MSXdev’06: Judges final report

FINAL RANKING

01 Monster Hunter : 77 points – WINNER !
02 Malaika Prehistoric Quest : 71 points
03 Sudoku : 66 points
03 Traffic Jam : 66 points
05 RNFF : 61 points
06 Skate Air : 60 points
07 Los Jardines de Zee Wang Zu : 58 points
08 Pointless Shooting : 57 points
09 Word Invaders : 55 points
10 Operation Wolf : 54 points
11 Daedalian Opus : 53 points
11 Penguin Café : 53 points
13 I.N.E.R.T.I.A. : 51 points
14 BeeZ : 50 points
15 Mecha Taisen On Planet Oldskool : 49 points
16 Beepertron : 46 points
17 Grid Wars : 44 points
18 Pointless Platform : 38 points
19 Night City : 36 points

Each game joining the contest, obtains a (+1) point just for participate. The other 99 points are given by the jury: 18 points for GFX, 18 points for Music and SFX, 18 points for Gameplay, 18 points for the Originality, and 18 for the Polish of the game. They can rate the game add-ons (those options that enhanced the game over the minimal config required) up to 9 points. So 18+18+18+18+18+9+1=100 points maximum per entry.

01 – Monster Hunter (Nerlaska Studio) 77/100

Graphics/Visuals 14/18
– Cool graphics all over of the place, varied and original!
– Some great graphics. Minor graphic bugs in some map tiles.
– Cool characters and enemies, backgrounds a bit repetetive.

Musics/SFX 16/18
– Really nice! SCC support as well.
– Superb and original PSG music. Suspiciously similar sound effects to Witch’s Revenge or Hinotori.
– Good music.

Gameplay 14/18
– Really really well done, a good RPG as we haven’t seen in years.
– Long enough. Good controls. A bit monotonous after getting all the inventory. Long and fun game as a whole, excellent and original design of the map.
– I liked it, but random battles are always annoying to me.

Originality 13/18
– What’s the real story line? It’s probably an original story but it’s a typical RPG.
– Excellent design of the map and mazes.
– RPG style but with a twist, very extensive game.

Polish 16/18
– All perfect. Nice covers, super comprehensive manual, screenshots, continue option…
– Ambitious presentation package. Enough variety of enemies. Complicated saving interface. Relevant bug in some bosses as Minotaur or Cyclops (they do not actually roll the dices). No alternatives after finishing the game. Inaccurate localisation into English and too many present bugs in the submitted version.
– Very cool manual

Bonus points : 3 (+1)

Final Comments
– I am far from being a fan of RPG games but must say Nerlaska did a great job! I loved playing Monster Hunter, and might play it and play over again!
– The final version could be among the best 10 MSX 1 games ever.
– I managed to get stuck on my first attempt on the way to Saul’s house (screenshot) and could not move anymore… very annoying bug!

02 – Malaika Prehistoric Quest (Karoshi Corporation) 71/100

Graphics/Visuals 16/18
– Just way cool, plenty variation, attention to details. 6 main stages make Malaika really enjoyable.
– Original graphics. The backgrounds may be too flat.
– Attractive opening/map, smooth scroll, very nice.

Musics/SFX 13/18
– Nice accompanying music but can get a bit boring through each world.
– Original music but not many songs.
– Funny music.

Gameplay 15/18
– Almost perfect.
– Long enough. A pure old style platform. Curve of difficulty is present in game. Includes bosses at the end. But collecting gems does not have an actual effect in the gameplay and there is no ability to run for Malaika… the collision as regards gems is probably too low. Interesting design of levels, ambitiously designed to be a long game.
– Good basic Super Mario Brothers (although that I couldn’t jump on the cannons surprised me, should have read the manual better).

Originality 9/18
– We all know this type of games… collect coins, make your way through ennemies, grab options and find the exit and defeat the boss.
– It sometimes looks too similar to Mario Bros.
– Well, what can one say.

