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The Legend of Zelda - Link's Awakening (GB)
by brownskin91
It's just so well done all round! You can never go wrong with Zelda games, except links crossbow training what was all that about?
There is a well thought out story line which provides hours of game play, there are many times of weapon and equipment that you collect and use to help you solve tasks as the game progresses. You ... can play this game over and over and never bore of it, as you can with most Zelda games.
It was this game that first got me into the Zelda series, then i worked backwards and played the previous games.
This game along side the oracle of season and ages I think are the best portable games that have been made to date, including all the new titles.
The graphics are obviously pre-dated, but if you have never played this game then don't let that put you off! Its enjoyable for anyone!
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Power Rangers (GB)
by Dentolux
Power Rangers is a 1994 video game released on the original black and white Gameboy. It is based on the first season of the highly successful Mighty Morphin Power Rangers kids show. The program starred five young heroes who protected the world from alien invasion using martial art skills and giant robots. Sounds cool in theory, but I was ... never a big fan, preferring instead to watch the animated X-Men cartoon which aired on SKY TV around the same time. The game spans five levels and allows you to play as any of the original Power Rangers whose code name comes from the colour of the costume they wear.
CHARACTERS & GAMEPLAY
The roster of playable characters is made up of Trini (yellow), Jason (red), Zack (black), Billy (blue) and Kim (pink.) Irrespective of who you pick you'll end up playing as "the grey ranger" due to the system's lack of colour. Cosmetically speaking it doesn't matter what choice you make as your character's in game sprite looks identical to everyone else. Lazy presentation means that no effort was made to alter the appearance of the male/female members of the group. Surely it wouldn't have been too difficult to at least draw a more slender ranger with a slight bust for those picking the girls. Alas this wasn't the case so I can only assume that Bandai's artists think that Billy is just as attractive as Kimberly.
Gameplay is divided into side scrolling levels were fighting and platforming is the order of the day. The regular levels are followed by a boss fight were you pilot the Megazord (a robot made up of mechanical dinosaurs) and use it to take down a giant monster. When controlling the ranger of your choice one button will handle jumping and the other makes you punch. By pressing select you can activate your ranger's weapon which I never bothered using as the benefits it offered were greatly outweighed by the move's drain on your health bar. I'll stick to using my fists thank you very much. It may not be flashy, but when a single punch is sufficient to knock out enemies why bother wielding a vampiric weapon that sucks away at your endurance.
EARLY GAME DIFFICULTY
The first level which has the player patrolling the city of Angel Grove was arguably the toughest stage in the entire game. Even though the game's opener isn't particularly long I found myself dying whilst I got accustomed to the controls. The main reason for me struggling with the level was my surprise at how little damage your ranger could sustain before croaking and having to restart from the beginning. After a little practice however I got the hang of things and managed to get through one of the most unfriendly cities in America (aside from alien "putties" who try to hurt you, every street seems to have buildings were the inhabitants toss bombs at you from open windows.)
From this point onward the game got much simpler thanks to the end of level bonus stages. The bonuses stages have you avoiding incoming fireballs that are attempting to singe the Megazord. You can dodge the projectiles or swipe them away with the mech's lance. Doing well in these stages boosts your health bar for the upcoming level which made things considerably easier. In theory level two was harder than the first one, as it featured tunnelling enemies and a hail of rocks raining down from the sky, but overall I found it to be a cakewalk. This was thanks to the increased energy bar giving me a bigger margin of error to play around with in regards to how much damage I could take.
LEVEL 3 NIGHTMARE
I didn't find Power Rangers to be particularly enjoyable which I suppose shouldn't come as a big surprise. The majority of licensed video games tend to be below par and this one was based on a property I didn't care for. Out of the five tedium filled levels I would have to rank stage three as being the worst. The platform heavy factory level required precise jumping to overcome, which wasn't always possible due to the game's weak jumping mechanics. The Power Rangers have no trouble performing somersaults in the TV show, but in this game their agility has been significantly nerfed. Due to ineffective leaping I often found myself missing a platform, plummeting down to the bottom of the stage and having to retrace my steps for a second bite at the vaulting cherry.
My how I cursed the sadistic architect who designed the stage. The factory you navigated was chock a block full of annoying spikes. I can stand pitfalls with piercing hazards, it's a staple of many video games after all, but the level even had spikes on the roof! If you jumped too high, to traverse a pit, sometimes your character would end up getting impaled on the low hanging ceiling instead. The frigging spikes proved to be more annoying than any other obstacle in the game including the acid puddles in level four or laser traps in level five. Very strange level design I must say. You'd think that the game's perils would gradually get tougher the further you progress, but if anything the last level proved to be the easiest to beat out of the five on offer.
