Overall, Astyanax isn’t a bad game, and for those of us looking for hack-and-slash action on the NES, it is probably one of the better titles to choose from. Though the game does not rank among the best the 8-bit era has to offer, it will provide a couple of hours of fun—interspersed with the occasional expletive as you fall victim to another cheap pit death . . . .

Finding a good hack-and-slash game on the NES isn’t an easy prospect. It’s a genre that would thrive on the 16-bit consoles, with games like Golden Axe and Knights of the Round being ported from the arcades, but the titles on the leading 8-bit platform were scarce. For this reason, Astyanax caught my eye when it was released back in 1990, and though it took me another 19 years before I would add it to my collection, it always remained in my mind as one of those games I had to get my hands on someday.

So, the burning question is, was Astyanax worth the wait? Is Astyanax a good game?

If making a good game were just a matter of combining aspects of already successful games, then there would be no question, as there are qualities of this game which are reminiscent of Castlevania, Ninja Gaiden, and The Legendary Axe—all games which are typically held in high regard. Astyanax has similar platforming and controls to Castlevania. Its presentation includes cut scenes to help tell its story, just like Ninja Gaiden. The gameplay is also quite similar to The Legendary Axe, especially considering how your axe powers up the longer you wait between attacks in both games. Unfortunately, though Astyanax appears to borrow from these and similar games, it lacks the polish of these games. The controls often feel unresponsive and the hit detection can be poor. The cut scenes, though attractive, really do not add a lot to a very basic save-the-princess storyline. Even powering up your axe has its problems. Along with your power bar increasing, you will also be able to upgrade your weapon when you receive a special token from the stone idols placed throughout the levels. The first token you will get changes your axe to a spear, which actually decreases your attack power. If you find another token, you will then wield a sword, which is the most powerful of the three weapons, but unless you are sure you will be able to upgrade to the sword, there is no reason to take one of these tokens, as it will just make defeating your enemies more difficult.

The graphics are probably the one area in which Astyanax shines, but there are still issues that prevent it from really excelling even in this regard. For an NES game, your character sprite is large, as are those for many of your enemies, such as the skeletons and the mini-bosses. The problem this creates is that it only takes four or five enemies to appear onscreen to cause a lot of flicker and a painful amount of slowdown. This slowdown will often be crippling, as it makes the controls that much more unresponsive, which will often lead to you taking cheap hits and falling into one of many pits to your doom. Strangely, there does not appear to be a lot of slowdown when facing the end bosses, which are huge and well defined. As is the case with many NES games featuring large bosses, the background is removed for boss fights, and all that will appear onscreen are a ground plane, your character, and the boss. While the bosses look nice, they are not well animated, and will frequently feature just one or two parts that actually appear to move. It’s not enough to detract totally from the presentation of these enemies, but it is noticeable.

Overall, Astyanax isn’t a bad game, and for those of us looking for hack-and-slash action on the NES, it is probably one of the better titles to choose from. Though the game does not rank among the best the 8-bit era has to offer, it will provide a couple of hours of fun—interspersed with the occasional expletive as you fall victim to another cheap pit death . . . .

Recommended (with reservations)

This list last updated November 22, 2009.

Bonk 3: Bonk’s Big Adventure
Neutopia
River City Ransom

Current game count: 3

This list last updated December 19, 2009.

Alone in the Dark: Inferno
Beowulf
Dead Space
Ninja Gaiden Sigma

Current game count: 4

This list last updated November 22, 2009.

Castlevania Chronicles
Final Fantasy VII
MediEval

Current game count: 3

Among the limited Master System library, Rastan stands out as one of the best action titles available. It brings together good graphics, fun gameplay, and for the Conan fans among us, an ending that is very appropriate for a Conan-inspired character.

When I think of the 1980s, I am immediately reminded of G.I. Joe cartoons, hair bands, Mr. T cereal, Saturday Supercade, Mary Lou Retton, and John Rambo—all of which make that decade distinct in my mind. Perhaps the most significant reminder of the 1980s for me, though, is the rise of the sword and sorcery genre, brought forth primarily due to the popularity (and controversy) of Dungeons & Dragons, but given continued attention through a slew of movies released during the time. These movies ranged from Boorman’s often eerie retelling of Arthurian legend in Excalibur to the only non-musical Disney animated feature at the time in The Black Cauldron to the guilty pleasure of Hawk the Slayer to the dreadfully awful Deathstalker movies. Arguably the most influential of these movies was Conan the Barbarian, starring then rising star Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The fascination with Conan and the barbarian hero archetype he made famous can be witnessed in several video games during the ’80s—Ax-Battler from Golden Axe, Gogan from The Legendary Axe, Thor from Gauntlet, and even Conan himself appeared in a forgettable game or two of his own during this era. In my opinion, though, the best rendering of the Conan character was accomplished in Rastan, a game produced by Taito for the arcade and later ported to the Sega Master System.

