmt=18

Part 17 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnbQ7Oo2wcw&fmt=18

I'm not overly huge Zelda fan, but come on...it's Zelda.

Marble Madness
Part 1 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8Mhzdsx8II&fmt=18

Part 2 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvVd0NX4N4U&fmt=18

Part 3 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1eJEBs8oQU&fmt=18

Ok, here's the thing about Marble Madness. Yes, it has it's annoying moments, yes it can be a really difficult game, but I like it. It would be higher if it were a longer game, the fact that you can beat it in less than 6 min really brings it down. I have both many fond and many irritating memories of this game. For anyone interested in trying this game, it may not look that hard, but that's where it will catch you off guard. The input presses for this game have to be spot on in a lot of occasions. Maybe not to the extent of Snake Rattle n Roll, but it can still be a really nice challenge.

Metal Mech
Part 1 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1hjkYIdCVU&fmt=18

Part 2 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64J4E-Q5nVI&fmt=18

Part 3 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5Kh-ycwAJQ&fmt=18

Part 4 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KZEohRBchE&fmt=18

Part 5 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHNShZtH214&fmt=18

Part 6 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T37o1dIwkNQ&fmt=18

Part 7 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PurUHfoacsg&fmt=18

Part 8 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZ3T_be2tR8&fmt=18

As bad as this game is, I was actually planning on putting it above Spelunker and Snake Rattle n Roll. Yes the game is terrible, aggravating, and kinda boring, but that last level really did it. The last level in this game is a total PAIN IN THE...........well you get the point.

I had read this game was like Blaster Master at first, and I am extremely disappointed. The mech itself is nearly invincible, but so extremely slow. It's jumping is terrible, it's movement is terrible, even the shooting isn't that great but it's the best of the 3 things. Then once you are using the guy instead of the mech, your jumping gets a little better, your movement gets a little better, but then you become extremely weak.

The hunting for keys is absolutely terrible. You aren't given any kind of clue where it's at, and often times it's in things you didn't even know you could destroy. Then once you get the key you don't know where the end of the level is. To make matters worse, that last level is one of the most frustrating things ever. Your enemies can 1 shot you. Your controls are terrible, if you try to move up or down it moves you slightly forward as well. If you're trying to aim the gun, you have to move in that direction to do so. Often enemies come from straight up or down and you can't hit them there, but if you don't kill them quickly you get 1 shotted.

In closing, I'll have to make a statement I didn't think I ever would. If this entire game were all like the final level, it would have placed below Uninvited. Thankfully for me though, Uninvited remains the worst pile of garbage I've had to play for this topic.

River City Ransom
Part 1 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ly524fvcbVo&fmt=18

Part 2 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lU5JCGbYCj0&fmt=18

Part 3 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sps3VBOzzyQ&fmt=18

Let me just start out by saying, I LOVE THIS GAME!!! Playing this game is one of my best memories as a child. When I was really young, 7, 8, w/e, and I had any of my friends stay the night we would always play through this game.

Anyway, this game is one of the earliest beat-em-up type games that I know of and it is also one of the best IMO. The combat format is simple but expanded upon. Punch, Kick, use a weapon, use your opponent as a weapon. XD Generally, I would say this is a Beat-em-up with RPG elements. Although you can't really tell in the videos, you do have statistics for nearly everything you do. Punch power, kick power, throw power, jump height, dexterity, etc. The game is really done well, makes me sad that there are only a few other games like it.

So anyway, let's get down to discussing the game itself. The controls are very fluent, you tell it to move and it moves. The graphics are ok for it's time, they aren't amazing but not many graphics on the nes are so that isn't really meant to be taken into account. The difficulty can be pretty hard if you aren't EXTREMELY knowledgeable about the game as I am. The replayability of this game is also pretty high I'd say. There are a good 6-7 powerups and you most likely will not get them all your first run. There's even a couple of secret places in the game. Lastly, the fun factor of the game. If you like beat-em-ups at all I can almost assure you that you will love this game, maybe not as much as I, but hopefully you will. =p

The RPG Elements of the game are pretty noticeable even though you didn't see much of them in the videos. You have a status screen just like most if not all RPG games which has a number representing how good each stat is. Due to me knowing the game so well, and playing it on normal difficulty, we didn't really have to focus on improving our stats much. The format for it is pretty simple. Beat enemies, get money, buy stuff that helps increase your stats, typical RPG stuff, but considering the time this game came out I think it's pretty amazing.

