Nerdicus NES Review #92 : Bo Jackson Baseball

Title : Bo Jackson Baseball

Publisher : Data East

Genre : Baseball

Players : 1 / 2 Player

Release Date : 1990

Estimated Value (as of today's date) : $3-$5

It's been awhile since I've played a baseball game, and I can't say I'm necessarily looking forward to another one. They're all pretty much the same damn thing with just graphical differences. This time, we're greeted with the pro-football, pro-baseball all star BO JACKSON! We all know Bo Jackson. This guy was a legend. I mean he was named the best athlete of all time by ESPN. And he deserves it.

His baseball game though? Meh, not so much. He should have stuck to the real game.

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Nerdicus NES Review #91 : Blues Brothers

Title : Blues Brothers

Publisher : Titus Software

Genre : Platformer

Players : 1 / 2 Player

Release Date : 1992

Estimated Value (as of today's date) : $15-$20

Sometimes you really have to wonder where they come up with some game ideas. If there was one duo that I would think would NEVER get a video game, it would have been the Blues Brothers. Don't get me wrong, I love the movies, I love the SNL skits, and Jon Belushi and Dan Aykroyd are PHENOMS. 

But you can't make a video game out of a pair of smug blues musicians trying to get to a concert.....you just can't.

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Nerdicus SNES Review #15 : Arcana

Title : Arcana

Publisher : HAL Lab

Genre : RPG

Players : 1 Player

Release Date : 1992

Estimated Value (as of today's date) : $15-$20

Come on, we all remember DUNGEON MASTER. It was the equivocal grandfather of dungeon crawling RPGs. I of course, am a huge RPG buff, and usually the traditional dungeon crawling RPGs were something I was always drawn to. BUT, a lot of factors come into play with dungeon crawlers in order for me to actually enjoy them. As I mature as a gamer, (I'm not necessarily sure how much mature I can get, after all I'm 30), I've noticed that these particular RPGs have become less successful in reeling me in. 

A lot of it comes down to how patient I am when I'm actually playing the game. But my patience is easily worn thin. And frankly, a lot of this started back in the SNES days of gaming

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Nerdicus NES Review #90 : Blue Marlin

Title : Blue Marlin

Publisher : Hot-B

Genre : Fishing

Players : 1 Player

Release Date : 1992

Estimated Value (as of today's date) : $7-$10

Do you all remember a week ago when I was pleasantly surprised by a fishing game for the NES? For some reason, Black Bass had managed to snag my interest and hold it long enough for me to play over an hours worth of mindless fishing.

As a video game. That's right..a fishing video game that was actually enjoyable! And just think, I've actually been looking forward to playing the sequel, BLUE MARLIN, since I finished playing Black Bass. 

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Nerdicus Genesis Review #13 : Alisia Dragoon

 

Title : Alisia Dragoon

Publisher : Sega

Genre : Platformer

Players : 1 Player

Release Date : 1992

Estimated Value (as of today's date) : $20-$30

Okay, I admit it. I'm a sucker for awesome box art. I'm one of those people who WILL judge a game by it's cover so let's just take a look at this one. An amazon-esque woman zapping the sky with lightning bolts from her fingers? Um, yes please? A Dragon blowing fire behind her? YES! Hordes of enemies charging forward to kill her? Uhhhhh, YEAH!

All done in a style that's reminiscent of Frank Frazetta and Boris Vallejo?? Damn, I'm sold.

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Nerdicus NES Review #89 : Blaster Master

 

Title : Blaster Master

Publisher : Sunsoft

Genre : Run 'N Gun / Platformer

Players : 1 Player

Release Date : 1988

Estimated Value (as of today's date) : $4-$6

When you think of following a pet frog down a manhole swarming with mutants, only one thing comes to mind; Blaster Master for the NES. This was it folks. This was the game that reeled me in and pretty much got me hooked on the Nintendo for life. No it wasn't Mario, it wasn't Zelda. It was this bloody masterpiece that grabbed me by the throat and shoved me face first into the television screen.

One look at this game, and you were sold.

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Nerdicus SNES Review #14 / Genesis Review #12 : Animaniacs

Title : Animaniacs

Publisher : Konami

Genre : Platformer

Players : 1 Player

Release Date : 1994

Estimated Value (as of today's date) : $5-$7

It's time for the Anniiiimannnniiaaaaccssss. And we're zaaannnny to the MAX! So just sit back and relax, you'll laugh to you collapse. We're the AniiiiMAAAAANNNIacs!

Wow, who didn't love this show when they were a kid? The obnoxious Warner brothers, Yakko and Wakko, and their sister Dot along with a hilarious cast of other new characters. Who could forget PINKY and the BRAIN!? Seriously, one of the most bizarre cartoons back in the 90's. Leave it to Executive Producer Stephen Spielberg to be part of this.

So of course, there has to be a few video games based on this series. 

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Nerdicus NES Review #88 : Blades of Steel

Title : Blades of Steel

Publisher : Konami

Genre : Hockey

Players : 1 / 2 Player

Release Date : 1988

Estimated Value (as of today's date) : $5-$7

In light of the 2014 NHL Playoffs (go, Rangers), and the fact that hockey is by far the greatest sport on the face of the Earth, I figured it would be a great idea to review BLADES OF STEEL. Since the first day a hockey stick was placed in my hands at an early age, I was hooked. If I remember correctly, I started playing at around age 9 or 10. It was mainly street hockey, but I played in a roller hockey league for a few years as well. 

No Ice Hockey for this guy. That was too rich for my blood. Seriously, the cost of the insurance you had to pay for was EXORBITANT.

