What a gang of spunky adolescents. Excelsior! Playing upside down in the Battle Mode. Boom. PLAYERS: 1-4 alternating PUBLISHER: NTVIC DEVELOPER: Kid GENRE: Pinball RELEASE DATE: January 1990 Rock ‘N Ball is one of several maddeningly obscure titles in the NES library; very few people have heard of … Continue reading #534 – Rock ‘N Ball
#533 – Robodemons
Lawrence of Arabia: 2055 Look at that character design. I can’t tell what’s what besides the legs. PLAYERS: 1 PUBLISHER: Color Dreams DEVELOPER: Color Dreams GENRE: Action/Shmup RELEASE DATE: December 1989 Color Dreams had absolutely no business making games. Whether desecrating the Bible under the guise of Wisdom … Continue reading #533 – Robodemons
#532 – Robocop 3
Matlock has had just about enough of your shenanigans, Robocop. That thug is actually cross-eyed, hence why he’s not shooting directly at Robocop. PLAYERS: 1 PUBLISHER: Ocean DEVELOPER: Probe Entertainment GENRE: Action RELEASE DATE: August 1992 “Game Over.” Finally, after three arduous treks into the 8-bit Robocop Universe, … Continue reading #532 – Robocop 3
#531 – Robocop 2
Yup, he still doesn’t have any emotions. The mirthless howl of the damned. PLAYERS: 1 PUBLISHER: Data East DEVELOPER: Painting By Numbers GENRE: Action RELEASE DATE: April 1991 Words from Robocop 2‘s Game Over screen: “Robocop is taken away for calibration. But he will try again!” Good for … Continue reading #531 – Robocop 2
#530 – Robocop
Robocop dares you to play his game. The bottom menu looks more complex than the game actually is. Punch the dog, shoot the dude in purple, and keep walkin’. PLAYERS: 1 PUBLISHER: Data East DEVELOPER: SAS Sakata GENRE: Action RELEASE DATE: December 1989 “Robocop is never discouraged. Let’s do … Continue reading #530 – Robocop
#529 – Robo Warrior
Now displayed at the World’s Trade Fair of 1929! Look at all that shrubbery, just waiting to be exploded! PLAYERS: 1 PUBLISHER: Jaleco DEVELOPER: Jaleco GENRE: Action/Puzzle RELEASE DATE: December 1988 Welcome to Robo Warrior, a little known Bomberman spin-off that tries to inject more action into the … Continue reading #529 – Robo Warrior
#528 – Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
Don’t tell me… IT’S NOT WORTH DYING FOR! Have at thee, you merry prankster! PLAYERS: 1 PUBLISHER: Virgin Interactive DEVELOPER: Sculptured Software GENRE: Action/Adventure RELEASE DATE: November 1991 Much like Conan the Barbarian or Tarzan, Robin Hood has never been an interesting fictional character to me. He’s a … Continue reading #528 – Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
#527 – RoadBlasters
Blasting roads since 1990. Level 6 embraces cotton candy as a lifestyle. PLAYERS: 1 PUBLISHER: Mindscape DEVELOPER: Beam Software GENRE: Racing RELEASE DATE: January 1990 RoadBlasters is an exciting mess, a weapons-based arcade racer that delivers in size what it lacks in depth. Fifty levels (!) of twisty … Continue reading #527 – RoadBlasters
#525 – River City Ransom
Not all American gamers want to see American bros on a Japanese brawler, Technos. These frat boys deserve a good pummeling. PLAYERS: 1-2 alternating PUBLISHER: Technos DEVELOPER: Million GENRE: Beat-em-up/RPG RELEASE DATE: January 1990 Alex and Ryan are your average high school students. They love gel in their … Continue reading #525 – River City Ransom
#526 – Road Runner
Magnets, Wile E… how do they work? The Road Runner’s last hurrah. PLAYERS: 1 PUBLISHER: Tengen DEVELOPER: Beam Software GENRE: Arcade RELEASE DATE: 1989 The Looney Tunes have strange lives, do they not? They act snarky, they get blown up, they dress in drag, they have speech impediments. … Continue reading #526 – Road Runner
#524 – Ring King
Ray Leonard Jr. approved Ring King as soon as the check cleared. Great character animation for an early NES game. PLAYERS: 1-2 simultaneous PUBLISHER: Data East DEVELOPER: Namco GENRE: Sports RELEASE DATE: September 1987 There’s only one NES boxing game that matters: Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! (or, if you … Continue reading #524 – Ring King
#523 – Rescue: The Embassy Mission
That terrorist knows he’s hosed. Steve shoots out windows for the fun of it. In his sniper class, he was voted “Most Likely to Die First.” PLAYERS: 1 PUBLISHER: Kemco DEVELOPER: Infogrames GENRE: Shooter RELEASE DATE: January 1990 The NES really was the system that launched a thousand … Continue reading #523 – Rescue: The Embassy Mission