SNES Game Review: Troy Aikman NFL Football

 Troy Aikman was an NFL QB for the Dallas Cowboys from 1989 until 2000.  He was a superstar with the Dallas Cowboys and noted to being a star in a city at the time filled with stars and Super Bowl rings.  He also had a video game that featured him and the NFL license but seemingly not the NFLPA license but more on that in a bit.  What does this game do well? What wasn't done well? All that and more below!

Positives:

1. NFL License- So all 28 (at the time) regular season teams were in here as they were.  So Green Bay Packers, Buffalo Bills, etc. They are all in there so you are good to go.

2. Offense: This is done well.  They offer a lot of good plays and you can tell what will be successful vs. what won't be.

Negatives:

1. Realism: Yeah the teams are not realistic and it makes the Cowboys easily the best team by far.  You cannot honestly make the game that way and they did.

2. No NFLPA and Super Bowl License: Yeah these are major struggles, you know who Troy Aikman is and for lack of better words who the players are but a major detriment is they don't have names.  They only refer to the Super Bowl as the Championship game and the winning sequence is literally lackluster as can be.  

3. Defense: Yeah this is just downright atrocious.  Most times the only way you win defensively is an interception, otherwise it is touchdown after touchdown either you score or the opposition scores.

4. Graphics/Frame rate: The graphics are choppy, the players look small and the frame rate is slow and choppy as well.  Not a good thing for a game with a superstar on the cover to be honest.

Overall Rating/Rank:

This is not a good football game or even a good game in general on the Super Nintendo.  The Jaguar version of this game gets better ratings mainly but this game is woeful on the SNES.  For me, a rating of 4 out of 10 seems fair.  Overall rating is..let's go 525th out of the SNES games.  Needless to say, Aikman the QB was better than Aikman the game. 

SNES Game Review: NHL 95

 NHL 95 was the third installment of EA Sports NHL gaming franchise on the SNES, the second with the NHL only name before the year (The first installment again was NHLPA Hockey 93.)  NHL 95 mainly just builds off what NHL 94 makes and paves the way for NHL 96 to be the top game that it was.  You could argue from NHL 94-98 on the SNES was one of the best group of video games you could have ever.  What does NHL 95 do well? Let's look below!

Positives:

1. Fast paced: This continues to get better from NHL 94 to 95 and 96 improves on it from 95 as well.  This game is fast paced but controlled and something that the casual gamer will enjoy and make them feel good about playing with this game. 

2. Everything is improved: This seems to be a common theme up to NHL 97.  NHL 94 does everything better in a large scope than NHLPA Hockey 93, and NHL 95 improves on NHL 94, and so on.  Everything is more crisp, from graphics to gameplay, to shooting and defense as well.  You will notice these differences year over year for the first four games.  Obviously they made more efforts with NHL 97 and 98 going to the PS1 to do much with the Super Nintendo versions.

3. Frame rate: Yes this is improved but good as well as they did very well to get this game up to kind of the typical frame rate for NHL games.  I was impressed with how fluid and crisp the game was for this third year on the NHL franchise but it just proves the lasting power of this franchise on the Super Nintendo really overall.

4. Transactions: This is really important as this wasn't even happening on Madden 95.  The ability to sign, trade and release was important at this time and if you didn't have this you were a middling game at best even with phenomenal gameplay.  NHL 95 has this and overall it makes it very realistic for its time.

5. Presentation: There isn't an NHL on FOX presentation like NHL 96, but the presentation is still really good nonetheless.  It's something that when you see the above camera as you play and go through the game that you do well with overall and it is something that EA continued to do well with later on.

Negatives:

1. There is one negative, and it was the scoring here.  It seemed almost too difficult to score in this game.  A lot of games were 1-0, 2-1 at most times and it only ever got out of hand if there was an empty net goal.  I felt that this was a detriment but again, it's something they improve on for NHL 96 to make it a perfect sports game and game for EA Sports.

Overall rating/Rank:

There is no question that NHL 95 is a great game overall.  People might play this on the Genesis due to the graphics of the system and there is no denying how much better that system is on graphics.  I think the Super Nintendo versions are still great and they do well for graphics as they are.  If I were to rate this game, it gets a solid 9.3 out of 10.  It's overall rank: Yes it's a top 100 game, it's later half but just barely.  I would rate it 54th overall.

SNES Game Review: Top Gear 2

 Top Gear 2 is the sequel to the ultra popular Top Gear on SNES.  A sequel game typically has a lot of things similar to the first game, but also has differences.  The hope is that they can make as good of a game as the original or at the least to not make it horrendous.  Top Gear 2 does have some similarities to its predecessor but also a lot of differences.  Overall, how does it do? Let's look below!

Positives:

1. Variety of courses: Yes the variety is back! not the same courses but a lot of variety is still the name of the game for Top Gear 2 and overall that is a very good thing for the game. 

2. Progression, to an extent: This is something that is different but good to an extent.  You can make your car better over the course of the series of courses you are on by getting top finishes.  You win money and make your car overall better in the long run.

