A great little puzzle game from the early NES era. This game features two game modes. Game A involves having to collect all the dynamite before time runs out, and game B involves guiding the professor to the end of each level while he's sleepwalking. The use of the different colored pillars gives this game its puzzle element, and it can pretty tricky to determine which ones to lower and which ones to raise. There are also bird like enemies throughout each level that can only be distracted with radishes, for some reason. It's definitely a strange game, but that's what gives it character. Hirokazu Tanaka also provides some catchy tunes for the game, much like his compositions for Balloon Fight and Wrecking Crew. While game mode B relies on trial and error and is ultimately disappointing, game mode A still provides a great puzzle game experience.

Like many people, I grew up watching and loving Spongebob Squarepants. And thankfully, this isn't some cheap licensed game like so many titles end up becoming. Not only is there a ton of references for fans to get a kick out of, but the environments, music, and characters are also spot on and really make you feel like you're exploring Bikini Bottom. This is all packed into a pretty great 3D platform, with super responsive controls and creative level designs. This is a must play for any Spongebob fan or just anyone looking for a good 3D platformer.

Nothing will ever convince me that this game isn't garbage. Even if the game has nice looking graphics and catchy music, that doesn't really mean much if the gameplay sucks. The game just isn't fun to play. It constantly punishes you for doing nothing. You want to walk on this platform? Sorry, it's a trap platform that looks the same as all the other ones and now you're falling down. You want to take time to think about how to progress through the level? Sorry, we're going to have these random spinning things fly towards you and knock you further down. It's a frustrating game made even worse by its awful controls. It's hard to know how bad they are without playing the game yourself, but they're bad enough to the point where it's sometimes difficult just to stand still. So, that should give you an idea of how bad they are. I don't care if this is considered a classic. This is hands down one of the worst games I've ever played.

I can't help but feel as if I'm the only person who likes this game sometimes. It's not a perfect game, but I think it's a really creative and fun way of merging Pac-Man and pinball together. It's an extremely challenging game, with the ghost AI being absolutely brutal. However, the pinball table is pretty fun and I like how performing certain actions affect what happens in the maze. I think the game would have benefitted from having power pellets at the beginning, and then you could gain more by playing the pinball table. It would have made the game much easier to jump into. The presentation for the maze part of the game is also lacking. Aside from the title screen, the game looks pretty ugly and the sounds aren't much better. However, the actual pinball table has some really nice artwork, and I do like the different sound effects that play during the pinball portion. While not the best Pac-Man game, Baby Pac-Man is a pretty fun experimental title that I think deserves some more love. I would also highly recommend checking out the 7800 port, as it's pretty accurate to the original and it has a nice set of options to go long with it. If you want to play the game and you can't find a real machine, the 7800 port should help to scratch that itch.

Arguably the first great pinball game on consoles, even though I like Video Pinball as well. While this game is mostly known now for its cameo appearances of Mario and Pauline, it really is an excellent representation of pinball. It features two different sections to make one giant table, giving the game some nice variety. There's lots of charming characters on display, including penguins, seals, and chicks who hatch out of eggs. There's also quite a few objectives to fulfill to get more points, such as collecting a row of Pac-Man like dots, a set of five cards, and even a little slot machine where you have to hit a paddle to stop it. The sound effects can be a little grating at times, but serve their purpose well. And the game has a nice little jingle on the title screen, like a lot of early NES games do. While not the most perfect pinball game ever, Nintendo's own Pinball is still a great way to get your pinball fix at home.

It's a shame this game is so rare and expensive these days, because it genuinely deserves to be played by everyone. This is classic Compile shooting at its finest. Tons of personality and charm in the graphics, great memorable soundtrack, lots of weapons and bombs to choose from, and gameplay that's tough but forgiving. This game also has plenty of different options to mess around with, along with a shop to purchase items from in between levels. In short, this is an excellent shooter and probably the best shooter on NES.

This is definitely my favorite of the Pac-Man World games, even though it's not a platformer. While some of my love for this game is nostalgia talking, I do believe that it is a genuinely solid racing game. Tight controls, some memorable track layouts, a fun battle mode, and a great soundtrack make this game highly recommended. My only gripe with this game is that I really wish it had more to do with Pac-Man. While the environments do the job and have some nice set pieces, like the underwater glass tunnel in the desert level, I wish they had more to do with Pac-Man and Namco in general. Some more characters also would have been nice, as I don't think that all four ghosts needed to be their own separate characters. The PSP version included Mappy and Mr. Driller, but I think they could have done more to make this a full on Namco kart racer. Still, this is an excellent game and ended the World series on a high note.

