Nerdicus Genesis Review #37: Bubba 'N' Stix

Title : Bubba 'N' Stix

Publisher : Tengen

Developer : Core Design

Genre : Platformer

Players :  1 Player

Release Date : 1994

Estimated Value (as of today's date) : $4-$7

Yeah, so this game happened. I'm not sure why, but it did. Apparently Bubblicious bubble gum was trying to target their young market by creating video games based around bubble gum. YUP! That sounds like a heck of a lot of fun. It's like those video games staring the McDonalds franchise characters.

I'm sorry, but I don't want to play games that involve characters based upon a product line. It always seems like I'm being forced fed propaganda, and that's pretty much exactly what's going on. You can't expect me to believe that games like this are actually good? It's as if the development team is given some money by the corporation, and told to create a game in a few months, pump it out, and hopefully we'll see a rise in sales.

Playing video games does not make me want to chew bubble gum. I hate gum. it's disgusting.

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Nerdicus NES Review #137: Cobra Triangle

Title : Cobra Triangle

Publisher : Nintendo

Developer : Rare

Genre : Vehicular Combat / Racing

Players : 1 Player

Release Date : 1989

Estimated Value (as of today's date) : $5-$8

Hmm..it's another game where I just want to scream COBRAAAAA, but I won't. Cobra Triangle, eh? Well, the box art certainly confuses me. At first I thought that was supposed to be a speed boat fighting the Loch Ness Monster, but then I figured it must have been an ad for that roller coaster at Kings Dominion in VA, or was it Busch Gardens? Then again, that's the Loch Ness Monster too.

Oh, and I'll mention it now that I absolutely despise dragons portrayed with forked snake tongues. Unless, that's supposed to be a cobra, then in that case the artist needs to look at some reference pictures of cobras because that certainly isn't one.

So what exactly do we get when we have speed boats, floating mines, and dragons? Well, RARE (known for some truly incredible games like Conkers, Banjo Kazooie and of course Donkey Kong Country) pumped this bad boy out after their hugely successful RC Pro AM. I guess they figured that if they did such a good job with cars, why not try the same thing with boats? After all, the two games are quite similar.

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Nerdicus PS4 Review : PT - Playable Teaser (SILENT HILLS)

The following is part of my weekly Friday HORROR / ZOMBIE reviews for the ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE DEFENSE FORCE - check it out!

Attractive, isn't she? She's gotta  little dribble coming down her chin, but that's nothing a handkerchief can't handle. And just look at that smile. She may have some lockjaw issues, but boy is she happy to see you.

That is, until she kills you by snapping your neck.

This isn't technically a review, considering that this is just a "playable trailer" for SILENT HILLS, the newest in the famed horror series by the brilliant Japanese mastermind of gaming- creator, director, writer, all-around-gaming-guru, Hideo Kojima. If you don't know who Hideo Kojima is, you must have been living under a anti-gaming rock for the last decade or so. Do yourself a favor, and drop everything you are doing and look up some of his creations. Then come back to his article...please..

Not only do we have Hideo Kojima working on this fright fest, but we also have Guillermo Del Toro, a director known for bringing the most absurdly disturbing creatures to the big screen. I still cannot get the image of that beast with the eyes in its hands from Pan's Labrynth. I have goosebumps right now. Can't you see?

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Nerdicus NES Review #136: Cobra Command

Title : Cobra Command

Publisher : Data East

Developer : Data East

Genre : Side Scrolling Shooter

Players : 1/2 Player

Release Date : 1988

Estimated Value (as of today's date) : $5-$8

Cooooooooobraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!! Sorry - had to do it. It's not even a GI JOE game but when I hear COBRA COMMAND, that's all I think about. Actually, I think this game would have been a lot better if it tied in some GI Joe elements, but you know, that's not really possible.

COBRA COMMAND is unlike anything you have seen on the NES. I know, I know. It's another side-scrolling shooter. But this one involves helicopters! Hey, that's different! At least it's not a spaceship. This game is trying to be somewhat realistic, right? Meh, not really. 

It was actually a port of the arcade game which I had never seen before., or maybe I had. Something about it seems familiar when I play it on the NES, and I can't seem to remember if it's because I played it when I was a kid on this system, or if I happened to stumble upon it at an arcade somewhere.

