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  • Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest (Super NES)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Source: Coaster Crunch ‘Donkey Kong Country 2’ Super Nintendo Support us on Patreon

    Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest was released by Rare for the Super NES in 1995. It was the sequel to a very successful platformer so it had a lot to live up to. Fortunately, it was up to the task.

    Donkey Kong Country 2 was released near the height of the popularity of the 2D platformer style game, the side scrolling action type of game popularized by the original Super Mario Brothers. This was also near the height of 16-bit gaming. In other words, the graphics and sound capabilities of the Super NES were being fully exploited by this point and the mechanics of the 2D platformer had been pretty much perfected. Donkey Kong Country 2 demonstrates this quite well.

    In Diddy’s Kong Quest, players take on the roles of Diddy Kong and his girlfriend, Dixie Kong, as they attempt to rescue Donkey Kong from the evil K. Rool. Like most platformers, this game features a mix of side-scrolling action, platforming challenges, and puzzle-solving elements. Players navigate through a variety of vibrant and imaginative worlds, each with its own set of levels that introduce unique themes, enemies, and obstacles. One of the ways in which this game excels is in the variety of levels, enemies and obstacles. The game is challenging but you don’t have to worry about being bored or suffering from overly repetitive game play.

    The other unique way in which this game excels is in the cooperative game play elements. Whether you are playing by yourself or with a friend (one controlling Diddy and the other Dixie), you’ll have to use the right character for the given challenge. Each character has its own advantages. Diddy Kong is faster and more agile while Dixie can glide and reach greater heights via a helicopter spin.

    As far as graphics go, this game really broke new ground. Rare used pre-rendered 3D graphics to create the 2D sprites which gave the game a very distinct look. This was novel at the time and of course the graphics were excellent. In addition to this, the character animations and backgrounds were all extremely well done.

    Likewise, the music was also extremely well done. There is a wide variety of tunes that match the distinct feel of each level. Sometimes sound and music don’t strike you as immediately as the graphics but the nostalgia that certain music and even sound effects from games can trigger is an indication of just how good they were in many case.

    If you are a fan of 16-bit games or 2D platformers that this really isn’t one you should miss. I know many people (myself included) may feel that the theme isn’t serious enough or prefer a more fantasy or sci-fi feel (myself included) but as one of the best 2D platformers of all time, you should really at least give it a try.

    You can of course check this game out on an original SNES system but I don’t think used copies are cheap. It was also released for the Game Boy Advance and via the Wii and Wii U virtual consoles, Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console and the Nintendo Switch online service. You should also check out the original Donkey Kong Country and the sequel to this game, Dixie Kong’s Double Trouble! There were further sequels and follow-ups on the Nintendo 64 though these have a different feel to them.


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  • Advanced Computer Entertainment (January 1992)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Source: Computer & Video Game Magazines – ACE (Advanced Computer Entertainment) – Issue Number 52 – January 1992

    ACE, which stands for Advanced Computer Entertainment was a gaming magazine published in the U.K. in the late 1980s and early 1990s. It covered both computers and consoles. Computer coverage in 1992 included the Amiga, Atari ST, and PC. The January 1992 issue includes:

    Columns

    • Games News – Spiderman’s 30th anniversary celebrated with a new arcade game and an upcoming movie from Sony’s Columbia Pictures; B17 Flying Fortress from Microprose coming soon; Gremlin producing sequel to Utopia; Sega starts bundling Sonic with the Megadrive; Japanese gamers camp out for Zelda III; expansion for Wing Commander II coming from Origin; Electronic Arts to release editor for Populous; Namco introduces Starblade to arcades; Bart Simpson, Terminator 2 and WWF Superstars coming to the Game Boy; and more.
    • Tech News – Spectrum Holobyte and W Industries (makers of the Virtuality arcade system) join forces to develop virtual reality games.
    • Letters – Letters from readers about the short length of some games, recent changes in ACE, the CDTV, rising software prices, big game boxes with little in them, and more.
    • In the Works – Previews of games that are in progress including Cyber Fight from Electronic Arts, ATAC from Microprose, and Apocalypse from Mirrorsoft (sort of an updated Choplifter).
    • Previews – Previews of soon to be released games including Bodycount from Strangeways, KGB from Virgin Games, Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis from Lucasfilm, Populous from Bullfrog, John Madden’s Football (the first!) from Electronic Arts, Fire and Ice from Image Works, and Special Forces from Microprose.
    • Console Section – Reviews of Super E.D.F for the Super Famicom, Mega Man for the Game Boy, Super R.C. Pro-Am for the Game Boy (one of my favorite racing games though not necessarily the Game Boy version), Pac-Mania for the Megadrive, QuackShot for the Megadrive, Factory Panic for the Game Gear, and Woody Pop for the Game Gear.
    • Next Month – Coming in the next issue: the ACE Awards (plus the usual reviews, previews and more).
    • Reviews Directory – 30 pages of brief reviews for tons of games.

