• Tag Archives Genesis

  • GamePro (June 1996)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Source: GamePro – Issue Number 93 – June 1996

    GamePro was one of the most popular gaming magazines of the 1990s. I didn’t pick up GamePro very often because there were other magazines I preferred (e.g. Electronic Gaming Monthly) and I didn’t have unlimited funds for magazines. GamePro always felt like it had a slightly younger target audience but it was still a solid magazine. The June 1996 issue includes:

    FeatureS

    • GamePro Readers’ Choice Awards – The best games and systems of the year as determined by readers. Some of the highlights include Myst (Saturn) for best strategy game, Chrono Trigger (SNES) for best role-playing game, Zoop for best puzzle game, PlayStation for best overall system, Ultimate Mortal Kombat for best arcade game, Road Rash 3 (Genesis) for best 16-bit racing sim, Donkey Kong Land (Game Boy) for best handheld game, Destruction Derby (PlayStation) for best next-gen racing game, and Doom (PlayStation) for best next-gen corridor shooter (I guess “first person shooter” wasn’t as universal of a term as it would become?). There are a bunch of other categories with each category having several entries.
    • Electronic Entertainment Expo Sneak Previews – Better known as E3, this used to be an important event in the gaming industry. Some new things shown (most still under development at the time) include Star Wars: Shadow of the Empire (Nintendo 64), Super Mario 64 (Nintendo 64), Turok Dinosaur Hunter (Nintendo 64), Shredfest (PlayStation, Saturn), Tigershark (PlayStation, PC CD), Pandemonium (PlayStation), Bogey: Dead 6 (PlayStation), Jumping Flash 2 (PlayStation), Dark Forces (PlayStation), Rebel Assault II (PlayStation), Bubsy 3D (PlayStation, Saturn), Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 (Saturn), Tomb Raider (Saturn), Gun Griffon (Saturn), X-Perts (Genesis), Vectorman 2 (Genesis), and lots more.
    • War Gods: First Look from the ACME Show – A first look at the War Gods arcade game. This was a new 3D fighter from Midway.
    • Watch Out for War Gods: A Fighter’s Edge Special Report – A detailed look into Midway’s new 3D fighting game.
    • 16-Bit Gamer’s Survival Guide – 32-bit consoles had been around for about a year at this point but 16-bit consoles were still going strong. This is a look at some of the latest games for 16-bit systems including Bass Masters Classic ’96 (SNES), Bugs Bunny in Double Trouble (Genesis), Ken Griffy Jr’s Winning Run (SNES), Lobo (Genesis) Marsupilami (Genesis), Maui Mallard (SNES), Mo Hawk and Headphone Jack (SNES), Time Killers (Genesis), and more plus a couple of best of lists.

    SWATPro Strategy Section

    • Resident Evil PlayStation ProStrategy Guide – A detailed strategy guide for the game that popularized the survival horror genre.
    • Super Mario RPG Super NES ProStrategy Guide – A strategy guide for Super Mario RPG. These guides aren’t something you want to use unless you are really stuck. Otherwise, I think they spoil the game.
    • SWATPro – Hints, tips, cheats and more for Bases Loaded ’96 (PlayStation), NHL All-Star Hockey (Saturn), Earthworm Jim: Special Edition (Sega CD), Return Fire (3DO), PO’ed (PlayStation), Doom (3DO), ViewPoint (PlayStation), Last Gladiators: Digital Pinball (Saturn), Raiden Project (PlayStation), Shinobi Legends (Saturn), Sega Rally Championship (Saturn), Darius Gaiden (Saturn), Toy Story (Super NES), and more.
    • Lunar II: Eternal Blue (Sega CD) – A guide to reaching both endings in this RPG. I always wanted this (and its predecessor) for the TG-16 CD-ROM but for some reason never got around to playing them.
    • Return Fire (PlayStation) – Tips for this overhead helicopter combat game. It reminds me a bit of the Strike series (Desert Strike, Urban Strike, etc.).
    • Zero Divide – Special moves and combos for this robot fighting game.
    • Samurai Showdown III (Neo Geo) – A move list for this classic fighting game on the Neo Geo.

