Of course, Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos was a success, so Tecmo needed to cap off this success with a third installment. Because every successful NES game needed an NES trilogy, such as with Ninja Gaiden, Mario, Mega Man, Castlevania, Zel- uh… ok, ignore that last one, but anyway, you get the point. However, this time around, things would be a little different. Not only would there be a new producer at the helm of this title, but the game would also pull a Castlevania and be a prequel, taking place in between the first and second game, which actually means something in this instance since these games have more complex stories. Not too complex, but moreso then just “kill Dracula”. Either way, after a year of development, we would then be given Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom.

So, if I’m gonna be honest, I originally had really conflicted feelings about this game after replaying it, but I would still consider it a pretty good game at the end of the day. On one hand, it is still all of the great action and gameplay we have come to expect from this series for one final NES installment. On the other hand, it is without a doubt the most frustrating and hardest game in the original trilogy , making it my least favorite of the bunch without a doubt, for several reasons. Yes, the game is still really good, but I experienced plenty of hardships on my replay of the game that made me do a lot of thinking on what I should rate this game, and not in a good way.

The story is, once again, pretty complex and developed, helped again by the use of plenty of cutscenes, although some plot elements are cliche for this kind of game, such as the fake out death and the evil twin, the graphics are still really good, the music is once again very energetic and a great listen, the control is about as tight as before, although this time your jump is a little more floaty, which could be a problem for some, and the gameplay is still just as fast, frantic, and fun as before, although now with some really unneeded hindrances that bring it down for me.

The gameplay is exactly the same as the previous two games, where you proceed through many 2D side-scrolling stages, defeating enemies, getting weapons to aid you along the way, and defeating bosses that will test you in numerous ways. The foundation is still just as strong as it was for the first two games, and Tecmo knew this, so they only added little things to change up the gameplay. For one thing, now you can hang onto platforms from the bottom, adding a new level of versatility to the platforming, which is appreciated, and there are of course new weapons and upgrades to use, such as one that increases the range of your sword, which was without a doubt the most effective and useful of the upgrades. In addition, now you can gather these scrolls throughout the levels to increase the amount of ammunition you can carry for special weapons. Not sure why this was needed at all, considering it doesn’t change the gameplay that much, but hey, I guess it adds a way for the player to prove their skill, so I can’t be too mad at it.

What I can be mad about, however, is the difficulty. Now, this is no new thing, the Ninja Gaiden games have always been hard, but in this game… OH MY GOD. It is the most ruthless that they have ever been, with level designs, enemy placement, and obstacles being some of the most difficult on the entire NES, and honestly, after all this time, I completely forgot how hard it was. Now that I replayed it for this review, it makes the last two games look like the easiest games ever. That being said, however, with the power-ups and upgrades present, it isn’t unbeatable. It just takes a lot, and I mean A LOT, of skill, precision, and practice, and with enough time, you can make this game your bitch like it made you its.

Although, those aren’t the only reasons why this is the hardest game in the trilogy. Anyone familiar with the series already know this, but originally, when the game was made in Japan, it was actually made pretty easy in comparison to the previous two games. However, when it was brought over to be released in America, it was made much more difficult, by making the player take double the damage from enemies, and the worst change of the bunch: giving you limited continues. I mean, seriously, why the fuck was this changed for this game? The other two games were already hard enough with unlimited continues, and taking away that privilege makes things that much more painful. It doesn’t even make the game harder, it just makes things much more stressful, and I can definitely see it making new players apprehensive at wanting to try it out, so it really shouldn’t have been changed in the first place.

Now, with all that being said, I can’t rate this game any lower than I have it here. Trust me, I wanted to, given how much more difficult this game compared to the previous two, but honestly, that wouldn’t be fair, given how, again, it is still a pretty good game with the same great gameplay as previously, just now with the stakes raised so much higher than before. That didn’t stop me from beating the game twice in my lifetime, and it shouldn’t stop you either if you consider trying it for yourself. You just gotta get good, and I got good alright.

