When I bought my first PC (that was MY PC), this was one of the first games I bought for it. And I will admit, that I generally had some fun getting through it. That said, I was disappointed that, in the interest of pushing their storyline, they MADE you play as all the various factions, whether you wanted to or not, as the game progressed.

Part of the brilliance, and replay value of Warcraft 2 (or for that matter 1), is that you picked a side, similar to Command & Conquer, and you played that ONE side, and saw THEIR story unfold, throughout the game. Then, if you WANTED, you could start a new game, and play through using the OTHER side. That is 100% what the should have stuck to doing with WC3, honestly.

It's still a decent game. But 2 was MUCH better, all around, no the least of which because of the aforementioned "choose your side" mechanic.

First off, I will preface this by saying that this is THE game that I bought a Wii U for. The U is the only console that I ever pre-ordered, in my entire life. Mainly because I wanted Pikmin 3, which was originally supposed to be a launch window title. Hell, it was ORIGINALLY supposed to be a Wii game, which I guess I'm greatful it wasn't, because it likely would have had tacked-on motion controls as the ONLY option available. But still.

So my disappointment with this game started early on. It began by being delayed, not once, but multiple times, and went from being a launch title, to releasing the better part of a year later. I was patient during that time, I was STILL excited, because I love Pikmin 1 and 2 THAT much, that I was very VERY much anticipating the third game.

And when I finally got my hands on it? Whoo boy. The game is GORGEOUS, still, it can't be knocked for graphics. Though the GC games were gorgeous too. But that's about where the positive points end, in my view. Firstly, while I was OK with the game no longer starring Captain Olimar, it still would have been better if it at LEAST had him and Louie and unlockable characters. However, that's the least of the game's problems. To be more organized in my criticisms, here are the main BIG things wrong with Pikmin 3:

1. Only one save filed. This was/is symptomatic of modern Nintendo (more than any other company), and it's a design choice/shift that has NEVER made rational sense to me. I found this out the hard way, by starting a new game to show a friend the beginning, and only THEN did I discover that it erased my first game I had started. I was extremely displeased.

2. They took out, for no discernible good reason, the ability to properly ZOOM your camera in and out. You can still rotate it 360, which is great. But being able to change your camera angles, and zoom in and out as needed, was a PRETTY big/useful element of the first two games. Having ZERO zoom, makes the gameplay far more cumbersome than it should be.

3. They also, quite nonsensically, took out TREASURE hunting. You still hunt for fruit, taking the place of ship parts from Pikmin 1 as the "NEED TO GET" thing you're searching for. But being able to find human trash that these tiny aliens think are priceless "treasures", was a HUGE part of the fun of Pikmin. In fact it was such a popular feature, the ENTIRE second game is built around treasure hunting. Having (that I was ever able to see) ZERO treasures to find, made the Pikmin experience feel pretty hollow.

4. But by far, THE most crippling, absurd, even offensive change they nonsensically made to Pikmin 3, was a doozy. I could have grinned and bared the other exclusions, even though they ALL make me grumpy. I could have still gotten SOME enjoyment out of this game, if those other things were all that was wrong. But no. Nintendo went the extra mile, and removed the ability to MANUALLY second-stick swarm your Pikmin. Like...WHAT?

For anyone who has ever played Pikmin 1 and 2, you know full well that being able to use the c-stick to manually control your Pikmin, SEPARATE of Olimar, was SUPER duper useful. Not only useful, but it made up like 50% of the game's strategy and gameplay. Pikmin is NOT just a "pick little guys up and throw them at things" game. If it were, it never would have been as deep, interesting, and FUN an experience as the first two games were. The ability to manually swarm is FUNDAMENTAL to the gameplay, from moving them out of the way of hazards, gently moving them along precarious paths, moving them AWAY from enemies, pushing them to swarm things you want them to, without HAVING to throw them, etc. etc.

