Shadowgate

PRICE = $5-10

PLAYERS = 1

' A hidden key unlocks an ancient castle's door. As it creaks open on rusted hinges, the whisper of a dank, stale wind delivers this chilling warning; Danger awaits you. Yet within these dark and ominous walls lies your quest. Welcome to Castle Shadowgate.

Your destiny as the last of a great line of hero-kings, is to terminate the diabolical Warlock Lord before his dreaded black magic unleashes the hideous Behemoth and destroys the world.

With a strong heart and shining armor, you carefully choose your path of travel throughout the castle's sinister grounds. Along the way, you'll discover strange and wondrous objects. Some things may be useful on your journey. Others may be deadly to the touch.

Three-dimensional images, unsurpassed graphics and special sound effects unfold as you venture through those grave ruins. But beware!

Your next move could be your last

Using screens and graphics like those in the best interactive PC games, Shadowgate is the most challenging, participatory adventure you've ever experienced on the Nintendo Entertainment system!

Shadowgate. Enter if you dare.'

HOW DOES THE GAME LIVE UP TO IT'S EXPLANATION/BOX ART? (4/10)

Well the cover of the game does do a little attention grabbing but has nothing to do with the game at all. I don't even think there was a gargoyle in the game for that matter. So the cover gets a big fat 0.

The back of the box does explain the game pretty well. It is a point and click game like those that were on the PC all those years ago. The only thing I know that wasn't the exciting is the part where it exclaims the graphics as unsurpassed. I had this game as a child and though I did enjoy the game, the graphics are far from amazing. If you've played a point and click game the screen you are playing on has very limited movement if any at all.

HOW IS THE GAME PLAY? (6/10)

This plays exactly like all the old point and click games for the N.E.S. system. But, the company that released this game was pretty much the only company that released games like this for home console.

The problem with the game is some of the controls are kinda wonky. You'll be trying to select a certain thing on the screen like. USE - whatever item - and you'll use the wrong thing and waste something that is important to the quest and not be able to defeat the game. There are several items that can end your quest in it's tracks and you would never know until you looked up a cheat FAQ off a site and realize that you are stuck forever and have to start over.

HOW DOES THE GAME LIVE UP TO IT'S GENRE? (10/10)

There isn't too much to really say here. It plays exactly like a point and click 8 bit console release in perfection. The only problems with is what i mentioned in game play.

THE 'GAME OVER' ALL? (67%)

Though this game received a high D on a rating score, it is still a fun play if you are more of the sit back and relax style gamer. There isn't any jumping or attacking. It's just figuring out how to get to the next room with what goods you have in your stock pile of stuff.

I really enjoy this game but on the points out of 30, unfortunately the box art ran shadowgate's score way down.

arbitrary credit for gore and nudity = .03

(for some text based death scenes)

-Felix "the Brett" Prescott

Legacy Of The Wizard

PRICE = $1-5

PLAYERS = 1

' Long, long ago, an evil dragon terrorized the forest until it was imprisoned by a powerful wizard. Now, years later, the dragon has revived and it's up to you to use the power of the wizard's descendants, the draslefamily, defeat the dragon once again.

The whole family takes part in this action adventureas the parents, children, and even the family pet search huge dungeons for gold, keys, magic, hidden crowns and finally the magical sword that can destroy the dragon.

Can you recover the four crowns that will prove you worthy to wield the magical jeweled sword?'

HOW DOES THE GAME LIVE UP TO IT'S EXPLANATION/BOX ART? (8/10)

The cover of this box instantly makes you think RPG, and the back of the box explains the game perfectly so you know what your role will be, but it doesn't really tell you how the game play will be.

After placing the game in the system and selecting a person of the household, I'm tossed instantly into an action platformer. I love action platformers, so i'm already thrilled with this purchase.

I couldn't really tell what the game was going to be like from the box at all. But the explanation and box art are dead on.

HOW IS THE GAME PLAY? (8/10)

This game is an rpg action platformer that you can select one of five family members, which each have their own abilities. (Pet isn't hurt by enemies other than bosses, the daughter can jump high, the mother, father, and son can use certain equip items no one else can) This game plays really well. Some of the baddies have some crazy attack patterns, but it's on the n.e.s. so that's expected.

