• Tag Archives Game Gear
  • Tips & Tricks (Spring 1994)

    Source: Tips & Tricks – Spring 1994 

    I suppose the Tips & Tricks was the closest thing to a successor to VideoGames & Computer Entertainment that there was. Many of the same people were involved. However, while VG&CE was my favorite magazine while it was still around, I don’t think I ever bought an issue of Tips & Trick. While I sometimes enjoyed that type of content, my main interest was in news and reviews type stuff. This is the premiere issue of Tips & Tricks from Spring 1994 and it includes:

    Strategy

    • General Chaos – A squad based overhead action game from Electronic Arts for the Sega Genesis.
    • Double Switch – A full motion video game from Sega for the Sega CD that is along the lines of Night Trap.
    • Mortal Komba – Mortal Kombat debuts on home systems for the Super NES, Genesis, Game Boy and Game Gear. This guide helps with all of them.
    • Mortal Kombat II – Some tips and tricks for the Mortal Kombat II arcade game.
    • Clay Fighter – A guide to this more humorous fighting game.
    • Raiden – Atari Jaguar version of this classic vertical shooter.

    Departments

    • Power Up! – An introduction to a brand new magazine along with a glossary of terms including tip, trick, easter egg, bug, combo, and boss.
    • Readers’ Tips – Tips from readers for Clay Fighter (Super NES) and Street Fighter II Turbo (SNES).

    Tips

    • Genesis Tips – Tips for Battletoads/Double Dragon, Micro Machines, Pink Goes to Hollywood, Flash Back, Mortal Kombat, Aladdin, Sunset Riders, Jungle Strike, Shinobi III, and Ecco the Dolphin.
    • Sega CD Tips – Tips for Stellar-Fire, Double Switch, Microcosm, The Terminator, and Sonic CD.
    • Super NES Tips – Tips for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Tournament Fighters, Battletoads / Double Dragon, Super Nova, Pink Goes to Hollywood, Battlemaniacs, Cacoma Knight, Tom & Jerry, Super Street Fighter II Turbo, WWF Royal Rumble, and Taz-Mania.
    • Jaguar Tips – Tips for Trevor McFur in the Crescent Galaxy.
    • NES Tips – Tips for Battletoads / Double Dragon and Batman Returns.
    • Game Gear Tips – Tips for Super Monaco GP II and Lemmings.
    • Game Boy Tips – Tips for Mortal Kombat.
    • Game Genie Tips – Entering codes in a Game Genie accomplished much the same sort of thing as using POKEs in 8-bit computer games did. Basically you were hacking parameters of the game.
    • Pro Action Replay Tips – Much the same as the Game Genie but just with a different code scheme.

    …and more!


  • Electronic Gaming Monthly (January 1995)

    Source: Electronic Gaming Monthly – January 1995

    This was one of the best and biggest selling gaming magazines in the U.S. for a long time. I was never a subscriber but I bought issues when I could between probably 1989 and 2002 give or take. The January 1995 issue includes:

    Features

    • Shoshinkai Show Unveils New Products! – The big news was the unveiling of the Virtual Boy and what a flop that was. Some of the first games were Mario Bros. VB, Pinball VB, and Teleroboxer.
    • Getting “Tricky” With The King of the Super NES Jungle! – Tips and tricks for the latest and greatest 2D platform game on the Super NES, Donkey Kong Country.
    • Earthworm Jim Strategy Guide – A level by level guide to this humorous platform game from Shiny Entertainment.
    • Killer Instinct Jumps Onto The Fighting Scene! – A first look at Killer Instinct along with an incomplete moves list.

