Action Maze Game Review: Super Bomberman 4

Super Bomberman 4 is the fourth game in the Super Bomberman subseries of Bomberman games. It does something different this time around as it takes place throughout time.

There are new mechanics such as having to repeatedly bomb an enemy base that is releasing enemies. After the base falls, the level ends.

There are four levels with eight stages. The seventh is a bomber person that has to be defeated and stage eight is a large boss contraption like most boss fights in the series. Like Super Bomberman 3, previous stages can be revisited. The fifth stage has multiple bomber people enemies, followed by a final boss that consists of multiple giant enemies in a row.

The stages take place throughout time. The first takes place in the primitive age, with Jurassic-themed enemies and areas. The rideable creature, which gives Bomberman two hit points, that can be hatched from an egg is a dinosaur. The second stage takes place in old Japan. The mine cart reappears here, and blocks as well as tough ninjas can be destroyed with it. The rideable creature on this stage is a giant squid.

The third stage takes place in the present day. The rideable creature in this stage is a giant green bird-like creature. The fourth stage takes place in the far future. The rideable creature is a giant head.

Super Bomberman 4 is a fun game with new additions. The ridable creatures add a lot to the game, and the time travel plot really adds a lot to the game and the theming. It is a lot of fun, and is well worth playing for any Bomberman fan. Plus, it is on a lot of platforms now, so it is easier than ever to play. With its 2026 rerelease, it even is fully in English officially for the first time as the SNES version was included in the Super Bomberman Collection for Nintendo Switch,  Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S worldwide. I highly recommend it.

Final Verdict:
5 out of 5

Super Bomberman 3 Review

Super Bomberman 5 Review Coming Soon

Action Maze Game Review: Super Bomberman 3

Super Bombermsn 3 is the third game in the Super Bomberman subseries of Bomberman games. It improved upon the first two games in the subseries and added in features from Bomberman games outside of the Super line.

The graphics are as cute and colorful as always and fun graphical environment effects return such as rippling waves for the underwater stage. The musical motifs continue to be fun. The Bomberman games have some of the most catchy tunes in gaming.

There are five levels with five stages. The fifth stage is a boss stage. They are classic large mechanical boss fights. The stages can be revisited. Some stages have multiple areas. The buttons only need to all be switched on to open a door to exit a stage or an area. It isn't necessary to defeat all enemies to open an exit door.

There are new mechanics such as buttons that move and fans that will suck Bomberman toward it and push him back out quickly. The rideable kangaroos that crack from eggs from Bomberman '94. This gives Bomberman two hits as well as an ability based on its color. Green can run really fast, pink can jump over blocks, blue can kick bombs over blocks, yellow can kick blocks, and brown can create a line of bombs based on the maximum amount held. Other new mechanics include a mine cart will jet Bomberman quickly around the level and smash blocks and kill all enemies in the way.

The bosses are fun, including one that can change bombs to apple items that can be picked up for points and your rideable animal to a slow turtle.

Super Bomberman 3 is a fantastic game that has been released on many different platforms. It was released for the Super Famicom in Japan and on its Super Nintendo Entertainment System international counterpart in 1995, as well as for 32-bit Windows in Japan in 2004 as part of Bomberman Collection Vol. 2. In 2026, the SNES version was included in the Super Bomberman Collection for Nintendo Switch,  Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S worldwide. Like its Super precessors, Super Bomberman 3 is well worth playing,

Final Verdict:
5 out of 5

Super Bomberman 2 Review

Super Bomberman 4 Review

Action Maze Game Review: Super Bomberman 2

Super Bombermsn 2 is the second game in the Super Bomberman subseries of Bomberman games. It was released for the Super Famicom in Japan and on its Super Nintendo Entertainment System international counterpart in 1994, as well as for 32-bit Windows in Japan in 2004 as part of Bomberman Collection Vol. 2. In 2026, the SNES version was included in the Super Bomberman Collection for Nintendo Switch,  Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S worldwide.

The game continues the graphical style set in Super Bomberman, which itself was inspired by Bomberman for the PC Engine. Everything looks great, as it is a very cute and pleasing art style. The music is fantastic as always, and the stage music motifs are really catchy and fit the style of the game perfectly.

There are fun new enemy animations such as the two-hit enemy that catches on fire after the first hit and runs quickly around the maze panicked. New mechanics such as buttons that all need to be pushed to exit the stage, magnets that will attract bombs and can have their directions changed after being blown up, and enemies that attract Bomberman toward them give the game more variety.

Some blocks now hide enemies which must be defeated before the stage door opens, and some blocks reform. There are also light puzzles which have to all be hit in order to unlock the door. Bombs blow up all lights in the blast radius and the blocks reform which help to complete these puzzles.

In addition, some paths that will light on fire and kill Bomberman if he is standing on them when they light up after the warning signal comes on.

There are five stages with eight levels. The seventh is a bomber person that has to be defeated like the arena stage in the original Super Bomberman and stage eight is a large boss contraption like most boss fights in the previous game.

Super Bomberman 2 is a fantastic game that builds upon everything established before it. The art and music are fantastic, there are some really creative animations, and the bosses are really creative. The new environment mechanics such as magnets and hidden enemies really add a lot to the experience. Any fan of Bomberman should try this game out at least once.

Final Verdict:
5 out of 5

Super Bomberman Review

Super Bomberman 3 Review

Action Maze Game Review: Bomberman

Bomberman is an action maze game by Hudson Soft that was originally released in 1990 for the PC Engine and in 1991 for its TurboGrafx-16 counterpart in North America in 1991. It was also released for computer platforms in Europe as Dyna Blaster to disassociate it from the terrorist bombings by the Irish Republican Army during the thirty-year period known as The Troubles. 

