When a games console is coming to the end of its life, the output of the games can seem odd, as if the creators are just trying to cash in one last time before taking the console out back and humanely laying it to rest. One would assume that the last few games would be the ones that really push the console to its limits, highlighting the need to move to a more powerful machine. However, it seems that some creators delve into the depths of their rejected titles to see if they can use up the last of their stockpile before moving on to pastures new. Mitsume ga Tooru (The Third-Eyed One) was one such game.
Title screen (Screenshot taken by the author)
This week’s review, is Mitsume ga Tooru (The Third-Eyed One) an action-platformer based on the manga and anime series of the same name. It was developed by Natsume and published by Tomy for the NES in 1992.
Hosuke’s main attack is a bullet fired from his third eye (Screenshot taken by the author)
Plot
Hosuke Sharaku is the last Three-Eyed Man. He must rescue his friend Wato Chiyoko who has been captured by Prince Godaru.
Gameplay
The game contains five levels with a boss at the end of each level. The levels are:
Level 1 – The City, where Hosuke searches for his girlfriend.
Level 2 – Forest and Caves
Level 3 – Ancient Pyramid and Catacombs
Level 4 – Abandoned Ship
Level 5 – Sodom
When you destroy enemies, they drop coins for you to collect and spend at your girlfriend’s shop (Screenshot taken by the author)
Graphics
The backgrounds and sprites are really nice (if a little limited in variety) and are just as good as other games released on the NES c.1992 like Felix the Cat and Joe & Mac, and are better than others like The Simpsons: Bartman Meets Radioactive Man, Hudson Hawk, and The Blues Brothers.
For me, the gameplay just feels very lacklustre. You can jump and shoot (from your third eye), and summon a red condor (which can be used as a platform), but that is about it. You cannot crouch, or shoot in any direction other than forward, which is annoying to say the least. Occasionally, you need to use a spear to help you jump over tall walls or large gaps. When you throw the spear, it only goes a short distance before turning and coming back toward you. You need to jump and land on it for it to stop and become a platform for you.
You also only run at one speed, which is lucky because there is no time limit to race against. The controls are tight and there is practically no slide when you come to a stop. Jumping is easy to control too.
You have six bars of life in your life meter which deplete by one whenever you get hit. If you fall off the edge into a hole, your red condor swoops down to save you but you still lose one bar of life. If you lose all your lives, you can continue but will be taken back to the beginning of the stage.
When you destroy an enemy, they will drop coins for you to collect. These coins can be used to buy special weapons and bonuses from your girlfirend. These include:
Wave – It allows you to curve your shot up and down, handy for enemies attacking at higher and lower altitudes.
Sonic – Three consecutive shots (High Middle and low)
High – Fires three laser blasts straight at the enemy
Spear – I’m not entirely sure what this one does as the language of the game is in Japanese.
You can also buy medikits to increase health, and extra lives. In order to select the different weapons, you need to pause the game. However, you will lose those weapons if you die.
The issue I have with the gameplay is that one expects more from a game released in 1992, even from the outdated (by 1992 the NES was outdated) NES. You’ve only got to look at other titles such as Vice: Project Doom (1991), Duck Tales (1989), and even Jackie Chan’s Action Kung-Fu (1990) to see how fun and interesting gameplay can be on the NES.
The sprites and backgrounds are beautifful illustrated (Screenshot taken by the author)
At least the fact that there are two difficulty settings offers the gamer some replay value.
Did I complete the game:
I lost all my lives on stage 3. Although you can continue, I didn’t enjoy this game that much to warrant continuing to play.
What the critics said:
At present, I have been unable to find a contemporary review of this game.
My verdict:
“This game looks great and has tight controls…but there just isn’t that much to it. This game could have been awesome but it just felt half-arsed. By all means, play it if a friend has it or you can find a cheap copy, but you won’t be losing sleep if you never play this game. I feel this game is aimed toward a younger audience and so is not a game I shall be returning to anytime soon.”
Rating:
What are your memories of Mitsume ga Tooru (The Third-Eyed One)? I would love to hear your thoughts, and don’t for get to follow and subscribe so that you don’t miss my latest reviews! You can also find me on Instagram: @nicklovestogame.
Every now and then, a video game comes along that defines a generation. The game in question is always innovative and pushes the boundaries of what we thought was possible from a video game. These are the games that are burned into the brains of gamers everywhere. We’ve all heard of them, we’ve all played them, we’ve all loved them! In the late 70s it was Space Invaders, in the 80s it was Pac-Man and Super Mario Bros. In the early 90s it was The Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past (1991) and Sonic the Hedgehog (1991). In 1998 it was Metal Gear Solid!
