Conference rusure::nintendo

Rating:
	0-5, forget it.  6-8, buy it if the type of game appeals to you.
	9, buy it unless you really do not like the type of game.  10, buy it.
Freedom (usually but not always means):
	CC	shoot 'em up games
	Cc	CC games with a twist
    	CD	adventure games or move-around-and-evade-enemies games
    	Cd	CD games without a twist
Skill, Puzzle, Uniqueness:
	Skill:		reaction time, coordination
	Puzzle:		figuring out how to achieve goals
	Uniqueness:	novelty of game -- could be good or bad for you
	0	game does not exercise ability 	/ game does not show uniqueness
	1	ability is involved a bit	/ game is not run-of-the-mill
	2	ability is exercised		/ game is novel
	3	you must become good at ability	/ game is very original

Nintendo games:

Rating	Name			Freedom	SPU	Notes
8-9	Arkanoid		C	20	Break-out with frills
7-8	Athena			CD	20	adventure
6	Balloon Fight		CC	10
9	CastleVania		CD	20
5-7	Deadly Towers		CC	10	poor adventure
6	Donkey Kong		CD	20	Ratings include two
6	Donkey Kong, Junior	CD	20	points for "Golden
6	Donkey Kong III		CD	20	Oldie" status.
10	Ghosts 'N Goblins	Cd	30
7	Golf			cd	11
9	Gradius			CC	30
8	Gyromite		CD	12	special accessory
6	Ice Climber		CD	20
8-9	Kid Icarus		CD	31	password memory
10	Legend of Zelda		CCD	31	extended play, batteries
6	Mario Brothers		CD	20	good two-player action
9-10	Metroid			CD	31	password memory
8	Mighty Bomb Jack	Cc	20
7	Pinball			D	10
4	Popeye			CD	10
10	Rygar			Cd	21	adventure
9	Solomon's Key		CD	22
7	Spelunker		CD	21	poor control, movement
6	Star Raiders		CC	31
9	Super Mario Brothers	Cd	21	adventure
9	Wrecking Crew		CD	13

    
    Just a rating for Rad Racer,
    
     Rad Racer is nintendo's version of Out Run and Pole Positon combined.
    You can select either a Ferrari or a F1 racer. When you use the
    Ferrari you race against other cars, you start out with a Vw bug
    and work your way up. And the cars look like real cars, the bugs
    look like bugs, the vettes look like vetts and the Ferrari looks
    like a Ferrari !When you use the F1 you race against other F1s,
    they don't change from level to level like it does when you use
    the Ferrari.
    
     The only thing I can say bad about it is that the 3-D isn't very
    good, but in my opinion you don't need it ! The Graphics are exelent!
    I give it a 9. Definatly buy it if you like fast, very fast paced
    car racing action.
    
    			Start your engines, It's Rad Racer,
    				    Pat..
    
    

    How is top Gun?

    Re .4:
    
    I don't have Top Gun, so I can't rate it.  Perhaps somebody else could
    assign it a number for you, or you could read the comments people have
    made in topic 31. 
    
    
    				-- edp

        RE Top Gun,
        
        Using Eric's  rating  system simply as a numeric out of 10, I'd
        give it 9-10  as a 'fly/shoot_'em_up' game, and a 3 as a flight
        simulator.  I enjoyed  playing it and completed it in about two
        weeks, but the challenge is  still  there  to complete it again
        with a higher final score -  I'd  buy  it  again, which is more
        than I'd say for other games such as Star Voyager.
        
        Andy.
        

  Hi,
    I dont play Top Gun but my brother does. Im not sure if he is good or
    not because I dont like that sort of game. If it was in the ratings
    he would surly give it a 10. He shows his friends how to play and
    they really get into it. So if I was you I would probably buy it
    for yourself.
                  Misty wisuri
           
     
      

    
          Obviously the author(s) of the ratings in .8  are big on
          the adventure games. The one comment I had was concerning
          GOLF. Both my wife (who hates real golf) and myself, have
          thoroughly enjoyed the game. It allows us to play NES
          together at the same time which Zelda and Metroid do not.
          The wind factor makes you think on each hole too!  I would
          recommend it for was it is, a sports game.
    
