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 Warrior (1986) - Rated 09 Sep 2025
"As fundamental in gameplay and bare bones in presentation as you can get with a NES RPG, and something I was not ready for as a kid. I didn't take a peek until decades later, way after I had enjoyed some giant Final Fantasy games, too. But I can still appreciate this for what it is: simple, right to the point and what would be an excellent introduction to a brand new genre for NES kids in 1986. Sure, it's a bit too menu-heavy but this is more fun than you'd expect from an historical document!"
God of War: Ragnarök (2022) - Rated 03 Sep 2025
"It's technically still such a marvel - gigantic in scope, mature in presentation and produced magnificently. However, I knew at the end of the previous God of War that I was pretty burned out of the whole thing and when I started Ragnarok I realized that was true. I gave up a few hours into this one. I'm sure this is a fantastic game but it's just not for me."
Astro's Playroom (2020) - Rated 03 Sep 2025
"Threads an impossible needle by brilliantly introducing new PS5 technology, provides perfect platforming gameplay and provides a wonderful balance for both young and more experienced players. My daughter loved collecting everything and interacting with all of the other robots while I loved completing all the missions. I do think some of the suits were a little too gimmicky but thoroughly enjoyed my (length) time with this one in spite of it being a glorified demo."
Conquest of the Crystal Palace (1990) - Rated 26 Aug 2025
"Conquest is a solid action-platformer with great gameplay, fantastically huge bosses and a lite leveling up RPG element. There's also the ability to unleash your pet dog as a screen clearer or, amazingly, the second player can take control of him! I don't care an iota about the bizarre story and it's over way too quickly but this is a rare gem in the NES library."
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."
