Category: GameFAQs Reviews

It seems that a lot of people looked past the Atari 7800 Pro System back in the day to play the more popular Nintendo Entertainment System. While there are a lot of great arcade conversions on the 7800, the system didn’t have a huge library and the games simply weren’t as varied or as deep as those found on the NES or even the Sega Master System, for that matter. Being that it was my first-ever video game system, I have many fond memories of the Atari 7800 ProSystem and have enjoyed a many great games on the system during the short time I’ve had the system.

One of those great games… isn’t Karateka.

Essentially a port of a supposedly great computer game (that I’ve never played – hence the use of the word “supposedly”) developed by the same person who would later conjure up the infinitely-more-popular Prince of Persia, Karateka completely and utterly fails on the Atari 7800, lacking any of the fun, polish, or excitement of other games on the system, let alone anywhere else. Never has the simple story of “young blond karate master fights through numerous baddies to save the princess from the evil karate master” felt so insipidly uninteresting or broken than it does in this game.

Starting up the system, you’re immediately greeted with a simple glowing title over a static black background while an annoying tune plays further proving that the 7800’s sound processing is beyond mediocre. When the first screen of the game doesn’t get you excited or even intrigued from the get-go, all hope is usually lost on the game. This isn’t always the case, as a bad title screen isn’t the definitive barometer to the quality of the actual game. In this case, however, the plain boring title screen is an omen to what awaits you, as you’ll be greeted with a similar screen and annoying tune every time you die. And you will die often. And while the sound effects in Karateka aren’t majorly offensive, they don’t really do anything to enhance the gaming experience. The 7800’s sound processing is generally crummy, but there are games that make good use of what little the system had. This isn’t one of them.

The graphics in Karateka aren’t at all interesting. The backgrounds seem good enough (even if they are a bit simple in nature) and there is some nice scrolling of the foreground here and there (the only thing that scrolls in this game, I’m afraid), but the actual characters are terrible. It seems like this game only has five main characters in the entire game; the player character, the main villain, the princess you have to rescue, the occasional bird that picks off energy, and the enemy opponent, who simply shows up again and again wearing the same pastel outfit only in different colors in each round. And here I thought Mortal Kombat went crazy with the palette-swapped ninjas, but this game is an even worse offender.

The main issue of Karateka and the thing that truly destroys this game is the gameplay; more specifically, the absolutely crippled controls where you’re supposed to press a button while wiggling with the joystick to perform a variety of punches and/or kicks at different altitudes. I’m not sure how the computer versions handled this, but I’m pretty sure they worked better than this. Not helping matters is the poor collision detection, as certain blows will miss completely even though they’re touching the target. Likewise, certain blows that miss the target by a yard will still register as a hit. This kind of programming mess makes what could have been a decently above-average one-on-one fighter an almost agonizing experience.

The sad truth is that Karateka, somehow dubbed a Super Game Cartridge, does not work well on a console that does not come with a keyboard. Like I said, I’ve never played the original computer version, but after playing this 7800 travesty as well as sampling the NES version (which isn’t all that better, I’m afraid), I think I’d want to stay away from any game with the name Karateka on the cover. The 7800 version of Karateka is not only the worst port of the game on any console, but is also one of the worst games in the Atari 7800 library. Even if you enjoyed the computer game or even if you’re an avid Atari collector, there is no reason whatsoever for you to own this game unless you need something to smash with a hammer or you’re in need of a good hockey puck.

Seriously, you want a good karate game on the 7800? Go buy Ninja Golf. Now THAT’S an excellent game. Stay away from this game.

BREAKDOWN
Graphics: 3/10 (okay backgrounds, terrible animation, all in all unappealing even by 7800 standards)
Sound: 2/10 (annoyingly bad tunes, sound effects are meh)
Gameplay: 1/10 (mediocre controls and poor collision detection cripple the game)
Challenge: 6/10 (overcoming the controls and other flaws yields a moderate challenge)
Replay Value: 1/10 (can’t imagine why you’d want to play this)

OVERALL: 1/10

One of the early arcade classics of the early 1980s, Pac-Man is practically an institution in classic arcade gaming and is a popular franchise in its own right. We’ve all played it, we all know about it, and so there’s really no reason to go into the history of the whole deal. Most Atari gamers are also aware of the poor translation of Pac-Man that their beloved Atari 2600 received and make no mistake, this was a poor port by every extent of the word… although I have to admit, it’s not as terrible as most people perceived, but I digress.

