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| thephantombrain's Last 10 Game Comments (view last 100) | Legend of Zelda - The Stone Legion, The | Blue Wizrobes + all doors sealed = angry thephantombrain! Fun hack though. | Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (set 1) | In what way, shape or form is the "Easy" cavern easy? | Galaga '90 | I suck just as bad at this as I do at the original! lol | Clu Clu Land | This game is difficult enough without the rubber bands. | Ice Climber | He jumps 10 foot straight up and 1 foot forward *smh* | Platina (super mario bros hack) | This game was fun. | Sonic Generations | It's a 360 game, too new for Vizzed. You're just seeing a list of submitted reviews. | Mario 256W (256 worlds) | What's the trick to level A? | Super Mario Frustration (forever) | I can see that this is beatable, and I keep thinking (((I used to do these short long jumps, no problem))) Is it possible that the original Nintendo controller was more responsive than my Logitech USB model? Or am I just REALLY out of practice? | Night Stocker (set 1) | I finally figured out how to set up the analog stuff but how the heck do you destrpy the main enemies? Anybody EVER figures that out PM me? |
| thephantombrain's Last 25 Game Reviews |
Waterworld 10-03-13 10:12 PM |
Maybe dry land really doesn't exist. There are many people that I have encountered in my travels that consider the movie Waterworld, which was released in 1995, to be a terrible attempt at post-apocalyptic science fiction. However, I remember seeing the movie in '95 and thought it was entertaining. Maybe my taste in movies is corrupted or possibly other people bow too easily to the opinions of critics. Whichever statement is true, apparently I have now become a critic which strikes me as very ironic. Waterworld the game was released on Super Nintendo, Game Boy, PC and the Virtual Boy. Apparently, there was also a version released on the Sega Channel but never physically released on the Sega Genesis. Even still, there was a totally unreleased rendering for the Sega Saturn. I have never played any of these other versions but I seriously hope that they were more appealing than the Virtual Boy release that I am about to attempt to be impartial to. Because this game is an adaptation of a movie, I feel that breaking format to address the story is actually mandatory. In the movie, sometime in the very distant future, the polar ice caps have completely melted and almost all of the land on earth has been completely covered by water. Survival in this Waterworld by us bipeds, is eked out aboard sailing vessels and small floating cities called atolls. In this world of water there is also a group of bad guys called Smokers. These Smokers burn cigarettes and fuel for their jet skies and motor boats. Smokers seem to only care about one thing, finding a mythical place called dry land and pillaging it's resources. The main characters in the movie are a little girl named Enola who has a mysterious tattoo on her back that might indicate where dry land is, a mysterious loner who is half man half fish and has a tricked out sail boat, and the ruthless leader of the Smokers. Unfortunately, none of that information can really be calculated into the score of the game story because none of it was retold for the player.... Read the rest of this Review |
Platina (super mario bros hack) 10-01-13 09:11 PM |
Shock and awe. Looking for a game that breaks the mold of the "Mario saves the princess" story line? Well, look no further! Platina is a Super Mario Bros. 1 hack that was released in January 2003 by a hacker named Mana. It's obvious from the screenshots that Mana put some time into the creation of new content but are there any other novelties to be found? Pinks, purples and greens are the major colors used in these brand new levels. While this may be an immediate turn off for some players, I found it to be a refreshing change from the tried and true original palette. These colors are primarily found in the new terrain tiles which are done very well. My only real complaint about the new graphics is that the background, which consists of stars, notes, and cyclones, seems tacky. The final graphics addition that I noticed comes in the form of a 1UP and is simply a blinking "1UP". Platina took away a majority of original SMB graphics, which were a 10 by default, and replaced them. The new pipe tiles look good and they work but I'm deducting a point for the background which leaves the total graphics score at 9. The sound of the grandfather of side scrollers, is the six song score composed by Koji Kondo and it's definitely a 10. Platina offers nothing new in the soundtrack or sound effects so I'm deducting a point. Because of this missed opportunity this hack has earned a 9 in the sound category. Platina capitalizes on the addiction quality of it's predecessor by putting Mario in situations that can be overcome with a lot of practice or trial and error. It was while playing this game that I perfected some new moves. Some of the new moves that I perfected are what I will affectionately refer to as "the rocking jump", "the leap frog" and "the fast fall". Having to perfect my skills was for me a direct indicator of my addiction. Also, I wanted to see what else the creator would come up with to challenge me. In the end I was not disappointed and classify this s... Read the rest of this Review |
