Yoshi's Cookie (Game Boy)

The Game Boy really was a puzzle game heaven in the early 1990's. Whether you were old or young at least one puzzle game appealed to you...sadly however for every Mole Mania you had a Hatris and for every game that made you think and act on your toes you had one that put you to sleep. Yoshis' Cookie, featuring both Yoshi and Mario sadly falls into the second category.

The game, in the screen shots, may look like a typical falling block game (think Tetris) though it's not your normal falling block game. Rather than maneuvering falling blocks your maneuver the blocks on the bottom of the screen with an arrow type system that allows you to scroll a single line either vertically or horizontally. You need to make a single line all with the same style of cookie to delete them from the screen.

Although the game seems to merge both Tetris and Rubix cube it sadly lacks the challenge of a Rubix Cube and it lacks the charm and addictiveness of Tetris. What you are left with is a slow puzzle game that seems to be based solely at children who need a lot of time to think of their next move. Whilst I'm sure the game does eventually get hard it gets there so slowly that it's hard to keep yourself interested and find the challenge. It's game play at times seems almost sleep inducing rather than challenging and as a result it's hard to really enjoy.

Despite the game featuring Mario and a nice cheerful tune the game just feels a bit like a flop, a rarity for a Bullet-Proof Software. If you want a puzzle game that you can let your 6 year old play this is acceptable enough (even though it's in monochrome) though if you want to challenge yourself avoid it.


55%

Details:
Console-Game Boy
Release-1993
Developer-Bullet-Proof Software, Inc.
Genre-Puzzle
Players-1 or 2 (Link Cable Required)

Trivia:
A version of this was released on the SNES with much better graphics and much more to the game.

Hatris

We've all heard of "Tetris" the video game that really helped the Game Boy become the dominant handheld of the 1990's (and late 1980's) though what few know is that the game had a spiritual successor of sorts in Hatris. Created by Alexey Pajitnov (the man behind Tetris) Hatris was released on the Game Boy at the start of the 1990's and tried to replicate the success of Tetris with a similar sort of concept.

As the name suggests this game features hats, lots and lots of hats. The players job is simple, they need to stack the hats as they fall from the top of the screen into piles to remove them (as opposed to making a solid line across the screen like in Tetris.

Hats fall in sets of 2 and come in a variety of styles (such as novelty Christmas hats, top hats, caps and Mexican hats) with each stacking in their own way. The player needs to place 5 hats of the same type on top of each other to remove them from the screen as the game slowly gets quicker and more complex. After the player stacks a set amount of hats they will go to the "shop" and get to add another type of hat which further complicates matters and makes the stacking more and more difficult.

Whilst the game may seem a lot like a Tetris based game it's more complex and adds several new ideas, including a flame (which can burn through some hats) and the shop function, sadly however it over complicates it's self and lacks the magic of Tetris. Whilst it's certainly different it's impossible not to compare the two and when you do, this seems to lack the charm and heart of Tetris.

68%

Details:
Console-Game Boy, NES, Arcade, TurboGrafx-16
Release-1990 (Game Boy)
Developer-Bullet-Proof Software, Inc.

Genre-Puzzle
Players-1 or 2 (Link Cable Required)

Trivia:
The arcade version of Hatris features heads at the bottom of the screen include one that looks like Elvis.

Mr Driller (Game Boy Colour)

 In 1999 Arcade legends Namco brought out Mr Driller for the arcade and it was soon ported to a number of home systems (including the Playstation, Wonderswan Colour, PC, Dreamcast and Game Boy Colour). Sadly however it seems the Game Boy Colour, due to it's limitations got a very limited game compared to it's brothers and sisters.

The game (in all it's forms) is simple, you need to dig a hole though a bunch of coloured blocks to try either try to get to a set depth (25,000 ft or 50,000 ft) or get as deep as you can (Survival mode). All three game methods play identically though as the player digs through the blocks and collects are capsules. The player needs to avoid running out of air and prevent themselves from being

 squished beneath falling blocks whilst digging to the target. The blocks can be stuck together (if you connect 3 of the same colour) or can be made to disappear if the player connects 4 or more (giving the game some technique).