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Nerdicus SNES Review #41: Brandish

Title : Brandish

Publisher : Koei

Developer : Koei

Genre : Action RPG

Players : 1 Player

Release Date : 1995

Estimated Value (as of today's date) : $40-$50

Give me a top-down dungeon-crawler any day. No joke, any day of the week. These games were easily one of my favorite games to play when I was a kid. There's also no doubt in my mind that it's all thanks to the epic classic LEGEND OF ZELDA, but you have to admit, there were some pretty damn good knock offs.

It all came down to originality with the top down dungeon crawler formula, and that usually involved creating new combat / magic mechanics as well as developing a story that pulls you in. You know when you played Zelda, you were always craving to get to that next dungeon and unlock the newest item to your arsenal. 

Then, along comes BRANDISH. This somewhat not-so-well known action RPG came out in 1995 for the NES, but for some reason did not get the advertising it was deserving off. Some say it's because of the later years of the SNES era (to think 1995 was late for the SNES), while others say that the market was just waning in general for games of this type. It's a damn shame too, because this game should have garnered at least SOME attention.

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Nerdicus NES Review #135: Clu Clu Land

Title : Clu Clu Land

Publisher : Nintendo

Developer : Nintendo

Genre : Puzzle

Players : 1/2 Player

Release Date : 1985

Estimated Value (as of today's date) : $15-$20

There's nothing quite an old-school black box NES puzzle game to re instill my faith in the NES console. Of course, with a name like Clu Clu Land, it's kind of hard to take this type of game seriously. Especially when you can't even understand what the hell is on the front of the box art. 

At first I thought it was a crab, but no, it's a bubble fish named Bubbles. I still think it's a crab. I mean come on, he has a claw and he's apparently collecting Zelda Rupees. WHOA WHOA WHOA. Maybe, this game is actually representing the underwater areas of the original NES Zelda game. It's gotta be. Or maybe it's just another game using the same stock image from Zelda. Ah well....

Honestly, I don't even remember this game from when I was a kid. In fact, I didn't even know it existed until I was going through my list of games that I had to review. I saw the name CLU CLU LAND and thought to myself that it was going to be an absolute mind melt of a game. But you know what? Nintendo is known for creating some classic puzzlers so I had to give this game a chance.

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Nerdicus Genesis Review #36: Brutal: Paws of Fury

 

Title : Brutal: Paws of Fury

Publisher : GameTek

Developer : GameTek

Genre : Fighting

Players :  1/2 Players

Release Date : 1994

Estimated Value (as of today's date) : $5-$10

There's nothing quite like a cast of fully anthropomorphic martial artists. I don't know, to me Anthropomorphic beings tend to freak me out. The only ones I can somewhat tolerate are the Star Fox team, but even then they disturb the hell out of me. Walking, talking animals...*shudder* - they are demon seed.

Despite my fear of anthromorphs, I am typically highly entertained by games involving them. Especially this little fighting game called Brutal: Paws of Fury. OH MY. I love that play on words. Not fists of fury, but PAWS of fury. PAWS..but wait..what if a character has hooves? Are there any hooved characters? Crap, I don't remember.

I guess it was an attempt to just make a new gimmick out of fighting games. You know? Use animals. But then again, we also have the Ninja Turtle fighting games, and who can forget Primal Rage. OH how I loved that game (despite how bad the port was to consoles). Still, these characters look like a bunch of Disney characters turned psychotic, so that's gotta be some bonus points right there.

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Nerdicus NES Review #134: Zombie Nation

Title : Zombie Nation

Publisher : Meldac / Liveplanning

Developer : KAZe

Genre : Side Scrolling Shoot 'em Up

Players : 1 Player

Release Date : 1991

Estimated Value (as of today's date) : $150-$200

SIDE NOTE -

I'm jumping ahead on this review because of somewhat of an announcement. I've been picked up by ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE DEFENSE FORCE (a blog about horror / zombie movies, games, books, etc.) to do their horror related video game reviews. I figured, what better way to start things off than by showcasing a NES zombie / horror shoot 'em up classic like this. Anyway, check out ZADF, and enjoy the read. I'm stoked to be able to review more games for them. On to the review!

