Unreleased NES Games: TIME DIVER EON MAN (Nintendo Entertainment System Review)

[@BigOleWords]

With every video there’s lots of details related to graphics, sound, and specifics about the developers and whatnot that I don’t really cover in much depth. Thankfully y’all kind people in the comments always fill in some of those gaps. It’s much appreciated!

[@Ratralsis]

I liked the wiggly horse and the big rock person who attacked by shouting "WOW WOW"

[@eelobrian6727]

The "Wow" scream attack and the "Pepper" sign city design reminded me of one of my all time favorite games: Werewolf.

[@BigOleWords]

That is absolutely what the WOW reminded me of! Man, not sure why I didn’t mention Werewolf the Last Warrior…

[@barry-allenthe-flash8396]

The Giant Robot hand fx are really cool for the NES. I know a lot of the time - until I saw this, I would say _all_ the time - giant sprites like that were achieved by just putting them on the background layer. They were background art, and the way devs got around them screwing with the background was to give them no background. That's why when you fight, say, the giant dragon robot in Wily's Castle in Mega Man 2, it's against black. There's TONS of giant sprites that are just "black background" cheats throughout the NES/Famicom library, and you can even see that technique used HERE in places like that stage where Eon Man is jumping on and off of the monorail.... so to see the giant robot hands actually go OVER the stage graphics, like in a Master system or 16-bit game, well... yeah, it's actually pretty impressive for the hardware! I've seen this before on my emulator consoles, and given it a bit of a play since I too remember it from Nintendo Power, but ended up not returning to it after a few minutes because I figured I should tackle some other action-platformers first. Guess I'll have to bump Time Diver up my priorities list!

[@BigOleWords]

Yeah that’s what I thought like you never see stuff like this in the foreground. Really cool.

[@SaturmornCarvilli]

That's the fun of time paradoxes, if the bad guys kill the ability to time travel to exist, then they can't time travel to do it. Thus, allowing time travel to be invented to allow them to travel back in time to stop it again. Which prevents them from stopping it...

[@BigOleWords]

🤯

[@ChaossX77]

They can with the multiverse theory which most physicists believe.

[@GAM3RSHARK]

Do more of these!! I love hearing about unreleased games

[@BigOleWords]

You got it!

[@marquisdan7659]

Duuude this game looks awesome! I can't believe I've never heard of it before.

[@BigOleWords]

Honestly, me either until pretty recently

[@GermanPeter]

Those giant claws and hands where the pixels are twice as big as regular pixels genuinely astound me. It's always drilled into you when creating pixel art to keep the same scale to everything and NEVER just upscale smaller sprites to bigger sizes, because you get this effect and it looks out of place. But then there's official NES titles where they DID do this! Also wow, they really improved those disappearing platforms from Megaman by ACTUALLY SHOWING YOU WHERE THE NEXT ONE APPEARS. I'll also always take a much shorter, easier game over one that's way too hard. Sure, you breeze through it, but at least you had an enjoyable experience and it wasn't soured by having to replay the same stages over and over because of intentionally frustrating level design. There's a reason Kirby remains so popular to this day.

[@BigOleWords]

For sure. The SNES did that a ton with the Mode 7 stuff, but this is the first time I’ve seen the NES attempt it!

[@carn9507]

There are more than a few 16 bit games that upscaled sprites. The gigantic explosions in Cybernator sure are blocky. :P I prefer pixel size consistency myself but eh, I guess there were technical reasons for such things back then.

[@broncosbreaks]

I’ll be honest , ass2ass monorail was not the first thing I thought of when seeing that bullet train. 😂 nice touch

[@BigOleWords]

I just explained it to my wife and she’s not pleased ;)

[@KasumiKenshirou]

Isn't that just a regular monorail? There's only one rail so they can't turn around, so both ends can be the front.

[@allthelonely4287]

I discovered this game on a multi-cart I have and I never knew it was unreleased. It does explain why I haven’t seen it on any NES hidden gem videos.

[@BigOleWords]

I think it’s been out since the 90s but only in those bootleg/multi-carts.