    Departments

    • Insert Coin – A commentary on the Virtual Boy’s introduction and how Nintendo was already stumbling out of the gate with its release.
    • Interface: Letters to the Editor – Letters from readers about the 32X, bug spray and CDs, Sega CD fighting games, developing games for the Turbo Duo, NAM-1975, full motion video on the SNES, Bloodstorm, and more.
    • Review Crew – Reviews of Samurai Showdown II (Neo Geo, game of the month), X-Men (Super NES), Indiana Jones (Super NES), Jurassic Park 2 (Super NES), Wolverine (Genesis), Aero The Acro Bat 2 (Genesis), Star Wars Arcade (32X), Heart of the Alien (Sega CD), Street Fighter II Turbo (3DO), Doom (Jaguar), Space Invaders (Game Boy), The Marvin Missions (Game Boy), and Ecco 2: The Tides of Time (Game Gear).
    • EGM’s Hot Top Tens – Several top tens lists including Top Ten video Babes (Mai Shiranui from The King of Fighters ’94 gets the top spot), Editor’s Top Ten (Samurai Showdown II for the Neo Geo is at the top), and Readers’ Top Ten (the arcade version of Mortal Kombat II tops the list). There are also top 10 games lists for several systems. Number one games include FIFA International Soccer (3DO), Donkey Kong Country (Super NES), Madden ’95 (Genesis), ESPN National Hockey Night (Sega CD), and Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (Game Gear).
    • Gaming Gossip – The latest news and rumors about Mortal Kombat III, NBA Jam Tournament Slam, Diddy Kong, Virtual Boy, Saturn and the 32X, Sonic on the 32X, the Sega Neptune, and more.
    • Press Start – Nintendo teams up with Paradigm to create a flight sim for the Ultra 64 (Nintendo 64); Earthworm Jim commercial featuring worm eating; Flightstick Pro from CH Products for the 3DO; a Super Game Boy to Game Genie adapter; Donkey Kong Country launched worldwide; Xband Catapult Modem for the Genesis; and more news and new products.
    • Arcade Action – A look at some of the latest arcade games including Tattoo Assassins (Data East), Ace Driver (Namco), Locked ‘N’ Loaded (Data East), and Point Blank (Namco).
    • International Outlook – Previews of new and upcoming games released overseas including Fighting Polygon (Super Famicom), Chrono Trigger (Super Famicom), Front Mission (Super Famicom), Kirby 2 (Game Boy), Super Bomberman 3 (Super Famicom), Super Bomberman Panic Bomber W (Super Famicom), Sim City 2000 (Super Famicom), Burning Heroes (Super Famicom), Pacific Theater of Operations 2 (Super Famicom), Romance of the Three Kingdoms IV (Super Famicom), Winning Post 2 (Super Famicom), Super Panchiko War (Super Famicom), Super Family Stadium 4 (Super Famicom), Go For It Tonosama (Super Famicom), Super Chinese Fighter (Super Famicom), Drift Highway Battle 2 (Super Famicom), Super Bombliss (Super Famicom), Tale Fantasia (Super Famicom), Battle Crushers (Game Boy), Super Chinese Land 3 (Game Boy), Pokonyan (Super Famicom), Art of Fighting 2 (Super Famicom), Live World Soccer Perfect Eleven (Super Famicom), and Fatal Fury Special (PC Engine Super CD-ROM).
    • Tricks of the Trade – Tricks tips and codes for VR Stalker (3DO), Shock Wave (3DO), Contra Hard Corps (Genesis), Brutal (Sega CD), Super Street Fighter II Turbo (3DO), The Lion King (Super NES), Doom (32X), Samurai Showdown (Game Boy), The King of Fighter ’94 (Game Boy), Super Return of the Jedi (Super NES), King of the Monsters 2 (Super NES), FIFA International Soccer (3DO), Out of This World (3DO), Earthworm Jim (Super NES), Beavis & Butt-head (Genesis), Shining Force II (Genesis), Sonic & Knuckles (Genesis), Ren & Stimpy: Time Warp (Super NES), Crazy Chase (Super NES), and Sonic Blastman 2 (Super NES).
    • Next Wave – Previews of upcoming games including Blue Lighting (Jaguar), Incoming (Saturn & PlayStation), TimeCop (Super NES), Clue (Sega CD), Trivial Pursuit (Sega CD), Family Feud (3DO), Cadillacs & Dinosaurs (Sega CD), Rise of the Robots (Game Gear), Air Cavalry (Super NES), Troy Aikman Football (Jaguar), Hover Strike (Jaguar), Val D’isere Skiing and Snowboarding (Jaguar), Flashback (Jaguar), Dragon’s Lair (Jaguar), and Ultra Vortex (Jaguar).
    • Special Feature – Namco discusses the making of Ridge Racer for the PlayStation with an interview of Shigeru Yokoyama, Kouichiro Shigeno, and Tsuyumi Toyoda; NEC launches FC-FX game system; a continuing look at Snatcher for the Sega CD; and more.
    • Team EGM – A look at the latest in sports games including Tecmo Super Bowl ’95, Sega Sports NHL All-Star Hockey, Road Rash III, NBA Jam Tournament Edition, Madden ’95, WCW Superbrawl, and more.

