Soul Blazer Review

Since I had enjoyed Actraiser so much (Soul Blazer is loosely based in the same world as Actraiser and made by the same company), I rushed out to buy Soul Blazer when it came out in the early 90's.I hadn't played Final Fantasy yet so this game with 8 swords, 8 armors, 8 magics, and up to 40 items seemed huge to me.I look back on it now and it seems simplistic compared to todays RPG's.This doesn't change the fact that this is one of my all time favorite RPG's.The music, story and to some extent the game play (not the boss battles) put this game ahead of all the rest.I remember crying at the ending when I first saw it.Not because it was sad, but because it was very moving for me at the time.
This is the first game in a series by the way: the 2nd is Illusion of Gaia, and the third is Terranigma (which was released in English for the PAL version of the Super NES).It is a much better game than Illusion of Gaia IMHO.
Overall a very highly recommended game.

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Congo's Caper Review

Congo lives peacefully in the jungle with his girlfriend until a mysterious and evil being swoops in and kidnaps her.But that's not all that he does.On top of kidnapping Congo's girlfriend, this being also turns Congo into a monkey.
Congo's Caper is a fairly decent 2D side scroller that seems like it's more geared towards kids.The graphics are cartoon-like, but for the most part, well done.The sound effects are especially child-like, especially the one when you use Congo's club and hit a pterodactyl (the kind of dinosaur that flies).The music isn't anything special, but it's not bad either.The controls are real easy to master, and the replay value is in the medium category.
In Congo's Caper, you have to use Congo and successfully complete four different worlds.The four worlds consist of a water world, a haunted place full of ghosts and vampires, a high-rising world full of lava and spouting volcanoes, and a world that is set in a valley that is full of dinosaurs.Each world has a few (about 5) levels, with a boss waiting in the last level of each world.
Congo is always equipped with a club that he can swing and hit his enemies with, but he has a few other abilities.Since Congo has been overtaken with a spell that makes him part monkey, he has great jumping ability.He can also slide and roll like a rampaging boulder.Throughout the game, you need to collect all the diamonds you can (for extra lives when you get over 100), silver slot machine items (get three in a row of the same character or item and you could get extra lives or even a warp to a further level), and apples.The apples serve as your energy.If you collect enough apples to fill up Congo's energy, Congo will be provided with an extra special ability (but I'm not going to spoil it for you).However, if you get hit so many times that you only have one energy unit left, Congo will literally morph into a monkey.
All in all, Congo's Caper isn't either a great game or a terrible game, it's average.Even though I was 15 at the time my mom bought me this game for Christmas, and even though it seems like it's more geared toward the younger generation of gamers, I still enjoyed the game.Most of the levels are real easy, with the exception of a few, and the bosses are surprisingly challenging.Congo's Caper is still fun to play from time to time even after you've beat the game from start to finish.For the players who don't want to try and go through the game in one sitting, after you complete a world, a password screen comes up, and you can write down the password and save it.And if you ever get bored playing it by yourself, you can always play a two player game with a friend, and you'll have to take turns playing it when one of you loses a life.
If you're a parent and you have kids that enjoy playing Super Nintendo games, I recommend getting them Congo's Caper.If you're an older gamer, you would probably want to pass up on Congo's Caper, but then again, you might enjoy it.

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Bandit Kings of Ancient China Review

... provided that you know how to play this game. Within this game, there is a maximum of 27 years to beat the Evil Gao Qiu. You have a lot of things to think about - your men, armors, the loyalty/happiness of your citizens, the resources of your land, how much food and gold you have, and the like, and you can only do ONE action from any one of these categories and others to take care of per turn.

A strategy I discovered later on was that it was better to play this game in 2 or 3 (user)player mode and play all of the characters. That way, you can concentrate on Gao Qiu instead of worrying about the other characters (who are otherwise played by computer.) Another thing to do is for each of your characters to swear in about 2 Eternal Brothers or Sisters ASAP (preferably stronger/skilled ones. She-Devil is one of my personal favorites) and have them take care of your initial territory while you travel to other territories to expand and recruit more characters. The nice thing about these Brothers and Sisters is that each character in the game, including Gao Qiu and his men, each have a turn (the system rotates through prefectures for turns) and the more Brothers and Sisters you have (max 9 for each character) get a turn where you can decide the action, just like with your original characters. That way, you can really work on the things you need, and sometimes your brothers and sisters can recruit people for you. Just concentrate on getting 2 ASAP and later on, as your ranks grow and you attract strong warriors, you can bring them in as Brothers (such as Red-Eyed Lion, Eight-Armed Lo, Nine Dragons, etc) Leave average comrades (not brothers) to run territories on the fringes of the map (where they're not likely to be attacked) and they can maintain these areas for you quietly and send you supplies or money as needed as well as gain overall support of that prefecture (as long as they have enough food and money to start with)

