Overall 8.4 Graphics 8 Sound 7.3 Addictive 7.7 Story 3.5 Depth 6.7 Difficulty 7
8
Mappy review! SacredShadow
Hey guys, it's Razor-987 here with another classic game review, today I will be reviewing Mappy! This is another one of those classic yet awesome arcade games that dominated in the 80s, this classic was made by none other than Namco and was released in 1983! And since its original release in the arcades, this game is available on a ton of platforms, from your pc at home to MSX, X1, Game gear, the wii and more, this game has really spread on a variety of other consoles and platforms. Now onto the review!
First and foremost, I would like to cover the basic gameplay of this game before jumping into anything else. The gameplay of this game is rather simple and all you really do is guide Mappy through the house full of those annoying cats known as mewkies and retrieve all of the stolen goods and artifacts strewn throughout the house. You ca move him left and right and you can move up each of the floors of the house by moving horizontally and landing on the little trampolines at the bottom of the house, by doing so you can jump in the air and choose to land on any of the 6 floors of the house and collect the artifacts. Be aware though because the cats can also do this and they can also move faster than you. If you come into contact with one at any time with the exception of being in the air with them on the trampoline, you will lose a life. You can also lose a life by bouncing on the trampolines too many times, and you know you will fall through once they turn a red color. To get points in this game you can collect the various items in the house which can range from a radio which is worth 100 points to a safe which is worth 500. There are also microwave doors in the game which release a wave that will get rid of the mewkies and you will get 200 points for each of the first two mewkies and 400 for each additional one that was caught in the blast. They aren't gone forever though and it will only last a few seconds before they re enter the house. You can also slam the regular doors shut on them which will stun them and cause them to disappear and come back later. Every few levels in the game you will go through a bonus level in which you will collect balloons for bonus points by jumping from side to side on the trampolines. So with that being said, those are the basic mechanics of the game, now onto the review! I must say that for a game that came out in 1983 I am pretty impressed with the graphics, each house you enter is vibrantly colorful and the items that you retrieve are actually pretty detailed believe it or not. All of the characters from the mewkies to Mappy himself are all pretty clear and easy to identify and the objects are also easily recognizable and you will actually know what item you are getting when you come across it. The houses you go into change color from red to green to blue and then it starts over again but each house will be bigger and have more of the same objects and more mewkies as well. Nevertheless, for a game so old, I must say I am pretty impressed with the way the graphics turned out, therefore I scored them a 7 because there is truly a decent amount of detail put into each and every little thing in the game.
As far as sound goes, there really isn't anything that really impressed me and the sounds or music aren't really memorable like in some games, however, the sound effects used in the game aren't bad, like for instance, when you open the microwave doors it sounds like a wave of radiation is sweeping across the screen. The music that is played in the game is kind of catchy though which earned it a few points as far as the music category goes. As for sound, the little sounds that are in the game are rather simple and basic, they at least sound like what they should in real life. Overall I scored the sound and music a 6 because the sounds are rather simple but clear and the music is the same in each level of the game and it is rather catchy which is a nice little bonus, and it also speeds up as the game gets more difficult, kind of like the way it does in pacman when the ghosts get faster.
For the most part, this game is decently addicting, maybe not as much as a pokemon game for example, but nonetheless, I played this game a few times to see if I could beat my high score. It is really just a simple arcade game and it all you really mean tot get out of it is a good time and also a high score. It is different depending on the type of arcade game, like pacman for example didn't have any catchy music or sounds and it was repetitive every level and you are basically doing the same thing over and over again which may be the case for this game with the exception that this game has more to back it up to make it more addicting. Still though, compared to today's games, this isn't as popular or as played but it is still unique and fun in its own ways which is why I scored it a 5. There is just more going for this game compared to some other arcade games because of its bright graphics and catchy music which in my opinion really make the game that much more enjoyable and it motivates me to play it more often.
As far as a story goes, there isn't really much of a story in this game, you are basically a little police/ cop mouse called Mappy and you just go through each house to re collect all of the stolen items and artifacts stolen by the Mewkies. So really there isn't much of a plot or storyline to this game other than that. I would've scored it an N/A but there is just a faint hint of a story in this game compared to others like pacman which you know for a fact has no story to it whatsoever. So while the score is low, I thought that it at least deserve the minimum score you can give for the story category because there is more to it than most of the classic arcade games.
