Hello, whom ever is reading this post. As you may have guessed from the title I will be talking to you about two different 2D platform games.
The first game I shall be reviewing is an all time classic an personal favourite of many a gamer, Super Mario Bros!
Now to start off, why is this game so famous? At first sight this simple game seems to be nothing more than a traditional side scrolling platformer with some very pleasing, if simple, music tracks and graphics. The game utilises a very basic system of movement, left is left, right is right and A is jump. The basics.
I believe that the success of this game is due to the experience and sense of satisfaction the player gains by completing each expansive level, exploring and finding all of the secrets of the level and advancing further and further into this large and mysterious world filled with mushrooms, pipes, dinosaurs and princess in need of rescuing.
One final piece of gameplay that is crucial to the enjoyment of this particular game is the power ups you can find scattered throughout each and every level to help your little man in red progress. The three power ups you can find are; The red mushroom. These give Mario a growth spurt and the abilities to withstand two hits rather than one and also unlocks the option of gaining the second power up.
The second power up is the fire flower. This gives Mario the ability to withstand a third hit and be able to hit enemies further away by shooting a ball of fire making this power up the most powerful in the game.
The third and final power up is the green "One up" mushroom. The idea of this mushroom is that it does not give Mario and special powers. It does not give Mario the ability to take any extra damage. What this mushroom does is give you an extra chance, an extra life so if you run out you have an extra chance to make it through the level.
In my opinion Super Mario Bros. is definitely on of my favourite and one of the best games to ever be made and will always hold its place as Nintendo's crown jewel.
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Now, on the other end of the spectrum we have the shit-storm that is "Dr. Jekyll and Mr.Hyde".
To explain what the game is about, the concept is to get Jekyll to his wedding, while trying to keep from changing to Hyde. My first problem with this game is that everybody in town wants you dead. I mean, I can understand that, with Mr. Hyde. But, who would want to kill the poor, innocent doctor? There are kids running around, shooting slingshots; there are pink-suited men that drop bombs when you walk up to them (and those bombs almost always turn you to Hyde, instantly, if not kill you); there are opera-singing ladies whose notes can kill you; and, people who run and bump into you are harmful.When it comes to defending yourself, you're pretty much hosed. Sure, you have that cane (or sword, or whatever it's supposed to be), but what good is it, if you can't really attack anyone (except for the occasional flies)? Kids are easy to dodge (you just duck when they shoot) and jump over pets (although you're not always successful). If you see one of those deadly bombs, you'd better get away from it, and fast!Speaking of fast, here's another problem: a microscopic snail could move faster! Jekyll is such a slowpoke that when you see one of those bombs, you gotta know when and where it will be planted, before you turn around. What's so annoying about this is that when you turn around, it takes seconds to go to the left side of the screen, then it takes more seconds to move on. You can't even do a running-jump! That would have been more helpful in dodging crazy cats, but NO!There are coins that you can get, but what's the point? I mean, I don't really know what coins are for, other than staying at inns to recover health and keep the Jekyll/Hyde bar light green. That's about it, as far as any sorts of items are concerned.When your Hyde meter is dark green, you change to Hyde, and the day instantly becomes night. As to why the latter happens, I have no clue. The angry mobsters are replaced with demons...or whatever the crap those are, and you can actually attack them. But, you're still sure to keep taking hits and die. So, expect to change into Hyde a million times (unless you're using an emulator).Overall, I think that this NES reenactment of "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" is an abomination. It shouldn't have been put on the market; it shouldn't have been made; and, it shouldn't have been conceived! So, just do yourself a favor and stay away from this game. Play it, and your own dark side will drag you into masochism. (Sourced from http://www.gamefaqs.com/nes/563406-dr-jekyll-and-mr-hyde/reviews/133588)