And Pikmin 3? It cut that ability out completely. In P1 and 2, when you blow your whistle, the Pikmin will corral back behind you, in a semi-neat swarm, that YOU control. In Pikmin 3, when you blow the whistle, to make NOT being able to control/swarm them even worse, it causes the Pikmin to form a straight line behind you! Again...like, WHAT? That makes them even WORSE of a target for hazards and enemies. Boss fights, especially, without manual swarming, can be a nightmare, and SUPER tedious.

They literally reduced Pikmin 3 to a "pick little guys up and throw them at things" game. And people who ONLY ever played 3, thought that's all the series was, or was supposed to be, and called it "great". No. I'm sorry, it was not great at all. It as neutered, and gimped, and it never should have been. I likened it to having a Mario game, but they took the ability to RUN out of the gameplay. So all you could do was walk slowly and jump. Running, much like manual swarming, IMO, is INTEGRAL to the Mario experience, in much the same as was swarming was to Pikmin. Granted, I will admit that out of frustration and disgust, I did not play through the entire game. But I seriously doubt they suddenly added in the missing things, including swarming, later in the game.



The fact that they did this, to this day blows my mind. It feels like whoever developed Pikmin 3, hadn't even played 1 and 2, and didn't really understand the concept. They just based what they made off of some short videos or pictures or something. And that sucks, hard. Because Pikmin 3 SHOULD have been great like the first two. It SHOULD have been even better than 2, a masterpiece. Trust me, I WANTED very badly to love Pikmin 3. I had been waiting for it for pretty much a decade. And instead, it wound up being one of my single biggest gaming disappointments of all time.

I would LOVE to be enthusiastic for 4. But I have zero faith, at this point, that they'll fix the things they broke about 3, and make it more like 2 again. Which makes me sad.

Since this site is too lazy to give a confirmed, official listing to the NES game, I'll just pretend this is it. It was an unlicensed NES title that was at our local "All The Best Video" rental store, which my grandmother rented seriously like 2 or 3 times, until we finally got a 386 PC with Windows 3.1, which had a Solitaire game ON it. Then she finally stopped renting it.

The NES game is bare bones, it's basically just a PC Solitaire game. It wasn't horrible, but I'd feel bad for someone spending (probably) $50+ on it brand new back in the day.

I owned this game on PC/DOS as a kid, one of the handful of PC games I had at that age. Which is ironic, because I rented the NES version, I think, AFTER owning it on PC, just to "see how it was different". It really wasn't, just slightly downgraded graphics.

The game itself is an OK platformer, kinda wonky. And it's too bad most of these games make poor Tom out to be the villain. Because most of us who have watched the old shorts know full well, that MOST of the time, poor Tom is just trying to nap or mind his own business, when stupid Jerry comes along and schemes to get him in trouble. Goddamn mouse.

The irony of my renting this (AND the sequel, back to back I think) as a kid, is that I didn't get to actually WATCH the damn movies! I got to see PART (where the demon dogs attack Dana Barret and Luis Tully) of the first movie at a friends house, but for whatever stupid reason, my grandmother (who could be incredibly nonsensical and inconsistent like that), never rented or let me SEE Ghostbusters 1 and 2 when I was growing up. Which sucks complete ass, because I would have loved them (even IF what little I saw did scare me at my friend's house). I WAS able to later catch a BIT of the "Real Ghostbusters" cartoon (which is awesome) on TV. But GB was one of many things I should have been able to see as a kid, that I missed out on.

And yet, she let me rent the games? Who even knows. As for the game itself, it's not very good. In fact it kinda sucks, if I'm being honest. I even thought so as a kid, and at that age I was MUCH less jaded, I would try to get the most out of ANY game, no matter how crappy. As such, while I probably had some help from Game Genie (I would imagine), I DO remember getting up those goddamn stairs, and facing Gozer at the end of the game. I can't quite remember whether or not I BEAT Gozer...but let's say maybe?

