reviews >> virtual boy
Virtual Boy Review Archive
written by Shaun McCracken
For those who want to know how games of the past fare, look no further to
the Virtual Boy archive section right here on Storm Videogames. Sure, the reviews may be
shorter, but you still get the same scoring as the big reviews do, and that's
really what you want to know in the end, huh?
| 3-D Tetris |
8.75 |
| 3-D Tetris
is a pretty fun puzzle game that does make use of what the Virtual Boy was capable
of. But the limited wire-frame and shaded polygon graphics make the game a little
difficult to play, since it's hard to figure out which way your piece is oriented
and what is beneath your played pieces (there is a "radar" for the pieces you've
played, but it only gives you a brief idea of what's there). Still, this is
one of the better puzzle games I've played, even if it is on the Virtual Boy. |
Galactic Pinball |
10 |
| Out of
all of the games made for the Virtual Boy system, this one remains my favorite. It's
fun, it's accessable and it's addictive. I would say that Galactic Pinball (along
with Wario Land) is the best reason to keep this system around. Although I would have appreciated
more tables, the game still excells and the great physics, the realisitic perspective
and the gameplay. The cherry on top is the battery save feature which keep track of
your best scores. I would really like to see this game remade on a current Nintendo system,
it just seems like this game was wasted on a very unpopular system. |
Golf |
7 |
| Well,
the graphics were pretty good, and the gameplay should please golf fans. But
I found this game a bit too boring, especially with music that could put you
to sleep. Unless you really like golf, don't pick this up. I only bought this
game when I found it at Best Buy for 50 cents (I'm serious). |
Mario Clash |
7 |
| If you
remember the classic Mario Bros. arcade game, then this should seem like familiar
territory. Mario Clash is essentially a remake of the said game, with some specific
changes that supposedly take advantage of the VB's capabilites. The problem is
that the hit direction is off when trying to throw something into the distance.
Not a groundbreaking game, but not awful. A battery save would have been nice, though. |
Mario's Tennis |
6 |
| Probably the
crappiest pack-in game (well, maybe the second crappiest. The Star Wars/Tetris Worlds
combo with the Xbox is worse) to ever be released. Congratulations for buying a $179
system, that will last less than a year (library wise), and getting a big neck cramp
for using this thing. As a reward, we'll give you MARIO's TENNIS. First of all,
this game is kind of dull. Second, it seems like it was meant to be played with two
people, but that never really happened with the system, did it? Third, there's
no battery save! The game is fun for about 10 minutes, then you want another game.
Next time any company decides to pack in a game with a system, be sure it's one people
would enjoy. |
Nester's Funky Bowling |
7.25 |
| If you've
read Nintendo Power in the early 90's, you may have been familliar with a comic called
"Nester's Adventures". Well, this game is based upon the said character in a bowling
game. For a bowling game, it's not bad. But this is the Virual Boy, and we expect
a little more than bowling. There's no batter save for scores, either. |
Red Alarm |
8 |
| Red Alarm is
kind of like Star Fox with wireframe graphics. It doesn't sound like a bad idea, but
it's easy to get misdirected since there's nothing that's actually solid. You can see through
walls, and the end result is seeing just a bunch of lines. Again, no battery save.
At least it's challenging. |
Vertical Force |
8 |
| This
Hudson Soft developed arcade shooter is pretty decent, but doesn't do a whole lot
with the Virtual Boy's capabillities. It's also kind of short, too. I'm not
sure if this shooter was put on another system by a different name, but if
it hasn't, it should be ported to the GBA. |
Virtual Boy WarioLand |
9.75 |
| The other
game that's worth mentioning on the Virtual Boy. VB Wario Land is a proficent
platformer that does try some new gameplay elements with the VB hardware. Not a
very long game (about 6-8 hours), but it's still pretty good, and does have
battery back-up. |