    Reviews

    • Another World – An arcade adventure game for the Amiga (version being reviewed), Atari ST and PC (DOS) that is reminiscent of Prince of Persia.
    • Epic – A 3D space shooter for the Atari ST, Amiga, and PC (DOS). Compared here to Wing Commander.
    • Populous II – Sequel to the classic Electronic Arts real-time strategy game for the Amiga, Atari ST, and PC (DOS).
    • Wolfchild – An arcade side-scrolling run and gun type game with a sci-fi theme for the Amiga and Atari ST.
    • Eye of the Beholder 2 – Sequel to the classic D&D RPG from SSI for the PC (reviewed here) and Amiga.
    • The First Samurai – An arcade martial arts themed adventure game for the Amiga (reviewed here), Atari ST, and PC (DOS).

    …and more!


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  • Chrono Trigger (Super Nintendo, 1995)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    https://darth-azrael.tumblr.com/post/705462466395635712/caterpie-chrono-trigger-1995

    Chrono Trigger, developed by Square and released for the Super Nintendo 1995, is widely regarded as one of the best role-playing games for that system or any other. I always preferred more “traditional” computer role-playing games like the AD&D gold box series, Ultima, etc. or the later Baldur’s Gate and similar games to the Japanese style RPGs but nevertheless, Chrono Trigger is excellent.

    Chrono Trigger is set in a world where time travel is possible. The story involves the journey of Chrono and his companions as they endeavor to prevent a catastrophic from destroying the world (isn’t that always the goal?). One of the unique things about this game are the complex moral decisions you have to make, including those involving the consequences of time travel.

    Chrono Trigger also has a unique battle system which is sort of a hybrid turn-based system. You can execute combo attacks by timing your moves and coordinating actions between other members of your party. There are also “techs” (special abilities) that characters can learn.

    This game did not slack on the visual or audio components either. It takes full advantage of the Super Nintendo’s 16-bit graphics and sound capabilities making for a visually beautiful game. The soundtrack is also excellent and anyone who has spent extensive time playing this game can recognize music from this game instantly.

    Also, somewhat unique for games of this style, Chrono Trigger has quite a bit of replay value. There are various choices to be made throughout the game that lead down different paths and to different endings. There are also tons of hidden secrets and characters to interact with along the way.

    There have been a number of spin-offs and sequels. The main games are Chrono Trigger and its sequel, Chrono Cross which was released on the PlayStation in 1999. As far as Chrono Trigger goes, it was ported to the Nintendo DS, PlayStation, Android and PC (available via Steam). As far as the best version, it somewhat depends on personal preference. You can’t go wrong with the Super NES original (if you can afford it). The PlayStation port if a faithful translation but suffers from long load times. The Android version suffers from a touch screen interface which is less than ideal (though I guess otherwise it is fine). The Windows version had issues in earlier releases but the latest iteration is excellent. The DS version is sometimes considered the best as it is a faithful translation of the original with minor improvements and additional content. I guess the downside is that you are stuck on a small screen.

    If you are a fan of RPGs in any way, then you should definitely try this in one form or another. The Windows version is probably the most accessible these days and it is an excellent version. But if you are a fan of the SNES or DS then those versions are great too, you’ll just have to do a little more work to track them down and they will cost you more. Unless you are a fan of long load times or touch screen interfaces for classic games then I would skip the PlayStation and Android versions but the games themselves are really just as good. And of course you can always go the emulation route. Whichever version you chose, you’ll have a blast with this one.

    Screen shots above are from the original Super NES version of the game.


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