Finally located a copy of Tiger Road and gave that one a shot last night. Once it got going I couldn't put it down and an hour or so later I finished it. I like those kind of action games but Bucci's review really put me off - he made it sound like one of the most difficult games ever made. Aside from some cheap Ninja Gaiden-esque enemy spawns by pits, it is a pretty easy game that rewards memorization and a little bit of strategy. As simple as the challenges were, I still really liked the upgrade component, reminding me of one of my favorite games, Kenseiden for the SMS. I liked the whole splitting the levels into screens thing, since sometimes you'd be motivated to just chug through a tough part knowing even if you die right after you will respawn at the next screen. Plenty of fun, and looking at the arcade original I think they had a better art style here that embraced an Eastern aesthetic. The arcade game, by comparison, looks more bland despite the bigger and more detailed levels and sprites. Victor Musical Industries sure put out some interesting and skilled games on the TG.