Title screen (Screenshot take by the author)
Metal Gear Solid (MGS) is a stealth game, billed as tactical espionage action. It was developed and published by Konami and released on the PlayStation in 1998 and for the PC in 2000. I used to own this game for the PlayStation all those years ago. However, for this review, I played the version found on the PlayStation Mini Classic.
Plot
Set in the year 2005, six years after the events of Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake (1990), a genetically enhanced special forces unit known as FOXHOUND has gone rogue and taken control of an island off the coast of Alaska. Why? Because the island contains a nuclear weapons disposal facility, meaning there are nuclear warheads present. Once they commandeer the facility, FOXHOUND threaten the US government with Metal Gear REX, a mecha capable of wielding and using nuclear weapons. To prevent nuclear weapons from being fired at the US, FOXHOUND demand the return of the remains of their deceased leader Big Boss as well as $1 billion within 24 hours.
Veteran Solid Snake is forced out of retirement by his former commanding officer and ordered to infiltrate the island and stop FOXHOUND.
The map allows you to see the line of sight of the enemy soldiers and security cameras, allowing you to evade detection (Screenshot take by the author)
Gameplay
The object of the game is to use stealth. Your mantra should be discretion is the better part of valour.
You take control of Snake as soon as he has entered the facility. To help navigate your way through the facility, you have a map in the top right hand of the screen that shows you where soldiers and security cameras are located. It also shows you their line of sight allowing you to evade notice. This is particularly handy because the game is played mostly from an almost top down view. There are only a few occasions when the angle changes: if you are crawling through a tunnel or under something, if you are pressed against a wall in an attempt to peer around it, or if you are using binoculars or a sight on a rifle or missile launcher.
A smart feature I was impressed with is the ability to knock down on walls and crates to get the attention of a nearby guard who will approach the sound. This allows you to slip by undetected.
Should you be detected, the music will change to a dramatic theme, your map will turn red and a countdown will begin once you have moved out of the enemy’s line of sight. Once the timer reaches zero, the map turns yellow and begins another countdown. You must continue to stay out of the enemies’ line of sight else they will spot you again and your map will turn red. Once the yellow timer reaches zero the enemy stop chasing you and you can use the map again to see where the enemy are located.
The codec allows you to communicate with mission control. They will either offer tips on how to procede or will contact you when the story is progressing (Screenshot take by the author)
You also have a codec, a communication device that allows you to speak to team members back at mission control. The people you communicate with will give you hints and tips on how to proceed. They will also contact you when the story progresses.
As the game progresses, you will trigger many cutscenes that will help story along and offer you more information. These cutscenes really draw you in. It’s the first game I played when I really felt like I was actively participating in a movie.
MGS really was a novel and innovative game when it was released. So much so that a training mode was needed. This could be found in VR Training Mode which allows you to get to grips with the controls and teachs you how to evade capture. It was very useful for gamers like myself who had hitherto been used to simple platform and sport games.
The cutscenes looked great for 1998, and really helped immerse you inot the story (Screenshot take by the author)
How Does It Handle?
The controls and camera angles take some getting used to. The almost top down perspective, even when firing your gun or rifle, make it difficult to see where the enemy is if they are not on screen which is very frustrating. The left joystick is used for aiming but takes practice to become accurate with it.
Graphics & SFX
I remember when this game came out. A friend of mine bought it and lent it to me after he’d completed it. I was amazed! The graphics looked great for the time and the game felt eerily realistic…such attention to detail! MSG has several nice little touches too. For example, when it’s cold, you will see the breath from the sprites and when you are walking on snow, the guards will spot your footsteps. Also, when walking on some surfaces, if you run, you will create loud footsteps which will also alert the guards to your presence.
Music
The music in the cut scenes really add to the atmosphere of the game. Throughout the main part of the game there is no music. However, should you be spotted a dramatic piece kicks in pushing your adrenaline sky high as you try to hide from the enemy or kill the boss.
Spoiler Alert
MGS really was imaginative in many ways. It broke the fourth wall on several occasions which, as a younger gamer, really freaked me out. Naturally, I won’t spoil it for you here but all I will say is that when fighting Psycho Mantis, you really DO need to think outside the box to defeat him.