Overall, despite the ball-busting difficulty, the game is still a pretty good continuation to the series, and a more than serviceable way to end off the original trilogy on the NES. I just, you know, have to go to the hospital for my broken hands after being such a fucking master at this game, you know how it is.

Game #184

A return to the Fire Emblem formula after the large departure that was Three Houses. Personally I'm not down on Three Houses like many Fire Emblem fans are, but I did see why people would not enjoy it. Engage, however, is very much a game that caters to longtime fans of the series that sprinkles enough of the newer post-Awakening Dating Sim mechanics to keep it interesting to meet fans as well. The combat is simple yet addicting and leveling up your characters is really satisfying in the game. Although, I do admit that maybe it is TOO easy to level up units via skirmishes because I became extremely overpowered by the time the halfway point of the game hit and by endgame I was one-shotting boss characters with even my weakest units. I do like the little support convos you have between different units and the little ways you can gain support is pretty fun (fishing, making meals).
The story, however, is really lackluster to say the least. It's fairly simple and most twists and turns you can see coming. It's pretty corny, and there's lots of weird lines in this game. Lots of Mommy/Daddy issues as well which is just kind of hokie, and all the villains "motivation dump" right after you defeat them which is again, kind of meh. What keeps you going is the combat and the leveling up of fighters and not necessarily the characters although I really liked Timerra, Ivy, Jade, and Diamant.
Overall the game is a fun return to form for Fire Emblem fans, but it doesn't necessarily blow my socks off. Addicting, but not challenging.

Cobra Triangle is yet again another one of the games from Rare’s older catalog that I had never heard of before I had gotten Rare Replay back in 2015. I remember playing it back then, and I loved it back then, and even if I never got that far in the game, I still had a great time with it. Now, I have replayed it, and I have beaten the whole game, so, do I still love it? Fuck no. Do I hate it though? Absolutely not. What I will say about the game is that it is, like with most of Rare’s titles for the NES, pretty experimental and unique compared to other titles (to an extent), and that makes it very endearing, and also pretty fun to experience to get first impressions. However, after going through the process of beating the whole game, I would say it wasn’t really worth it, and I can see that the game isn’t perfect by any means, even if I would say it is still good for a bit.

The graphics are very good, with all that happens in the game at high speeds being very impressive for a game on this system around the time, the music is good enough, even if there are some levels of the game where there is no music at all, the control is, obviously simple, but the turning is pretty fucking heavy, even though it isn’t as heavy as Solar Jetman’s control was, so that is a step-up (even though this came out first), and the gameplay follows a simple and fun structure, while also adding enough variety to where it doesn’t get boring (again, to an extent).

The game is a racing, vehicular combat game, where you drive around in a speedboat at high… well, speeds, destroying numerous enemy boats and turrets around you, getting powerups along the way, and completing various objectives to beat the levels. While most of the gameplay isn’t all that original, the use of this setting and these circumstances are pretty unique for the time, and the amount of variety seen throughout the game can also add to the uniqueness of the title. Throughout the levels, you will be doing several different tasks, such as racing against other boats, getting powerups from ramps, protecting a group of people, and defusing bombs in the water. There is enough here to keep the player invested, while also throwing in boss battles to provide more of a challenge.

In addition to all of this, there are other aspects of the game that make it more replayable and even more charming. Similarly to Gradius, you can grab the powerup icons and choose the upgrade that you want use for the levels forward, such as speed upgrades, upgrades to your firepower, a temporary force field that will heal you completely, and MISSILES! Who doesn’t love missiles? Not to mention, the types of levels that you encounter in the game, and in what order, are completely random, which is pretty rare for a game on this system, which allows for a unique experience every time you play.

And finally, I can start to see a bit of that good ol’ Rare charm start to shine through in this game, with several moments in the game being very charming. For example, one of the boss fights is against a previous boss, but in order to defeat him, you have to NOT fight him at all, and just wait for him to die on his own. Not gonna lie, that made me laugh quite a bit when I saw it, it is such a Rare thing to put in their game. In addition, the final scene of the game where you are congratulated is treated as if it is an entire separate level, which was also pretty cute.

