Georg Mack Plays the Classics

Georg Mack Plays the Classics Logo

Here’s a fun little diversion featuring the “Star of Destiny” Georg Mack. The goal is to play the American libraries of the Nintendo, Sega Master System, Sega Genesis, and Super Nintendo in chronological order. That means we’ll start with the NES, add in the SMS when they start to release, and get into the Genesis and SNES, as well.

There are three parts to this blog:

The playthrough on Twitch.

A summary video on YouTube.

A review article on AmericanLuchaLibre.com.

Each review will be accompanied by a grade. The grades are on a 4.0 scale for each category, then an overall average.

Graphics:

Not all graphics are created equally. Some are minimalist, but do a good job of portraying what they should. Others try too hard and don’t succeed at their goal. Even others straddle these spectrums and everything in between. This grade tries to assess if the graphics do what they should and as time goes on will be compared to other, similar entries.

Sound:

Sound is an important category within a game’s design. Music, sound effects, samples, etc. all fall in this category. Gamers know that music can invoke emotions, memories, and more within them. How good the sound is in a game factors into how good the game is as a whole.

Gameplay:

How the game controls. How responsive it is. How intuitive the game is. How well it’s designed. Etc. Gameplay is an integral element to any game. If the gameplay sucks, there’s no benefit to good graphics, sound, or anything else.

Difficulty:

This isn’t a case of harder is better or easier is better. It’s a case of how right the difficulty is.

Fun Factor:

How fun is the game? A game can be fun despite any flaws it has elsewhere. That would show up here.

Overall Grade:

An average of the 5 factors on the 4.0 scale gives the final overall grade.

Grade Point Explanations:

4.0 – Outstanding, a paragon of achievement.
3.5 – Excellent, a great example of what to do in a game.
3.0 – Good, competent at what it’s doing, adds to the game.
2.5 – Above Average, better than what is expected for its time.
2.0 – Average, a non-offensive example of mediocrity.
1.5 – Below Average, doesn’t quite reach the levels of average.
1.0 – Bad, it’s there, but it doesn’t achieve what it should.
0.5 – Awful, a terrible example of what to do in a game.
0.0 – Missing or completely deficient.

1985

10-Yard Fight (NES)

Baseball (NES)

Clu Clu Land (NES)

Duck Hunt (NES)

Excitebike (NES)

Golf (NES)

Ice Climber (NES)

Kung Fu (NES)

Pinball (NES)

Hogan’s Alley (NES)

Wild Gunman (NES)

Soccer (NES)

Tennis (NES)

Wrecking Crew (NES)

Super Mario Bros. (NES)

1985 Review: Ranking the NES Launch Titles

1986

Donkey Kong (NES)

Donkey Kong Jr. (NES)

Mario Bros. (NES)

Donkey Kong 3 (NES)

Donkey Kong Jr. Math (NES)

Popeye (NES)

Balloon Fight (NES)

Gumshoe (NES)

Mach Rider (NES)

Urban Champion (NES)

Choplifter (SMS)

Fantasy Zone (SMS)

Ghost House (SMS)

Hang-On (SMS)

My Hero (SMS)

Safari Hunt (SMS)

Teddy Boy (SMS)

Chubby Cherub (NES)

F-16 Fighting Falcon (SMS)

M.U.S.C.L.E.: Tag Team Match (NES)

Ninja Kid (NES)

Tag Team Wrestling (NES)

TransBot (SMS)

World Grand Prix (SMS)

1942 (NES)

Action Fighter (SMS)

Black Belt (SMS)

Commando (NES)

Ghosts ‘n Goblins (NES)

Alex Kidd in Miracle World (SMS)

Astro Warrior (SMS)

Gradius (NES)

Great Ice Hockey (SMS)

Karate Champ (NES)

Marksman Shooting & Trap Shooting (SMS)

Pro Wrestling (SMS)

Rambo: First Blood Part II (SMS)

Super Tennis (SMS)

The Ninja (SMS)

Ranking the Best Console Games of 1986

Ranking the Worst Console Games of 1986

1987

Trojan (NES)

Great Baseball (SMS)

Pro Wrestling (NES)

Shooting Gallery (SMS)

Slalom (NES)

Space Harrier (SMS)

Volleyball (NES)

Quartet (SMS)

Rush’n Attack (NES)

Track & Field (NES)

BurgerTime (NES)

Castlevania (NES)

Ghostbusters (SMS)

Ikari Warriors (NES)

Wonder Boy (SMS)

Great Football (SMS)

Mighty Bomb Jack (NES)

Rocky (SMS)

Kid Icarus (NES)

Section-Z (NES)

Solomon’s Key (NES)

Rygar (NES)

Arkanoid (NES)

