Source: Electronic Game Player – September 1988
Rambo was released by Acclaim for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1987. It is a side-scrolling action-adventure game that is loosely based on the plot of the movie Rambo: First Blood Part 2. Like the vast majority of games based on movies, this one isn’t really all that great.
I say that this game is “loosely” based on the movie in part because there are an awful lot of bugs involved. A large portion of the game involves fighting spiders, insects and other forest creatures (and even flamingos). Eventually, you find a cache of weapons and do reach the P.O.W. camp but this is relatively late in the game. Until then…lots of bugs.
Rambo features a complex map and requires accurate navigation to get where you need to go. While this seems like a pretty good idea, in practice the game ends up being frustrating because figuring out who you need to talk to and where you need to go is difficult. Game play tends to become quite repetitive. While Rambo has a nice soundtrack and some good ideas, at the end of the day, it just isn’t executed very well.
While there have been a variety of Rambo games for various systems over the years, this particular iteration is unique to the Nintendo. It has never been re-released and isn’t likely to be so you’ll have to track down an original or use emulation. I recommend the second option unless you are just a die-hard collector.
The review above is from the September 1988 issue of Electronic Game Player.
