Ice Climber

"If X marks a perfect game... I must have dug 4 feet to the left..."

Ice Climber was one of the original games for the NES. It had neither good graphics or a compelling story. But it had good gameplay. Ice Climber was an amazingly simple game for beginners, yet it could be bloody near impossible for those who venture further into the game.

Gameplay

There is only one mode to play in. But this one mode can be more fun than A LOT of other games for NES. For the beginning player, this game may seem simple... work your way to the top of the mountain. No need to get the bonus or anything. Just get to the top. But playing and beating this game in that frame of mind is truely cheating yourself out of a great game. You can see how many stepping blocks you can get before its impossible to advance, you can do the bonuses, which reward you quite handsomely. And once you've conquered the first mountain. You still have 31 to go. It may seem like a huge task, but fortunately, you can start on any mountain you like. So if you want to brag about beating the last level(which is damn near impossible) but you only have 15 minutes to play? well just start on mountain 32. I think that Ice Climber truely has an impressive gameplay system. I would compare it to other simple games that have captivated the video game industry, like Tetris, and Pac Man. It just has the same feel as those.

10/10

Graphics

They arent the best in the world. But they can be forgiven for the age. This was one of the first generation games. The characters are animated pretty well. Our little Inuit(politically correct term for eskimo) friend looks like some sort of plush toy in his puffy little parka. He runs and jumps around the mountain, which is colored differently for every layer you advance. I dont know why, but theres probably a reason behind it. As you reach the bonus level, the blocks you stand on become solid so you'll need to work on quick and agile thinking of you want to reach the bonus at the top of the level.

The graphics arent too bad, but they could have been improved. But dont forget this game is more than just graphics.

6/10

SOUND

Its not too bad. The opening menu has some pretty good music. I'd say its one of the more catchier tunes I've heard in video games. But once you get to the level. The music takes a back seat. I found it rather abrupt how the music went from setting a positive and energetic mood, to a bland diddle diddle doo that repeated itself every 15 seconds. It kind of sounded like a 5 year old playing music keyboard set on Nintendo sounds. Oh well.. And least you still get the THUMPS when you flatten a baddie with your mallet. And when you touch another enemy it makes a fantastic electrified ''sizzle'' noise. So overall, the score wont be too bad. But the bland level music detracts a few points.

6/10

CONTROL

Not too shabby. The control is pretty tight, and at least the guy jumps when you press the button (Unlike some games *cough* Bible Adventures *cough*) What would a game with such good gameplay be without good control. Bad controls wont push you away from this game.

9/10

Replay Value

Theres alot of replay value in this game. You may beat a level by just trying to get to the end. But you can try to better your score by collecting more stuff. Plus, the fact that you can start playing at any level helps the replay value considerably.

9/10

Overall

Anyone should like this game. It has all you need to be sucked into a game like this for hours, days, even weeks! simple but addictive gameplay, responsive controls, good replay value. I strongly reccommend anyone in the market for NES games to consider this one. Today it might only be worth about 5 dollars, which is much less than it should be. Kudos to the makers of Ice Climber for a job well done and a page in the history books of video gaming.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 06/12/02, Updated 06/12/02