• Tag Archives Game Gear
  • GamePro (April 1993)

    GamePro was the most popular gaming magazine in the U.S. after Electronic Gaming Monthly. They were usually pretty close in sales though I always preferred EGM. The April 1993 issue includes:

    • Letter from the GamePros – Despite the fact that more powerful systems had been available for years at this point, the NES still had strong sales in 1992 with support planned for 1993. It probably would have been doing even better except for the fact that the NES wasn’t that much cheaper than a Super NES.
    • The Mail – Letters from readers about StarFox, the Super NES expansion port, the Super 8 NES converter for the Super NES, Zelda sequels, Sega CD pack-in games, and more.
    • April Fools! – A GamePro parody.
    • Hot at the Arcades – A look at some of the latest arcade games including Holosseum (another hologram game from Sega) and Time Killers (a lesser known but somewhat entertaining fighting game).
    • Cutting Edge – Pioneer teams up with Sega and NEC to create the LaserActive Player designed to play Genesis, Sega CD, TurboGrafx-16, Turbo CD, and Super CD games as well as create a new LaserDisc format for games. It’s expected to cost $1200. Also, a look at VR tech being developed by Sega.

    • ProReviews
        • Nintendo – Reviews of DuckTales 2, Dizzy the Adventurer (Aladding), R.C. Pro-Am II (I always loved this series of RC racing games), and Bomberman 2.
        • Genesis – Reviews of Cyborg Justice, Battletoads, Cool Spot, Tiny Toon Adventures: Buster’s Hidden Treasure, Chakan the Forever Man, OutRun 2019, and G-LOC.
        • Sega CD – Reviews of Road Avenger, Hook (based on the movie of the same name), and The Adventures of Willy Beamish.
        • SNES – Reviews of Star Fox (the first game to use the new SuperFX chip), Super Turrican, Shadowrun(the cyberpunk RPG though this version is quite a bit different than the Genesis version), Inindo, MechWarrior, Pocky & Rocky, and Tom and Jerry. Plus previews of Lord d of the Rings and Final Fight II.
        • TurboChip – A review of The Legend of Hero Tonma.
        • Neo Geo – A review of Super Sidekicks.
        • Game Boy – Reviews of Kid Dracula and Milon’s Secret Castle.
        • Game Gear – Reviews of Shinobi II: The Silent Fury and Global Gladiators.
        • Lynx – A review of Power Factor.

    • Special Feature: Star Fox – A detailed look at the first (and one of only a few) games to use the Super FX chip.
    • Special Feature: Where’s Bubsy? – Though it ended up being a good game, Bubsy did suffer from delays. Here’s an interview with Bubsy himself about why that is so.
    • Special Feature: The Winter Consumer Electronics Show ’93 – The Consumer Electronics Show used to be one of the premiere places to get a look at new games. Some of the ones on display this year were Aerobiz, Chase HQ II, Dinosaurs for Hire, Dizzy, F-15 Strike Eagle II, James Bond 007, James Pond II, The Last Action Hero, Micro Machines, Mig-29 Fulcrum, Jungle Strike, Mutant League Football, NFL Quarterback Club, Pirates Gold, Populous II, Road Riot 4WD, Rolling Thunder 3, Splatterhouse 3, Wayne’s World, X-Men, Aero the Acrobat, Aladdin, Aliens vs. Predator, Blaster Master 2, California Games II, Cool World, Crash Dummies, Duck Dodgers and Marvin the Martian, Fatal Fury 2, Final Fantasy 3, Final Fight II, Jurassic Park, King of the Monsters 2, Mario is Missing, The Ren and Stimpy Show, Rock ‘n’ Roll Racing, Rocky & Bullwinkle, Sonic Blastman, Super Bomberman, Super Mega Man, Superman, The Terminator, Toxic Crusaders, Carmen Sandiego, Taz-Mania, Yoshi’s Cookie, Battletoads/Double Dragon, Bases Loaded 4, Bonk 3, Kirby’s Adventure, John Madden Football ’93, Afterburner III, Macross 2036, Alien, Batman Returns, C+C Music Factory, Dune, Ecco the Dolphin, Rebel Assault, Darkwing Duck, The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Super Dodge Ball, The Land of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse, and many more.
    • Overseas ProSpects – A look at games being released in Japan including Time Gal (Mega CD), Ranma 1/2 II (Super Famicom), Final Fantasy V (Super Famicom), and more.
    • The Sports Page – Reviews of some of the latest sports related games including Tony La Russa Baseball (Genesis), Super NBA Basketball (Super NES), Pigskin Footbrawl (Genesis), Pro Quarterback (Genesis), World Sports Competition (Turbo Duo), and more.
    • Hardware Helpers – A look at some of the latest video game accessories including The Activator (Genesis), The Street Fighter Firestick (Super NES), Game Genie (Game Boy), TopFighter (Super NES), STD ProgramPads (Super NES, Genesis), and more.
    • S.W.A.T. – Tips and tricks for King of Casino (TG16), The Addams Family (SNES), Tecmo Super Bowl (NES), Night Trap (Sega CD), Cal Ripken Jr. (SNES), Ninja Gaiden (Game Gear), Alien 3 (Genesis), The Addams Family (TurboGrafx-CD), Yoshi (NES), Splatterhouse 2 (Genesis), Super Adventure Island (SNES), Sonic The Hedgehog (Genesis), Prince of Persia (SNES), Battle Clash (SNES), and Wings 2 (SNES).
    • GameBusters: Alien 3 (SNES) – Tips for Alien 3 on the Super NES.
    • ProNews – Capcom licenses Street Fighter II products; EA changes name of sports line of games to EA Sports; John Madden Football Championship Edition to be available only via rental; Sega to work on in flight video game systems; Turtles III movie coming; and more.
    • Special Feature: The Starlight Foundation – A look at this organization which provides video game systems to hospitals.