Now the 2 player aspect of the game, this is where the game gets REALLY fun. I know in most games, like Double Dragon 2 or Battletoads, hitting your teammate can be a real nuisance because it can really mess you up, but that isn't the case for this game. You don't have a set number of lives or continues, so no matter how many times you die you just go back to w/e your last town was. So the real fun is being able to kill your teammate anytime without having to worry about the consequences, sure you may die, but the game won't take you back very far. When you're playing with someone, and hopefully they're a good sport, just surprise them by picking them up and throwing them at someone when they're low on health killing both the enemy and them, it's load of fun to do. In fact, all the deaths in the vid actually made the game that much more fun to go through.

So, definitely one of my fondest memories growing up and a game that's sure to stay near the top for as long as I'm a gamer.

Silver Surfer
Part 1 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayng69-zqYo&fmt=18

Part 2 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cENfdjOwXdw&fmt=18

Part 3 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGshid1GTu8&fmt=18

Part 4 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSdT65d-6f4&fmt=18

Part 5 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEgx5gQThZQ&fmt=18

Part 6 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akDMrH3fTQk&fmt=18

Part 7 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vg7sLMrIkCQ&fmt=18

I will go ahead and say right off the bat, when you're fully powered up and blowing up tons of enemies the game actually can be a tiny bit of fun.....until you bump your head on a wall or ceiling, die, and then RAGE at the game...

Just looking at the game it doesn't seem like it would be that bad, and it wouldn't be if they would have just changed a couple things. 1. Walls/Ceilings should NOT be lethal to the touch. The walls aren't some living organisms that attack you if you get too close. More than that, even if you had a life bar they shouldn't even damage you. Silver Surfer is in complete control over how he moves and he isn't going that fast. He isn't some machine that gets scuffed up by running up against a wall. 2. Life Bar, Life Bar, Life Bar. I won't lie, this game CAN be easy with a life bar if you know exactly what to expect, but that's just it...unless you've played through it a few times or watched someone else you won't know what to expect. Enemies that take multiple hits fly out of no where at you and you just barely make it out of the way if you even do. Battletoads has this same kind of problem but at least it gives you a life bar. 3. Enemies. Enemies take way too many hits unless you're powered up and the game apparently expects you to be powered up the whole time. Fully powered the enemies are pretty easy to kill, but fully unpowered is a nightmare. The game REALLY should have distributed the difficulty better. Have there be some enemies other than the final boss that are still hard to kill fully powered, and have there be enemies that aren't hard to kill fully unpowered.

Well, given those 3 major problems with the game, if they had fixed at least 2 of them the game could have been ok. With all 3 of those problems though, this game is terrible.

You can get a pretty good example by watching the videos but let me map out one for you.

You start off very weak, enemies take tons of hits and you have no way of knowing which drop powerups and which don't. You could try to kill them, but you may die due to touching a wall or hitting one of them and having no life bar. So you decide to play it safe by going for the powerups that are already visible. Soon as you grab it, enemies jump out of no where at you killing you because you have no life bar and they take too many hits. So you go through many plays to get the layout of the first level down, you get your powerups and enemies are going down pretty easy now, but oooo, you touch a wall causing you to die thereby making you weak again and enemies now take a billion shots and kill you because you have no life bar. Yea....the game is bad, it was just bad. Fixing even ONE of those problems could have made it a good bit more enjoyable.

In closing, I feel I should point out that the game does have some codes to make the game easier. But wouldn't you know, the first one I got is a code for higher difficulty, everyone wants that right? XD

Snake Rattle n Roll
Part 1 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvPeUqL7kiY&fmt=18

Part 2 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2fyoe3jV8M&fmt=18

Part 3 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxCy70-hc6c&fmt=18

Part 4 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WF2pa-sWzdk&fmt=18

Part 5 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIsb-V01bTQ&fmt=18

Part 6 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgmgzHoSMzQ&fmt=18

Part 7 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVVDalFQBhw&fmt=18

The game is just too tedious to make it any higher. I would say without a doubt the hardest thing about this game is controlling the movement added with the fact that you can die in the later stages very easy if you don't control it right. The sliding panels seem to take effect on you the moment you jump over them, even if you haven't touched them yet, and that can really throw someone off quickly.

