2016/8/4: NES: G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe: The Atlantis Factor

[VideoGameCritic]

Here are two new NES reviews. G.I. Joe is a re-review. I downgraded the grade from A to B+, but the review is a lot more detailed. These are two fine games.

[Rev]

Nice set of reviews, kind of sad to see GI Joe go down in score. It was actually the very first game I ever played when I was like three years old. I didn't know what game it was for a long time until many years later but the first stage immediately brought back the memories. It still holds up pretty well today. Still haven't ever played the sequel but I might give it a go. Thanks for the reviews.

[Retro STrife]

Thanks for reviewing these-- I had totally overlooked them and now I want them! Not surprisingly, they are a bit pricey on eBay (like $30-$60) for my impulse buying taste, but I am definitely keeping them in mind for the future.

[Stalvern]

I had to look up a screenshot to see how The Atlantis Factor's password menu managed to fit fourteen 9x9 character grids into the NES's resolution. Turns out that they're 3x3 - might want to fix that.

[VideoGameCritic]

Good catch - I guess I was thinking about the 9 cells in each grid. I will fix.

[scotland]

These are fun reviews. I have never played either game, and I remember enjoying both the comics and tv series in the 1980s.

One of the features of these 1980s version of "Toys to Life" games was the amazing array of both heroes and villains (Cooooooobrraaaaa!). I am amazing that a D lister like "Captain Gridiron" is one of the Joes. Good grief. Where is Lady Jaye? Where is Scarlet? So many great villains too - is there a Destro or Doctor Mindbender or The Baroness? Is Cobra Commander (or Serpentor) a boss? What a fun license to make a video game around. The comics punched above their weight, and the 1st season of the cartoon series was story edited by Steve Gerber.

Interesting the GI video game license changed hands from Taxan to the better known Capcom.

You could do a Taxan focused NES Review Special as the company seemed to have just a few games, but they seem to be very different. Star Soldier (unreviewed, unless I missed it, because it seems like a game you would enjoy), Mappy Land which you really enjoyed, but still only got a B due since the NES has a lot of A games), Fist of the North Star (unreviewed - but my crystal ball predicts a very low score), 8 Eyes (aka "The one with the bird sidekick" that you hated, it got an F), Mystery Quest (unreviewed), Low G Man (unreviewed), GI Joe (a B+), Magician (unreviewed).

[VideoGameCritic]

My original GI Joe review was a little ditty written back in 2000, so the new version is much more comprehensive. I'm thinking about putting an expensive icon next to these games, because they seem pretty steep on ebay.

Scotland - looks like I need to pick up some of the games you mentioned.

[Retro STrife]

My original GI Joe review was a little ditty written back in 2000, so the new version is much more comprehensive. I'm thinking about putting an expensive icon next to these games, because they seem pretty steep on ebay.

With game prices going up so much nowadays, this is the tough question--when does that expensive icon kick in? Years ago, $30 for an NES game would have seemed crazy expensive. Now I don't even flinch at ebaying an NES game and seeing it going for $30. I remember back in the early 2000s when collectors would talk about Panzer Dragoon Saga and its then $100 price tag as if it was complete insanity ("who would spend that much for some outdated game?"), and now it goes for like $500 and we can name tons of games going for over $100. (Back then, PDS was the only one at that price that I could name off the top of my head.)

Either way, I think it has to be system-relative--i.e., $30 for a Game.com game might get the icon, but $30 for a Neo Geo game wouldn't. It's a tough call and, unlike Monkey icons and Pirate icons, it can constantly be in flux as prices change over the years. Though it would be great if monkeys might suddenly show up in a game 10 years later. What's your theory on when to use the expensive icon, Critic?

[Rev]

My original GI Joe review was a little ditty written back in 2000, so the new version is much more comprehensive. I'm thinking about putting an expensive icon next to these games, because they seem pretty steep on ebay.

Scotland - looks like I need to pick up some of the games you mentioned.

For the price these two games go for I would say skip the expensive icon and save it for one of the many NES games that are now going for $100+.