This is definitely a personal favorite of mine, as it's a game that I grew up with and played all the time on PS1. But nostalgia aside, I still think this is a really solid game. Similar to Robotron, the action takes place throughout multiple waves and involves blasting all of the evil toys. However, what you really want to go for are the hearts, as getting enough opens the door to let you exit the level. The power up system is one of the most unique things about this game. Each enemy is weak to a specific power up, and will not be affected by any other power ups. For example, a balloon can be destroyed with a thumbtack, but not with bombs. So, part of the challenge is to make sure that you have the right power ups for the right occasions. Certain power ups also have their own unique attributes. For example, bombs can clear multiple spaces at once, much like in Bomberman. And lightning bolts can stun any enemy, but can only destroy the robots. The graphics are extremely charming, with a nice fairy tale aesthetic and tons of cute characters. You can't help but love all the toys, even though they're the enemies. The music is also one of Namco's finest and most catchy tunes ever, right up there with the Mappy theme for me. The game also provides a pretty lengthy main quest, with 44 levels to finish. Bonus stages where you have to jump and catch apples help to spice up the game as well. The biggest shortcoming of this game is its difficulty. Trying to get the right power up can be a bit annoying, as you can only rely on the randomized present boxes to give you what you need. Enemies can also get pretty nasty later on, as their movement patterns can be somewhat unpredictable. The final boss is also pretty stupid, as it constantly fires projectiles with very little opportunity to use cover. Even with its issue, Toypop remains one of my all time favorite arcade games. And best of all, you can have a buddy join in for simultaneous two player action. If you can find a way to play it, I would highly recommend giving it a shot.

One of the few console ports of an arcade game that actually improves on the original. Not only is this NES conversion much easier than the arcade game, it also adds a few extra features not present in the original game. For starters, you actually get to choose your difficulty, in the form of an introductory stage. This takes place at the end of the Dragon Spirit arcade, and the difficulty is chosen based on if you finish the stage or not. At the end of each stage, you will be greeted by a fairy who will help you out if you fulfill certain requirements. Fairies mainly just give you health refills and extra lifes, but it's still a nice addition that adds a little more depth to the game. Despite being much less powerful than the original arcade hardware, the graphics and music are faithfully represented on the humble NES. The stage layouts are also pretty faithful, with some even containing new sections. Level six has a section where your dragon moves much faster than normal, and you have to zip around the oncoming hazards. Details like this really show the amount of care that was put into making this game as good as it could be on the NES. There are some minor flaws, such as the occasionly garish colors and enemies that are nearly impossible to avoid first time playing. However, this is still an excellent game and one of the best shooters the NES has to offer.

This game does a great job at bringing back the Frogger formula, while also adding in new mechanics to spice up the gameplay. My favorite element here is the use of the tongue. You can use it push and pull certain tiles, and it's used for some pretty creative and challenging puzzles. Grid detection is a little sloppy at times, especially with moving platforms. However, instances where I fell through platforms didn't happen enough to ruin the experience for me. The game provides a good challenge, and some puzzles definitely took me a while to figure out. If you like puzzle games, then I would highly recommend checking this one out. The graphics are very appealing and easy on the eyes. There's some pretty fun character designs, as well as some really pretty environments. The city levels and the dinosaur levels are probably my favorite visually. The music in this game is fantastic. Most of the songs use a similar melody, but they each remix it in a unique way that keeps it from getting stale. And some of the songs here are just so relaxing. It's great stuff. This game does have some pretty fun multiplayer content too. The minigames here are all very polished and enjoyable to play. However, since this game is made by the Mario Party developers, that shouldn't be much of a surprise. I would have liked to see more minigames, but what's here is solid. The biggest issue with the game is the amount of waiting that it sometimes takes. You'll often have to wait through boss attack patterns or for moving platforms to sync up. And it can get really tedious sometimes. I also wish that the other characters got more attention here. There's a whole team of rescue frogs, and yet they don't do much in the game. I think you could play as each one throughout the story and they all had unique abilities, that would have been really cool. Even with my complaints, I still love this game and it's my second favorite Frogger game. Puzzle game fans and Frogger fans should definitely give this one a shot.

As difficult as this game is, I still love the original Castlevania. Yes, it may have some clunkly elements. However, the overall joy and satisfaction I get from playing this game greatly outweights any issues I have with it. It's quite forward thinking for a game released in 1987. Even with the game's more archaic elements like knockback and extreme difficulty, it did a lot of interesting things that weren't super common in games at that time. There were different items and upgrades you could get, various bosses at the end of each level, and a health bar that made the game a bit easier to get through. The graphics and music are top tier for a 1987 release. Every song is a banger, and this was probably the best soundtrack in an NES game at that time. Castlevania is drenched in horror movie tropes and aesthetics, and it's a super unique look for its time. However, the game also doesn't sacrifice color for spookiness. This game is really visually appealing, with lots of bright oranges and blues. Despite this, the jagged architecture and decaying walls still gives the vibe of a scary abandoned castle. One of my favorite parts of this game visually is when you can see Dracula's castle in the background of certain levels. It's adds so much atmosphere to the game, and it serves as a warning of what's to come. And like I mentioned before, the gameplay is super satisfying. It just feels good to hit stuff with your whip. For those who are more adventurous, there are also plenty of secret items and treasures hidden in each level to keep you busy. So, it gives the game some nice replay value. The game definitely has its hard moments, with some of them bordering on unfair. The final Dracula fight is especially tricky, and the knockback can be a pain during those platforming sections in the higher levels of the castle. With that all said, this game is still a classic and one I plan on revisiting many times in the future.