Nintendo Power's Worst Reviewed Games of 1989

Fist of the North Star

#5

A martial art's game in the style of Kung Fu, Fist of the North Star is a 2D brawler with an involving story. Apparently the unique characters and special moves weren't enough to keep Nintendo Power interested in this anime game. The magazine felt that everything from the graphics to gameplay were middling, and the game quickly became too difficult to be any fun. Nintendo Power noted Ken's ever-changing moves, but didn't feel it was enough to give Fist of the North Star a recommendation.

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

#4

Now here's something you don't see very often: While reviewing The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Nintendo Power concluded that you're better off reading the classic book. While the editors liked the graphics and ability to continue, they found the action repetitive and the challenge lacking. They spent most of the review name-dropping the various characters, including Becky Thatcher, Huckleberry Finn and Injun Joe. Yeah, Injun Joe gets a shout out in a Nintendo Power review. The 1980s were weird.

Bugs Bunny's Crazy Castle

#3

Bugs Bunny deserves better than this. You might think that a magazine that raved about Sesame Street ABC would have a soft spot for that wascally wabbit, but that was not the case when it came to Bugs Bunny's Crazy Castle on the Nintendo Entertainment System. Although it has all of our favorite Looney Tunes characters, Nintendo Power was miffed that the 60 rooms were made up of puzzle solving and crate pushing. They noted the poor challenge and had mixed thoughts about the presentation.

Jordan vs. Bird: One on One

#2

Not to be confused with the wildly popular Electronic Arts game, Jordan vs. Bird: One on One was a tedious basketball title from Milton Bradley. While most sports games let you choose from a whole team of athletes, this one-on-one challenge only has two selectable characters. Nintendo Power thought the visuals were passable, but decided the play control and challenge to be below average. With a score of 2.2 out of 5, the editors found the fun was lacking and the game hard to recommend. Jordan vs. Bird: One on One is a game worth sitting out.

Hydlide

#1

A terrible role-playing game at a time before American gamers knew what they were missing. Hydlide is burdened with ugly graphics, sluggish gameplay, bad writing and, to top it all off, a stupid name. At their most generous, Nintendo Power noted that the story is so bizarre, it's beyond even what they are used to. Over at Electronic Gaming Monthly, Hydlide led to one of the best reviews of all time: "I can't remember what this game was about. That's about all I can say about Hydlide."