That being said, whenever I said earlier that this game is only good when you play for a little bit, I meant it. As you keep going, you will notice that levels start repeating quite a bit, with little to no changes made to them other then a new type of scenery for the most part, which can make things pretty repetitive and uninteresting. In addition, the obstacles that you have to face in these later levels are BRUTAL, and if it wasn’t for the rewind feature in Rare Replay, I would have never been able to beat the game. For example, there is one level type where you are driving through a strong current, avoiding stalagmites along the way, and the amount of stalagmites that are shot up in front of you, along with how fast they are thrown in, it feels almost impossible. I’m pretty sure it is doable with a lot of practice, but since I am a scrub, I just brute force my way through instead.

Aside from that though, the only other problems that I would have with some of the boss fights being a pain in the ass (that FUCKING CRAB), but you would only really get that if you were to get to the bosses themselves. Again, this is all why I stated that to truly enjoy the game, you should only play it casually, not trying to beat it. Yeah, there is no finality to it, but with the random nature of the levels, you could experience a good chunk of the game just from replaying the same first bunch of stages again and again, and you can get pretty far to where you can also fight some of the bosses. However, that’s all you really need to see, as nothing beyond that is really worth struggling through, but what you do get to experience is good enough, and again, pretty admirable for the time of release and the type of game that it is.

Overall, while falling into similar repetitive traps that plenty of other games from the time fall into, Cobra Triangle is one of the better titles from Rare’s early stages, and I would definitely recommend you giving it a try at some point. Hey, who knows, you may even find something you would quite enjoy playing for a bit……………….. man, it feels weird ending one of these old Rare games reviews on a positive note. Don’t worry, next time we do one of these games, it will probably be a lot more negative… I assume.

Game #228

So you know how Super Mario Galaxy 2 was supposed to be an expansion pack to Galaxy 1? Tears of the Kingdom definitely feels that way in respect to Breath of the Wild. It has many of the same mechanics, UI functionality, locations and map layout. Normally this wouldn't necessarily be a plus, but it really works in Tears's favor here. It improves on some minor annoyances that BOTW had like actually having decent dungeons, having better rune powers (fusion is extremely fun), and having better shrines and a cookbook! It has similar shortcomings to the previous entry like weapon durability (hate it), the Blood Moon cutscenes happening over and over, and the menuing overall still being lackluster imo. Overall, it's a more enriching experience than BOTW and a very good game in it's own right. Definitely a game I don't regret playing

mechanically it's a masterwork, a way more ambitious and critically thought out game than 2016, and it's absolutely incredible once you really have all your tools. where i think it loses people is the slow progression sabotages it a little. suit upgrades are not available until just before the third level (vs the first level in 2016) and stuff essential to combat like quick-swapping being gated off as upgrades is just baffling. but from super gore nest onward it just starts only hitting dingers, like goddd this game is so good once it hits its stride.

wow the super nintendo really got shafted for castlevania. the other members of the big 3 16-bit machines got bangers while this one is just... uhhhhhhh it's fine.
i don't think the 8-directional whip an inherently bad idea. especially not after a god-tier game like CVIII that would leave any series in a "where do we go from here?" state. the problem is SCVIV totally fails to build challenges around it. the best it comes up with for most of the game is placing enemies slightly below the player that are best dealt with by tediously bouncing the whip around, and some preeeetty bad grappling hook platforming sections. the death and dracula fights actually make some decent use of it but it's way too little too late. and that would all be one thing but they seemed aware that the game would be way way easier than its NES predecessors so they filled the back half of the game with an actually obnoxious amount of tedious instant death traps. where the late-game levels of CVI and CVIII are back-breaking but extremely satisfying to piece together (the medusa+knight hallway is a prsitine example) SCVIV really feels like work near the end. the finesse just isn't there.
presentation wise the game punches unbelievably far above its weight as a near-launch title. it really is stunning, i just wish it could play as good as it looks and sounds.