I find unusual old games by now-famous developers absolutely irresistible - just look at Square's 1986 sci-fi computer game Cruise Chaser Blassty and tell me honestly that's not fascinating (if flawed) - which is why I had to snap up Quest's (yep, that's Tactics Ogre Quest) Famicom platformer Maten Douji, known in the US under its localised title Conquest of … Continue reading Good games have more than just good gameplay
For whatever reason this 1989 port of Enix's 1987 computer game Jesus: Kyofu no Bio Monster to Nintendo's Famicom was handled by King Records, who are best known in the field for publishing, erm, Jesus: Kyofu no Bio Monster on the Famicom. The game's a creepy sci-fi adventure crafted in an era-standard style with no biblical references whatsoever … Continue reading On the Famicom, no one can hear you scream…
All early signs point to this 1987 Konami title being at best yet another The Legend of Zelda clone made with good intentions and inevitably poor execution: The lone hero, the overworld littered with some suspiciously deliberate rock formations, the black holes in south facing walls leading to monster-filled dungeons or new areas entirely - … Continue reading Everything’s better with dragons
The late Eighties/early Nineties were a pretty good time to be the sort of kid who read encyclopedias for fun, grew crystal gardens in an old fish tank, and thought stargazing was a cool hobby: Kids like tha- OK, kids like me, could see a little something of ourselves in the most popular cartoons of … Continue reading Donatello is the best turtle
When you stumble upon a Famicom game whose packaging boldly declares itself to be nothing less than the title of this post during an extended online shopping session it's impossible to scroll on past like you've just seen your 345th "Rare Japan l@@k" retro baseball cartridge or yet another board game with a cover illustration … Continue reading The Ultimate Game on Planet Earth™
It's worth making this clear before we delve any further: Yes, this is that Resident Evil running on Nintendo's Famicom. And yes, it's about as official a product as a gold-effect "Rolex" briefly seen hanging from the inside of a snap-close briefcase held by a man who only accepts cash and will definitely not be there … Continue reading A house of the dead
There are no doubt bacterial growths living ten miles under the surface of Mars that are well aware Sweet Home is the game responsible for setting out much of Resident Evil's successful survival horror framework by now: The tension-building creaky door animations forcing players to briefly live through the eyes of these unlucky souls, the … Continue reading Resident Evil’s other prequel
If there's one thing for certain in the unpredictable and ever-changing world of gaming it's that a franchise as popular and as readily marketable as Ghostbusters can proudly display a huge back catalogue of incredible tie-in titles. The setting has it all: A pre-made gang of main characters wearing a simple and easily recreated uniform … Continue reading Is the atomic weight of cobalt 58.9?
It doesn't take a great amount of effort to have at least some surface-level information about a wide range of games these days: Trailers are highly polished, social media accounts tease upcoming releases with laser-guided precision, and while playable demos aren't quite ubiquitous there's still a real chance anything from the biggest blockbuster to the … Continue reading Sit down, shut up
Kimimi The Game-Eating She-Monster 