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...

There's two parts to the game..The first part is a tile matching game. Each contestant tries to match a tile with its matching prize. If you succeed, it reveals a part of the picture. Fail, and it moves on to the next contestant.

That's where the second part of the game comes into play. The more of the underlying picture you reveal, the more of the puzzle you reveal. Now, I'll get to the puzzles in a second, because that's where the real fun lies.

No seriously..this game is fun. Trust me.

Anyone who has played this game before HAS to remember the piano player at the beginning. I'm serious when I say I just let this game sit and watch the guy play piano. I was a sad little kid, wasn't I? 

I promise that I'll get to the puzzle parts in a second, but let's talk about the awesome character selection screen. Every single person you can pick looks absolutely dumbfounded. Just take a look at these priceless expressions!

Now that we've got a good laugh from their hideous faces, it's on to the puzzles. As I said earlier, when you reveal different tiles you'll see a bunch of pictures underneath. Now the pictures don't make any sense as they are, but if you sound 'em out, magical words begin to appear.

Not sure what I'm talking about? Here's an example....

Try not to cheat - just take a look at the pictures and sound out a word.

ISN'T THAT AWESOME!? Ha, seriously. My folks and I had a blast playing this, and it's even more fun when you REALLY can't figure out what the hell the pictures are supposed to be spelling out. Seriously, I've spouted out nonsense before.

Here's the thing - the game is great, but it's really only fun when you play with other people like family or friends. There's not much in terms of gameplay besides just solving puzzles, but hey, that's what this game is all about.

Visually, it serves its purpose, and I have to admit the music is pretty damn addicting. Who knows...it may just be, but this game has a certain nostalgia factor. 

Final Score (out of 5) :

Until next time. Keep on gaming!