Polish 16/18
– All superb! Not perfect because of the TXT file for instructions (but appreciated the nice storyline and description of options and ennemies)
– Potentially very good if enhanced. Uninteresting ending.
– Pretty nicely polished. Good simple choices (palette changes, etc)

Bonus points : 4 (+1)

Final Comments
– A very enjoyable game like we want to see more often. Sleepless nights guaranteed.
– Ambitious and with potential.
– Certainly one of the best entries!

03a – Sudoku (dvik / joyrex) 66/100

Graphics/Visuals 12/18
– It’s a Sudoku game so what to expect more than Sudoko grids? There’s some flickering on the intro screen.
– Average graphics.
– Perfectly done for this type of game.

Musics/SFX 12/18
– Neat but better turn it off to concentrate on playing the game.
– There could have been more songs.
– Really good music!

Gameplay 15/18
– Play it with a keyboard. I was totally dazzled with a joystick! Otherwise, extremelly smooth and easy controls.
– Anybody could play this game. Nothing in the game apart from sudoku.

Originality 8/18
– It’s a sudoku game, not a new idea – but the first game in this genre on MSX.
– A sudoku game.
– Sudoku!

Polish 17/18
– Instructions and label are top class. In game ‘c’ key is useful.
– Good adaptation as a videogame.
– Sudoku!

Bonus points : 1 (+1)

Final Comments
– It’s a good game – you would have bought it in stores… now when used to play on paper it’s difficult to play it on a PC game. The 15-minute benchmark? What 15 minutes? You need HOURS to solve the puzzles!
– If you like sudoku, this is your MSX game.
– As with Traffic Jam, these small games can be translated perfectly to the MSX1 by good coders/designers/…

03b – Traffic Jam (Imanok) 66/100

Graphics/Visuals 14/18
– Simply clean.
– There are not many graphic themes.
– Within the restrictions of the game, very nice graphics!

Musics/SFX 12/18
– Nice music but somewhat repetitive from level to level.
– Not many songs there.
– I enjoyed the tune quite a bit.

Gameplay 15/18
– Runs very smoothly, thinking needed, a game that suits all. A pity that texts are repetitive from week to week.
– Everybody can play this game and have fun. It may become monotonous and require a rest after some time.
– It’s difficult to screw up the nice puzzles :) Traffic Jam is a good game concept. The cursor control could have been more direct and I would have enjoyed that. For example, if the cursor is over a car, and I press right, I want to go to the next car to the right, not to some empty space in between. That would have made the game play faster.

Originality 8/18
– An old concept seen elsewhere but nicely adapted to the MSX.
– Very original concept in a videogame.
– Effort has gone into the character.

Polish 14/18
– Very cool label, nice TXT instructions, nice in-game texts and character-lady.
– The technical aspect looks fine.
– Good, a password save method! And a nice cover picture too.

Bonus points: 2 (+1)

Final Comments
– An entertaining game without glitches. The 15-minutes benchmark would have been ‘I keep on playing all night’!. On the minus side, no much add-ons and playing it too much can cause serious headaches.
– Fun game, excellent balance of difficulty and universal enough to be played by anyone. Classic puzzle in a fancy way for the MSX.
– Well polished adaption of a great puzzle game, with some new features.

05 – RNFF – Running Naked in a Field of Flowers (Infinite)61/100

Graphics/Visuals 11/18
– Colourful!
– Graphics could have been improved.
– Funny!

Musics/SFX 12/18
– It swings!
– Not many songs.
– Pretty cool actually.

Gameplay 10/18
– Those pills are helpful, mushrooms didn’t work well on me. Sometimes a bit difficult to jump over the ennemy… and stairs are walls, you must always walk them up!
– Very good and original design of the levels.
– Okay idea, but ladder detection should be more forgiving!

Originality 15/18
– LOL, it’s unique in its genre.
– Weird story and nice implementation of it in the game!
– Don’t think it has been done before like this…

Polish 10/18
– Everything is there and a nice intro storyline to warm you up.
– Not enough testing (it is impossible to advance from the level 12 onwards: the main character dies automatically after starting the level-). What came after this? This game could have had a higher rating!
– Very funny intro.