Super Mario Bros - Ninja Insanity 09-23-13 08:05 PM |
Only the most skilled shinobi need attempt this difficult mission. Released in 2008, this Super Mario Brothers 1 hack was created as a “response to the various video game hacks such as Super Mario Frustration” according to its creator DanteRules of TANE Productions. Does Super Mario Brothers - Ninja Insanity have what it takes to contend with Frustration and similar hacks? The graphics for SMB1 were iconic and I consider them to be a 10 and because this new version does not take away anything from those graphics it loses no points. With any creation such as this there is also the opportunity to offer new graphical content and Ninja Insanity does have some limited additions. The mushrooms, the goombas, the hammer brothers, toad and many more all get noticeable modifications by TANE. These changes fit with the far east theme. I was slightly disappointed that Mario was not clothed in black because with all of the other changes that occurred, this one seemed almost mandatory. Also, there are no noticeable changes to the background or other world elements. I’m tempted to deduct a point from the graphics score for my disappointment in Mario’s attire but it’s obvious that the hacker put a lot of effort into the changes that were made so I’m leaving the graphics at 10. Almost anyone that has ever played the original game can hum its music from memory and the sounds were memorable as well, which makes that game a perfect example of a 10. SMB-NI loses one point for missing the opportunity to make any changes to those original sounds and music. Admittedly , I don’t know much about hacking ROMs but I am certain that these changes are possible. I would have loved to hear some music with a Japanese influence and similarly any martial arts sounds. 9 is my final score for sound. Super Mario Bros. 1 is, to this day, the most addicting game I have ever played and ranks as a 10 for me. When I think about what the reasons are for that high of a rating, I come up with replayability, ... Read the rest of this Review |
Star Strike 08-19-13 07:49 PM |
They want to eat our brains!!! This game will make you question your sanity. You might laugh, you might curse and you may even go catatonic. Star Strike was one of the last games that was developed for the Sega Mega CD console in 1994 but it was not released. Six years later it was purchased by a company called Good Deal Games, finished and released to appeal to retro gamers. (Hey, that's me!!) Trace is the main characters name and he is a rookie star fighter pilot from earth. The earth fleet is defending humankind from the invasion of the Protoids somewhere in the vastness of our galaxy. These Protoid creatures regard humans as an excellent source of protein and our brains are even considered a delicacy. Upon arrival to the front lines, Admiral Rakin assigns Trace to Blue Fighter Wing under the command of Captain Raimer. Trace is also introduced to Head Mechanic Terry York and the other pilots in his squadron named Cosmo, Snoopy and Tara. [spoiler]Tara is hot![/spoiler] (Also, fans of the television show Warehouse 13 might recognize the actor playing Snoopy as Eddie McClintock.) When the squad is sent on a mission, space travel is accomplished by piloting through a device called the MLR or Magnetic Launch Ring. The MLR accelerates the ship to 12 times the speed of light. With all the details and supporting characters that are put into the story, I'm giving it a 10. The graphics are FMV or Full Motion Video and were filmed by a production company named Stargate Entertainment. It looks like they had a pretty decent budget to work with. All of the space sequences are done with miniatures that are well detailed. There are too many sets for me to count but I particularly like the interior of the fighter cockpit. The pyrotechnics are believable. However, the Protoid actors are wearing sculpted masks and gloves which gives the game a B-movie feel so I'm deducting a point. Also, I think the sequences where the ship is going to and traveling in light speed are compu... Read the rest of this Review |
