Taxan

January 1991

Action/Shooter

1 Player

It's an all out assault on the forces of Cobra in this enjoyable side-scrolling action title, based on the Hasbro toy line.  You control a team of three G.I. Joe officers, each with their own signature guns and melee weapons.  After planting bombs throughout each heavily guarded enemy base, you'll face off against massive vehicles and Cobra's elite soldiers.

Capcom

March 1992

Action/Shooter

1 Player

Despite being released by a different company, this G.I. Joe game is very similar to the previous one.  You'll still be gunning down Cobra soldiers with a team of highly trained heroes, and collecting items to boost the strength of their weapons.  However, you'll notice a definite dip in quality when you see the bland graphics and fight amazingly lame bosses.

Bandai/Namco

September 1988

Shooter

1-2 Players

The legendary Namco classic, still found in arcades to this day, arrives on the NES with little lost in the translation.  The colors aren't as bright and the sound is high-pitched, but the simple beauty of the arcade game remains.  You'll still love watching the aliens gracefully dance across the sky... then dropping the curtain on their cosmic ballet with your cannons.

Activision/Interplay

February 1991

Racing

1-2 Players

Unprofessional design and a thumb-busting control scheme may prevent Galaxy 5000 from reaching the heights of the RC Pro Am series, but this futuristic racing game is still worth a little of your time.  You'll be pitted against both a trio of skilled spaceship pilots and dozens of dangerous obstacles scattered throughout each intergalactic race track.

Capcom

October 1992

Action

1 Player

Disappointed with Ghosts 'n Goblins?  Well, this spin-off makes up for it in a big way.  As the demon Firebrand, you'll wing your way through exquisitely drawn stages, clinging to cliff walls and spitting fire at all kinds of spooky creatures.  Everything about this game is fantastic... well, everything but the dull overhead view scenes that seperate one level from the next.

Tengen

July 1987

Action/Adventure

1-2 Players

The Gauntlet arcade game took role-playing and reduced to its most basic elements, replacing the complex strategy with fast-paced action.  This home version brings back some of that lost depth, letting you collect treasures to improve your character's abilities.  However, you sacrifice the arcade game's crisp graphics and much (but not all) of its voice in the process.

Mindscape

September 1990

Action/Adventure

1-4 Players

Ah, Mindscape... you give with one hand and take with the other.  Gauntlet II looks a whole lot better than the first game, with better use of color and more detail in both the characters and playfields.  However, the gameplay has downshifted into first gear, making Gauntlet II nearly as slow as a traditional role-playing game.  Guess you can't have it all, huh?

Koei

March 1992

Role-Playing

1 Player

Koei takes a break from its detail obsessed Eastern historical simulations to tell a tale of wizards and dragons, all battling for control of medievel England.  The setting may be new, but aside from a turn-based combat system with some similarities to chess, Gemfire isn't much different from any of Koei's other military simulations.