This game offers a decent amount to it, even though the concept and objective is basically the same thing through each level, it does provide more of a challenge as you progress which makes it a little more fun to play since you don't really know what to expect. Plus there are a few added bonus rounds in between the levels of this game which add more to it and give a break from the constant regular levels. That is the main reason why I gave it an extra point from what I would've originally given it because the bonus levels, although they may last for a short period of time, they do offer a nice break from the initial objective at hand. There is stuff to do in the game however, you guide him through the 6 floors of the house and take the items back from the mewkie cats, each level it does get a bit more challenging because more items are added, the house gets bigger and there are also more mewkies in each house with every level you complete. Aside from that, you can also play with up to 2 players in this game which is always fun and you will alternate turns once the firs player dies and then it will shift to player 2 and you will keep going until both players lose their lives and the one that ends up with the higher score is the winner. Overall, that is about as far as you can go with depth in this game, the objective and the gameplay itself is simple and you can also play with a friend which is always a nice plus in a game so you can always enjoy the fun with a buddy, so because of that I scored the overall depth of this game a 4 because it is a rather simple arcade game and it doesn't offer a lot of modes and extra stuff to do like most of the games of today do.
This game is like any arcade game difficulty wise, it starts off nice and easy, but the more you play it and with each level you complete, the cats will get faster and it will get increasingly more challenging to complete the objective and get all the items before the time runs out. You will notice when it is going to get harder because if you take too long on one level, the screen will pause for a second and the word 'hurry' will appear on the screen which makes the sound of the music speed up as well as the cats chasing you, so it is best to get through each level as quickly and with as little mistakes as you possibly can to avoid the cats catching up to you because normally they are already a bit faster than you, but when the music speeds up, they will surely catch you with little trouble, so be sure to make good use of those microwave doors! So that is all there really is for difficulty in this game, it isn't that hard in the beginning but it will get slightly harder with each level. One thing I like about he later levels, starting with level 8 is the bell that dangles off of the top left and right corners of the roof portion of the house which you can use to your advantage by knocking them over by bouncing on the trampoline and it will crush the mewkies that may be following you on the way up, so this can really come in handy when you are in a tight spot. As for controls though, you really don't need to be an expert to play because they are really easy to pick up on and learn, all you have to do is move around with the control keys that you have set, either the left and right arrow keys or the A and D ones you have set on the W,A,S,D control pad, so it is whatever you have set tat will help you move around, most of the difficulty comes in with the increasing difficulty with each level of the game, other than that though, it isn't that bad and if you find it difficult, don't give up and keep giving it your best because practice makes perfect. Overall I scored it a 5 for difficulty.
This is just another great classic arcade game and I had a great time playing it, it is a lot of fun and it is addicting as well as colorful and unique and it also has some pretty catchy music that can get stuck in your head. If you are into arcade games, you should definitely give this one a try if you haven't already, this game is probably one of the most fun arcade games I have ever played and I think it is worth your time to give it a try because you just might like it. This was a great game to play and I hope you can enjoy it as much as I did.
So what did you think of my review, as always, I appreciate your comments and constructive criticism/ feedback because it really helps me become a better reviewer and it motivates me to make more reviews. I hope you enjoyed it and thanks for reading!
Graphics 7 Sound 6 Addictive 5 Story 1 Depth 4 Difficulty 5
Review Rating: 5/5
Submitted: 02-13-14
Updated: 02-13-14
Review Replies: 0
9.4
Mouse cop but this ain't cheesy Pacman+Mariofan
Review PreviewHey, users of vizzed! Welcome to another in-depth game review by Pac. This time I’m reviewing the NES version of Mappy, released in 1984 by Namco, one of the games I grew up with for a long time. I started out with the arcade version but grew to like this one better.
I’ll make my review simpler this time since lately I rambled too much about the graphics and sound for other games.
Enjoy my take on how great this classic is!
GRAPHICS
10/10I’m starting this off with a perfect 10 right off the bat! The graphics are simple, clean, and they aren’t weirdly colored. In fact, there’s great attention to detail here. I’ll give a breakdown on what each item is in this game and what their point values are.
100 points: a red radio. I’ve seen black radios but never red ones so that’s cool.
200 points: a light blue and white TV. I’d want a TV with those colors for sure.
300 points: a red and light blue computer. Again, how great would it be to have a computer colored like that?
400 points: a blue and green painting of a woman with long black hair.
500 points: a blue safe.
Wow, those cats are such thieves! See, cats are not innocent!
This game takes place in houses with platforms and dangerous doors. There are regular, plain-looking doors that you can use to whack some cats down with the doors’ forceful opening. I’ll talk more about this with the animations. There’s also a walk-through roof on top of each level. And finally, WE HAVE TRAMPOLINES! This game taught me that the best way to navigate a house and running away from cats is to bounce on trampolines.