Super Maria Sisters 8k 08-19-13 12:52 PM |
If you've got 5 minutes to kill... ...then you should try out the game that features Mario & Luigi's hot cousin, Maria. When I saw that this game actually existed, I knew that I had to see what it was all about. Super Maria Sisters 8k is probably the 1st grade exploration into game design of a Super Mario Bros. fan. There are 3 versions of the game (and I won't be writing a game review for each of them) but 8k seems to be the most well developed one of them all. The graphics are comparable to the average classic Atari 2600 game, which historically had extremely short programming timetables. Someone put some time and passion into SMS's design. To start with it has a title screen; It's been a long time since I've played the Atari 2600 but I know that a lot of the original ROM's didn't have one. Also, the player character, Maria or maybe her sister, has some elaborate construction. Yes, she's still blocky, there's no texture and she's all pink, but you can tell that it might be a girl. The final and only boss is probably a distant relative of Bowser and it is a pretty good rendering of a giant lizard. There is very little level detail, which isn't surprising because it seems like all effort went into character development. Some fellow gamers might disagree with a graphical score of 8 but I'm comparing it to other games for this console. There is no sound but I know it's possible. So, in this category the SMS won't receive a grade. Although, I'm tempted to rate it as a 1. Unfortunately, there is zero replay value. After, 5 minutes or less Bowsers sister has been dodged and the game is over. There are no secrets to find, that I know of, and no technique to perfect. Addictiveness is a 1. There is no story but none of the Atari 2600 games had one, to my knowledge, so I wasn't disappointed. I wouldn't call this a deep game so I start the point value at 1.Add a point because of the differences between all 13 levels. Dodging and evading are the overa... Read the rest of this Review |
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (set 1) 08-15-13 05:20 PM |
Soon Kali Ma will rule the world! Based on what I consider to be the best movie of the entire Indiana Jones movie run, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom hit arcades in 1985. This game is the reason I found Vizzed. I had wanted to play this game again ever since it mysteriously vanished from my local arcade, Bally’s, decades ago. When I played it again, it did not disappoint. This game is what all other ports are based on and that means something. The reds of the Thugees, the detail of Mola Ram, even Kali Ma’s temple are all perfect representations of the movie. I’m sure it could be re-mastered and look a lot better but for it’s time the graphics are a perfect 10. The sounds are what make this game unforgettable. There are sound clips of both Indy and Mola Ram. Indiana speaks classic lines like “I’m not leaving here without the stones.” and “We walk from here!”. Mola Ram offers “Welcome” at the title screen and my personal favorite “Soon Kali Ma will rule the world!”. The music is the same caliber, several tracks from the movie are recreated note for note in digital perfection. This is another 10. I am so addicted. This is probably the game I play the most around here. I am constantly trying to perfect my skills so I can free all of the captives, navigate all of the mine cart sequences and recover all 5 of the Shankara stones. I was never very good at this game when I was a boy but now I think I actually have a chance to get to the rope bridge and defeat Mola Ram. There is a slight frustration factor when I work really hard for 10 or 15 minutes to get pretty far and then get robbed by sneaky Thugee guards or Mola Ram’s flying flaming heart but it only feeds the addiction. I give it a 9 on addictiveness because of the sporadic urge to rage quit. The story? This is INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM! Story doesn’t get much better. I’m not even disappoint... Read the rest of this Review |
Star Odyssey 08-15-13 05:10 PM |