It should be stated up front, that NO version of Double Dragon 3, at least in this man's view, is very good. The arcade game, IMO, is by far the worst one. This NES game is ALSO the worst of the trilogy on the console. That said, in the same way that, quite frankly, the NES versions of DD1 and DD2 were superior to the arcade originals, DD3 is likewise a MUCH better game than the arcade.

They somehow figured out a way to make it PLAY worse than DD2, but it's still a solid beat em up affair, which even managed to add something unique to the mix: once you beat certain bosses, you gain them as playable allies! If they die, you lose them permanently (as far as I can remember), which sucks, but it was still a brilliant idea to allow gamers to play some of the enemies.

The game itself shares the same BASIC story as the arcade, but it is, for the most part, its own game, exclusive to NES. It's not a BAD game, by any means. It just isn't that great, especially compared to the excellent first two entries. It DOES still have some rockin' tunes, though.

This game was an early rental in my NES-owning childhood. And one my grandmother, not much of a "gamer" herself, got addicted to. So much so that when I later received this in an AMAZING package that also included Bugs Bunny Birthday Blowout, two Sansui Joycard controllers (they're great), AND Super Mario Bros. 3...it was pretty obvious, even to 9 year old me, that while "my" game, Dr. Mario was really HER game.

And she went on to prove this, by playing the ever-living shit out of it. She would legit play this shit for hours at a time sometimes, to the point where I would make fun of her for saying "just one more game" (to the tune of the in-game music even), which she would eventually get mad and snap at me about. Even over the years, after we got OTHER puzzle games she liked, such as Loopz and Yoshi (no idea why she never bought us a copy of Tetris), she would STILL come back to Dr. Mario, and play it for hours. She got so good at it, that she eventually beat the final stage, and I was able to see the game's little "ending".

But it must be said, while I personally prefer Tetris and Yoshi, Nintendo really struck gold with this game and its take on the Tetris-like puzzle formula. The idea of matching up colored pills to eliminate obnoxious viruses? It's genius. And it IS a very fun, simple, addicting game. Later iterations, like the SNES, N64, and Wii versions, were all good in their own right. But this NES original will always be the best "Dr.", to me.

When I rented (and then later came to own) the first Godzilla game on NES, as a young kid who was JUST starting to get into Godzilla, and gradually see every monster movie in general that I could get my hands on, I was delighted. It was a repetitive, but fun action game. So imagine my shock, when I excitedly rented Godzilla 2, only to discover that it was...a strategy game.

As a kid, I had no idea what a "strategy" game was, and it certainly too me awhile to figure out exactly what the hell was going on (to this day, I STILL don't 100% understand the silly "slot machine" mechanic during battles). But while I initially was disgusted that this wasn't more action-y monster fights, it eventually began to grow on me. Enough that it was one of the rare games that I actually "wasted" a SECOND rental on. As a kid, I usually tried to always rent things I hadn't played yet, because I wanted to experience as many games as possible (video games, especially NES games, were magic to me child me). But on my first rental of Godzilla 2, I only managed to try a handful of the 12 different scenarios, and so I later rented it again, so I could see more!

It's certainly not an amazing game, but it is a quality, simple little strategy game, where-in you play Earth Defense forces, trying to defend cities from attacking monsters (and sometimes aliens). This game really grew on me, over time, and I quite enjoy it now. If you like Godzilla, and are into a simple but fun strategy experience that requires some thought and planning, then definitely give this game a try.

This game (The NES version) is sadly missing the option to play as Ralph, the werewolf. But otherwise, its a faithful (even GOOD) port of the arcade classic, and has essential 2 player co-op play. The game is definitely repetitive, as the arcade original was more of a "see how far you can get on one quarter" type of affair. But as a 2 player game, it's quite fun. In fact I have fond memories of my friend spending the night when I had rented this, and we stayed up going through the entire game. Good times.

The NES actually had a wealth of high quality arcade ports, and this is certainly counted among them.