Bonus points: 2 (+1)

Final Comments
– A total MSX madness experience. The storyline makes it all! A pity the gameplay is not all that fantastic but if you’re looking for a special experience, RNFF now!
– This game is naked, but it needs some dressing!
– Great to turn the forum inside joke into a game like that! :)

06 – Skate Air (Yermani Soft) 60/100

Graphics/Visuals 9/18
– Horizontal scroll is OK but the colours used in the graphics are really hard to see or look at! Concerns about sprites taken from another existing MSX game.
– Raw graphics in general.
– Very nicely done.

Musics/SFX 14/18
– It’s good but a bit repetitive all over.
– Few songs. Original retro method to create the tunes.
– Cool music, very C64 like.

Gameplay 14/18
– Skate as fast as you can, grab the flags and avoid your enemies…
– Items and their functions make sense.
– Entertaining game, I really played it for quite a while.

Originality 11/18
– Seen elsewhere.
– Original and fun concept.
– I don’t recognize it, but maybe?

Polish 9/18
– Label and 2 language PDF manual. Instructions in scrolling mode on intro screen.
– Good feeling of speed. Passing a level depends too much on how lucky you are due to which items are spawned (if they are).
– Good fades, nice little things.

Bonus points: 2 (+1)

Final Comments
– Would the graphics and visuals and the gameplay been better or with at least a personnal touch, I would have liked this game more. After 15 minutes, I just could not watch the screen anymore.
– Original racing game.
– I really missed a means to save (passwords/saves)!

07 – Los Jardines de Zee Wang Zu (Jos’B) 58/100

Graphics/Visuals 10/18
– Everything looks nice, no big fantasies but nice to see that graphics change the further you get on into the game.
– The graphics fit ok into the game.
– Pretty bland; overlayed sprites or something similar might have spices up the head, at least.

Musics/SFX 16/18
– Just lovin’ it. The music keeps increasing your adrenaline even if a bit repetitive… nice end of game music as well.
– Stylish music but just a few songs.
– Good music.

Gameplay 14/18
– The snakes moves fast but is not always immediately obeys when you ask him to change directions. Ouch, those walls hurt!
– Simple and effective. No alternatives to the main game. Controls are hard.
– Fast, responsive …

Originality 7/18
– Well, it’s a Snake clone! A good one for sure.
– A story in a snake game!… Not really original as a concept.
– …but it is just snake! (and unfortunately not Solid Snake)

Polish 10/18
– Excellent state-of-the-art story line. Good label. Minus: No scoring, no in-game texts… not a big lack but would have been a nice add-on!
– Simple and effective.
– Cool first impressions, after that the game is not so impressive

Bonus points: 0 (+1)

Final Comments
– A really cool screen-1 game with excellent music. A pity key responsiveness is not the best. To my opinion one of the greatest Snake clones ever made on MSX. The 15 minutes benchmark? What benchmark? I’m already addict!
– A new addictive MSX game.
– After the good opening I was a bit disappointed.

08 – Pointless Shooting (The New Image) 57/100

Graphics/Visuals 8/18
– The most beautiful is the intro screen.
– Good graphics.
– Okay.

Musics/SFX 11/18
– Nice ambiance music.
– Nice music.
– Funny music, seems familiar.

Gameplay 11/18
– Shoot shoot shoot, avoid dots (some will give points though) that become increasingly in numbers from level to level. Nice thing is you never die.
– This game is the proof of how a game based on a simple code and minimal technical resources can be absolutely fun and addictive because of a wonderful idea in the game design stage. The use of the game is likely to be limited to a few games unless there are two players challenging.
– Avoiding bullets is okay, but you have to fire all the time :(

Originality 15/18
– Shootem up, shoot’em down – no! Miss them all and score a lot!
– Superb concept! Amazingly original. Such a concept could be pioneer!
– Pointless!

Polish 10/18
– Everything required. Nice intro screen and label.
– This game could have been much better if enhanced! Eg, two players, obstacles, levels of difficulty… more additions to the thin basis of pure fun.
– I like the appearing space invaders a lot.