Whilst the game is simple and rather limited in all honesty it does have some odd addictive quality to it that it probably shouldn't actually have. The game has nothing that blows you away, it has nothing that makes you think wow, yet you find yourself coming back just for a quick game that then becomes 3 or 4 games. Maybe that's the games secret, be simply but addictive, it'd explain the arcade success I guess.

Despite being a game that can you hook you for a good half hour you do finally ask yourself what you're doing playing it so much and you can't actually explain it. It's not something that really stands out just relatively addictive. It's a bit of a weird one that made the most of the Game Boy Colour's colour but didn't really do anything outstanding. Probably worth a purchase if you can find it cheaply but don't make a conscious effort to hunt it down.

73%

Console-Game Boy Colour (version reviewed), PC, Arcade, Dreamcast, Playstation, Mobile Phone, Wonderswan
Release-1999
Developer-Namco
Genre-Puzzle
Players-1

Trivia:
The game has had a number of sequels which have added to the original game and helped develop a fuller game from the same basic idea
The game was originally going to be part of the Dig Dug series until re-inventing it's self as Mr Driller.

Mole Mania

If you see a hardcore gamer and mention the name "Shigeru Miyamoto" you'll make them think of Mario, Donkey Kong, the Zelda series and Pikmin, though one of his most forgotten works was the excellent and charming Mole Mania. The god of video games designed this excellent Game Boy puzzler back in the mid 1990's and you can see his touches of genius through out the game.

You control a mole (named Muddy Mole) who needs to rescue his family from an evil farmer called Jinbe by completing a number of puzzles. The player can walk up, down, left or right, as well pushing, pulling and throwing various items and digging underground to defeat enemies and get around obstacles and clear the stage. Each stage is cleared when the player places a big black ball on the gate at the end, though this is often easier said than done as digging in the wrong place may see you needing to start the puzzle again.

Although on the basis of it all the game seems simple it becomes really challenging and you need to think about what your doing before you start the screen. For a game that looks quite cute it become a real case of planning before you start digging random holes in the level...and later on it becomes ridiculously complex and mind boggling as you get more and more obstacles thrown your way. Oddly despite the fact you'll find yourself thinking an awful lot you'll soon find yourself addicted to the game and wasting hours away trying to complete it.

Whilst the gameplay is excellent and the puzzles are wonderful the game also features bright and exciting music that adds to the games charm and sounds incredible for a Game Boy game. Though perhaps this points us to the games biggest issue, it's a Game Boy game. It wasn't given the DX treatment or even the "Advance" treatment of some other games and as a result it's lacking in any real colour  which some players will find off putting. If however you can ignore the dated looks you will find your self falling in love with yet another Miyamoto creation. It's a game that oozes charm, has wonderful gameplay and lots to explore as well as testing your brain, what more could you ask for?

88%

Console-Game Boy
Release-1996 (Japan), 1997 (US, EU)
Developer-Nintendo and Pax Softnica
Genre-Puzzle
Players-1

Trivia:
The game was known as Mogura~Nya in Japan
The game was directed by Masayuki Kameyama, the man behind Donkey Kong '94 which shares a number of similar gameplay ideas with Mole Mania.

Mario's Picross

Puzzle games have become a somewhat forgotten genre in the current video game market which is filled with sports titles, FPS' and driving games. It's a shame that if you ask a teenage what puzzle games they can think of they often reply with "Tetris, that's the only one I can think of" (my own well educated gaming sister). With the original Game Boy however puzzle games were a norm, not only with Tetris but a host of others. One of the most interesting of those games was "Mario Picross", a game that brought Picross to the video game console and managed to make the Game Boy another time waster.