The coolest levels in terms of graphics are the bonus rounds. They have red balloons and then a blue balloon with Goro’s face on it. And his face looks hilarious.
ANIMATIONS
8.5/10Good animations are plentiful in Mappy. It’s an action-packed game so it makes sense that it contains an abundance of animations. They all add enjoyment to whatever you’re doing. One example is when you slam a door into a cat (don’t ever do this in real life please, I love cats but this is just a game). The pink cat will either fall off the platform or be knocked down onto its back for a few quick seconds. Then when it’s ready to stand up again, it blinks. It reminds me of Pac-Man when the ghosts blink when they’re ready to return to normal.
Be careful with that though. If there are too many cats behind Mappy, slamming the door will make him get mousetrap’d. He will slam into a cat and lose a life.
My favorite animation is when you blast waves from a blinking red door into the cats. The wave carries them away to the left or right and all they can do is stay still and let it happen.
Mappy the mouse cop’s tiny arms are flailing like crazy whenever he’s in the air. The cats’ little legs run so fast when they’re in pursuit and their legs and arms both flail like crazy when they’re in the air. They also have the :o expression on their faces when they aren’t on the ground. Otherwise, they’re more like :|
Those are only a few examples of the funny animations that make Mappy a relaxing, fun game all the time. If it wasn’t for these animations, I might find this a little boring to look at after a few minutes!
One reason this isn’t a 10 is that in the arcade version, the special doors blink different colors. In this game, they only blink red. Also, Mappy’s dying animation happens very quickly unlike the original. Especially when he breaks a trampoline. The cats getting a bell dropped on them wasn’t animated correctly either.
The biggest reason, though, is that the “Welcome to the story” beginning cutscene from the arcade version was entirely left out. In fact, the arcade version is the only version I have seen that has it. :/
MUSIC
10/10If I knew how to dance, I would be dancing in my seat as I listen to Mappy’s music. It largely resembles the original’s music and the pitches of each song fit well.
The main theme that plays in each non-bonus level is fast-paced just like the game and it sounds catchy. I don’t mind the exact same theme playing for 3 levels in a row, just like I don’t for Super Mario Bros. for the same reasons!
All of the quick songs like Mappy losing a life and the level victory music are songs I look forward to hearing when I know they’re going to play. The notes of Mappy’s dying theme match along with his animation which had to be difficult to do.
The bonus round music is cheery and easy to remember. I don’t have to think to know when the song ends and the round is over.
Finally, the game over music isn’t dramatic and the music itself doesn’t make me sad when I screwed up and made Mappy lose his job. It’s another thing that allows me not to take the game too seriously and just have fun with it.
SOUND EFFECTS
9/10The sound effects are as funny as the animations and the music! Excluding the wave from the special door’s sound, every sound is quick and satisfying. The boing of the trampolines and the collecting of items and balloons are sounds I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of hearing even if I play Mappy every single day. Which lately, I have been with the arcade version in my basement. XD
ADDICTIVENESS
10/10As I mentioned previously, now that I have taught myself new strategies to succeed, I play the arcade version almost daily. Well, I very often want to play this version too but I’ve been busy doing other things. If I had less to do, I would play both versions every day and I don’t have doubts about it.
The graphics, music, sound, and trying to get a high score combine to cause me to play this game so much and become an expert at it.
STORY
N0nexistent/10Mappy has no story, but he has an objective. This game is about a mouse cop named Mappy who has to collect various items and avoid getting killed by the pink cats called Meowkies and their red boss, Goro. Goro should be called Gordo, which is Spanish for fat. Just kidding!
I also made up a part of the story earlier in the review where I said that once Mappy loses all his lives, he loses his job as a cop. If only I could tell you that’s true.
DEPTH
10/10All classic games like this one that were originally arcade games are long. There are too many levels so you will likely never beat the game without savestates. I don’t suggest using savestates because it takes away some of the fun and a lot of the replay value.
The highest I have reached is level 16 and I have played the NES version of this game for a few years.
DIFFICULTY
8/10For me, this isn’t very difficult until level 8. But for someone who is beginning this game, they might take hours to pass the first 2 rounds. There’s so much to keep track of and so many cats to avoid. Also, once you earn a solid high score, it’ll take you a while of effort to beat it.
The best way to get a good score is to go in order for the items by their point value. There are 2 of each item so after you grab the first one, the 2nd one will blink and it’s worth more points. Here’s how it works:
First time grabbing 2 of the same item: # of points x 2
2nd time: # of points x 3
And it keeps going this way until the last item, which is 6 times its original point value. If you do what I recommended above, the last item will be worth 3,000 points. And you could earn an extra life before reaching stage 4!