The storyline is full of twists and turns and I still don’t think I fully understand what was going on. It will certainly have you reading up more about the game trying to make heads and tails of it.
The over head angle can become frustrating as it is very limiting, particularly for a game where you really need to see your surroundings (Screenshot take by the author)
Did I Complete The Game?
Yes, but only on the easiest setting.
What The Critics Said:
Computer and Video Games:“Metalgear is distinctive in that the game is woven around the story, rather than the opposite way around. The story sections are all portrayed using polygons, but look as slick as any FMV. Occasionally it’s quite funny – the wobbly bum close-ups in the prison block should raise a titter – but it’s always gripping. Overall 9/10”.[1]
Gamepro:“However, Metal Gear’s solid works get slowed by a few wrenches. An inconsistent frame rate occasionally stalls the eye-catching graphics. Especially annoying are instances where you zoom in with binoculars or the rifle scope, and the graphics slow to a crawl while you pan back and forth. Another annoyance is in the early stages of the game, as you’re constantly interrupted with advice from your team that’s all listed in the instruction manual. Yet, even with its minor and distracting faults, Solid is this season’s top offering and one game no self-respecting gamer should be without. Forget fast-food action titles with rehashed formulas that never worked; Metal Gear Solid elevates video gaming to high art. Overall 5/5”[2]
Game Revolution: “Let’s face it – the hype surrounding Metal Gear Solid would be hard for any game to match. It won numerous awards after E3, and deserved most of them. In the end, we have a great game, one of the best for the system. But its diminished length and excessive no-interactive plot hold it back from truly reaching the highest plateau. Still, this is a must have for any PSX library and a ton of fun. Overall A-“.[3]
Gamespot:“Five years from now, when we look back upon Metal Gear Solid, what will we see? The game definitely is revolutionary in many ways. It breaks new ground in gameplay and truly brings the video game one step closer to the realm of movies. It is, without a doubt, a landmark game. But the extreme ease with which it can be mastered and the game’s insultingly short length keep it from perfection. Plus, do we really want games that are more like movies? If Hideo Kojima, the game’s producer, was so set on this type of cinematic experience, he should really be making movies instead of games. While Metal Gear Solid currently stands alone, it stands as more of a work of art than as an actual game. It’s definitely worth purchasing, but don’t be surprised if you suddenly get extremely angry when you finish the game the day after you brought it home. Overall 8.5/10.”[4]
IGN:“I’m in awe. An admittedly ambitious project from the very beginning, Metal Gear Solid has managed to deliver dutifully on all of its promises. From beginning to end, it comes closer to perfection than any other game in PlayStation’s action genre. Beautiful, engrossing, and innovative, it excels in every conceivable category. Overall 9.8/10”.[5]
Next Generation: “There are precious few games in this world that end up living up to the hype when they are released – especially when they’ve been hyped as much as this one. However, rest assured that this is a game no player should miss and the best reason to own a PlayStation. Overall 5/5”.[6]
Official PlayStation Magazine:“Metal gear Solid is just asking to be teased and dominated, and any gamer wanting to lock horns with the ultimate in plot, action and originality must grab a copy immediately. Overall 10/10”.[7]
Arcade: “A brilliant, technically stunning, well thought through release that’s sure to influence action adventure games for many years. Overall 5/5”. [8]
Awards:
PlayStation Game of the Year – Electronic Gaming Monthly 1998 Gamers’ Choice Awards (Editor and Reader’s Choice)
Adventure Game of the Year – Electronic Gaming Monthly 1998 Gamers’ Choice Awards (Editor and Reader’s Choice)
Best Sound Effects – Electronic Gaming Monthly 1998 Gamers’ Choice Awards (Editor and Reader’s Choice)
Excellence Award for Interactive Art – 1998 Japan Media Arts Festival[10]
My Verdict:
“A truly legendary and ground-breaking game. Fantastic graphics and a fully engrossing storyline that will draw you in and mess with your head. Challenging and inventive boss battles will really test your mettle. You will certainly play through this game more than once!”
Rating:
What are your memories of Metal Gear Solid? I would love to hear your thoughts, and don’t for get to follow and subscribe so that you don’t miss my latest reviews! You can also find me on Instagram: @nicklovestogame.
Revisiting games can be fun…but it can also be disappointing. We romanticise games in our minds and revisiting them years later, especially when technology has moved on, often destroys these rose-tinted memories. Altered Beast (1988) is an example of one such game. When I revisited it, I was disappointed that it wasn’t as good as I remember. No doubt, there will be many more to come. Will Shining Force II suffer when I revisit it with older eyes and a colder heart?