The idea of Mario Picross is rather similar in someways to Minesweeper in that the player is given onscreen clues and needs to select certain boxes that correspond to the clues. If the player uses the clues well and completes the puzzle they will have drawn a picture which will be shown to the player afterwards.

Although the concept seems rather simple and monotonous it's actually incredibly challenging (especially the later levels) and oddly addictive. Whilst the pictures may not be anything great the game is genuinely enjoyable and has the same sort of charm as Sudoku, in fact in many ways it feels like the love child of Minesweeper and Sudoku.

With well over 200 levels to complete (including a hidden Time Trial mode) the game has genuine longevity that will take even the most devout of puzzle gamers a long time. While the main game is huge the Time Trial adds even more replay value to the game which really gives it a huge lifespan.

Whilst the game is huge it does have it's issues, most notably some god awful music (seriously I decided to mute it pretty swiftly as it was that awful) and a lack of commercial success outside of Japan. Oddly, despite carrying the Mario name the games sales in the US and EU were disappointing (despite the game doing very well in Japan). The game is genuinely a really good puzzle game that sadly, it seems, only Japan ever really enjoyed. Despite this I loved it and think it's a great addition to anyone's Game Boy Library.

86%

Details:
Console-Game Boy
Release-1995
Developer-Jupiter
Genre-Puzzle
Players-1

Trivia:
A sequel was released (Picross 2) in Japan that featured puzzles which were much larger than the 15x15 tiled puzzles found in Mario Picross
Another sequel was released, again just in Japan, called Mario's Super Picross and was released for the Super Famicom

Dr Mario

While Nintendo had Tetris as their lead puzzle game you could have assume they would rely on their laurels, surprisingly however they actually complimented Tetris with a number of other top puzzle games including Dr. Mario. The game which has been released on the NES, SNES, Game Boy, Game Boy Advance and most recently the Virtual Console which has helped it to have an enduring fan base.

Like most puzzle games of the time the player needs to manipulate falling blocks, this time however the blocks act as "capsules" and are 2-toned. The capsules need to be used carefully to get rid of the virus' that are shown on screen. Like a number of games of the time this is done by matching the coloured segments of the capsules to the corresponding virus'. Each virus needs to be put in a line
with 3 matching capsule segments to get rid of it and the player needs to do this before the stage (a "capsule box" type of design) become full.

As the player progresses through the levels they will notice a growing number of virus' making the game more difficult and also the pills will fall quicker. It's not long before the game becomes incredibly challenging and the game starts to rush you causing your mind to panic and oddly, for such a simple game, it gets your blood pumping.

Whilst the game doesn't look amazing and the music won't blast you away (mainly due to it now sounding aged) you will find this is a solid puzzle game in it's own right. It's not got the magic feeling of Tetris or quite the same addictiveness but it's a solid and challenging game that you can burn time with and enjoy. Though perhaps the best part of the game is the excellent multiplayer mode which sees the two players competing with each other. Whilst it may seem like a little bonus the multiplayer really brings even more life into an excellent and deep puzzler.

86%

Details:
Console-SNES/NES/Game Boy/Game Boy Advance
Release-1990 (NES version)
Developer-Nintendo
Genre-Puzzle
Players-1 or 2

Trivia:
An N64 version was released on the obscure iQue in China in 2003
Dr Mario was a hidden character in Super Smash Bros. Melee on the Gamecube

Barbie Super Model

Sometimes when reviewing these old games I have to ask myself 2 questions, 1-"Why?" and 2-"What am I doing with my life?" They have never been asked as much as when I was playing Barbie Super Model a game that has you continually wondering why you even bother with these sorts of games.

The first thing you notice is the pink overload, the game almost seems like someone has used pink paint brush and tried to use it as much as they can to create the games "look". Though rather funnily the pink is the least the games problems, in fact it's just one of many.
 The player controls Barbie who starts the game in a convertible (see above) and needs to get from the start of the level to the end of it to practice her catwalk routine. Then the player needs to guide Barbie back to the start of the level. You can make barbie go up, down slow down or speed up to avoid crashing into other cars though in the end of it it's simple, dull and boring.



