Nintendo/Square

May 1990

Role-Playing

1 Player

Final Fantasy is role-playing perfection on the NES... you just won't find a better game of its kind on the system.  The graphics are magnificent, and the gameplay offers all kinds of depth and variety.  The number of spells available to your magic users alone will blow your mind!  The fighting's just a touch slow, but everything else in the game is exceptional.

FAST FACT:  Square wasn't doing so well in 1987, when this game was released in Japan.  It was so close to the edge of financial ruin that it designed Final Fantasy as a spectacular end to the company's brief history.  This was not to be, however... the game's immense popularity rescued Square from bankruptcy and transformed it into one of the video game industry's most influential software developers.

Tecmo

March 1993

Puzzle

1 Player

This stimulating puzzle game is best suited to players who want to challenge their minds rather than their reflexes.  There are no power ups to collect and no bosses to battle... it's just you and your magic wand against plumes of flame.  To snuff the flames and advance, you'll need to create and strategically drop blocks of ice.  It ain't easy, but it sure is fun!

OTAKU ALERT!  Fans of Solomon's Key have probably already figured out that Fire 'n Ice is the sequel to Tecmo's underrated puzzle game.  However, the association was made official in Japan, where the game was given the title Solomon's Key II.

GameTek/Imagineering

March 1992

Educational

1 Player

To prove your worth as a Fisher Price fireman, you've got to navigate a series of mazes in a firetruck, then rescue those lovable peg-like Little People from buildings which... uh, don't seem to be on fire.  I guess that'd make it too scary for young children, the game's target audience, but the simplistic gameplay makes it a tough sell for anyone else.

GameTek/Beam

March 1990

Educational

1 Player

I Can Remember plays like the classic game of Memory... a set of cards is placed face down on a table, and you flip over two at a time, hoping to find matching pairs.  I Can Remember introduces product placement to the familiar formula... you'll find pictures of Fisher Price toys hiding underneath the cards as you remove them. Parents beware... every victory is another thirty dollars out of your pockets!

GameTek/Beam

March 1990

Educational

1 Player

Perfect Fit tests your child's ability to recognize patterns by dropping objects onto a playfield littered with silhouettes.  When the tyke sets an object on its matching shadow, they're rewarded with praise and an upbeat song.  If the child sets it anywhere else, they're punished with a harsh metallic buzz.  It's like your kid is a lab rat, trapped in a research project.

Taxan

April 1989

Action/Fighting

1-2 Players

You're Kenshirou, a macho karate expert who can make his enemies explode with a single touch.  You'll use this gruesome skill to muscle your way through a post-apocalyptic wasteland, turning the thugs in your path into flying chunks of debris.  It's one of the most outrageously violent fighting games on the NES, but it's also one of the most dull and linear.

Mindscape

May 1991

Flight Sim

1 Player

This combat-oriented flight simulator is more impressive than most on the NES, with fluid animation and a convincing first-person perspective.  There are also bombing sequences that take place behind your jet, and landing scenerios which demand careful adjustments to your fighter's altitude and speed.  This welcome variety helps elevate the game above its peers.

Taito

December 1991

Action

1 Player

When a visitor from the future steals the Flintstones' faithful pets, Fred vows to bring them back home... because let's face it, nobody's going to want to hang around with The Great Gazoo.  Anyway, Fred travels through the prehistoric landscape, bopping dinosaurs with his club and clinging to ledges in this formulaic side-scrolling action game.