Final Fantasy II

Review Date: April 8, 2021 Release Date: December 17, 1988 Platform: NES Publisher: Square Genre: Role Playing Game Anecdotes: Final Fantasy fans can be very fickle. The main series is at 15 games as of this writing with a 16th in development. I bet that if I surveyed 100 people and asked them to rank… Continue reading Final Fantasy II

Paperboy

Review Date: April 7, 2021 Release Date: December 1, 1988 Platform: NES Publisher: Mindscape, maybe Tengen Genre: ??? Anecdotes: I’ve never worked as a paperboy, but from playing this game, I now understand what the job is like. I didn’t realize that breakdancers practice right in the paperboy’s way. I didn’t realize that miniature tornadoes… Continue reading Paperboy

Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest

Game Basics: Review Date: April 5, 2021 (revised on March 26, 2022) Release Date: December 1, 1988 Platform: NES Publisher: Konami Developer: Konami Genre: Nonlinear Platformer I played Castlevania. I failed. Most runs ended at the Grim Reaper, but a few got to Stage 17. Brother #2 played Castlevania. He failed. Brother #3 played Castlevania.… Continue reading Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest

Zelda II: The Adventure of Link

Review Date: April 4, 2021 Release Date: December 1, 1988 (that’s an exact date this time, not an estimate like when I usually put the first) Platform: NES Publisher: Nintendo Genre: Nonlinear Platformer Anecdotes: Back in 1988, Nintendo enjoyed tons of success with their golden cartridge, The Legend of Zelda. Logic would dictate that they… Continue reading Zelda II: The Adventure of Link

Blaster Master

Review Date: April 3, 2021 (It’s 4-3-2-1, blast off!!) Release Date: November 1, 1988 Platform: NES Publisher: Sunsoft Genre: Linear Platformer Anecdotes: I had already mentioned this game in previous reviews of Sunsoft games because it was evident to me that Sunsoft learned from their earlier games what worked and what didn’t. The catacombs of… Continue reading Blaster Master

Super Mario Bros. 2 (Western Version)

Review Date: April 2, 2021 Release Date: October 3, 1988 Platform: NES Publisher: Nintendo Genre: Linear Platformer Anecdotes: This game came out early on in my sixth grade school year, and we had it by the end of the calendar year. In January and February of 1989, I could not wait to get home and… Continue reading Super Mario Bros. 2 (Western Version)

Adventure Island

Review Date: April 1, 2021 Release Date: September 1, 1988 Platform: NES Developer: Hudson Soft Genre: Linear Platformer Anecdotes: Being of the age that grew up on the NES, I have played more than my fair share of clones. Whenever a game is successful, a bunch of similar games pop up that are similar, yet… Continue reading Adventure Island

Jackal

Release Date: September 1, 1988 Review Date: March 31, 2021 Platform: NES Publisher: Konami Genre: Shooter Anecdotes: Here’s another game that we never actually owned. Our experience with it came exclusively through rentals. We played it, mostly as a 2 player experience, but even back then, we had started to feel like we’ve seen all… Continue reading Jackal