          The ratings are a big help though and thank you for posting
          them.
    
    -rick

    re .8,.9
    	Yes, good ratings - thanks.  The way I interpret the title
    "Games worth someone else's money" is that I may or may not be
    the 'someone else', depending on my own particular interests.
    Golf is a perfect example for me - I golf in real life, too,
    and find that the game reflects many real-life aspects of play,
    so I really enjoy the Nintendo version, especially when playing
    with someone else.
    
    ..........steve
    

    Re .9, .10:
    
    Yes, games are going to vary quite a bit according to what I like.  The
    order I have listed them in in .8 is of course the one True, Objective
    order; any preferences other people may have are only their opinions.
    
    Seriously, even I have problems with the order in .8.  It varies
    depending on what sort of mood I am in or how recently I have become
    upset with a game.  It shouldn't really be a straight line; it should
    branch at some points and rejoin.
    
    Golf has a small flaw; the distances to the hole do not seem to be to
    scale and it does not tell you how far away you are after your strokes. 
    
    "Worth Somebody Else's Money" was supposed to mean you wouldn't mind
    having the game if somebody else gave it to you, as opposed to the
    lower games which you wouldn't enjoy even then.  It is very hard to
    pinpoint these categories though, so they are just there as a guide. 
    
    
    				-- edp

    GOLF IS THE GAME FOR ME. AFTER PLAYING IT FOR APPROX. 3 MO. MY BROTHER
    AND I ARE DOWN TO 17 UNDER PAR 55. WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR SCORES.
    WE THINK THE LOWEST SCORE POSS. IS PROBABLY A 50 OR 51(WITH LUCK).
    THANKS FOR THE RATINGS BUT GOLE WAS DEFINATLY UNDERATED.

                                                  EAGLES TO ALL
                                                  WAYNE

    I am going to be buying another game (FINALLY), and I'm trying to
    decide between baseball and vollyball.  Which is better?  I'm looking
    for exciting play and good two player action.  Please reply soon.

>
>    I am going to be buying another game (FINALLY), and I'm trying to
>    decide between baseball and vollyball.  Which is better?  I'm looking
>    for exciting play and good two player action.  Please reply soon.
>


	Vollyball has the most exciting play but it is a little tougher to
play.  Baseball is a good baseball game but just how exciting is baseball??
If you want non-stop excitement get Vollyball, once you get the hang of it
you will have some real good vollies with spikes, blocks, dinks..all the 
excimtement of a real vollyball game.

Mc

****************Excerpt from Note 14.1****************************************

Skill, Puzzle, Uniqueness:
	Skill:		reaction time, coordination
	Puzzle:		figuring out how to achieve goals
	Uniqueness:	novelty of game -- could be good or bad for you
	0	game does not exercise ability 	/ game does not show uniqueness
	1	ability is involved a bit	/ game is not run-of-the-mill
	2	ability is exercised		/ game is novel
	3	you must become good at ability	/ game is very original

****************Excerpt from Note 14.2****************************************

Rating	Name			Freedom	SPU	Notes
8-9	Arkanoid		C	20	Break-out with frills

****************************************^^************************************
					||
I don't understand ---------------------+|	It seems that something
could someone explain--------------------+	is missing

	JTS/hs

    Re .17:
    
    SPU
    20
    
    Skill is two, puzzle is zero, and uniqueness is zero.  (Most things are
    zero in uniqueness, so I leave it out for uniqueness.)
    
    Skill is two because Arkanoid requires you to get the timing right, pay
    attention to the screen, and hit the balls just right.
    
    Arkanoid has no puzzles for you to solve.
    
    The game does not invent anything new.  (Yes, it has nifty features not
    found elsewhere, but they are just frills, not really new aspects of
    game play.) 
    