The story sees the Black Bomber go beserk and kidnap Dr. Mitsori's daughter Lisa. Bomberman climbs to the top of the mechanical tower to rescue her, blowing up Black Bomberman's army of monsters along the way.

Bomberman was the first game to get the 16-bit aesthetic that the series would become known for throughout the 1990s. It also set the musical style that the series would be known for, as the stages each got their own musical motif. It was also the first appearance of bosses. They require multiple hits or multiple parts of a boss body to be hit multiple times. There are also sometimes common enemies included as well. Thank goodness for the time bomb powerup.

In this game, the block with the item flashes orange when the final enemy is defeated. The portal pulses when the last enemy is defeated as well, which signals that the stage is ready to be exited.  There is a helpful timer sound when invincibility is about to run out.

There are sixty-four areas that Bomberman has to go through, seperated into eight stages with eight levels each. The boss battles are the final levels in these eight stages. 

Bomberman is a game that is very easy to recomend. The music is great, the graphics are fantastic, and the gameplay is as timeless as always. The boss fights really add a lot to the formula, and this is the game from which they all started. This game is available on a ton of platforms, from the original PC Engine console to many computer platforms. It didn't receive a port to the Wii platforms like the other PC Engine Bomberman games, but the 2002 Bomberman Collection compilation for Windows is still readily available to purchase on second-hand marketplaces and works well to this day. It is well worth playing if you can track it down.

Final Verdict:

4½ out of 5

Bomber Boy Review

Bomberman II Review

Action Maze Game Review: Bomber Boy

Bomber Boy, known as Atomic Punk in North America, and as Dynablaster in Europe and Australia, was the first Bomberman game for the Game Boy. It also included a conversion of Bomberman for the Famicom with the mazes adjusted to fit the smaller screen.

It has sixty places to traverse split up in between eight stages with five to ten levels. There are no boss fights at the end of the stages. The stages are layed out by difficulty and they are more than just themed in this game, they have unique mechanics. For instance, in the ice-themed area, ice blocks have to be blown up twice. Here, the penguin enemy can freeze bombs into blocks and an enemy can destroy blocks. In the cavernous area, rocks open up cave entrances allowing access to other areas of the map in a similar fashion to various warp mechanics in other games in the series. Enemies sometimes are destroyed by these caves if the entrance closes on them. The desert area has shifting sands that move Bomber Boy along with them. In the forest area, Bomber Boy and enemies can walk through grass and some enemies  hide inside of it. There is a stage with fire in place of blocks that will destroy Bomber Boy if he goes inside of it. These unique aspects help to give the game a bit of variety.

Most pickups are different than expected, with the exception of pickups that give bonus points. Other than that, which acts as usual by giving points automatically, unlike other games in the series, the powerups are not automatically set to be used as they are selected at the beginning of a stage. Some pickups are available in levels, such as extra bombs and time freezing powerups. 

However, most of the time, a stage has to be completely completed to unlock a powerup. The powerup to be unlocked shows at the beginning of a stage. This will allow it to be aquired in the store, as the option for that powerup and other unlocked powerups only show as question blocks before hand. The store is the biggest departure from other games in the series. 

Currency is collected while completing stages, and will be shown in the heads-up display at the bottom of the pause screen. At the store, Bomber Boy can purchase powerups. When choosing powerups other than bombs, roller skates, or range increase for fire blasts, which are available from the start, the powerups will become used up and unavailable to use in further stages unless multiples of them had been purchased beforehand. The store is only accessible after completing the full eight levels in a stage, so it is necessary to purchase a load of them in order to use them in multiple levels of any given area. There are some interestimg powerups available.. The fire resistant powerup protects Bomber Boy from bomb blasts as well as fire blocks.

Bomber Boy is a great start to the Game Boy series of Bomberman games. The graphics and music are improved upon compared to the Famicom Bomberman game so that they more closely resemble their 16-bit counterparts. The lack of bosses is a shame, but the uniqueness of the game mechanics and areas makes up for it. It was included in compilations twice. The first was in Bomberman Collection for the Game Boy in Japan in 1996, which included Bomberman GB and Bomberman GB 2. The second compilation was a South Korean exclusive, Bomberman Selection, which was released for the Game Boy Color late in its lifespan in 2003. This second version is the best way to play the game, as the color really enhances the game, especially the water and fire effects. Unfortunately, it is extrodinarily rare. I have stripped out Bomber Boy from the color compilation and have created IPS patches for all three versions of the Game Boy title (not including Bomberman Collection), which you can download here. I highly recommend playing the color version of the game. It is a very unique Bomberman title and is well worth playing.

Final Verdict:
4½ out of 5

Bomber Man Review

Bomberman Review

Action Maze Game Review: Bomberman II

Bomberman II, released in 1991 in Europe and Australia as Dynablaster, is the second Bomberman game for the Family Computer in Japan and on its international Nintendo Entertainment System counterpart.

It combines elements from the original Bomberman for Famicom and Nintendo Entertainment System as well as from the 1990 Bomberman game for the the PC Engine and its international version, the TurboGrafx-16.

The inspiration from the PC Engine Bomberman includes the graphical style that the series is known for, with the iconic white and black Bomberman outfits with pink-topped antennae on the helmets.

Like the afforentioned PC Engine game, it also includes scenes to illustrate the story, although the story shown between stages are simply simple static graphics. The story of this game finds Bomberman framed for the robbery of a bank by the Black Bomber. Bomberman must fight through forty-eight levels, blowing up enemies and blocks to reveal doors he can use to escape.

