For those who thought Nintendo would slow down when it came to their online service, guess again. We're back with yet another big update, and this is a good one. This week we're getting Amazing Hebereke and Wrecking Crew '98, two 16-bit classics that are coming to America for the first time ever. On top of that, shoot ‘em up fans will have something to celebrate, as Super R-Type is hitting the online library. That's exciting news, but are any of these games actually worth playing? To answer that question, I decided to flip through the pages of Electronic Gaming Monthly, Computer & Video Games, Super Play and more classic magazines to see what the critics said back when these games first came out. Get your Force Bit ready, because we're blasting off with another exciting episode of Nintendo Switch Online Review Crew!


Although R-Type was one of the biggest shoot ‘em ups of the 1980s, it somehow never made its way to the Nintendo Entertainment System. This was one of the few times when Sega Master System fans and early TurboGrafx-16 adopters had something big to hang over the heads of their NES-owning friends, as this horror-themed shooter is a legitimate classic. But don't worry, Nintendo fans, because Irem had you covered with Super R-Type, an early generation Super NES game that was essentially a 16-bit reworking of R-Type 2. While not as iconic as the original, this sequel still gave us a taste of what made the series so great in the first place, including gorgeous levels and cool bosses that were clearly inspired by the artwork of H.R. Giger. Best of all, the Force Bit is back and just as much to play with. This was always the key to R-Type's success. It was a round shield that could be attached to any side of your craft, as well as flung at enemies like a projectile. It worked as both an offensive and defensive helper, quite literally shielding the player from bullets and bad guys. That said, this game has a reputation for being extremely tough and full of those annoying slowdowns that plagued Super NES games in the early days. Let's see how that impacts the opinions and scores from back when Super R-Type came out.

As we so often do, we're going to start with Electronic Gaming Monthly, who ends up being perched right in the middle of the Super R-Type divide. They ultimately liked the game, giving it a solid average of 8 out of 10. Ed called it “Easily the best Super NES shooter on the market. But, it appears that it is too good. Whether the massive slowdown is due to the slow CPU in the Super NES or inexperienced programmers, it is major! Stunning graphics, fantastic weapons and huge bosses make it a sight to see, though.” Steve agreed, calling Super R-Type a “hodge-podge of the very best from both the arcade games with a large cup of new material thrown in for good measure. It's too easy and too short, but the trip is spectacular.”

EGM's 8 out of 10 score basically lines up with a lot of critics at the time, including GamePro, who gave the game a 4 out of 5 back in November 1991. You also saw a similar score from Nintendo Magazine System, who went with a slightly higher 82%. On the lower side, you have Nintendo Power giving the a 3.5 out of 5, the lowest score I could find. That lines up with Super Play, who went with a 72% and called Super R-Type “a pretty good game.” “It retains a lot of the traditional R-Type strengths – it not only looks great (when it's not moving, at least), there's also plenty of variety in the types of foe you'll encounter and techniques needed to dispatch them. This isn't just a flying-along-with-your-thumb-on-fire sort of game. A disappointment, then, but not a complete disaster. Think about it.”

On a more positive note, Super Gaming liked the import version enough to give it an average score of 8.7 out of 10. ACE went a little big higher. Actually, thanks to their ridiculous one-thousand-point scale, ACE went a LOT higher, giving it an 890. Back down Earth, Mean Machines went with an impressive 90%. For what it's worth, the highest score actually comes from fellow UK mag, Computer & Video Games, which went one tick higher with a 91%. Paul Rand called Super R-Type the most eagerly awaited Super Famicom game, “but is it the blaster to end ‘em all, or was all the talk just a lot of hot air? Well, you can see from the screenshots that Nintendo's 16-bit wonder has excelled itself in recreating the coin-op's highly detailed graphic style, capturing all the sprites and backdrops perfectly and even including a brand-new level for the home version. It's only on sitting down to play Super R-Type that you begin to notice the flaws. For instance, the scrolling isn't nearly as smooth as it could have been. Also, horror of horrors, there's an abominable slow-down when there are a lot of sprites on-screen at the same time. But when push comes to shove, were I to fork out for this cart, I would be feeling slightly cheesed off that it isn't the masterpiece it could have perhaps been.” And again, I'll note that this is from a magazine that gave the game a 91%, the highest score I could find.

Look, it's true, Super R-Type has problems. The graphics are great, but the slow downs and extreme difficulty really hurt the game. Thankfully, you can save your progress anywhere with the Switch version, so at least the difficulty will be a little more manageable this time around. I say give it a shot, but know that the real fun is in Irem's next R-Type game – The Third Lightning. Let's hope we get that in a future update.

If you've never heard of Hebereke, don't feel bad. Despite being one of Sunsoft's most beloved characters for decades, American gamers were never properly introduced to the weird little penguin character. In fact, if you recognize the character at all, it's probably because the European version of the 1992 original was released on Virtual Console in 2010 under the name Ufouria: The Saga. Since then, there have been more than a dozen entries on everything from the Saturn to mobile phones. Although Amazing Hebereke is technically the third game in the series, it's the first fighting game. At a time when Street Fighter II was dominating arcades, this cutesy beat ‘em up felt like it came from a different era. It employs a bird's eye view and has more in common with Pit-Fighter than Street Fighter. This is an arena fighting game where four cartoony characters fight it out, all while new obstacles and traps are introduced from the sides of the level. While certainly not a bad game, it's extremely easy to see why Amazing Hebereke wasn't released in the U.S. It was completely out of step with the fighting game trends of the time and the gameplay is surprisingly shallow. That said, it's definitely worth checking out on the Switch. Get a bunch of friends together and you're going to have a lot of fun. It's a good introduction to the Hebereke series, even if it's not the best Hebereke game.

When it was released alongside the Nintendo Entertainment System in the mid-1980s, Wrecking Crew was the Mario game you skipped over in order to play Super Mario Bros. While largely overshadowed at the time, the original Wrecking Crew is a fun little game with a lot of content and a loyal fan base. Unfortunately, the fan base wasn't loyal enough to convince Nintendo to release the sequel, Wrecking Crew '98, outside of Japan. First released in 1998, this extremely late-generation Super Famicom title reimagines the original game as a Tetris Attack-style puzzler where you compete with other players to clear colored panels. As a puzzle game, it's solid enough. It's one of the more obscure Nintendo sequels, so the fact that it's finally coming to the United States is exciting news all on its own. It's crazy to think that Nintendo was still releasing 16-bit games in Japan as late as 1998, three years into the next-generation console war. That makes this a really cool curio, even if the game itself isn't wholly original.