Contributions > Descriptions by RKL (5646)

Planet Smashers is a vertically scrolling shooter similar to Xevious. Power ups can be captured by destroying cargo ships. Power ups include improved weapons, shield restoration, and cloaking ability. Cargo ships also drop warp capsules that the player needs to collect in order to proceed to the level boss.

One difference in this game that sets it apart from others of the same type is the Earth Shield. Every time the player lets a ship go by unscathed the Earth Shield depletes a little. If the shield is destroyed, it's game over.

A hundred thousand years ago, an ancient civilization prospered on our Earth, their product being GAMP (General Artificial Matrix Producer). In order to survive the Ice Age, most of the Earth's inhabitants have decided to leave it, finally settling on a planet called Xevious. A group of humans remained, becoming our own ancestors. Many years have passed, and the Xevians are now planning a massive comeback to their long-lost homeland. The pilot Mu, his android companion Eve, and Mio, a Xevian who opposes the GAMP regime, are back from a space travel just in time to warn the Earth of the upcoming invasion. The prototype fighter craft Solvalou is going to be used as the main weapon against the Xevian attack.

Xevious is a vertically-scrolling shooter which is notable for being the first game of that type to feature an aircraft flying over the Earth (as opposed to the outer space in other games), displaying views of South American nature. It also introduced, for the first time, two types of enemies to fight: aerial and ground-based (the menacing SOL towers invoked by GAMP to aid their planes). The player-controlled ship, Solvalou, is equipped with two weapons, each assigned to a button: the Zapper for air enemies, and the Blaster, which drops bombs on ground targets with the aid of a lock-on. The aerial enemies are divided into sub-categories distinguished by their attack and behavior patterns. Certain enemy types are immune to Solvalou's weapons, and must be avoided.

MotorPsycho is similar in feel to Pole Position, but with motorcycles substituting the cars. The object is to complete each race within the alloted time while dodging other motorcycles. Ramps strewn throughout the track allow the motorcycle to jump over obstacles and the other motorcyclists. You can shift between high and low gears, but there are no brakes. A player can customize their motorcycle by adjusting the "straighten" and "turn" response times before the race.

In Scrapyard Dog you play the role of Louie, the junkyard guy, who's companion Scraps has been dognapped by the dastardly Mr. Big. Louie has bombs and cans at his disposal to use against the enemies, which include gangsters, rats, and mice. He can also use shields to protect himself on route to the sixteen checkpoints in the game. Louie must reach each checkpoint in a certain amount of time in order to save Scraps.

Super Skateboardin' is a game where a young skateboarder is hired by his dad's company to do what he does best, Skateboard. Your job is to navigate the many rooms of the factory and turn off all the electrical equipment in 15 minutes, or else the electricity bill will skyrocket. Your wage is based on how fast you complete the task, and you need that money to enter the Skateboarding Championship. Super Skateboardin' is a straightforward game from the designer of Pitfall!, David Crane.

Mania Challenge is the sequel to the wrestling game Mat Mania. The gameplay and features (including the moves of the wrestlers, except for the addition of a drop kick) are completely identical. The most important addition is a versus mode against another human players. The unnamed wrestler protagonist from the original version is now called Dynamite Tommy. In the versus mode he only can fight a clone character with identical moves known as Hurricane Joe.

In the single-player mode the roster from the original game has been made smaller. Dynamite Tommy has to fight Insane Warrior, Golden Hulk and Hurricane Joe (except when continuing a two-player game in single-player as Joe, then Tommy is an opponent). The three other wrestlers Karate Fighter, Coco Savage and The Pirania are no longer available as opponents. After completing the game all three of them can be fought again in an endless loop.

The later released Atari 7800 version has some differences in the graphics and includes different difficulty levels for the single-player mode.

Jinks added a largely new concept to the Breakout type games, offering much freer paddle movement (both horizontally and vertically), a horizontally scrolling screen and the ability to flip the triangular paddle as needed.

The objective is to survive on the planet Jinks - an exploration mission on this resource-rich planet has gone wrong. As hazards, there are objects that can destroy the paddle or make it smaller. There is also the ability to shake the screen if the ball is in a looping position.

You play a secret agent on a quest to stop the evil Professor Elvin Atombender, who is believed to be tampering with national security computers. You must penetrate Atombender's stronghold, avoid his deadly robot creations, and acquire various pieces of a password to use in the main control room. You have 6 hours to complete the game; 10 minutes are lost each time you die and 2 minutes are expended if you use the help function on your portable computer.

