NES #22: Donkey Kong 3

 Developer: Nintendo

Publisher: Nintendo

Release Date: June 1986

When people think of classic arcade shooters they don't usually think of Donkey Kong. However, that's just what Donkey Kong 3 is. The forgotten third game in the trilogy is memorable for just how different it is from the first two games. First off there is no Mario. By this time he had graduated from the Donkey Kong franchise and was starring in his own games. Second it eschews the platforming from the first two games for single-screen shooting action. You now play as a gardener named Stanley out to protect his flower garden from a tired-looking DK. It's an odd premise and definite departure from the first two games, but it's much more fun that people give it credit for.

The easiest way to describe it is a cross between Galaxian and Defender. The main objective is shooting DK in the crotch until he reaches the top of the screen, but besides him there are diving insects everywhere. These insects also have a mind to steal Stanley's flowers. If you can make it through the levels without losing any flowers you get a big point bonus. This is an old arcade game of course so it's important to get as many points as possible. So this game because a bug shootout like Galaxian and an object saver like Defender. 

As odd as it sounds it all works. DK is a big target, but there's enough going on around him that it's always a challenge. In one level caterpillars block your shots. In another level the jumping platforms don't go all the way across in the middle which causes some new strategizing. DK will start to climb down if you don't shoot him fast enough, so you have to figure out a way to shoot him while constantly moving. It all adds up to some old-fashioned frantic arcade fun which is replicated almost perfectly on NES. That system really was great at classic arcade conversions.

I am going to rank Donkey Kong 3 fairly high. I know that it gets mediocre reviews, but I think it is a fun game. It might've done better without the Donkey Kong connection at all. Because it is a Donkey Kong game people expect a certain style. It doesn't meet that expectation so it ends up getting underrated. I can understand why people feel that way. It is, however, a fun game in its own right. I am ranking it at #34 right below Video Pinball. That's a respectable rating I think and still well into the green section. I recommend checking it out if you never have before. It's still a relatively cheap black box game, and now it's on Switch Online. You should check it out. Just don't go into it thinking it's going to be anything like the firsts two games.

NES Quality Percentage: 13/22 or 59.1%

images are from mobygames.com

NES #21: Balloon Fight

 Developer: Nintendo

Publisher: Nintendo

Release Date: June 1986

While 1986 was a busy year for the NES, it wasn't because of the games Nintendo released for it. 1986 was the first year to see third party support for the console. The fact that Bandai, Capcom, and Data East were now on board greatly improved the machine's chances of succeeding. However, as far as first party support goes it was probably the weakest year until the 90s. Since they didn't even go national until 1986 I suppose this makes sense. Most people hadn't even got to play any of the launch titles until well into the year, and as I have already written there were many good original games to select from. 1987 would be the watershed year that saw Metroid, The Legend of Zelda, and Kid Icarus make their debuts. 1986 was relegated to mostly arcade conversions. While it was nice to get such a good home version of Donkey Kong and Popeye, these were mostly games that people likely already had on an earlier console. One of the few original first party games to come out was Balloon Fight, and it's original in only the most liberal sense. In reality it plays almost identical to Williams' classic game Joust. It's a rare case of Nintendo copying some else before becoming the company that would get copied. I'm a little surprised they didn't get sued and are able to keep releasing the game over and over. I guess they changed just enough to make it okay.

The way it works is that you are a floating man with two balloons taking down groups of other men wearing single balloons. The object is to hit them higher than they hit you and thus popping their balloons. If you are reduced to only one balloon flying becomes more difficult. Hitting them again will net you some bonus points. Getting a high score is the main goal of this mode. The main difference between this game mode and Joust is that there are no eggs to collect and there is a greater variety of level layouts. The original Joust used the same layout every time and only varied in the number of platforms that were available. Balloon Fight is a richer world with platforms in all different places. It's still a single screen game, but it does more with the one screen than Joust did. Still the basic gameplay is the same. 

What sets this game apart is the balloon trip mode. In this mode you move along a scrolling screen collecting balloons and avoiding electrified walls. My favorite part about it is the ranking counter in the top right corner. I love rankings in general of course, but it's a good way to have a goal. I considered this game beat when I scrolled the levels in game A and got to first place in balloon trip. It's not an easy task either. You know it's hard when you get points for simply surviving. Still I persevered and managed to get all the way to first place. It was very satisfying.

So Balloon Fight is fun even if half the game is extremely derivative. I would say it's better than any home versions of Joust out at the time even though the 2600 version is a lot of fun. It's one of those arcade games that doesn't take too long to play and is easy to improve upon. I think it would take a long time for me to reach my ceiling in this game. This is a game that I always enjoy more than I expect, and it's easily going into the green section. 

NES Quality Percentage: 12/21 or 57.14%

Screenshots are from mobygames.com