[@jonothanthrace1530]

Coincidentally, "Time Diver" is the theme song for a fairly major character in the Super Robot Wars series named Ingram Plissken.

[@youreallyplaythat]

this looks great! And a "Vigo the Carpathian" name drop... nice.

[@carn9507]

"On a mountain of skulls, in a castle of pain, I sat on a throne of blood! What was will be! What is will be no more!" :O

[@BigOleWords]

It’s that high forehead :)

[@DemonyxsLair]

1:19 Holly Molly! This is exact the same cartridge that I had in my collection back in '97!

[@BigOleWords]

Hahaha sweet!

[@mattsweeney3790]

Gonna need satoshi to explain the im assuming background tile work on the end boss and the other one you mentioned because HOLY COW is that impressive never before seen on NES stuff. Glad you are stepping into some of the weird oddities, despite that being more or less your deal. Keep up the amazing work, Bames.

[@BigOleWords]

Yeah I remember on the stream he had some explanation for it. No idea!

[@Andres33AU]

I played the ROM of this a few years back, and I had a lot of fun with this, and I definitely would have liked it if it had been released. I had thought it was a sequel to Time Lord, but that was a different developer so it probably has no relation other than the time travel element.

[@BigOleWords]

Ooof Time Lord. That’s a game I’ll get to at some point

[@scorpionwins6378]

6:06 reminds me so much of X-Men on Sega Genesis, the Shi'ar base leading up to the boss battle. This game definitely had an influence on other games released after it.

[@BigOleWords]

Huh yeah I can see it!

[@mightyfilm]

This does seem like quite a loss that we never officially got this one and had to wait for the internet and ROMS. This seems like something that would have been pretty influential had it come out in the 90's. Especially that weird layering with the giant robot hands and swords flying about. Could you imagine if other games "borrowed" that effect?

[@BigOleWords]

Honestly I’d love to see more home brews borrow some of these effects

[@shortstoryslam9434]

"The Bad Club" they give you a backwards hat and a power glove when you sign up.

[@BigOleWords]

That would make you the baddest!

[@RageyRage82]

Definitely something I need to play. I have gotten a lot of new game ideas from watching your channel a lot lately. Thanks!

[@BigOleWords]

Man I love to hear it!

[@RaposaCadela]

Wow!!! Those huge sprites are really impressive!! I don't think I've seen ones that big in the NES before, aside from Punch-Out. Their pixelated look also makes it look like they've been hardware-scaled, but it may also just be chunky graphics like Mario 3's Toad House chests Also this game looks really cool and creative, but I never got into it 'cause it felt too easy.

[@chanceForNotBeingRapper]

there must be some kind of gimmicks behind it, even if it stutters it is hella nice looking. I remember a smb hack called extra mario bros features giant bowser laser fight at the end which utilize background layer as hitbox, same shit as the shitty transformers nes game big head boss fight

[@RaposaCadela]

@@chanceForNotBeingRapper lots of NES games had background big bosses. I can think of Rockin' Cats' final boss. Also Megaman's yellow devil was a really creative use of backgrounds+sprites to make an enemy

[@Jason_Bryant]

For the giant hands, I wonder if it works like the opponents in Mike Tyson's Punch out. The channel "Displaced Gamers" did a great video on that called (*edit because I put the wrong video*) "MMC2 Magic - How Punch-Out's Graphics Work"

[@BigOleWords]

Hmmm I’ll have to check that out

[@Jason_Bryant]

@@BigOleWords I edited my original post because I put in the name of the wrong video. Displaced Gamers did more than one video on Punch Out, and the right one is the one about the graphics.

[@0rfeuz]

Subscribed just for the 'Check this Shit out" intro

[@BigOleWords]

Haha love it!

[@Gabriel-ks6rk]

Cool video , with a bit more polishing this game could be a hit . Just a suggestion , it would be great if part of the video was dedicated to showing the different soundtracks of the game . By the way , love your channel .

[@BigOleWords]

Glad you like the channel! I used to focus on the soundtrack more, but now I mostly just play it in the background unless there’s something really interesting.

