I'm sure this will sound a tad fanboy-ish, but it can't be helped (since, for me, it's the truth): I've rarely encountered a Nintendo-developed game that I didn't end up liking after spending some quality time with it.
Interestingly, most of the ones that haven't clicked with me were released during the Famicom's--or the Nintendo Entertainment System's, if that's how you roll--first year or two on the market.
Case in point: The three Nintendo-made carts below, each of which I've tried my darndest to enjoy but in the end just couldn't bring myself to do so.
1. Clu Clu Land (1984)
Why I want to like it: It's colorful. It's cute. Its box art is appealing. Uh, isn't that enough?
Why I can't: For some strange reason,
Clu Clu Land's controls don't agree with me at all. I feel like I'm drunk whenever I play it--or that I've lost all sense of coordination, at the very least. Maybe my brain just isn't wired in a way that allows me to enjoy this superficially appealing game?
2. Tennis (1984)
Why I want to like it: I'm a huge fan of the sport. As such, a tennis game really has to suck for me to not like it.
Why I can't: Although I wouldn't say this is the worst tennis game ever made, it's pretty close to earning that title thanks to its slippery and severely limited controls. (Also, defeating computer-controlled opponents often is hair-pullingly difficult.)
3. Urban Champion (1984)
Why I want to like it: It's one of the earliest one-on-one fighting games to hit the home market. Also, it features some fairly unique and even innovative controls for an 8-bit brawler. Finally, I find the Japanese version's box art completely charming.
Why I can't: Despite all of the above, and despite how much I desperately want to enjoy it,
Urban Champion has always bored me to tears--when it isn't making me want to chuck my controller through the TV screen.
See also: '
Three PC Engine games I want to like, but can't' and '
Three more PC Engine games that I want to like, but can't'
