A well know name in the world of arcade and early console
gaming, Jaleco were prolific in the nineties across the NES, SNES and
Gameboy. While not being as high profile
or as critically well received as some other Japanese developers such as Capcom
and Konami, they did none the less put out some interesting titles across a range
of different genres. This first collection on the Evercade draws together ten
games from the company spread across the NES and SNES.
One of Jaleco’s most well-known franchises is the Rushing
Beat series. This cart contains two games from it with Rival Turf and Brawl
Brothers both present. Sadly, Peace Keepers – the best game in trilogy, isn’t
here. Out of the two, Rival Turf holds up the best with fairly solid action on
show which should keep you entertained for a while. It’s a bit of a nostalgic
trip for us as well as it’s a game that was one of the first real options for
two player brawling on the SNES back in the day. Brawl Brothers looks bigger and brighter but
is incredibly repetitive and dull with even the punching animations looking
drab. Neither are particular ground breaking though.
Two sports games are also included with Bases Loaded on the
NES being an easily forgettable baseball game and Super Goal 2 (Super Soccer),
making up the package. Despite our initial fears, Super Goal 2 does actually work
in short sessions as a fairly solid arcade football game. Once you get the
controls sorted passing, tackling and shooting do have a logic to them and game
moves along at a decent pace. Goalkeepers aren’t massive push overs either so
fans of old school arcade sports games should find something to enjoy here.
Jaleco has also included three NES platform games which are all
worth playing. City Connection is strange little game where you have to drive a
car around jumping up and down levels to colour in the platforms. While you are
doing this you need to avoid obstacles and little chibi police cars that zoom
around. It’s a bit scrappy, but good fun and can become strangely addictive at
times.
Totally Rad is an obnoxiously colourful game where you have
access to a whole host of spells you can use to power up and transform your
character. It’s a pretty standard action platformer but the different abilities
keep it enjoyable and it plays pretty well. It’s also not massively long and
had a moderate impact when originally released. It’s well worth checking out
and will be a bit of a hidden gem for a lot of people.
Astynax, is the most action orientated of the three. Here you
need to make your way through levels by walking to the right, avoiding traps
and smacking monster with a host of large weapons. Sprites are big and the game
is great fun. There are some issues with slowdown and flicker at times which
can be frustrating but at least now we have the save states to account for any
cheap deaths. Once you get the hang of it there is a rewarding and enduring
game here and it’s certainly one of the better games on the cartridge.
In stark contrast Earth Defence Force is one of the worst
side scrolling shooters we’ve come across on the SNES. Collision detection is
lose and feedback from taking damage is non-existent. The whole game carries no
weight to it at all and it’s just a massive let down. This is one best left
avoided.
The last two games are top down maze adventures. Ignition Factor
puts you in the roll of a Fireman who needs to enter complexes and rescue a set
amount of people within a set time period. It’s a nice idea but it’s quite a
frustrating game to play with players needing to choose equipment without
really knowing the circumstances they are going into. The controls are also a
bit stilted and there is a strange set of rules working away in the background
which dictates things such as you only being able to jump when you are on a
walkway. It’s quite an original take on the genre but we’d rather be playing
The Firemen any day.
The last game here is Operation Logic Bomb which is a solid
maze style shooter. It’s full of traps, switches and all the other expected
things that games in this genre usually come with. It executes it all very well
though and this is another example of an often overlooked game that deserves a
bit of the spotlight. Controls work well and enemies are challenging and varied
throughout. It's yet another reason to add the cart to your collection.
Overall, the Jaleco collection has been a bit of surprise
for us. When it was initially announced there wasn’t much here that really got
us excited. Having played through it though we are pleased to say that there
are a host of often overlooked games here that warrant your attention. It may
not be the most spectacular collection of games but they are certainly solid
for the most part and Evercade owners should have fun unearthing a couple of
real hidden gems.
Overall -
Astynax 4/5
City Connection 3/5
Totally Rad 3/5
Operation Logic Bomb 4/5
Ignition factor 3/5
Super Goal 2 3/5
Earth Defence Force 2/5
Rival Turf 3/5
Brawl Brothers 2/5
Bases Loaded 2/5
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