A game that was never given a chance, swept under the rug, turns out to be one of the best games for the NES!
Enough about my life story...here's my game review!
GAMEPLAY - 10/10
The gameplay is a Zelda-esque like structure, but it is not a replica. It is its own game. Mike Jones must travel through eight different chapters of time, meeting some of history's greatest achievers such as Cleopatra, Leonardo Da Vinci, Sherlock Holmes and King Arthur. Zoda, the villain (if you haven't figured that out yet...) gets in the way with Zoda-X, Zoda-Y, and the big Z himself! The game is difficult (not nearly as difficult as the first, but a challenge nonetheless!) and lengthy to keep you interested!
GRAPHICS - 10/10
Like it says in my tagline, this NES game was never given a chance, really. It was 1994 and newer games like Super Metroid and Donkey Kong Country were stealing the NES' spotlight. But nonetheless, this game earns it's perfect ten score in my book. The detail of the dungeons and the characters are amazing for an NES game, and there are no slowdowns. Sherlock Holmes looks like Sherlock Holmes...Leonardo Da Vinci looks like the Leo himself! Mike and Mica look great, as well! The overworld and the special effects (love the chapter transformations) make this game easy on the eyes! I love how they made Zoda look, all dark and full of evil...and the animation of Mike running at the end is an awesome effect. A+, Nintendo!
SOUND - 10/10
Okay, we love StarTropics and it's music, but StarTropics II has it's own set of tunes and I like it for that. They do have an updated version of the cave music from the first StarTropics, and it's as equally good. I actually prefer the music in the second game than the first. Zoda's Revenge has music set for each chapter that fit the mood for the era you are in! The Desert music in Chapter 3 is my favorite...but like I said, I like it all! The Boss music is impressive, as well!
STORY - 10/10
Though it's completely fictional in every aspect, they do a great job of designing a story for this game. I love the different eras and locations Mike visits such as the wild west, London, and Italy.
OVERALL - 10/10
This is my review and my opinion, and I think that Zoda's Revenge is one of the best NES games of all time. I prefer this to Super Mario Bros. 3 and it just barely has the number one spot over The Legend of Zelda. Great Story...Graphics....Characters...Sound...you gotta check this out if you are gonna drag out your NES! They sell it for like ten bucks at the most at used game stores nationwide...anyways have a good one!
Nathan Bush