    Fact Files

    • Super NES Times – A quick look at Home Improvement (95% complete), Ogre Battle (90% complete), The Ignition Factor (100% complete), Pinball Fantasies (95% complete), and Savage Empire (95% complete).
    • Outpost Sega – Previews of Mega Bomberman (95% complete), The Death and Return of Superman (100% complete), Mighty Max (100% complete), Cosmic Carnage (32X, 100% complete), Samurai Showdown (Sega CD, 50% complete), Fatal Fury Special (Sega CD, 50% complete), Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (Sega CD, 100% complete), Ecco II: The Tides of Time (Sega CD, 100% complete), and Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure (Sega CD, 100% complete).
    • Neo Geo Challenge – Preview of Samurai Showdown II (100% complete).
    • Planet 3DO – Previews of Super Street Fighter II Turbo (100% complete), The Need for Speed (85% complete), Shockwave: Operation Jumpgate (90% complete), Shanghai: Triple Threat (95% complete).
    • Jaguar Domain – Preview of Zool 2 (93% complete – oddly specific).
    • Club Game Boy – Previews of Desert Strike: Return to the Gulf (95% complete), Pinball Fantasies (95% complete), and Bonk’s Revenge (100% complete).
    • Super Gear – Previews of Ristar (90% complete) and Legend of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse (80% complete).

    …and more!


  • GamePro (March 1992)

    Source: GamePro – March 1992

    In 1992 I was mostly reading EGM and VG&CE but I saw GamePro on the shelves all of the time. It was an exciting time for gaming. 16-bit gaming was still pretty new (with the original NES still going strong), CD based gaming was on the way and color handhelds were around. The March 1992 issue of GamePro includes:

    • Letter from the GamePros – A mention of the Winter Consumer Electronics Show and a look at what 1992 holds in store for gamers.
    • The Mail – Letters from readers about a Video Game Enhancer for the Genesis, Game Action Replay, Game Genie, NES rebates, winter sports games, and more.
    • Cutting Edge – A look at Virtuality, a virtual reality coin-op system from Spectrum Holobyte. One of the first and most iconic of such systems.
    • Team GamePro Readers Choice Awards – Readers pick the best games of 1991. Winners include Battletoads (NES) and Sonic the Hedgehog (Genesis).