These are now seperated into six stages with eight levels unlike the fifty identical stages in the first game for Famicom and the sixty-four broken up into eight stages with eight levels from the PC Engine Bomberman. Like the latter, the stages have individual artistic themes that seperate them from the usual plain bricks. Unlike that game, however, there are no bosses at the end of the stages.

Continuing on from the first Famicom version after they were not included in the PC Engine Bomberman, there are bonus stages after every five stages which can be made more easy by mashing the bomb button. These bonus stages continue to have their own theme music.

A weird feature of this game is seen when spamming the bomb button to keep blowing up bombs while invincible to bombs will send you blasting backwards. If you hit an enemy after this happens, Bomberman will lose a life. The bomb blasts don't send Bomberman backwards in bonus stages. A beeping sound is heard for every ten seconds before a stage ends. This is true in bonus stages as well as during the last moments of an invincibility powerup.

Bomberman II is a vast improvement over the original Famicom Bomberman. The graphics and music have been enhanced to more closely resemble their 16-bit counterparts, and as a result there is a greater variety in both areas. The lack of bosses brings the enjoyability of this game down a bit, but it is definitely a game that I can be more confident in recommending to fans of the series over its predecessor.

Final Verdict:
4 out of 5

Update (September 7, 2026): Bomberman II was released for the Family Computer in Japan in 1991 and on its Nintendo Entertainment System international counterpart in 1991 in Europe and Australia as Dynablaster, and in North America as Bomberman II in 1993. In 2026, the SNES version was included in the Super Bomberman Collection for Nintendo Switch,  Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S worldwide.

Bomberman Review

Super Bomberman Review

Action Maze Game Review: Bomber Man

Bomber Man, or Bomberman as it was known internationally, is the first console Bomberman game, which was released for the Family Computer and its international counterpart the Nintendo Entertainment System. It is not the first game in the series, as it was preceded by two years by Bomber Man as it was known on Japanese computers or as Eric and the Floaters as it was known in the United Kingdom on the MSX and ZX Spectrum to disassociate it from the terrorist bombings of the Irish Republican Army during the thirty-year period of time known as The Troubles. 

The Famicom Bomber Man was the game that set the stage for the popularity that the series would come to attract throughout the 1980s and 1990s. It was popular enough that it was even converted to the MSX in 1986 only in Japan as Bomber Man Special.

The NES Bomberman uses the sprite used in Hudson Soft's NES conversion of Lode Runner for the player character. The Japanese Famicom and international versions for the NES are identical, save for a mention of the latter game, which used its title directly in the Japanese version and was only hinted toward in the NES version. The version included in the Super Bomberman Collection uses the wording from the latter.

The computer version of Bomber Man, or Eric in the UK version, was a human that set off bombs in catacombs searching for treasure. This version is a robot that bombs through fifty mazes in a quest to become human. Compared to later Bomberman games, the art style is not as defined at this point. However, the art of the enemies and their animatons are still lively and fun, if a bit stilted.

Each level also uses the same music track. It is pretty catchy and really isn't annoying at all, however, so it doesn't overstay its welcome too much. It also serves as a series melody of sorts, being remixed in later games through the stage intro music as well as in proper stage music in some instances. 

Bomberman also moves slower than later games at first and the footfalls are pretty loud, considering the hardware it runs on. The levels are also repetitive as there are only plain grey blocks on each stage. With fifty stages, this can get repetitve fast. The new enemies that appear in later stages with their abilities such as faster moving speed and walking through walls helps with this a bit, especially since some of the animation on some of these creatures can get quire entertaining and even cute at times, if a bit primitive in comparison to later games in the series. 

Bombing a door releases a whole horde of enemies, so much so that there is noticeable slowdown. Later games will only give a penalty of one released enemy at a bombed door rather than a horde, and even stop releasing enemies at a certain point, removing any possibility of slowdown issues If you bomb a powerup item, a horde of enemies will spawn. Most games in the series just disintigrate the item without the penalty bombs with a timer will simply keep pulsing. Most of the later games had a turn-key animation to better illustrate that it was on a timer.

Stages only have one powerup. The music will change when the powerup is collected. When the last enemy is defeated, the jingle that plays when the pause button is pressed will play to indicate that the stage is clear.

Bonus stages will appear after every five stags. They have Bomberman defeat as many enemies of a certain type as possible within the time limit. Invincibility is active during this, so it is possible to continuously spam the bomb in order to blow up enemies. This will later be a useful skill in Super Bomberman, as invincibilty is active for a short amount of time when a stage starts. This is phased out in later games in the series. Bonus stages have their own music, and the music that plays when Bomberman picks up an invincibility powerup is different from that tune.

Once the game is completed, there is a short ending, after which it starts at level one with the score in-tact, allowing score hunters to get an even higher score through subsequent runs.

Bomberman is, without a doubt, an influential title. It doesn't hold up as well as later games in the series, however, as it lacks the features that make those titles universally enjoyable. The art style is a lot more simplified than other games in the series, but most importantly it lacks the diversity of maze styles that come from the zones that appear in later games. This game, like the original computer game that came before it, only had single-colored blocks. After playing fifty levels to reach the ending, it becomes quite repetitive. On the positive side, however, the music is really catchy, which helps alleviate things somewhat. This game is still fun, but it is one that I can only recomend to those that are already fans of the Bomberman series and wish to see the original console version.