    
    				-- edp

Action, Strategy, Depth, Uniqueness:
	Action:		reaction time, coordination
	Strategy:	figuring out how to achieve goals
	Depth:		complexity of play, variety of challenges, actions
	Uniqueness:	novelty of game -- could be good or bad for you
	0	not present
	1	somewhat present
	2	present
	3	very present

	Name			ASDU Publisher	Notes

------- Games for the Hall of Fame --------------------------------------------

Ninten	Legend of Zelda		3131 Nintendo	extended play, battery
	Collect weapons, tools, money, and bombs.  Fight many monsters with
	different characteristics.  Explore a large, diverse landscape with
	underground labyrinths.

Ninten	Metroid			3130 Nintendo	password memory
	Work your way through the corridors of a space fortress, shooting
	monsters and collecting special abilities or weapons.  Explore the
	ornate scenery, various monsters, and hidden areas.

------- Games the Authors Should be Proud Of ----------------------------------

Ninten	Castlevania		2030 Konami
	Defeat monsters with a whip and special weapons in a series of
	scenes in and under a castle.

Ninten	Ghosts 'N Goblins	3030 Capcom
	Fight a variety of monsters with one of several weapons (usually
	a short sword), working through a series of screens on ground,
	platforms, buildings, caves, bridges, and a tower to rescue your
	princess.

------- Good Games ------------------------------------------------------------

Ninten	Solomon's Key		2230 Tecmo
	Make blocks appear and disappear to work your way through a room
	in each round, collecting a key to open the escape door and reaching
	the door.  Avoid small fire-breathing dragons and other monsters,
	occasionally fire a brick-following fireball.  Build the blocks
	just right to reach the goal and avoid monsters.

Ninten	Super Mario Brothers	2120 Nintendo	adventure
	Travel through land, underground, water, and aboveground worlds,
	avoid mushroom monsters, turtle monsters, fish, and others.  Collect
	coins and knock out bricks.  Pass through eight castles to rescue
	the princess.

Ninten	Rygar			2120 Tecmo	adventure
	Fight through sections of a world to get a weapon or tool needed
	for another section, then build up strength to attack the final
	monster.
	
Ninten	Wrecking Crew		1320 Nintendo
	Each of one hundred rounds has parts to be knocked down.  Use a
	sledgehammer to destroy doors, walls, ladders, and girders.  Avoid
	monsters of two types.  It is necessary to learn how and when the
	monsters make decisions and figure out how to get the super-hammer.
	Strategy plays a part in trapping and avoiding monsters.

Ninten	Arkanoid		2020 Taito	Break-out with frills
	Move a paddle left and right to hit a ball which bounces, hits, and
	removes colored blocks.  Frills include lasers, wide paddle, advance
	to next round, slow, and split ball into three.

------- Games Worth Your Money ------------------------------------------------

Ninten	Gradius			3020 Konami
	Pass through space and unusual worlds while shooting enemy ships.
	Pick up power units to add special powers to ship, such as lasers,
	upward shots, downward missiles, ghost ships, and shields.

Ninten	Kid Icarus		3110 Nintendo	password memory
	Shoot your way through the monsters of each round.

Ninten	Wizards and Warriors	3120 Acclaim
	Explore areas to rescue the princess.  Find your way inside and
	outside of trees, through caverns with platforms and slopes of
	ice, and ride bubbles coming from lava.  There are some objects,
	treasures, and magic potions to get.  The objects work fairly
	well, with no subscreen.

Ninten	Mario Brothers		2010 Nintendo	good two-player action
	Jump into floors from below to disable turtles, crabs, and butterflies
	above.  Kick the disabled animals into the water.  Two players can
	cooperate or compete.  Watch out for the other player bouncing you
	into a monster.

Ninten	Karnov			3120 Data East
	This is a one-way scrolling game with pretty good graphics.  The
	Nintendo version is not the same quality as the arcade version.
	Like Super Mario Brothers, there are hidden treasures to find,
	and the game is actually a bit broader since it has a variety
	of options that the player can obtain, such as bombs, ladders,
	and wings.

------- Games Worth Some of Your Money ----------------------------------------

Ninten	Gyromite		1210 Nintendo	special accessory
	Your Robotic Operating Buddy reads signals sent from the television
	screen (at your command) to move its arms up, down, right, left, open,
	or closed.  R.O.B. will help you by lifting gyroscopes, placing them
	in a motor, and putting them on special stands which activate buttons
	on a controller, opening and closing gates in the game screen.  The
	gates let you pass, prevent a monster from passing, elevate you from
	one level to another, or crush monsters.

