Majyuuou

Also known as:  N/A

Developer: Eleven

Majyuuou, or Majyuo, or Majuu Ou…however you may have seen it translated, was a Japanese-exclusive scrolling shooter that is a bit of a hidden gem, in my opinion. At first glance, it looks very much like it's a Metal Slug clone, but as you progress through the game, you'll quickly realize that this game is different. As you defeat demonic bosses, you'll gradually transform more and more into a demon yourself. By the end of the game, you're no longer a man running around shooting at stuff with a gun, but a demon shooting out magic or glowing oranges or whatever the devil demons throw at people. If you're wondering where the demons come in, your goal is to save your wife and child from Hell, so obviously, you'll meet nastier and nastier demons as you descend down to the depths of that location. While I instantly compared this game to Metal Slug when I played, many people who played it seem to call it "Castlevania with a gun." Majyuuou does have a high difficulty, but for the folks that are willing to adapt and overcome the challenge, they'll find a very good game that somehow never found its way out of Japan. Even in Japan, it's fairly rare, with used copies being sold for 100,000 yen (almost $700 USD) at one point. While I really liked Majyuuou, I don't enjoy it enough to find it to be worth that price tag. If you're a fan of unique action games, though, it's good enough where it may be worth that price tag for you.

Review added: 10/06/2023

Marvel Super Heroes in War of the Gems

Also known as:  N/A

Developer: Capcom

War of the Gems is a game that I always wanted when I was younger. It's understandable why when you looked at screenshots in magazines back when it was released - it's a very good-looking game. Unfortunately, in life you find out that good-looking people sometimes aren't the best quality of people, and the same can be said about video games. Marvel Super Heroes in War of the Gems is a beautiful model with a brain the size of a pea and the personality of a cheese grater. Visually, it looks like a great game. Unfortunately, once the gameplay begins, you begin to see it for what it is - an awful, very simplistic brawler. You can choose who you want to play as before each level, which is nice. You can switch between Spider-Man, Iron Man, Captain America, Wolverine, and the Hulk across the various levels, so you can actually play as everyone in a single playthrough instead of having to devote yourself to five playthroughs to play as everyone. Aside from that positive, and the look of the game, it's pretty much downhill from there. The combat itself is about as boring as it can get. When you look in the options and see that the controls consist of one button to attack and one button to jump, that's a clue of what you're getting yourself into when you play. Yes, there are combos and some special moves to pull out…but none of them are really spectacular or do anything to add to the experience. Anyway, War of the Gems had potential to be a decent game, and maybe it's because this was released after Capcom had already moved most of its focus to the Saturn and Playstation, but it feels like Capcom (who had put out several really good brawlers previously on the Super NES) may have just quickly thrown something together to fulfill a contract obligation or something, because they'd proven in the past that they knew how to make a really good, enjoyable brawler…unfortunately, this is definitely not one of them.

Review added: 07/09/2022

Mega Man 7

Also known as:  RockMan 7: Shukumei no Taiketsu! (Japan)

Developer: Capcom

When I was a kid, I loved the Mega Man games. I didn't own any until I got older, but they were a frequent rental choice for me, back in the days where you could go to the local video store and rent a video game for the weekend. When the 16-bit era appeared, it took a few years before Mega Man had his next journey in the main series….and while it's not bad, I'd be lying if I said that I didn't wish that they would have kept this game at 8-bits. I can't really explain it, but something feels like it was lost in translation from 8-bits to 16-bits…the movements, while fine, do take some getting used to…and the difficulty level, which was always difficult, but fair, dropped quite a bit in this game. Part of that is due to what feels like a decrease in length and the added ability to exit Wily's castle and purchase items before continuing on, also further decreases the difficulty. I'm not saying that Mega Man 7 is a bad game, mind you, but the series had started to grow a little stagnant on the NES, so I guess I just always hoped for a little more out of this game that what we were given. It's fine for what it is, but if you're a Mega Man fan, you'll probably revisit the first six on the NES far more often than this game.