Final Verdict:
3½ out of 5

Update (September 7, 2026): Bomber Man was released for the Family Computer in Japan in 1985 and on MSX in Japan as Bomberman Special in 1986. It was released on the international counterpart of the Famicom, the Nintendo Entertainment System, in North America as Bomberman in 1989 and as a budget release through Disk Writer kiosks for the Famicom Disk System in 1990. 

It was included as a bonus in the Game Boy game Bomber Boy, which was released in Japan in 1990, in North America as Atomic Punk, and in Europe as Dynablaster. The latter two titles were both released in 1991. Bomber Boy was included in the three-game multicart, Bomberman Collection, with Bomberman GP and Bomberman GP 2 in Japan in 1996.

A port of the NES version was released for Palm OS worldwide in 2001. The version included in Bomber Boy was released as part of a two-game multicart, Bomberman Selection, with Bomberman GP in South Korea for the Game Boy Color in 2003. The NES version was released on Game Boy Advance worldwide in 2004.. 

In 2026, the NES version was included in the Super Bomberman Collection for Nintendo Switch,  Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S worldwide.

Eric and the Floaters (Bomber Man) Review Coming Soon

Bomber Boy Review

Puzzle Word Game Review: Wordle

Wordle is a game that should be familiar to most people. It is a puzzle word game that has attracted people from all demographics for its simple yet fun game mechanics. Josh Wardle's game really took off after it was purchased by the New York Times, who now curates each day's word, however there are many clones out there for those who prefer a different word list.

Wordle gives you six chances to solve a five letter puzzle. If a letter you have chosen is not in the puzzle, it shows as grey. If it is in the puzzle, but in the wrong place, it shows as yellow. If it is in the correct place, it shows as green. The goal is to get all of the words green, which will solve the puzzle. If you fail to solve it after the sixth try, the game is over.

Its deceptively simple formula is actually really addicting. It has taken over social media, and it is common to see people sharing their Wordle scores. The social aspect is built into the game, as you are given an option to share your puzzle to various social media sites. The social aspect is one of my favorite parts of the game, as it is very popular and it is fun to share your score with your friends and family.

Wordle is one of those games that is not a technical marvel in any way. It is pure text, with no graphics or sound, but it doesn't need to be more. Sometimes a good game just needs to have a simple and addictive formula, and Wordle definitely has that in spades.

Final Verdict:
4 out of 5

Puzzle Game Review: Pac-Attack

Pac-Attack, also known as Pac-Panic, is a home port of Namco's 1991 arcade game Cosmo Gang the Puzzle to consoles with a Pac-Man theme. The Pac-Man theming actually worked exceptionally well for this game, arguably bringing it to higher heights than the original.

Pac-Attack is a falling tile puzzle game. There are three-piece puzzle items that drop down that contain a combination of tiles, ghosts, or Pac-Man. The goal is to line all of the ghosts together in a line. Once Pac-Man is placed on top of a ghost, he will make a straight trip down and then across, depending on the tile placement. The tiles themselves can be removed from the board, Tetris style, if they fill the entire playing area horizontally. The game ends if the puzzle pieces reach the top of the playfield.

The Pac-Man themed graphics do a lot to elevate this game beyond Cosmo Game the Puzzle. The style is street graffiti-inspired, with a brick motif. The score, stage number, and preview of the next puzzle piece are presented as signs on the bricks. The playfield itself is inside of a nook behind the bricks, and the background of the playfield features graffiti-style art of Pac-Man himself. The art changes periodically as the stage numbers increase, giving it some needed variety.

The sound aspects of the game are top-notch as well. The background music is fittingly mellow, with a nice sounding groove to it. The stage ending music is fittingly upbeat and congratulatory, which fits great. The Pac-Man eating sounds from the Pac-Man arcade games make an appearance when Pac-Man eats the ghosts, which is a nice touch. 

Pac-Attack is a fun puzzle game that is one of those diamonds in the rough. It is not as well known as its brethren such as Tetris, Puyo Puyo, or Columns, and that is a shame. Cosmo Gang the Puzzle did not capture the interests of the puzzle game fans in Japan, and the Pac-Attack reskin sadly did not do much to improve upon that. It deserves more than what it got though, as it is a really solid game. The art style, music, and sound effects are really pleasing, but more importantly, the puzzle gameplay is really fun. This really a game that puzzle game fans should give a try at least once. It's really a lot of fun.

Final Verdict:
4 out of 5

Arcade Maze Game Review: Pac & Pal

Pac & Pal is the black sheep of the Pac-Man series. It was primarily released in Japan, other than three hundred machines released to Europe as Pac-Man & Chomp Chomp, with Pac-Man's dog from the Hanna Barbara cartoon replacing the titular pal. It took the unpopular elements of Super Pac-Man and ran with them, making a game that is arguably the most polarizing in the entire series.

Pac-Man has to collect all of the items on the screen. Like Super Pac-Man, they are all locked behind doors. Unlike those games however, the doors are unlocked by collecting face-down cards scattered around the maze which will flip to reveal an item on the board. The game's titular pal, or the dog in Pac-Man & Chomp Chomp's case, is not much of a friend as they will attempt to steal the item before Pac-Man can get it and then take them to the ghosts where they will be out of Pac-Man's reach forever.

The weirdest part is that there are no power pellets here. If Pac-Man manages to collect an item, either before Pac-Man's pal Miru can collect it or by stealing it back from her, he will become larger and turn blue. This will enable him to turn the table on the ghosts trying to catch him. Unlike other games in the series, Pac-Man can not just walk into the ghosts. There is now an action button that will cause Pac-Man to emit a ray which will stun the ghosts temporarily.

