Three Famicom games I want to like, but can't

I'm sure this will sound a tad fanboy-ish, but it can't be helped (since, for me, it's the truth): I've rarely encountered a Nintendo-developed game that I didn't end up liking after spending some quality time with it.

Interestingly, most of the ones that haven't clicked with me were released during the Famicom's--or the Nintendo Entertainment System's, if that's how you roll--first year or two on the market.

Case in point: The three Nintendo-made carts below, each of which I've tried my darndest to enjoy but in the end just couldn't bring myself to do so.

1. Clu Clu Land (1984)

Why I want to like it: It's colorful. It's cute. Its box art is appealing. Uh, isn't that enough?

Why I can't: For some strange reason, Clu Clu Land's controls don't agree with me at all. I feel like I'm drunk whenever I play it--or that I've lost all sense of coordination, at the very least. Maybe my brain just isn't wired in a way that allows me to enjoy this superficially appealing game?

2. Tennis (1984)

Why I want to like it: I'm a huge fan of the sport. As such, a tennis game really has to suck for me to not like it.

Why I can't: Although I wouldn't say this is the worst tennis game ever made, it's pretty close to earning that title thanks to its slippery and severely limited controls. (Also, defeating computer-controlled opponents often is hair-pullingly difficult.)

3. Urban Champion (1984)

Why I want to like it: It's one of the earliest one-on-one fighting games to hit the home market. Also, it features some fairly unique and even innovative controls for an 8-bit brawler. Finally, I find the Japanese version's box art completely charming.

Why I can't: Despite all of the above, and despite how much I desperately want to enjoy it, Urban Champion has always bored me to tears--when it isn't making me want to chuck my controller through the TV screen.

See also: 'Three PC Engine games I want to like, but can't' and 'Three more PC Engine games that I want to like, but can't'

Three more PC Engine games that I want to like, but can't

A few weeks ago, I published a post about three Namcot-made PC Engine games that I want to like but can't. Well, here are three more such games--although, in this case, only one of them was produced by the folks responsible for Pac-Man.

1. Batman (1990)

Why I want to like it: It's a Batman game. Duh! Also, I rather like the look of the Batman sprite and the top-down view of the action--a welcome change from all of the side-scrolling efforts (like this one and this one) that flooded the market following the success of Tim Burton's 1989 film.

Why I can't: It's pretty darn boring. It starts off well enough, but after a few levels your eyes glaze over (or at least mine did) due to this Sunsoft-developed title's dreary, repetitive environs and yawn-inducing gameplay.

2. Deep Blue (1989)

Why I want to like it: Well, there's the game's box art, for starters, which intriguingly shows a fish-shaped ship firing at a gigantic octopus. And then there are its in-game graphics, which are--in screenshots, at least--similarly intriguing thanks to their gritty, somewhat-realistic sheen.

Why I can't: Unfortunately, those gritty, somewhat-realistic graphics are awfully repetitive in action. That's the least of this Pack-in-Video-made title's problems, though. Much more offensive than its graphics is its gameplay, which pits your slow, underpowered fish-sub against hordes of speedy, zig-zagging gill-breathers that are nearly impossible to avoid.  

3. Marchen Maze (1990)

Why I want to like it: Anyone who has been visiting this blog for more than a day or so likely knows I'm a sucker for cute games. Well, this Alice in Wonderland-esque release definitely fits into that category thanks to its bubble-blowing, pigtailed protagonist and a cast of "baddies" that include sunglasses-wearing mushrooms and pink, wind-up-toy penguins.

Why I can't: This game may be cute, but it's no cakewalk. In fact, it's frustratingly--and often cheaply--challenging. You're constantly being barraged with bullets and other obstacles that send you over the brink (each stage is a platform that floats in space) and eat up one of your precious lives.

It should be noted that none of the above-mentioned games are terrible. On the contrary, each of them contain one or two or even three elements (such as graphics, music or overall concept) that make me think they could be completely enjoyable--if only they didn't contain a number of flaws, too.

See also: 'Three PC Engine games I want to like, but can't'

Three PC Engine games I want to like, but can't

Although all of the games detailed in this post were developed by the folks at Namco/Namcot, don't take that to mean that I dislike Namcot products. On the contrary, I consider some of the company's games--such as Dig Dug, Galaga, Mappy and Pac-Man--to be all-time favorites.

That said, the following trio of PC Engine releases are games that I'd love to call all-time favorites but can't for a number of reasons.

1. Barunba (1990)

Why I want to like it: The game's logo is pretty spiffy (it even has stars where the letters' holes should be!), as is its overall cover art, which showcases what seems to be Barunba's raison d'etre--its globe-shaped ship with its rotatable weapons.

Why I can't: Unfortunately, said cover art is, by far, the best thing about this forced-scrolling shmup. Its graphics can only be described as ugly, and its sound effects are just this side of ear-splitting. The worst part of this pixelated package, though, is that it's flat-out boring thanks in large part to overly long and uninspired levels.

2. Pac-Land (1989)

Why I want to like it: I distinctly remember seeing this game for the first time in a local arcade. "It's like Pac-Man mixed with Super Mario Bros!" I thought with amazement and wonder. (Superficially, that thought was spot-on, by the way, as Pac-Land looks exactly as you'd expect a Pac-Man-based platformer from the 8-bit era to look.)

Why I can't: Then I played it. To say I wasn't as impressed as I thought I'd be would be a massive understatement. The graphics are dull, but I'd happily embrace them if the gameplay weren't even duller--not to mention overly difficult. That rather brutal combination keeps me from playing it more than once or twice a year--and even then I only do so for a few minutes (which is how long it takes me to remember what an absolute turd this game is).

3. Wonder Momo (1989)

Why I want to like it: I hate to sound like a broken record, but Wonder Momo shares a number of traits with Barunba. Specifically, it has cute cover art ... and that's about it. OK, so it also has a cute protagonist.

Why I can't: A cute protagonist doesn't mean much, though, when the game she stars in is a complete and utter bore. It means even less when said game features iffy controls (Wonder Momo's jump kick is the worst offender here) and yawn-inducing enemy designs and backdrops.

I can't publish this post without mentioning that I originally intended to include The Tower of Druaga, too, but after picking up and playing it for the first time in a number of months (if not years) I discovered that the game isn't as bad as I thought it was. In fact, I now quite like it--although I can understand why many feel otherwise.

Note: This post originally appeared on my other gaming blog, iwasateenagepcenginefan.wordpress.com.