Star nap Apparently, gaming magazines of the 90’s were advertising Star Odyssey for the Sega Genesis. Unfortunately this game was somehow lost in the shuffle and was never released. Fast forward a couple of decades and the Super Fighter team came into existence. According to their website, www.superfighter.com: “Classic gaming is our passion and our priority. Super Fighter Team was formed around the dream that new life can be breathed into video games, game systems and computers that have otherwise been abandoned by game companies. Because of this, we proudly offer up what may one day be the world's only source of worthwhile new games for systems such as the Sega Genesis and Atari Lynx. Thanks to the interest and support of people like yourself, we hope to keep this practice alive for many years to come, hence our motto: “Never let dreams die!” I recommend visiting their site. They have an interesting portfolio of work that tickles the imagination. I did not know that this game was saved from obscurity before I played it but on the title screen I did notice a copyright of 2011, which initially puzzled me. It’s interesting to note that this game is available to purchase as a Sega Genesis cartridge. The in-game back story was kind of deep and I’m not sure exactly what I was supposed to gain from it. There will probably be a light bulb moment for a gamer later in the game as the story unfolds. A spice trader named Yan opens a book and begins telling a story about watching space seeds 16 years earlier and also witnessing an unexpected event. A terrarian ship appeared that was being chased by a group of Radonian ships. He didn’t expect that this one event would plunge the galaxy into war. After pressing start the gamer is allowed to name his primary character. Next, there is a cut scene showing the main character’s parents 16 years earlier settling down on the planet the adventure starts out. Read the rest of this Review |
Mario 256W (256 worlds) 08-15-13 05:01 PM |
Worlds of hurt Having fond memories of perfecting my skill at Super Mario Bros. in the 80’s, I was more than a little intrigued when I stumbled upon Mario W-256. The buzz about this hack was that there are 256 separate, four level worlds to beat. By pressing start the eager gamer begins at world 1-1 in either a 1 or 2 player game unless he happens to read the Vizzed description, where he would learn that the hack enables world selection at title screen. It took me a while to discover this because I was just so amped to see what was past world 8-4. It was nostalgic to try to re-perfect my old school skills to beat the original 8 worlds, but honestly (just like in the old days) I began to get frustrated with 8-3 and that’s when I discovered the bit about world selection. I mention all of this because I believe any hack that boasts 256 new worlds should be a continuation of the original 8 and follow the same world outline structure. To my great disappointment, Mario W-256 is filled with dead ends and glitches. The graphics are Super Mario Bros. so I can’t be too hard on them. I really liked the color differences of some of the worlds, but I must confess that I did not try all of them. My reasoning for not playing through them all will become apparent later in the review and had absolutely nothing to do with the graphics. I’m rating the appearance of the game an 8 and it would have been a 10 but I deducted a point because there was a few instances where levels had a black sky that had been changed from a blue sky. In these instances, when there were coins to collect there was a blue box around them, indicating to me that the coin sprite was developed for levels with blue skies and I thought it looked tacky or unprofessional. Another point was deducted because with the advertisement of new worlds, I was expecting new enemies and level construction. Again, the sound is Super Mario Bros., enough said, right? There was no new music or sound... Read the rest of this Review |
Ninja Clowns (08+27+91) 08-05-13 09:48 AM |
Ninja Clowns (MAME, 1991) Rarely have I played a game that made me laugh out loud even once. Ninja Clowns made me laugh several times. The graphics are pretty good for 1991. In that same year Mortal Kombat arrived in arcades, just to give you a comparison. The player controls a fighting clown, I'll call him Bozo, he's not really ninja-like but it doesn't take anything away from the character. His attacks range from punching and kicking to spinning on one finger while kicking in every direction to using different objects he picks up. Some of the objects at his disposal are a bottle of seltzer water and a spring-loaded boxing glove. The combination of the graphics and the subject matter are what make this game funny. Mostly it's the enemies that give the game it's charm. You'll fight Elvis playing an accordion, the bearded lady will vomit in your face if you let her, hippies throw you the peace sign and say "Woodstock, dude!" before attacking you, just to name a few. There's also something entertaining about backhanding a beautiful woman or kicking a little girl in the face. (Kids don't try this at home!) The bosses are more original than the enemies. My favorite is the giant chicken that