(2026 Note: Dug from the archives of a couple hundred floppy disks, I bring to you some text from my very first website that was published way back in 1999. There’s no way in hell that I’m recreating the entire site for the full experience, but I can bring over the old reviews, which haven’t seen the light of day since mid-2000… ish. For the sake of simplicity – as well as some good ol’ fashioned housecleaning – all the reviews are compiled under a single post, but still divided up into different categories. If I can manage a makeshift navigational system so that you can jump over to these things much more easily, I’ll do that here. In the meantime, enjoy my earliest web postings or point and laugh. Either will do.)

Welcome to Dave’s Old-School 8-bit video gaming reviews archives, where I review old-school 8-bit games. The list consists mainly of NES and Game Boy titles owned by a few friends and myself. By the look of the choices below, it isn’t a big list. But over time, I’ll have a bigger list.

This site is not for everybody. After all, there is a majority of the video gaming community that couldn’t give a crap about old 8-bit games. However, there are several people who are still into “old-school” gaming and that’s the audience I’m aiming for. Why do I like the old 8-bit games when there are more better-looking and better-sounding games worth my gaming time? The reason is that I’m not into games that look pretty, sound pretty, adds realism, causes your controller to vibrate for no apparent reason, or acts like a virtual pet. I’m into games that play well and provide a challenge. The 8-bit games don’t have the graphics of a Playstation, but the important thing about them was the gameplay. Such a concept these days seems to lacking for some of the current titles on the market.

SUPER MARIO SERIES

SUPER MARIO BROS. (Nintendo – NES)
The game that revitalized the video game market. The game that made a mascot out of a fat Italian plumber who never did any actual plumbing. Although the graphics and sounds are primitive by today’s standards, what mattered at the time was the addictive side-scrolling gameplay. You weren’t restricted to a single screen (as opposed to many games before this one), and most importantly, it was fun.

This game might have all the appeal of playing old Atari games, but if you still have an NES, chances are you already have this. If not, give it a shot. It’s the one that got the ball rolling.

SUPER MARIO BROS 2 (Nintendo – NES)
This game was originally a game in Japan called Doki Doki Panic. When brought here, it became SMB2. Like Castlevania II, SMB2 steered away from the original’s gameplay and opted for a pick-up-veggies concept. Yes, you use vegetables to kill your enemies. While this may seem like a stupid idea, it doesn’t take away from the positives in this game. You have four playable characters and can last up to four hits after collecting a couple of mushrooms. There is some challenge in this game.

This is a good sequel, but since one of the players is an overgrown walking mushroom, I don’t really like this game. Nintendo should have brought the Japanese SMB2 instead. It’s looked like SMB1, but if Capcom got away with using the same sprites in their early Mega Man games, why not here?

SUPER MARIO BROS. 3 (Nintendo – NES)
Take the gameplay of Mario 1 and the graphic quality of Mario 2 and you get Mario 3. This time, you have eight massive worlds to explore, lots of unique powers to uncover and use to their full potential, and plenty of new bad guys to squish. This adds depth to your typical Mario game and that makes it the very best of the Mario games until Super Mario World came along.

This is a truly fun and enjoyable little game. The only bad thing is the lack of a password or save feature like in Zelda, because there is a lot to do and so little time to do it.

SUPER MARIO LAND (Nintendo – Game Boy)
This is one of the launch titles for the Game Boy. In terms of gameplay, it plays to some extent like the original SMB for the 8-bit Nintendo. What makes this one unique from the other side-scrolling Marios is that at the end of Worlds 2 and 4, you ride a sub or fly a plane. Something nobody thought of doing since…

The game is good in itself, but it tries to be the glorified hit that the original SMB was. It plays well, but the graphics are horrific and sad.

SUPER MARIO LAND 2: 6 Golden Coins (Nintendo – Game Boy)
Mario Land gets a sequel because it’s Mario. Unlike its predecessor, SML2’s sprites are drawn full size so you can actually see them. The game’s design is made out to look and play like a GB Super Mario World of sorts, but without the stupid dinosaurs and decent cape. Instead, the dumbo power-up is a carrot that makes Mario grow bunny ears that lets him float in the air by mashing the A button. This can help skip entire levels at the right height.

And apparently, you’re required to wear a feather on your cap to shoot fireballs. Mario never needed a feather to shoot fireballs, but then again, I would have settled for the raccoon tail instead of the bunny ears. It’s still a pretty fun game.

After the second game, Nintendo decided to make the third game about Wario, the SML2 villain. Wario Land eventually became the name of the rest of the series, but I haven’t played those ones, so I don’t know if they’re any good. Heard good things, though.

