Game Review - Rescue Rangers

I’m sure most people are familiar with the awesome Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers cartoon by Disney that was on TV in the late 80’s early 90’s.  It followed two detective chipmunks, Chip and Dale (who made appearances in some Mickey Mouse cartoons also) and their adventures with their friends Monteray Jack, Gadget and Zipper to solve mysteries.  So it really only made sense to make a game based on the show.  Luckily for everyone this fell into the very capable hands of Capcom, creators of great games like Mega Man series, so they knew what they were doing with platforming games.

We start off the game watching the Rescue Rangers on a mission to save Mandy’s kitten which is missing.  Gadget goes on ahead to check out the area and to leave helpful items behind.  Meanwhile Monteray Jack (the chubby mouse with the cheese addiction) and Zipper the fly investigate all the recent sightings of strange mechanical dogs in the area.  Chip and Dale are heading down the street into a laboratory where they are attacked by a robot that is crazy.

Right after this we see a familiar character if you know the show at all, Fat Cat shows up and proclaims that the kidnapping of Mandy’s kitten was just a distraction, and while everyone was busy looking for the kitten he kidnapped Gadget and forces her to work for him.

Luckily for Chip and Dale Gadget is able to build a wireless phone and sends a map of the area to them by a carrier pigeon.  This helps lead them to Fat Cat’s casino where he is hiding and she is being held.  So it’s up to our little fuzzy heroes Chip and Dale to rescue Gadget and defeat Fat Cat.

GRAPHICS 9/10
Once again Capcom delivers in the graphics area.  The characters look just like the ones in the cartoon and the colors are bright and vivid.  They really capture the feeling of the cartoon, which is really appreciated by Chip ‘n Dale fans like myself it made you feel as though you were playing an episode of the cartoon which is great!  It really makes you feel like a small chipmunk in a large world.

SOUND 8/10
The music in the game is very fitting for the show.  You start off listening to the catchy Rescue Rangers theme song, which makes me just want to sit there and keep listening to it instead of starting the game cause it’s so contagious!  Once you get past the theme song the music is upbeat and works well for the levels, though I wouldn’t say it’s the most memorable game music I’ve ever heard but it’s still pretty good.  The sound effects are done quite well, especially when you hit a mechanical dog, it makes an appropriate metal type sound effect, not just your usual thud.

GAMEPLAY 9/10
The controls of this game are great and really remind me of Super Mario Brothers 2 on the NES, but instead of picking up turnips you are picking up apples and blocks to throw at the enemies.  You can throw as fast as you can hit the buttons there is no lag, so it’s totally up to you how fast you throw.  If you are carrying something like a box you will move at normal speed but if you are carrying a heavy apple your character will move a little slower.  Ducking and jumping is easy and precise, so you feel like you can land on a small ledge if it’s required.  I love the option to play the game 2 player.  Not only do you get to play at the same time but you can also throw each other around the level making if a lot more fun.  If you have a chance to play with someone else I highly recommend it!

REPLAY 9/10
When I was a kid I played this game a lot!  Especially with my brother, though our coop play wasn’t always the best teamwork we tended to spend a lot of time throwing each other around.  I tried to beat it a few times when I was younger and I was never able to, but I know my dad got through it.  It’s a fun game with great controls so it will definitely have you coming back for more, just talking about it makes me wanna pop it into the NES and play!

…BOTTOM LINE 8.75/10
This is an awesome game with great controls and a great difficulty range.  It’s not crazy hard but it’s also not crazy easy either.  If you are a pro at side scrolling platformers you might find it a little easy but for the average person this game will challenge you a bit, but not make you want to break the controller.  You have to play it if you were a fan of the show or even if you love platforming games or any of the other Capcom titles.  This is another one of those television to game adaptations that worked great on the NES and shouldn’t be missed!

Game Article - Little Samson/Lickle

THE LITTLE SAMSON THAT COULD
 

When I say the name Little Samson what's the first thing you think of?  Chances are you think of the story of Samson and his superhero strength from his hair in the bible.  Well unfortunately for the NES game Little Samson I think this is what most people thought of.  Unfortunately they didn`t think to keep the name given to the game in Japan, Lickle Legend of the Holy Bell, sure it`s a little odd but it might not have made people think of games like Bible Adventures.  Because of this for the most part people avoided this game like the plague, which is really a shame because it is one of the best looking and just best games available on the Nintendo Entertainment System and not based on Samson from the story of Samson and Delilah or anything religious at all. 

Little Samson is reminiscent of other awesome games like Mega Man, which makes sense as it was created by two employees who left Capcom to make their own company Takera. For this game they teamed up with the artist from Cocoran and Ghosts `n Ghouls and Taito which most people know from Space Invaders and Bubble Bobble to put out this game. Luckily for us we got an awesome game, even if not many people realized it at the time.

