Reviews by phediuk, page 2

Super Mario Land review

Take Super Mario Bros. Cut the game's 32 levels down to 12. Make two of those levels auto-scrolling shoot-'em-ups. Add in unique (but unremarkable) boss battles at the end of each world. Finally, make the whole game…

phediuk · November 2, 2006

Reader NES

Guerilla War review

I won't pretend Guerrilla War is a very innovative game, because it's pretty much as derivative as it gets. There are no fancy gameplay mechanics on display here; this is the epitome of grab-a-weapon-shoot-some-baddies game design. But…

phediuk · September 26, 2006

Reader DS

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney review

The concept of Phoenix Wright is simple: you are a lawyer. Or, to be more specific, a defense attorney. Your job is to save your client from conviction--they're always innocent of the crime--and invariably find the real perpetrator, who is…

phediuk · August 17, 2006

Reader NES

Ghosts 'N Goblins review

Ghosts 'n Goblins exemplifies the worst kind of challenge in a game: a game that is ridiculously hard solely to piss off whoever plays it. Ghosts 'n Goblins has no real agenda other than to make you mad. And it will succeed in that mission…

phediuk · August 4, 2006

Reader NES

Kid Icarus review

Kid Icarus was released on the same day as another Nintendo game: Metroid. The big selling point for both games was that they were "Password Paks"--that is to say, a password could be input at the start of the game so you didn't have to go…

phediuk · July 21, 2006

Reader NES Review of the Week

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: The Arcade Game review

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game is a sequel to an NES platformer called...Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (shocker.) While some people may have warm fuzzy feelings of nostalgia when thinking of the original TMNT, I'll be…

phediuk · July 13, 2006

Reader NES

Gradius II: Gofer no Yabou review

There are certain games for which one must wonder the usefulness of a review. Gradius II is one such game. Being an average-at-best Japan-only release from 1989, it is highly unlikely that any casual gamer will read this review and decide…

phediuk · July 1, 2006

Reader NES

Castlevania review

Without a doubt, Castlevania is an esteemed series. While its sales aren't the greatest, the games still receive high acclaim from critics and hardcore gaming junkies alike (well, the 2D ones, anyway.) However, one thing that should be…

phediuk · June 30, 2006

Reader Sega CD

Lords of Thunder review

There are two reasons gamers play scrolling shooters. The first is intensity. Yes, intensity, that nebulous, ubiquitous descriptor which encompasses hurtling projectiles, swarms of enemies, huge bosses, and fancy-looking weapon effects. If…

phediuk · May 6, 2006

Reader SNES

Gradius III review

First and foremost: Gradius III has some of the worst slowdown ever seen in a scrolling shooter. Yes, yes, this is a common issue in early third-party SNES games, and Gradius III was actually the first third-party game ever released on the…

phediuk · April 29, 2006

Reader SNES

Donkey Kong Country review

In 1994, Nintendo was in a bit of a pickle. The SNES was starting to be outmatched. 3DO, Jaguar, and now this newfangled "Sega 32X", with the Saturn and PlayStation due next year! And the N64 was still a ways off! How could Nintendo…

phediuk · April 22, 2006

Reader Genesis

Space Harrier II review

Space Harrier is not a game. Space Harrier is an idea. I can envision a programmer at Sega fiddling around with some code during his spare time and creating a functional 3D checkerboard field. Cue the proverbial light bulb. The game really…

phediuk · April 14, 2006

Reader Genesis

Lightening Force: Quest for the Darkstar review

The Genesis has a lot of shooters. Not just any type of shooter, mind you, but the variety that encompasses Gradius, R-Type, Darius, etc... You know, the subgenre of shooters that no one can quite settle on a name for. The term "space…

phediuk · April 8, 2006

Reader Genesis

Raiden Trad review

Raiden was never a great game. Hell, Raiden was never even a good game, period. The game doesn't even try to be original; its most remarkable feature is just how unremarkable it is. Hey, it's yet another vertically-scrolling shooter, but…

phediuk · April 4, 2006

Reader SNES

Darius Twin review

Taito, like every other company in the early 90s, wanted to jump on the scrolling shooter bandwagon. It was the newest fad in the game industry! Part of the reason for this was because scrolling shooters are very easy games to program: no…

phediuk · March 29, 2006

Reader SNES Review of the Week

Super R-Type review

No mid-level checkpoints. No. Frigging. Mid-level. Checkpoints. Why did it have to be this way? Why do I have to do an entire level over again no matter where or when I die? Get hit once, and faster than you can say "You stupid piece of…

phediuk · March 27, 2006

Reader GameCube Review of the Week

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker review

When Nintendo unveiled the first screens for Wind Waker back in 2001 (it was still being called simply "The Legend of Zelda" at the time), the game's cel-shading graphical style was a great source of controversy among the gaming community…

phediuk · March 22, 2006

Reader Game Boy Advance

The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap review

I'll get straight to the point: the Zelda series needs a makeover. Badly. While the latest installment in the 18-years-running series remains an delightfully enjoyable experience for newcomers, longtime fans are likely to notice that…

phediuk · March 22, 2006

Reader Nintendo 64

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time review

The Nintendo 64 console has gained some infamy over the years for having quite possibly the worst lineup ever seen in a successful console. This is due partially to the fact that Nintendo severely limited the number of third-party…

phediuk · March 22, 2006

Reader Game Boy Advance

Gunstar Super Heroes review

Over the years, Treasure has become one of the most renowned developers among hardcore gamers, thanks to its penchant for creating intense side-scrollers and shooters that always have projectiles flying everywhere and plentiful, huge…

phediuk · March 22, 2006