Private Joker's Master System Collection

Week number 7 and here we are again with another completely random game. I really hope it's a good one, because I'm looking forward to playing a little longer than usual.

Welcome to the land of the ancient Aztecs!

Aztec Adventure

A platform game this time and eventhough my copy looked absolutely in mint condition, I still had some trouble starting it up. I used a bit of rubbing alcohol to clean the connection pins on the cart since blowing on it didn't do the trick this time.

Tip! Put some rubbing alcohol on a cue tip and rub it on both sides of the connection pins. You can be quite firm on this part because the copper can take it. Make sure the connections are dry before putting the cart in your console.

Do not use the same strong product on inserts, consoles or the plastic covers of your Master System games or any other games for that matter. It will damage your items. I will try to make a blog entry with tips & tricks on how to clean your Master System stuff soon.

Of course, the tough guy I am, I decided not to use any allies during the first attempt. I got through the first stage pretty easily and only lost one life because of the jumping frogs. Damn those bastards are quick!

The graphics in this game are great. Nice looking characters and vibrant colours. It's a joy to play with Niño and his cute little red hat.

The soundtrack is not all that special, but as I said before, if it's not annoying you and make you want to kill yourself, then it's an ok soundtrack.

First attempt: Death by bat. (did not see my score)

For the second attempt, I thought I'd call in some help from some of my ennemies.

They didn't seem too useful during this attempt. More like a suicide squad you have close to you but not once do they wield their swords... However, without their help, I still got passed bat number one and I'm still enjoying the game. Some ennemies are difficult to master in the second level and my lack of skills is starting to bother me again.

I can already suggest you take the Golden Road to Paradise as well and see if you also dig this game. You won't be annoyed by crappy controls and only rarely do you see a slowdown when the situation gets a bit hectic. The game plays fluently, yet slow. The walking speed could have been enhanced a bit or maybe a speed button would've been useful.

Second attempt: Death by bat n° 2 (30.400)

Concerning the general difficulty of the game, I think you'll still be challenged by some of the ennemies and random shooting patterns. The level designs aren't all that complecated and eventhough the background can get a bit repetitive, the graphics will keep you amused in my opinion.

Fun Fact: The Japanese title for this game is Nazca '88. The '88 could stand for the year of release, but that's not the case here. The game was released in 1987 instead. Maybe there was a mix-up and the game got released a couple of months early, or it's just a reference to the future.

Ok, I'll need some more practise I think. Messed up in the third attempt and lost all will to live before the end of level one... Sticking to the rules, that means end of the review and here are the final scores.

FYI, I will add a scale to the grades in the homepage.

My grading:

- Graphics: 8/10

- Soundtrack: 6/10

- Gameplay: 6/10

- Difficulty: 7/10

All in all a simple but fun and entertaining game. Have a go and tell me in the comments what you think. Add your score and we can compare!