Bonus points: 1 (+1)

Final Comments
– The best of the 2 MSXdev’06 pointless games. There’s some fun to it, especially the ability to lose points. Score your points in the early stages. After level 20, your points will simply drop!. Since you never die, expect endeless hours of play!
– One of the most original games ever.

09 – Word Invaders (SapphiRe Soft) 55/100

Graphics/Visuals 6/18
– Like the manual said, an ASCII based game. Nothing much to expect on the graphics side.
– The lack of graphics and variations in the music could make the game too dry after several games.
– Minimal, but fits the game. Maybe some more intricate starfields?

Musics/SFX 8/18
– Music is good.
– Not many songs.
– Okay, but not shocking.

Gameplay 14/18
– Simple and fun. Btw, good game to learn typing without looking at the keyboard.
– Potentially open to not classic gamers. We miss two players or more variations in game apart from the speed. It gets rather hard too early.
– Funny idea to improve typing.

Originality 16/18
– No need to invent big concepts. This is the perfect example of originality.
– Original game, nice concept, original design. MSX words everywhere!
– Pretty original, if only the typing system seems a bit alike tempo typen, but nice word choice.

Polish 10/18
– Different types of word sets can be chosen (even a hidden one acc. manual), good instruction file and good label.
– It may become a bit repetitive after a while.
– To the point.

Bonus points: 0 (+1)

General
– A simple concept that works out nicely. No bugs, I wouldn’t play Word Invaders every day but I loved playing it and enjoyed somehow the lack of sophistication. A ‘Keep It Simple Stupid’ game!
– Imposible to get iy wrong wit dis!
– Nice idea, but could have used some extra polish, now it is just the minimal game thing.

10 – Operation Wolf (Toybox) 54/100

Graphics/Visuals 12/18
– Enemies display blinky – not 100% smoothly.
– Graphics are very simple.
– Nice reworking, the cursor works nicely.

Musics/SFX 10/18
– Nice SFX overall – fits well the game.
– Good use of PSG. Small soundtrack.
– Alert is too intrusive, annoying and blocks music in psg mode. Slightly better using OPLL. The OPLL music enhances the game, but not too much.

Gameplay 12/18
– Difficult game, especially when playing with a keyboard. Joystick support is slightly better. Gunstick or mouse would have been even better. However, the action is there and keeps you running!
– Smooth controls, but very hard difficulty with no alternatives to learn or rest.
– If you like this sort of game it is indeed quite funny.

Originality 7/18
– It is a good port – nothing really new but good conversion overall.
– It belongs to a genre with not so many games for the MSX. It does not seem to implement many exclusive and original additions to the original game.
– Well, yes, it’s Operation Wolf, what do you expect?

Polish 9/18
– Beautiful label, basic TXT file, nice mission texts.
– It looks solid as regards code. It recreates well what could have been an original conversion of the game for the MSX.
– No save, continue? Cool cover, but no manual, that would have been nice.

Bonus points: 3 (+1)

Final Comments
– Good game overall – but extremelly hard especially considering the random appeance of tanks and helicopters. I had no chance to go further than the 2nd mission. Joystick is recommended to play Operation Wolf but still… The conversion was however well done, my 15 minutes benchmark would have been ‘I keep on playing!’.
– Solid entry in general (it does not have a clear weak point, not even visible bugs). Smooth conversion.
– A very good remake in itself, it might have benefited from some additional features like save and such.

11a – Daedalian Opus (Karoshi Corporation) 53/100

Graphics/Visuals 12/18
– Good sprites (intro screen, in-between levels and game board).
– Good graphics overall.
– Simpler than Malaika, still nice.

Musics/SFX 9/18
– It didn’t get very far but I got already annoyed in the first levels of the game by the repetitive sound.
– The main theme loops once and again each less than ten seconds…
– Good music.

Gameplay 13/18
– Simple (?!), works smoothly (keyboard and joystick).
– The game concept is too brainiac, too difficult and depending on how lucky you are placing the pieces rather than on your actual skills or even efforts to finish a level.
– I enjoyed the puzzles very much.