The game has four different categories to pay A LOT of attention to. One is obviously your health meter, the second is your magic meter (which does deplete and is your only form of attacking), third is the key meter (which is how many keys you have, which you use a lot in this game), and the last is your gold meter (so you can buy things or stay at an inn to replenish health/magic. You will use these things a lot).

The annoying factor of this game is you run out of magic a lot, so you have to go to inns constantly. Enemies do drop items that replenish these things, but it's never enough to comply. It's a huge trial and error game, because since only certain family members can do certain things you have to constantly try and try again. If you die like all nes games you end up back at the beginning and have to go all the way back to where you were. But, if you are determined like i am, it will just reinforce your personal will to continue.

HOW DOES THE GAME LIVE UP TO IT'S GENRE? (10/10)

It's a great platformer in comparison to most, and it adds in RPG elements that make the game have a lot more atmosphere. I had a great time playing this and trying to figure out the best ways to do things. And believe me it takes a long time to figure out where everything is, find the stuff without purchasing it, and finding out who best uses items. Because everyone uses different secondary items.

This game is probably one of the longest platformers i have ever played in my life, but i feel quite rewarded after beating it. This was a tough play and adds to my stockpile of beaten games.

THE 'GAME OVER' ALL? (87%)

This game has a great midi file soundtrack, great game play, and had such a huge map to explore that I enjoyed every bit of it. The small annoyances of having to get magic and keys all the time aren't too bad after you get farther into the game. But do note, that if you unlock one of the door blocks and leave the screen it does come back, so always have enough keys on hand to get where you are going.

arbitrary credit for gore and nudity = 0

-Felix "the Brett" Prescott

Mendel Palace

Price = About 3-5 bucks.

Players = 1-2 with co-op play

'The player's character must save his girlfriend, who was kidnapped by a young girl. The backstory differs slightly between the Japanese and American versions, although the in-game presentation is the same regardless. In the American version, the player's character is named Bon-Bon and the girl he must rescue is a Princess named Candy, who is trapped in her own dream. In the Japanese version, the main character is named Carton and the girl he must rescue is merely his own girlfriend, Jenny, who has been kidnapped by Carton's younger sister Quinty (the titular character in the Japanese version).' -taken from wikipedia

HOW DOES THE GAME LIVE UP TO IT'S EXPLANATION/BOX ART? (8/10)

At the first glance of the cover of this game I really wouldn't know what to think, so i'll turn it over and read the back. It's the normal storyline. Boy has to save girl blah blah blah. That was pretty much every single game ever released. So it has the normal style of game play. Let's take it home and play this weird looking game.

Well after pressing start and by passing the opening screen I'm tossed to an overview map to select my area in which to start. (Level select) Sweet, I like having a choice in where I get to start and get my ass kicked by the game. Well now I'm confused that this game is actually a puzzle style game where you flip the floor to kill the baddies. That explains the weird screen shots on the back. I'm digging this.

HOW IS THE GAME PLAY? (9/10)

The point of the game is to flip the tiles on the floor to knock the baddies into the walls causing them to explode in Mega Man death scene fashion. Underneath some of the cards/tiles are power ups that make an entire row flip over or a happy Sun that flips them all and you instantly win. It plays perfectly other than every so often the cards don't flip when you press the button. Which could be a player flaw and not a game flaw (insert text smiley winkyface). This game is honestly just as confusing as the box art and the enemies are indeed the characters on the box. Each one of them has their own strange fighting mechanism to knock you into the wall and kill you. Which if they hit you and you don't hit the wall you still die. (so you know)

HOW DOES THE GAME LIVE UP TO IT'S GENRE? (10/10)

I didn't know I was buying a puzzle game at the time. But, I was aware that Hudson* does release a lot of strange puzzle/platformer related games, so i wasn't surprised. If you enjoy puzzle games as much as I do, you will love this game. It's not your normal style puzzle game like Tetris, Dr. Mario, or Yoshi's Cookie, but is a lot of fun.