    …and more!


  • GamePro (December 1991)

    Source: GamePro – Issue Number 29 – December 1991

    Back when video game print magazines still existed, GamePro was one of the most popular. From the late 1980s until they ended, while there were others, GamePro and EGM really dominated, at least in North America. The December 1991 issue of GamePro includes:

    • Letter from the GamePros – An editorial on the upcoming 16-bit holiday battle.
    • The Mail – Letters from readers on technical capabilities of the Genesis vs. the Super NES, hooking a Super NES to a computer monitor, the Game Genie, renting games, and more.
    • Cutting Edge – Updates on the state of the art in gaming, including a sequel to the PC Engine, upcoming CD-ROM systems, a new version of the PC Engine GT that has external CD-ROM, TV, and controller ports, the new Phillips CD-I, and more.
    • Hot at the Arcades – A look at some of the latest arcade games including Steel Talons (Atari) and Batman (Pinball, Data East).
    • Pro Reviews
      • Nintendo – Reviews of The Simpsons: Bart vs. The World (featured on the cover), Mega Man 4, Batman: Return of the Joker, Wizardry II, Where in Time is Carmen Sandiego?, Dragon Warrior III, Tiny Toon Adventure, Uncharted Waters, The Fantastic Adventures of Dizzy and the Miracle Piano System. Almost all of these are excellent games.
      • Genesis – Reviews of Rolling Thunder 2, Battlemaster, Pit-Fighter (pretty awful game on any system), Chuck Rock, Fatal Rewind, and Quackshot.
      • Super NES – Reviews of U.N. Squadron (one of the earliest horizontal shooters for the SNES), Final Fight, Lemmings, Super Adventure Island, and Smash TV (one of my favorites though it is hard).
      • TurboGrafx-16 – Reviews of Cadash, Champions Forever Boxing, Andre Panza’s Kick Boxing, and It Came From the Desert.
      • Master System – A review of Sonic the Hedgehog (an excellent 8-bit translation)
      • Game Boy – Reviews of Teenage Mutant ?Ninja Turtles II: Back From the Sewers, Terminator 2 Judgement Day, Double Dragon II, Prince of Persia, Blaster Master Boy, and Atomic Punk.
      • Game Gear – Reviews of Ninja Gaiden, Space Harrier, and Pac-Man
      • Lynx – Reviews of Stun Runner and Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure

    • Special Feature: So, You Want To Buy a 16-Bit System… – A comparison of the major 16-bit systems going into the holiday season including the Sega Genesis, TurboGrafx-16 and the newly released Super Nintendo.
    • Special Feature: GamePro’s Video Football Playoffs – A comparison of some of the available football games including John Madden Football ’92 (Genesis), Joe Montana II Sports Talk Football (Genesis), Mike Ditka Power Football (Genesis), John Madden Football (SNES), Tecmo Super Bowl (NES), Tecmo Bowl (Game Boy), Joe Montana Football (Game Gear), and NFL Football (Lynx).
    • Overseas ProSpects – A brief look at new games released in Japan including Spriggan (PC-Engine CD-ROM) and Valis IV (PC-Engine CD-ROM).
    • S.W.A.T. (Secret Weapons and Tactics) – Tips, tricks, passwords and more for Maniac Mansion (NES), Turrican (Genesis), Bonk’s Revenge (TurboGrafx-16), Little Ninja Brothers (NES), John Madden Football (Genesis), Sonic the Hedgehog (Genesis), Devil’s Crush (TurboGrafx-16), Moonwalker (Genesis), Bases Loaded II (NES), Super Mario Brothers (NES), Power Ball (Genesis), Fantasia (Genesis), Gradius III (Super NES), SCAT (NES), Princess Tomato in the Salad Kingdom (NES), Batman (Genesis), Hunt for Red October (Game Boy, NES), and more.
    • Ask the Pros – Readers ask and get answers about difficult gaming situations in Princess Tomato in the Salad Kingdom (NES), Skate or Die 2 (NES), Sonic the Hedgehog (Genesis), Spider-Man (Genesis), Bonk’s Revenge (TurboGrafx-16), Operation C (Game Boy), Shinobi (Game Gear), and more.
    • Short ProShots – Short previews if recently available and upcoming games including Space Shuttle Project (NES), TaleSpin (NES), Back to the Future (Genesis), El Viento (Genesis), Darkwing Duck (TurboGrafx-16), Earth Defense Force (Super NES), Lagoon (Super NES), Star Trek (Game Boy), Viking Child (Lynx), and Halley Wars (Game Gear).
    • ProNews – Nihon Falcom to develop software for Sega CD (e.g. Ys), SNK to introduce CD-ROM drive for Neo Geo, Game Genie coming for the Sega Genesis, Microleague to develop games for NES, Home Alone and Sonic 2 coming for the Genesis, Chester Cheetah game coming for the Game Gear, and much more.
    • The 1991 Index – An index of most of the contents for the 1991 issues of GamePro.

    …and more!


  • Advanced Computer Entertainment (January 1992)

    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!