Rollergames (NES) Playthrough
268A playthrough of Ultra's 1990 license-based beat 'em up for the NES, Rollergames.
Rollergames, Konami’s contribution to the blitz of marketing and merchandising accompanying the first (and only) season of the 1989 TV show of the same name, brings all of the cheese and drama of extreme skating home to the NES, complete with an endorsement from WAR (World Alliance of Rollersports).
Feeling like a cross between Skate or Die: Bad ‘N Rad (https://youtu.be/DPVEQvEkbHA) and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game (https://youtu.be/1doJfcmZrQI), Rollergames is a beat 'em up that throws quite the assortment of thugs and obstacles in the way of our playable three roller derby champions. Because if punching people in the face while rollerskating isn't violent enough to excite the kids, why not spice things up with flamethrowers, wrecking balls, biker gangs, and attack choppers?
Elevating the show’s already ludicrous scenarios to a whole new level of absurdity, Rollergames takes the action out of the studio and into the streets. A terrorist organization known as V.I.P.E.R. (Vicious International Punks and Eternal Renegades) has kidnapped the Rollergames’ commissioner and recruited three Rollergames teams - Bad Attitudes, Maniacs, and the Violators - to do their bidding in a nefarious plot to take over of the city.
At the beginning of each stage, you can choose which of the three stars from the show (Ice Box of the Thundercats, Hot Flash of Rolling Thunder, and the California Kid from the Rockers) to play as, and since “the CIA and FBI lack the speed, cunning and sheer brute force for this job,” it's up to these guys to save the commissioner, the city, and the sanctity of their beloved sport.
The platforming elements and the way movement focuses on momentum and turning angles all give it quite a different feel from TMNT 2 and Bayou Billy, but the usual belt-scrawler staples are here. You have several moves at your disposal, including the standard punches, jump kicks, character-specific specials, and my favorite - you can punch someone in the head to stun them, grab them by the hair, and fling them across the screen to their death. Good stuff!
The graphics are great, the music rocks (it sounds a lot like the Bayou Billy soundtrack), the controls are solid (though it takes a bit to get used to the physics), and premise is hilariously excessive. So long as your cool with the stiff level of difficulty Konami games are known for, there's a lot of fun to be found in Rollergames.
_____________\nNo cheats were used during the recording of this video. \n\nNintendoComplete (http://www.nintendocomplete.com/) punches you in the face with in-depth reviews, screenshot archives, and music from classic 8-bit NES games!