The robots, rooms, and puzzle pieces will be switched around when starting over which provides replay value.

Hat Trick is a two-on-two hockey game. Each player controls a goalie and a skater. The object is to shoot the puck into the opposing teams goal. Each game lasts two minutes.

You play as Charley trying to eat an ice cream cone. But first you must avoid the chefs that are out to get you: Angelo, Zorba, Oscar, and Jacques. Avoid the food thrown at you by the chefs to get the cone. You can also throw your own food at the chefs to slow them down.

Fight Night is a boxing game in which players box 11 different opponents on the way to the final match with the champ, Bronx Bomber. Each boxer has unique strengths and weaknesses, along with one specialised "super punch". There are four different modes of play; the single-player Main Event and the multi-player Tournament (on disk/cartridge versions only), and also Training and Sparring modes. Players can also create their own boxer, setting the appearance and abilities.

In this post-apocalyptic driving/racing game you must travel to various towns delivering medicine, while on your way to a missile base which houses a rocket that can save the world.

While driving through the 32 levels, you'll meet countless enemies who want to stop you from achieving your goal. Your car boasts many weapons to help you out, including dynamite, rockets, oil slicks, smoke screens, and machine guns. You can also upgrade your vehicle within the city shops. Upgrading your gas tank provides better mileage while upgrading your bumper protects you during collisions. A password feature let's you continue where you left off.

F-18 Hornet is a one-player fighter simulator in which the player pilots a Navy F-18/A Jet through a series of simulated combat situations including carrier take-offs and landings, bombings, strafings, and air combat.

In each of four missions, you are confronted with a variety of opponents and must perform a series of combat objectives in order from the Naval Aviator rank.

As a professional ornithologist, you're thrilled to find out that some rare South American hornbills have nested in your "old yolk tree." But while the hornbills are out feeding, a group of mischievous bluebirds, owls, and snakes begin raiding their nests and stealing eggs.

You get out your slingshot and begin hitting the marauding creatures. But you have to be careful. If you hit an egg-carrying bird, it drops the egg and you have to act fast to catch it before it hits the ground and return it to a nest. At the same time, you have to watch for snakes that may be sneaking up to nests and gobbling eggs. If you can protect the eggs long enough, you can take them to another nesting site.

You and your grandpa just put your life savings into buying a small farm a few acres for growing vegetables and raising horses, a place to get away from the battle of city life. But you discover that the entire farm is full of things that are determined to drive you away.

Barnyard Blaster is a shooting gallery type game for use with the Atari XG-1 light gun or the joystick. There are three levels plus one bonus level.Your goal is to rid your farm of vermin by shooting targets in each of three levels. Between each level you'll play Gramps' bonus screen where you can brush up on your shooting. But in order to proceed through each level, you must achieve a certain percentage of shooting accuracy. At the end of the game you're given a ranking depending on how well you did.

In a desperate attempt to stop inner-city gang wars, the city leaders organized a basketball league. The league is scheduled to play on three courts: a street, a junkyard, and a rooftop. The mayor figured that a friendly game of hoops would be a much more peaceful way to settle disputes. He was wrong.

You can choose 1-on-1 or 2-on-2 game modes. There are six characters to choose from (ten in Atari Lynx version); each with their own health, speed, and power attributes. Each player without the ball can jump to block a shot or punch there opponent to get the ball. There's also an option to perform a power throw on an opposing player. Players with the ball can shoot or pass. Power ups appear on the court at random instances. These power up one attribute for the player. For example, the lightning power up increases the player's speed.

The referee does not call fouls, but does hurl knives at the players.

In part three of the Streets of Rage series, Mr. X is back and this time his plan involves replacing public officials with his own robots. Only Axel, Blaze, Skate, and new-comer Dr. Zan can stop him. Streets of Rage 3 features all of the beat 'em up action you would expect from a Streets of Rage game. One new feature is the special move power bar, where it only costs energy to do a special move if the bar isn't full. Also new is the ability to do special maneuvers with different weapons, depending on the character. For example, Skate has no special move with the pipe, but does have one with the knife. The opposite is true for Axel. Any weapon Dr. Zan picks up is turned into energy balls which he can throw at the enemies. Secret characters and multiple endings add replay value.

