Reviews by aschultz, page 2

Championship Baseball review

"Adjust tint til blue field is green." That's the opening screen of Championship Baseball (CB,) with "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" blaring. I never bothered. Blue grass is just one of the things that aren't true to life in CB but are…

aschultz · November 1, 2010

Reader Arcade HG exclusive

Domino Man review

The heck with Jumpman fighting Donkey Kong for a woman--I'll take Domino Man's balding, emotional protagonist fighting society for his art. All the poor guy wants to do is build up domino chains in a city block, a golf course, and a…

aschultz · October 20, 2010

Reader Arcade HG exclusive

Super Basketball review

Few early video games had a story, but Super Basketball musters half of one: win a series of increasingly improbable sixty-second comebacks against a junior high team (78-70) up to the world champions (114-70.) It's more keep-away or…

aschultz · October 15, 2010

Reader Arcade HG exclusive

10-Yard Fight review

Before machines had all this power to make football realistic and fast, designers had to choose the most exciting bits to cram into 200K. The game 10 Yard Fight focuses on a one-minute drill. Kickoffs take no time, first downs regain time…

aschultz · October 15, 2010

Reader Apple II HG exclusive

Neuromancer review

It's too late to write a game about how wonderful the Internet might be. Few actually tried beforehand, but at least Interplay's Neuromancer did it right. Set in decaying, crime-ridden Chiba City in Japan, Neuromancer is part RPG, part…

aschultz · October 3, 2010

Reader Apple II HG exclusive

Robot Odyssey review

People made good money off long multiple choice tests disguised as educational software back in the Apple II's heyday. It took a while for kids to get over playing a computer to realize it was just a quiz. Some games went beyond. Oregon…

aschultz · October 2, 2010

Reader Apple II HG exclusive

Ultima review

Origin did the right thing releasing an improved version of Ultima I. The original, with less entertaining graphics and horrid controls, is tougher to find on the net. It's best to enjoy the chubby townsmen bouncing around bushes bigger…

aschultz · March 15, 2010

Reader PC Review of the Week HG exclusive

Kingdom of Loathing review

I'm a bit jealous it wasn't me who didn't listen, but hey, it's a great free game. Well, not quite. I've enjoyed donating to it for a while.

aschultz · March 13, 2010

Reader PC HG exclusive

Dark Heart of Uukrul review

The title villain in Dark Heart of Uukrul, doesn't just dabble in near-immortality and nasty magic. He's crushed the underground city of Eriosthe beneath his will, eradicating hackneyed old hinty taverns so you must rely on his oblique…

aschultz · February 28, 2010

Reader NES HG exclusive

Ultima: Warriors of Destiny review

Ultima: Warriors of Destiny (WoD) doesn't have the cartridge space to replicate the top-down Ultima V, its PC equivalent, but it never even gets close. It banks on a bigger overworld, which just makes it more annoying to travel between…

aschultz · February 9, 2010

Reader NES HG exclusive

Joshua and the Battle of Jericho review

Given Wisdom Tree's notoriety in retro circles, their take on the mediocre puzzler Crystal Mines should not have been any good. Yet while most of Wisdom Tree's games copied from other genres and forced Bibilical stuff in, most of Joshua's…

aschultz · January 30, 2010

Reader Apple II

Lady Tut review

I believe Lady Tut is the first game I ever solved, and it was worth it. Three-level deals that wiped me out with a roided-up version of the first level after one loop don't count. Neither do games that repeat at the highest difficulty. LT…

aschultz · January 23, 2010

Reader Apple II

Snack Attack review

Too many dot-maze games risked little in aping Pac-Man. Snack Attack commendably bent dots-in-maze conventions to bizarre and individual effect. Its three-level loop featured garish orange walls, gumdrops worth one (green) or two (red)…

aschultz · January 23, 2010

Reader Apple II

Type Attack review

Space Invaders was the first game I got tired of on my 2600. Even zapping the lowest enemies got easy. I learned the 112 different games were just a few options. Type Attack replaces zapping aliens with letters, then words, as they invade…

aschultz · January 23, 2010

Reader NES HG exclusive

Hottaman no Chisoko Tanken review

Hottaman no Chisoku Tanken transliterates gloriously to "Hotman," but that's the only smile I got from this game. It's a dig-in-the-earth game with big levels, power-ups, secret doors, hidden treasure, odd bug enemies and teleports. Find…

aschultz · January 11, 2010

Reader NES HG exclusive

Blodia Land: Puzzle Quest review

Blodia Land (BL) is a colorful, active slide-puzzler with the emphasis more on fun than abstract brain-crunching. Each level has a twisting path, which vanishes as the little lost dragon-duck walks forward. If the player shuffles tiles…

aschultz · January 10, 2010

Reader NES HG exclusive

Great Deal review

Great Deal combines Solitaire and Tetris into a nastily intriguing puzzle with its own quirks. The player picks one of a hand of four cards to drop on a five-by-five well. Three or more cards in a row of the same suit or number, or in a…

aschultz · January 4, 2010

Reader NES HG exclusive

American Dream review

American Dream is the story of Pachio, a smiley little ball with hands and feet, who lands in America with $1000 and a goal of becoming obscenely rich. In the New York/New Jersey metropolitan area, with its casino, Pachio can get do just…

aschultz · January 3, 2010

Reader PC HG exclusive

Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders review

Before Sam, Max and Guybrush, Zak McKracken saved the world from stupidity in LucasArts's first PC/SCUMM engine point-and-click farce. The rough edges are evident, but so are the laughs, and Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders (ZM)…

aschultz · December 30, 2009

Reader Apple II HG exclusive

Wrath of Denethenor review

Wrath of Denethenor seems to be Sierra's attempt to do Ultima II right the second time. Dying's tougher, and instead of time periods, your lone character moves from one world to the next. Unforunately, the formula's apparent: talk to king…

aschultz · December 29, 2009