(Screenshot taken by the author)
Shining Force II: The Ancient Seal is a tactical RPG developed by Sonic! Software Planning and published by Sega. It was released for the Mega Drive in 1993. It was re-released for the Wii U Virtual Console in 2008, as well as being part of Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection (2009) for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. It is the sequel to Shining in the Darkness, and is set 40-70 years after the events of Shining Force Gaiden: Final Conflict (1995) on the Game Gear. although the stories consist of different characters.Although I did used to own the original Mega Drive cart, for this review, I played through the version found on Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection for PlayStation 3.
Plot
It is a dark, stormy night. A small band of thieves led by Slade, break into an ancient shrine looking for treasure. They happen upon two coloured jewels: one blue and one red. Upon stealing the jewels, they unwittingly break a magical seal that has held the demon King Zeon captive. With the seal broken, but not yet at his full strength, Zeon orders his minions to find the Jewel of Darkness so that he can restore his power and conquer the world.
The sprites and overall design are almost identical to Shining Force (Screenshot taken by the author)
Main Characters:
Bowie is the main character (although you can choose to change his name). He is a student of Astral the Wizard, is a human and a swordsman. He is an all-rounder and can be promoted to Hero.
Jaha is a dwarf and a warrior. He is very strong but his movement is limited. He is also a student of Astral. He can be promoted to Gladiator, but with a special item, can become a Baron.
Chester is a centaur and a knight. He is also a student of Astral. He can use either a lance for short range attacks or you can equip him with a spear for longer ranged attacks. When prompted he becomes a Paladin but with a special item, he can become a Pegasus.
Sarah is an Elf and a priest. She is also a student of Astral. She is not very good in hand-to-hand combat but she is great for casting spells and healing your injured party. When promoted, she become a vicar, but with a special item, she can become a Master Monk which greatly increases her hand-to hand combat skills.
Kazin is an Elf and a mage. Once promoted he becomes a wizard.
There are many other characters who join your party along the was but I won’t discuss them here.
During battles, you must be careful to position your stronger units where they can defend your weaker units (Screenshot taken by the author)
Gameplay
The menu is exactly the same asShining Force (1992). That is, when walking around both urban and rural areas, you begin with four boxes that are animated when your cursor is over them These options are:
Member – Check the status of member sof your party
Item – It will take you to another menu where you can choose to use an item, pass an item to someone else, equip an item or drop one.
Search – Use this when you come across chests, boxes and vases. In fact, there are lots of hidden items in odd areas, so use this option freely.
Magic – Takes you to a menu where you can cast spells. In non-battle scenarios, only the detox spell works.
During your adventure, there are plenty of opportunities to visit shops where you can buy new weapons and sell old ones. You can also buy provisions such as herbs that help regain health, an angel wing which acts like an Egress spell and an antidote for poison. There are also options to repair your weapons (I’ve never had to use this) or to ask for deals. The deal option is pretty pointless because, as far as I can tell, items only appear there when you have already sold those special items to the shops.
The battle scenes are beautifully illustrated (Screenshot taken by the author).
Again, the combat is exactly the same as SF (1992), in that it is a turn-based tactical affair where you must manoeuvre members of your party into good tactical positions before engaging the enemy. Depending on the type of fighter, certain members have a much larger movement range that others. When attacking an enemy, you can opt to use yor primary weapon, cast a spell or use an item. If you do not wish to attack you can simply press “stay” and that ends that character’s turn until it comes around to them again.
There is also more than one way to promote members of your party. Like SF (1992), you can promote your party when visiting a priest, once your party member has reached level 20. However, there are instances when you can promote your party member to a different class of fighter with the help of special items.
How Does It Handle?
Whereas SF (1992) was a very linear game, SFII involves more free-roaming. There are many places you need to return to in order to find special items or for the game to progress. The menu system is very intuitive and the controls are easy to learn.
Graphics
Like SF (1992), I think this game is beautiful. The environment in the overworld maps (forests and trees) have been improved, but the sprites themselves and the battle scenes are practically the same. This is not necessarily a bad thing, as they are a great improvement on games like Phantasy Star IV (1993), and better than the graphics of games like Earthbound (1994), Dark Sun: Wake of the Ravager (1994) and Final Fantasy VI (1994) (FF III in North America). Yes, I personally prefer Shining Force II‘s graphics to FFVI (1994).