Ninten	Ice Climber		2010 Nintendo
	Knock a hole in the level of ice above you, jump up, and repeat.
	Some levels have moving clouds, conveyor belts, or walls.  Avoid
	hole-repairing animals and the bear.

Ninten	Jaws			1000 LJN Toys
	Move a boat around an ocean map scene with occasional switches
	to side scenes in which you hit various marine life and take an
	occasional shot at Jaws.  When you have depleted Jaws' energy,
	go to the final scene to ram Jaws with your boat.

Ninten	Mega Man		2010 Capcom
	Select one of six rounds, fight monsters in that round and the
	special robot at the end.  When all six rounds are finished, go
	on to the evil mastermind.

Ninten	Goonies II		1210 Konami
	Search for your friends in a house that leads to hidden rooms including
	icy sections, plant sections, waterfalls, and a rickety bridge.  Pick
	up keys and other objects.  Use a hammer to reveal secret passages.

Ninten	Mighty Bomb Jack	2010 Tecmo
	Jump and control your fall to avoid monsters and collect bombs and
	coins.  Work through passages and special rooms to explore a large
	pyramid.

Ninten	Spelunker		2110 Broderbund	poor control, movement
	Explore an area of caves to collect items needed to get into the
	next area.  Bombs destroy path-blocking boulders, flares scare bats,
	a gun eliminates ghosts, and you can control an elevator or ride some
	moving platforms.

------- Games Worth Somebody Else's Money -------------------------------------

Ninten	Golf			1100 Nintendo
	Select your club.  Line up your shot.  Push button for swing; button
	timing controls power and direction.  Repeat for eighteen holes.

Ninten	Pinball			1000 Nintendo
	Play a fairly pleasant game of pinball with an occasional diversion
	to keep a ball in motion on a side screen to rescue a friend.

Ninten	Donkey Kong		2000 Nintendo
	Move up ladders and ramps to rescue your girlfriend.  Avoid barrels
	and fireballs.

Ninten	Donkey Kong, Junior	2000 Nintendo
	Move up chains and vines to rescue your father.  Avoid animals.

Ninten	Donkey Kong III		2000 Nintendo
	Use spray can to push Donkey Kong III out of your garden.  Also
	spray insects.

Ninten	Balloon Fight		1000 Nintendo
	Pushing the button makes your balloon go up.  Not pushing lets it
	fall, as in Joust.  Hit the enemy balloons from above, like Joust,
	except not as exciting.

------- Games Not Worth Money -------------------------------------------------

Ninten	Popeye			1000 Nintendo
	Stay away from Bluto while collecting hearts, letters, or notes from
	Olive Oil.

Ninten	Lunar Pool		1000 FCI
	Line up your shot and press the button when the right number of lights
	are on to control power.  Get the balls in the pockets.  Play on a
	regular table then a variety of tables of funny shapes with strange
	arrangements of pockets and bumpers.

Ninten	Athena			2010 SNK	adventure
	Kill monsters and collect confusing weapons and armour.  The screen
	is too busy, and the goals are too poorly defined.

Ninten	Star Voyager		3100 Acclaim
	Look at a map, point to where you want to go, enter hyperspace,
	ride the controls through hyperspace, shoot the bad guys, get to a
	space station, and repeat.

Ninten	Deadly Towers		1000 Broderbund	poor adventure
	Make your way through a series of too many rooms, killing simple
	monsters and collecting simple objects.

    I think the RATINGs should divide into 2 sections, one for
    grown ups (16 and older) and one for kids (7-15).  It is a matter
    of opinion that your kids may rate the games slightly different
    than we rate them.   What do you think?
    

    Has anyone played "Spy .vs. Spy" or 1943 yet? If so, could you give
    some input on how you like them...
    