Along the way you can run into a gift box or a camera and play one of the games two mini games. These games involve matching Barbie's clothes to that of a magazine cover, effectively a glorified memory game that involves the player looking at Barbie in a swimsuit (yeah it's as sexy as looking at a dead turkey).

After you get back to the start of the level you do a catwalk section needing to repeat the routine you practiced in the middle of the level. After completing this you need to do the entire thing again...this time on roller skates at the beach. It's much the same as the opening car section of the game except the obstacles have changed to include people and beach balls. Again you need to get to the end of the level to do a practice routine then make your way to the start of the 

level to put your practice into action. This same level pattern is repeated between the games final 2 levels (in which Barbie walks through a ski resort and cycles through a park).

 Whilst the game's "levels" are rather pathetic and monotonously slow they also feature frustrating items like snowballs being thrown at the player for what appears to be no reason. If the player is struck they lose a life (which is indicated in the top left of the screen) and losing all the life will see them given a Game over screen.

Sadly as well as having the fun of Christmas in Cromwell's era and enough pink and purple to make your eyes bleed the music and sound effects sound as if they were designed to give you headaches. Whilst we don't expect CD quality sounds in a SNES or Mega Drive game we don't expect to have our ears assaulted by bleeps, blips and blops that sound like our speakers are damaged.

The game has very little in case of redeeming factors and really is a nightmare of a game that is best off ignored unless your a 5 year old girl who thinks that Barbie is the perfect role model.

14%

Details:
Console-SNES/Mega Drive
Release-1992
Developer-Tahoe Software Productions
Genre-Action
Players-1 or 2

Trivia:
Their is a ROM of the unreleased Game Gear version going around

Streets of Rage (Mega Drive)

Having recently reviewed both the Game Gear Streets of Rage and the Master System Streets of Rage it seems only fitting to review the original Mega Drive version of the game, and by far the most enjoyable.

Released in 1991 the Mega Drive version was the only 16-bit version of the legendary beat 'em up and is by far the most complete version of the game. When comparing this to it's siblings you notice that they both look uglier, sound somewhat weak in comparison and have a number limitations (which effect the balance of the game). As a result this is the version of the game that everyone SHOULD make sure they player (though I do advise playing the Master System version as well).

As with the other version of the games the player can select which character they wish to play as (Adam is absent form the Game Gear version) with each of them having slightly different stats. Each of the characters have the same controls and similar moves as each other allowing them attack, throw combo's and throw enemies around the screen. Although they all have the same controls their moves do differ slightly and are stylised to their stats, for example Axel has the worst jump attack whilst Blaze has the quickest attacks and Adam's are the slowest.

The games backstory is the same as the other two versions of the game. An evil crime syndicate is running the city and needs to be taken out, only the three playable characters (and a single back up cop) are willing to try and take down the organisation. Although the story is somewhat weak compared to what we get now it's the right sort of background for the type of game it is. With out being rude it's a very basic and straight forward beat 'em up with the characters moving from left to right across the levels. Despite the simplicity it's also one of the most out and out fun beat 'em ups both as a 1 player game or as a 2-player co-op game. It's good looking, it's got amazing music

and more impressive is the fact the game is challenging with out being too tough. In terms of raw difficulty this is the most balanced of the 3 games as it manages to have enough enemies on screen at once to be tough (as opposed to the Master System which could only cope with 2) with out being frustrating like the Game Gear version (which took out the "knee" attack).


Although the game isn't the definitive beat 'em up, or in fact even the best Streets of Rage game out there it put down the marker for the series, it lay the foundations for the brilliant follow up which improved the game in pretty every way one could hope for. Although it's not Streets of Rage II it's still an exceptional game that even 20 years after it's release holds it's own and can easily hold your attention.