Quick. What are the first two things that come to your mind when you hear the word "awesome". Chances are, if you are any bit of a mega-nerd like I am, Zombies and Ninjas were probably right up at the top of the list. I'll even give you a break if you thought of some Samurais. Well hold on to your heads folks, because that's exactly what you are getting with this rare little gem that came out for the Nintendo Entertainment System back in 1991.

That's right. I'm talking about ZOMBIE NATION.

This game was relatively unknown, but it did manage to obtain quite the cult following. Over the years, the value of even owning this game has grown exponentially mainly due to the fact that it was released in limited numbers, and let's just say the market was quite niche. Then again, those who did experience this game growing up as a young lad or lass, were greeted with one of the best shoot 'em ups of the NES generation.

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Nerdicus SNES Review #40: The Brainies

Title : The Brainies

Publisher : Titus Software

Developer : Titus Software

Genre : Puzzle

Players : 1 Player

Release Date : 1996

Estimated Value (as of today's date) : $15-$20

I never thought there would be a video game about Mexican jumping beans. Then again, there have been games I thought would that should have never gotten past the concept design stage. Here we are, introduced with a puzzle game entitled THE BRAINIES. Now, I didn't realize that mexican jumping beans are supposed to be fuzzy little fur balls. But what do I know?

I vaguely remember this game from back in the day, mainly thanks to the box art. It's pretty damn creepy if you think about it. Sort of reminds me of those old garbage pail kids cards. You remember those?  Well, I may remember the box art, but I definitely don't remember playing the game. If you've read any of my reviews so far, you'd realize that I despise puzzle games for the most part.

Even if they do include evil little furballs. In fact, the only ones I did enjoy were from the NES days when I think back on the Adventures of Lolo series.

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Nerdicus NES Review #133: Cliffhanger

Title : Cliffhanger

Publisher : Sony Imagesoft

Developer : Malibu Interactive

Genre : Action Platformer

Players : 1 Player

Release Date : 1993

Estimated Value (as of today's date) : $20-$25

Sylvester Stallone was one of the kings of 90s action flicks alongside Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Mel Gibson. Who doesn't remember the classics like Daylight, Judge Dredd, Demolition Man and of course Cliffhanger. This movie had one of the most dramatic opening scenes in any action flick. You know you remember it. Sylvester Stallone holding on to that woman, as his glove slips off his hand and she falls to her death into a chasm below. 

Then the moment after...when Sylvester Stallone screams. That curled lip and roar. "RawwaAAArrwwARrnOOOOooO!". Acting Brilliance! Nah, but the real gold to this film was John Lithgow playing one of the most vile villains in movie history. Not as good as Alan Rickman in Die Hard, but still pretty bad ass.

Now, when you think of video games based on movies, you usually think of LJN. Thankfully, Cliffhanger was made by Sony Imagesoft which had a pretty decent history making some good video games. However, this game also came out in 1993, which was pretty much when the NES was over and done with.

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Nerdicus Genesis Review #35: Bonkers

Title : Bonkers

Publisher : Sega

Developer : Sega Interactive

Genre : Action Adventure

Players :  1 Player

Release Date : 1994

Estimated Value (as of today's date) : $5

I hate Bonkers. I hate absolutely EVERYTHING about Bonkers. In my eyes, he is one of the worst Disney characters ever conceived. You probably ran into this show in the early 90s when you spent most of your afternoons glued to your TV watching Toon Disney or the The Disney Afternoon. 

Come on, you remember that. It had some great shows like Tail Spin, Chip & Dale: Rescue Rangers, and Darkwing Duck. Then there was this garbage. An irritating, spotted bob cat or something who was a Toon Cop. He was actually a washed out cartoon actor, who decided to join the force. In a way, the cartoon was somewhat reminiscent of Who Framed Roger Rabbit, the only difference being that Roger Rabbit was incredible, and this was pitiful.

The characters were uninspired. The theme song was irritating as hell - you know it...Bonkers..bonkers..bonkers..BONKERS!!! WHEREVER YOU..WHEREVER YOU..WHEREVER YOU AAAAAAAAAAAAAARE!! BONKERS! Damn, I hated that song.