SUPER MARIO BROS. DELUXE (Nintendo – GB Color)
One of many NES games re-released on the GBC, Mario DX is everything the original is and more. You can take your favorite plumber on the road in living color. Not only is the game perfectly ported, but Nintendo has added a bunch of bells and whistles to increase the game’s value, such as Challenge modes, Versus Modes, calenders, fortune tellers, and another game, the Japanese SMB2 which never saw light on our shores (the closest you’d get to playing this is buying Mario All-Stars).

It’s smaller, but everything from the original is here. Overall, a worthy addition to anyone’s collection.

CASTLEVANIA

CASTLEVANIA (Konami – NES)
The first of many Castlevania games. Its story was simple, its gameplay was simple, the game itself is a gauntlet of difficulty as you battle through 18 stages of enemies who do increasing damage as you headed further to the end. The game had its share of tough bosses that required skill patience if you didn’t have a triple-shot boomerang. The game is easy to learn and yet challenging to complete

The game was the most impressive looking of its time, as the game made good use of the palette to create a haunting environment instead of a cutesy land with mushrooms.

CASTLEVANIA II: SIMON’S QUEST (Konami – NES)
Some people liked this game, other people hated it. If it wasn’t for this game, Konami would have never made Symphony of the Night, heralded as one of the best ‘Vania titles. The game was different because it was non-linear and had more of an RPG feeling than an action game. The Japanese version had a game-save feature, while the US version had a password feature. The game is slightly difficult if you haven’t a clue on what to do. Don’t worry, there isn’t a set path. Do whatever you want, as long as you kill the baddies.

What makes this game good is its day-night feature; the enemies were pitiful during the day and were stronger at night. Best of all, you can get one of three possible endings depending on how fast you beat the game. A good sequel.

CASTLEVANIA III: DRACULA’S CURSE (Konami – NES)
It’s been praised as the best Castlevania on the NES, perhaps one of the series’ gems. The game looked spectacular, sounded superb, and played great. Add to that the ability to choose your own path & the ability to transform into one of three other spirits and you’ve have a great game. A lot of attention was paid to the graphical details of this game, giving each level an eerie feel to them.

The game retains the challenge and difficulty of the series. It is insanely tough at the last few levels, but somewhat balanced before that. This is one of the series’ best games and shows what you could do with 8-bit if you put some work into it.

CASTLEVANIA ADVENTURE (Konami – Game Boy)
“The absolute WORST ‘Vania I have ever played!” is the typical response when playing this game. Sure, it’s frustrating and sure it’s slower than an 286, but that doesn’t necessarily make it a bad game. You have a whip and you can use it to kill baddies. Your character moves slowly and his leap distance sucks ass, forcing you to time your jumps to make it from point A to point B.

Don’t think of this game as a bad game. Rather, think of it as a test of patience. If you have no patience, your Game Boy would be the only casualty you’d be weeping for.

CASTLEVANIA II: BELMONT’S REVENGE (Konami – Game Boy)
A true Castlevania game has hit the Game Boy. As close to portable ‘Vania as you’re gonna get, it has elements from the first GB game, such as a shooting whip and climbing ropes, but it plays like a ‘Vania game. The ability to choose your level should have stayed with Mega Man, but I’m not complaining.

Graphically, it looks better than the first title. You have good tunes which set the mood of the level you’re on. In terms of difficulty, play this like you would any 2D Castlevania – it is not extremely difficult, but comes close. I’d buy this game if they still had it.

CASTLEVANIA LEGENDS (Konami – Game Boy)
The third Castlevania title on Game Boy isn’t that much of a great game, but it isn’t a craptacular title, either. The game plays decently enough like the console ‘Vanias and adds the ability to change direction in mid-air (only a couple other games had this ability). You could even crawl, a feature used in Castlevania IV on Super NES. The game doesn’t look spectacular, but they are nicely drawn. It plays like a regular ‘Vania game except in the case of special weapons; you don’t collect the weapons as you play, but you collect special powers when a boss is defeated. Also, the game lacks any boss meter, making it difficult to determine whether a boss is close to dying or not.

This is sort of a letdown if you’re considering this game as a sequel, because the second game was pretty detailed in its graphics and sound. However, on its own, the game is pretty good. Worth a try.

MEGA MAN

MEGA MAN (Capcom – NES)
The one that started it all. Begin with six robots and kill them to get their powers. This one is tougher than the rest because there are no passwords and you die when you touch spikes, whether you’re flashing or not. Sometimes, weapons don’t work the way they’re supposed to and Mega slips around quite a bit. It is a fun game.