Did I Complete The Game?
Yes, more than once!
What The Critics Said:
Electronic Gaming Monthly:“A worthy follow-up to the first RPG, with bigger areas to explore and characters to meet. This will definitely appeal to the fans of first one, and RPG fans in general. It assumes you’ve played the first Shining Force, but the story could use a few more twists and turns. The music is very good, as is the easy-to-follow configuration. Overall 34/50”.[1]
My Verdict:
“Personally, I think this is a great sequel. I enjoyed the story, the battles, the graphics and music. Hardened RPG fans may think this too easy, but I think it’s a game for the average gamer to enjoy, and maybe a nice introduction to RPGs.”
Rating:
What are your memories of Shining Force II: The Ancient Seal? I would love to hear your thoughts, and don’t for get to follow and subscribe so that you don’t miss my latest reviews! You can also find me on Instagram: @nicklovestogame.
Game creators have never been shy about using aspects of ancient mythology as a basis for their games, and why wouldn’t they? Ancient mythology is filled with stories of derring-do: defeating giants, outsmarting the Gods and rescuing fair maidens. In Greek mythology, Astyanax (also known as Scamandrius) was the son of Hector, prince of Troy, and Andromache. When Troy fell, he was either thrown from the walls to his death by Neoptolemus or killed by Odysseus (depending on your source).[1]
Title screen (Screenshot taken by the author)
Astyanax, known in Japan as The Lord of King, is a side-scrolling platform action game developed by Aicom and published by Jaleco. It was first released in the arcade in 1989, then later that year on the NES in Japan before getting a release in Europe and North America in 1990. For this review, I revisited the NES version.
Plot
Astyanax is a 16-year-old student from Greenview High who keeps having a recurring dream of a woman calling his name. One day, he is transported to another dimension where he meets a fairy named Cutie. She persuades Astyanax to rescue Princess Rosebud, Ruler of Remlia, from the evil wizard Blackhorn. Using either the legendary axe known as ‘Bash’, a spear or a sword, Astyanax must fight through forests, caves and a castle to reach Blackhorn.
Graphics-wise, the game looks good. (Screenshot taken by the author)
Gameplay
You have energy three bars: the first is a power gauge showing how hard you hit the enemy. This descreases anytime you swing your weapon at an enemy. When you stop attacking, the bar increases again. The length of your power bar increases as you find power-ups. The second is your health bar, and the third is your magic bar. Unlike the arcade version, the NES version can only be played in one player mode.
How Does It Handle?
The controls, whilst easy to learn, are frustrating because you can only strike straight ahead, whilst crouching or whilst jumping. you cannot jab upwards. It is ridiculously tough too. Many enemies attack at awkward heights, and you find yourself accidentally pressing up and attack which casts a spell and uses up your magic supply. Some later levels have an insane number of monsters swarming the screen at once. Oddly enough, the end of level bosses are not that difficult to defeat.
Attack of the Green Monster type thing! (Screenshot taken by the author)
Graphics
Graphically, this game looks good, especially when compared to its contemporaries such as Iron Sword: Wizards and Warriors 2 and Clash at Demonhead, both released in 1989. It has detailed and colourful backgrounds, and well defined sprites, especially the end of level bosses. After each level, you are treated to some beautifully illustrated cut scenes which help move the story along. However, there is a bit of flicker when you attack the enemy and at times, whole blocks of detail disappear.
Replay Value
Once completed though, there is little to make you want to play through again as the game only has one difficulty setting.
I wanted to give this game a better score but due to the monotonous music, the attacking issue, and the fact that you will need a cheat code to complete this game, lowers the score for me. There are better, more enjoyable games out there. I just didn’t enjoy playing this game that much so I doubt I shall be returning anytime soon.
Did I Complete The Game?
Yes, but I had to use the invincibility cheat, as this game is too damn hard. Without the cheat, I could only get to the end of level boss on level 3.
What The Critics Said:
As of yet, I have been unable to find contemporary reviews.
My Verdict:
“This game looks good, has tight controls, and a challenge that hardened gamers look for. The issue is that the controls are limited. It is perhaps too tough for the average gamer and has little in the way of replay value. It’s worth playing, but it’s not a game you’ll return to very often, if at all.”
Rating:
What are your memories of Astyanax? I would love to hear your thoughts, and don’t for get to follow and subscribe so that you don’t miss my latest reviews! You can also find me on Instagram: @nicklovestogame.
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Nick Loves to Game 