One of the most important games in history. Sega AM2 and Yu Suzuki were pushing the boundaries of arcade hardware and technology like no other in the 80s and in this follow-up to their fellow ‘Super-Scaler’ game, Hang-On, they struck absolute gold.

OutRun dispensed with the norms at the time of realistic 'Grand-Prix' style racing games like Pole Position I and II by introducing a relaxed racing style, complete with a sports car(which you're driving one-handed with your girlfriend, of course), absolutely gorgeous Mediterranean style vistas and a general party-like atmosphere. Of course playing it today on an emulator, it really doesn't move the needle as the gameplay structure is same as Hang-On, with the same narrow tracks and too many obstacles (especially in the last two stages), hence the same rating.

This was a pretty transcendent game at the time and deserves your respect, and even if you're not playing it, just listen to the amazing soundtrack (there is an OutRun sub-genre in electronic music). Salute!

First game in the Gargoyle's Quest Trilogy.

You play as Firebrand (the first boss in Ghost & Goblins?), a gargoyle on a mission to save the ghoul realm from an alien species known as 'The Destroyers'. The game mixes world exploration with linear platforming sections, and has a levelling feature with RPG elements. Firebrand starts off pretty weak and can hardly fly for a few secs... by the endgame, though, he's an all-conquering gargoyle with massive claws and wings granting him unlimited flight. Negative points include the flying, which doesn't always work well for the combat and platforming sections, and the random encounters really add a lot of filler to an otherwise short game.

The WWF had a golden run in the 1980s, and this game just perfectly captures the larger than life characters of that time period. It's definitely superior to its predecessor WWF Superstars, as it features better modes, generally much improved gameplay and possibly the best looking characters in non-3D WWF games.

Not sure why Macho Man and the Undertaker were missing, but the roster features some of the heavy hitters of that era like Hogan, Warrior, Jake the Snake, Ted Dibiase, and even the fantastic Legion of Doom had a cameo (along with Mean Gene!) as the final boss in the Tag Team tussle. It's beautiful to perform the Hogan Leg Drop, Warrior Splash, Snake DDT and the Million Dollar Dream special moves, and the best thing about them is there is no complicated button pressing required; just the two buttons is enough to have highly satisfying gameplay. Would have been perfect if it had a single player mode, but I think the community has that covered already ;)

Vampire: Master of Darkness is a Castlevania inspired gothic-horror action game for the Master System, and due to it releasing pretty late in the system's cycle looks like a really advanced 8-bit game. It basically pays homage to the original in many ways: from the game structure to its UI design, even the pick-ups and weapon system, to the end boss; it really is 8-bit Castlevania in everything but the name for a SEGA system.

The music is pretty fantastic, controls well (you can control your jumps mid-air, unlike the original Castlevania, which is a massive improvement). You get to visit a variety of locales - from the River Thames to wax museums and graveyards, and ultimately to Dracula's castle.

Castlevania had Frankenstein, Medusa, the Grim Reaper, and Dracula himself as the bosses. Except the infamous Jack the Ripper, there is no other compelling boss-fight, with the Dracula one being a damp squib.

It's a horror-themed brawler where the main guy Rick is on a quest to reclaim his girlfriend from the clutches of monsters (there is a pretty awesome conclusion to this quest).

Rick is a heavy dude with a very limited move set. He can punch, kick and slide, and also use weapons to deliver a nice squishy thwack to the baddies which never gets old; it's this limited move set that causes the game to lose its steam pretty fast, plus there are some really mediocre platforming sections which doesn't mesh well with this slow-moving brawler.

The monster designs are a real highlight with some unique boss fights like the haunted living room, the chainsaw wielding sackhead, upside down cross in the church, etc. The music is suitably moody but repetitive. Overall, a decent experience that could have been better.

The season mode is definitely better than the sequel - it's short and to the point, no repetitive stories and no shitty load screens to clog up your playtime. I could finish 5-6 character playthroughs in this game for the time it takes to finish Know Your Role's season with one character.
I love the fast-paced action, the only criticism I could have is that the wrestlers get up a bit too fast for my liking. Of course down the line Here Comes the Pain basically perfects this style of wrestling games.

Would have rated this higher if the season mode wasn't such a 10+ hrs bore and the god awful loading simulator. A typical event would be like this: Event Starts - select match - 10 sec load screen - story for 5 secs - another 10 sec load - watch a non-playable match (you can skip matches but have to watch a computer simulation of a fight for some reason) - now this goes on and on - finally you get to the match concerning your wrestler - loading - 5 sec story - loading - 2 min match - loading. Seriously, out of almost 12 hrs played, it felt like 50% time spent on loading screens. Even in the Royal Rumble, when a new wrestler enters, there is mid-move pause and LOADING. The PlayStation obviously couldn't handle these games well. The gameplay is fast and enjoyable but the season mode is unplayable. Stay away unless you only want to play exhibition with buddies.