Nathan vs His Game Collection: Day 2 - ADVENTURE

Day 2 is all about adventure. Adventure. FREAKING ADVENTURE!!!
So let's cut to the chase and get on with the...adventure. 

Abadox: The Deadly Inner War

A little background

Abadox was released by Milton Bradley in March of 1990, but was designed by Natsume, who is on my mind since I recently bought a copy of Lufia 2. It's "another damn NES shmup," but with the twist being its grotesque visuals and hard-as-balls gameplay. A fun fact: the music was written by Kiyohiro Sada, who also wrote the music for Contra and Rush'n Attack. 

Also, is it just me, or is the whole "Deadly Inner War" subtitle for the cover only? It doesn't show up on the title screen. 

First impressions last forever

I died in like the first couple of seconds in this game and it starts you completely over. Not cool.

But what really struck me is how awesomely gross this game looks. From the pulsating red ground beneath that looks like twisting intestines to the creepy mouth-biting enemies (that I swear Super Meat Boy took inspiration from) and the fact that the second half of the first level has you flying over a giant slobbering tongue, Abadox makes it clear that it's going to be as gross as possible. It's like Lifeforce, only instead of weirdness it's parts of the body. It's easily the "goriest" NES game I've played. 

But damn! It's hard! I made it to the first boss barely and couldn't beat him and had to run a continue. Hard!

But as I played further...

I found out that through memorization you can actually get some pretty cool power-ups, including a spread shot, laser shot, and orbiting bullet deflectors. Get three of these, and the game becomes pretty cake...at least for the first level.

Level two mixes it up with it being vertical instead of horizontal, except you are going down. That's new, right? Unfortunately, it's also absurdly tough, and when I died just once by touching a wall I lost all my power-ups and was back to the pea-shooter. I managed to make it to the second half of the second stage before my lack of firepower (and an insane number of homing wall-turret-pustules combined with skinny passageways) caused me to rage quit. Also, slowdown. Slowdown everywhere. 

Also, I have an NES four-score, so you bet your butt I turned on turbo for that. It isn't as helpful as you'd think, but at least then I didn't have to mash the button. 

So what's the conclusion? 

Abadox isn't bad, but it isn't great either. It's just...really, unfairly hard. It lures you into thinking you can beat it on its first level, giving you confidence as you memorize power-up locations, enemy spawns, and precise timing of tiny, almost invisible projectiles. Then it tosses you into level two and beats the everloving balls out of you. People weren't kidding: this game is hella hard.
I still think it's a decent enough game for "another damn NES shmup," but hardly a definitive one like Lifeforce or Gradius. This one I'd advise only if you are really into these types of NES games, or can get it for cheap. I do think the visuals make this game an experience that is worth it, but you'll need to have either mad skills, tons of patience, or a Game Genie to see the entire game. Copies are pretty plentiful, and usually run between $5-10.

(Hudson's) Adventure Island

A little background

Hudson Soft (may they rest in peace) had already made a name for themselves with the now-sensational Bomberman game before charting off into Mario's territory with Adventure Island in September of 1988. Starring a caveman-on-the-box, vacationer-in-flip-flops older man named Master Higgens (which is an awesome name), the game ended up spawning a franchise that made it all the way up to the SNES days before dropping off the face of the planet. 

First impressions last forever

This game looks dated. You know those old NES games, like Kid Niki, where everything looks weirdly flat because people hadn't learned how to shade or use black-outlines yet? Adventure Island's all over that. The graphics are still super charming though, with the bright island visuals being very appealing, and the enemies (usually a bunch of unique animal types like snails, bouncing octopi, and tiny obnoxious frogs) are actually kind of cute. Also the music is awesome. 

The game has pretty tough, though. I died once from hunger, and a single touch of an enemy will kill you. That first snake is so obnoxious; he fires a projectile just as you are about to hit him, which your axe bounces off of and you die instantly.

But hey, skateboarding on clouds. 

But as I played further...

There's one rather massive problem with this game that prevents me from enjoying it: no continues. There technically is a way to continue if you find the secret Hudson Bee that shows up only once in the game, and then enter a combo password on the title screen, but who would have known that in 1988? NOBODY. 

So without the continue option (if you miss the bee or just don't know the secret), you're looking at a rather long game with only three lives, one hit deaths, and that's it. Sorry, but as much as I think this game is charming, beating the first boss took way too many rounds of intense level memorization, and after that I died on the first world and had to start all over. No thanks. 

So what's the conclusion? 

I really hate to diss this game, but it really is another one where its punishing game development really hurts the overall product. You thought Demon's Souls was bad? At least that game lets you continue! Try beating Adventure Island without continuing or Game Genie. Not possible. Unless you're all those guys on YouTube who did it. I hate you guys!
Anyway, the point is that while Adventure Island really makes me want to love it (so much so I gave it a positive review on the ol' main blog), unless you're a big fan of looking up how to continue, don't even bother. Like "another damn NES shmup," there's a truckload of platformers on the NES, and most of them (including this game's sequels), completely outclass this dated game. Sorry, Adventure Island, but your admittance into my library was for nostalgia only.
Copies usually roll around $8-15, though I've seen them go for less.

Adventure Island II

A little background

First off: nice shadow in the picture, Nathan. You'd think you could just re-take it since you used your phone anyway. But, to show my commitment to quality, I didn't. So there you go. Awesome.

There's a three year gap between the first Adventure Island and this sequel, which showed up in the US in February of 1991. Mario 2 had come out but not Mario 3 yet, so I'd imagine people were getting a but hungry for a true Mario sequel. Instead, you get Adventure Island II here, where Higgens is back and hungry as ever. 

