simhoop
Game Freak
Member Since: 28 Jan 2018
Location: Fairfax, VA, USA
Bio: I like basketball even more.
Recent Ratings
Check out simhoop's...
Dragon Fighter (1990) - Rated 18 Aug 2025
"A true hidden gem on the NES, Dragon Fighter has only 6 levels of action but they are brilliant as they each host unique enemies and great animation (sprites and backgrounds). The music is serviceable but the gameplay is spot on: you can collect Contra-like orbs to change charged weapons and turn into a dragon for a short time. The last level is a let down because it's a shooter as the dragon, only, but this game was a fun surprise."
Bubble Bobble (1986) - Rated 17 Aug 2025
"Bubble Bobble's cutesy graphics and one screen gameplay always turned me off until I finally gave this a try in 2025. And I can definitely see why it's so beloved. Simple yet cleverly deep mechanics and fiendish puzzles, along with infinite continues, keeps you coming back for just one more time. Adding a friend not only makes the game better, it's the only way to get the true ending. I can say I beat it on NES but, holy shit, Level 57 was my nemesis!"
Super Back to the Future II (1993) - Rated 15 Aug 2025
"This Japanese-only BTTF 2 game is a (much) slower Sonic clone where you play as Marty on his hoverboard. The sprites are gorgeous and the game follows the movie's plot perfectly but the platforming is rudimentary and the controls are too slow and chunky to really enjoy."
Super Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (1994) - Rated 14 Aug 2025
"Probably the best of the three SNES Star Wars games in terms of sheer playability and fun. It seems like JVC finally got the series down to a science with Return of the Jedi. TONS of characters to choose from including Leia and Wicket (!) this time and they've continued to ramp up the arcade factor to 11. I still hate the flying levels, though, but that's a minor gripe."
Back to the Future (1989) - Rated 14 Aug 2025
"I wanted to love this game as much as I loved the movie and got it for NES - but no matter how many countless hours I tried (and, boy, did I try) it's just impossible to like this game. Sluggish controls, sprites that don't look anything like the iconic characters, and the main run-and-gun level has almost nothing to do with the movie. I actually managed to beat it as an adult but it was more of an exorcism than fun."
Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu (2003) - Rated 26 Jul 2025
"A reminder of how bad the average Batman game used to be pre-Arkham. The style smartly takes from The Animated Series which makes the decision to use a brand new (and completely dull) villain as the main bad absolutely bizarre. If that wasn't the death knell for this game then the boring, repitive gameplay is. I bought this hoping for a great time and was so disappointed that I didn't even mind my game would soft crash at Bane."
Adventures of Lolo (1989) - Rated 26 Jul 2025
"A game I would've become frustrated and bored with when it came out, I ended up loving on a summer vacation in my 40's. The puzzles can be clever and dastardly even though there's just a handful of gameplay mechanics. I must admit I had to look up the answers to several and was always amazed at how simple it seems once you know what you're doing. The only thing keeping this from a perfect score is it's a one-time playthrough."
Samurai Shodown (1993) - Rated 29 Jun 2025
"I was intrigued when this came out but I couldn't get into it as much as the way more accessible Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat. But, upon reflection, it's just as excellent: interesting characters, a cool weapon-based fighting style (where you can even lose your sword), and an elegance to it that not even the more popular games could match. A worthy competitor."
Super Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1993) - Rated 22 Jun 2025
"While Empire is the superior film, the original Star Wars seems to lend itself to be a better game - especially a platforming one. To try to make up for this, JVC upped the arcade feeling with more digitized graphics, power ups and force powers but it just isn't enough. Running in the Hoth base and jumping around Degobah shooting creatures just isn't very interesting."
The Quarry (2022) - Rated 10 Jun 2025
"Similar to Until Dawn, Quarry is a playable-movie that branches with multiple endings. And, similar to its predecessor, it has great acting and is enjoyable to watch in its entirety but I'd rate this story as tighter and better. That said, it's still an extremely linear game and one playthough is enough for me."