When you first start up the game you watch cutscenes showing us The Dark Prince (wearing green) escaping from captivity.  He threatens to take over the land and takes out all the king's soldiers.  The King quickly summons help from four unlikely heroes to defeat the evil Dark Prince and save the kingdom.  The really cool thing about the story is it is told without any dialogue or text just a few cutscenes. Which is awesome because you can still play the Japanese version and feel like you aren't missing out on anything because of the language barrier.

You play as four different characters while on your quest.  Little Samson the one human character who can climb on walls and the ceiling and throw bells as projectiles, Kikira the Dragon who can breathe fire and float for short periods of time, Gamm the Golum who moves slow but has excellent health, can walk over spikes and has powerful attacks and K.O. the little mouse who has a smaller health bar but makes up for it with his speed, his ability to climb walls like Samson and drop powerful bombs. The game gives you the option to switch characters at any point in the game, so if you jump and are going to fall on spikes, no problem just switch to Gamm. You could beat the game with just one character but it would be a lot harder and it's a lot more fun to switch depending on the situation.  

This game offers an "Easy" and "Normal" difficulty to choose from, so it shouldn`t be too stressful to get through. At times it does give you a good challenge especially towards the final levels, but it won`t be so hard you want to destroy your controller. It also helps that the controls are tight and precise so you won`t ever feel like you died because of bad controls which is so important especially in a platforming game. Plus it has a nice short 4 character password system so you can continue where you left off!

This game features over 20 different stages ranging from jungles, rivers, caves, to castles and each level looks incredible.  That's the nice thing about it being released so late in the console cycle, they really knew how to push the limits on the graphics so you get an amazing looking game that tries to rival the new 16 bit games that were just released on the SNES.  One of the most impressive visuals is when you fight in a boss battle.  The bosses are huge, dark and scary compared to the bright and colorful graphics of the main characters. They almost look like they walked out of a Castlevania or Metroid game to hunt you down. 

There is so much more I could say about this game, but do yourself a favor and make sure you check it out!  Due to the timing of it`s release, lack of advertising save a small 5 page feature in Issue 40 of Nintendo Power and unfortunate name change this has become one of the harder games to find for the NES.  If you are lucky enough to find it, don`t be surprised to see it upwards of $200!  If this is too expensive for you, which it would be for most people, just do what I did and grab a version of Lickle for the Famicom.  If you don`t have a Famicom to play it on, then just get yourself a Famicom to NES converter then you are set.  Trust me, you don`t want to miss out on this game, it`s definitely one of the best to be released for the Nintendo Entertainment System.

Game Preview - Castlevania (Gameboy)

Castlevania (GB)

Today I am looking at Castlevania on the Gameboy, this isn't a full review as I haven't gotten to play it a ton yet but more just a peek at it.  Since the Gameboy is region free I have the Japanese version of this game.  Since the game is in Japanese and my Japanese knowledge is pretty limited (took a class in University years ago) so story wise I’m not totally sure what’s going on so I did a bit of research.  This game isn't just a port of the version that is on the NES but it has a different story. The game takes place 15 years after the first Castlevania Gameboy game.  Dracula has returned and he has kidnapped Chris Belmont’s son named Soleiyu and turned him into a demon.  Dracula uses Soleiyu’s powers to retake a human form so he can rebuild his castle.  So once again Christopher must face Dracula, but this time to save his son.   

When you first start the game there are four initial levels.  Each level has a unique theme like earth, crystal, plant and air and takes place in a separate castle.  The cool thing is you can complete them in any order you like.  So if you get stuck on one of the large trap rooms you can try out another one. Which kind of remind me of a Mega Man game or something like Bucky O'Hare.
  

If you play the Japanese version you will notice that the axe will be replaced with a cross, instead of making the arching motion the cross moves in a horizontal motion almost like a boomerang when it comes back to you.  Which makes it very useful as it can go through walls to kill enemies, so you can take them out before they even notice you.

My only complaint is I wish Christopher would move a little faster, he seems to be going pretty slow at times especially when you are trying to make a bigger jump or avoid an enemy. Other than that it’s a really fun game!  It looks really good for a Game Boy game even with the limited screen space and the music has been done very well.  I haven’t completed the game yet, but if I discover anything else I will let you know.

