NBA Jam

Also known as:  N/A

Developer: Iguana Entertainment

When I was younger, I didn't know anyone from basketball, aside from maybe Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, and Magic Johnson...But after plugging NBA Jam into my Super NES, I was hooked and I knew the names of this game’s roster to go along with those three standouts from playing this game so often both by myself and with friends...Which doesn’t really translate into me knowing much about basketball, but hey, it's a start, right? For me, every game in NBA Jam always broke down into me hogging the ball so I could get myself on fire and/or constantly slam dunking the ball in hopes for getting that ever-so-splendid backboard shatter. That didn’t bother any friends I played with because that was typically their strategy as well. Other games have come out over the years attempting to recreate the magic of this arcade-style sports game, but I may have to argue that none of them have managed to do it any better than NBA Jam. When it comes to sports games in the arcade, NBA Jam was probably the best…and the home console version was just as fun and enjoyable.

Review added: 06/22/2020

Nosferatu

Also known as:  N/A

Developer: Seta Corporation

Nosferatu is a game that I’ve always really liked, but never really played beyond the second stage until devoting more time to it for this list. Now that I’ve played through to the end, I can honestly say that while I still really like the game, this game is ridiculously tough as you make your way through. Except for the end-of stage fights - aside from Nosferatu himself, I didn’t really have any difficulty with those fights...and even Nosferatu wasn’t too difficult in comparison to some of the levels that you needed to traverse through to get there. A few levels actually require EXACT precision in certain spots otherwise you’re probably going to die. In fact, some of those spots look to be impossible to pass through when you come across them, until you realize that there isn’t any other way to the end of the level. Add to the fact that the levels are timed, so you can’t exactly take your sweet time figuring things out, and you’ve got a very challenging game ahead of you if you intend to try to see it through to the end. Still, until it gets frustratingly difficult, Nosferatu is a mostly enjoyable game that is worth giving a chance, especially if you wanted a twist on the Prince of Persia formula and have it take place within more dark and twisted scenery.

Review added: 10/31/2021