Athena (NES)

Elevator Action (NES)

Enduro Racer (SMS)

Gangster Town (SMS)

Great Volleyball (SMS)

Missile Defense 3-D (SMS)

Legend of Kage (NES)

Metroid (NES)

Legend of Zelda (NES)

Double Dribble (NES)

Lode Runner (NES)

Raid on Bungeling Bay (NES)

Deadly Towers (NES)

The 3-D Battles of World Runner (NES)

Sqoon (NES)

Ring King (NES)

SkyKid (NES)

Winter Games (NES)

Spelunker (NES)

Stinger (NES)

Spy Hunter (NES)

Star Voyager (NES)

Tiger-Heli (NES)

Lunar Pool (NES)

Great Soccer (SMS)

Alpha Mission (NES)

Kung Fu Kid (SMS)

ZANAC (NES)

OutRun (SMS)

Rad Racer (NES)

Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! (NES)

BreakThru (NES)

Gotcha! The Sport! (NES)

Great Golf (SMS)

Jaws (NES)

Kid Niki: Radical Ninja (NES)

Star Force (NES)

Super Pitfall (NES)

The Goonies II (NES)

Karate Kid (NES)

Top Gun (NES)

Zillion (SMS)

Side Pocket (NES)

Fantasy Zone II: The Tears of Opa-Opa (SMS)

Great Basketball (SMS)

Mega Man (NES)

Wizards & Warriors (NES)

Ranking: The Best of 1987

Ranking: The Worst of 1987

1988

Karnov (NES)

Penguin Land (SMS)

Renegade (NES)

Contra (NES)

Gun.Smoke (NES)

R.C. Pro-Am (NES)

Town & Country Surf Designs: Wood & Water Rage (NES)

After Burner (SMS)

Alien Syndrome (SMS)

Aztec Adventure (SMS)

Dragon Power (NES)

Global Defense (SMS)

Ice Hockey (NES)

Zaxxon 3-D (SMS)

Freedom Force (NES)

Ikari Warriors II: Victory Road (NES)

Major League Baseball (NES)

Rescue Mission (SMS)

City Connection (NES)

Maze Hunter 3-D (SMS)

Parlour Games (SMS)

Rambo (NES)

Double Dragon (NES)

RBI Baseball (NES)

Metal Gear (NES)

Alex Kidd: The Lost Stars (SMS)

Bases Loaded (NES)

Defender II (NES)

Fantasy Zone: The Maze (SMS)

Gauntlet (NES)

Iron Tank: The Invasion of Normandy (NES)

Legendary Wings (NES)

Space Harrier 3-D (SMS)

Zillion II: The Tri Formation (SMS)

Life Force (NES)

Wonder Boy in Monster Land (SMS)

Adventure Island (NES)

Blade Eagle 3-D (SMS)

Galaga: Demons of Death (NES)

Jackal (NES)

Lee Trevino’s Fighting Golf (NES)

Milon’s Secret Castle (NES)

Shinobi (SMS)

Jeopardy! (NES)

Monopoly (SMS)

Wheel of Fortune (NES)

Xevious (NES)

1943: The Battle of Midway (NES)

Ghostbusters (NES)

Joust (NES)

MagMax (NES)

Mickey Mousecapade (NES)

Millipede (NES)

Pac-Man (NES)

Racket Attack (NES)

Seicross (NES)

Shanghai (SMS)

Miracle Warriors: Seal of the Dark Lord (SMS)

Spy vs. Spy (SMS)

Spy vs. Spy (NES)

Thunder Blade (SMS)

Super Mario Bros. 2 (NES)

Cobra Command (NES)

Anticipation (NES)

Kenseiden (SMS)

Dr. Chaos (NES)

Double Dragon (SMS)

Blaster Master (NES)

Bubble Bobble (NES)

Phantasy Star (NES)

Blades of Steel (NES)

Bump n’ Jump (NES)

Paperboy (NES)

Othello (NES)

Skate or Die! (NES)

R-Type (SMS)

Power Strike (SMS)

Golvellius: Valley of Doom (SMS)

Platoon (NES)

Rambo III (SMS)

Xenophobe (NES)

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (NES)

Rampage (NES)

Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego (SMS)

RoboWarrior (NES)

Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest (NES)

Bionic Commando (NES)

Superman (NES)

Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (NES)

Ranking: The Best of 1988

Ranking: The Worst of 1988

1989

Bomber Raid (SMS)

Sesame Street: 1-2-3 (NES)

Cyborg Hunter (SMS)

Tecmo Baseball (NES)

Bomberman (NES)

Rampage (SMS)

Star Soldier (NES)

WWF Wrestlemania (NES)

Q*Bert (NES)

Gyruss (NES)