MEGA MAN 2 (Capcom – NES)
If Mega Man 1 was too hard for you, then Mega 2 should be more up your alley. This brought in E-Tanks and passwords, as well as a difficulty select. This game has a couple tricky parts like the laser beams, but is a much easier game than the first one. Spikes don’t kill you when you’re flashing, which makes things easy to manage.

MEGA MAN 3 (Capcom – NES)
This game introduces Rush the Mega Dog, which allows you to jump high, swim underwater, or fly in the air… as long as you have energy left. This is the longest Mega game with the most stages; it even includes boss battles ripped from the first two games. You can also slide in this game, which gives Mega much needed boost in speed.

MEGA MAN 4 (Capcom – NES)
MM4 introduces the Mega Buster; basically a charge shot you can fire by holding the B button. This game has the best music of the bunch, a nice bunch of levels and weapons, some cool gimmicks like the Wire, and you can actually revisit levels.

MEGA MAN 5 (Capcom – NES)
In MM5, Protoman has kidnapped Dr. Light and it’s up to Mega Man to save him. Rush Coil has been replaced with a new Rush Coil that sucks, there’s a new attack bird that you can get by spelling out MegaManV. When you get hit, you lose your Buster charge, which sucks. This is feels like a step below the last one, but still pretty good.

MEGA MAN 6 (Capcom – NES)
Mega Man 6 is the last NES game in the series and it shows. All the special weapons have the same sound effect when they fire. The new suits are kinda cool; it’s nice to see something new in Mega Man for once. Other than that, it’s the same classic Mega Man gameplay. It might be the same old thing, but it’s still fun.

MEGA MAN: DR. WILY’S REVENGE (Capcom – Game Boy)
First Mega Man game to grace the Game Boy is the shortest of the bunch. Only six levels of play, but you can fight bosses from the first two NES games and gain their weapons. There’s even a new robot master that challenges you and beating him gets you his special Mirror Buster weapon. Short but challenging, lacks the slide and charge moves of later NES games.

MEGA MAN 2 (Capcom – Game Boy)
Take Mega Man 2 and 3, make them play worse, and replace all those great music tracks with ear rape central. That’s Mega Man 2 on Game Boy in a nutshell. It’s like someone did the bare minimum of a Mega Man game and shipped it out without testing it first. The worst of the Mega Man games.

STAR WARS

STAR WARS (JVC – NES)
The game is somewhat of a mixed bag. The good points are that you have a couple of familiar themes in the game. The first half of the game is non-linear and the opening intro with the Star Destroyer attacking the Blockade runner was done quite well. All the ship scenes, minus the Trench run, are done in a first-person arcade shooting mode, which is pretty good.

The graphics are okay and the sprites resemble what they’re suppose to be, but some enemies are way too tough when they’re not supposed to. Only Luke has multiple lives; if Han or Leia bite the dust, you have to save them again. That’s kinda lame, but it adds challenge. A good adaptation of the movie, but could have been better.

STAR WARS (Capcom – Game Boy)
It’s the Game Boy version of Star Wars, but it’s in black and white, it plays horribly, and the smaller screen means more leaps of faith. Nice of Capcom to try and port this to Game Boy, but they really shouldn’t have bothered.

EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (JVC – NES) 
The game is difficult. To pass through certain points of the game, you need force powers, but they’re hard to find. Unlike the first game, this one is pretty linear. Unlike the first game, you only play Luke. Unlike the first game, everything is played in a side-scrolling action or shooting game.

Unlike the first game, you get to face Darth Vader… maybe that’s a good thing. The music in this game is non-existant, except for a short 3-second run. The sounds don’t play at the same time, they play one at a time. To top it all off, you have five tries to beat the game. The game doesn’t look great, but Star Wars had bigger characters.

Back to the drawing board. Not even the Force can save this one.

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES (Ultra Games – NES)
The first Ninja Turtles video game is a side-scroller that lets you swap between the four Turtles, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. It’s a tough game that borders on unfair at times, but those who stick with it will find a solid game under its rough edges. People will prefer the sequels for its arcade action, but the first TMNT still holds up.

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES II: THE ARCADE GAME (Ultra Games – NES)
The second Turtles game is basically the NES version of the popular arcade game, but obviously nowhere near as good. All the Turtles play the same, the gameplay is slower, and this came out before four-player multitaps were a thing. On the flip side, this version has two new levels, a couple new bosses, and the music is fantastic. It’s okay, but it can never replace the arcade game.

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES III: THE MANHATTAN PROJECT (Konami – NES)
For the third Turtles game, Konami kept the arcade-like gameplay, but gave each Turtle a unique special move that cost energy, but is good for boss fights. You also have a neat throw move that’s good for crowd control. A step up over the previous game and there’s more creative stuff here complimented with another killer set of tunes. My favorite of the bunch.