either pecks you or bends over and shoots eggs out of her EDIT. There is also the living helium cylinder that makes balloon puppies which then explode when the get close to you. Speaking of exploding, I can't forget the magician that makes unstable bunnies. But no game about clown's would be complete without a mutated clown as the final boss. There are also parts of the game that are not enemies that I found entertaining. The clown start the game with 3 lives and when he dies and is re-spawned for the final time, angelic music plays and God says in a thunderous voice "YOU ARE NOT DONE!". When he dies for the final time all of the enemies walk off of the screen. Press start and they all return, which made me think that the developers really put in extra effort to make t... Read the rest of this Review |
NAM-1975 (NGM-001)(NGH-001) 08-05-13 03:28 AM |
NAM-1975 (MAME, 1990) If I would have ever come across NAM-1975 in the arcade back in the day, the title screen alone would have reeled me in, and isn't that the way any good story begins. In writing they call that an attention-getter and it got mine. It starts off with a nameless G.I., let's call him Joe, lying in his bunk and he says "Summer, 1975". The words summer and 'NAM make me think of a hot jungle, and the cut-scene on the screen actually looks uncomfortably hot. He says "A nightmare awaits me. I am being called back to Natorm headquarters." The next part that Joe speaks proves that the developer (SNK) hired a great voice actor for the bit, you get a close up on just his eyes and he says despairingly "Do I have to go back to that hell again?". The close up and the way the actor delivers the line makes me think that he's reliving terrible memories, full of blood-curdling screams and blown off body parts. In the last part of this cut-scene you see Joe, firing his gun and screaming a tortured battle cry. So, I plopped in about 40 tokens and got ready for the nightmare hell that I was just promised. You've been given a mission to find a kidnapped scientist named Dr. Muckley, who looks an awful lot like Dr. Wily from the Megaman series, and his daughter. Now, In my personal video game dictionary (No, I don't have an ACTUAL dictionary), there are 2 definitions of nightmare hell: either the game's game-play and addictiveness combination are in perfect harmony with an almost never-ending onslaught of enemies or one of the aforementioned traits is fundamentally flawed creating a frustrating feeling that generates increasing anger. There is an almost never-ending onslaught of enemies but unfortunately, the game-play does have some problems. The first problem is that you start off with only 10 grenades. Wait, you've been called to Natorm headquarters and sent on a mission with only 10 grenades??? The second problem is that it is likely that you will run out of grenades ... Read the rest of this Review |
Net Wars 08-02-13 01:55 PM |
Net Wars (MAME, 1983) Net Wars, developed by Orca, should have been the break out hit of 1983. At the time, gamers everywhere should have been asking each other, "Which game do you like better, Net Wars or Pac Man?". I don't know why this didn't happen but, in my humble opinion, it's not to late. At the title screen I kind of got the feeling I was getting ready to play Galaga. The game is 2 player and each of you starts with 3 lives. When level 1 appeared I was immediately intrigued. The levels look like a white net but dead center is a launch pad or enemy portal. In the bottom left and bottom right hand corners of the net some lines are yellow and they crisscross. Also there are areas that are empty where the lines just dead end. You are piloting a star ship that travels along these white lines and, yes, the ship has a blaster weapon. On level 1 there is 1 red and 3 green enemy ships. In the top right hand corner there is an "enemies" counter that reads 20. In the top left hand corner your current score is displayed and in the top right hand corner the overall top score is displayed. (When I realized what a jewel this game was and that it kept the top score displayed, my first thought was Vizzed competition!) The object of each level is to destroy all enemy ships that come out of the center portal up to 20 enemies. Destroy all 20 and proceed to level 2, etc. Maybe all of this sounds easy, but the red enemies also have a blaster and whenever you pass through the yellow crisscross the pathway changes behind you. Also, if you travel down apart of the net that dead ends into open space you actually go to a sub level where there are no nets to limit your travel. On that sub level there are three enemy portals, an escape portal for your ship which takes you back to the net, and a yellow rotating enemy cube that cannot be destroyed and bounces all around the screen. Then, on level 2 the pattern of the net is different, the yellow changing pathways disappear and... Read the rest of this Review |