Spelunker
Part 1 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLkejk9WtfQ&fmt=18

Part 2 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alNOJmE6id8&fmt=18

Part 3 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnyI3kbIBX8&fmt=18

Part 4 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HWZoxGTBU8&fmt=18

Part 5 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=488Pz63C5nY&fmt=18

Part 6 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_ErQv3uk5o&fmt=18

Part 7 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykrdvFXDnp4&fmt=18

This game....is an annoying mess. You jump, you die, you walk, you die, you sit there, you die. Even using your weapon drains your time, WHAT THE HELL?! I have never heard of that. Ammo I could understand, but using your weapon shouldn't be able to kill you. Then there's the terrible controls in this game. Whenever you decide to jump anything to a vine or ladder, let go of forward IMMEDIATELY or expect the guy to let go of the vine, what kind of logic does that make? Ok, I want to jump to that vine there, but I can't hold forward or I die? To make matters worse, you can't jump up and then push forward to ease into the jump.

Then there's the fact that even your own weapons can hurt you. This isn't bomberman so why am I dying from my own Bomb? Are they trying to make it realistic? If so, how does a firework kill me?! Let alone the fact that it's my own firework. And on the note of jumping again "Oops, you missed a platform and fell half a centimeter, guess you're dead lawl"..........Yes, if you want to get technical and take the size of the guy into account, yes you fall further than half a centimeter. However...I'm a little over 6 foot, if I was on a ladder and jumped down 6 feet IT WOULDN'T KILL ME!

As awful as this game is though, I still have to put it above Snake Rattle n Roll due to the fact that Snake Rattle n Roll's controls are so slick it's actually a disadvantage that you can even move. Also, the fact that this game is above Uninvited should be no surprise.

Super Mario Bros.
Part 1 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJ0VOHbjxZ8&fmt=18

Part 2 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vb-6nFcKHfQ&fmt=18

Part 3 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ow-JEzFOEVI&fmt=18

Part 4 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfGbGNrMhPI&fmt=18

Part 5 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lc1pLavK27E&fmt=18

This one I REALLY had a tough time placing in the rankings. Obviously it wasn't going to be first, I mean the 3rd game beats it in pretty much every way, but for the outdated original I think I have it fairly placed.

For it's time, it was revolutionary. But by todays standards age has taken it's tole not to mention later games in the series have outclassed it in every way possible. It's Mario, so if you're a fan of the Mario series and you were around back then you probably loved the game. Though if you were to pick it up for the first time today you may not find it that good. The game has a few drawbacks that were later fixed in Super Mario 2 and 3.

The Controls in this game are good for the most part...but Mario's momentum gain can really throw you if you're use to later games and often cause you to die where you wouldn't expect to. The Difficulty I find is harder than 3. Yes most of us know about the warps where you can get through the game quickly, but without those it's a pretty challenging game. No continues, hard to gain extra lives and many enemies like the flying fish and hammer bros. that take some getting use to in order to be able to deal with effectively. The Gameplay is great for it's time and still good now but overshadowed by later games in the series.

The main thing about this game is it started the most successful video game series ever. Plenty of later games would make little tributes to this first classic game here and there by having parts of it pop up. And for those that were around at the time of the original it's such a feeling of nostalgia and we just love it. Plenty of people today still love the 2D Mario side scrolling the most and for good reason. Whether it was the best way to do Mario or not, it was the original and it can't be denied that it worked wonderfully.

From the first time we got that fire flower, to the first time we discovered the warp pipes in Stage 1-2, for it's time this game was a masterpiece. I doubt that are many today who don't know of it, but for those that haven't played through it give a try. Sure it's primitive, sure it may feel a tad clunky, but for what it was it's a game that deserves the praise it gets.

Super Mario Bros. 3
Part 1 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvafenwIotM&fmt=18

<B>Part 2</b> - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Yuoeua-yV0&fmt=18

<B>Part 3</b> - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COaNfTv4IGc&fmt=18

<B>Part 4</b> - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVz0vjEaO80&fmt=18

<B>Part 5</b> - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfUIYgylaNE&fmt=18

<B>Part 6</b> - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9njaAoDiuok&fmt=18

<B>Part 7</b> - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KV6MmYSYuDU&fmt=18

<B>Part 8</b> - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCdYzEFgaSY&fmt=18

<B>Part 9</b> - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=934TyxX3nkk&fmt=18

<B>Part 10</b> - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tthc4veWBPs&fmt=18

<B>Part 11</b> - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YdIdH2c0MQ&fmt=18

<B>Part 12</b> - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DO8Pm5Xf8NI&fmt=18

<B>Part 13</b> - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHWFnlgPLQ8&fmt=18

<B>Part 14</b> - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4L4_OEjHvY&fmt=18

<B>Part 15</b> - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXs8tRhup7M&fmt=18

<B>Part 16</b> - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzoQGK8423I&fmt=18

<B>Part 17</b> - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6k1mECMWd4&fmt=18

<B>Part 18</b> - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vW9FsxCe4vU&fmt=18

What can I say? Easy choice for top game so far. This game had it all, it was amazing for it's time.

