Maniac Mansion


Stats:
System: NES
Release Year: 1987
Publisher: Jaleco
Developer: LucasArts
Number of Players: 1
ESRB: N/A

Plot

There are weird people living in Maniac Mansion: Dr. Fred, a "retired" physician turned mad scientist; Nurse Edna, a former health care professional whose hobbies would make a sailor blush; Weird Ed, a teenage commando with a hamster fetish; and then there's Dead Cousin Ted, and the Tentacle, and somebody-or something-else... And what's a sweet young cheerleader named Sandy doing in Dr. Fred's basement?

The perfect port of the PC game with a few extra surprises. One being an NES with the Super Mario Bros. cartridge inside. You control Dave, Sandy's boyfriend, and two of seven other kids who have their own special abilities. Nintendo and co. had high hopes for this game considering how popular it was on the PC. However, this game did not quite live up to it's expectations

Overview

A classic PC game, there were high hopes for the NES port. This game was expected to sell highly due to it's popularity. However, while it may have absorbed the interests of the PC community, hardcore console gamers were dissapointed. Maniac Mansion presented a new layout to the console world. You click on a person or thing, then name a command (pull, push, pick up, give, what is, etc), and then the game does whatever you commanded. If you have ever played any of the Monkey Island series, you'd know what I'm talking about. Indeed, this game was probably the most interactive title for the NES. However, being a direct port has it's ups and downs. The sound quality is very poor, limited to a few beeps and blurps. Although the sounds would have been standard quality for the 1984 PC, a 1987 NES game has higher expectations. The graphics were okay but were by no means flashy or eye-catching (flat, if anything). Though the gameplay was new to console, it sadly lacked in appeal. You are in for a long, drawn out game that can present a few headaches. It's greatest appeal was to the puzzle-RPG gamers, but action gamers of the Punch-Out category had no interest in the game whatsoever.

In conclusion, this game was great on the PC, and a perfect port to the NES. And that costed itself the popularity it would otherwise deserve. If you love Monkey Island or brain-challenging games, this game is highly recommended.