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Nerdicus NES Review #132: Classic Concentration

Title : Classic Concentration

Publisher : GameTek

Developer : GameTek

Genre : Game Show

Players : 1 - 4 Players

Release Date : 1990

Estimated Value (as of today's date) : $2-$4

Aw man, do I remember playing this game as a kid. You know, my NES really was a family entertainment system. I had my games, my sister had her games, and my parents had their games. Of course, they would buy a lot of those game show and / or puzzle games because they weren't into the action / adventure / RPG genre.

Classic Concentration was one of those games. I have to admit, I actually enjoyed this one quite a bit. I never had the luxury of watching the TV show, so I really have no clue if this was accurate, but I'm assuming it was. I mean how hard can it be to making a guessing game with pictures.

Oh? Not sure what Classic Concentration is? Well, let me explain it to you...

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Nerdicus SNES Review #39: Brain Lord

Title : Brain Lord

Publisher : Enix

Developer : Produce

Genre : Action RPG

Players : 1 Player

Release Date : 1994

Estimated Value (as of today's date) : $20-$30

Before Squaresoft and Enix joined forces to become a powerhouse in RPG supremacy, they both devoted their time to producing some of the best RPG's for practically every console out there. Primarily, Enix stuck around with Nintendo and they seemed to have a really, closely bonded relationship. It wasn't surprising that Enix kept on pumping out games like the Dragon Quest (Warrior) series, and some other little forgotten games like this guy here. And...there's sort of a reason why it's forgotten.

Brain Lord was one of those games that I owned as a kid, and was regrettably stolen from me thanks to lending it to a friend. Point of advice. Don't loan games out to friends that are jackasses, because you won't get them back. You know, I'm talking to YOU. You know who you are, JOHN. Don't make me give your full name and address so my millions of followers can hunt you down and rescue my copy of Brain Lord from your vile clutches.

Did I say millions of followers? I meant ten. 

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Nerdicus NES Review #131: Clash at Demon Head

Title : Clash at Demon Head

Publisher : Vic Tokai

Developer : Vic Tokai

Genre : Action Adventure Platformer

Players : 1 Player

Release Date : 1990

Estimated Value (as of today's date) : $10-$15

No, this isn't a review about Scott Pilgrim Versus The World - although I do kind of want to watch the movie again as well as play the arcade-styled beat 'em up. No, no, no. This is about a little game known as CLASH OF DEMON HEAD. For those of you who do not know what I'm talking about, the band from Scott Pilgrim is called Clash of Demon Head. 

Actually makes me wonder if the game name of the band was based on this game, so I did a little bit of research. Apparently, the creator of Scott Pilgrim, Bryan Lee O'Malley, stated in an interview that CLASH OF DEMON HEAD was actually the first video game he ever played, and it must have made quite the impact on him if he tossed the name into his epic comic.

Too bad he didn't decide to use the name Billy "Big Bang" Blitz in the comic too, which is the main character of Clash of Demon Head. What a name, huh?

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Nerdicus Genesis Review #34: Blue Almanac / Star Odyssey

Title : Blue Almanac / Star Odyssey

Publisher : Kodansha Ltd

Developer : HOT B CO. LTD

Genre : RPG

Players : 1 Player

Release Date : 2011

Estimated Value (as of today's date) : $10-$15 (JPN) $100-$200 (ENG)

No, folks. That isn't a typo on the date. This game was in fact released in 2011, approx 20 years after the original Japanese release had come out. You don't see this every day. In fact, you barely encounter a game that comes out such a long time after the original. But when you are pumped for a game like Blue Almanac (aka STAR ODYSSEY), and you're craving for a decent RPG on the Genesis, it is worth the wait.

When the original game came out in 1991, it was pretty much supposed to be immediately ported to the NA systems. Of course, due to unforeseen consequences, the game was ultimately cancelled. I actually remember seeing advertisements for this game in a few gaming magazines and I thought this might be the reason I would have to be pick up a genesis. I was HUGELY into RPGs back then, and I was always looking for the next best FF or DQ.

It was really quite disappointing that the localization didn't pan out. The Genesis really didn't have as big of a RPG market as the SNES, so they missed out big time by not releasing this game.

Nowadays, not so much. But it's not often where I can sit down and play a RPG from the 90's and still have my interest held. No joke, I have an easier time playing all my 8 bit and 16 bit RPG's than I do RPG's now. They are cinematic messes now.