Like Super Pac-Man before it, Pac & Pal contains stages with three levels each that then goes into a bonus stage. In the bonus stage, Pac-Man collects cards. The cards contain dollar symbols, Pac-Man's pal, or a ghost. If Pac-Man collects his pal, the final score is doubled. If a ghost is turned over before the end, the stage ends immediately. The cards are not randomized as they all have a pattern, so they can be memorized in order to provide the largest score possible.

This game does have one thing that this game, arguably, going for it compared to its predecessors. The game does not just have sound effects during gameplay, but actually has a stage tune that plays during gameplay. It is just one tune, so it can be repetitive, but it is a fun upbeat melody.

Pac & Pal is a weird game. Moreso than even Super Pac-Man, it takes all of the elements that made Pac-Man popular and threw them out the window. It takes the doors of the aforementioned title and makes them even stranger by locking them behind cards rather than keys. It adds a weird chase mechanic that ends up being kind of pointless other than point-wise as the game continues whether Pac-Man catches up to the items or not. If the pal ends up returning the item to the ghosts, it will still count as the item being removed from the board. It also strangely adds an action button for a ray power that Pac-Man had not had prior to this title. It is a strange game to rate, as it is not the best maze game out there, but it is definitely not like any other Pac-Man title. In any case, it is not a must play for fans of maze games or Pac-Man fans.

Final Verdict:

3 out of 5

Pac-Man Plus Review

Jr. Pac-Man Review Coming Soon

Arcade Maze Game Review: Super Pac-Man

The Midway Manufacturing Company licensed a conversion kit named Crazy Otto from General Computer Corporation to create Ms. Pac-Man, the first sequel to Pac-Man, the popular maze game it licensed for distribution from Namco. Six months later, Namco released its own sequel, Super Pac-Man. The latter was heavily overshadowed by the former, and for good reason, yet Super Pac-Man still remains a fascinating game in its own right.

While Ms. Pac-Man enhances the features that made Pac-Man such a fun game, Super Pac-Man deviates from the original by introducing features that weren't as well received by the general public, yet adds a new layer of strategy to the usual gameplay. It takes two non-essential elements from the original game and re-purposes them to make them part of the core gameplay. The first is keys, which were originally used as the most valuable of the items which granted bonuses in the original Pac-Man arcade game. Here, they unlock doors which are needed to collect all of the fruits in order to finish each level. The second is the giant Pac-Man form, which was originally seen as a joke sequence in a cutscene in the original game. This form allows Pac-Man to go through doors to eat the fruits within without needing the keys to unlock the door first.

The rest of the formula of the game is similar, yet noticeably different. Pac-Man needs to eat all of the fruits, rather than pellets, to progress. The fruits add points while the only pellets are now the larger pellets which give Pac-Man his larger super form and also allow him to eat the ghosts that chase him around the stage. When not powered up by the large power pellets, Pac-Man will lose a life upon being touched by a ghost.

There is another major difference. There are still three levels between stages, but the game doesn't have cutscenes between stages. Instead, there are now bonus stages in which Pac-Man has to clear a maze within the time limit while entirely in his large super form.

The sound effects from the original game return, along side new sound effects for the collecting of keys. The opening music also returns, albeit in a slightly faster and higher pitched form. The most memorable music of the original two games in the series came from the cutscenes, however, and without these the music is a bit lacking compared to the other games. The early 1980s Pac-Man games, however, were never were music-heavy due to the restrictions of their time, so this isn't too much of a loss.

Super Pac-Man is a game that takes most things about previous Pac-Man titles and tosses them out the window for something new. The basic eating and chasing mechanic is still there, making it feel familiar, but the addition of keys and the reduction of edible items due to the larger fruit graphics and fewer item placements makes it feel strangely unfamiliar at the same time. This makes it a bit of a less accessible title than its immediate predecessors, but it is still an excellent example of an arcade maze game that is well worth playing at least once.

Final Verdict:

3½ out of 5

Ms. Pac-Man Review

Pac-Man Plus Review

Arcade Fighting Game Update Review: Virtua Fighter 2.1

Updates of video games have been common in video games since the beginning. From the multitude of Pong variations to the dozens of Street Fighter II versions, arcade updates are a fact of life. Sometimes the updates just fix bugs or tweak gameplay, while other times the changes are of the visual sort. Virtua Fighter 2.1 is the latter.

Compared to Virtua Fighter 2, Virtua Fighter 2.1 has a higher brightness level by default. The characters also have different colored clothing. Some characters have slightly remodeled clothing items, such as Pai Chan's hat, Sarah Bryant's blouse and bra combo, Jeffry McWild's white athletic shirt, and Jacky Bryant's jacket.

Gameplay wise, 2.1 has better balances for character moves, improved controls and character movement, and improved contact on ground-based moves such as Shun-Di's falling attacks. The biggest change, however, is the fact that the game's metal villainess Dural can now be selected as a playable fighter.

The gameplay changes are actually a very welcome addition, as it makes the game feel a lot tighter than it did in the regular version of Virtua Fighter 2. These changes made it into later versions of the game. They could optionally be used in the ports to home consoles. Later releases of games in the Like a Dragon series even added both Virtua Fighter 2 and Virtua Fighter 2.1 cabinets to in-game arcades.

Virtua Fighter 2.1 is a fine update to Virtua Fighter 2. The graphical changes are purely cosmetic, but the real meat comes in the improved gameplay. The improved controls and movement make it feel smoother than ever. The improved contact detection for ground-based moves makes it nearly a necessary update. The best part is the addition of Dural as a playable character. It's one update that is certainly well worth playing.