89%

Details:
Console-Mega Drive
Release-1991
Developer-Sega
Genre-Beat em up
Players-1 or 2

Trivia:
The game was sold one the Mega Games II cartridge (along with Golden Axe and Revenge Of Shinobi) which was later a pack in game much like Tetris had been for the Game Boy and Sonic had been for the Mega Drive early in the Mega Drive's life.
The Mega Drive version is the only one with 2 separate endings with a "good" and "bad" ending to the game.

Aladdin (Mega Drive)

In recent years games based on movies have generally been turgid affairs where it's been an obvious cash in, however that's not always been the case. In the early 1990's a number of licenses were taken into the video gaming world and turned into exceptional games and one of the very best was "Aladdin". Whilst this is a review for the Mega Drive version there were other versions available each of which was different to each other (the SNES and Mega Drive games are hugely different but both are excellent).

 In the game the player controls Aladdin who is armed with apples and a sword. You need to use those weapons to defeat enemies as you go through some of the most amazingly crafted levels of any 2D. The levels combine themes of the movie with wonderful gameplay whilst featuring all memorable locations as you attempt to dethrone the evil Jafar.

Where the game really stands out are the amazing graphics that use cel shading to provide a glorious background. The game also uses some of the most fluid animation for the characters and was worked on by Disney animators. This leads to the game having one of the most visually impressive displays on the Mega Drive. This is aided by some wonderful music that again seems amazing for the time and really did stand out on the Mega Drive.

As well as being a smooth game that plays wonderfully, has amazing graphics and amazing sound the game also has moments of brilliant humour and fan service. If you look at the image above you can see an enemy with his pants on show whilst the image on the left show some "Mickey Mouse ears" on the washing line.Whilst these are just extra little bonuses they do bring a little more to the game and help show off the Disney charm.

Although the main gain isn't that long (2-3 hours) you will find yourself coming back and trying to find some of the little secrets that are in the game and this again falls back on the games charm. Although I won't say it's the best platformer on the console it's certainly one of the most fun and one of the very best presented games of the era. It's also one of the greatest games based on the movie so well done the folks at Virgin for not just cashing in.

90%

Details:
Console-Sega Mega Drive (other versions are available, but differ from the Mega Drive version)
Release-1993
Developer-Virgin Interactive
Genre-2D Platformer
Players-1

Trivia:
A number of the developers of the game would later form Shiny Entertainment who created the equally wonder Earthworm Jim games.
Virgin Interactive would also be responsible for "The Lion King" and "The Jungle Book", both highly acclaimed Mega Drive titles based on animated movies.

Pitfall

Kids today may turn away in disgust at these screenshots but back in 1982 Pitfall pushed the Atari 2600 to very extreme and helped to change the face of home gaming. With over 4,000,000 units sold and a number of sequels pumped out over the following 30 years it's fair to say this was one of the most revolutionary games in history.

The game controls a very simple character (Pitfall Harry) as he goes through the jungle searching for a number of treasure. In the players way are a number of obstacles including snakes, burning logs, sandpits and crocodiles (amongst others). The player can move left or right, they can jump and they can go down the ladders to enter a tunnel (which helps the player get around some obstacles) and they can swing on vines to get over sandpits.

On the whole it does seem really simple yet the game is still as fun and addictive as it was back in the day. The problem is that Pitfall does look like a game from the 1980's and it also sounds like a game from the 1980's. The colours are limited, the graphics are primitive and the sounds are horrifically digitized. Whilst some older gamers may see this as a sign of the games charm it's honestly a bit like looking at a beauty queen from the 60's as she looks today all withered, wrinkly and rather saggy. And whilst looks aren't "everything" they do mean something to the modern day gamer who wants realism and the chance to see real time reflections in water.

If we can see past the graphics and the sound and remember this is a game that has just turned 29 years old (back in September) then we can actually appreciate it for what it is. It's a game that helped further the platforming genre, it helped make Atari the dominant company in the early 1980's and it helped home gaming become what it is today.

