Journey to Silius - NES (1990)

This game cropped up in my Twitter feed, with some extremely positive comments about the soundtrack. I'd always considered the NES Ricoh sound chip to have a pretty distinct sound which didn't necessarily result in the same level of melodic composition to feature on the Commodore 64, so I was pretty intrigued to check this out. What's particularly interesting is the game had, apparently, been slated to be a license based on The Terminator. The license wasn't awarded because the game opted to focus on the "Future War" aspect of the franchise, rather than following the plot of the movie; the post-apocalyptic backdrops and mechanical enemy design certainly play into the Terminator aesthetic, so this could have been truly huge with the weight of the move behind it.

Any preconceptions I had about the capabilities of the NES chip went out the window as soon as the title screen music kicked in - the whole OST is a masterclass of chiptune goodness. Although the title sequence features a great piece of music, my personal favourite is the stage 1 track; it's such a strong opener for the game, with a thumping drum beat and zinging synth lead which makes for such a strong opener; simply superb.

Fortunately, the actual gameplay is equally solid. It's a fairly standard run 'n gun affair with platforming, but it has great pacing, really tight controls and is just a well-crafted experience. The objective is to blast your way through each stage in turn, then take down an end-of-level boss to add a new weapon to your arsenal. These guns are supposed to add some utility when it comes to dealing with the various enemies, but I found the standard pistol to be more effective than most of the stuff I picked up, so I really just stuck with that.

Overall, this is a fun game with an absolutely awesome soundtrack; go check it out!

Developer: Sunsoft
Publisher: Sunsoft
Year of Release: 1990

Leatherneck - Commodore Amiga (1988)

One of the longplays I recorded a few years back and never got around to publishing, Leatherneck is a top-down shooter created by the late Steve Bak. It's a weird hybrid in these sense that, despite looking like a clone of Commando or Ikari Warriors, it's actually closer in design to pattern-based vertically scrolling shoot 'em ups.

The game is a "score attack" affair featuring a single level which eventually loops back on itself, and the sole objective is to earn as many points as possible until you eventually run out of lives. Enemy troops appear in pre-determined formations and move in series of patterns, shooting bullets and lobbing grenades as they move around. You have at your disposal a series of weapons with varying rates of fire and effectiveness, but these all have limited ammunition. You'll need to be extremely precise with your shots, making sure not to waste bullets and to replenish supplies at every available opportunity from the blue ammo crates left dotted around the screen.

It took me a few attempts to figure out that rushing in guns blazing, as you might feel inclined to do in military-themed arcade game, will result in almost instantaneous death. Enemy spawns are triggered as the screen scrolls, so the only way to avoid being hopelessly overwhelmed is to creep forward and ensure the screen scrolls only when the previous wave has been dealt with and you're in an advantageous position -- if such a thing exists -- to deal with the next.

I can't say this was Steve Bak's best endeavour; he'd go on to program and design far better games than this; it's punishingly difficult and often infuriating, and not a game that ever feels gratifying to play. That said, the wave-based approach to enemies does means Leatherneck isn't just another mindless button-bashing blaster - you need to take a far more cautious approach if you want to survive, which, if nothing else, makes it a somewhat interesting proposition.

Developer: Steve Bak
Publisher: Microdeal
Year of Release: 1988

Riot - Arcade (1992)

Something that never ceases to surprise me when it comes to coin-op history is how many games took inspiration from Cabal. The idea of a target shooter where player's control an on-screen reticule to shoot bad guys and dodge incoming bullets wasn't exactly new, but TAD Corp's game certainly popularised the format.

Enter Riot, another Cabal clone released in 1992, and while it might appear otherwise unremarkable, it does things a little differently. What makes Riot particularly interesting is the fact enemies not only appear in the background, but also the foreground, requiring the player to hit a button to change their aim to swap between the two play-fields. The cover system works in similar fashion, with some items providing cover from enemies which pop up closest to the camera, whereas other objects provide protection from enemies in the background. The result is a game which can get pretty frantic very quickly, and you shouldn't be surprised when you get overwhelmed; the key to success comes from learning where and when enemies appear and getting into position early to deal with them.

So the game has some neat ideas and is technically proficient, but the execution and pacing is, perhaps unsurprisingly for a coin-op, too punitive for its own good. Sure, arcade operators want players to keep dropping coins to continue playing, but this ends up being one of those titles where my interest would definitely wane after the first credit.

Developer: NMK
Publisher: NMK
Year of Release: 1992

Rolling Thunder 3 - Sega Genesis (1993)

The original Rolling Thunder was something of a trendsetter. It's use of upper and lower play areas proved to be an inspiration for the likes of Sega's Shinobi and Shadow Dancer, Data East's Bad Dudes and more. The sequel, Rolling Thunder 2, was more of the same, but added extra weapons, a second playable character, and expanded on what made the original game a success.

Unlike the previous games in the series, Rolling Thunder 3 was not released in the arcades and was exclusive to the Sega Genesis. Having played through the game, this feels like a "straight-to-video" release from a franchise which had at one time been noteworthy and influential, but was now just being milked for a few last pennies before being consigned to the trash.

The only real additions added in RT3 is the ability to select a special weapon with which you start each round, plus a couple of chase scenes involving bikes and a jet-ski. The rest of the game is just more Rolling Thunder: shooting cybernetic clones, swapping between platforms and entering doorways to search for extra ammo and power-ups. Although I get these are the core design principles of a Rolling Thunder game, it really needed something extra to warrant the attention of gamers in 1993.

The plot involves a continuation of themes established in the previous games, with the World Crime Police Organization taking on the forces of shadowy terrorist syndicate Geldra. With agents Albatross and Leila otherwise engaged, it's up to newcomer agent "jay" to pursue one of Geldra's leaders and put a stop to whatever evil machinations are being concocted. The story plays out in a series of cutscenes which, in my opinion, seem rather amateurish, and it just gives more evidence to suggest the game was more about raking in some cash, rather than an attempt to expand the franchise.

I guess if you like Rolling Thunder then you might find some enjoyment here, but I found the whole thing boring and uninspired. The weapon selection really doesn't add any variety to the gameplay, especially when some of the items are pretty useless, and there's little to recommend this when there are far better arcade-style games on the system.

Developer: Namco

Publisher: Namco

Year of Release: 1993

Game Review: Donkey Kong (Nintendo Game Boy)

When it was released in 1981, the original Donkey Kong arcade machine was a game of several firsts. Not only was it the first game to start two of Nintendo's most famous characters, it helped define the genre that we now know as the "platformer". From the original coin-op release, to the plethora of home versions, gamers everywhere were hooked by the addictive gameplay, fancy graphics and iconic sound - the sound of jumping over a barrel will be forever etched into our brains.

Despite the success of the game and development of a couple of sequels, it would be Mario (or Jumpman as he was known at the time) that would  go on to enjoy world-wide critical and commercial success in a series of games that made Nintendo the dominant gaming force for the rest of the decade; aside from an outing on the NES, it would seem that poor old Donkey Kong would be relegated to relative obscurity.