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Nerdicus Genesis Review #11 : Alien Storm

Title : Alien Storm

Publisher : Sega

Genre : Beat 'Em Up

Players : 1 / 2 Player

Release Date : 1991

Estimated Value (as of today's date) : $8-$10

One of the most memorable experiences I had when I was a kid was playing two arcade games at a local pizza hut. Yes, that's not a mistake. Pizza Hut. There were two games there , not including the retarded crane machine that never worked. One was Goldenaxe, and the other was basically the same game in a different skin, Alien Storm.

Man, the amount of money I begged my parents for when we went to Pizza Hunt. I literally spent more money on the arcades than my parents did on the food. Not that the food was anything great. Pizza hut is disgusting.

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Nerdicus NES Review #87 : The Black Bass

Title : The Black Bass

Publisher : Hot B

Genre : Fishing Simulator

Players : 1 Player

Release Date : 1989

Estimated Value (as of today's date) : $4-$5

How appropriate that I make my way back from one of the seafood capitals of the US and I review a fishing game. Frankly, the only thing I like about fishing is the aftermath. Eating the fish! It's kind of funny that I was recently talking to my friend Kent up in Boston about how every time we went fishing we had never caught a fish. And I mean never.

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Nerdicus PAX EAST 2014 Retrospective

Well all, as you may have noticed I missed the Friday and Monday post, but that's because I was attending an event that every gamer needs to go to at least once in their lifetime. I am of course talking about PAX EAST 2014. Now, I've been to quite a few PAX in my time, and they seem to be getting better each year. The fact that I come home exhausted with a true lack of sleep says something.

I'm pretty much falling asleep at work now...ah well. Worth it.

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Nerdicus NES Review #86 : Bionic Commando

Title : Bionic Commando

Publisher : Capcom

Genre : Platformer

Players : 1 Player

Release Date : 1988

Estimated Value (as of today's date) : $7-$10

There are very few games in the NES library that I'll actually sit down and play through again today. My patience has waned over the years in putting up with most of the garbage that the NES library had to offer, but there were those gems that always called out to me when I scanned my finger across the labels of my NES collection.

Bionic Commando, was one such game. A treasure, in the cesspool that is the NES library.

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Nerdicus SNES Review #13 : Alien VS Predator

Title : Alien VS Predator

Publisher : Activision

Genre : Beat 'em Up / Brawler

Players : 1 / 2 Player

Release Date : 1993

Estimated Value (as of today's date) : $12-$15

Ah, Aliens VS Predator. Two of the most epic creatures in science fiction history face off in a battle to the death in this beat 'em up styled video game. How could you possibly go wrong? You've got a formula for success. Then again, how often do you encounter a decent game based off movies or movie characters in general. So excuse me if I'm approaching this game with a lot of caution. After all, look at the 2004 movie.

Then again, the child me didn't give a rats ass about how this game was. It was ALIEN VS FREAKING PREDATOR! My head is exploding from a sci-fi nerd overload.

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Nerdicus NES Review #85 : Bill Elliott's NASCAR Challenge

Title : Bill Elliott's NASCAR Challenge

Publisher : Konami

Genre : Racing

Players : 1 Player

Release Date : 1990

Estimated Value (as of today's date) : $3-$5

Oh, boy. Another racing game. I don't usually look forward to racing games, and I especially don't like NASCAR racing. So, I apologize in advance if this is a somewhat biased review, but you know what, I'm going to toss all subjectivity aside! After all this is THE first licensed NASCAR game released, so I am going to play this racing game as I would any other game; with an open mind.

Um, so who the hell is Bill Elliott anyway?

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Nerdicus SNES Review #12 : Alien 3

Title : Alien 3

Publisher : LJN

Genre : Action Adventure

Players : 1 Player

Release Date : 1993

Estimated Value (as of today's date) : $5-$7

The first time I had the luxury of playing an ALIEN 3 game, it was actually on the NES where three minutes into it I was pretty much ready to smash my system up against the wall and destroy it. So since I "loved" the first Alien 3 game so much, I figured I might as well play the port for the SNES. The game was also released for the Genesis, but that game was almost an exact replica of the NES, and I REALLY don't feel like playing that crap again.

Making a port look pretty can only do so much, ya know?

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Nerdicus Genesis Review #10 : Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle

Title : Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle

Publisher : Sega

Genre : Platform

Players : 1 Player

Release Date : 1989

Estimated Value (as of today's date) : $5-$8

Don't get me wrong. I love playing rock, paper, scissors, especially when you add TNT into the mix. I mean it's a game we all grew up playing. But, how the heck do you come up with an entire video game based upon the concept of rock, paper, scissors. Well, that's what Sega did. Whatever they were smoking, I'll have some of it.

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Nerdicus NES Review # 84 : Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure

Title : Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure

Publisher : LJN

Genre : Adventure

Players : 1 Player

Release Date : 1991

Estimated Value (as of today's date) : $3-$5

Like, there is nothing more bodacious than playing an awesome video game with two totally epic dudes from San Dimas. Who am I talking about? Like, I'm totally talking about the utterly righteous duo, Bill S. Preston Esquire and Ted Theodore Logan. And together, they make.....

WYLD STALLIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Nerdicus Genesis Review #9 : Air Buster : Trouble Specialty Raid Unit

Title : Air Buster : Trouble Specialty Raid Unit

Publisher : Kaneko

Genre : Side-Scrolling Shoot 'em up

Players : 1 / 2 Player

Release Date : 1991

Estimated Value (as of today's date) : $25-35

I was never that big of a fan for shmups (I hate that phrase by the way) during the 8-bit generation, but something sparked in my little pre-teenage mind by the time 16-bit systems came around. I was becoming obsessed by them, mainly due to the fact that I was feeding a lot of arcade machines quarters during those years, and most of those arcades were side-scrolling shmups. 

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