William Goswick, retro game enthusiast and animal lover, has an active interest in bizarre and creative games that deviate from the norm. You can find his oldest articles on ScrewAttack, and he looks forward to writing reviews for 1 More Castle.
Retro Platforms: Arcade, FM-7, Nintendo Entertainment System, PC-88
Platform Reviewed: Nintendo Entertainment System
Mario seems to be one of Nintendo’s most popular mascots, despite being a plumber who eats random mushrooms, murders innocent turtles, and presumably gets dirty by running through sewers. Some of his earliest appearances were in the first two Donkey Kong arcade games, where he goes from rescuing his captive girlfriend to cruelly imprisoning a giant ape, the latter which involves leaving a young child out in the world to fend for himself! In contrast to Mario, Stanley the gardener is a much more likable character: he grows beautiful flowers and cares for nature first, also not being afraid to defensively attack his enemies directly… with endless amounts of bug spray! Stanley may go after bugs, which are needed for his flowers to properly grow, but only when they try to fly away with his plants… because bugs are somehow capable of this. Donkey Kong 3 introduces a radically different style of gameplay to the classic arcade series, featuring the florist’s attempts to ward off a lazy ape and his army of evil insects, but is it memorable? And how are the presentation elements? Read More
Retro Platforms: Nintendo Entertainment System
Platform Reviewed: Nintendo Entertainment System
Everyone knows that underwater blimps and sea urchins have some of the most hostile relationships known to humanity. Well, the sea urchins are definitely sinister villains, but I’m not exactly sure what kind of a creature the playable protagonist is supposed to be; what I do know though is that the main character’s name is Bubbles, which automatically makes her one of the coolest retro characters ever. Bubbles is a treasure hunter who wants to find golden loot in an underwater mystery maze, but it’s never really made clear whether the urchins are hunting her down out of evilness, or out of her secretly being a thief. Either way, Clu Clu Land actually avoids many undesired tropes of underwater levels by having an entirely unique manner of control, one that focuses on nonstop forward momentum and pole-based turning. It’s certainly creative, but is the gameplay actually fun?
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Retro Platforms: Game Boy, TurboGrafx-16
Platform Reviewed: TurboGrafx-16
When a giant dinosaur somehow manages to steal half of the freaking moon, it’s up to an unhealthily meat-obsessed and generally impatient caveman to save the day! It’s never really explained how the science for any of this makes sense, nor do we ever find out why the caveman’s ultimate rival is named after the pleasant act of salivation. In actuality, the story to Bonk’s Revenge is probably the game’s weakest element; it’s really just a basic excuse for Bonk to go on another quest to terrorize every living creature that dares to stand in his way. But in terms of level structure and overall gameplay, is Bonk’s Revenge a superior game to its predecessor? Are the controls notably improved, are there more gameplay mechanics, and is the overall presentation enhanced?
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Retro Platforms: Amiga, Arcade, Game Boy, NES, TurboGrafx-16
Platform Reviewed: TurboGrafx-16
Although the fourth generation of video game consoles tends to be remembered as a battle between the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis, a lesser-known combatant was the TurboGrafx-16. The result of a collaborative development between Hudson Soft and NEC Corporation, the system supported almost 500 simultaneous colors in-game, used card-like game cartridges, allowed five players at once, and had six entire wavetable synthesis audio channels; if that last point didn’t get you totally excited, then maybe seeing its various fast-paced shooters will. Several classics originated on the TurboGrafx-16 as well, such as the disturbing Crush Pinball series, most of the intense Star Soldier franchise, and the whimsical Bonk games. Bonk’s Adventure, the first entry in the system’s prehistoric mascot series, is how I first learned about the TurboGrafx-16, but does it do the system justice?
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Retro Platforms: Atari 2600
Platform Reviewed: Atari 2600
Perhaps one of the less remembered fables is the classic Three Little Pigs, a story that has the apparent moral of being prepared for the deadliest of situations. The plot is simple: three sibling pigs are sent out into the wild in order to amass riches, with their first steps naturally being to construct homes for shelter. One pig builds his house out of straw, another one creates his home out of sticks, and only the third pig is logical enough to make his shelter out of bricks. As a result of this, the first two pigs tragically have their homes blown down by a wolf before being eaten; the third pig doesn’t suffer this fate, and instead manages to trap and eat the wolf! Oink! tells the tale somewhat differently and attempts to make the story interactive, but is its gameplay entertaining? And how elaborate can the game’s presentation be on a simple system like the Atari 2600?