Whilst it may look uninspired now, at the time it helped revolutionize gaming. It's with this in mind that we've decided not to give the game a score as such but put it safely in our new "History Vault" section as a "Certified Classic".

Details:
Console-Atari 2600 (ported to almost every console of the 1980's and early 1990's and also Windows Live Phone in 2011)
Release-1982
Developer-Activision
Genre-2D Platformer
Players-1

Trivia:
The advert (which can be seen below) features Jack Black (of Tenacious D fame)

Streets of Rage (Master System)

 Having recently reviewed the Sega Game Gear version of the first "Streets of Rage" game it only made sense to review Sega Master System version (and the Sega Mega Drive version). Like the other versions of the game this is a side scrolling beat 'em up where the player controls a character and attempts to battle through the game to defeat "Mr X" the leader of a crime syndicate which has been take over the city.

The first thing you may notice (especially if you have played the game gear version of the game) is that Adam is back (he was featured in the Mega Drive version but absent from the significantly shortened Game Gear cartridge). Though the characters do lack a stats screen it is nice to see Adam. Though this may seem like a little thing it is the first (of many) signs that the game is more complete port of the Mega Drive game.

As well as a returning Adam you also get the whole 8 levels of the Mega Drive game (rather than just 5) as well as the regular Cop back up special (that was completely altered for the Game Gear) and more importantly the "knee" animation has returned (thank god).

Despite being a much more accurate port the game does however have enough difference to make it a fun game for the Streets of Rage enthusiast, especially on level 6 where new traps are used as well as a totally new boss (see the bottom picture). In fact the game has a number of changes from original game due to the power of the Master System when compared to the Mega Drive. These include the way the player uses the Special cop back up (now needing to pause the game) which was changed to accommodate the fact the Master System controls only featured 2 buttons. Though the most noticeable "change" are the graphics which has been scaled back due to the processing power of the Master System. The game also seems to have been made somewhat easier due to the fact their was only ever 2 enemies on screen at any one time (at least on "normal") meaning the player can tactically defeat them before the next enemies appear.

Whilst the game is a pretty true port of the original game it does strike me as being not only the "ugly sister" of the family but also the easiest (as mentioned above, the 2 enemies on screen issue really does make the game "easy"). In fact the always troublesome "Mona and Lisa" enemies were actually really simple in the game. Thankfully however the return of Adam, the Cops, the extra levels and the knee animation really do help complete this game and bring back a lot of the Streets of Rage love we all have inside us.

If you're a Streets of Rage fan this is certainly worth adding to your collection just for a chance to play through the game again, if you're a beat em up fan it's worth a play and in fact if you're just a video game fan it's worth a go despite looking garish in places.

78%

Details:
Console-Sega Master System
Release-1993
Developer-Sega
Genre-Beat Em Up
Players-1 (as far as I'm aware)

Trivia:
The games title screen will say "Press start" oddly pressing start will do nothing and you actually need to press "2"

Streets of Rage (Game Gear)

The "Streets of Rage" series is one of the seminal Mega Drive series though it also spawned ports for the Sega Master System and the Sega Game Gear. In fact the first 2 games of the series were both ported to the Master System and Game Gear. It's the Game Gear version that is by far the most different from the original Mega Drive game.

Streets of Rage, like Golden Axe (and many other games of the era) was a side scrolling beat 'em up where the players had to get from A to B beating up punks along the way. Each of the levels featured a boss and by beating the boss the player could progress to the next level. The series was well known for a fine balance of difficulty, a good selection of enemies, weapons and levels which helped it to create a huge fans base, but how does this Game Gear version really do?

