Snake's Revenge (NES)

On today's exciting instalment of Super Adventures, I'm taking a brief look at Snake's Revenge, the initial apocryphal sequel to Metal Gear, released only on the NES. Despite being developed by a different team, it apparently helped kick off the proper Metal Gear franchise by inspiring the original developer, Hideo Kojima, to make a return to the series and create his own sequel to wipe this one from the canon.

In fact I get the impression that this one isn't very well liked by anyone, and it's got me curious why.

Hotline Miami (PC)

Today on Super Adventures I'm playing something recent for a change, ultra-violent action game Горячая линия Майами... uh, Hotline Miami. I had to check to see if I'd gotten the Russian version by mistake, but nope that's the actual English language menu screen up there.

The game has a retro pixelled look and no resolution options, so these screenshots are going to look pretty bad after being resized to fit the page. Of course it was never going to look like Crysis 2, it's a cheap indie release apparently designed to look like a video game from the late 80s played on a flickery TV while on drugs, but clicking the pictures will let you see them at the optimal level of crapness the developers intended.

WarpSpeed (Genesis/Mega Drive)

This one was a request, which could either mean it's a hidden gem, or a steaming pile of shite someone wants to inflict on me for a laugh. I've already got a feeling I know which way it's going to go, but I'll give it a fair shot to prove me wrong.

I'm reasonably sure the game has nothing to do with Star Trek, the developers must have just thought that 'Warp Speed' sounded cool. It gives the impression that the game's going to be like Star Fox... in fast forward!

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX (GBC)

I've finally reached game four in the Zelda series (and the first on handhelds): Link's Awakening. Actually I'm playing the colourised DX version that came out five years later on the Game Boy Color. I've heard it's basically the same game though, except it has a little extra content and it's a whole lot prettier in screenshots.

All the other Zelda title screens so far have featured a sword placed before an epic view of mountains, waterfalls, lakes etc. but they decided to mix things up this time by replacing them with a giant... Yoshi egg?

Bubble and Squeak (Amiga) - Guest Post

It's Charlie Brown and Hobbes! No, wait, Calvin... or Dennis and... uh...

Whoever these guys are, that's not a comforting image. Bubble is barely concealing a state of panic, sweat pouring down his head and Squeak would like to let you know that nobody will ever see this child alive again, and there's nothing anyone can do about it.

Dishonored (PC) - Guest Post

Hello my name is Kraed and I'm not Ray Hardgrit and yet you're reading this on his website. Isn't that weird?

Today I'm going to buck the retro trend and play a modern game. Too many companies have been releasing games that are just dumb action-fests where you travel from set piece to set piece blowing everything up. I've decided to play a game a bit more intellectual than that, so here we go. Dishonored is a game about stabbing people in violent ways.

And yes there will be spoilers (including a small one for Portal 2 perhaps - Ray), though if you can't guess the plot twists in this game I'm guessing you haven't played anything with a story more complex than Tetris.

(Click the pictures to view them in a downright modern 1600x900 res.)

Curse of Enchantia (MS-DOS)

Today on Super Adventures, I'm taking a quick look at Curse curse of Enchantia, a point and click adventure game by Tomb Raider developers Core Design. Yeah I know I just played Beyond Shadowgate and Lure of the Temptress, but you know how it is: you spend forever waiting for an adventure game, then three show up at once.

Lure of the Temptress (MS-DOS)

Today I'm taking a look at Lure of the Temptress, the first game by point and click adventure specialists Revolution, who went on to create Beneath a Steel Sky and the Broken Sword series.

You might have noticed that this is the second adventure game I'm playing in a row, after Beyond Shadowgate. Well, I figured that considering there's 68 first person shooters, 71 RPGs, and 260 platformers on the site so far, the poor point and click genre was getting a bit under-represented. Plus I felt like playing it.

Beyond Shadowgate (TurboGrafx-CD)

Whoa, right away I know I'm onto a winner with this one. The title screen shows a guy standing on a ring of skulls, pissing all over a dragon and cheering.

Today on Super Adventures, I'm taking a look at Beyond Shadowgate, on the TurboGrafx. This one was a request, and is apparently the sequel to famously cruel 1987 adventure game Shadowgate, which I haven't played and know next to nothing about.

Codename: Tenka (PSX) - Guest Post

As requested by a reader, it's time for some TENKA.

"An evil corporation is threatening to kill off humankind, and it's up to you as Tenka, a war-hardened resistance fighter, to stop them from putting man at the top of the extinction list. This is the real deal. This-is-the-baddest-most-realistic-kill-or-be-killed-switching-to-fully-automatic-how'd-you-like-a-nuclear-rocket-up-your-butt-?-did-I-just-feel-someone's-brain-splatter-on-my-face-?-corridor-shooting game ever built."

Bio Miracle Bokutte Upa (NES)

Okay this one's a Famicom Disk System game by Konami called Bio Miracle Bokutte Upa. Sounds like a brand of plant food.

Oh no, don't tell me I'm playing as the baby? Maybe I'll be lucky and it'll turn out to be a genetically engineered bio-weapon disguised as a baby.

Mad TV (MS-DOS)

Okay, this one's called Mad TV, it was a request, and I'm 99% sure it's got nothing to do with Mad Magazine. Probably not a sequel to Smash TV though either.

Colony (ZX Spectrum)

Don't blame me for this one, it wasn't my idea. Looking at the title screen I suppose this is going to be about a brave ant trying to get food for his colony, while being hounded by a tiny robot wizard bug who likes harassing people with second-hand lightning from his deadly electric cigarettes.

This came out on the ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, MSX, and Atari 8-bit computers, but I'm only playing it on the Speccy. My curiosity does have limits.

Action Man: Search for Base X (GBC)

Today I'm taking a look at Action Man: Search for Base X on the Game Boy Color, inspired by the action figure line, and possibly based on some comic book or advert storyline, I wouldn't know. I have no idea who either of these people are, or why that guy's head's on backwards, but I'm pretty sure I'm liking this music. It sounds like it belongs on a classic NES platformer like Mega Man.

Magical Chase (TurboGrafx-16)

Another requested game. Somehow looking at that title screen I'm getting the feeling that Magical Chase might be one of those 'witch on a broomstick' cute 'em up shoot 'em ups. I mean 1993 seems a bit early for it to be a Quiddich sports game, and what else can you do on a broomstick but fly around and zap things?

Plus it's on the TurboGrafx, the console of shoot 'em ups.

Star Crusader (MS-DOS) - Guest Post

That's one ugly-ass title screen.