NES Games I Beat #42: Popeye

    The arcade hit? Apparently it was a hit. Fun fact, this game was originally going be Nintendo's grand opening smash hit but they changed the characters and gameplay due to a licensing issue and thus Donkey Kong (and through that Mario) was made instead.
    That's really the best comparison to be made, it's a lot like Donkey Kong but more of an open stage to dodge and catch random items Olive Oil is dropping while avoiding the strong bully guy (forgive my lack of Popeye knowledge). Once an amount is had, you move to the next stage and that's it. The elevation and pace at which you move/stand are important. You have only three lives to complete the three stages. The last stage also houses a super annoying bird enemy.
     After the third stage is complete, that's it the game is over and it loops again, harder than before.
Overall, for it's genre and era, it's a short, fun, arcadey title with some decent challenge and fun gameplay. There's a reason nobody is talking about this one anymore though, it's just not as memorable and iconic as Donkey Kong ironically enough. So for me it's about a 6.5/10. A decent yet short arcade romp that has about 20 minutes of fun packed into it (or 40 if your cart is in rough shape like mine as getting it to work was a real balancing act).