Bandai Golf: Challenge Pebble Beach (NES)

Friday the 13th (NES)

Tecmo Bowl (NES)

Ultima III: Exodus (NES)

John Elway’s Quarterback (NES)

Baby Boomer (NES)

Marble Madness (NES)

Kung-Fu Heroes (NES)

Ys: The Vanished Omens (SMS)

Reggie Jackson Baseball (SMS)

World Games (NES)

Ninja Gaiden (NES)

The Adventures of Lolo (NES)

Amagon (NES)

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (NES)

Crystal Mines (NES)

Legacy of the Wizard (NES)

Fist of the North Star (NES)

Lord of the Sword (SMS)

Mappy-Land (NES)

Poseidon Wars 3-D (SMS)

Taboo: The Sixth Sense (NES)

Mystery Quest (NES)

Predator (NES)

Walter Payton Football (SMS)

The Guardian Legend (NES)

Rastan (SMS)

Alf (SMS)

California Games (SMS)

Master Chu and the Drunkard Hu (NES)

Operation Wolf (NES)

Tengen Tetris (NES)

Time Soldiers (SMS)

Vigilante (SMS)

Altered Beast (SMS)

Airwolf (NES)

California Games (NES)

Track & Field II (NES)

Desert Commander (NES)

Guerrilla War (NES)

Hoops (NES)

Hydlide (NES)

Metal Fighter (NES)

Montezuma’s Revenge (SMS)

Mega Man 2 (NES)

Shooting Range (NES)

Psycho Fox (SMS)

Monster Party (NES)

Nobunaga’s Ambition (NES)

The Adventures of Bayou Billy (NES)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (NES)

Alex Kidd: High-Tech World (SMS)

Cobra Triangle (NES)

Super Sprint (NES)

Strider (NES)

Raid 2020 (NES)

Defender of the Crown (NES)

Thundercade (NES)

Baseball Stars (NES)

Super Dodge Ball (NES)

King’s Quest: Quest for the Crown (SMS)

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (NES)

Dragon Warrior (NES)

Jordan vs. Bird: One on One (NES)

Cloud Master (SMS)

Bugs Bunny Crazy Castle (NES)

Faxanadu (NES)

Wanted (SMS)

Bad Dudes (NES)

Flying Dragon: The Secret Scroll (NES)

Altered Beast (Genesis)

Space Harrier II (Genesis)

Super Thunder Blade (Genesis)

Tommy Lasorda Baseball (Genesis)

Last Battle (Genesis)

Thunder Force II (Genesis)

Alex Kidd in The Enchanted Castle (Genesis)

Keith Courage in Alpha Zones (TG-16)

Victory Run (TG-16)

Alien Crush (TG-16)

The Legendary Axe (TG-16)

NFL Football (NES)

Sky Shark (NES)

P.O.W.: Prisoners of War (NES)

Hollywood Squares (NES)

Casino Games (SMS)

Dead Angle (SMS)

Bad Street Brawler (NES)

Back to the Future (NES)

Adventures of Dino-Riki (NES)

The Black Bass (NES)

Who Framed Roger Rabbit (NES)

Air Fortress (NES)

Captain Silver (SMS)

Sesame Street A-B-C (NES)

DuckTales (NES)

King’s Knight (NES)

Castlequest (NES)

World Championship Soccer (Genesis)

Fester’s Quest (NES)

Wonder Boy III: The Dragon’s Trap (SMS)

Spellcaster (SMS)

The Three Stooges (NES)

Casino Kid (NES)

Road Runner (NES)

The Adventures of Captain Comic (NES)

Twin Eagle (NES)

Galaxy Force (SMS)

Jeopardy! Junior Edition (NES)

Wheel of Fortune Junior Edition (NES)

Arnold Palmer Tournament Golf (Genesis)

Rolling Thunder (NES)

Goal! (NES)

Stealth ATF (NES)

Ghouls ‘n’ Ghosts (Genesis)

Godzilla (NES)

Romance of the Three Kingdoms (NES)

720 (NES)

Vigilante (TG-16)

Tetris (NES)

To the Earth (NES)

China Warrior (TG-16)

Blazing Lazers (TG-16)

R-Type (TG-16)

Dungeon Explorer (TG-16)

Vindicators (NES)

Power Golf (TG-16)

Silent Service (NES)

Dragon Spirit (TG-16)

Super Hang-On (Genesis)

Shadowgate (NES)

Championship Bowling (NES)

Truxton (Genesis)

The Uncanny X-Men (NES)

Rambo III (Genesis)

Alien Syndrome (NES)

Archon (NES)

World Class Baseball (TG-16)

Willow (NES)

Mystic Defender (Genesis)

Dig Dug II: Trouble in Paradise (NES)

