StarTropics

Die für die Leistung der kleinen NES-Konsole absolut perfekte technische Präsentation lässt keinen Wunsch offen. Schöne Grafiken, eine nette Hintergrundmusik, präzise und unkomplizierte Spielsteuerung und absolut keine Slowdowns sorgen für die richtige Spielatmosphäre. Startropics ist bis jetzt in jeder Hinsicht das beste Spiel, das ich auf dem NES gespielt habe.

I usually resent rip-offs -- games lacking an original premise, usually by a no-name manufacturer attempting to break into the business with a tried and true method of gameplay. But what about when one company rips off itself? And, further, what if the game is actually good? Really, really good? Such is the case with Nintendo's StarTropics, very much a rehash of its classic Legend of Zelda yet, at the same time, very much an excellent game.

This is a great game and remains one of my favorites to this day. It is also a perfect example of the type of game an old-school gamer would be talking about when he is telling you these kids today wouldn’t know a difficult game if it bit them. This is a lengthy and fun with a story that is unintentionally funny to boot.

Adventure game fans rejoice! StarTropics features adventure as big as the deep blue sea in an epic quest with cosmic consequences.

There's a reason why I chose StarTropics to be the topic of my first ever IGN article a year and a half ago, and a reason why I'm excited that it's now arrived on the Virtual Console – and that's because it's just a great, fun, unique Nintendo game. First-party games developed by Nintendo's own creative teams aren't often overlooked, but StarTropics was. For whatever reason, this title that takes inspiration from the classic original Legend of Zelda design and evolves it into something new and compelling was never noticed by fans as much as it deserved to be. But for just five bucks, you can't make the mistake of passing it by now. Trust me that it's worth your 500 Wii Points and give it a download – because if you play it and enjoy it, your purchase will help motivate the Big N to make StarTropics' lone sequel, Zoda's Revenge, also available in the Wii Shop someday soon. (Not to mention other long-lost cult classics from Nintendo's own first-party catalog, like EarthBound.)

No island vacation is complete without robot-driven submarines, walking skull-ostriches, and alien abductions. Startropics features all these things and more in an adventure that mixes the exploration of an RPG with overhead action similar to the Zelda games. While there is a definite nostalgic charm about the whole affair, it is tempered by some unfortunate flaws in the gameplay.

Startropics could've turned out to be a true classic, but too much frustration revolves around the poor ability to control your character. If you can deal with all of the above, then Startropics can actually be a pretty good game. Although you'll play through the same level many times due to constant death, they are usually well designed, even if you have to jump on way too many tiles. The plot is actually pretty good too, as it brings an unexpected sci-fi twist to this game (that's where the "star" in "Startropics" comes from.) If you have a very high tolerance level and plenty of time, Startropics can be very fun, and even addicting.