Sunsoft

September 1987

Action/Shooter

1 Player

The popular arcade game speeds its way to the NES... and crashes a half-dozen times while making the trip.  The problem with Spy Hunter is that the gameplay lacks balance... either you're driving too quickly to avoid the obstacles in your path, or too slowly for the game to be exciting.  Sunsoft's port also lacks the arcade game's realistic physics and sound effects.

Kemco/Seika

October 1988

Action/Strategy

1-2 Players

Those wild 'n crazy spies from the Mad Magazine comic series make their debut on a home game console.  As the White or Black Spy, you'll rummage through a house for secret documents, then set traps for your eternal rival (just be careful where you step, as he'll be doing the same thing!).  Sadly, this lackluster action game is more original than it is entertaining.

Irem/Home Data

September 1987

Shooter

1-2 Players (alt)

This is one of the strangest shooters on the NES, but it's rather captivating despite its quirks.  Your submarine fires torpedos and depth charges at swarms of sealife and rescues men trapped inside underwater habitat bubbles.  As you forge ahead, the enemies become so surreal that you'll start to wonder if you're playing a video game or just watching a Beatles video.

Nintendo

October 1985

Action

1 Player

The nutty professor from Gyromite is back, jumping on the keys of a giant control panel to program R.O.B. the video robot.  Pushing down entire rows or columns of keys commands R.O.B. to open and close his pincers, then move his arms in any direction.  If you can program him to drop tiles in a straight column or row, you'll score points and advance to the next stage.

Bandai

September 1987

Sports

1-2 Players

Stadium Events offers five different Olympic sports events, seen from behind the backs of the athletes.  You'll burn rubber on the Power Pad to make your onscreen persona run, then jump to vault over hurdles and break world records in the long jump.  The frantic interaction with the Power Pad and the effective 3D viewpoint helps draw the player into the action.

Electrobrain/Sculptured Software

October 1992

Action

1 Player

Stanley, long-time second banana to the famous Dr. Livingston, explores the dense jungles of Africa to find his better half in this low-grade adventure game that hovers somewhere between tame and outright lame.  The animation is weak, the foes you'll fight are generic, and Stanley's wimpiness clearly demonstrates why he's always had to settle for being the sidekick.

Tecmo

November 1987

Shooter

1 Player

Star Force lacks the frills and features of other vertical shooters on the NES, but it is nevertheless a solid and playable product.  You'll weave through swarms of bullet-spitting enemies and blast ground-based targets... on the rare occasions you're allowed to catch your breath.  A high level of challenge and a nifty use of parallax justify the game's existence.

OTAKU ALERT!  The Japanese were given a sequel to Star Force called (what else?) Super Star Force.  This vertically scrolling shooter had more depth than the original, allowing the player to warp to different periods in time while battling the endless armies of the vicious (if ridiculously named) space tyrant Gordess.

Taxan/Hudson

January 1989

Shooter

1 Player

Star Soldier is a competant vertically scrolling shooter that floods the screen with a random assortment of weird enemies... you'll blast everything from giant stone faces to flocks of space snails.  Your ship lays down some serious firepower when fully stocked with power-ups, but its annoying tendency to fly under background objects will leave you hot under the collar.