M.U.S.C.L.E. (Millions of Unusual Small Creatures Lurking Everywhere) is an early NES wrestling game based on the line of toys popular in the 1980s. M.U.S.C.L.E. allows you to choose two wrestling stars from the M.U.S.C.L.E. universe (from a selection of eight) in a tag-team match tournament in one player mode, and versus a friend in two player mode. Each wrestler has one special move that can be used by collecting the power pellet that floats around the ring at random instances.

Tecmo Baseball is one of the many baseball games released for the Nintendo Entertainment Systems. There are five modes in Tecmo Baseball: One Player, Two Player, One Player Allstar, Two Player Allstar, and a watch mode. In One Player mode you pick from one of the fourteen teams and challenge each of the other teams. A password feature allows you to continue from where you left off. You also have the option of using the DH rule.

Gameplay is similar to the many other baseball released for the NES. The camera angle when batting or pitching is from behind the pitcher. The pitcher can pitch the ball high and low, as well as curve it. Tecmo Baseball includes digitized voices for the umpire.

In this version of Bases Loaded you coach your team through a 130-game season in either an Eastern or western division of a professional baseball league. Win the pennant and you're off to the World Series! You can also play head-to-head with a friend.

Choose from six teams in each division. Once you take your place in the dugout you're the manager, juggling your own lineup and battling order. You'll also have to somewhat of a psychologists as you learn to interpret the Player Performance Ratings. This unique feature of Bases Loaded II rates each player in three categories: physical, sensitivity, and intellectual. Each rating is like a biorhythm, going up and down, just like in real life. The Player Performance Ratings simulate what players really go through - streaks and slumps. Bases Loaded II also features similar realistic on-field action that was present in the first game of the series.

In Sub Hunt you control a group of four submarines one at a time. The goal is to destroy six convoys which will be attempting to cross the stretch of sea you are guarding. You can aim and fire torpedoes using a periscope view, have your submarine dive and surface, and adjust your speed. An overhead display allows you to strategically move your submarines in the position of your choice. There are five difficulty levels to choose from.

Pursue the ancient Crown of Kings in Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Cartridge. You control a three person party equipped with three arrows apiece, though more arrows can be found on your quest. Quest over the land of Cloudy Mountain and explore caves with many enemies that try to stop your progress. There are four difficulty levels.

Las Vegas Poker & Blackjack is a computerized version of different types of Poker and Blackjack, including 7-Card Stud and 5-Card Draw. The player inputs how much "money" that is available to bet with. There are one and two-player games, and Las Vegas Poker & Blackjack includes a dealer to play against.

Sea Battle is a strategic game for two players only. Each player controls a fleet of ships including Submarines, Destroyers, and Battleships. The goal is to engage and sink enemy ships. The winner is the player who commands the troop transport ship into the opponent's harbor. There are two phases in Sea Battle; the strategy phase, and the combat phase. The strategy phase includes maneuvering your fleet into different strategic positions on the map, laying mines, and repair fleets. Opponents engage in ship-to-ship warfare in the combat phase, triggered by the ENGAGE button. Each of the different types of ships has there own strengths and weaknesses, such as weapon range and maneuverability.

WWF Wrestlemania is a wrestling game using the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) license. The game features six popular WWF wrestlers: Hulk Hogan, André the Giant, "Macho Man" Randy Savage, The Honky Tonk Man, Bam Bam Bigelow, and "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase.

All the wrestlers can execute basic punches, kicks, and headbutts; turnbuckle moves and bodyslams can only be performed by particular wrestlers. Different wrestlers may use different moves with varying frequency, reflecting the preferences of their real-life counterparts. Wrestlers might also become angry (turning red on the screen), entering a rage state during which their attack power improves. Character-specific health power-ups will sometimes appear on the ring, and can be collected by corresponding wrestlers.

The two gameplay modes include a single exhibition match (one player versus the computer or two players against each other), and a tournament. In a single player tournament, the player chooses one wrestler and must defeat the other five in a series of matches to win the championship. In a tournament with up to six player-controlled wrestlers, each wrestler faces every other wrestler one time, for a total of fifteen matches.

The intergalactic menace Belser has been long-defeated. However, he is rising again and is ready to cause trouble. Only a group of well-trained starpilots can defeat him. You take to the stars in this horizontal and sometimes vertical scrolling shooter. There are several power-ups to be obtained in your mission to defeat the evil Belser.

There are three ships to choose from, each having different weapons for attack. There are eight attack levels for each, increasing with each Red Orb collected. The Blue Orb gives a limited defense shield.