    • ProReviews
      • Nintendo
        • The Empire Strikes Back – An excellent multi-genre Star Wars game featuring side-scrolling adventure, side-scrolling shooter and more.
        • Nightshade – A side-scrolling adventure game somewhat reminiscent of a cross between Solstice and Shadowgate.
        • The Blue Marlin – GamePro says it is fun but I could never get excited about fishing games.
        • Terminator 2 – A game based on the movie of the same name the proves that not EVERY game based on a movie is absolutely terrible.
        • Toki – A pretty good port of the arcade game of the same name.
        • The Ultimate Stuntman – A pretty good action game but quite difficult.
        • The Addams Family – Based on the movie of the same name. The one with Christina Ricci playing Wednesday.
      • Genesis
        • Heavy Nova – A beat-em-up game featuring robots.
        • Winter Game – Like a sequel to Games: The Winter Edition featuring eight sports seen in the Winter Olympics (without the olympics license apparently).
        • Desert Strike – Another in the excellent series of ‘Strike’ shooters.
        • Paperboy – Best translation of the arcade classic up to that point.
        • Double Dragon – The classic beat-em-up with updates for the Genesis.
      • Super NES
        • Contra III – The first 16-bit entry in the Contra series.
        • WWF Super Wrestlemania – An OK wrestling game that you would definitely want if you were a wrestling fan.
        • Super Adventure Island – Another 16-bit sequel to a classic on the NES.
      • Game Boy
        • Tiny Toons Adventures – A platform game based on the excellent cartoon of the same name.
        • Gradius – A great shooter but the Game Boy was never a favorite platform of mine. Too much blur.
      • Game Gear
        • Donald Duck – Maybe not as good as Castle of Illusion but still a pretty solid Disney platformer.
      • Lynx
        • Xybots – Conversion of the arcade game for the Lynx. The Lynx was an excellent system with some pretty good games.
    • Special Feature: Get in Control! – A look at various controllers including the Beeshu Ultimate Superstick, Beeshu Zipper, Beeshu Zoomer, Bondwell Quick-shot Intruder 2, IMN Game Handler, Nexoft Dominator, The Triton Pad, ASCII Power Clutch, Beeshu Striker, Happ Competition pro, Sega GeniStick, ASCII pad, and Halken’s JB King.
    • Special Feature: Capcom – A sneak peak at Capcom’s 1992 product line-up including Magic Sword (Super NES), Barcelona ’92 (NES), The Little Mermaid (Game Boy), Street Fighter II: The World Warrior (Super NES), Darkwing Duck (NES), Gargoyle’s Quest (NES), Bionic Commando (Game Boy), and TaleSpin (Game Boy).
    • Pro Strategy: Final Fantasy II – Tips for this classic RPG on the Super NES.
    • Overseas ProSpects: Lady Phantom – An action RPG that works a little like Military Madness. One of the vast number of games for the TurboGrafx-16 (Super CD in this case) that never made it from Japan to the U.S.
    • S.W.A.T. (Secret Weapons and Tactics) – Tips, tricks, passwords and cheats for Arcus Odyssey (Genesis), Centurion (Genesis), Moonwalker (Genesis), Rockin’ Kats (NES), Faria (NES), Saint Sword (Genesis), Mega Man 4 (NES), Hardball! (Genesis), Phelios (Genesis), Wurm (NES), BaseWars (NES), Dynamite Duke (Genesis), Super Ghouls ‘n Ghosts (Super NES), Super R-Type (Super NES), BurgerTime Deluxe (Game Boy), Slider (Game Gear), and Darius Twin (Super NES).
    • S.W.A.T. Treasure Master – A detailed set of tips for Treasure Master on the NES.
    • GameBusters: Battletoads – Hints to help you beat Battletoads on the NES.
    • Ask the Pros – Questions answered about Bill and Ted’s Excellent Video Game Adventure (NES), Shining in the Darkness (Genesis), Super Mario World (Super NES), Final Fantasy Legend II (Game Boy), and Psychic World (Game Gear).
    • Short ProShots – A brief look at new and upcoming games, including Wally Bear and the NO! Gang (NES), Gemfire (NES), Super Play Action Football (NES), Jordan vs. Bird (Genesis), Ernest Evans (Genesis), Missile Command (Game Boy), Snow Brothers Jr. (Game Boy), Top Gun (Game Boy), Magical Puzzle Popils (Game Gear), and Super Skweek (Lynx).
    • ProNews – Hudson and NEC join forces, Mega CD not compatible with the Genesis (meaning you have to wait for the U.S. version), Konami publishes Gradius for the TurboGrafx-16, and much more.

    …and more!