    Jim

    Re .22:
    
    I have the Commodore version of Spy vs. Spy.  It's not very good when
    you are playing against the computer, but it might make a good game for
    two players, both of whom know how to play properly.  I'm also told
    that 1943 is good.
    
    
    				-- edp

    My husband and I purchased the Nintendo version of Spy vs. Spy 2
    weekends ago.  We love the game.  It has good graphics and it is
    just a lot of fun.  
    
    You set booby-traps on each other such as the bomb, the spring,
    buckets of water on top of closed doors and time bombs that you
    can place in the room.
    
    Also, in most of the levels, the games offers 2 weapons so it can
    stay fair (unless you get both weapons).  
    
    I think it is a really fun game.  We bought the game a Kay-Bee Toys
    in the Searstown mall in Leominster for $39.99.
    
    I really do recommend it if you are up for some competition with
    someone!!
    
    Kathy
    

    Is it only for two players or can you play the computer?
    
    Jim

    It is for 2 players and you can play the computer.  There is also
    a training part which I felt was a big help.
    
    Kathy
    

    Would this be a game that small kids (ages 5 & 8) would enjoy?
    
    Still confused on which games to get for both to play......
    
    John

    I personally don't think it would be a good game for the children.
    There is a lot of competition involved (sometimes I get so aggravated
    when my husband keeps setting traps on me that I hit him).  Maybe
    if the children played singly it would be ok, but I would it would
    be too much to have the competing.
    
    Kathy
    

	Sounds good, just one question.

	How do you set the traps without your opponent seeing them?

Bob    

    The screen is split in two, with one player at the top and one at
    the bottom, so they can see the traps set.  But it's awfully hard
    to remember in which rooms they are in.  You really don't have time
    to watch what the other player is doing.  I just got this game and
    it seems really nice.  i'm still learning how to play it.
    
    Ron

    Lots of good info here, thank you for the pointer. I am curious
    if anyone would recomend any games for kids that just want 
    simple fly a plane or drive a car type stuff where the controls
    are easy and obvious. Are there many games that have decent
    beginner levels that a kid can do with the higher levels for more
    expertise? The Nintendo is for my wife and I but our 5 year old
    loves to play in the arcades so I would like to find a couple of
    games where he can acheive at least some success.
    
    David Kinney

              <<< MOMAX1::SYS$SYSDEVICE:[NOTES$LIBRARY]NINTENDO.NOTE;1 >>>
                       -< Nintendo Entertainment System >-
================================================================================
Note 183.0                      Pacman/Centipede                      No replies
HOCUS::LELAH                                          2 lines   6-JAN-1989 09:05
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    I'm interested in purchasing Pacman and/or Centipide (if it exist-
    I've only seen Millipede. Any comments or ratings would be appreciated.

    I rented PACMAN for my children (ages 9,11) over the holidays and
    they didn't like it at all.  It was alot slower than the one we
    have on our Atari 2600.  I was not impressed with it at all. infact
    I would not recommend this for anyone. Use your $40.00 to purchase
    another pak.  My kids LOVE Mickey Mousecapade.
    
    -Flash
   

    I bought Millipede about a week ago, but have only played it a few
    times.  It should be entertaining if you like the arcade version.
    The only thing I wish is that I had a trackball to play it with!!
    Using the basic controller makes it hard to *really* have complete
    control over your shooter.

    Donald

    There is a trackball controller you can purchase for the Nintendo.
    I've seen them at Lechmere's (Salem, NH and Manchester, NH).  They
    sell for $14.99 and I believe the name is Quickshot.
    
    -Paula
    

    Well, I went to Lechmere's to check this 'trackball' out.  Ends up it
    isn't really a TRACK-ball.....it's a JOY-ball.  Looks like someone took
    half of a ball, and put it on top of a joystick.  Granted, it does allow
    movement in basically any direction, but not really what I was looking
    for.

    Donald (still searching for a REAL trackball)

This is my answer to 14.31:

I have three children, 10, 5 and almost 2. The 5 years old girl really enjoys
Duck Hunt, Slalom, Super Mario Bros and Metroid. 

Duck hunt is really easy for a kid, you just need the gun to shoot the ducks.

