Dungeons and Dragons: Shadow over Mystara Arcade Review

Fifty-One

Total cost to finish game: $12.75

Released 3 years after D&D: Tower of Doom, D&D: Shadow over Mystara displays improvements in both graphics and gameplay from Tower of Doom. The storyline picks up from events in Tower of Doom and chronicles the attempts of a group of heroes to thwart the resurrection of Raziel the immortal. Updated graphics are on display in both the backgrounds, enemy renderings and the effects of character and enemy attacks. Gameplay is little changed from Tower of Doom on the fighting side. However, Shadow over Mystara plays with gameplay styles like escape the baddie and explore the village gameplay styles in a departure from the pure hack'n'slash gameply of Tower of Doom. Given this was the 2nd D&D Capcom action fighting title I had played, I was more used to executing special moves and item attacks this time around. As a result, I felt that the item system in Shadow over Mystara was more useful and had a positive effect on gameplay. Difficulty in Shadow over Mystara is worse than Tower of Doom, if that could be possible. The game is designed for multiplayer, so the single players needs to come loaded for bear with several rolls of quarters to hope to finish this game. D&D: Shadow of Mystara is a worthy sequel to Tower of Doom and deserves a play through, just remember to bring a bowl full of quarters to the party.

Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom Arcade Review

Forty-One

Total Cost to finish game: $10.25


This game represents one of those fairly rare collaborations between US and Japanese gaming companies. In this case SSI and TSR, of dungeons and dragons roleplaying fame, teamed up with Capcom to produce a side-scrolling action 4-person fighter. The results of this collaboration are pretty good. You get the playablility and graphic finesse of Capcom combined with the backstory, characters and variety of SSI and TSR. Since this is 1993, graphics are in the Street Fighter II/III mold. There is a plotline to this game, albeit a thin one. SSI and TSR throw in branching paths through the main game, which gives you interesting sublevels and an incentive to play through the game more than once. The locations in the game are varied and the levels show a nice progression through different environments. Enemies run the gambit of D&D inhabitants, from gnolls, kobolds, and troglodytes, to dark elves and dragons. The game implements an item system that is awkward to access in the heat of battle, but the items can help stem the flood of enemies assaulting you onscreen. Your characters are varied in both their normal moves and special attacks. The difficulty and number of enemies seem to favor a warrior, dwarf or cleric for those wishing to actually finish the game. Framerate keeps smooth, even when the screen is flooded with characters moving about. Game difficulty is a problem, though. Dungeons and Dragons: Tower of Doom plays like Golden Axe on growth hormone. This game is meant to be played by a group of 4 people. The game does not scale back the difficulty for a single player. 1 or 4 people you get hit with the same number of baddies. Play the game along and easily expect to spend 11.00 to finish the game. Enemies take many hits to kill and bosses are an exercise in popping quarters as their health gets whittled away by your attacks oh so slowly. Some of the mid and end game bosses are ridiculously tough to kill. Still, its tough to deny the game has real charm and this Capcom title plays great, easily fitting into a good pedigree of arcarde titles from Capcom like the Street Fighter Series and Aliens Vs. Predator. If you find this title squirreled away in an arcade, get a roll of quarters or two and have at it for some good old hack'n'slash fun the Capcom way.

Mercs Arcade Review

Eleven

Total cost to finish game : $3.75


This lightweight vertical and side scrolling shooter is another fun title from Capcom. The game puts you in the role of a mercenary assigned to bring down an evil military government in a vaguely middle-eastern country. You play a blond-haired Rambo clone in a blue pantstraps. Background detail and framerate are good, even when moving objects fill the screen. Weapon selection is moderate with good variety between area damage weapons like shotguns and flamethrowers and rapid fire weapons like machine guns and power guns. Difficulty is easy to moderate. Don't expect a shooter like Konami's contra. Mercs' diffulty level is tuned for arcade lightweights. End bosses lack any differention from ingame bosses. End Game Sequence is succinct but I love how you can hit the fire button to fast forward through the credits. No surprises here, a solid action game from Capcom, one I would recommend you play if you find it in an arcade or pizza joint somewhere.