Final Verdict:

4 out of 5

Stealth Action Game Compilation Review: Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol. 1

Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol. 1 is the latest in a long line of compilations featuring Metal Gear games. It made its own name, however, by having several things going for it that no other compilation before it had.

The first volume of the Master Collection is headlined by the first three Metal Gear Solid games, but it actually contains seven games and two variants. The games that have appeared in other compilations over the years include the console versions of the mobile remakes of the MSX2 versions of Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake, Metal Gear Solid, Metal Gear Solid: VR Missions, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater.

Beyond these games, the compilation also saw the first re-release of the Family Computer and Nintendo Entertainment System version of Metal Gear and the NES-exclusive sequel Snake's Revenge. It also was the first international release of Metal Gear Solid: Integral, which was originally released only in Japan. This game combined the international version of Metal Gear Solid, with the English voices and the choice of Japanese or English subtitles with the VR Missions. Integral was actually the original release of the latter before it was released in North America as Metal Gear Solid: VR Missions and in Europe as Metal Gear Solid: Special Missions.

Beyond the included games, the Master Collection also includes the motion comics Metal Gear Solid: Digital Graphic Novel, which digitized IDW Publishing's graphic novel adaptation of Metal Gear Solid  and Metal Gear Solid 2: Bande Dessinée, which digitized IDW Publishing's graphic novel adaptation of Metal Gear Solid: Sons of Liberty.

Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol. 1 is a large treasure trove of Metal Gear games that were released throughout three decades. However, its value will largely come down to whether you don't own another Metal Gear Solid compilation and whether the compilation-exclusive games such as the NES version of Metal Gear and Snake's Revenge as well as the first international release of Metal Gear Solid: Integral matter to you. If either of those cases turn out to be yes for you, then this compilation is well worth picking up.

Final Verdict:

4½ out of 5

Action Stealth Game Review: Metal Gear 2 - Solid Snake

While it was the giant success that Metal Gear Solid would become upon its release over ten years after the start of the series, the original Metal Gear was enough of a success that two sequels from two separate teams were put into production. 

The Ultra Games version of Metal Gear received the Nintendo Entertainment System exclusive Snake's Revenge in Europe and North America. This sequel led series creator Hideo Kojima to put Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake into production for MSX2. Unlike the original MSX2 version of Metal Gear, which received an official English version in Europe, Solid Snake was only released in Japan. This led to somewhat of a mythical release, as Metal Gear 2 was only available via a fan translation until an English version of the mobile remake was included in Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence in 2006.

The gameplay retained the stealth action gameplay of the original game, but it introduced several concepts that would remain part of the series going forward. including crawling, and crouching. There was also more danger which could be spotted with the radar. Enemies now respond to sound produced by Snake such as footsteps. To avoid being spotted, Snake now can hide under tables or inside lockers.

The graphics of Metal Gear 2 for MSX2 were very similar to those of the original MSX2 version of the first game. This meant that they were in a classic overhead style with characters and locations being as well-detailed as 8-bit graphics allowed. The music and sound effects, likewise, also fit in the game well.

Hideo Kojima is a fan of American action films, which shows in his game design as well as in the design of the detailed character portraits in Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake. Some obvious ones include Mel Gibson as Solid Snake and Sean Connery as Big Boss. Other character portraits include Platoon's Tom Berenger as Grey Fox was based on Tom Berenger in Platoon, Rambo's Richard Crenna as Roy Campbell, and Gunhed's Brenda Bakke as Holly White.

Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake was a huge step forward for the series. The new elements were a necessary evolution which would be included in all of the games moving forward. The radar, enemies hearing sounds of footsteps, and the ability to hide in lockers, would become a huge part of Metal Gear Solid when it released eight years later.

Final Verdict:

4 out of 5

Metal Gear (Ultra Games) Review

Metal Gear Solid Review

Fighting Game Compilation Review. Mega Man Battle & Fighters

In 1995 and 1996, Capcom released two arcade fighting games featuring its popular Mega Man characters, Mega Man: The Power Battle and Mega Man 2: The Power Fighters, respectfully. When the Neo Geo Pocket Color came out, it was a boon for portable fighting game adaptations, so Capcom miniaturized the two games into one compilation.

The fighting games on the Neo Geo Pocket Color were chibi, or super deformed, versions of traditional arcade fighters. This was due to the limitations of the Neo Geo Pocket Color. This works perfectly for these two games, as Mega Man's crew and the robots he fights against are stylized in a way that still looks good when squashed into cute forms.

The Neo Geo Pocket Color had sound hardware that sounded great, and had all of the boops-and-beeps as you'd expect for 16-bit hardware of the 1990s. The music from the arcade game sounded great when converted to this hardware, and the sound effects did as well.

The games themselves were fun versions of the boss fights of the Mega Man games, and that is translated perfectly in this compilation. These boss fights have always been fun to play, and this is the perfect home for them. The thumbstick controller was uncommon in portable game consoles at the time, and the Neo Geo Pocket Color had one that was very responsive. This is what made it so good for one-on-one fighting games, and it is also why this conversion retained the feel of the arcade games even as the graphics were scaled down and reduced heavily in resolution.

Mega Man Battle & Fighters, or Rockman Battle & Fighters as it was known as it was originally a Japanese only release, was a lot of fun on the Neo Geo Pocket Color. The hardware was perfect for one-on-one fighting games, so it was a perfect fit for a conversion of these two arcade games. The hardware is much weaker than that of the Capcom Power System boards of the arcade, but the cute squashed chibi characters work extremely well for the characters from the Mega Man series. This is, without a doubt, one of the better titles that the Neo Geo Pocket Color offered.