Originality 7/18
– Ported game. Yet it’s remains original to my liking…
– The concept of gaming turns into having much patience.
– A very clean remake, nice, but of course not original :)

Polish 11/18
– Label and instructions are basic.Password to access directly levels you got stuck in saves you from killing yourself. Nice in-between levels animations.
– The presentation (layout, graphics, interface) is brilliant. In general, Karoshi’s management of MSX 1 resources looks awesome!
– Nicely polished.

Bonus points: 0 (+1)

Final Comments
– You need a fresh head to play Deadalian Opus. Well executed overall, but did drove me crazy even in the easy levels… ok I tested it late night, so please excuse me ;-). To be serious, if you like brain-killing puzzle games, this one is for you! Play it an hour, solve the puzzle, note the password and continue next day.
– Brain Training, feel the fear…
– As a remake, this is very succesful. It is very cool to puzzle like this.

11b – Penguin Café (MSX Café) 53/100

Graphics/Visuals 9/18
– A one screen action. Attention given to the sprites of happy and unhappy clients. Diversity of clients is nice.
– The presentation of the game could have been improved.
– Limited, but very funny (Konami characters etc.)

Musics/SFX 10/18
– Music is basic but accompanies well the bar ambiance and the barman’s urge to serve beers in time.
– The main theme is catchy but repetitive after a short while.
– Really liked the upbeat music.

Gameplay 10/18
– Launching drinks is not accurate and according to instructions is a 2-step process (prepare the serve & launch the drink), which does not seem to work accurately. Often a one-click is sufficient to launch the drink, resulting in a mis-launch.
– Anybody could play this game. The potential complexity of the controls is well simplified. It gets hard probably too early.
– Fun, but maybe not for too long.

Originality 13/18
– Nothing alike on MSX. Though it’s a tapper clone, nice customisation with MSX alike characters given a good atmosphere to the game.
– It’s nice to see such famous MSX characters asking for a beer.
– Fun interpretation of the Cafe MSX idea. When I played it the first couple of times, I found it very difficult to judge at what height I should be to be able to throw the beer.

Polish 10/18
– Excellent label and instructions but in-game polish is average. A bit more fun in the texts, more attention to the intro screen and real levels distinction would have been nice.
– The game does not offer any alternative apart from what the basic gameplay engine offers.
– Nice intro.

Bonus points: 0 (+1)

Final Comments
– An orginal game with a definitively good concept and idea. However its programming in Basic shows it limits. Though there’s room for improvement, I like Penguin Café and would have kept on playing after my 15 minutes benchmark.
– Serve beers to Cles, Wit, Lolo, SD-Snatcher, Goemon…
– Fun game, but ultimately more of an inside joke than something I would play for hours.

13 – I.N.E.R.T.I.A (Andrea Rossetti) 51/100

Graphics/Visuals 7/18
– Overall graphics are simple, there’s no crazyness…
– The graphics could have been improved.
– Pretty basic, but sufficient for this kind of game I think.

Musics/SFX 4/18
– No music, SFX exists but could have been more present.
– No music.
– Hardly any music, simple FX.

Gameplay 15/18
– Just a lot of fun! It runs smoothly, there’s a lot of action!… if you like arcade multi-player shooters.
– Nice controls, but no possibility to play in single mode. No variations after a while.
– Great with two players!

Originality 12/18
– Kill your mate, that how to resume it! But it’s a rare 2-player action game on MSX.
– Original as a concept.
– Interesting ‘bounce off wall’ control, nice.

Polish 12/18
– In-game screens are basic but I loved the Instructions text! Label is nice as well. Customisation of speed, size of ship etc. is a cool feature.
– Good presentation package.
– The game works nicely, but not too much polish. Some nice options though!

Bonus points: 0 (+1)

Final Comments
– If you like 15-30 minutes action from time to time and want a challenge against a friend, this is the game for you – but I coudn’t play it for hours. A pity there’s no keyboard support nor single player support to play against the CPU.
– Good VS shoot’m up concept.
– Good two player games are hard to find, and I like these simple ones that just bring out the essence of the competition.

