Kid Chameleon

 Now a days every other game seems to be a bland looking first person shooter (FPS) but back in the 1990's games were more often than not platformers. Of course the kings of platform were Mario (on the Nintendo systems) and Sonic (on the Sega systems) though this didn't stop other platformers from being incredibly good games such as this one, Kid Chameleon.



The back story of the game is pretty meaningless but you're effectively playing a game inside a game. The local arcade has a new virtual reality game, called "Wildside" which has been abducting it's players and you, as Kid Chameleon must defeat the game and save the kids who have been taken by the game. Despite having such a pointless story the game it's self is actually excellent.

Although platformers were the big thing of the 1990's Kid Chameleon differentiated it's self from most of the other platform games of the era in a number of ways. Firstly, unlike most platform games you're not stuck in a single form, in fact Kid Chameleon sees the player taking 10 different forms, each with their own power. These range from the Kid (a child in jeans) to an Iron Knight (who can climb vertical walls) to Hovercraft rider (who can ride on the roof of levels). It's these helmets that give the game not only extra depth but also different strategies. For example you may wish to keep the "Cyclone" helmet which can fly to get through some levels or you may which to keep the Maniaxe mask which allows you to throw axes at enemies from a distance.

As well as the number of different forms (and strategies) a player can use to get through the game the game also stands out from the rest of the platformers on it's sheer size. The game in total features over 100 levels, and whilst you won't have to visit them all you will have to visit a lot of them (unless you use a cheat). Whilst this makes the game very long it's also rather frustrating as the game features neither a password system nor a save feature (at least in it's original form). This generally means most players will never manage to complete the game despite a number of shortcuts in the game.

Despite being one of the toughest games ever to actually complete it's also a game that has so much wealth to it that it's actually impossible to hate. The various helmets add so much to the game that always feels so fresh and original even when you've played through it before.

Whilst some of the graphics and some of the sound does fall below the standard of the gameplay it's merely a minor complaint (much like the games length) and you will find yourself really enjoying an excellent and unusual game.

87%

Details:
Console-Sega Mega Drive
Release-1992
Developer-Sega Technical Institute
Genre-2D Platformer
Players-1or 2

Trivia- To player can complete the game by completing as little as 3 levels by skipping from the 2nd level to the final level.

SPOILERS/MEGA CHEAT
At the end of Blue Lake Woods 2 you need to jump on the last prize block above the flag, then press Right/Down + Jump. You will skip one to the final level "Plethora".

Super Mario World

In 1990 Nintendo released their Super Famicom (SNES) and as a pack in title they included Super Mario World, one of the games that set the tone for the era that would follow, the Nintendo v Sega wars of the 1990's.

Super Mario World sees the player playing as the titular character in a 2D platform adventure game that not set the gold standard of Platforming for the following decade or so but actually set the standard for gaming as a whole.Not only did it build on the excellent Mario franchise but it added so much that it really just showed why Nintendo were at the forefront of video games.

The story, as with most Mario games sees the plucky plumber trying to defeat Bowser and save Princess Peach but the game it's self has so much more than just the simple story to offer. Firstly you have the excellent levels which are designed to be replayable, fun and yet also challenging. As well as the levels you have the charm of the Sonic universe, the power ups, the moves and new addition Yoshi, who you can ride about on during the game.

The graphics are charming through out and whilst they now don't look anything special they did their job
wonderfully well and are clear through out (something you do admittedly expect in a Mario game). Like wise the music in the game is equally as charming despite being very simple and limited (in fact much of it is the same tune just altered in terms of speed). This leaves the game feeling just as charm to look at and listen to as it is to actually play.

Whilst we do genuinely love the game it isn't beyond fault, most notable the complexities of some levels (though by some we are literally talking about a handful) which seem to expect the player to do things that just feel relatively out place. Other than this however the game is pretty much flawless, both as a 1 player game or as a 2-player game (where 1 player controls Luigi). With a story that will last you for a few weeks (even longer if you want to unlock all the secret content) and a game with so much charm it simple oozes brilliance, it's easy to over look the occasional flaw.