    Departments

    • Letter from the GamePros – A look at some of the latest changes to the magazine.
    • The Mail – Letters from readers about “palette swap” characters in games, NBA in the Zone, AC adapters for the Sega Nomad, and more.
    • GamePro Gallery – Video game related artwork from readers.
    • Buyers Beware – Questions answered about the shareware version of Duke Nukem 3D, the price of Killer Instinct 2, Squaresoft, XBand keyboard repair, playing old games on new systems, and more.
    • ProNews – Angry mom gets Primal Rage removed from store shelves; Sega, Sony and Nintendo cut console prices; PlayStation sales go over the 1 million mark; new VR baseball game; and more.
    • GamePro Online – Some of the GamePro content you can find on America Online, various web sites, and more.
    • The Cutting Edge – A look at the $150 28.8bps modem for the Sega Saturn.
    • GamePro Labs – A look at a new disc called The Game Guru for the 3DO that provides cheats by altering saved games.
    • PC GamePro – PC coverage was a bit of an afterthought with GamePro. This section has brief looks at HyperBlade (PlayStation, Saturn, PC CD), Vikings: The Strategy of Conquest (PC CD, Mac CD), and Kingdom O’ Magic (PC CD).
    • Hot at the Arcades – A look at some of the latest arcade games including Virtua Fighter 3, War Gods, Tokyo Wars, Ace Driver Victory Lap, Dirt Dash, NBA Hang Time, Dunk Mania, Batman Forever, NBA Jam Extreme, Run and Gun 2, Midnight Run, Crypt Killer, Metal Slug, Dungeons & Dragons, Art of Fighting 3, and Street Fighter Alpha 2.
    • Overseas ProSpects – A look at new and upcoming arcade games in Japan including Virtua Fighter Kids, Prop Cycle, Sonic the Fighter, and Star Gladiator.

    …and more!


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  • GamePro (January 1997)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Source: GamePro – Issue Number 100 – January 1997

    Next to EGM, GamePro was probably the most popular gaming magazine in North America. The 100th issue of GamePro from January 1997 includes:

    Special Features

    • 100th Issue! – A timeline of GamePro dating back to April/May 1989.
    • Hanhelds for the Holidays! – A guide to new handheld games available for the holidays. Games covered include Donkey Kong Land 2 (Game Boy), X-Men Mojo World (Game Gear), Tetris Attack (Game Boy), FIFA Soccer ’97 (Game Boy), Bugs Bunny in Double Trouble (Game Gear), Pinocchio (Game Boy), Madden ’97 (Game Boy), Street Racer (Game Boy), Sword of Hopell (Game Boy), and Battle Zone/Super Breakout (Game Boy).

    SWATPro Strategy Section

    • Star Gladiator PlayStation ProStrategy Guide – A detailed strategy guide for this sci-fi themed fighting game from Capcom for the PlayStation.
    • The Fighter’s Edge Power Move Pro Wrestling – Strategies, moves and more for Power Move Pro Wrestling for the PlayStation.
    • Silverload – A walkthrough of this difficult point and click adventure for the PlayStation.
    • Game Enhancers – Game Genie codes for Alien 3 (Genesis), Castlevania Bloodlines (Genesis), Super Metroid (Super NES), and Scooby Doo Mystery (Super NES).
    • SWATPro – Tips and tricks for Mortal Kombat Trilogy (PlayStation), Formula 1 (PlayStation), Street Fighter Alpha 2 (Saturn), Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 (Genesis), Madden ’97 (PlayStation), Wipeout XL (PlayStation), Andretti Racing (PlayStation), Black Dawn (PlayStation), Die Hard Trilogy (PlayStation), The king of Fighters ’95 (PlayStation), Guardian Heroes (Saturn), Twisted Metal 2 (PlayStation), Project Overkill (PlayStation), Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 (Genesis/Super NES), Star Gladiator (PlayStation), Bogey: Dead 6 (PlayStation), and Gunship (PlayStation).