Knight Rider (NES)

Monster Lair (TG-16)

The Battle of Olympus (NES)

Fantasy Zone (TG-16)

Cybernoid: The Fighting Machine (NES)

After Burner (NES)

Shinobi (NES)

Fighting Street (TG-16)

Moto Roader (TG-16)

Galaga ’90 (TG-16)

Toobin’ (NES)

World Court Tennis (TG-16)

All-Pro Basketball (NES)

Sidearms (TG-16)

Forgotten Worlds (Genesis)

RoboCop (NES)

IronSword: Wizards & Warriors II (NES)

The Revenge of Shinobi (Genesis)

Golden Axe (Genesis)

Ranking: The Best of 1989

Ranking: The Worst of 1989

1990

Chessmaster (NES)

Kings of the Beach (NES)

Rescue: The Embassy Mission (NES)

8 Eyes (NES)

Final Lap Twin (TG-16)

Challenge of the Dragon (NES)

Top Players’ Tennis (NES)

Clash at Demonhead (NES)

River City Ransom (NES)

Zoom! (Genesis)

Demon Sword (NES)

Rock ‘n Ball (NES)

Bases Loaded II: Second Season (NES)

Top Gun: The Second Mission (NES)

A Boy and His Blob (NES)

Infiltrator (NES)

Twin Cobra (NES)

RoadBlasters (NES)

Pac-Land (TG-16)

The Magic of Scheherazade (NES)

Genghis Khan (NES)

Herzog Zwei (Genesis)

Super Volleyball (TG-16)

Batman: The Video Game (NES)

Timeball (TG-16)

Destination Earthstar (NES)

Rollerball (NES)

Super Spike V’Ball (NES)

Space Harrier (TG-16)

Impossible Mission II (NES)

Dash Galaxy in the Alien Asylum (NES)

Menace Beach (NES)

Military Madness (TG-16)

Ordyne (TG-16)

Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES)

Deep Blue (TG-16)

Abadox: The Deadly Inner War (NES)

J.J. & Jeff (TG-16)

Kid Kool (NES)

Target: Renegade (NES)

Drop Off (TG-16)

Cratermaze (TG-16)

Fisher-Price: Perfect Fit (NES)

Al Unser Jr. Turbo Racing (NES)

Jack Nicklaus’ Greatest 18 Holes of Major Championship Golf (NES)

Golden Axe (SMS)

BoxyBoy (TG-16)

Code Name: Viper (NES)

Heavy Barrel (NES)

Terra Cresta (NES)

Vegas Dream (NES)

Wheel of Fortune Family Edition (NES)

Magic Johnson’s Fast Break (NES)

King Neptune’s Adventure (NES)

Adventures of Lolo 2 (NES)

Magician (NES)

Burai Fighter (NES)

Pyramid (NES)

Baseball Simulator 1.000 (NES)

Astynax (NES)

Fisher-Price: I Can Remember (NES)

Conflict (NES)

King of Casino (TG-16)

Win, Lose, or Draw (NES)

Phantasy Star II (Genesis)

Takin’ it to the Hoop (TG-16)

Tecmo World Wrestling (NES)

Dynowarz: Destruction of Spondylus (NES)

Slap Shot (SMS)

Double Strike (NES)

Super C (NES)

Phantom Fighter (NES)

WCW Wrestling (NES)

Ivan “Ironman” Stewart’s Super Off Road (NES)

Air Diver (Genesis)

Double Dare (NES)

Xexyz (NES)

Snoopy’s Silly Sports Spectacular (NES)

Snake’s Revenge (NES)

Pesterminator: The Western Exterminator (NES)

Wrath of the Black Manta (NES)

Ghostbusters II (NES)

Super Hydlide (Genesis)

Bonk’s Adventure (TG-16)

Pin*Bot (NES)

Neutopia (TG-16)

Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos (NES)

Remote Control (NES)

Final Fantasy (NES)

The P’radikus Conflict (NES)

Cyber Core (TG-16)

Shove It! The Warehouse Game (Genesis)

Chiller (NES)

Valis II (TG-16 CD)

Ys Book I&II (TG-16 CD)

Captain Skyhawk (NES)

Silk Worm (NES)

Ms. Pac-Man (Tengen) (NES)

RBI Baseball 2 (NES)

Dragon Spirit: The New Legend (NES)

Cabal (NES)

Deathbots (NES)

Adventures in the Magic Kingdom (NES)

Target Earth (Genesis)

Mechanized Attack (NES)

Starship Hector (NES)

Michael Andretti’s World GP (NES)

Shingen the Ruler (NES)

R.C. Grand Prix (SMS)

Wall Street Kid (NES)

Jeopardy! 25th Anniversary Edition (NES)