Final Verdict:

4 out of 5

Puzzle Game Review: Sega Swirl

Sega Swirl was a puzzle game for the Sega Dreamcast developed by Scott Hawkins at Sega of America in collaboration with Tremor Entertainment. It is a variation of SameGame, a genre that began with the release of Kuniaki Moribe's Chain Shot in 1985.

The screen is filled with swirls of different colors. The goal of the game is to clear multiple swirls of the same color. The more of the same color swirls are cleared at once, the better the score. 

There are five modes of play. The practice mode is exactly as it sounds. The level mode moves to the next stage once all of the score and combo goals are met. The timed mode is also self-explanatory, as the goal is to line up as many swirls and gain as many points as possible within a time limit. 

There is also a head-to-head mode, which lets players play for points against each other. This leads into one of the most interesting modes. There is an e-mail mode, which allows for the game state to be sent to another player through e-mail. This player sends their state to the originating player, who picks up the game from there. This is a slow-paced style of game play, but it is an interesting mechanic that got around the latency issues due to the slow speed of modems at the time. This is especially true with the European and early Japanese Dreamcast modems, which were only 33.6 kbps as opposed to the North American and later Japanese modems which were 56 kbps. Those are measured in kilobits per second, which are a far cry from the megabits of broadband connections.

Sega Swirl is a fun take on the SameGame formula. It's plethora of game modes is also a boon considering it was generally included in magazine cover discs or within the discs of Dreamcast web browsers. It was also included in the Sega Smash pack, which is where I first played it. It's not a game that revolutionized gaming history by any means, but it is a fun time waster if you ever come across it.

Final Verdict:

3 out of 5

Arcade Action Game Review: Mappy

Mappy is a cute action arcade game released in 1983. It is the first game in Namco's series of the same name.

The game follows a mouse police officer named Mappy who has to retrieve stolen items in a hideout full of thieving cats. Because he is a mouse, he stands no chance against cats so he has to avoid them. The thieving cats are known as the Meowky gang, or the Mewky gang in Japan. The gang's leader is a large red cat named Goro. The Japanese release gives him a much better name, Nyamco. This combines the company name Namco with nyan, the Japanese onomatopoeia for the cute little high-pitched variation of a cat's meow.

Points are gained from collecting the stolen items, which can sometimes be accessed by opening doors, and bonus points are awarded if Mappy retrieves the stolen item behind the boss cat. Once all of the items are collected, the game moves to the next stage.

The music in the game is of a cuteness befitting the character art. The sound effects are those that are familiar to games of the early 1980s, but they fit the game perfectly.

The most memorable mechanic of the game is the trampoline, which Mappy uses to reach the various floors in his quest for the hidden stolen goods. Both Mappy and the cats can turn left or right to reach one of the floors of the hideout when jumping up, however they both are stuck in their trajectory when coming back down. The trampolines are not well-built, however, as they will break, changing colors to denote their condition, if Mappy jumps on it four times in a row. Luckily, once off the trampolines, they will revert to their original jumpless state.

Mappy is a fun little arcade game. It's cute character art, charming music, and interesting premise makes it still enjoyable to play today.

Final Verdict:

3½ out of 5

Platform Game Compilation Review: Donkey Kong Classics

Donkey Kong Classics compiles the Nintendo Entertainment System ports of the first two Donkey Kong arcade games, Donkey Kong and Donkey Kong Junior, into one multicart. 

As noted above, the two most popular games in the original trilogy were both included, which is great since they were the best in the series up to the time of this multicart's release in 1988. It does not include Donkey Kong 3, which likely contributed to that game becoming lesser known than the others.

Donkey Kong was a solid conversion of the arcade game. However, since it was also an early release before mappers extended the capabilities of the Nintendo Entertainment System, it lacks the cement factory stage. That stage would not be added to the Nintendo Entertainment System version until Donkey Kong Original Edition was released for the Virtual Console for Wii in 2010 and Nintendo 3DS in 2012.

Donkey Kong Junior, on the other hand, survives in-tact in its conversion from arcade to NES. Although it was also an early NES game, all of the levels are here. The only real difference, as with Donkey Kong, is the change from a vertically-oriented arcade monitor to the horizontally-oriented, nearly square resolution of the NES hardware.

The multi-cart has one small difference in the games. The title screen in both games are replaced by a single blue Donkey Kong Classics title screen. The games can be selected via the right and left buttons on the NES controller, and the number of players can be selected via a menu below the game select area. The neat thing about this change is that the title screen music from the two games are alternatingly played on the multi-cart's title screen.

Donkey Kong Classics is an interesting compilation of the Nintendo Entertainment System conversions of the first two Donkey Kong games. Unlike Nintendo's earlier multi-carts, such as the Super Mario Bros. / Duck Hunt pack-in cartridge, the menu is not silent. The games lack title screens, in favor of a single title screen that controls the options of both games. This isn't a bad thing, especially since the title screen music from the both games are alternated on the multi-cart menu. It's a shame that Donkey Kong 3 wasn't included, but the game was the weakest of the original trilogy, so its exclusion is not a big loss.

Final Verdict:

3 out of 5

Platform Game Compilation Review: Disney Classic Game Collection

     

Disney Classic Games is a compilation of four classic games based on Disney animated films. It contains both the Virgin Games version of Aladdin as well as the Capcom version. It also includes The Lion King by Westwood Studios and The Jungle Book by Eurocom. The emulation in the compilation is handled by Digital Eclipse.