Rastan is a hack-and-slash platformer in which you traverse seven levels of the land of Semia in order to rescue a princess. No, Rastan is not innovative in its storytelling, but that really doesn’t matter. Rastan is about cutting down skeletons, harpies, wizards, chimeras, and medusae as you make your way to the boss at the end of each level. As you slay your enemies, you will occasionally be rewarded with potions, shields, and armor, but your enemies will also leave behind vials of poison which will deplete your health. In addition to these items, you’ll find weapons that will increase your reach and damage, including the fire sword which launches fireballs with every swing.

Though Rastan does not have a time limit for each level, it does employ a penalty if you move at a leisurely pace. After a certain amount of time passes, night begins to set in, and you suddenly find yourself besieged by bats that will plague you for the remainder of the level. While the bats don’t appear during the boss levels, the game once again finds a way to ensure you dispatch your foes quickly. The manual implies that the air in the boss chambers is poisonous to Rastan, and your health will deplete slowly for the duration of the battle.

Speaking of the bosses, Rastan has some of the best looking I can recall on the Sega Master System. Though most of the enemies you encounter during a level will not be very detailed (though the graphics are still good for the Master System), the bosses are often large and relatively well defined, especially the three dragons you will confront before the game’s end.

The music in the game is also very good for a Master System game, and you may find the tunes running through your head long after finishing the game.

The only real complaints I have about this game are the ease with which some of the bosses can be defeated and the overall length. The first boss, Kentorous the centaur, can be defeated with only a few downward thrusts of your sword, and the third boss, the wizard Shukumas, will stand in one spot for several seconds before teleporting, allowing you to do heavy damage by merely standing in front of him and repeatedly swiping him with your sword. As for the game length, you can expect to play Rastan from beginning to end in 20-25 minutes, though they will be 20-25 minutes of some of the best hack-and-slash gaming to be found on the Master System.

Among the limited Master System library, Rastan stands out as one of the best action titles available. It brings together good graphics, fun gameplay, and for the Conan fans among us, an ending that is very appropriate for a Conan-inspired character. I consider Rastan one of my favorite titles in my Master System library, and after comparing it with the arcade original, I think the Master System port comes out on top. Certainly, the graphics cannot compare with the coin-op, but where the original was created to be a quarter-muncher, the Master System version feels like a more balanced game.

A quick tip for those of you who find that the three continues are not adequate to get you through the game—before turning on your Master System, hold down the both buttons and the D-pad to the lower left. Continue to hold until the Rastan title screen appears. If the title is blue instead of gold, you have unlocked unlimited continues. Now you may play as recklessly as you like.

Highly recommended

It has some serious flaws, but I cannot help but love Mutant Rampage Bodyslam for its unabashed cheesiness, its great graphics, and its variety of imaginative enemies . . . . As it stands, Mutant Rampage Bodyslam is the best (and only) beat-’em-up title for the CD-i and a must-own title if you have that system.

Ever since I slid my first quarter into a Double Dragon arcade cabinet twenty years ago, I have been an avid fan of beat-’em-ups. The ability to team up with a friend and brawl your way through endless swarms of street thugs just never seemed to get old to me, and to this day, when I revisit old consoles, I find beat-’em-ups (along with hack-and-slashers) the games that I reach for the most. Along with the aforementioned Double Dragon, many classics arose from this genre, including Final Fight, Streets of Rage, River City Ransom, and Mutant Rampage Bodyslam.

Before you accuse me of making an error, let me assure you that I am not. I did, in fact, intend to include Mutant Rampage Bodyslam on that list. How do I dare place a CD-i brawler amongst the cream of the beat-’em-up crop? My justification follows.

First off, I did not include Mutant Rampage Bodyslam because of its gameplay. In fact, the gameplay is one of the weakest aspects of the game. The controls are fairly responsive, but the characters move slowly. Also, the hit detection is not quite as solid as it should be. Your characters have a few different moves they can pull off, but you’re likely to find yourself either jump kicking or standing still and waiting for your enemies to walk into your attacks. This game certainly does not exhibit the same complexity and fluidity of a game like Streets of Rage 2. Add to this cheap hits and difficult-to-hit enemies, and you have what can be a frustrating experience.