[@jonothanthrace1530]

I did not expect the phrase "ass-to-ass monorail"

[@BigOleWords]

That’s what they’re gonna print on my tombstone

[@eelobrian6727]

This has to share a development team with Werewolf. The stage in the present looks like the street level in WW. Plus, the boss doing the WOW scream. And then the shaky time travel effect that is the same as the werewolf transformation. If this was supposed to be a different property, Marvel would be my top guess.

[@BigOleWords]

I don’t think so, but they do share a ton of similarities

[@BlueEXEVideos]

This looks like it would have been fun. Surprised it got pulled like that. Definitely have interest on unreleased games in the future if you're able to find more.

[@BigOleWords]

There’s not a ton that are complete, complete. But there’s probably a list video on the most interesting ones at some point.

[@HaydenTheHistorian]

Good pick to start off this series! I think Titan Warriors would be a good entry later down the line

[@BigOleWords]

That’s one I’ve never ever heard of! I’m on it!

[@DrMilad814]

Nice video captures! Always get this one and Holy Diver confus-ed

[@BigOleWords]

They do have some similarities !

[@MFRStudios999]

Great video! I'm getting this game right damn now!

[@BigOleWords]

Get it!

[@oldschoolgamesstories]

I had not seen this before. Now I must have it. Thanks for showing it bro!👊🦈

[@BigOleWords]

You got it!

[@Jaded_Spawn]

The font used for the text is the same one that was used in WURM (another awesome hidden gem), so maybe this was also developed by the same developer Cyclone Systems?

[@BigOleWords]

Different developer but similar vibe for sure!

[@toddhouchin3252]

I had not heard of this one. It looks great! Thanks for the review!

[@BigOleWords]

You got it!

[@josevillouta4588]

Man this was amazing! Must check this one oOoOut!

[@diamondsmasher]

The nostalgia this brings back to me, hanging outside the BEEF store. Such great times!

[@BigOleWords]

Nostalgia? I never stopped hanging out at the BEEF store!

[@radioactivechimp]

You can have thousands of roms on a flash cart, but having a physical copy makes me much more likely to actually play and complete a game.

[@BigOleWords]

Something about having thousands of options makes me give up on games much quicker, and reading them on a big list makes me stop playing sooner. Not sure how that’s different than my shelves of games but it is

[@radioactivechimp]

@@BigOleWords Yeah, something about playing roms from a list just feels inauthentic. I'm so overwhelmed by the quantity of games that I end up playing none of them.

[@Riz2336]

It looks like a good game but it probably got thrown away because the SNES was out and Nintendo didn't think it would sell very many units

[@BigOleWords]

That’s probably true

[@joshuabidelspach9260]

I'm totally checking this out my son loves retro nes and this looks like a perfect fit. Thank you so much you never disappoint! Just when you think you've burnt though the nes library something like this. You are the king of hidden gems my friend!!

[@BigOleWords]

Glad you dig it!

[@carn9507]

4:56 Player sprite is a 'little tiny'? He's 40 pixels tall which makes him a chunk taller than the player sprites from Batman, Shatterhand, Power Blade, Castlevania, Ninja Gaiden, Vice Project Doom etc who are 32 pixels tall. So if anything, he's bigger than average for the NES. :P It's a decent game. :)

[@BigOleWords]

I guess you’re right, he’s taller than average!

[@cmfort2696]

"...totally wiped, from saving your butt..." Nice

[@themajordudes8194]

Your channel is awesome, i came across it by chance and after i watched a couple videos i subscribed, keep it up 🎸

[@BigOleWords]

Hey thanks so much, glad you dig it

[@joeangeles1215]

Wow, this game looks sweet! Would it make your top 100 NES games if you were to update your list (and included unofficial/unreleased/ Famicom games)?

[@BigOleWords]

Hmmmm probably not but maybe? Action platformer are my preferred genre on the system so that might push it into the mix.

[@marcdejean8533]

Great job with this review. I am going to get this game because of you.

[@BigOleWords]

It's worth trying for sure!

[@ChaossX77]

This game looks incredible. Just as good as Bloodstained: Curse of the moon.

