The Adventures of Bayou Billy

This game is from Konami, the same company that made games like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for the Nintendo Entertainment System.
First, the game play is very interesting. This game is both difficult to play and yet somewhat realistic. The main character (Billy) is just a normal guy from the bayou. He has to fight all kinds of different things, including alligators. The problem is that the bad guys seem to be moving all the time. It is almost like Billy has to dance around them until he can get a good kick. The jumping in this game is only possible with a kick included. The graphics are not that bad but there are some screen glitches that do stand out. The music is the best thing about this game. It has a cajun feel throughout. There is also a sound test which is cool.
My final thoughts: This game is really difficult. The worst part is the fighting. If you can get past level one then maybe you can find a jeep to drive and then use the NES Zapper to shoot the bad guys.

Graphics: 7 out of 10
Sound and Music: 9 out of 10
Presentation: 7 out of 10
Game play: 5 out of 10

Overall: 6 out of 10

Konami Collector's Series: Arcade Advance

This game is actually 6 games in one. You get near perfect arcade ports of Frogger, Gyruss, Time Pilot, Rush'n Attack, Scramble, and Yie Ar Kung-Fu. Frogger is basically moving a frog to the top of the screen while avoiding highway traffic and other obstacles. Very fun, very simple. Gyruss is a shooter where you move a spaceship in a circle motion to kill enemies spawning from the center. It is addictive and has very good music, a very fun game. Time Pilot lets you pilot a plane while shooting enemy planes, and you transport to different time periods like the future and 1940. It is fun and mostly challenging. Rush'n Attack is a lot like the NES game, you kill enemies with your baton while going from left to right. It's challenging and a very good game. Yie Ar Kung-Fu is one of the best games on this cartridge. It's a fighting game, but only one on one, where you challenge all of the best kung fu masters, and they get harder as you beat each one. However, the game is very challenging because you don't have very many lives, and it takes a lot of trial and error. This game saves your high scores, with one problem: when you turn the system off, the high scores are erased. Bummer. But the gameplay you get with this cartridge is unparralleled, and you will be playing Arcade Advance for hours on end. These are some of Konami's best arcade games, too. A great budget title, and one of my favorite GBA games. Go play it!

Graphics- 5.9 out of 10
Sound and Music- 9.0 out of 10 (near-perfect port!)
Presentation- 6.3 out of 10
Gameplay- 10 out of 10

Overall- 8.5 out of 10

Double Dribble

Konami and basketball combine to make "Double Dribble". This game is 1-2 players.

As far as I know the ability to double dribble is not something that can be performed in this game. There are foul shots and out-of-bounds calls. The game-play is simple and there is a bit of strategy to it. I think it is an easy game once you figure out how it works. There is a shot in the game (three-points) that will go in 90% of the time. A three-point shot on the outside corners (when lined up correctly) will go in. The difficulty is most difficult on "level 3". On that level the CPU will steal the ball between passes more often.

This game is trying to be like a real NBA basketball game even if there are only 6 players on the court. The camera angle is an overhead side view. It works well. The teams: Boston, Chicago, L.A., New York. Not real teams but real cities. Clock options: 5:00, 10:00, 20:00, 30:00. The shot clock runs faster than normal. The graphics are good. Whenever a slam dunk happens a special picture will show the dunk in stop-motion slow-mo. The sound is basic and works well too. No music during the game but there is music during the half-time show. Overall this is a fun but very easy basketball game for the Nintendo Entertainment System. I would like to see some sort of tournament bracket in the game (too bad it was not included). If you like basketball video games then you might want to play it.

Graphics: 6.5 out of 10

Music and sound: 5 out of 10

Game-play: 7.6 out of 10

Presentation: 6.4 out of 10

Overall: 7 out of 10

Frogger Beyond

Frogger Beyond is another 3D Frogger adventure. This review is for the GameCube Frogger Beyond (2002) game from Konami. This is the first 3D Frogger game I have been able to play. I am impressed!

The story: Frogger is going to go before The Great Council a day before his birthday. He must prove that he is old enough to be a man. To prove that he is an old frog he must conquer each world that the elders put before him. The story seems a little "out there" but the game play is very fun.