First impressions last forever

Ok, first off? This game looks loads better than the first one. Sprites have black outlines, the backgrounds look phenomenal, and and...is that a world map? Before Mario 3? It doesn't have the paths like in Mario 3 (making it look like Higgens is just wandering around these islands without rhyme or reason), but hey...it gives context and that sense of progression, right? Damn right!

Second off: DINOSAURS. Yes, in addition to the skateboard, Higgens now rides freaking awesome dinosaurs. And, if you want, you can store power-ups you keep to the end of the level in eggs for future use, which is also frikken sweet.

But the best first impression difference? That big "Continue" on the title screen, now next to "New Game." Thank you, Hudson Soft. Thank you so much. 

But as I played further...

...I loved the game more and more. The levels are very short, but I actually like that because it kept the flow of the game moving forward quickly. There's a lot of secrets to find, including more food, power-ups, and even warps to later islands. There's a wide variety of dinosaurs to ride from fire-breathing ones, one that slaps rocks with its tail, and even a swimming one for the underwater levels. Higgens still is armed with his trusty axes (and still dies in one hit), but the enemies aren't nearly as cheap and the ample number of dinosaurs around gives him one extra hit. It's a pretty good indication I enjoyed a game when I had problems quitting playing to come write this review. 

So what's the conclusion? 

It makes me wish I owned Adventure Island III, which is a bit out of my price range. Adventure Island II is everything Adventure Island wishes it was. It retains the island motif and the cute visuals, but combines it with a lot of new features and some genuinely fun platforming. While one could argue the level design isn't exactly inspired, I will repeat myself and say I like that the levels are short and quick, with some being quite challenging. Everything from the great graphics, music, and design just feels solid, with that wonky "Higgens Momentum" still going on in full force. It's not Mario, but it's still pretty dang good.
Copies are a little harder to find compared to the first game, usually rolling in at around $15-20.

(Disney's) Adventures in The Magic Kingdom

A little background

Ah, Capcom Disney games. Truly a legacy. With the recent announcement of the DuckTales reboot, I think it's safe to say people are nostalgia tripping over good times during that golden era of Disney NES  games(and SNES games; those Capcom versions of Aladdin and Goof Troop are phenomenal). Adventures in The Magic Kingdom (heretofor called AMK) came out four days before the famous DuckTales, and was technically the first Capcom developed Disney game in the US (they published Mickey Mousecapades, but that was made by Hudson, who also made Adventure Island). 

AMK promised all the magic and adventure of visiting Disneyland...or maybe World? Pretty sure Land...I grew up in Cali and it follows that park layout pretty close. Anyway, it doesn't matter. It was hoping to both captivate kids into experiencing Disneyland at  home and also get them to scream at their parents until they took them to the actual park. Not such a bad marketing idea; I gotta hand it to 'em. 

First impressions last forever

The game looks good, like most Capcom games, with sharp looking graphics and decent enough music. I dont' know why my main character is wearing a massive fedora (shouldn't they have had him wearing those Mickey ear hats? You know, for further advertisement?) and the park is pretty much empty except for one other person, but it gets the general gist. It was then I discovered this isn't an actual full game, per say, but a collection of five mini-games and a quiz. What are the odds that one of them is "another damn NES shmup?"

But as I played further...

No shmups; instead just a bunch of really dumpy minigames. Two are platformers (Pirates of the Caribbean and The Haunted Mansion) and aren't that awful, even though in Pirates you don't get a weapon. The issue is you only have three hits and one try or else the game starts completely over. Jumping and moving feels solid enough (again, it's a Capcom joint) and the music and graphics are actually pretty great. It's just punishing and, honestly, not all that fun when compared to all the other NES platforms.

Space Mountain is the birth of all QTE games, beating Asura's Wrath to the punch by over two decades. All it does is put button prompts in your "navigator" and you press them until getting far enough to beat the level. The graphics look pretty cool, like you're driving through space, and I wish the real Space Mountain ride were this long (wait in line for two hours for a minute and a half of fun. Yay!), but screw up three times and you start the whole thing over.

Autotopia is a racing game, sort of. You are supposed to be trying to pass guys, but they really just spawn as obstacles, not opponents (ala Rad Racer). Certain situations require you to take precise jumps, and if you fall out of the track or get pushed off an edge you start all over. Again, there's better versions of this same idea out there (Spy Hunter comes to mind).

But the absolute worst is Big Thunder Mountain. One of my absolute favorite rides, ruined. You're basically careening down the mountain trying to get to the end without hitting a dead-end or crashing three times. The problem is, every intersection is too far back to actually see what is ahead, so you'll make split-second decisions without actually knowing which decision is right. You can brake for some things like toll booths and rocks, but in the end it's dumb luck. I made it all the way to the end of the track, but at the last second chose one exit over another. Guess what? It was the wrong exit, even though I couldn't see it until after I'd made my choice. Burn in hell, Big Thunder Mountain. 

Oh yeah, the last "game" is just answering old Disney trivia and walking around the park. Wee!

So what's the conclusion? 

Don't be tricked like me by the Capcom logo on this game and the Disney tie-ins: this is a bad game. While I'll admit there's a charm to the platforming levels (I really do think the Haunted Mansion had something good going for it) and the game doesn't look or sound bad, it's not up to the quality of many other Capcom releases. If you're a nut and want all the Disney games on the NES, I guess you have to buy it, but compared to all the rest this one is a total stinker.
You can get it for around $5-10.