I can't believe I'm about to say this, but there's real movement over on the Nintendo Switch Online subscription service. Having recently added more Genesis and Nintendo 64 games, it's time for Nintendo to shift focus back to their 8- and 16-bit systems. That's right, both the Nintendo Entertainment System and Super NES are getting some love this week, thanks to the release of Daiva Story 6: Imperial of Nirsartia on the NES and both Fighter's History and Kirby's Avalanche on the Super Nintendo. It's great seeing the support, but are any of these games actually worth playing? In order to answer that question, I decided to flip through the pages of Electronic Gaming Monthly, GamePro, Super Play and more classic magazines to see what the critics said when these games first came out. There's no need to get your lawyers involved, because this is another litigious episode of the Nintendo Switch Online Review Crew!


Let's say you really want to play Street Fighter II, but you've already played it to death so what you really want is a game that's exactly like Street Fighter II in every way, shape and form. If that describes you, then let me introduce you to Fighter's History, a fighting game that is so similar to Street Fighter II that Capcom actually sued Data East for copyright infringement. Thankfully, Capcom lost, allowing us to experience a one-on-one fighter that may not be one of the top-tier titles of the 1990s, but is still a lot of fun with friends. Like I said at the top, it's perfect for Street Fighter II fans that are looking for something a little different, but not too different.

When it came to the critics, mostly found them on the side of Team Data East, arguing that the game is not that similar to Street Fighter II. Electronic Gaming Monthly's Sushi-X argued that “after all the publicity of this game with the Capcom suit, I don't see it being that similar. Several characters have fireball moves and such, but it doesn't possess the feel of Street Fighter II.” He gave it a six complaining that “it could have benefited from some new innovations or more variety of moves.” Steve liked it a little more, concluding that Fighter's History “succeeds where many fail: The control. Its controls are really good, and there are a lot of moves per character. Overall, a good game to pick up if you enjoy fighting carts.”

Although Die Hard Game Fan would go hard with rave reviews and scores averaging an 82%, the highest mark actually came from Super Play in the UK. Giving it an 85%, Tony Mott noted that “Fighter's History is just about as good as the original Street Fighter II, with fine character weighting, satisfyingly solid connection of blows and plenty of room for combos. There's no crazy speed option and there's only two bosses, but when all's said and done, if you're dying for more straight Street Fighter II-style action, you can't go far wrong with this.”

Back in the United States, GamePro was not as impressed. Giving it a 3.5 out of 5, they called it a “decent clone of Street Fighter II, but somewhere along the way, Data East missed a gene or two This game is a historic piece of rental material.” That's harsh, but nowhere near the game's lowest score. For that we turn to Nintendo Power, who ended up giving Fighter's History a 2.8 out of 5. They liked the “good play control and graphics,” but complained that there's “little originality. Data East may have won in the courts, but players won't find many new features to recommend Fighter's History over Street Fighter II.” Oh, they also hated the annoying sound track and poor voice samples. All in all, it's a bit of a mixed bag. While some critics liked it, they all agreed that it was never going to overtake the top-tier fighting games on the market. I say download the game for yourself and see if Capcom made the right decision to get their lawyers involved. Hey, remember how in the last episode I complained that Nintendo felt they needed to attach popular characters to get people to buy highly-addictive puzzle games? Well, here we go again with Kirby's Avalanche, their Americanized version of Super Puyo Puyo, released on the Super Nintendo all the way back in 1995. Much like the puzzlers starring Pokemon and Yoshi, Avalanche adds a bunch of Kirby characters and levels to a completely unrelated puzzle game, creating a fun and colorful game that is great with two-players.

This continues to be a winning combination with the critics, since these games were already great puzzlers even before getting reskinned. Even NEXT Generation liked it, a rare feat for a 16-bit game from a played-out genre. Giving it a 4 out of 5, they noted that “Kirby's Avalanche is an amalgam of Tetris and Dr. Mario (which was itself a Tetris clone – haven't seen this much inbreeding since that Deliverance touring company came on through). While we've seen this kind of game before, and this version doesn't offer any improvements, it's still excellent fun.”

Super Play also liked the game, giving it a 91%, the highest marks of any classic magazine. They explained that the “last time we looked at it, we said that consoles were made for games like this. The sentiment still applies. We may now be looking toward the super consoles for next-generation thrills, but it only takes something like this to make you realize that good games are all about gameplay.”

Nintendo Power agreed with the consensus, but gave the game a lowish 3.3 out of 5 when they reviewed it in their 69th issue. On the flip side, GamePro gave Kirby's Avalanche a 4.5 out of 5, but you might think they gave it a much lower score when you read their review: “If you've played similar puzzlers, you'll find nothing new about Kirby's Avalanche. If you haven't, it's a well-done little game that might just suit your style.” Yeah, that's not the sound of a game that nearly got a perfect score. But hey, I'm not here to question their scores, I'm just reporting on them. What I will say is that Kirby's Avalanche remains a great playing version of Puyo-Puyo. If you've never played it before or don't currently have a version on your Switch, then this is an absolute must.