14 – BeeZ (Darkstone) 50/100

Graphics/Visuals 11/18
– One screen action, nicely drawn.
– Good.
– Bright, cheerful, just right for the beez

Musics/SFX 6/18
– It’s basic but yet important, especially the change at the 5-seconds limit.
– There is not any song apart from fanfares and the sound is not polished enough.
– Fairly minimal.

Gameplay 12/18
– This is a simple, entertaining game. Easy to uderstand, easy to play. Only minus, ’cause of the Bee, you fly sometimes a bit too fast from flower to flower.
– The user cannot adjust the sensivity of the controls.
– Controls are a bit too fast sometimes, could have used a delay.

Originality 14/18
– Super simple concept but lovely one. Who’s the king bee?
– Really original concept.
– Difficult to judge, but seems pretty original.

Polish 6/18
– Average because there is only one in-game option, no difficulty in levels, only one screen action… good label and basic but sufficient instructions file.
– There are too many bugs. Not enough variety as regards graphics or gameplay.
– Quite some polish with demo-like mode.

Bonus points: 0 (+1)

Final Comments
– I loved it. It’s a simple but well done game. At the same time, there’s room to improve it in playability. Beezzzz are buzzing all over after 15 minutes… a nice game to play once in a while. Would not keep me wake for hours though.
– Original keyboard frenzy.
– Nice timewasting sort of game!

15 – Mecha Taisen On Planet Oldskool (Damage X) 49/100

Graphics/Visuals 10/18
– Overall OK. Tanks / Robots are nice. War ground is basic but maps are interesting. In between areas screen is nice.
– Graphic models are very basic and few in quantity.
– Some nice mech like things, but that’s about it..

Musics/SFX 11/18
– It’s fine without being fantastic. You get bored after a while.
– The sound looks very unpolished, songs look out of context.
– Probably the best about the game :)

Gameplay 7/18
– Good gameplay. Some problems moving the cursor. A pity there’s no keyboard support.
– Easy and intuitive controls. It looks as if most of the gameplay was highly based on mathematics rather than on the skills of the player (usually basic in a strategy game).
– Confusing start, not much in the manual to explain strategies.

Originality 11/18
– A typical wargame, but there are no tons on MSX.
– A strategy game for MSX 1!
– Okay interpretation of the strategy game.

Polish 9/18
– Not bad, but lacks a bit of excitement.
– Explanation of how to play is missing, including basics as characteristics, upgrades, etc.
– No explanation, the game did not make me want to play it :(

Bonus points: 0 (+1)

Final Comments
– It’s a good turn-based strategy game. You can easily play it for hours. Nice attention is given to enhance your ships, options to defend, counterattack or escape from ennemy attacks. Though it should be all about strategy, I felt it was more a matter of having strong ships to win… but probably in higher levels, the strategy takes over the strength. Being a wargame, expect to play it for hours once you start playing! How can you leave in middle of it?
– Strategy also belongs to the MSX!
– Good title, good music, but difficult to play and enjoy.

16 – Beepertron (Dioniso) 46/100

Graphics/Visuals 9/18
– Nice looking intro screen and nicely drawn synth.
– Not very good graphics.
– As nice maybe as you can get with this kind of game

Musics/SFX 10/18
– It’s about good beeps!
– Less than average.
– Given a music game, notes might be more ‘interesting’

Gameplay 9/18
– It works fine, look well at the synth in easy-mode and find the relevant key looking carefully at the TXT file! The Hard mode is really hard.
– Although brave as a concept, the association of piano keys to keyboard ones can be very messy. Very short and no alternatives.
– Nice clean repetition game, but it reveals that I cannot hear tones very well :)

Originality 9/18
– Old old game concept, but it’s still fun.
– Original concept.
– Funny idea.

