#215 - The Simpsons (Arcade)
Being a huge Simpsons fan, I used to spend countless hours in the arcade playing this game. Something about the Arcade version of The Simpsons was so addictive that I used to revisit this game time and time again. At first you might mistake The Simpsons for just another side scrolling beat em’ up but soon you’ll come to realize how deep the gameplay actually is. The level design is simply fantastic and you get to play as all four members of the Simpsons family adding more hours and more variety to the gameplay. One of my favorite arcade games without a doubt but would have done so much better if it were ported to a console and retained the arcade feel.
#214 - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game (NES)
For some strange reason I’ve never seen this game in the Arcade but have only played it on the NES even though the title says TMNT2: The Arcade Game. If you were like me and were a huge Ninja Turtles fan in the 90s you’d have wanted to play a great Ninja Turtles game back then. TMNT1 on the NES wrecked my expectations of ever anticipating a good TMNT game but much to my surprise TMNT2 blew my expectations away. The levels were just phenomenal, as were the characters, the enemies, the bosses and the level of challenge (which was unfair by any means but still challenging). Everything looked just like it did in the TMNT TV shows back in the 90s and it was one of my favorite games way back then. It’s safe to say I’ve played better TMNT games over the years but this one was the first to have truly impressed me.
#213 - Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest (NES)
I love what Konami did with the second installment of Castlevania on the NES. They tried something new and I loved it. I loved it more back then when I first played the game. The levels concept is totally taken out of this game and instead we have free exploration. Simon can level up, buy new things as well as new weapons, something which was unprecedented in action side scrollers back then. The game could definitely have been more polished and the final boss is ridiculously easy which makes it seem as if the game is a little broken. However the game was simply more fun than the original as well as many other Castlevania games for many years until Konami totally remodeled the series, thus taking the Castlevania series to new heights.
#212 - Metroid (NES)
I played the original Metroid way way after its release therefore it may not have had the impact on me like it could have if I’d played it back in its hey days. I’ll start with the negatives first. Samus’ jump controls are quite stiff making the game frustrating in some parts. Having no map is the biggest ball drop of the original Metroid because for me completing that game w/o using a guide was nearly impossible. Having no clues as to where to go doesn’t exactly help either. That being said it is obvious that the game is a revolutionary. The upgrades are so satisfying to get not to mention the game is fun when you know where exactly you have to go. The game isn’t too difficult and the level designs are a masterpiece for the NES system. Without a doubt one of the NES system’s finest accomplishments but I can’t find it in my heart to give the first Metroid more than a #200 in this list.
#211 – Pitfall (Atari 2600)
This is the FIRST GAME I’ve EVER played. Well I was probably around 5 or 6 when I first saw my dad playing this game. The Atari was my Granddad’s and was quite old and even though I owned a Nintendo very shortly after, I played Pitfall quite a lot before shelving my Atari for good. I didn’t have a clue as to what the objective of the game was, back then. But then I figured it was avoiding obstacles and collecting as many treasure as you can. I’ve played this game quite recently and beat it for the first time…… cheating. Man did it bring back memories and man was it fun ^_^.
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Rock n' Roll and Glam Metal... It never died