#1 Blaster Master
Game Explanation:
(From the instruction manual)
The game is about a guy named Jason.
Jason had a pet frog named Fred. One day, Fred decided he had enough of being locked up in a fish bowl and made a dash for the door. As fate would have it, Jason was there when all this happened and he gave chase. Once outside, Jason was totally amazed to find Fred running toward a huge radioactive chest. As soon as Fred touched it, he grew to an enormous size, and the radioactive chest fell to the earth along with Fred. Jason tried to reach for Fred but fell into the hole along with him.
When Fred landed, he found himself alone next to a huge armored vehicle. This was not just any vehicle, but one designed for the ultimate challenge against the radioactive mutants living under the Earth’s crust. These mutants, created from escaped radioactive waste, are controlled by the Plutonium Boss.
Your mission is to fight your way and destroy the Plutonium Boss before he destroys you.
Along the way to your final encounter are many warlords of the underground you must first destroy.
Why is it memorable?
There are a multitude of reasons why this game is my favorite platformer of my childhood. The controls of this game are really good. You can aim in any direction, jump and even exit the vehicle and go on foot (which is usually suicide). The music score is amazing. The bosses of the game are at the end of dungeons that you must go through on foot. These levels adopt a top-down shooter presentation which makes the game more dynamic. The bosses are loads of fun as well. The graphics designer of the game (Yoshiaki Iwata) did a tremendous job of showing a great amount of detail with the limited horsepower of the original Nintendo while still presenting everything in a way that was easy to understand. At no point does this game graphically feel cluttered.
Does it hold up?
Absolutely. This game is difficult, and it does not offer the ability to save (even with a password) but it can still be enjoyed today!
Maybe an honorable mention would be the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series. There were many hours spent in my childhood on those.
Absolutely! There were many that I would consider honorable mentions, Trevis! Solomon’s Key, Adventure Island, TMNT just to name a few! Did you ever manage to beat the first TMNT?