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Retro Platforms: Arcade, Atari 2600, Atari 5200, Atari 8-bit
Platform Reviewed: Atari 2600
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Retro Platforms: Mac, PC
Platform Reviewed: PC
Humongous Entertainment is arguably one of the strongest developers when it comes to edutainment, having many popular gaming franchises that typically involve the adventure genre, all while also teaching themes with stories that can even appeal to some older audiences too. Pajama Sam’s first gaming entry presented a dream-like story that culminated in conquering one’s fears about darkness, Spy Fox had tension with trying to solve detective-like mysteries, Freddi Fish was a mystery series that explored aquatic settings, and Fatty Bear… well, actually, that series never really took off. One series that I used to play a lot was Putt-Putt, which involved the zany adventures of an anthropomorphic car and his overly energetic puppy: these journeys included setting up a parade, getting launched to the moon, saving animals at a zoo, and even joining a race! But I wanted to play something that was new to me, so for today’s review, I’m analyzing Putt-Putt and Fatty Bear’s Activity Pack.
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Retro Platforms: Sega Saturn
Platform Reviewed: Sega Saturn
Although many games tell stories with realistic graphics, it’s definitely possible to have an entrancing game take place within a fantasy world. Some of my favorite games have art styles that showcase the more beautiful sides of nature, and they convey relaxing areas while still having exciting calls to adventure. I love seeing dark explorations of our world, but sometimes I just want to escape into a breathtaking setting that has its own rules and creatures. Astal, an ambitious sprite-based side-scroller that manages to have a lot of presentation variety, is really lively, and its crystal theming and natural diversity certainly help it be a cheerful experience. But how are the game’s other aspects like its story and gameplay, and is there enough originality here to keep things interesting?
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Retro Platforms: Amiga, Arcade, Atari ST, Commodore 64, Sega Genesis, Sega Master System, ZX Spectrum
Platform Reviewed: Sega Genesis
For whatever reason, many retro shooters are themed around space combat: maybe it’s because of a sense of grandiose exploration, perhaps being able to fly quickly in an unlimited space seems exhilarating, or it could just be that stars are really pretty to look at. Aliens have invaded planets, you guide a destined ship meant to save the universe, impossible odds, and so on. But despite the continued reliance on this type of adventure, developers manage to introduce unique atmospheres, ship designs, gameplay mechanics, and even camera styles to help vary things up. Galaxy Force II shows an early attempt to expand rail shooters into 3D, and it experiments with a timer-based health system, indoor and outdoor environmental transitions, and a behind-ship perspective. Despite being fun and creative, however, the game also suffers from some system limitations. Read More
Retro Platforms: Arcade, FM-7, MSX, NEC PC-8001, Sega Genesis, Sega SG-1000, Sharp X1
Platform Reviewed: Sega Genesis
Many people seem to know about Sonic the Hedgehog, the side-scrolling franchise that features everyone’s favorite anatomically incorrect hedgehog. Less discussed, however, are the little birdies who this apparently two-legged mammal rescues from the mechanical innards of bizarrely shaped robots; most of them being known as Flickies, these winged beasts may be critters of distress in the Sonic the Hedgehog series, but one of them actually starred in an arcade game before the fastest thing alive was even a concept. Tasking the player with rescuing a bunch of chicks from a mall-like area, all whilst avoiding vicious cats and pesky iguanas, Flicky has some intriguing gameplay mechanics, but the game isn’t without its ups and downs. Read More
Retro Platforms: PlayStation
Platform Reviewed: PlayStation
Games based on film franchises tend to have an average quality at best, but sometimes a pleasant surprise arrives in the form of racing dinosaurs. Even with source material like The Land Before Time, there’s always the potential for a group of game designers and programmers to think of ideal ways to convert cinematic source material into fun and interactive forms of entertainment. The film series, if you’re unfamiliar with it, was first introduced with directing by famous animator Don Bluth, and the first entry received over twelve additional sequels. Early entries in the franchise explored some serious themes like famine, family loss, interspecies hostility, and friendship amongst other topics; however, there are plenty of generally upbeat moments in this series too, and today’s game review focuses on fast-paced racing! So… how does this work?
Retro Platforms: ColecoVision, Famicom, MSX
Platform Reviewed: MSX
Stressed out from work demands in real life? Searching for a wacky and cheerful game to help you temporarily escape from reality? Well, never fear, because Antarctic Adventure is here! Initially released by Konami for the MSX computer in Europe and Japan, this is a simple racing-like title that features an adorable penguin named Penta, a character who would later become a recurring mascot in the Parodius shoot ‘em up games. With running speeds that mathematically surpass even the world’s fastest hedgehog, Penta’s mission is to race the clock to reach various research stations located around the South Pole, and the game challenges you to complete as many levels as possible. The graphics are cute, the gameplay’s fast-paced, and the overall experience is a fairly relaxing one. It’s not without its faults though, but let’s examine the components of this strange tale, shall we?