Hey, how about that Nintendo Switch Online, am I right? Doesn't it SUCK ASS? Ok, no, it doesn't completely suck, as it does have a selection of various retro games that, while not being the best selection, does have a good amount of titles that I would have never seen or heard of otherwise. The service has at least that going for it, even though most of it does suck. Nevertheless, after scrolling through the lineup once again, I stumbled across Vice: Project Doom, which I had heard of and seen previously in videos, so I decided to finally give it a shot.
After playing through it, I can say that the game is actually pretty good, and what I would say is a bit of a hidden gem of the NES library. It does have problems, with some of them involving a lot of copy-pasting, but it was still a fun title to experience.
The story is pretty fleshed out and developed, which is aided by the cutscenes throughout the game, along with the most 80's-action-movie-like dialogue ever, the graphics are pretty good, the music is alright, but not too memorable, the control is solid all around, and the gameplay is familiar, yet still different and varied enough to where it is still fun to experience.
For the most part, the game is yet another action 2D platformer, where you travel from the beginning to the end of numerous stages, fighting enemies with a selection of weapons, including a whip, a gun, and grenades, taking on bosses, collecting items and ammo, and finding more out about the story along the way. It has all the beats of a standout title for the system, and it works really well, with the game providing enough challenge to not make it easy, while also giving the player enough versatility to have plenty of options for moving ahead, which is a plus in my book.
Aside from the platforming stages, there are also two other types of gameplay sections the game offers. First, there is the vehicle driving sections, where you drive on a highway, shooting down enemies and taking on bosses as well. Sure, it's not that complicated or in-depth, but it is a nice pace breaker in the mix of the regular platforming, even if it may be a little too easy for me.
The third and final gameplay sections are on-rail shooter segments similar to House of the Dead and Time Crisis, where you have to shoot a bunch of enemies that appear on your screen from a first-person-perspective, alternating between using either your gun or grenades to take them out. Just like with the driving segments, these are also pretty fun distractions from the main gameplay, and while they are also pretty easy, it is still a good time, and it's cool seeing this type of gameplay from the NES.
With all that in mind, the problems the game has would basically be a majority of the problems that Ninja Gaiden have, because it is basically just Ninja Gaiden except with aliens n junk. Alongside that, the game doesn't really leave too much of an impact. Sure, it does have different types of gameplay that make it unique among other games, but in terms of the plot, setting, and characters, it is pretty generic when compared to other games of the time, and as such, it doesn't really stand out as much as it needs to, which is probably why it went long overlooked ever since.
Overall, while it isn't the most noteworthy of games, and it is pretty much just Ninja Gaiden, except with aliens, it is a solid hidden gem of the NES library, and one I would definitely recommend for anyone to check out if they want to see what else the system has to offer.
Game #118
After playing through it, I can say that the game is actually pretty good, and what I would say is a bit of a hidden gem of the NES library. It does have problems, with some of them involving a lot of copy-pasting, but it was still a fun title to experience.
The story is pretty fleshed out and developed, which is aided by the cutscenes throughout the game, along with the most 80's-action-movie-like dialogue ever, the graphics are pretty good, the music is alright, but not too memorable, the control is solid all around, and the gameplay is familiar, yet still different and varied enough to where it is still fun to experience.
For the most part, the game is yet another action 2D platformer, where you travel from the beginning to the end of numerous stages, fighting enemies with a selection of weapons, including a whip, a gun, and grenades, taking on bosses, collecting items and ammo, and finding more out about the story along the way. It has all the beats of a standout title for the system, and it works really well, with the game providing enough challenge to not make it easy, while also giving the player enough versatility to have plenty of options for moving ahead, which is a plus in my book.
Aside from the platforming stages, there are also two other types of gameplay sections the game offers. First, there is the vehicle driving sections, where you drive on a highway, shooting down enemies and taking on bosses as well. Sure, it's not that complicated or in-depth, but it is a nice pace breaker in the mix of the regular platforming, even if it may be a little too easy for me.
The third and final gameplay sections are on-rail shooter segments similar to House of the Dead and Time Crisis, where you have to shoot a bunch of enemies that appear on your screen from a first-person-perspective, alternating between using either your gun or grenades to take them out. Just like with the driving segments, these are also pretty fun distractions from the main gameplay, and while they are also pretty easy, it is still a good time, and it's cool seeing this type of gameplay from the NES.
With all that in mind, the problems the game has would basically be a majority of the problems that Ninja Gaiden have, because it is basically just Ninja Gaiden except with aliens n junk. Alongside that, the game doesn't really leave too much of an impact. Sure, it does have different types of gameplay that make it unique among other games, but in terms of the plot, setting, and characters, it is pretty generic when compared to other games of the time, and as such, it doesn't really stand out as much as it needs to, which is probably why it went long overlooked ever since.
Overall, while it isn't the most noteworthy of games, and it is pretty much just Ninja Gaiden, except with aliens, it is a solid hidden gem of the NES library, and one I would definitely recommend for anyone to check out if they want to see what else the system has to offer.
Game #118