T 05

 
To The Earth
 

Nintendo

November 1989

Light Gun

1 Player

This is perhaps the toughest light gun game on the system.  Ships scream past you in the blink of an eye, launching missiles that you're barely given a chance to intercept.  It's unlikely that you'll ever make it to the Earth, but the game does have merit despite its overwhelming difficulty.  The graphics are crisp, and there's more variety than in most light gun titles.
QUALITY
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Toki
 

Taito

December 1991

Action

1 Player

Sure, the artwork's a little rough around the edges, but this version of Toki is a more faithful arcade translation than others on more powerful game systems.  If you've never tried Toki, imagine a platformer in the vein of Super Mario Bros., but with a lush jungle setting, a bizarre cast of characters, and more ways to throw fire than Mario ever imagined.
QUALITY
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Tom and Jerry (and Tuffy)
 

Hi-Tech/Software Creations

December 1991

Action

1-2 Players (alt)

You'd think this game would try to follow in the footsteps of the vibrant cartoon, but that's not the case... the backgrounds are often black as night, and with their drab browns and greys, the characters barely stand out against them.  The gameplay is similarly dull... it's just another generic platformer, with little to distinguish it from others in the genre.
QUALITY
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Tombs and Treasure
 

Infocom/Falcom

June 1991

Adventure

1 Player

Infocom and Falcom come together to release a game that combines each company's areas of expertise.  Tombs and Treasures has the streamlined design of a console RPG and the lengthy dialogue of a text adventure.  In this game, you and two friends explore a Mayan pyramid with a deadly secret, armed only with a ceremonial dagger and any items you'll find along the way.
QUALITY
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Top Gun
 

Konami

November 1987

Action/Shooter

1 Player

There's a heavy emphasis on combat in this stripped down flight simulator, based on the Tom Cruise film.  Instead of trying to capture the feel of flying a real jet, Top Gun puts you in the danger zone with dozens of other planes trying to bring you down with gunfire and missiles.  Landing sequences offer a break from the action and give the game a little added depth.
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Top Gun: The Second Mission
 

Konami

unknown

Action/Shooter

1-2 Players (alt)

Sometimes, faster isn't always better.  Just look at Top Gun: The Second Mission, the game that sends Konami's series of combat-oriented flight simulators crashing through the sound barrier.  It's much faster than the first Top Gun, but this speed leaves the gameplay feeling spastic and twitchy.  This, in turn, makes it much harder to survive when the screen fills with jets.
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Total Recall
 

Acclaim/Interplay

August 1990

Action (of sorts)

1 Player

This cheap 'n cheesy action game is so cynically designed that the developers seemed to forget just what film it was supposed to be based on, throwing in catchphrases from other Arnold Schwarzenegger movies.  "I'll be back!"  "I do not have a toomah!"  "I'm... pregnant?!"  All right, all right, Total Recall isn't THAT bad.  Man, is it ever close, though.
QUALITY
RARITY

 
 
Totally Rad
 

Jaleco

March 1991

Action

1 Player

Totally Rad is an ambitious side-scrolling action game with colorful graphics, gigantic bosses, and a healthy dose of late 1980's pop culture.  You're Jake, aspiring magician and apparent Keanu Reeves stunt double.  When some bogus dudes kidnap your girlfriend, you'll use beams of light and a wide variety of other magic spells to get her back.

FAST FACT:  Totally Rad was significantly changed when it was released in the United States.  Its original title in Japan was Magic John, and the hero of the game was absolutely nothing like the star of Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, more closely resembling 1960's anime characters like Speed Racer.  John's kidnapped girlfriend also received a serious makeover when the game arrived on these shores.
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