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  • Dragon Power (NES, 1988)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Source: Nintendo Fun Club News – April/May 1988




    Dragon Power is an action adventure game released by Bandai for the NES based on the Dragon Ball manga and anime series. For the North American version, the graphics and artwork were changed to be less anime like and more like other typical fighting games with Kung-Fu imagery. This game was released in 1988 (at least in North America) so this was well before Dragon Ball anime and manga (really before most anime and manga) were popular here.

    The game initially follows the plot of the first two volumes of the Dragon Ball manga. You play as Goku as he attempts to collect Dragon Balls (called Crystal Balls in the North American version) while battling various enemies. Later, the game progresses to an original plot involving a Kung-Fu tournament in which you (as Goku) must face off against various opponents. After that, you go on a quest to find the Four-Star Dragon (Crystal) Ball which involves travelling to space, battling Kurilien and Monster Carrot and adventuring through Seven Island among other things.

    Game play is sort of reminiscent of Zelda and various side scrolling action games. The graphics are really mediocre at best and controls could be better. However, there is a lot of variety here. The graphics may be simple but there still manages to be a lot of variation. The sound isn’t great and is pretty repetitive but by itself that doesn’t make it a bad game. There are some bad translations and unnecessary changes from the anime/manga but if anything, it just adds more humor to the game and doesn’t really detract from the game play. Fans of the manga or anime may be disappointed with the changes but it should still be of interest to them.

    Overall, I would say this game is interesting enough to try despite its flaws, especially if you are a fan of the anime or manga. As far as I know, there were no other releases of this game so you would have to track down an original cartridge for the NES or play it on an emulator. It isn’t the best game in the world but it’s worth trying. The original cartridges are pretty affordable on eBay ($10 or so) and I’m sure you could try it on an emulator for “free” to see if you like it first. A complete copy would make a pretty interesting collectible to fans of the anime/manga as well though i would expect a complete copy to cost quite a bit more.

    The ad at the top is from the April/May 1988 issue of Nintendo Fun Club News (the predecessor to Nintendo Power).


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  • Hello Kitty World (NES)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    https://darth-azrael.tumblr.com/post/655871951353610240

    Pick any licensed game at random, whether it be a game based on a movie, TV show, cartoon character or whatever, and there is a 99% chance it is going to be crap. However, it’s not 100%. Every now and then there is a gem of a licensed property. Hello Kitty World is one of those and it has a surprising lineage.

    Hello Kitty World is relatively obscure for a number of reasons. There is the above mentioned fact that it is based on a licensed property (Hello Kitty in this case), leading the average buyer to likely believe it is some crappy kids game. Then there is the fact that it was released very late in the life of the NES in 1992. Finally, it was never released outside of Japan.

    However, Hello Kitty World was actually developed, at least in part, by Nintendo themselves and Nintendo is not known for making crappy games. In fact, the basis of Hello Kitty World is Balloon Kid on the Game Boy. Balloon Kid is a sequel to Balloon Fight which is a fairly well known arcade game by Nintendo. Balloon Kid adds to that relatively basic arcade experience by turning it into a side-scrolling, flying platform adventure game. Hello Kitty World for the NES enhances the game further and adds the licensed characters. In fact, Hello Kitty World even features unused and reworked music from Balloon Kid.

    The premise is that you must navigate through the sky which contains various enemies, floating with the help of balloons. If an enemy pops your balloons, you will fall to the ground. You can also release the balloons at any point to drop to the ground or on top of an enemy. At that point, you can inflate new balloons to float into the air once more. You can also run around on the ground as well though most of your time will be spent in the air. Enemies can also kill you directly and if you land in the water, you also die. There are various unique play mechanics that make this a pretty good platformer, and unique levels and bosses as well. While Hello Kitty might not normally fall on your radar as a character you want to play in a video game, Hello Kitty World is an excellent platformer and should be tried by anyone who enjoys the genre.

    Of course, to play Hello Kitty World your options are currently pretty limited. As far as I know, there have been no re-releases and licensed properties rarely get that opportunity. Since this was a Japan only release, you will have to find a cartridge and a Famicom or suitable converter if you want to play this on real hardware. Or you can go the easy route and fire it up on an emulator instead. In either case, it is worth checking out.