Slalom is quite easy, you have to drive your skier with the right and left 
arrows of the joystik. Optionally you can jump.

She does not go very far on SMB, she sometimes asks for my help to jump over 
holes, but she loves it.

I think what she likes in Metroid is the science fiction environment and the
Ugly characters that come all over the game, even if she has very little 
chance to complete the game.

Hope this helps

Yves DEBACKER
ANNECY FRANCE 

Does anybody have a rating for the following games ?

Mach rider
pro wrestling
urban champion
kung fu
tennis
football
clu-clu land
ice hockey
gun smoke
rush and attack
trojan
rc proam
contra
dragon warrior 

If you don't have a rating as complete as Eric did, just give what you 
liked/disliked as compared to reference games such as SM, Zelda.

 

    Clu Clu Land is a kid's game.  Your character moves continuously around
    a screen, bouncing off walls.  You control it by pressing the joystick
    to put out one of the character's hands, which then catches on the next
    pole at an intersection and swings the character around until you let
    it go in the next direction. 
    
    Dragon Warrior comes from Dragon Quest in Japan.  It may be more
    popular than Legend of Zelda.  It has not been released in the United
    States yet. 
    
    
    				-- edp

    I am repling to 14.38's rating for RC PRO-AM
                           I think RC PRO-AM is a great game.
    It has great graphics and it is hard in most areas. The
    catch is that you have to get bigger and better cars to 
    win. To do this you just spell NINTENDO with the letters
    given to you on the road. In respons I give RC PRO-AM a
    10 in graphics and a 10 challengness.
    
    

	There have been quite a few games out since the last set of rankings.
    Does anyone have any comments on how good/bad the new games are?

    I purhased "Joust" because I used to play it in arcades with my
    husband.  You fly around on birds trying to joust with other bird
    warriors and collect the eggs they drop when they are killed.
    If I was going to rate it like the other ones, I would say:
    
    Rating Name		Freedom  SPU      Notes
    8      Joust        CD       302      Difficult to master

    I'm interested in hearing from people who have played Crystalis and
    Final Fantasy.
    
    Which one did you enjoy more and why?
    
    Thanks, Pam

    I am almost finished with Crystalis and played Final Fantasy 2 months
    ago. I think they are both good games but Crystalis wins hands down.
    There was too much structure to FF and the game was a bit too easy.
    Monster bashing was more intense in FF also, an element that I don't
    look forward to.
    
    Crystalis is a real challange but not that hard that you pull hair. The
    graphics are very good to excellent and the story line is one you can
    get into.
    
    All in all, you'll enjoy both but the nod to Crystalis.

    re: .44
    
    I quite agree - Chrystalis much better than Final Fantasy.
    
    Joel
    

    
    
    re: .43
    
    I recently finished Crystalis, it took about 2 weeks of solid play.
    I had fun with the game, but do not believe it gave me the same
    fun value as Zelda or Link. I am currently playing Final Fantasy,
    this is my first role play adventure game and so far I have not lost
    interest and am anxious to complete and comment. I recently received
    Dragon Warrior from the Nintendo Power Club so this will give 
    incentive to complete Final Fantasy.
    
    Mike K. (who is waiting for the next Link adventure on Super-Famicom)
             

    
    well, i popped for Chessmaster (GameBoy).
    no challenge at all, even with thinkahead turned on.
    
    

    
    HELLO,
      I JUST THOUGHT I MIGHT PUT MY 2 CENTS IN AND SAY THAT MY BROTHER
    BOUGHT PACMAN FOR MY KIDS FOR CHRISTMAS AND THEY LIKE IT, SO DOES HE
    IT NOT AS EASY TO MOVE AROUND AS THE ATARI WITHOUT A JOY-STICK BUT IT
    CAN BE DONE. I AM GOING TO GO OUT AND PURCHASE THE STICK SO IT WILL BE
    EASIER FOR MY 8 YR OLD, MY DAUGHTER IS 12 AND ENJOYS IT. I MYSELF DO
    ALSO, NOW THAT I'VE WATCH MY BROTHER PLAY AND SEE WHAT HE CAN DO.