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Nerdicus NES Review #130: City Connection

Title : City Conncetion

Publisher : Jaleco

Developer : Axes Art Amuse

Genre : Platform Racing

Players : 1 / 2 Players

Release Date : 1985

Estimated Value (as of today's date) : $3-$5

Bizarre is a word I don't use often, but this game is deserving of that description. It is absolutely, positively, one of the most bizarre NES games I have ever played. When you think about racing games, what do you think of? Race tracks? Other cars? Of course. Then again, this isn't really a racing game.

It's more of a platformer, with a little bit of side-scrolling shooter (without the shooting) and racing mixed in. I know, that sounds weird, but that's the only way I can describe it. You're basically a renegade race car driver in a coupe. Out of all cars, why did they pick one that looks like a Smart Car or a Fiat? That's not something I want to be racing around in.

But I digress, I'm not even racing. UGH! What is this game?!

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Nerdicus SNES Review #38: Boxing Legends of the Ring

Title : Boxing Legends of the Ring

Publisher : Electro Brain

Developer : Sculptured Software

Genre : Boxing

Players : 1 / 2 Players

Release Date : 1993

Estimated Value (as of today's date) : $2-$4

Boxing was never my thing. Even when my friends invited me over for some pay-per-view match or something, I really didn't care. I usually went for the food and beer. Hell, that was typically the best part. Binge eating crappy delivery while drinking around a case of beer while goofing off with friends. Then you watch 20 minutes of a fight, and do it all over again.

Beer + Food = Good.

Boxing = Boring.

In fact, the only thing that ever interested me about Boxing were the Rocky movies. ADRIAAAAAAAAAAAN!! I LOVE YOU ADRIAAAAAAAAN! You can't go wrong with the Balboa story. A true legend. But here we have other legends. Real boxing legends that you are able to box as in the Grand Ol Hilton Casino in Las Vegas! Sponsored by HBO. No joke. You can see banners hanging up over the arena inside the game.

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Nerdicus NES Review #129: Circus Caper

Title : Circus Caper

Publisher : Toho

Developer : Advance Communication Company

Genre : Action Platformer

Players : 1 Player

Release Date : 1990

Estimated Value (as of today's date) : $6-$8

I never did like the circus. First of all, I don't like the idea of putting animals through that sort of crap just so it can entertain us. Elephants don't naturally stand on top of little boxes in the wild. Or maybe they do? For God's sake, man! Have you not seen Dumbo!? DID YOU NOT SHED A TEAR FOR THAT BIG EARED ELEPHANT!?

Oh and don't even get me started on those high wire acts. One fall...and that's it...done. I don't care if you have a net. Don't get me wrong though, I have a huge amount of respect those performers. They're insanely talented. Crazy. But talented.

Last but not least. Clowns. Need I say more? You've seen / read IT, right? Ever since then I'll never look at a clown the same way. They're all Pennywise to me. Freaky, make up wearing murderers. ALL OF THEM. You've heard about that clown in the UK right, that just stood at various corners and waved at passing cars with a creepy, jagged tooth smile? UGH!

Well, now we have the chance to experience all that in a NES game! YAY!! Okay, maybe not as dramatic as I make it seem, but still, it's a circus adventure!

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Nerdicus Genesis Review #33: Blockout

Title : Blockout

Publisher : Electronic Arts

Developer : California Dreams

Genre : Puzzle

Players : 1 /  2 Player

Release Date : 1991

Estimated Value (as of today's date) : $6-$10

I know, I know. The box art is of the mega drive version. It was impossible for me to find any images of the original sega genesis box art. Regardless of the fact that I am using the wrong box art (stop crying!) what does this game immediately remind you of?

I'll give you one guess. Come on. Do you have it? I know you're thinking what I'm thinking. It's completely obvious.

DR. MARIO OF COURSE!! Ha, no. I'm kidding. We all know this looks like Tetris. But this isn't your ordinary Tetris remake. No, this is Tetris......in 3D!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Cue the insane 3D graphics! No graphics? None? Really? Ugh. I hate 3D anyway. I can rant about it for days on end. I mean, this isn't real 3D. This is just 3D shapes in a 3D environment. I think I've said 3D around five times or already. 3D. Six. 3D. Seven.

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