It is actually an updated version of Disney Classic Games: Aladdin and The Lion King. This time around, they popped in a bonus game, the Eurocom version of The Jungle Book. Game Boy, Sega Genesis, and Super Nintendo Entertainment System versions are included.

The big draw of the updated version is one that rectifies the most controversial part of the compilation. The two most popular versions of Aladdin, the Virgin Games version, which was primarily released on the Sega Genesis, is included alongside the Capcom version, which was primarily released on Super Nintendo Entertainment System. The original compilation only included the Virgin Games version. The Sega version has still not been included, but that one doesn't top most of the best of the 1990s games lists.

Like the original compilation, the Virgin Games adaptation of Aladdin includes both the Sega Genesis and Game Boy versions. The Capcom adaptation includes the Super Nintendo Entertainment System version. The prototype version of Aladdin that was compiled the same month as the version that was demonstrated at the Summer Consumer Electronics Show in 1993 is also included, which is worth playing as it is different from the final release.

The notoriously difficult video game adaptation of The Lion King by Westwood Studios is once again included. The Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Sega Genesis, and Game Boy versions are included. Emulation gives the ability to rewind and save game play states. This is a boon for all of the included games, but it is especially true for The Lion King. I wore out my hands and my brain from beating this game as a little girl. I really appreciate Digital Eclipse's emulator, as it was not as hard to reclaim Pride Rock this time around.

The Disney Classic Games Collection is a fantastic update of an already excellent compilation of 1990s platform games. The emulation is really great, as is expected from a Digital Eclipse release. Saving and rewinding are a blessing when playing these retro games. The Aladdin adaptation by Virgin Games and the Westwood Studios adaptation of The Lion King play just as well as in the previous version of this collection, Disney Classic Games: Aladdin and the Lion King. The addition of Eurocom's The Jungle Book is a neat little extra, but Capcom's version of Aladdin is the big draw here. Even better, people who own the original can also get the new version of the compilation as DLC. It's worth purchasing or upgrading as Capcom's version of Aladdin is worth it all on its own.

Final Verdict:

4½ out of 5

Shoot 'Em Up Review: Donkey Kong 3 - The Great Counterattack

Donkey Kong 3: The Great Counterattack was one of the weirder games that Hudson Soft designed and published during their deal with Nintendo to release the games of the latter on Japanese consoles. 

The original arcade version of Donkey Kong 3 was already a weird game. Nintendo took Mario out of the question and replaced him with a now-forgotten character named Stanley the Bugman. In doing so, the genre was changed from platformer to static shoot 'em up as Stanley used his bug spray to blast a parachuting Donkey Kong out from his greenhouse.

Hudson Soft takes this weird premise further by eschewing the greenhouse completely and replacing it with stages set in lands near and far. Without Stanley's greenhouse, the bugs no longer try to take his plants. Instead, they now act like the bugs from Galaga, coming after Stanley in various attack patterns. They now also shoot blasts downward at the erstwhile greenskeeper.

To be able to tie this oddball of a setup with Donkey Kong 3, Stanley still uses his bug spray to blast not only the bugs, but Donkey Kong as well. This works the same as the arcade game, as when Donkey Kong is blasted far enough up the screen, the location changes and Stanley starts the battle anew.

Donkey Kong's initial appearance is greeted by the classic tune from the original arcade game. The end of each stage has a little fanfare of a tune. Most of the game is silent, interspersed by blasting sounds and the dropping sound of Donkey Kong's parachute.

There are twenty-five stages that see Stanley spraying baddies. He first is on the highway with a rocky hillscape during sunset. He then finds himself at night on a strange bridge, which appears to be a normal bridge with a safety fence on both sides. Things become even weirder after this, as Stanley finds himself leaving the Earth, now battling Donkey Kong in the black vastness of space with the third planet from the sun appearing behind them. 

The Galaga connection deepens, as after every five levels, Stanley finds himself dealing with bugs on a challenging stage with no background. Like Namco's classic, he has to try to get rid of as many bugs as he can while a timer ticks away until the bonus round completes.

They then fight in the Astron Belt, a rocky outcrop in space that shares a name with a Laserdisc arcade game by Sega. The sparring pair travel around Saturn, past a mysterious planet that does not appear to be part of the Milky Way galaxy, and back to Earth again. Back on terra firma, they fight in a desert, by a pyramid, in a cave. They then tussle outside an active volcano before heading inside the active crater. Things get more mundane as they fight outside a dome, above Nazca lines, and on a runway.

Weirdly, they then find themselves at the site of a nuclear explosion with a mushroom cloud behind them. They apparently face introspection after that, as they take in the sight of seagulls at sunset. Finally they show up at a city, on a country road, in front of non-descript giant green aliens. Finally, at level 25, the two spar inside of a UFO. This must be the way the two made their way back to Earth, as Donkey Kong has been in many more projects after this. As for Stanley, the experience must have made him put away his bug spray for good, as he has become relegated to the history books after the release of this game.

Donkey Kong 3 - The Great Counterattack is one of the weirder Nintendo-licensed games by Hudson Soft, but it is also strangely one of their better games. Outside of Excitebike, Hudson Soft didn't really make straight ports. Hudson Soft was licensed by Nintendo to make games for the 8-bit Japanese computers of the time. They couldn't really handle most Nintendo games, which is why the world got the ambitious but lacking Super Mario. Bros Special. With this game, they were able to make a game that stayed within the specifications of the hardware, but still remained fun. It's certainly a oddball of a concept, but it smartly follows the static shooter framework made famous by Namco's Galaga series. It's a far cry from any game in that series, but it's competent and worth trying for its utter weirdness alone.

Final Verdict:

3 out of 5