I wish I had been able to rent the original Big Nose the Caveman game as a kid, instead of this one, as I would have likely enjoyed it more. That said, this is still a solid, and fairly creative Codemasters/Camerica game. It's unique in that you ride your prehistoric "skateboard" 100% of the time, and that lends itself to a very different kind of platforming/side-scrolling experience. It features the same sort of bouncy, upbeat music that most Codemasters games did, and colorful graphics.

Again, the OG Big Nose is a more fun, more fleshed out game, in my opinion. But this sequel is one of the more unique platformers you'll ever play, and still worth a look.

This game is a bit of a mixed bag affair. On the one hand, it IS, to be blunt, incredibly repetitive. You go through around 6/7 worlds, which for the most part are largely made of the same handful of level types, as you go about beating a growing list of the same monsters each planet, and destroying the final base, to move on to the next, etc. Gameplay wise, while the gameplay itself IS solid, I can see how it CAN get old for many people pretty quickly.

On the OTHER hand, if you grew up a "Monster Kid", and Godzilla nut, like I did? This game is the bee's knees! It could have used a few more monsters from the actual Godzilla movies (it features monsters like Moguera, Varan, and Gezora, from NON-Godzilla Toho films, which I had never heard of as a kid), but it DOES also feature many of the known heavy hitters (though it conspicuously is missing poor Rodan). The game also features fairly detailed graphics for a 1988 NES game, and its finest feature, by far, is an EXCELLENT soundtrack. You want to talk about "bangers"? This game's got em to spare. Do yourself a favor and go look up the OST on Youtube.

Again, this game is a repetitive affair, to be sure, but there is still enjoyment to be had. If nothing else, I would say look up the password to skip to "Planet X" (the final world), and play through that. It gives you a good sample of the game as a whole, you get to fight all the monsters, AND see the ending. The only thing you'll be missing out on that way, is the wonderful music. But that's what Youtube is for, right?

This seems to be a game that has an unfair reputation. Many in the modern so-called "Retro Community", seem to parrot the popular meme, that this game is "garbage", as in a legitimately bad game. Which is absolutely isn't. Is it hard as fuck, even unfair at times in later stages? Definitely. But it has always come across as very disengenuous and hypocritical to me, that many of the same sorts who praise OTHER hard-as-nails NES games (many of which are complete bullshit at times), like Contra, like Ninja Gaiden, like Ghosts n Goblins, like Battletoads, or Holy Diver, etc. etc. etc., turn around and call THIS a "bad game" for its jank or difficulty.

In this man's estimation, the first Adventure Island is a goddamn gem. It's essentially a port/reworking of the Sega arcade (and later Master System) game Wonder Boy. Personally, I prefer Master Higgins to the Blonde Wonder, and I prefer Wonder Boy in his later (more popular) form, as a "metroidvania" type affair. As far as AI itself goes, it kicked off a fantastic franchise, with 2 and 3 being the strongest of the bunch (2 being my favorite). But this original game, while VERY rough around the edges, is incredibly fun, and obviously challenging. I honestly can't remember if I beat it upon my one childhood rental of it, or not. I'd be willing to lean towards not, because World 8 especially does, in all fairness, get STUPID hard in spots. But I did manage, at the very least, to get pretty far into this classic.

The Adventure Island games, as far as I'm concerned, as every bit as much NES classics, as the likes of Mega Man, or Castlevania, or Ninja Gaiden. And they should be remembered as fondly, including this original entry.

Crazy Castle is a very fun, and very unique, "puzzle" type game. It's a puzzle in that you have to figure out how to avoid/stun the enemies, while making your way around stairs and doorways, to get all the carrots in each stage. I rented this early in the NES-owning period of my childhood, and while it got pretty tough further in, I enjoyed it. It is not a short game, with at LEAST 50+ stages as far as I can recall. I don't think I beat it back then, but I do remember getting pretty far in. I would highly recommend this game, and the Crazy Castle games on Game Boy get even better!