THE 'GAME OVER' ALL? (90%)

Mendel Palace sits on it's own throne for a strange puzzle release title. But, I had a blast playing this game. It's simple, straight forward, and the enemies are as japanese as all get out. If you like goofy games with puzzle style play definitely give this one a try.

arbitrary credit for gore and nudity = .02 bonus points

(for sumo tits and bald trannies in ballerina costumes)

-Felix "the Brett" Prescott

DEADLY TOWERS

Price - about 3 dollars

Players - 1

'On the moonlit eve of his coronation ceremony, pensive Prince Myer sits at the lakeside to ponder the future of the kingdom. Suddenly, a shadowy Kami called Khan rises from the lake and coalesces into the form of a man. Although he doesn't identify himself, the figure greets Prince Myer by name, and informs him that the wizard, Rubas, the "Devil of Darkness", is preparing to overtake Willner Kingdom by using seven magic bells capable of summoning an army of monsters.

To ensure peace, Khan says, Prince Myer must travel to the northern mountain to burn the Seven Bells in the sacred flame, burn down the seven bell towers in Rubas' magic palace, and, ultimately, defeat Rubas himself.'

HOW DOES THE GAME LIVE UP TO IT'S EXPLANATION/BOX ART? (5/10)

This game looks sweet, and this guy looks like a bad ass from the depths of Robert E. Howard's brain. Let's flip it over and read the back. Sounds like a pretty cool game other than these magic bells or whatever, but hey let's get this.

Well after the first five minutes of play... I have no idea what I'm doing, and the only thing that lives up to the cover art is the helmet, sorta, and the sword. This guy doesn't look anything like the Bad ass on the cover, and the game so far has nothing to do with the plot line, i think, other than the bell collecting from Bosses..

HOW IS THE GAME PLAY? (2/10)

Well this game, though looked awesome from the box art, plays like a really bad zelda rip off. Now, my main problem with the game isn't it's ungodly difficult everything, it's that every time you get hit by a monster/baddie you bounce like a quarter of the screen. Which wouldn't be a problem if it didn't constantly make you fly off the first tower you are on and die. (Dieing causes you to lose any of the money you've accumulated back to 50 and if you bought anything it's gone, unless you equipped it)

The second problem is that instead of using your sword, you throw one from your constant supply of swords. Now that doesn't sound to bad at thought, but you can only throw one at a time. And, maybe that doesn't sound too bad either, other than every single enemy in this game takes about 5-300 hits to kill. Everything, even the blue blob that just moves up and down on the screen in front of you.

The third part wrong with the game is that you are so bombarded with normal villains that you die constantly. You only start with 100 HP, but everything hits you with the power of a boss, so you are constantly getting killed. Even though every time you have game over, which is just about every 3 to 5 minutes when you first start playing, there are Heart items randomly around the game that up your HP by 10. These do respawn after you die. So you can get some health up pretty quickly... not that it really helps.

HOW DOES THE GAME LIVE UP TO IT'S GENRE? (4/10)

It's one of the better Zelda style top down games. The controls are a little wonky at start, but the game forces you to get used to them with how hard it is. Which again, wouldn't be so hard if things actually died when you hit them a couple times. AND--- if at the beginning of the game you didn't get bumped off the castle tower and die constantly. But, the gamer shouldn't be forced to learn how control something by getting the shit kicked out of him or her while trying to have fun. AND- you get stuck on walls constantly and get gang banged by enemies if you didn't stand back and kill them all before progressing.

THE 'GAME OVER' ALL? (37%)

Now the way that I rate things, some stuff will get a decent score over all, this game obviously didn't. I would say if you want to play a game that is so evilly hard that it makes you want to beat your fists into the mattress or couch cushions, so you don't have to replace all the holes in your walls, by all means go pick this game up. It is one of the cheaper games on the system. I think I paid like two of three dollars for it, which oddly enough is the rating this game is getting. There are a lot of really bad games on the nintendo system (as well as every other), and I don't classify this game as bad, it's just so frustratingly hard that it makes you want to break your nintendo instead of hug it.

arbitrary credit for gore and nudity = 0 bonus points

-Felix "the Brett" Prescott