Ghosts ‘n Goblins

Publisher: Capcom
Year: 1986
Genre: Platformer

Warning! This review contains spoilers such as THIS GAME MAKES YOU START THE WHOLE THING OVER WHEN YOU “BEAT” IT!

Why, Capcom, why?
Why, Capcom, why?

When I saw this game next on the list, I was immediately overcome with nostalgia. “Ghosts ‘n Goblins!” I thought, “I remember this game! It sure was challenging, but it was cool how large the selection of weapons was and the kind of powers they granted when you upgraded your armor!” Those of you who have played the game are probably scratching your head right now. You don’t remember any of that! Here’s the problem: I’m remembering Super Ghouls and Ghosts a much better version of essentially the same game for the SNES. Ghosts ‘n Goblins is different. Ghosts ‘n Goblins is… unfortunate.

Even if you owned this game, you might not have gotten this far. Y'know. The end of the first level.
Even if you owned this game, you might not have gotten this far. Y’know. The end of the first level.

John’s Rating: 1.5 out of 5.0. It isn’t that this game is Nintendo Hard, it’s that it’s arbitrary and unfun about it. A lot of Nintendo Hard games are fun, mostly because they’re HARD, but don’t CHEAT. In the forest just before the above screenshot, I lost my armor because an enemy spawned inside me. I literally did EVERYTHING correctly and still got hit. That’s the kind of game this is, right up until it makes you go back to the beginning and do it all again. Which it does. When you beat the final boss.

This is what you have to look forward to. Only this FOREVER!
This is what you have to look forward to. Only this FOREVER!

Wrecking Crew

Year: 1985
Publisher: Nintendo
Genre: Puzzle Action


Back in 1985, someone at Nintendo decided that it would be a great idea to have a Mario game wherein Mario cannot jump. Probably the sensible thing to do with someone who made that suggestion is to sit them down circle-time style and explain to them that when Mario was introduced, his name was actually “Jumpman,” and that if Nintendo hadn’t been late with the rent payments, they wouldn’t have ever thought to name him Mario. Then, in full sight of all the other employees, that employee should have been shot in the back of the head and left there as an example.

Instead, they made the damn game.

I consider this game a dis-continuity in the Mario universe and demand a ret-con!
I consider this game a dis-continuity in the Mario universe and demand a ret-con!

Continue reading “Wrecking Crew”

Pinball

Year: 1985
Publisher: Nintendo
Genre: Pinball

Games that pretended to be something else used to be a really cool thing. “Check it out!” the game would say, “I’m a slot machine!” “I’m a pachinko machine!” “I’m a video poker game!” “I’m a monopoly simulator!”

“I’m a pinball machine,” seemed to be one of the more popular choices.

This is what all pinball machines look like when you fire them up.
This is what all pinball machines look like when you fire them up.

Continue reading “Pinball”