OVERALL
With dull gameplay and an uneven difficulty curve there is little to recommend here. Power Rangers comes across as another hastily put together licensed game which will only offer entertainment value to young fans of the show who will be less critical towards the title's obvious flaws. I was unimpressed by the game's poor animation which is guilty of cutting corners. The best example I can come up with would be the start of level four were you drop down a cave tunnel. No one bothered to draw any animation frames for when a ranger is falling so you simply stand in a battle pose as you descend down the shaft. If you press left or right during the sequence you even get to see your character walk in mid air.
The lack of attention to detail is further showcased by an area were you have to destroy bouncing boulders. Your character cannot crouch to hit the rocks so you have to walk back, fall down to a lower platform and then perform a jumping kick to shatter the stones (providing that they don't glitch and vanish into thin air which sometimes happens.) The only reason why Power Rangers escapes the humiliation of a one star score is because the boss fights were mildly entertaining. As someone who grew up watching giant robot shows I guess I got a kick out of controlling the Megazord. Unlike most of the game's regular levels the boss fights do require some degree of skill (even if it is only memorising the two attack patterns that the creature you are facing spams.)
I'd give Power Rangers a wide berth as it's no fun and poor value for money. The game is short and few players will want to endure it for a second time round to tackle the higher difficulty setting. Most of the Power Rangers games aren't up to much and this one has the ignominy of being one of the worst (if not the worst) of the bunch.
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Pokemon Blue and Red Versions (GB)
by xisorosix
NB*I own the red version of the game.
This game was responsible for so many good memories when I was growing up - sad, I know! The game starts off with you picking a character name and listening to Professor Oak as he takes you through the very basics of the Pokemon world. (You can choose to speed up the text if you read ... quickly/get annoyed quickly!) You also get to meet your ready-made rival, Gary. He's basically this annoying boy with a trendy haircut who will get in the way of pretty much all the tasks that you're meant to do and the major Pokemon battles! You actually get to choose a name for him if you don't like the default options (e.g. Gary)...here your imagination can run wild...
With the keys, you control the player whilst viewing the whole game from an overhead perspective, that is until you meet a trainer and begin battling. The gameplay then switches to a face-to-face perspective where different Pokemon are sent out as you defeat them one by one, failing that if you get defeated and run out of healthy Pokemon (i.e. ones that haven't fainted yet...), you get blacked out. This bit I hate because you end up in a Pokemon Centre with you friends all healed, but (a) this could be quite far away from where you were before, and be (b) you have less money then before :( There are Pokemon Centres and Poke mart located in every town, here you take your Pokemon to be healed or buy things like potions and Pokemon balls to catch new Pokemon with.
The game is based in the region of Kanto. You start off in your bedroom in Pallet town from where you walk downstairs to greet your mother who is waiting at the table. From there on you visit different houses where pretty quickly you'll find Professor Oaks house. (You can approach any character and talk to them - most of the time they are quite boring, but sometimes you'll get a freebie or some advice.) Your Pokemon journey begins here in his lab where he allows you to pick one Pokemon of your choice. Note that Gary will pick a Pokemon immediately afterwards that will be stronger in type than your Pokemon e.g. a grass Pokemon will be weak against a fire Pokemon. The aim afterwards is to defeat all the gym leaders and thwart the plans of Team Rocket to finally reach the Elite Four. There is also a very powerful and rare Pokemon that you have an opportunity to try catching at the end!
The game is really intuitive - it becomes apparent very quickly what the buttons do, and where you must go. The map is clearly laid out so you know where the next town should be. There are also a limited number of paths you can take, so it's pretty hard to be at a lost with this game. The Pokemon battles do get repetitive and tedious, but unfortunately are necessary in order for your Pokemon to gain experience points and to progress to evolving into different Pokemon. Having said that, if you encounter a wild Pokemon, there is always the option to "Run away!" if you can't be bothered...NB* Rattata and other mousey Pokemon are really nasty and won't let you run away...they're also kind of ugly...(just a side note...)
I would definitely recommend this game if you're looking for something fun and simple to do to pass time. Maybe you've seen the TV series, but never were really sure about the game...which actually has been out in the UK since 1998...Then I'd definitely recommend it to you if you're in this category, as chances are you'll find it very enjoyable. This game is aimed at people from a young age, so I didn't really find the game that challenging. I really wish there were harder problems to solve! Unlike some games, this game will take at least a few days to complete despite it being a very straight-forward game. I'm reviewing the Red version of the game, but the Blue version is exactly the same. The Blue version just features different Pokemon to the Red version. For instance, in certain areas of grass, say, you're used to finding certain types of Pokemon, but in the Blue version these Pokemon are just different to the Red version. Nothing more to it! You can trade Pokemon if you and your friend have different versions and the necessary cable.
I hope you enjoy the game - if you do get stuck or want any hints or tips, there are a LOT of walkthroughs/cheats online. You'll find these on Youtube or dedicated websites!
I would award this game 4* out of 5 since I do find that the game isn't that challenging, enjoyable though it is!
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