[@BigOleWords]

Interesting comparison!

[@josephbradshaw6985]

Cool. It's rare to see a decent game I don't already know about!

[@BigOleWords]

Me too!

[@burgerinabox6063]

Great video! Is it just me, or does this game's graphics give me a Natsume kind of vibe? Looks similar to Shadow of the Ninja.

[@BigOleWords]

Definitely! Reminds me of Power Blade as well

[@Elucidus]

Was it more fun to stream or to play for recording? Also, I really feel like this could be the title of some super-hair-metal European rock ballad.

[@BigOleWords]

Stream because I got to see those ridiculous effects for the first time!

[@danbauer3669]

Heck yes! It's not very difficult but it is fun. I've played this one!

[@BigOleWords]

Oh nice!

[@ZealSeraph]

Just beat this game a few days ago. I really enjoyed it, though I wish there would've been more levels to take full advantage of that time travel theme. Apparently at some point this was supposed to be a sequel to Wrath of the Black Manta, a game I got really frustrated with as a kid and have never touched since. The cutscenes especially remind me of Manta, but Eon Man is on a whole another level of quality. Talk about improving your craft.

[@BigOleWords]

I does feel a bit short and easy and could've used a few more time periods for sure.

[@INFPGamer]

This was a fun one. I think the levels are randomized if I'm not mistaken.

[@BigOleWords]

Are they?!? No way! I gotta try this again…

[@INFPGamer]

@@BigOleWords I was getting Black Manta vibes from this and turns out it was initially going to be a sequel according to wikipedia

[@BigOleWords]

@@INFPGamer Damn that would've been perfect for another video I did recently!

[@seanmyster6]

A shame that this game didn't get released back in the day, since it's clearly way better than a lot of NES games that *did* get released.

[@BigOleWords]

Yeah most definitely!

[@saynotocensorship]

I have a physical copy of this. Nice game. 👍

[@GoodVibeCollecting]

Another NES game were if it was released, it would be like $800 just for the cartridge today.

[@BigOleWords]

Damn you’re right!

[@foxyfoxington2651]

My all-time favorite old-timey store: BEEF.

[@BigOleWords]

Spent all my money on pepper!

[@thedeadpoolwhochuckles.6852]

Thats Booster Gold!

[@BigOleWords]

Hahaha how did I not see that!

[@carn9507]

Or as some might call him.... "Green Lantern"... "I'm not Green Lantern, I'm Booster Gold. If I were Green Lantern my costume would be green now wouldn't it?" :P

[@thedeadpoolwhochuckles.6852]

​@@carn9507The Flash really did a number on his timeline.

[@jefflindquist6138]

This is a great game. It goes good with A&W root beer. 🙂

[@novelezra]

You gotta be damn good to join The Bad Club

[@BigOleWords]

Or bad!

[@doordashdriver]

man there were so many available punchlines for The Bad Club. "What is this, the.... " Democratic party HQ Republican party HQ Well, I guess that's pretty much it. 🤣

[@The_Badseed]

Ass to ass monorail made me laugh, I guess I'm still like a 9 year old

[@carn9507]

monoraaaaail...

[@BigOleWords]

Thank you, thank you ;)

[@ZachAttackIsBack]

I hope that title was a placeholder.

[@BigOleWords]

It should be but then the dialogue mentions it specifically

[@Wineman3383]

Ass to ass monorail. Never thought I'd hear that phrase.

[@BigOleWords]

Success!

[@jhfoleiss]

It's funny how an unreleased game is better than pretty much 95% of every other NES game!

[@BigOleWords]

It really is pretty amazing

[@dieinfire920]

Because of some inconsistency in the graphics (some stages looks great and some look average like the street stage)it doesn’t look good if you compare the game with Ninja gaiden 3, shatter hand, Vice project doom or power blade 2, but the gameplay is really fun, and if finished, probably the game would have looked much better specially with some parallax effects, but to be honest I don’t remember which year this game was supposed to come out so maybe for it’s time it was top notch sprites. It’s a good game to play and also it has good music.