To sum this game up all I can say is that you've never played it, get it and lock yourself in a room until you've complete it.


97%

Details:

Console-Super Nintendo Entertainment System
Release-1990
Developer-Nintendo EAD
Genre-2D Platformer
Players-1or 2

Trivia-
The game was the debut of Yoshi who would return in the sequel- "Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island" amongst many other games.

Sonic The Hedgehog 2

Although Sonic the Hedgehog had been introduced to the gaming world in the first Sonic game in 1991 it was the sequel that really helped Sonic take over the world. Released in 1992 for the Sega Genesis (or Mega Drive) the game added a number of new features and improved on every part of the original game. To some it is not only the seminal Sonic game, but the seminal 2D platformer.

The first thing a player notices when they turn the game on is now recogniseable face of Miles "Tails" Prower on the title screen alongside Sonic. Soon afterwards the upgraded music kicks in and the player starts to realise they are now playing a special game

 the music adds more than one would imagine and it adds something throughout the whole game.

When you start the first level you feel completely at home as the level has a lot of similarities to the opening
level in the first Sonic game, though it's not long before the improved level design and graphics start to wow you. Levels now bring in not only multiple routes but scenery  that really plays a part such as lefts, pipes and slides that all come together to create a much fuller experience than the first game. Though the basis of the game is the same, the player controls Sonic (or Tails) and have to defeat Dr Robotnik (Dr Eggman in some versions) to save the world. The improvements are really brilliant and add a lot, not just in presentation but also in playability adding the now trademark spindash to the series.

With 20 in game levels (spread over 11 zones) and 7 bonus stages the game will take some time to get through though what you will find is that the game is genuinely a joy to play. The creative team from Team Sonic really nailed the 2D platform genre and made it not only a playable joy but a memorable experience. Even the worst levels in the games are wonderfully complex with out getting frustrating or annoying (see the water levels in the original Sonic game).

Whilst I personally feel Sonic 3 (and Knuckles) is the the best Sonic "game", Sonic 2 is a very complete and thrilling experience that really must be played by every single serious gamer.

92%

Details:
Console-Mega Drive
Release-1992
Developer-Team Sonic
Genre-2D Platformer
Players-1or 2

Trivia-
Sonic 2 added multiplayer to the Sonic platform genre with a 2 player racing game and allowed a second player to control Tails.

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)

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.

Kirby Dream Land

The Game Boy's release in the late 1980's gave portable gaming a real kick start and while Tetris was the undisputed king of the handheld Kirby was one of the key characters of the console thanks to Kirby's Dream Land series. The first game in the series was released in 1992 and it was the first appearance of the almighty video gaming bumble gum lookey likey and it was one of the Game Boy's top selling games (over 5,000,000 units).

As one may expect from the name of the game the player controls Kirby, a small round character with feet and arms and little else. The character is

simple yet cute and oddly effective as a key franchise character (who has now been in over 20 games since Dream Land). Kirby's skills are being able to jump, float like a balloon, spit bubbles at enemies and swallow enemies (which he can then spit at opponents). Whilst Kirby would later (in future games) progress to the point where he could devour enemies (and steal their skills) he was unable to in Dream Land which may feel a bit disconcerting if you've played the more modern games before playing the original Dream Land.

The game is in monochrome through out (due to the limitations of the Game Boy) though despite this it actually looks rather good with clear sprites and well designed enemies. Sadly though the guy does have a wide number of limitations outside of the graphics. Firstly the game isn't very long lasting, in fact it only has a handful of levels and it can quite comfortably be complete in an hour and a half (which is a bit of a relief as the original game lacks a save feature). The key problem (and also the reason why it's so short) is that much of the game is just far too simple, aside from the Bosses all the enemies are very easy to kill or get around and the levels can often be "flown" across by Kirby which takes much of the challenge out of the game.

Whilst Kirby would later become one of the icons of Nintendo games this was a bit of an under-stated debut and lacks the complexity of some of the later Kirby games. Whilst it's surely aimed at kids I would assume they'd rather play Mario (or even Sonic) rather than Kirby Dream Land. That's not to say it's a bad game, just too simple and too short and with it's recent release on the Nintendo Virtual Console 3DS it's certainly not a much buy.