3. Graphics: Graphics on the first game stay together for the sequel as well.  It was a good thing to do and they seem to be on par like the first game so that is always a good thing as well.

4. Password: This is simplistic unlike some Super Nintendo Games. With that said, it's just a one word thing which is good for the amount of courses you have to go through so it's a game that won't typically be a short enough game.

Negatives:

1. The progression has limits: This is the flaw the progression/upgrades, they have a limit.  After a couple to each part, like engine, nitro, tires everything else is gravy.  You don't need the rest and that's pretty much it.  So while it is good, the limitations are evident almost right away.

2. Length of the game: Yeah this one is a detriment, because it takes so long to finish the game.  Personally the races take some time, especially the five lap races.  So be prepared for spending a lot of hours on this which kind of drags it down and apart from its predecessor. 

3. Tires/Fuel/Engine: First the tires squeal insanely loud in this game and it is kind of ridiculous, second the engine sounds about ready to croak most times, and third I think they wanted fuel management to be a part of this game but they fell short on all ends.  Honestly the engine and the tires take away from the background music, which itself was okay in the game.

Overall Rating/Rank

Top Gear 2 is not as good as its predecessor.  I think they tried too hard to make it better but just incorporated a lot of things wrong.  Overall it pales in comparison to the original.  The positives are almost negated by the negatives of the game.  If I were to give an overall rating, 7 out of 10 seems fair.  It's a decent but not great racing game.  Overall rank: Still in the top 200 but I would mark it around 195th.

SNES Game Review: NHL 96

 NHL 96 came up to the SNES following the massive successes of the previous two games and the starting point of NHLPA Hockey 93.  To say the NHL franchise had been booming since the release of NHL 94 (Another game that I will review in time) is an understatement.  This series was more highly acclaimed than Madden at the time (and to be fair, is probably well acclaimed more than Madden at current again) and it was due to the success of NHL 94, 95 and to hit the peak, NHL 96.  This is one of the best, if not the best, sports game on the SNES.  What makes it so good? Come along friends and see why.

Positives

1. Pacing: The games pacing is really, really good.  It is fast paced but the camera stays with the player.  The game is fast paced but it is made to last really well.  In fact, if EA saw how Tecmo Super Bowl did their pacing and decided that is what they needed, I wouldn't be surprised because it is done exactly just like that.

2. Options: Yes you have exhibition and season mode (Sorry guys, dynasty wasn't a thing until games in the last years of the decade and beyond) but you have so many options if you wanted otherwise.  You have shootout mode, playoffs as a regular at the time, playoffs best-of-7 (since the opening round was five games) all just to go through if you didn't want to do just season mode.  The vast array of options were there, but none was more important than..

3. Transactions: Yep you can sign, cut, build a super team, whatever you felt like.  If you wanted to trade three players for three players, sure go ahead.  You can also create players and then assign them to the team you want.  This was ahead of its time and really built NHL into what it was today for the gaming franchise overall.

4. Graphics: I know it is a bit weird but this game actually has good graphics.  The sprites are very good, the feel of hockey is evident in the graphics and it is something that garners a huge plus.

5. Entertainment value: The value of this cannot be denied, from the opening with the crowd essentially doing the stomping to "We Will Rock You" to the NHL on FOX presentation (Yes there was a time the NHL was on FOX) there is significant entertainment value.  Yes there is no game commentator but I feel that is good for this due to the noise of the crowd and the entertainment of playing the game itself.

Negatives

Oh boy, honestly there isn't one to be fair.  If you are really, really nit-picking it okay maybe the no commentator hurts.  Maybe the fact that some games you can score at will and the next you are barely able to score may turn off viewers but that's just realistic hockey in today's age as well so they made it very realistic in that accord.

Overall Rating/Rank

This game is the best sports game on the Super Nintendo.  It's ability to be so good with pacing, it's realism, graphics, and just ability to be so open on its modes are fantastic.  The fact you can create players is great, same with any major transaction.  It really opened the door to the next gen consoles at the time for the NHL franchise (Though NHL 97 and 98 are also pretty good on the SNES.)  Overall if I were to rate it, I'd have to give it a 10/10.  Yes a sports title is perfect, and while it isn't in the top 10 of games, it is in the top 20.  It is one of those sports titles that does everything amazing (Note, when I review NHL 94 and 95 those games will be in the Top 100 as well.)  If I were to rate it, it's 16th in the top 20 of SNES games.

SNES Game Review: Madden NFL 95

  In this edition of SNES game review, we review Madden NFL 95.  This would have taken place during the 1994 season and by now this is the fourth Madden game made under the branch for the SNES (There were other Madden games made for Sega and other consoles.)  This was also the second game with the Madden NFL moniker (the first two being called John Madden Football.)  This rendition did more for the progression of the franchise and honestly in my opinion is the best on the SNES platter of Madden games.  What did they do well? What needed improvement? All that and more below.

