Jaleco

November 1992

Sports

1-2 Players

They didn't change the awkward view of the playfield, but Jaleco made a few other welcome improvements to this sequel to their flawed soccer game.  The characters that were nearly microscopic in the original are much larger and more detailed here.  However, the slanted perspective is still an issue, making it frustratingly hard to pass the ball to your teammates.

Toho

October 1989

Action

1 Player

Tired of crushing the Earth's cities to dust, Godzilla travels to distant planets to mix it up with monsters from the popular Japanese film series.  To reach the creatures, he and his airborne sidekick Mothra will have to fight their way through weird alien landscapes.  Huge characters are the highlight of this repetitive but strangely addictive action game.

Toho

February 1992

Strategy

1 Player

This sluggish turn-based combat simulator couldn't be more different from the first game.  In Godzilla 2, you control Japan's military force, hoping to bring down the big lizard and his friends with waves of jets and tanks.  Of course, we all know that in the end, Japan's just going to end up getting flattened by the rampaging monsters anyway.

Capcom

August 1992

Sports

1-2 Players

There's gold in them thar Olympic events!  Gold Medal Challenge is Capcom's first shot at capturing the excitement of the world's most popular athletic competition.  The game certainly benefits from Capcom's famous attention to detail, with brightly colored cartoon visuals, but the selection of events is rather bland in comparison to the ones in Konami's Track & Field 2.

Nintendo

October 1985

Sports

1-2 Players

It does what it says, it says what it does.  That sums up Nintendo's Golf, a game with an appropriately generic title.  You won't find any unique features in Golf... just a map of the fairway along with a first-person view of the action as you line up your shots.  The only thing worth mentioning is that the star of Golf bears a striking resemblence to Walter Matthau.

Atlus

December 1991

Sports

1-2 Players

Atlus really hit it out of the park with Golf Grand Slam (hey, if they can mix their sports metaphors, so can I!).  While most golf games just let you choose your clubs, this one lets you adjust your stance, your grip, and even the length of your tee!  There's just as much detail in the vibrantly colorful graphics... if it weren't for the irritating music, it'd be perfect!

Vic Tokai

September 1988

Action

1 Player

This was the first, and one of the only, games to bring mature content to the NES.  Stone-faced Golgo 13 smoked cigarettes, had romantic encounters with women, and assassinated targets, all without a hint of remorse.  Top Secret Episode isn't just controversial, though... it's loaded with variety.  You'll fly helicopters, infiltrate buildings, snipe distant enemies, and more!

Konami

November 1987

Action/Adventure

1 Player

When the Goonies get kidnapped by the evil Fratelli gang (again), it's up to Mikey to rescue his captive friends.  He'll need to explore every inch of the Fratelli home and the caverns hidden underneath it, collecting helpful items and bopping enemies with his yo-yo.  It's your typical side-scrolling NES adventure, enhanced with rooms seen from a first-person viewpoint.

FAST FACT:  Ever wonder what happened to the first Goonies game?  It was released in the United States, but only as a cartridge for the Playchoice-10, Nintendo's arcade jukebox.  With its linear level structure and fast-paced arcade action, The Goonies was more at home on the Playchoice-10 than on a home console like the NES.