Eventually, Atari learned their lesson and gave 2600 owners a decent (read: much improved) port of Ms. Pac-Man and then later ported Jr. Pac-Man over to the console in 1984. Of course, by the time the game rolled around in 1987, Nintendo came along and dominated the market. In fact, chances are few people got the chance to play this game. And that’s a shame because this game is actually very good and the best of the three… yes, even better than Ms. Pac-Man.

Jr. Pac-Man follows the same formula as its predecessors; as the junior of the Pac family, you have to clear the maze of dots while avoiding the ghosts. You can still collect power pellets to turn ghosts blue so you can eat them and you can still collect the bouncing toys that appears on occasion. It’s pretty standard fare, except for the fact that the maze is taller (wider in the arcade original) and that toys will make dots fat, causing Junior to slow down somewhat when he eats them. These are a couple minor changes, but they really change up the gameplay for the most part, especially when compared to Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man.

Graphically speaking, this is typical 2600 quality – generally blocky maze background and very crude sprites. However, as crude as the sprites may be, they at least resemble the Jr Pac-Man (with spinning propeller hat – nice touch) and ghosts… and the toys aren’t too shabby either. The sound in this game is also fairly decent along with a nice little start-up jingle that is pleasing to the ears.

One thing I’ve noticed is that Junior plays a little faster than previous Pac outings and that may add to the overall challenge a bit. You can alter the number of ghosts that appear if you so desire and you can also select the maze to play in. There’re seven mazes in all and you don’t repeat any of them until you’ve played them all – unlike Ms. Pac-Man, which had four mazes but required you to play one maze a few times before moving on to the next… or Pac-Man which had one single solitary maze.

Overall, this seems to be a fun little game and a top-notch version of an arcade game that you’ll most likely never see a re-release of ever again due to its dubious status as an unauthorized Pac-Man release. For an Atari 2600 game, it’s actually pretty impressive what they were able to pull off here and I recommend this game to anyone looking for a solid game on the classic woodgrain Atari.

BREAKDOWN
Graphics: 6/10 (typical blocky graphics that somewhat resembles Pac-Boy and ghosts – not bad, actually)
Sound: 9/10 (a few blips and beeps – nice jingle that doesn’t sound offensive.)
Gameplay: 8/10 (traditional Pac formula augmented with new larger mazes and a couple extra bonuses)
Challenge: 7/10 (good variety of mazes, game does seem faster than previous Pac outings – hence a good challenge)
Replay Value: 7/10 (good number of options present, as replayable as any Pac-Man)

OVERALL: 7/10

A bit of a revelation here: the Atari 2600 version of Donkey Kong was the very first version of Donkey Kong I’ve ever played as a kid and I’ve enjoyed it somewhat. Eventually, I’ve played the NES version via a foreign multicart that a friend of mine used to have and I found that to be a much better game. To date, I have never played the Donkey Kong arcade original, but all the subsequent versions of DK I’ve played (from the Atari 7800 version to the spectacular remake on the original Game Boy) seemed to be decent ports and better games than what was offered on the good ol’ woodgrain VCS.

So going back to this version of Donkey Kong, I find that this is a fairly underwhelming version of the game, but otherwise it has the basics down. While there are only two different screens in the game – most home ports have three while the arcade has four – they are fairly similar or at the very least approximate to what you would have in the original game. The barrel stage still has slope platforms and you still have to pick off the bolts on the second stage with the platforms and fireballs. Once you beat the second stage, the game loops and that’s it. I’ve gone through seven loops at one point and noticed no real increase in difficulty and as far as I know, no means of increasing the difficulty. So the replay value on this is extremely low unless you want to see how far you can go (or stay awake).