I’ll have to try it out on the Super Game Boy tonight and see how it looks on there.  I’m guessing probably pretty good, so even if you don’t have a Game Boy you can always get the Super Gameboy, play it on a Game Boy Advance or the GBA adapter on the Game Cube will play it too :D

So make sure if you get a chance to pick up this game definitely do so!  Especially if you are a huge fan of the Castlevania series on the NES or SNES, especially since it's not just a port of an existing game. Don’t forget that the Japanese version is still playable on North American Gameboy's as they are region free.  I’m so glad Heidi from Retro Gaming Blog told me about this game, now I just have to get the other 2 Gameboy ones in the series J

Game Review - Ninja Gaiden (NES)

This week I have decided to challenge myself and review Ninja Gaiden.  This game has made me feel like I've truly proven myself as a gamer.  This game is hard, well not just hard, ridiculously hard.  But for some reason I'm a sucker for punishment and this game definitely deals it out.  The nice thing is you will definitely feel rewarded when you get through parts of the game.

When you first start the game you will be treated to an awesome in game movie/cinematic.  This movie is one of the most amazing things I remember seeing in a NES game.  You see 2 ninjas facing off in a field at night time, the one is defeated and you are introduced to his son Ryu Hayabusa.  Ryu has no idea what his father Ken was doing when he was killed, but he discovers a note his dad left behind telling him to go to America to meet up with Dr. Smith who is an archaelogist.  He learns of two statues that his father and the doctor had hidden as they have the power to end the world as they know it.  So when Jacquio the leader of a cult steals the one statue it's up to Ryu to carry on the Hayabusa name and protect the world.

GRAPHICS 9.5/10 The graphics in the game are some of the best on the NES.  According to G4 (when it was a thing :p ) it is also the first game to have cinematic cutscenes, which really gives it a movie like feel.  The story is suspenseful and leaves you wanting to know more of what happens to Ryu and what his father was up to before.  There is a huge variety of different enemies that will attack you ranging from other ninjas, huge guys, nuns and animals too which unfortunately includes the evil birds.  I think they are easily some of the most evil enemies ever.  Along with a variety of animals, there is a variety of levels too.  You start off in a city, then move to a mountain like stage with platforms and pits, by a lake, in a jungle and even on a building.

SOUND 9/10 The soundtrack in this game is simply awesome. I enjoy the soundtrack so much I have it on my MP3 player so I can listen to it whenever I want.  Each stage has it's own music, and all the movie cinematic scenes have the same song tying it all in together to make it all feel interconnected. The sound effects are pretty crisp and it's really cool to be able to hear the ninjas running through the field before their battle in the beginning.

GAMEPLAY 7.5/10 The controls are tight and responsive but there are a few things I really dislike. I hate how if Ryu gets hit by an enemy he flies backwards. This is especially frustrating on a little ledge and you get hit by a bird you will fly backwards and into a hole. I also hate how you kill an enemy and it will continue to respawn until you get past it.  It may be worth your while if you find this game too difficult to pick up the Famicom version if you can as it is easier than the version that was released on the North American NES. There's a huge variety of Ninpo attacks you can collect and use, but you have to be sure to keep collecting the power ups as you will run out fast if you keep using the attacks. It will take a lot of trial and error to figure out what ninpo works best for each situation, but it's cool you have something to supplement your sword attack.  A lot of your success in the game will rely on your ability to memorize what will come next, so this means you will die...a lot.  Once you memorize what exactly what will happen, where the enemies are etc. you will know how to avoid the hazards. I just wish the North American version had a choice of difficulty or at least a password system so you can continue where you left off.

REPLAY 8/10 I found myself constantly coming back to this game just so I could beat it, though once I did since it was such a hard and draining experience I haven't gone back to it.  Though I have played the Famicom version of the game since it was a bit easier, and I can definitely see me going back to that version before I would the NES one, particularily because of the feature in the Japanese version to continue with a password.

......BOTTOM LINE 8.5/10
The way that this story is told it makes you wanting more.  At any point in the game you only know as much as Ryu does as everything is revealed to you as he finds out.  With the beautiful looking cutscenes, you will keep coming back just to see if you can learn a little more of the story. I guarantee you it will be a very frustrating game, but the sense of accomplishment you get when you complete an area you couldn't get through before is huge.  Though make sure you are willing to leave your Nintendo on over a few nights as there is no save or password feature so if you wanna continue where you left off you will have to leave it on. It took many attempts over 2 years to finally complete it, but once I did I finally feel like I've proven my worth as a gamer as it is definitely one of the most difficult and frustrating moments of my life, though frustrating in a good way...
Though I will warn you if you are the type to throw your controllers when you get frustrated this may not be the game for you, but if you want a game that will challenge your skill as a gamer this is definitely for you.  Anyone who can get through this has definitely earned bragging rights!  If you are lucky enough to find this game on the Ninja Gaiden Collection for the SNES they do have a saving feature, or if you can get it onto your SNES Classic you can use the save state feature so you won't have to worry about starting over constantly!