Staff reviews, page 209

El Viento review

If you're not hooked by the time of the epic confrontation high atop the spires of the Empire State Building then you've surely mislaid your enthusiasm for 2D Blast Processing goodness somewhere along the way.

Sho · July 19, 2004

Staff TurboGrafx-16

Splatterhouse review

While there’s certainly plenty of carnage to be found, unfortunately the arcade faithful will discover this SplatterHouse to be a shadow of its parent.

Sho · July 19, 2004

Staff PlayStation

Clock Tower review

Of course, graphic adventures don’t boast a murderer who randomly pops out of lockers, down chimneys, and from other seemingly innocuous places looking to decorate the walls with fresh entrails.

Sho · July 16, 2004

Staff Arcade

Michael Jackson's Moonwalker review

Hey there all you sweet little boys and girls, I hope you’re ready for something really . . . special. How would you like to go on a totally magical journey of action and discovery with your super big brother, the vaguely glistening King…

Sho · July 16, 2004

Staff Arcade

Ghosts 'n Goblins review

Ghosts ‘n Goblins takes the concept of respectable difficulty well past the point of merely "hard" and leaves it somewhere in the realm of "utterly ridiculous."

Sho · July 16, 2004

Staff NES

Ghostbusters review

Everyone knows that video games based on popular licenses are usually lackluster and best forgotten, but the NES port of Ghostbusters cleverly avoids sinking into that trap – no, it bravely charts a course towards its disastrous new low…

Sho · July 16, 2004

Staff NES

Castlevania review

Who can forget listening to the seminal tune “Vampire Killer” as one tread beneath the tattered red curtains and moldering walls of the first stage, whipping down groups of ghouls clad in ragged shrouds, and avoiding the panthers who would…

Sho · July 15, 2004

Staff Arcade

Chiller review

Chiller has carved a raw slice of infamy for itself thanks to a gruesomely graphic horror theme; the gore splatters freely as evil dead and innocent humans alike fall into the line of our crosshairs and prepare to meet their respective…

Sho · July 15, 2004

Staff Arcade

Miss World '96 Nude review

What might have seemed like a generic clone of a puzzle game is revealed to be an unforgettable night of explicit content – the wrong kind of explicit content.

Sho · July 12, 2004

Staff NES

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Pool of Radiance review

Pool of Radiance not only manages to deftly avoid the poison spike-lined pits of suckery, but has the further audacity to send us on a stunningly deep quest that’s full of brilliant combat and actually faithful to its source material!

Sho · July 12, 2004

Staff NES

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Hillsfar review

It certainly doesn’t skimp on the seemingly endless parade of fetch quests (“retrieve this rare spell component for me,” “rescue the princess,” “find my pantaloons,” etc) that lead you to seek out a dreary maze somewhere and open every…

Sho · July 12, 2004

Staff PlayStation 2

Nightshade review

Think how fun it would feel to ride along trucks moving down a freeway, slashing at ninjas and running along the sides of the vehicles before leaping to another as the previous one bursts into flames behind you. Better yet, envision the…

Jason Venter · July 8, 2004

Staff SNES

Firepower 2000 review

Enemy vehicles often take the form of stationary turrets that have no trouble firing in all sorts of directions, but there also are tanks that may roll in from any side of the screen, swarming units of helicopters, or machines hiding…

Jason Venter · June 23, 2004

Staff Apple II

Autobahn review

The goal is to drive down the Autobahn, that famous French freeway with no speed limit and people who like to drive as fast as their cars will move. Other than yourself, though, there aren’t a lot of people who have the sort of engine to…

Jason Venter · June 14, 2004

Staff Genesis

Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master review

With Shinobi III, a new evil has reared its head, demanding of Joe more side-scrolling, projectile-hurling escapades! You and Joe both reminisce, silently cognizant of the style and thunder of his previous path to bloody revenge (forget…

Marc Golding · June 4, 2004

Staff Apple II

Bug Attack review

Most everyone is out to get him. The few that aren’t spend their time cowering in the face of insect-shaped aliens that have made the realm their own. These fearsome foes come in one of three shapes: ants, caterpillars and butterflies…

Jason Venter · May 30, 2004

Staff NES

Sesame Street: 123 review

None of this is rocket science, and none of it is meant to be. The concern I have is that even the most ‘difficult’ of these can be completed with enough guesses. Completed games don't necessarily mean your kids have learned a single…

Jason Venter · May 29, 2004

Staff PlayStation 2

Devil May Cry 2 review

Any time I found someone that offered a vague sign of a challenge, I'd just back away, jump into the air and start firing rounds of ammo like they were going out of style. My opponents would then lazily meander toward me, at which point…

Jason Venter · May 25, 2004

Staff PlayStation 2

Disgaea: Hour of Darkness review

Disgaea belongs firmly in the first camp of superior tactical roleplaying games, although it should be noted that it’s hanging by its fingernails off the edge of the cliff. The requisite tactical gameplay needs some tweaks, but this is…

Stephen Greenwell · May 24, 2004

Staff NES

Tetris review

While the colors continued changing, I noticed something else rather distressing, though. The more lines I cleared, the faster things got. Pretty soon blocks were flying all over the place and it was simply more than I could do to keep up…

Jason Venter · May 22, 2004