Graphically speaking… well, the game undeniably looks like crap. Yeah, I know it’s the Atari 2600 and the hardware is rather primitive for the time, but I’ve played a few games on the system that look great and plays beautifully and, given the time and effort, some impressive pieces of software can be done on the system. Donkey Kong, regrettably, isn’t one of them. You’ll no doubt recognize Mario, but Donkey Kong? I guess you could use your imagination and pretend it’s a gorilla, but he looks more like a naked bald caveman thumping his chest constantly.

The sound is also fairly subpar; it’s your typical Atari-quality sound effects and not one of them is particularly impressive. On the bright side, however, controls are fairly decent and responsive and what little gameplay is left is actually fairly enjoyable, but ultimately lacking compared to other versions.

Overall, Coleco pulled off a fair, but not good port of the Donkey Kong game to the Atari 2600. Given what could have been done on the 2600, you certainly can’t expect a perfect arcade port or even a port as decent as the one on NES, but given that there were truly amazing games on the good ol’ woodgrain that look and play better than this, you can’t help but feel disappointed. It’s an okay game to add to the collection if you can find it cheap enough or if you want to relive old memories, but anyone looking for a good version of Donkey Kong to sink their teeth into are better off looking elsewhere.

BREAKDOWN
Graphics: 3/10 (Jumpman/Mario looks fine, the rest of the graphics look terrible – Donkey Kong looks like crap)
Sound: 3/10 (sounds like Atari – best compliment I can give the audio here)
Gameplay: 6/10 (only two levels, but controls fine for the most part)
Challenge: 4/10 (once you memorize the patterns, this becomes a cakewalk)
Replay Value: 2/10 (almost no reason to come back to this game other than for nostalgia value)

OVERALL: 4/10

Alas, poor Midway. From being a modest developer of classic arcade games to becoming the Mortal Kombat empire to becoming bankrupt and bought in pieces by Time Warner. Such a tragic tale for such a former powerhouse and gaming legend. It’s going to be a shame that Midway is gone and that the Mortal Kombat saga is in the hands of Time Warner. One has to imagine how they’re going to handle the saga now.

But enough about the depressing side: let’s talk about Mortal Kombat: Armageddon for the Nintendo Wii!

So for those who don’t know, Mortal Kombat: Armageddon is the seventh fighting game in the Mortal Kombat series and is considered to be the closure point of that particular chapter in the MK story. Having gather just about every fighter that has been in a MK fighter (and a couple extra guys), it was a fitting and satisfying final hurrah for the PS2 and Xbox consoles before Midway unleashed their Mortal magic on the next-gen systems… in the form of Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe… what bitter irony. Guess we know who won that battle, heh heh… Ahem.

But what about the Wii?

Obviously, the Wii isn’t as powerful as the PS3 and Xbox 360 and couldn’t handle MKvsDC. So to remedy this, Midway decided to bring over Armageddon to Nintendo’s white box of wonder, but with a couple extra features – including a new character, new motion controls, and a couple other additions.

Now I’ve already reviewed the Xbox version of the game and since this is pretty much the same game, I’ve taken the liberty of “recycling” a couple blurbs here and there. This isn’t a straight copy – there are minor notes and quibbles I’d like to point out in regards to the Wii version.

Continue reading “GameFAQs Review – Mortal Kombat: Armageddon (Wii)”

Contra is known for its simplistic gameplay and intensely difficult challenge. Originally released as an arcade game, it was soon ported over to the NES where it gained legendary status and had become synonymous with one of the most famous video game codes of all time (even the code began in Gradius, but I digress). Contra had spawn a number of sequels and spin-offs for the NES, Super NES, Game Boy, and Sega Genesis and they were all good games. However, many fans feel that the series had gone on a downward spiral the moment it hit the Sony Playstation. And despite some decent entries on the PS2, the series never did get that feel of fun and frustration that the old school games always presented.

And then came this beauty… and it’s Contra-riffic!

Known for its GBC sleeper hit Shantae, Wayforward Technologies were also the geniuses behind the GBC mistake known as WWF Betrayal, which was a horrible wrestling-related game on the same system. In any case, these guys were given the task of developing a Contra game worthy of the number 4… and they have succeeded.