This game looks like a "kids" game but it really is not. Each new world becomes more difficult to complete. The game play is very much like the Frogger we know. Frogger hops one jump at a time in a 3D world. On lily pads and floating squares. The camera views can be deceiving because it is a 3D world. The music is great featuring a rap song about Frogger and his pals. The graphics are good too. I think Frogger Beyond is a good puzzle game with a good number of levels. There are a few problems with the camera angles but the overall game is good. If you like Frogger or puzzle games then you should play this game.

Graphics: 7.9 out of 10

Music and sound: 9 out of 10

Game play: 8.8 out 0f 10

Presentation: 7 out of 10

Overall: 8.8 out of 10

Contra: Shattered Soldier

Contra Shattered Soldier is a fun PS2 game. There are no doubts there. The action is very straight forward, and the objective is clear--shoot everything in site!

Only available on the PS2, Contra: Shattered Soldier tells a strange story about two guys trying to save the world. But the story is not what this game is about. This
game is about ACTION. LOTS OF ACTION. And that is what you get with CSS. You can play with up to two players, just like the NES Contra, and all of the awesome shooting action of that game is here, only bigger and much better looking. You might see a gigantic eyeball up ahead that wants to kill you, but then it gets squashed by an even bigger monstrosity. The game is extremely difficult. I can't get this point across enough. Even if you memorize all of the patterns of the enemies and bosses, you will still have to have quicks wits and quicker reflexes to stop them. The game is also very fast-paced. You must think fast or you will die. It's not too bad on easy mode because you get a lot of lives. You could probably beat the game on easy mode. I still haven't.

Graphics- 8.0 out of 10
Sound and Music- 8.0 out of 10
Gameplay- 9.0 out of 10
Presentation- 9.9 out of 10

Overall- 8.9 out of 10

Contra: The Alien Wars

Contra The Alien Wars for Game Boy. Also known as "Probotector". This 1994 game from Konami is set in A.D. 2636. I find this game to be a really fun action game for the Game Boy.

The story begins with aliens invading and causing massive problems to the city. "It's time for revenge". This game is the Contra III for the Game Boy. This game does not have very many levels, but if you play on a harder difficulty more levels are present. The different settings of difficulty: easy, normal, hard, maniac. There is also a sound test that features: Mono (one speaker?), stereo (two speakers) and fx (only sound effects). There is also a song test mode in the options.

The game play is much like all the other Contra games. He may run a bit slower but the jumping and shooting are all the same. I like the option of difficulty. This game can be played on easy or hard. The sound and music are really good for a Game Boy system. With 10 songs. The presentation is basic, not much going on. The graphics are OK. Very much like the other Contra games and it plays well.

Graphics: 7 out of 10
Sound and Music: 8 out of 10
Game play: 7.2 out of 10
Presentation: 3 out of 10

Overall: 8.1 out of 10

Metal Gear Solid

It is called Metal Gear Solid (USA) and it is for the Gameboy Color. It was released by Konami in the year 2000. Only for GameBoy Color.

A secret project to revive another Metal Gear robot is the story plot in this game. Solid Snake must stop it. The story is new and in some ways it is not as confusing as the other Metal Gear Solid games. The game play is simple and fun. Solid Snake can crawl, shoot, climb and do many of the things that can be seen in the Playstation Metal Gear game. The graphics are really good for Gameboy Color. The sound and music is original and blends well with the story. There are bosses in this game and they can be puzzling to beat at times but not too difficult. Some points in the game can be complex and confusing. Finding some explosives and finding the correct wall to explode can take too much time.

There is also a "time trial" mode after you beat each level. A training mode too with a virtual simulation. The biggest problem I have with this game is that it can be hard to know what to do at some points. Sometimes it is just too hard.

If you can find this game for the right price and if you like the Metal Gear games then you should play this. I think it is one of the best Gameboy Color games.

Graphics: 9 out of 10
Sound and Music: 9 out of 10
Gameplay: 8 out of 10
Presentation: 10 out of 10

Overall: 8.6 out of 10