The thing that adds the most to the difficulty is the amount of cats. And if you take too long on a level, you get a HURRY message. The cats speed up quite a bit and even more drop down to join the chase! That’s why I only use the strategy I described above for the first 2 rounds. After that, I’m just focused on survival.
OVERALL (not counting story)
9.4/10What a fun addition to the great number of classic video games out there! It’s fun, funny, hard to learn but worth the time, and addicting! I recommend this game to anyone who likes a simple challenge and to anyone who thinks it would be cool to be a mouse cop. If you think that, you’re going places.
Thank you to all who clicked on this review, whether you meant to or not! I’m highly accepting of criticism so feel free to tell me what you liked/didn’t like about the way I review.
Graphics 10 Sound 9 Addictive 10 Depth 10 Difficulty 8
Review Rating: 5/5
Submitted: 07-15-17
Review Replies: 0
8
Mappy (Famicom/NES) Review. Eddy88
Cop Vs Thieves!Namco is one of the most succeful Video game makers, their games are entertaining and very fun to play... If you don't believe me, then ask the people who has played any of their games. I'm pretty sure that they will agree with me... Since Pac-man (which is one of the most longest running video game franchises from the golden era of the Arcade games) They kept making more and more succeful games... Well, guess what? Today, I'm going to review one of these games: Ladies and Gentlemen, with us, Mappy! Which originally was originally an Arcade game made on 1983, and then ported to the MSX and Famicom (The Japanese NES). Today, I'm going to focus on the port for the Nintendo's 8-bits system. So, If you're Interested... Keep reading!
Story: Nyamco (or Goro, in the US version of the original Arcade) and his gang, the Mewkies, are the terror of the city. Just ask the people who has suffered from them. Their latest crime: Stealing all the valuables and personal objects of the city's inhabitants. Now, the only one who can retrieve the stolen items, is Mappy, a police mouse. He must enter to the Gang's mansion, get the items back to their owners, and jail the whole gang. (6/10)
Graphics: What to say about them? Well, these are pretty good! They look closer to what the graphics of the original are. We can easily notice that the makes put their effort here. About the Animations... Well, these aren't the best. But since it's an old game, and these weren't important back then... It's not very important. (7/10)
Sound: Pretty good, the main theme of the game is very catchy. It will get stuck in your head after a while, same goes with the Bonus stage theme. They sound very different from the original game, but, let's remind that the Famicom is pretty inferior when compared with an Arcade. So, these used to amazing to hear on a Famicom. The SFX is simple. Sounds different as well, but it's not a big change anyways. (7/10).
Addictiveness: Well, here we have the 1st. Thing that has been ported in a perfect way: The addictiveness. Mappy is an old game, right? Well, like all the games of the same style, the High-Score thing helps a lot here. Along with the nice graphics and music. (8/10)
Depth: Well, the game doesn't have a lot of depth. But it's still fun to play for some reason... Here's how you play: You guide Mappy through the mansion, which has 6 floors, the only way to move between floor and floor is with the Trampolines. Mappy must bounce on them to reach higher altitudes, and the Items stored on the different floors. Sounds easy, right? Well, not really, because Nyamco and his gang will try to catch our hero. Our hero can't jump, so, if two cats surround him, there's no escape... Unless there's a door on the current floor. Yes, a door, if you press B while looking at a door, it will close (or it will open). If we close it while any of our enemies is passing through it, we'll knock them off for a while. There are also doors that throw a wave that will swipe our enemies away. The objective of every stage is grabbing all the items. If we take too long, more of the Nyamco's minions will appear on screen, if we can't end with the level after that, a coin will appear and it will chase Mappy in a more effective way. This coin is faster than the mouse, so, it's better to finish with the level before it appears. There are also Bonus stages, on the same we must grab all the balloons on the room before the music ends. (Not as easy as it sounds!) (6/10)
Difficulty: This game isn't very hard... But it can get frustrating after a few levels, specially in where dead-end hallways appear and the "Hurry" sign appears earlier. (8/10)
Final Rating: 8Mappy is one of those games that are worth playing over and over... Just because it's fun and very addictive! (in my opinion) So, if you have the chance... Play this game, you won't regret it!
-Eddy Out-
Graphics 7 Sound 7 Addictive 8 Story 6 Depth 6 Difficulty 8
Review Rating: 4.1/5
Submitted: 10-06-12
Review Replies: 0
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