The military aspect of this game is also a treat. Make sure your men are well-armored and trained before you fight for more territory. You can have vanquished foes join your ranks, which is always a treat. Just one caveat, make sure you check loyalty every so often, you do NOT want the numbers to drop too low. Have a feast every once in a while especially if you have a lot of men and women in your prefecture - this goes for ALL of the characters you play, not just your original ones. Make sure to pay attention to your citizens too, because the more liked you are, the more you can recruit.

Overall this is a farily good game, more enjoyable when I was playing 3 characters (Leopard-Headed, Blue-Face Beast, and the Hairy Priest) since it gave me greater control AND made the game last longer.

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Crystalis Review

I got this game from Santa as a Christmas present ages ago when I was a wee lad. I remember my dad and I played this game while my family watched around the TV. It was a once in a lifetime experience playing this game for the first time as a kid. I was very lucky to get such a great NES game, especially considering it's a more obscure lesser known title.

This game was so awesome. I still pick it up and play it again now that I'm in my mid twenties. The graphics are good for the NES. The music is good. The amount of weapons, magic, armor, items, and powerups you can get are amazing for an overhead RPG Adventure game from this era. And all the weapons and items are useful and placed well throughout the game to keep you from getting too powerful too fast. The controls are good, and the menus are easy to understand. Pacing and difficulty are just right.

I love the boss battles. They are all diverse and challenging. Your allies, the wise men, and the townspeople actually tell you useful information and the story is also interesting. I'm surprised at how little known this title is considering how great it is, especially for an NES game. But everyone I've talked to that does happen to know about this game loves it. If you are a fan of classic adventure games or RPG games, do yourself a favor and pick up a copy. You won't be disappointed.

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Silent Service Review

Not as easy as you might expect.You can practice chasing ships, aiming, firing torpedos before getting into the real game.View is periscope or map.You can adjust the speed of game play.Pretty cool as far as NES games go.You can play cat and mouse with a destroyer or wipe out a convoy.Graphics are pretty good, too.

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Crystalis Review

I've had this game almost my entire life, and every few years, I go back to play it, just because it's THAT GOOD. Think Zelda...but with a plot. Whenever I am in need of a great RPG, I always come back to this; when I'm in need of inspiration, Crystalis is my reminder that good things can come out of the video game industry without the name Final Fantasy attached to it. I don't know why you'd BUY it now, what with emulation available and such, but just know that this is one of the few games that has touched my soul, and I'll give it to my kids to play when the time comes.

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Product Description:
A great warrior who was cryogenically suspended before a disaster happened. 100 years latter the warrior is awakened to help, stop the world from being destroyed for a second time. An evil menace named Draygonia is dead set on destroying the world, and it's your job to help the warrior stop him.

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Classic NES Series: Bomberman Review

In 1987 Bomberman was a nice fun and addictive game. The "Classic NES Series" version is fun too but it feels as if something is missing.
Bomberman has a very simple concept to grasp. You're placed in an arena with monsters and you must destroy these monsters with bombs.There are also walls and such blocking your path that you can bomb.Bomberman has 50 levels so it'll keep you busy but its the same thing throughout all 50 levels.The enemies begin to move faster and faster as the levels increase.
The original version had long passwords to right down.Thankfully this version lets you save your game when you get to another level (kind of like the original NES Metroid in Metroid Zero/Prime).You can just as easily push the L and R buttons at the same time.
The problem with porting a classic is you port the problems too.Bomberman is fun but being 50 levels long makes the game rather boring and tedius. Especially considering you're dropped in virtually the same arena.
The other problem is that since the original Bomberman never had multiplayer, neither does this.Multiplayer is what really made Bomberman fun.
This is a nice Classic NES Game but to be frank, the original version wasn't much so why would this port of the original be any different?There are still fifty levels and it still gets boring in the middle.But at least unlike other games with the same basic level it has an end.
Easily this is for anyone who is a fan of Bomberman, and I mean a die-hard fan.I'm not a die-hard fan of the first Bomberman.

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Product Description:
Bomberman - Classic NES Series is the game that started the Bomberman series. Move throughgrids, using strategy to drop bombs at the right spots to destroy walls & enemies. Collectpower-ups that increase the blast area of your bombs, or time the explosions perfectly. Wipeout all your enemies and move on the next arena, as the crazy bombing hero!

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