The music in this game is also a weak point. The game’s music isn’t all that bad, but it consists of short loops that you will hear over and over and over again. For some reason, the music will also drop out at times and have to restart, an all-too-often occurrence following the thwack you hear as your hit connects with an enemy. Sometimes, the music will drop out altogether, and you are stuck with silence until something triggers it again.

Another issue I have with this game is that it is only one player. Beat-’em-ups as a genre shine when you employ the help of at least one of your friends, but that’s not going to happen with Bodyslam. It is very much missed here, because this is a very long game, requiring several hours to complete. Perhaps the CD-i was not capable of handling the two-person action, but whatever the excuse, this title suffers for it.

So, this is sounding like a pretty bad game so far, right? Well, here’s where it begins to get better . . . or worse, depending on your viewpoint.

Mutant Rampage Bodyslam was brought to the CD-i by Animation Magic, the same folks responsible for the notorious CD-i Zelda games. While the animation in the Zelda games was undeniably primitive and unsightly, the animation in Mutant Rampage Bodyslam isn’t that bad, though you will see the same sequences repeated with different dialogue. If you search on YouTube, you’ll likely find the cut scenes from this game posted along with people lamenting how truly terrible they are. I think these folks are missing the point, and given the right perspective, the animation really adds to this game. This game is called Mutant Rampage Bodyslam, and the cut scenes are set up to be reminiscent of the pre-wrestling-match boasting to which all of us who grew up with WWF or WCW are accustomed. These cut scenes are intentionally cheesy and remind me very much of the chest-thumping I might have seen from Rowdy Roddy Piper or the Iron Sheik back in the ’80s. The mutants are even made more distinct based on the area of the world from which they originate, very much like our awareness that Rowdy Roddy was supposed to be from Scotland and the Sheik from the Middle East.

Beyond these cut scenes, what really shines in Mutant Rampage Bodyslam are the graphics. You would be hard pressed to find the sheer variety of enemies of Bodyslam in any of its contemporary beat-’em-up titles. You’ll find guys who club you with their heads, cyborgs, strong men, werewolves, centaurs, lizardmen, sumo wrestlers, ninjas, dragonmen, and all kinds of other nasties trying to put the beat down on you. What is great is that these enemies have different abilities and fighting styles, so you’re not just fighting the same types of enemies in different wrappers (which is common in some other games in this genre). A lot went into the design of the enemies in this game, and it amazes me that no one seems to give this much attention in the other reviews of this game I’ve seen.

Not only did a lot of thought go into the characters, but the backgrounds are often great as well. You won’t get the standard repeating shop fronts here . . . well, not without a fighter jet crashed into them. There are all kinds of details that make the backgrounds interesting and memorable. There really is not interaction between your character and the background elements, but the game designers did allow some interaction with the enemies, such as the way they’ll appear from behind a bar or rise from the sewers.

It has some serious flaws, but I cannot help but love Mutant Rampage Bodyslam for its unabashed cheesiness, its great graphics, and its variety of imaginative enemies. If only this game had the control and move set of Streets of Rage 2, along with that games ability for multi-player, this would compete for my favorite beat-’em-up of all time. As it stands, Mutant Rampage Bodyslam is the best (and only) beat-’em-up title for the CD-i and a must-own title if you have that system. One word of caution, though—do yourself a favor and pick up a good control pad. Without it, the game is practically unplayable.

Recommended

This list last updated July 20, 2009.

Alien Invaders—Plus!
Armored Encounter!/Sub Chase!
Baseball!
Blockout!/Breakdown!
Bowling!/Basketball!
Casino Slot Machine!
Computer Golf!
Football!
Invaders from Hyperspace!
K.C.’s Krazy Chase!
K.C. Munchkin!
Killer Bees
Las Vegas Blackjack!
Pick Axe Pete!
Pocket Billiards!
P.T. Barnum’s Acrobats!
Showdown in 2100 A.D.
Speedway!/Spin-Out!/Crypto-Logic!
Take the Money and Run!
Thunderball!
Turtles
UFO!

Current game count: 22

This list last updated July 20, 2009.

Alpiner
A-MAZE-ING
The Attack
Blasto
Car Wars
Chisholm Trail
Early Learning Fun
Hopper
Hunt the Wumpus
Multiplication 1
Munch Man
Parsec
Super Demon Attack
Video Graphs
ZeroZap

Current game count: 15

Shining Force is a joy to play and is among the best titles for the Genesis . . . . Though I won’t claim this game has universal appeal, I think even gamers who do not traditionally play FRPGs will find themselves drawn to Shining Force.