Polish 7/18
– Nice label and the TXT file is complete. 2 difficulty levels adds some challenge.
– Good use of minimal resources.
– Some not very well though out – why does the cursor start at ‘difficulty’ by default, I would have expected ‘play’

Bonus points: 1 (+1)

Final Comments
– A simple game but well executed. Could play it with kids for some time.
– Follow the synthe notes using your keyboard.
– I am horrible at this game! (I hope this does not affect my judgement)

17 – Grid Wars (Emma Six) 44/100

Graphics/Visuals 8/18
– A big grid, your small ship, the enemy tanks and some gem sprites all over.
– Monotonous graphics.
– Functional.

Musics/SFX 6/18
– Beamrider like, simple but fits well the game-genre.
– Repetitive sound.
– Simple SFX only.

Gameplay 13/18
– Good agility needed. Keys are responsive. Only it is impossible to avoid a missile to hit you when it follows your ship closely… no way to make a turn!
– Extremely short (after level seven, all the stage models are repeated again with just more speed as an addition).
– I really enjoyed it for a while, but a continue would have been nice. Pretty cool.

Originality 11/18
– Seen elsewhere.
– Nice concept.
– I’ve never seen it before.

Polish 5/18
– Everything required is there. Label and manual are basic, in-game options are non-existent.
– Not much, but it works.

Bonus points: 0 (+1)

Final Comments
– The gameplay is excellent and though it’s not very original, I enjoy playing this type of games. With a bit of extra options polish and originality, Grid Wars would have scored better.
– Train your reflexes.
– It got me quite excited (and I got killed many times), I really enjoyed the frantic gameplay!

18 – Pointless Platform (The New Image) 38/100

Graphics/Visuals 6/18
– What is in there? Some bricks and a jumpin’ Joe… that’s all.
– Unpolished graphics.
– Okay but not too good.

Musics/SFX 8/18
– Tu-du-lu-lu lu lu… a nice tune but tu-du-lu lu lu…
– Nice wink to Mr Ghost in the main theme. Unpolished sounds.
– Funny music, seems familiar

Gameplay 8/18
– Maybe I didn’t have the patience to reach the high grounds… jump jump jump around! However, it’s perfectly playable.
– The controls are hard to use, late reaction in general. The game is monotonous as it never changes.
– I can actually enjoy this for a while (much more than the shooting counterpart)

Originality 10/18
– Seen so many times… ok, it’s so pointless that it makes it a bit more original :-)
– After a while, one automatically asks themselves, what’s the point of playing this game?.
– Pointless!

Polish 5/18
– Allez… everything required is there!
– The game contains critical bugs (it is sometimes impossible to continue jumping from one platform to another).
– Minimalistic as you’d expect.

Bonus points: 0 (+1)

Final Comments
– Pointless to comment. No seriously, it’s a really pointless game but it provides some fun if you really have nothing else to do. Kind of stupid game but you can get addicted to.
– Platform: MSX. Points: 5 over 33

19 – Night City (Yermani Soft) 36/100

Graphics/Visuals 6/18
– Ripped main characters, horizontal scroll is not really smooth.
– Graphics are very raw in general, the rip of Cles results unacceptable.
– The graphics remind me of some Spectrum games.

Musics/SFX 11/18
– The only decent part of the game.
– The main theme sounds catchy at the beginning but we can get bored of it after looping a few times.
– Interesting (too, Spectrum?) music, quite catchy.

Gameplay 5/18
– Controls make very difficult either to fight or run away from enemies.
– I enjoyed running around, but unfortunately had to stop to shoot :) In many cases I could go a screen down, but not back up again. The layout/mapping was very difficult to understand, which made me enjoy the game less.

Originality 6/18
– Basic storyline, nothing new.
– Poor.
– I liked the funny weird story.

Polish 6/18
– Label and 2 language PDF manual. Instructions in scrolling mode on intro screen.
– The progress in game looks messy.
– A manual and corresponding sticker nicely match the opening scenes.

Bonus points: 0 (+1)

Final Comments
– A poor game overall, only the music kept me going for 15 minutes.
– Didn’t work well under emulators such as openMSX, also had some problems in the second slot in blueMSX.