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: TOURNAMENT FIGHTERS (Konami – NES)
The last Turtles game is Konami’s attempt at making a Street Fighter II-style fighting game on the NES and it’s actually not bad. There’s only seven fighters and only a handful of moves, but the controls are pretty solid and the game is otherwise pretty fun. The 16-bit versions are obviously better, but for what you had to work with, the NES version is a good effort.

WRESTLING GAMES

PRO WRESTLING (Nintendo – NES)
The first real wrestling game on NES (MUSCLE doesn’t count and is kinda crap, anyway) is also the pinnacle of wrestling video games on Nintendo. Only six wrestlers, but those wrestlers are packed with moves and personality. The overall presentation is top notch and the sound quality is excellent. A Winner Is You with Pro Wrestling on NES. A masterpiece.

WWF WRESTLEMANIA (Acclaim – NES)
The first WWF game to grace the NES, but not the first wrestling video game on Nintendo (that would be Pro Wrestling… and no, MUSCLE doesn’t count.) This game features six large looking WWF wrestlers fighting in deep space. Appropriate since the gameplay is also non-existent. You trade punches, kicks, a couple moves here and there, and trying to pin someone is near impossible. An absolutely terrible game that’s not worth playing.

WWF WRESTLEMANIA CHALLENGE (LJN – NES)
The year is 1994. I only tried this game for 3 days to see if I was interest in buying it, but brought it back to the vendor. Seven years later, I regret giving that game up for something as lame as Ice Hockey. This is a pretty good wrestling game for the old NES. There are a variety of wrestlers with their own unique moves and some modes you can play. Heck, you can even play as “Yourself”. There’s more graphical detail to this game than the previous NES WWF release and the wrestlers are well animated. The game is worth a try-out at least.

WCW WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING (THQ – NES)
My cousin has this game. This game had big detailed wrestlers and was the first game (I believe) to feature the finishers of each wrestler. It’s a pretty good game with lots of different moves (you can pick four moves out of your wrestler’s possible twelve), but it’s pretty damn hard to beat the CPU. This is old-school WCW and the only NES game based on that federation. Give it a try, you’d like it.

WWF WRESTLEMANIA 2000 (THQ – GB COLOR)
This game is pretty good… it’s a simple wrestling game with 15 playable wrestlers, Training Mode, Gauntlet Mode, and other stuff. Although all the wrestlers play (and fight) the same way and there’s no kick button, it’s still a good game. There aren’t any weapons in this game and the soundtrack is only limited to three tracks, but you got titantrons (poorly done, but they’re there) and the wrestlers look detailed. I have a Pocket GB and the digitized pictures of your wrestlers may look bad, but I don’t think it will look any better on the GBC. The best on the portable in my opinion… until WWF No Mercy comes along.

MISC. NES GAMES

DESTINATION EARTHSTAR (Acclaim – NES)
I’ve read somewhere on the net that this game is so bad that it’s a good replacement for the death penalty in Texas. Sure, the prospect of a flight sim on an 8-bit console sounds kinda stupid because of the system’s limitations, but this game manages to pull it off. It isn’t a true simulator, but it’s close enough. It doesn’t look pretty and sounds like crap, but it plays well. When you approach a planet, it veers from a flight sim to a 3rd person shoot-em-up. It’s not a bad game, but because of the system’s own limitations, it can’t be come the great game it could have been. Worth a try though.

THE PUNISHER (LJN – NES)
A rail shooter thing where you control both the Punisher and your targeting cursor with the D-Pad. It sounds complicated, but it’s actually quite smooth once you get the hang of it. You can tackle any three stages in any order and when you beat one, another takes its place until you eventually reach the Kingpin. A fun game whose only drawback is the lack of varied stages; by the end of the game, they start repeating backgrounds. Other than that, damned fine game.

MISC. GAME BOY GAMES

NEMESIS (Konami – GB)
This game is a shorter version of Konami’s arcade shooter, Gradius. If you played that game, you know the story with this game. If you don’t, let me break it down: in the game’s five levels, you blow ships up and collect power cells which upgrades your ship to fire missiles, lasers, and activate shadow orbs which mimic your actions. This has been the premise of all of Konami’s shoot-em-ups. This game has good sounds and graphics for an early GB game, but the options presented to you (such as a stage select, lives select, etc).

The one thing all Konami shoot-em-ups have in common is the high level of difficulty presented and this game is no exception. The fact that your ship is slow adds to the challenge, although this can be remedied. Overall, the game is quite enjoyable if you enjoy shoot-em-ups or a challenge.

AND THAT’S IT.
STAY TUNED FOR MORE REVIEWS COMING SOON.

(Ed. Note: More reviews did not come soon.)