What started as a pretty interesting idea has turned into another debacle for Nintendo. They released a
whole bunch of NES games as e-Reader card packs, for use with the e-Reader. However, you can now buy a lot of them for 50 cents or $1, meaning they must not be selling too well. I bought this game for 50 cents, so
it's not like I would be too disappointed if the game was poor, but that still doesn't mean I want the game to be horrible.

This game is reviewed on the usual scale of 0-4 stars, with 0 being very poor and 4 being excellent. This game is available for both the NES and the e-Reader, and it might cost more money to buy the NES cartridge than the e-Reader card pack.

Graphics: *1/2

For the NES, these aren't too bad graphics, but they could be better. The Mario games had much better
graphics. There's not much to say about them, other than them being about below-average. I don't expect
many people care too much about this game's graphics, anyway.

Sound: *

The music in this game is quite forgettable, while the sound effects are okay. I think the music did make a
comeback in Super Smash Bros. Melee, but it really isn't that great... the NES had a lot of good music, but this isn't it.

Difficulty:
Balloon Fight: **
Balloon Trip: ***1/2

Balloon Fight is where you fight other guys with balloons by flying over them and popping their balloons. It's pretty easy in the first levels, but it gets steadily harder. As for Balloon Trip, you've got to tap the A button repeatedly to float, and you must not hit any of the floating stars. If you hit one or land in the water, it is game over. The point of this game is to see how far you go, and unless you're really good at this, it is very difficult to get very far.

Controls: *

The controls seem to be a little too responsive; it's very hard to get the balloonist under control, as you
need to hit the A button a lot (or just hold down B), but if you do so too much, you'll end up going too high. That's a problem that happens very often in this game, sadly enough, and considering there's very little room for error in Balloon Trip, it usually means lots of Game Overs.

Gameplay:
Balloon Fight: **1/2
Balloon Trip: 1/2

In Balloon Fight, you start out with two balloons, trying to fly just high enough over other balloonists so that you can pop their balloons. You must then hit them while they are on a surface to knock them out, or else they can blow their balloon up again and fly again. If they land in the water, they get knocked out, but usually they'll make it on to a surface. You lose your balloons the same way they do (they attack you as well), but also there are stars (like in Balloon Trip) that pop your balloons. You must also stay out of the water, or you lose a life, not just a balloon. Losing one balloon gives you a lot less control over your balloonist, and losing both balloons loses a life. I like this game, even though it is simple. It is a fun little NES game sort of like Donkey Kong and Donkey Kong Jr. that may not last long, but it does offer you a little fun.

As for Balloon Trip, it is very painful to try to avoid all the stars, which you must do in order to survive. Sometimes your game will end only about 10 seconds after you start, as one mistake is all it takes to lose. It really is quite boring, even though I can imagine there are those out there who have mastered this mode.

Replayability: *

You may want to play this game again just as a little diversion, but not like most games where you'll play for multiple hours. Balloon Fight itself lasts a lot longer than Balloon Trip.

Fun Factor!: *

Depending on which game you play, this game can be either incredibly boring or at least enough to keep
you awake. Balloon Trip is too boring for my taste, while Balloon Fight at least keeps me somewhat interested. It's not really that interesting, and that gives this category this poor score.

OVERALL: *

Balloon Fight-e is not that great of a game, being really short and quite boring. However, I got this game for 50 cents (plus tax), so it really wasn't that bad of a buy. I wouldn't pay much more than a dollar for this game, though. It offers only minor thrills, and it really doesn't last long.

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