Absolute

September 1990

Action

1 Player

Three of the industry's most experienced game designers came together to create this military action game.  You'll drive a tank through dangerous enemy territory, blowing away other armored assault vehicles and restocking your limited supplies at friendly fueling stations.  The first person viewpoint may be pretty plain, but the gameplay is surprisingly engaging.

FAST FACT:  Battletank co-designer Garry Kitchen was previously employed at Activision, where he created such influential games as Keystone Kapers and Pressure Cooker for the Atari 2600.  After the industry crash of 1984, Kitchen left Activision to form his own company, Absolute Entertainment, which released games for both the NES and its 16-bit successor, the Super NES.

Mindscape

September 1993

Strategy

1-2 Players

Although video games were the preferred pastime of many kids in the 1980's, they still found time to squeeze in the occasional board game.  Battleship, an NES adaptation of the Milton Bradley strategy game, combines the two hobbies rather nicely.  The gameplay is still the same, but it's been modernized with devastating new missiles and cut scenes illustrating each move.

Tradewest/Rare

June 1991

Action/Fighting

1-2 Players

You've got to be impressed by the quality of this side-scrolling beat 'em up, but be warned... Battletoads pushes both your NES and your skills to the limit.  The comical fighting isn't that tough, but the game's other challenges, ranging from hoverbike races to being lowered into caves full of hungry crows, will really put you through the ringer.

Tradewest/Rare

June 1993

Action/Fighting

1-2 Players

East meets West in this crossover title, featuring the stars of Battletoads and its Japanese counterpart Double Dragon.  You'll fight enemies from both games, but the gameplay is 100% Battletoads, right down to the cartoony death blows.  Fortunately, that other Battletoads trademark (extreme difficulty) has been toned down, making the game more fun than the original.

LJN/Rare

May 1991

Action/Platform

1 Player

The only thing worse than being haunted by a scraggly-haired ghoul with lousy personal hygeine is being stuck with this game, based on his film.  It's hard to play this ugly and frustrating side-scrolling platformer, and even harder to believe that it was designed by Rare, the creators of such NES classics as Wizards and Warriors, RC Pro-Am, and Battletoads.

Electrobrain/Loriciel

December 1992

Sports/Fighting

1-2 Players

It's not the fastest paced or the most intense fighting game on the NES, but you've got to give Best of the Best credit for one thing... it's got some of the smoothest, most convincing animation you'll find on the system.  The gameplay's not bad, either, but just keep in mind that the battles in Best of the Best are won by the patient, not the impulsive.

FAST FACT: Best of the Best was released for nearly every game system under the sun, even the commercially underwhelming Turbografx-16!

LJN/Rare

July 1990

Driving

1-2 Players

Monster truck racing is supposed to be the most macho, testosterone-fueled sport in the world, right?  If that's the case, then why are all the challenges in this weak driving title, named after the king of monster trucks, accompanied by music straight out of a Charlie Chaplin film?  You'll have plenty of time to think about this while you're, uh, not playing this game.

LJN/Rocket Science

August 1991

Action/Adventure

1 Player

Your favorite teen stoners make the jump from theatres to the NES in this video game sequel to the famous film.  Here, you'll be visiting different time periods, searching for an entirely new set of historical figures (like that totally hot babe Cleopatra!).  The isometric graphics are fine and the dialogue is on target, but the dull, aimless gameplay is most bogus.