Controls are perfect, He moves when you tell him and exactly how much. Difficulty is perfect. It can challenge you without being overly challening. It keeps you well stocked on lives to where you may not run out, yet you still hit levels that make you go through life after life after life. Gameplay is perfect. Tons of secrets, plenty of powerups, lots of variety, and even a few games for 2 player mode.

I loved this game so much as a kid I even made sure to keep the box for it. I even have more than 1 copy of this game though I'm not sure how that happened seeing as both work just fine. This game starts you off right away having fun. Each and every new thing you discover somehow manages to top the last.

Raccoon Mario - Woah he can fly....BEST POWERUP EVER! Tanooki Mario - Woah he can fly AND turn to stone to kill things you couldn't before....BEST POWERUP EVER Hammer Bro Mario - Ok, this is just awesome, that's all there is to say....BEST POWERUP EVER Frog Suit Mario - Not my favorite, but some people like him best. =p Fire Mario - Even the old traditional powerup has plenty of love.

Even nowadays, this game is praised for not having been affected by age at all. You can still pick it up after 10-19 years and love it all over again. As far as the NES era goes, this is about as close to perfect as it gets.

Uninvited
Part 1 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HG0qst01c9w&fmt=18

Part 2 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W80Lud6HZLw&fmt=18

Part 3 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFEduKGSFSY&fmt=18

Part 4 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzYCppJWbSk&fmt=18

Part 5 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPpFgGQY3xk&fmt=18

Part 6 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUjqJj2rzVI&fmt=18

Part 7 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vb2EY2tT01E&fmt=18

Part 8 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LCpSsOxT6o&fmt=18

Part 9 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8lMKhFegr0&fmt=18

Part 10 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0rdYaCSzvA&fmt=18

Part 11 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3lPQqgsDcs&fmt=18

Part 12 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmbhkzEcMaE&fmt=18

Part 13 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4g1OFlDW3Zg&fmt=18

Part 14 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-V6SRYbK9R0&fmt=18

Part 15 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jlf97YPww5Y&fmt=18

UGH, This game, was so ****ING TERRIBLE! Seriously, get it the hell away from me. I hated this game so much that I can GUARANTEE the next 5 games nominated for me to play I will like better. No I'm not kidding, even Cheetahmen II with it's horribly bugged glitchiness was more fun than this awful game. It's so bad, I'm actually recommending that you DO NOT watch the videos of this game.

I'll say it straight out, there are annoying games, there are terribly made games, and then there are games like this that are just flat out BORING. I will take the first 2 over boring games any day. I may not always hate a boring game the most, but I am sure less willing to give it a 2nd chance.

Yo! Noid
Part 1 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNcKfYmXia0&fmt=18

Part 2 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pskc_KWKwyk&fmt=18

Part 3 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wOi0CWL7Io&fmt=18

Part 4 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABGPgPhKNCw&fmt=18

Part 5 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jeQHZQfp0uw&fmt=18

Part 6 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hhH8HJ_pEA&fmt=18

Part 7 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRL260sCh50&fmt=18

This ones really a weird one for me. At first I absolutely hated this game, but as I went on it began to grow on me. Those things that annoyed me in this game, the moving ice platforms and the water rising and killing you, those kind of things have all been in really good games as well. I dealt with it in good games simply because of how good those games were overall, so I have to give Yo! Noid a break for having them. Sure, this game doesn't shine in any area, it's an overall simple little game, but it wasn't that bad actually.

The controls are smooth, the graphics for it's time aren't bad, and the gameplay is a little lacking but not terribly done. The pizza eating contests look extremely boring, but they weren't surprisingly. I mean sure I couldn't have sat there and played them 1 after another, but being spread out like they were gave you the time you need to not feel like it was being too repetitive.

Invisible items were a nice touch once I found out they were actually in the game. I actually had fun looking for them even though I was pretty much attacking everywhere just to uncover them. The only real downside I can see to this is the fact that the pizza eating contests are already pretty easy to win and finding so many invisible II's and III's makes them completely pointless as you can decimate the other Noid in 3 moves or less.

All in All, it seems like one of those games you have to get use to before you can really enjoy it. I won't lie, I had fun later on in the game, but the game is going to be placed middle of the pack for now in rankings due to the fact that it simply didn't have all that much to it, even the boss fight at the end was extremely easy and pointless.....and not really even a boss fight.