It all started with Phantasy Star. That was my initiation into the world of FRPGs (fantasy role-playing games), and from that point on, I was in love with the genre. I followed up with the remainder of the series (the second game being my personal favorite), and hungered for more. Unfortunately, outside of the Phantasy Star series, many of the Genesis FRPGs were rather lackluster. There were acceptable titles such as Sword of Vermillion, but they really failed to capture the epic feel of the Phantasy Star series. Finally, though, Sega gave us Shining Force, and a new and exciting franchise was established.

OK, before you correct me, I should note that there was a previous game released in this franchise titled Shining in the Darkness, but the gameplay is much different in this previous title. Shining in the Darkness used a first-person view similar to the dungeon levels of the original Phantasy Star. For some reason, though, I could never get into Shining in the Darkness. I appreciated aspects of the game, such as the artwork and creature design, but I think I was turned off by the need to create maps as I played, so I gave up. Shining Force used much different play mechanics, though. This game retained the type of design from Shining in the Darkness, but it seemed to be much more of a blend of the strategy and FRPG genres. There were no first-person dungeons in Shining Force. Instead, there were overhead-view villages and cities in which you interacted with non-player characters (NPCs) like in Phantasy Star mixed with battles in which you deployed the members of your party, all of whom had different movement ranges, reminiscent of strategy games. The mixture of elements worked, and Shining Force was a fun and refreshingly new addition to my Genesis library.

One of the things I love about Shining Force is the switch from the overhead battleground view to the close up of characters whenever one of them acts. You get to see your centaur knights charge forward with lances, your elves fire arrows, your dwarves strike with their axes, your mages call forth fire to scorch your enemies, and your birdmen hover then slice with their swords. The character graphics are all well rendered and will change as characters equip new weapons or are promoted (I’ll explain promotions in a bit). The background graphics will also change based on the terrain and include a good amount of detail. For a game of its time, this title provides excellent visuals.

As you progress through the game, you will add numerous different allies to your roster. Though you can only have twelve members in your party at any one time, you will find a headquarters in each town where you can change party members. Part of the fun of this game is finding party members and mixing and matching them to discover which combination works best for your style. Many members are secret, requiring you to search in a particular place at the right time or to use a particular item in order to unlock them. It is unlikely you will find everyone in your first playthrough without resorting to online hints or guides.

As you defeat enemies and use magic and items, your characters will gain experience. Unlike some FRPGs in which experience is shared among party members, your characters in Shining Force will only accumulate experience on their own actions. This can be problematic at times, as your mages and healers get a lot less experience for using their magic than your warriors will for attacking enemies. You’ll often find that you have to wear down your enemies with your strongest characters and then allow your magic users to finish off the enemy in order to help them advance through levels. In addition to this level advancement, though, your characters can also be promoted. When your character is promoted, he or she is given a new title (for example, a MAGE becomes a WIZD). The benefits of promotion are that the character may be able to use weapons which were previously unequippable or may learn new magic. You can promote a character at 10th level, but it is generally a good idea to raise your character higher than this, as the character’s stats will drop after the promotion, though as the promoted character advances, he or she will quickly compensate for this drop.

Though leveling up characters and opening new abilities is fun, you will often find yourself fighting the same battles repeatedly in order to do so, which can become monotonous. There aren’t any random battles in this game, so you are required to leave a battle prior to the last monster (or in some cases, the boss monster or character) is defeated. You may then return to the battle with respawned monsters, allowing you to build more experience.

Another gripe that I have with this game is that NPCs will often get in your way when you are in villages and cities. Since you cannot move through an NPC, they become very cumbersome in small houses and passageways. Often, you will sit and wait for one to move away from a door or staircase so that you may enter or exit. Though this isn’t a huge issue, it is still one that the programmers should have fixed prior to the game’s release.

Aside from those gripes, both of which are relatively minor, Shining Force is a joy to play and is among the best titles for the Genesis. The game balances battles with character interaction well, and people who generally feel that FRPGs are slow and plodding may find the pace of this game much more to their liking. Though I won’t claim this game has universal appeal, I think even gamers who do not traditionally play FRPGs will find themselves drawn to Shining Force.

Highly recommended

Spoiler Alert—the video below shows the game’s ending.

This list last updated December 19, 2009.

The Conduit
Gold’s Gym Cardio Workout
House of the Dead Overkill
Madworld
Nights: Journey of Dreams
Rayman: Raving Rabbids
Samba de Amigo
Wii Play
Wii Sports

Current game count: 9