The first, rather noticeable difference between the Mega Drive version and this version is at the character selection screen. On the Mega Drive you had 3 available players (Adam Hunter, Axel Stone and Blaze Fielding) for the Game Gear version however Adam has been dropped (mainly due to the size of the Game Gear cartridges). You will also notice that the "Specials" (a cop car that fires on the enemy) are heavily altered in this version of the game making it much tougher. Though the key gameplay difference (and by far the most noticeable) is the lack of a "knee" animation making front holds almost useless (this really makes the game more difficult).

Despite being a more difficult game than it's Mega Drive and Master System siblings it's a much shorter game with just 5 levels which are all altered (shortened) versions of levels from the other games (completely dropping level 2,3 and 7 from the original game). Whilst this "should" make the game easier the big issue is the lack of "kneeing" which takes a lot of the strategy out of the game and makes it a lot more frustrating than it needs to be.

Whilst graphically it is impressive for a Game Gear game it is also the weakest in terms of playability of any of the Streets of Rage games, which is perhaps the best way to think of it. Whilst is is somewhat true to the original it's certainly not up there with full console versions of the game and I think that is probably the key. If you are a hardcore Streets of Rage fan this is probably worth a play through but for everyone else you can give it a miss and just get the much better Mega Drive version.

67%

Details:
Console-Game Gear
Release-1992
Developer-Sega
Genre-Beat em up
Players-1 or 2


Trivia:
This is the only version of the game with a cheat menu (see the bottom picture) to access this you need to go to the options menu and select song "11" from the sound test. Press the 1 and 2 buttons together and you should get the options to select start stage (1-5) and turn off damage (making the player invincible to damage from enemies).

Sonic The Hedgehog

In 1991 the video game world would welcome one of the biggest names in video game history with the launch of "Sonic The Hedgehog". The game, released on the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis became one of the keys behind Sega's huge boom in the early 1990's and the success of the Mega Drive/Genesis.

Although Nintendo had well established Mario character Sega's mascot up to then was somewhat lacking, but with Sonic at the helm they had a bad-ass hedgehog to challenge the Plumber.

The game is a 2D platform game with emphasis mainly on speed with Sonic being able to run at blistering speeds as he charges through the games levels. In total the game has 19 proper levels (with 6 "Zones" broken into 3 "acts" as well as a Final Zone) and a number of "Special Zones" where Sonic attempts to get a chaos emerald. Through out the Zones sonic will come across a variety of obstacles, enemies and a boss created by "Dr Robotnik" (or Dr Eggman).

In the game Sonic gets to collect a number of power ups including a shield and temporary invincibility though the main collectable are the golden rings that litter the levels. If the player collects 100 rings in a level they will be given a new life though the rings have a second purpose, if the player gets hit with out any rings they will die (if they have rings they will be thrown about the screen allowing for Sonic to re-collect them).

As well as the fast paced gameplay the game also features some fabulous music which often has an uptempo feel to it and sound as good as the game plays.

Whilst it's hugely fun and rather expansive the game does have it's serious flaws, mainly the frustrating level design of some of the later levels, most notably the water levels. For example Scrap Brain Act 3 feels badly designed and it seems to have enemies appearing at the worst times as well as having air bubbles spaced too far apart.

The level select screen

Whilst the game is wonderfully well crafted on the whole it has too many flaws to be called the "King of Platforming" as some declare it to be. The game is relatively short (if you take out the frustration of Scrap Brain Act 3) and on the whole it's "simple". Whilst it's not the greatest 2D platform game, it is a game that set the platform for the follow up Sonic games (including the amazing Sonic The Hedgehog 2).

88%

Details:
Console-Mega Drive
Release-1991
Developer-Team Sonic
Genre-2D Platformer
Players-1

Trivia:
The game became the "Pack in title" for the Mega Drive/Genesis much like Tetris had been for the Game Boy
The "Banner and stars" title screen was also used by Sega in the "Alex Kidd" and "Wonder Boy" games.

Fatman

 When it comes to terrible terrible games few compete with "Fatman" (also known as "Slaughter Sport") on the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis. It's a game that almost makes "Pit Fighter" look like an enjoyable nights entertainment.

