Solar Jetman

For a film with only one game worthy transferable scene, it’s amazing they actually composed a NES game for Home Alone 2. The hotel level has more in common with the Overlook hotel from the Shining than it does with Home Alone 2.

You have lightning fast kicks and punches, everything feels sharp and responsive but you only move on a 2 dimensional line. Enemies attack from ahead and behind. Most can be dispatched with one hit, but some are quipped with throwing knives or can flip around the screen. Simply being out numbered is your biggest concern, otherwise most enemies are easily dispatched!

Perhaps the biggest change to Zelda 2 was the inclusion of an EXP system, similar to other Japanese RPG’s of the time. I think any kind of stats appearing in a Zelda game immediately got lot of fans backs up, though its hardly the most tactical system ever used, simply Life, Magic and Sword. The key to the game is the SKIP function, allowing to skip an upgrade in favour of storing the EXP for more expensive upgrades. This allows you to upgrade the sword earlier which is essential. As a kid I literally had no idea what these stats meant. No wonder I never managed to complete this!

Like Punch-Out, there’s 3 different progressively tougher tournaments. Like Punch-Out, you attack high or low with left or right hooks. You can dodge left, right and bloc, again just like Punch-Out. You can gain a special punch, used with the START button after successfully landing punches that interrupt your opponents rhythm, hmm that’s just like…oh yeah Punch-Out! Whilst the early fights can be won with more direct attacks, you’ll soon face opposition that require you to learn there patterns, so much like….okay okay so yeah George Foreman’s KO Boxing a Punch Out clone!

Of all the tie-ins from LJN to make it across the pond, I think its strange to see a game based on a cartoon that was never released here, which in turn is based on a public service announcement for wearing a seatbelt, also never shown over here! Yes that’s right, this game has its roots in road safety! While we had Darth Vader as the Green Cross Man, America had the incredible crash dummies, telling folks not to be a Dummy and wear a seatbelt.