Continue reading “GameFAQs Review – Contra 4 (Nintendo DS)”

Imagine a world if you will where professional wrestling/sports entertainment was the hottest thing around – when the initials WWF referred to the wrestling company and not the panda organization that sued them later. Just about anything and everything that had a WWF license was a license to print money. Well, while some of you might think that I’ve been drinking the strong stuff, that period actually did happen in the late-1990s and early-2000s. The World Wrestling Federation, on the verge of bankruptcy at the time, ultimately changed their product and made a ton of money as a result to become the media conglomerate that is known today as World Wrestling Entertainment. And while the current product is nowhere near as hot as it used to be, it’s still a very profitable venture and many products with the WWE license are still being made today.

Okay, I’ll dispense with the history lesson. Like any hot product, a ton of licenses get tossed around and you have the usual assortments of action figures, trading cards, and even video games. Wrestling video games are a varied type – some are good and some are really bad – but recent titles on the Sony Playstation and Nintendo 64 seem to give the genre a workable template that continues to see use today.

Okay, okay… no more history lesson. Eventually, Microsoft released the Xbox and a WWF game – titled WWF Raw Is War before being shortened to WWF Raw – was released on the system. How does it fare? Let’s find out.

Continue reading “GameFAQs Review – WWF RAW (Xbox)”

My first experience with a WWF arcade game wasn’t the Wrestlefest game (because I’ve never seen it in arcades around my block) but rather the Midway-produced WWF Wrestlemania arcade game, a strange little beast that involved some of the more popular WWF wrestlers of the time competiting in Mortal Kombat-style wrestling matches (without all the blood and fatalities). For the time, it was a fun little game, but involved little wrestling. Years later, I come across a Royal Rumble arcade machine that I’ve only heard about and this was more like a wrestling game than the other one was. You could either play in straight matches or compete in the Royal Rumble match itself, which was a crazy experience in and of itself. This ought to be a fun game to bring home, right?

Eventually, THQ did bring it home to the Dreamcast. Unfortunately, chances are not many people got to play it because it was released somewhat late in the Dreamcast’s lifespan before Playstation 2 arrived and demolished Sega’s hardware dreams forever… which is a shame. In any case, a few years later (more like last year actually), I had managed to pick up a Dreamcast with a few games, which included this game. So I decided to give this game a go to see if it was as memorable as I remembered it… and the end result is… it’s okay, but lacking. How lacking? Let’s see here…

Continue reading “GameFAQs Review – WWF Royal Rumble (Dreamcast)”

First there was X-Men. Then there was Marvel Super Heroes. Then X-Men came back and tussled with Street Fighters. Then it was Marvel’s turn. Then other Capcom heroes joined the fray. Now we get to Marvel vs. Capcom 2, where a whole bunch of fighters from both universes show up and beat the tar out of each in pixilated fashion. Most people consider it to be one of the finest fighting games ever made while others (myself included – see my Xbox review of the same game) blast it for being a unbalanced contest of who can pull off the more impressive combo. In either case, you were getting a pretty meaty package that was a blast to play among friends and fun times can be had by all.

Marvel Vs. Capcom 2, like most Capcom fighters, started life as an arcade machine and was eventually first ported onto Sega’s Dreamcast console before being shovelwared onto PS2 and Xbox consoles a couple years later. While I have already picked up and reviewed the Xbox version years ago (before it started commanding ridiculous prices on eBay), just a couple months ago, I was able to snag the Dreamcast version for a couple bucks. And after having played the game for a couple days, my thoughts are… well, let’s just go on.

Continue reading “GameFAQs Review – Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 (Dreamcast)”

In 2007, Power Rangers celebrated its fifteenth anniversary with a 2-part episode that united some familiar faces of the franchise’s past. Despite its intentions, the episode had left a sour taste in most people’s mouths that is rather hard to do away with. So in a vain attempt to salvage the anniversary, Disney has their gaming studios develop a couple games commemorating the franchise’s fifteen-year history; one for the Nintendo DS and another for the Playstation-2 and PC platforms. Both share a similar scenario (Rangers from different points in history team up to fight the bad guys), but the actual set-up and gameplay is different. For now, we’ll start with the DS version.

Continue reading “GameFAQs Review – Power Rangers Super Legends (Nintendo DS)”