    Departments

    • Role Player’s Realm – A reviews of Suikoden for the PlayStation and a preview of Magic: The Gathering – BattleMage for the PlayStation and Sega Saturn.
    • Head-2-Head – Editorial reflecting on 100 issues of GamePro.
    • The Mail – Letters from readers about Star Wars games on the Saturn, Nintendo 64 controllers, and more.
    • ProNews – Many games facing delays including the PlayStation version of Duke Nukem 3D, Independence Day for the PlayStation and Saturn, MegaMan 8, Marvel Super Heroes, Final Fantasy VII and more. Sega cuts price on highest price Saturn games from $69.99 to $59.99. American Laser Games ceases development of live action games. And more.
    • NetPro – A guide to using four online multiplayer gaming services including DWANGO, Mplayer, TEN (Total Entertainment Network), and Engage.
    • Overseas Prospects – A preview of the upcoming Japanese release Castlevania X: Moonlight Nocturne for the PlayStation.
    • Sneak Previews – Early looks at Crusader: No Remorse (PlayStation, Saturn), Cruis’n USA (Nintendo 64), Spider (PlayStation), MechWarrior 2 (PlayStation, Saturn), Tunnel B1 (PlayStation), Pitfall 3D (PlayStation), Broken Helix (PlayStation), Amok (Saturn), Wild 9s (PlayStation), Apocalypse (PlayStation), Scorcher (Saturn), Starwinder (PlayStation), Dare Devil Derby (PlayStation), Samurai Showdown III (PlayStation), SWIV (PlayStation), XS (PlayStation), Mega Man 8 (PlayStation), and Sonic 3D Blast (Saturn).
    • PC GamePro – Reviews of Toonstruck starring Christopher Lloyd (definitely seems inspired by Who Framed Roger Rabbit), ZPC: No Flesh Shall be Spared (a Doom-like game), Screamer 2 (racing game), Descent II, and XCar. Plus a look at a PC based arcade system designed for multiplayer over the Internet play.
    • Hot at the Arcades – A look at WarZard, a fantasy based fighting game from Capcom.

    …and more!


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  • Tiny Toon Adventures: ACME All-Stars (Sega Genesis)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Tiny Toon Adventures: ACME All-Stars is a multi-sport title released on the Sega Genesis that featured characters from the Tiny Toon Adventures animated series. This game was released by Konami in late 1994. The sports featured include basketball, soccer, bowling, baseball, and an obstacle course race as well as a whack-a-mole style game called “Montana Hitting”. While there was a similar game for the Super NES, it featured a different set of sports.

    As you can probably imagine, these sports were more like mini-games, not full sports simulations. For instance, the basketball game was a two-on-two match-up. Soccer features a five-vs-five match-up. Each sport features both the basic moves you would expect along with special moves. Whichever sports you choose, you get to select the players from a roster of characters from the show including the likes of Buster Bunny, Babs Bunny, Plucky Duck, etc. There were a dozen characters to select from. Each character had different characteristics making them better for some sports than for others.

    As far as difficulty level, it really depends on the sport. Some are pretty simple (like bowling) while others require more precise control to be able to do well (like baseball). Your computer component gives uneven performances, sometimes being too hard and sometimes not hard enough. However, most are fairly fun as long as you aren’t expecting a realistic sports simulation experience. There is also a nice multiplayer feature. Not only can you play against another player but you can also play co-op against the computer. This feature more than anything else gives it some serious replayability.

    ACME All-Stars also makes great use of the 16-bit graphics of the Genesis. It really looks like you are playing the cartoon. There is tons of detail and lots of references and gags that are throwbacks to the show. There is also plenty of humor injected with interactions between the characters. The sound and music, while perhaps doesn’t stand out as much as the graphics, fits right in with the cartoony nature of the game.


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