Nastar (World) 08-02-13 10:22 AM |
Nastar (MAME, 1988) Uh, Oh! Somebody on the development team made a big mistake! I think the title screen is wrong. The game is called Nastar, produced by Taito in 1988, but the game makes reference to Rastania, Rastan and even says the story of the "Rastan Saga 1" will continue. A site search revealed that there were several games titled Rastan, so Nastar is most likely where all the others originated. Basically, an evil group of monsters took control of a place called the skyscraper and whoever conquered this skyscraper would rule Rastania. So, it's your job to re-conquer it and become the Rastan, the ruler. One thing that I don't understand is if your goal is to become the Rastan, why is it possible for two players to play simultaneously. If you both win the game, is there a fight to the death to see who the Rastan is? This side scrolling hack and slash game is a hidden gem in many ways but has one fatal flaw. Every time you attack you have to jump as well. This flaw breaks the game play fundamentally. You'll have five or six monsters coming at you from both directions and all you want to do is stand and fight but you end up jumping on top of them. You start the game with a short sword and shield combination but later in level one an enemy drops a pair of Wolverine-like claws and then a little further along a two-handed bastard sword becomes available. Unfortunately, you are forced to jump while attacking with these weapons too. In every other way the fighting is adequate: you can crouch and attack, jump and attack straight up and jump and attack straight down. But for some unknown reason you can't stand upright and just attack! Of course, in the arcade this game would have ate close to a hundred tokens just for me to beat the game. So, maybe it was an intentional flaw. At the bottom of the screen you have a health bar, a time limit and a level indicator. While I was playing, before dropping another token in to continue, I noticed that I was at level one. Then afte... Read the rest of this Review |
Panic Street (Japan) 08-02-13 05:03 AM |
Panic Street (Japan) (MAME) To me, the name Panic Street implied that my adrenaline would be constantly spiked while playing this puzzle arcade game. There were times when my adrenaline was elevated somewhat but never to the heart stopping/sweaty palm level. Developed by Kaneko in 1999 this arcade game is unique (to me) and is probably very innovative to the Japanese because it seems to incorporate the need or option to make an actual telephone call after completing each level. Unfortunately, I don't speak or read Japanese so I cannot understand the story line or what information or bonus a person would receive by calling these numbers. Also, there are 8 available levels to play and 4 question mark levels which may be somehow unlockable by dialing these phone numbers or possibly through game play. After inserting your coins and pressing start, you are shown a level select screen. The program does a rotating highlight of each level and you are supposed to press the action button to stop the highlight on a random level. Each level represents an anime style character or set of characters and the enemies on each level are somewhat different. (Maybe you're supposed to be calling these characters?) Once the level begins, you will notice that you have 3 telephones to be illuminated and 160 seconds to complete the level X3. Also, we see that the background is of a shadow picture and there is another rotating highlight at center screen. This time you must press the action button to stop the highlight and reveal a very small part of the picture. This revealed picture is your captured area now. When the timer begins a main boss for the level appears which is either a spinning spiky ball or a segmented snake/dragon, and also different kinds of power ups and a stationary ringing telephone. The boss fires various attacks at you including (but not limited to) lighting, small lasers, giant lasers, targeting missile's, spiked gravitating balls, slow goo, etc. The level is complete when you un... Read the rest of this Review |
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.jpg "Platina (super mario bros hack) - nes")
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.jpg "Wonder League Star - Sok-Magicball Fighting (Korea) - mame")
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.jpg "Sonic 1 Megamix (beta 4.0) - scd")
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