Over the last few months, we've been posting Review Crew episodes recapping the Super Nintendo games we missed before the series kicked off in 2021. The good news is that finally finished the backlog, successfully covering every single Super NES game on the Nintendo Switch Online service. The bad news? We still have a few dozen Nintendo Entertainment System games that need the Review Crew treatment. So today we're going to dive back into looking at those 8-bit classics, including games like Punch-Out!!, Nightshade and Ghosts ‘N Goblins. Sure, these games came out on Nintendo's online service years ago, but I still need to ask: Are any of these games actually worth playing? To answer that question, I decided to flip through the pages of Electronic Gaming Monthly, ACE, GamePro and more classic magazines to see what the critics said back when these games first came out. So, think twice about going on a date in a cemetery, because this is another monster-filled episode of Nintendo Switch Online Review Crew.


With or without Mike Tyson, Punch-Out!! is one of Nintendo's most beloved 8-bit sports games. And for good reason, as you don't have to be a fan of boxing to get into this unique one-on-one fighter. Forget realism, this is more about memorizing the patterns of a wide variety of colorful characters and exploiting their weaknesses. Of course, the Nintendo Switch Online version no longer includes Mike Tyson (for obvious reasons), but don't worry, Mr. Dream is every bit as tough and has one of those perfect chins that you just want to punch.

When it comes to the reviews, the critics liked Punch-Out!!, with or without Mike Tyson. Let's go ahead and start with the lowest score, which comes to us from Computer & Video Games. Giving the game an 8 out of 10, they concluded that “this Nintendo game is very playable. You have to analyze your opponent's movements whilst using some nifty footwork. Punch-Out!! will not disappoint you, it is a truly enjoyable piece of software.”

In case you're wondering, the highest score came from Nintendo Magazine System, who went all the way up to a 94%. That's one of the highest scores they gave out that year, and not just on the NES. And then there's ACE, who may not have given Punch-Out!! the highest score, but definitely gave it the biggest score. Using their ridiculous one-thousand-point scale, ACE gave the game a score of 920. They said that it “bashes the proverbial shit out of any other home boxing game on any other console or computer. Proof that even if Nintendo's hardware may be technologically naff, they can still squeeze an excellent game onto a cartridge.”

I detect no lies here. ACE is right, even on the 8-bit hardware, Punch-Out!! still reigns supreme. This is a game everybody can get into, even those who aren't into boxing.

A year before Beam Software developed the cyberpunk adventure game Shadowrun on the Super NES, they first sharpened their teeth with Nightshade. Originally intended to be the first of a multi-part series, Nightshade is an intriguing mix of crime noir, superhero fiction and even point and click adventuring. Looking back on it now, you can see that this is a developer pushing the medium and trying to do things on the Nintendo Entertainment System that had never been done before. In that sense, Nightshade was way ahead of its time. But did all of these elements come together to make a great game?

If you ask Electronic Gaming Monthly, you'll find that the answer is resounding no ... and also yes? With half of the critics going low and the other half going high, this was one of the magazine's most polarizing games. On one hand, you had Martin argue that “this game has a few cool ideas and an original type of gameplay that makes it interesting. The control is poor and the graphics are only average for this type of game. The quest is kind of fun, but only the first time around.” Ed strongly disagreed: “Now this game has style! It's a quest game that involves a fair amount of thinking. Lots of things to do, examine and use. A well-rounded quest that has spots of brilliance and some of the solutions are downright devious. Not a game for the shoot-anything-that-moves crowd.” With such divisive takes, Nightshade averaged a disappointing 6 out of 10.

If we look at the other magazines of that era, you'll find that the consensus was more in line with Ed than Martin. Nintendo Power, for example, gave the game a score of 8 out of 10, praising its unique concept. That's in line with GamePro, who went with a 4 out of 5 and concluded that “cool graphics and a fairly compelling mystery offset some pretty tinny tunes. Turn em off. Nightshade isn't as challenging as Shadowgate or Solstice, but it's a nice case for first time action/adventurers.”

Like I said, this is a game that was ahead of its time. That said, there are some real dated elements and it's more compelling that satisfying. I won't be for everyone, but I still suggest you check out Nightshade on the Switch.

When you think of the Nintendo Entertainment System, you might picture bright and colorful platformers, but the 8-bit era also had a dark side. You saw that in games like Zombie Nation, where a severed head terrorizes New York City, or with the far more successful Castlevania series, which featured the Belmont clan whipping a greatest hits collection of horror greats. One of my favorite scary games growing up was Ghosts ‘N Goblins, a fast-paced title where Sir Arthur fights zombies and other monsters after his girlfriend is kidnapped while having a picnic at a cemetery. Questionable relationship choices aside, this is an incredibly hard game full of cool locations and even cooler bosses. But you didn't come to hear me gush about Ghosts ‘N Goblins; you're here to see what the critics said back in the 1980s.

While there aren't a lot of reviews from 1986, I am happy to report that there's a big split between the few critics that reviewed the game. We'll get to the higher scores in a moment, but let's first explore the 55% the game got from Nintendo Magazine System. “Sir Arthur was enjoying the canoodling company of his Princess when suddenly an evil devil kidnapped her! So he's got to run along scrolling levels, dusting undead sprites in preparation for the final conflict. This conversion boasts limp graphics and sound. The response is dodgy and the gameplay frustrating. Leave this well alone.”

This negative take turns out to be a bit of an outlier, as the rest of the critics seemed to like Ghosts ‘N Goblins. For example, even though ACE magazine didn't score their review, they had a generally positive take on the game, disagreeing with many of the points brought up by Nintendo Magazine System. GamePro, on the other hand, used their brand-new scoring system to give this NES classic a 4 out of 5. “Although the graphics may seem a little primitive, the playability and challenge of this game are just as tough as many current titles. Today's gamers may be more familiar with the Genesis sequel, Ghouls ‘N Ghosts, but this is one of the carts that started it all – a true ProClassic.”

For what it's worth, the highest score comes from The Games Machine, who gave it an 84% back in their 19th issue. “The graphics are compact and fairly accurate representation of the coin-op, each level gaining more and more detail, leading up to a fiery and wonderfully powerful climax. The cute original sprites combined with atmospheric music mean this is a good conversion. One small gripe. Does the map screen have to appear and scroll along EVERY time you die?”

While the map doesn't bother me, I agree with these reviews. This is a fun coin-op port, even if it's not arcade perfect. If you liked Ghouls ‘N Ghosts, you should definitely give Ghosts ‘N Goblins a try.