Review added: 09/10/2024

Mega Man X

Also known as:  RockMan X (Japan)

Developer: Capcom

When I first played Mega Man X after getting it for Christmas as a wee lad, I wasn't sure if I liked it. It was good and all, but this wasn't quite the Mega Man that I was fond of. I spent so much time playing the 8-bit Mega Man games, and while Mega Man X had the Mega Man name, it played like something quite a bit more. Since I had the mind of an old fogey, even as a young’un, I wasn’t really ready for change in my beloved Mega Man franchise. The more I played, however, the more I found myself absolutely hooked. This is like the original Mega Man formula on steroids...Larger levels, more abilities, secrets to find like hidden items and mini bosses...It was amazing. It was so good that every other game in the X series, in my opinion, struggled to surpass it. The only Mega Man game that I've ever played more than this one is Mega Man 2...And there's a reason I've played this so much - it's absolutely fantastic.

Review added: 07/09/2022

Michael Jordan: Chaos in the Windy City

Also known as:  N/A

Developer: Electronic Arts

I honestly thought that Michael Jordan: Chaos in the Windy City would be much, much worse than it actually is. It’s honestly a passable game…not a great game, mind you, but passable. In Chaos in the Windy City, you play as Michael Jordan who traverses levels throwing various types of basketballs at an assortment of enemies, solving very minor puzzles, and shooting hoops…because basketball hoops mysteriously decorate the levels. I suppose having basketball hoops all over the place is a pretty chaotic thing – it really is chaos in the Windy City, isn’t it? Anyway, if you’re looking for a different kind of platformer, this game may be worth checking out. It’s not anywhere near the quality of, say, Super Mario World, but it’ll probably hold your attention anyway if you’re a fan of the genre. If you’re not a fan of the genre and you’re not a fan of Michael Jordan, you may be thinking, “Air Jordan? More like Air Boredom.”

Review added: 02/21/2021

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Fighting Edition

Also known as:  N/A

Developer: Natsume

Honestly, I expected Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Fighting Edition to be quite a bit worse than it actually is. I expected a clunky, awkward fighting game and instead a got an unremarkable, but not necessarily bad fighting game. I've never seen a single episode of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, truth be told, so I have no idea who any of these characters are, or if they're popular with the Power Ranger fanbase. I just know that it has an average-sized roster of fighters for games of its time, it has average fighting gameplay, and it just feels like an average game all around. That's really the only major complaint I have - it's so average that nothing really stands out. Take the Power Ranger license away and you'd have a decent fighting game that's not awful, but is nowhere near the quality of games like Street Fighter II. So, if you're a fan of the Power Rangers, then you'll probably be happy with this game as it is. If you're not a fan of the Rangers, you probably won't be upset that you gave this game a try, but you may be wishing that you were playing a better fighting game instead.

Review added: 05/23/2024

Musya: The Classic Japanese Tale of Horror

Also known as:  Gousou Shinrai Densetsu: Musya (Japan)

Developer: Jorudan

I feel like Musya, which is apparently a classic Japanese tale of horror according to its title on the box, isn't as good as it could have been or should have been. The biggest issues are how the game controls and how repetitive it can get. While you can get used to the controls if you play for a while, Musya does not feel like a game that most folks will be able to pick up and play without some frustration coming along with the gameplay - specifically the hit detection and the platforming aspects. Unfortunately, after you start getting used to how the game plays and you advance through the levels, it also starts to feel a little repetitive. The high difficulty for the game should help prevent the repetitive feel, but unfortunately, it often adds to it since you'll find yourself replaying areas a bunch if you're attempting to see the credits roll. Complaints aside, I do consider Musya to be passable, though only just barely. The big positive, in my eyes, is the number of creatures from Japanese folklore found in this game is nice to see - as a fan of mythological creatures and cryptids, I enjoyed seeing so many of them represented in this game. While the gameplay felt a bit repetitive, it definitely wasn't due to the variety of creatures that you battle, since there are plenty. While I appreciate the large variety of enemies, I feel like if the developers had put as much effort and detail into the gameplay as they did with the creature designs, this would have been a must-play game on the SNES. As it is, I feel like only a small audience will appreciate it for what it is.

Review added: 10/06/2023