The game is a 2D fighting game (think Street Fight II or the early Mortal Kombat games) but one that really has very, very little going for it other than it's cult status as a broken and frustrating game. In fact it's awfulness is probably the only reason anyone even remembers the game.

 It's easy to make a bad game, but it's hard to make such a bad game that has no real redeeming factors. Firstly you are greeted by a big breasted man (see the screen shot) and a cross over of a mermaid and a mutated leopard. This should have said it all really, but then you get music that sounds like a computer being abused by a nerd who wants to test whether or not their Mac can feel pain. These would usually be signs that I should be turning a game off but yet worse was yet to come.


The in game graphics, whilst not terrible really don't do anything good for the game but what's worse are the controls and the lag which really make it unplayable. The game plays as if it's drunk and doesn't know what you're telling it to do, it acts as if taking a command is against it's code and it'll just do whatever it likes (which is generally nothing). Whilst your character is impossible to control the computer controlled character seems to never miss.

It's ugly, it gives you an earache and it feels like your fingers are worthless. When a game simply doesn't want to work there is little you can do but stick it in "The Hall of Shame" and hope others manage to avoid it.

11%

Details:
Console-Mega Drive
Release-1991
Developer-Atari
Genre-Fighting
Players-1or 2

Trivia-
It was previously released as Mondu's Fight Palace and Tongue of the Fatman

It's awful and it will make you want to kill yourself.

Pit Fighter

"The Hall Of Shame" was never meant to be a huge part of this website though with gaming abominations like Pit Fighter it's hard not see it growing rather quickly.

"Pit Fighter" was originally released in 1990 on Arcade machines though would later be ported to a wide number of home consoles including the Sega Mega Drive and the SNES (it's the SNES version we're reviewing here) and really stink up the living room.

The game, in all it's versions is a fighting game that seems to have taken ideas from "Fight Club" and thrown it in to a grinder with Mortal Kombat and then added a control method that seems to have been sent straight from hell.

 The player controls one of 3 characters (Buzz or Ty on the home console versions, whilst "Kato" was also playable in the arcade original). Despite the images and stuff looking "OK" on the character select screen, this is about the only time the game does anything other than stink out the joint.

Firstly the controls, or rather the attempt at controls. The problem is that the controls seem to have been set up by someone who has never played a video game and has decided not to try them for the game. They are dodgy, harsh and seem to respond randomly. This is added to the computer generated characters that never seem to miss and seem to be able to deck you swiftly and really hurt you. This combines to make the game as difficult to play as trying to cut your finger nails with a bread knife and almost as enjoyable.

Added to the extreme difficulty  and poor controls are turgid graphics that feel like they are trying to rape your eyes. It appears as if you are fighting in a Dojo though even that is hard to be sure of as it really just looks like a generic and dire design. Whilst the level design is poor the character models are wooden and horrific which makes you wonder just who thought any of it looked good.
Whilst you may wish to say "Oh but it is 20 years old" that's not really an excuse, I've seen older games that look better, play better and are over all a much more enjoyable experience than this half arsed attempt at a fighting game.

What Pit Fighter does do well however is make it completely obvious when you need to stop playing. After you get beaten you see a very clear image of "GAME OVER", thankfully after seeing this screen once or twice you'll agree and never play this wretched abortion ever again.

With fighting games like Street Fight II and Mortal Kombat II you have NO REASON to every subject yourself to this dreadful excuse for a game. If you collect dreadful games whack this on your list, if you play games for fun however stay away from this.

12%

Details:
Console-Arcade, Sega Mega Drive, SNES and a host of others
Release-1990 (Arcade)
Developer-Atari Games
Genre-Fighting
Players-1 or 2 on home consoles, 1-3 on the arcade

Trivia:
This is often referred to as the worst SNES game ever, and I happen to agree
The games animations were originally done on bluescreen, this was one of the first games to do things that way.