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  • Nintendo Magazine System – Issue Number 8

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Source: Computer & Video Game Magazines – Nintendo Magazine System – Issue Number 8

    Nintendo Magazine System was published in several countries and was the official Nintendo magazine in at least some of them. This particular one was published in Britain. Issue number 8 includes:

    Features

    • Cover Story – A cross between Alien Syndrome and countless space-bound horror films, Operation Logic Bomb blasts its way here for an exclusive NMS review. With loads to shoot, and loads of weaponry with which to do so, how does it fare?
    • Exhaust Heat II – Just when you thought racing games couldn’t get any faster, here come Seta with a game so fast it leaves scorch marks on your screen! Forget F-Zero, forget Exhaust Heat. The latest and greatest race game is for your Super NES – and we give it the full Mansell treatment…
    • NMS Goes To The Movies

      • – Lights, camera – and ACTION! With the likes of Batman Returns, Cool World and Lethal Weapon reviewed this very issue, we decided to lump them all together in a special section! So, buy yourself a large bucket of popcorn, irritate people by getting out of your seat and moving along the aisle every five minutes, and keep rustling a jumbo bag of salt and vinegar crisps whenever possible…

    Regulars

    • News – Big Arnie returns for another bout of Nintendo mayhem as Sony sign up the rights to his new movie, The Last Action Hero! Meanwhile Sylvester Stallone is set to hit the Super NES in a game based on his new film, Cliffhanger. Cripes! There’s all this and lots, lots more as we scour the world for all the tidbits of gossip you want to read.
    • Seal’s Mailbag – Arf, arf! Reeking of fish and suitably bewhiskered, SEAL returns for another bout of letter answering. However, if you really want to get on his good side, send him tins of sardines with your letter – it’s almost certain to get in then. Oh, and chocolate. He really likes chocolate. And crisps. And Toffee…
    • NHS: Nintendo Help System – Like Florence Nightingale did to countless soldiers all those years back, NMS cools the fevered brows of you struggling players out there. This month, Prince Of Persia and Alfred Chicken are dissected by our hand-picked team of butchers…sorry surgeons, and their innermost secret removed and placed in specimen jars for your delectation. All this and Small Tips, too. Blimey!
    • Will You Ever? – After revealing in our own, inimitable way the end of Axelay last month, this time we reveal what happens at the end of Super Mario World! That’s right, after the Mario has leapt on to Bowser for the very last time, and all that Mode 7-type related malarkey with the spiky one zooming in and out of the screen has gone, this is what happens…
    • High Scores – Is your sad fizzog featured within these hallowed pages? No, then get playing your fave game, attain a marvelous score, send us a dippy picture, and then wait for us to mock you in the next issue – all in harmless fun, of course.
    • Charts – Rockadoodledoo, Pop Pickers, it’s charteroony time! As well as the official Super NES, NES, and Game Boy charts, there’s the all-important NMS team chart where we scrap amongst ourselves just to get our favorite titles in there. Ah, so that explains why Kirby keeps making all those comebacks…
    • Blagman – Another new idea, and rather a daft one if we do say so ourselves. Blagman is King Scrap, without a doubt. If there is an industry freebie, this Robin Hood of the software industry is there to pinch it and distribute it amongst the needy and greedy. This month, Acclaim’s offices have been stripped bare of all manner of goodies, as the masked wonder offers a massive selection of poached freebies. If you want one, get writing…
    • Index – Ah, the Game Boy, How do we love thee? Let us count the ways. What a beautiful little device. So beautiful in fact that we have acquired the services of the lovely Sarah Ewing, EMAP beauty expert and Game Boy fan to deliver THE ultimate in looks tips and Game Boy info. What’s more, every Game Boy title under the sun is listed for your delectation. There’s never been anything quite like it, which is probably just as well…

    Super NES Reviews

    • Exhaust Heat II
    • Tuff E Nuff
    • Super James Pond
    • Outlander
    • Batman Returns
    • Cool World
    • The Terminator
    • Operation Logic Bomb
    • Shanghai II

    NES Reviews

    • Pugsly’s Scavenger Hunt
    • Lethal Weapon
    • James Pond II: Robocod
    • Mr Gimmick

    Game Boy Reviews

    • Universal Soldier
    • Lethal Weapon

    Previews

    • Alien 3
    • Terminator II
    • Striker
    • Biometal
    • Crash Dummies

    Tips

    • Small Tips
    • Prince of Persia
    • Alfred Chicken

    …and more!


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