[@BigOleWords]

1993 I think, and yeah aside from the weird boss battles it does not compare graphically with the games you mentioned.

[@dieinfire920]

@@BigOleWords still as you said, it’s a good game and I think everyone into nes platforms will enjoy it!! And yeah boss battles were better than the average nes platform bosses! Nice vid!!

[@doordashdriver]

Most likely was shelved due to possibly copyright infringement issues. The entire concept is a very hacky spin on the Terminator franchise. Graphics are quite similar to other run-and-gun games of the day. Maybe chatGPT knows

[@BigOleWords]

Maybe? It’s definitely reminiscent of the story but otherwise it’s not as dark robot-y as something like Journey to Silius.

[@justin43098]

Oh.... I was looking for Muff Diver Neon Man.... My bad.

[@BigOleWords]

Heyo!

[@Iohannis42]

I probably would have rented it once.

[@BigOleWords]

That’s a perfect description of it!

[@ryfreedman]

Loving the channel!

[@arvinrunstein5707]

That looks rad

[@BigOleWords]

It is!

[@TheFLOMAN76]

BEEF !! 🤣😂 Seriously though, back in the day? This game would have been something to talk about and wish for back in the school days, in the playground. Lol... Some things never change. I would play the s*** out of this game now.

[@BigOleWords]

At least until the convo switched to Mortal Kombat!

[@chanceForNotBeingRapper]

ppl elsewhere said the nitra dumped cart bootleg in Asia, is more expensive than the prototype itself. Hilarious innit? First time bootleg single cartridge beat the hell outta authentic prototype bro also kinda reminds me of Snesdrunk

[@BigOleWords]

Whoa that’s crazy it’s that rare! And thanks, I take that as a huge compliment:)

[@MuresanBol77]

I played this one (had it actually) and it was definitely interesting. Not bad, not super awesome, but cool nonetheless!! love it!

[@childofcascadia]

Wait, wait wait. At about 3:14, and later in the vid that golem boss shoots "WOW WOW" at you. And you didnt mention anything about it. I mean the rest of the game looks like a typical "decent late stage NES action platformer". But. I really want to know wtf is up with the golem shooting wows at you.

[@BigOleWords]

I mean when you’re as stylish as Time Diver, all the sexy rocks shout compliments at you ;)

[@toddburgess5056]

Cool video!

[@BigOleWords]

Thanks!

[@davidbrinkman7867]

Game looks sick!

[@BigOleWords]

It is!

[@sirkowski]

One of the bosses is shooting WOWWs??

[@BigOleWords]

He’s impressed by your diving skills :)

[@robertlong6027]

Looks similar to Time Lord Nintendo game

[@BigOleWords]

You think? They seem like such different games

[@spideysnooch]

I just wanna shop at BEEF.

[@BigOleWords]

It’s probably a really hot nightclub ;)

[@carn9507]

just out of curiosity since you mention Rick and Morty, are you aware of it's gross origins (The Adventures of Doc and Mharti, which R&M makes several references to) and Justin Roiland's bizarre 'joke' that said "in many realities, Morty and Rick ARE in a passionate healthy romantic relationship. Maybe we'll do an episode about it" and got upset when people said that's a bit of a screwed up thing to say?... And Roiland's weird comment about 14 yr old girls... and having messaged minors too? I dunno. Dude seems like a p**o...

[@NYHeeb]

Would be 669

[@BlackKoiRecords]

First lol. Btw, you have to have run out of NES games by now lol

[@WodkaEclair]

-Of the 716 total licensed games released for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) during its lifespan; 367 were released only in North America, 35 were released only in PAL countries, 1 was released only in Hong Kong and 313 were released everywhere. Games dated October 18, 1985 are launch titles for North America.- from the Wikipedia page 'List of Nintendo Entertainment System Games'.

[@BigOleWords]

You'd be surprised!

[@toddhouchin3252]

There are plenty of titles left to cover, for certain.

[@NYHeeb]

Why can't i give a thumbs up? Lame

[@BigOleWords]

No idea but I gave you one!

[@FibroFantastic]

Check this timy whimy shit out