Positives:

1. Pacing: This game is pretty fast paced.  It's easy to pick up, play a game in 30 minutes if not less and move on to the next game or what have you.  It's a good pacing that I wish they had for the earlier and later games of this franchise on SNES.

2. NFL/NFLPA license: The first of the games for Madden to get the NFL and NFLPA license makes this major plus as it gives the teams with trademarks and the players.  This was a huge get for the Madden franchise and helped it get better and better as time went along.

3. Graphics: I felt this improved year over year.  And this was no different from the previous games to this one.  The graphics are more crisp and Visual Concepts did a pretty good job with this overall.

4. Playing offense: The playbook is pretty watered down, which is good for young people who grew up with this game.  In today's gaming it would be looked at as a negative, but remember this game and others was wanting to use the kids to play, not necessarily adults.

Negatives:

1. Playing defense: Yes if there was the offense side, defense is lackluster.  There are times where the score will be 42-35 or something of that nature.  If you have any offensive skill players you will win all the time.  Seriously when I ran the table with Green Bay, the Super Bowl was 49-42 to end it.

2. The sprites: Yes this is a negative but not for the reason of what I want to say.  This was the first edition where finally black players were represented.  I am glad but here is why I say it is a negative.  I would love to say it was a graphics issue but Tecmo had these sprites, as did Troy Aikman Football so why didn't Madden?  Obviously this isn't on Madden himself, his name is just on the game.  I don't think it looks favorably so many years later about this but it finally stopped being a detriment here and players sprites/likeness were finally represented in full.

Overall Rating/Rank:

This is probably the best of the Madden games on the SNES.  That isn't saying much by the way.  They are still worse than the Tecmo Games.  This is still best of the Madden games.  If I rated it purely on its genre of games, I have to give it a 7.7.  I think this is a game in the top 250 of SNES games, probably just throwing it around 236 is good.

NES Game Review: Tetris

 Tetris is the most well-known puzzle game in the video game world.  It featured on the NES but also has had different iterations of the game and launched other puzzle titles like Wario's Woods, Kirby's Avalanche, Dr. Mario as well.  This game started it all for puzzle games and it still lives on well today.  What does Tetris do well? What makes this game fun? All that and more below.

Positives: 

1. Speed- Like with Dr. Mario, speed is a major plus but with this you have time to think if you want, rather than decide right away.  You have options which if you are a fast player is fine, or if you are more methodical player to learn more as the game goes along.

2. Difficulty- Kind of like the speed part, the difficulty picks up as you beat levels.  This isn't a long game so long as you do well with figuring out the puzzles without running out of space! It can be super addictive to play and have fun with over time to challenge yourself.

3. Music- This game is strangely good in the music department.  I enjoy the sounds of the game of Tetris and it is something to behold for most every player.

4. A game that can be run so many ways- This is an oddity but this game can be done with so many puzzle strategies it is ridiculous how open it is.  It's one of the more fun things about this game and that kind of separates it from other puzzle type games.

Negatives: 

1. Repetition- Yes there are many ways but it feels repetitive with no major thing other than figure out to clear the level to the next one.  There are variations of the blocks and you can adjust the speed of the game, but overall just the repetition is the only major thing wrong with this game.

Rating:

Honestly I'd have to give this game a solid 9 to 9.5 out of 10.  It's a good game, one that has withstood time and really had a lot of iterations of it on PC, Switch and so forth.  So it's a game with it's speed and difficulty with being a puzzle game that is really just great overall.

NES Game Review: Dr. Mario

 Dr. Mario is a game with a Tetris style approach for the NES.  There are some differences from the game from Russia brought over to the worldwide audience, but there aren't many differences.  The main one is playing with what would be different colored pills rather than the bricks and shapes that Tetris has, and there are essentially what looks like fuzzies that are germs.  Dr. Mario is a game that still holds in high regard still and the game still has a good following.  What does it do well? What didn't it do? What's my rating of it? All that and more ahead.

Positive:

1. Some differences from Tetris: I'll mention one in a bit but this feels a bit different from Tetris.  Tetris can shift from slow to fast pace but this game just feels different overall.  It is a smaller game space than Tetris so you have to think fast, which is good.  It also has Mario as a doctor, so you can get a good laugh about it.

2. Faster pace: Like I said with Tetris, you can kind of switch how the game goes about with pace.  With this, it is fast paced and you have to think quick.  That is good for quick puzzle solvers.  If you aren't, then you have to speed up.  Personally I liked it and it presented challenges.

3. Amount of levels: The amount of levels are good too.  It's a game that matches your skill set overall and at the end, you beat the game and it is done. It's a quick game that you can play multiple times to get really good at it.

Negatives: 

1. Repetitive: This is mainly with any puzzle game.  At some point it just becomes repetitive and it is the same thing over and over again.  Nothing against it, but if you want more variety, then you'd have to look elsewhere for games.

Rating:

Overall though, Dr. Mario is a really good NES game.  The pacing is fantastic, the differences are subtle but good to Tetris.  I overall enjoyed this game so I would rate this game probably around a 9 out of 10.  They did the best they could due to the limited capacity that is the NES.