71%

Details:
Console-Game Boy
Release-1992
Developer-HAL Laboratory
Genre-2D Platformer
Players-1

Trivia:
Kirby is one of very few platform characters who didn't kill enemies by jumping on their head (much like DoRemi Fantasy)
Kirby was originally a dummy character that was used for testing until folks at HAL Laboratory decided they liked him.

DoReMi Fantasy: Milon's DokiDoki Adventure

The title screen

 It's funny how some fantastic games were never released outside of Japan and DoReMi Fantasy: Milon's DokiDoki Adventure was one such game until coming to the Virtual Console some 12 years after Japanese gaming fans got their hands on this fantastic platforming gem. The Japanese got this classic on the Super Famicom in 1996 and sadly it was never translated (officially) into English (though RPGONE have done a fan translation of the game).

In the game you control Milon (from the games title) who has to go through 7 worlds collecting musical instruments (including an Ocarina for you Zelda fans out there) with a number of levels contained in each
 of these worlds.

Before we get onto the actual game play the first thing you will notice is just how fantastic the game looks. The characters look brilliant the backgrounds are amazing and the game just looks like it's a game that was made to look beautiful. Every level is wonderfully good looking and the presentation makes it something you want to look at and almost admire when you should be playing the game. This is aided massively by music that sounds as good as the game looks it has a very fantasy sound to it and although it was on the Super Famicom the whole presentation is second to none...except for the fact it's in Japanese (see the screen shot to the right.
So now onto the gameplay, your in control of the Milon, the little guy you can see in the screenshots (looking oddly like Link in the screenshot to the left). You can move left and right, enter doorways, jump and...blow bubbles. The bubbles are Milon's main offense and can be blown at enemies to trap them allowing you to push them off the screen, if you jump on enemies (as was typical in other platformers from that error) you merely stun them. The bubbles can also be used be used to break the various blocks you see on your travels through out the game.

As you go through Milon's adventure you come across a number of collectable items including musical notes, winged boots, extra lives, clothes, bubblegum and bowling balls which each have their own use. For example collecting 100 notes will make you invincible for a short period of time whilst the winged boots will allow Milon to "glide" when he jumps. Though it's the "clothes" that make the biggest impact to the game and it's also what acts as Milon's health meter. When he's wearing green clothes he has full health, if he gets hit his clothes will turn to blue and another hit will turn him to red. If Milon gets hit when he's red he will die.

The game features around 40 levels each of which are themed and will see Nilon going through the forest, a food world, a snow world and a fire world (amongst others) all of which look amazing and have charm oozing out of them. Within most levels is a what appears to be a star, these need to be collected on every level inside a world before the player can face that worlds boss, with many later levels having a number of routes through, many of which will see the player failing to get the star.

Despite looking cute, innocent and at times childish the game is incredibly challenging, especially the bosses (the Snow world boss had me swearing much louder than it should have) though the game is rewarding and you feel as if you MUST beat the boss and see the rest of the game.

Whilst SNES owners did have a number of excellent platformers to play around the world (including the Super Mario World and Donkey Country series) this game holds it's own with any other SNES game out there. It looks incredible, it sounds brilliant, it's oozing charm, the levels are excellent throughout, the game is challenging. Whilst the game is now available on the Virtual Console it's a mystery as to why it was never released in the US or Europe in the 90's as it really would have done very well.

Despite being totally in Japanese (apart from "Hudson Soft" and "Stereo" on the title screen) it's simple enough to play and understand and is thoroughly enjoyable from start to end. If you can get you mitts on it DO!

92%

Details:
Console-Super Famicom (Japan Only)
Release-1996
Developer-Hudson Soft
Genre-2D Platformer
Players-1

Trivia:
The game was a sequel to the NES game Milon's Secret Castle (which did get a US release)
A fan translated version of the game can be found and is called "Do-Re-Mi Fantasy: Milon's Quest"