OK so we’re finally at the last part of my look at the games on the Retro-Bit Generations console.  Here you can expect to see everything from Rod Land to Zooming…Secretaries?!?

Rod Land NES & GB

I love this game!  I hear it’s a really rare NES game and didn’t even come to the US at all.  It’s also an arcade game, shame that version isn’t on here.  Anyway, it’s like games such as Bubble Bobble, where you run around a single screen avoiding or chasing enemies in a maze.  I love those kinds of games.  You play as a pair of fairy girls who have to rescue their mom or something.  You shoot out a beam that traps enemies, and then you toss them over your head a few times to defeat them.  You can also press up and the button to create a makeshift ladder.  The Game Boy version seems to have better controls, but it’s harder because there are no continues!  This is one of the better games on here.

Skip and Friends

You view this new game in an overhead perspective and can switch between three characters to get them to the exit in a maze.  Kind of like The Lost Vikings except not fun.  One character can scream, one can boost forward with a rocket, and one can fire a light beam.  Oh yeah, and they’re  all animals.  Since you can’t see the whole map, it can be easy to mess up and get stuck.

Smart Mouse

You’re a mouse who must push blocks to squish critters that come from the sewer lids.  So yeah, it plays like Pengo except way more clunky.

Snakky

It’s an 8-bit game where you are a snake and must move around and eat enough fruit to pass a level.  When you eat a piece of fruit, you grow a little bit longer.  You must avoid walls and biting yourself.

Soldam

This Game Boy puzzler is similar to Tetris, but the pieces you maneuver are black and white dots.  You must clear out lines of the same color.  I’m not sure how you get them to change from black to white.  The game is all in Japanese, so I don’t know if it’s following rules from games like Othello or Go.  This would be a very fun game if I knew what I was doing.

Son Son

This is the Famicom version of one of Capcom’s very first arcade games.  It’s loosely based on the Journey to the West tale with the Monkey King.  You hop up and down platforms, but everything else about the game is like a 2-D shooter.  It’s actually kind of fun in a simple way.  Since it’s the NES version, the music is messed up due to emulation with Capcom NES games on here.

Sumo Slam

In this new game, you play as a Sumo wrestler on a raft.  You automatically rotate around, and push the button to go forward, like a RC car.  There is a mode where you just collect sushi on the raft, but there is another mode where you must push other Sumo guys off the raft.

Super Earth Defense Force

This is an SNES 2-D side scrolling shooter.  I remember renting it once.  It’s all right, but not as good as other SNES shooters like Gradius 3, U.N. Squadron, or Darius Twin.

Super Noah’s Ark

As an unlicensed SNES game, this one is actually pretty legendary.  It uses the SNES Wolfenstein engine but now you’re Noah on the ark and must use a slingshot to fling food at restless animals to make them go to sleep.  It’s…interesting.  I hear the cartridge version is pretty rare.

Sword of Sodan

In this new game, you choose to play as a male or female barbarian and go left to right defeating enemies.  It’s 16-bit in nature, but it’s so clunky and choppy that it’s almost humorous.  Oh yeah, lot of blood in this one, too.

The Black Bass

It’s a NES fishing game from Hot-B.  The graphics are poor, the music is grating, and it’s hard to figure out how to catch and reel in fish.  It’s not very good.

The Blue Marlin

I imagine this is the sequel to The Black Bass.  And as all sequels should be, it’s VASTLY improved over the original game.  In fact, I’d say it’s actually kind of…good?  Yeah, really.  The graphics are much better, and it’s actually pretty entertaining to fish.  Who knew?

The Ignition Factor

I hear this SNES game is actually very rare.  It’s a top down viewed game where you play as a fireman and must enter building mazes to put out fires and rescue people.  There was a Japan-only sequel on the PlayStation called The Firemen, and you can actually download and play it on PSN.  I even reviewed it a while back. Even though The Firemen is all in Japanese, I’d say it’s a better game than the original.

Totally Rad

In Japan, this game is TOTALLY different than what we got in the US.  I guess they felt they needed to make it more ‘radical’ for US audiences.  You run, jump, and shoot in 2-D platforming levels.  It has some nice parallax scrolling for a NES game, but it’s also really hard and not in that fun Mega Man way.

Varth: Operation Thunderstorm

OK this one’s hilarious.  It’s a 2-D shooter game from Capcom where you pilot planes over land, but it’s one of those arcade games where the screen is tilted vertically.  I guess they figured it wouldn’t make much difference to kids since you can just see the game fine on its side.  I suppose you could tilt your TV and play it in ‘tate’ mode.  I think that’s the correct term for that.

World Reborn

It’s a new 16-bit 2-D shooter from Piko Interactive.  It’s a bit amateurish looking and the sprites are a bit too big, but other than that, it’s not too bad.

Yang Warrior Family

Another new Piko Interactive game.  This is a 16-bit side scrolling beat ‘em up featuring Chinese warriors.  You can choose from four playable characters, including a cool female fighter.  The hit detection is a bit off, but otherwise this is one of the better Piko games on here.  The title screen in the game has a different title than what’s on the menu screen, though.  In the game, it’s called Generals of the Yang Dynasty or something, with an even longer subtitle!

Zippy Race

In this early Famicom title from Irem, you race as a motorcycle on a 2-D vertically scrolling road and must avoid cars.  I imagine the HUGE sprites were a big selling point for this game, but it also makes things very hard to avoid.

Zooming Secretaries

Last but not least, I’m not sure if this was a Japan only Famicom title or a new 8-bit creation.  But in this game, you play as a secretary (I think they prefer to be called Administrative Assistants now).  You run around single screen ladders and platforms and try to answer phones before they stop ringing.  But first you must run to a file cabinet with a picture on it, and then you can answer the phone with a matching picture.  In later levels you must avoid obstacles like your boss who will slow you down if you walk near him.  If you miss too many calls, you’ll be fired and it’s Game Over.  But if you continue, they’ll say you’re hired again!  This game would actually be some silly fun if they gave you a little more time to answer the phones!

And those are all the games on the Retro-Bit Generations console!  Let me know if you have any questions.  I have to say that while it does have a lot of interesting games, it’s really not worth the price I spent on it.  Oh well, hopefully I won’t be tempted next time I see one of these multi-game consoles.  Later!  –Cary

Tags: Game Reviews