Maniac Mansion
Reviewed by Anthony Gann
Maniac Mansion, one of my all time favorite games on any system. This is one of
the first NES games with such a high-degree of open-endedness and humor. You
start out by choosing two people to start the adventure with, along with Dave,
who always goes with you. The game starts off by showing you the meteor that
hits in front of the mansion. Then, after you pick your players, they are all at
the front, talking about how Dave's girlfriend Sandy was kidnapped and taken
inside the mansion, and their plan for getting her out. Then, it is pretty much up
to you to figure out everything unless you use an outside source, in which you
probably will. This game has many different endings, depending on which characters
you chose to bring with you, making it a challenge just to find all the endings!
Graphics 8 out of 10
Pretty good graphics, especially when it came to the larger images and high color
rooms in the game.
Music and Sound 9 out of 10
I thought the music kicked. Each character had his/her own song playing while they
went through the house, plus sometimes you get to hear other sounds and music as
well, like a demo tape, or even a screeching record that can be put to use...
Game Challenge 10 out of 10
I have to give this game a perfect score for challenge. It is hard enough to figure it
all out for a certain character, but then there are more paths you can take to win, and
you have to take the new paths with other characters. I enjoy something this challenging!
Game Play-Fun 9 out of 10
I would give this game a perfect score for fun, but I have asked around, and some people
find this game too hard to be fun, so I deduct one point for other person's opinions.
Frustration
Can be very frustrating, but once you get the hang of it it shouldn't have any more
extreme frustration to offer.
Replayability 9 out of 10
Great replayability rate, with not only different characters to use for replay, but
new endings to find too. Many possibilities!
Game Value 9 out of 10
I bought this game for forty-three dollars when it was brand-new and just released,
and I wouldn't sell it for anything. It is still one of my favorites of all time.
Overall 9 out of 10
As noted throughout this entire review, this is a great game! The only people I do
not recommend this to is people who do not enjoy some of the human extremities
shown in this game, such as blood. But with today's Mortal Kombat 4, and other such
violent games like Blood, this game is like child's play compared to those. So really,
I recommend this to most anybody.