• Tag Archives NES

  • Electronic Gaming Monthly (December 1993)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Source: Electronic Gaming Monthly – Issue Number 53 – December 1993

    Next to VG&CE, EGM was my favorite gaming magazine. It also was the last major video game magazine that you could really get. I mostly read it in the late 8-bit through the first part of the 32-bit era. The December 1993 issue includes:

    Features

    • The Blood and Gore are Back at the Arcades! Mortal Kombat 2 Has Arrived! – A preview of Mortal Kombat II with photos from the AMOA. Complete coverage promised in the next issue.
    • ‘Tis The Season For Winning Big With EGM’s Contests – An Eternal Champions themed contest with prizes such as a Sega CD system, various games, Eternal Champions jacket, and more.
    • Behold! Never-Ending Info On Eternal Champions! – Tons of info on Eternal Champions. It was pretty popular at the time but seems like an underrated gem of a fighting game today. It was definitely one of the best 2D fighter for the Genesis.

    Departments

    • Insert Coin – Ed Semrad’s editorial on the next battle between Sega and Nintendo with Sega’s upcoming Saturn and Nintendo’s “Project Reality” which would eventually become the Nintendo 64.
    • Interface: Letters to the Editor – Letters from readers about the 3DO, Mortal Kombat, Ranma 1/2, Japanese games, and more.
    • Review Crew – Reviews of Secret of Mana (Super NES), Wicked 18 (Super NES), Super Empire Strikes Back (Super NES), Aero the Acro-Bat (Super NES), Super Chase H.Q. (Super NES), Wolfchild (Genesis), Puggsy (Genesis), Ren & Stimpy (Genesis), Sonic Spinball (Genesis), Tecmo Super Bowl (Genesis), Lethal Enforcers (Sega CD), Beyond Shadowgate (Duo), Mad Dog McCree (3DO), Tetris 2 (NES), Mega Man IV (Game Boy), and Battletoads (Game Gear).
    • EGM’s Hot Top Tens – Various top ten lists with Mega Man X topping the editor’s list and Mortal Kombat for the SNES topping the readers’ list. Plus a top ten “Fighting Women” list as well as top ten lists for the NES, Super NES, Genesis, Sega CD, Game Boy, and Game Gear based on Babbage’s sales numbers.
    • Gaming Gossip – Various rumors in the gaming industry including Sega of Japan dropping CD support, Saturn making the jump to 64-bits, Project Reality coming in 1994, Bubsy 2 coming soon, and more.
    • Press Start – Sega to release Saturn in the fourth quarter of 1994 with a 32-bit CPU and 64-bit video chip; Sony announces they will enter video game market by the end of 1994 with a 32-bit CD based system; new six-button controllers for the Genesis; and more.
    • Arcade Action – A look at some of the latest arcade games seen aat the American Amusement Machine Association (AMOA) show including Cybersled from Namco, Power Instinct from Atlus, Violent Storm from Koanami, Bonk’s Adventure from Kaneko, Blood Warrior from Kaneko, Ninja Baseball Bat Man from Irem, and Alien 3 The Gun from Sega.

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    • International Outlook – Previews of games coming soon in Japan including Art of Fighting, Bomberman ’94, Y’s IV, Soccer Kid, Doremon 2, Downtown Baseball Story, King of the Monsters 2, Fatal Fury 2, Golden Axe 3, and more.
    • Tricks of the Trade – Tips and tricks for tons of games including Mortal Kombat (Genesis), Slipheed (Sega CD), Super Bomberman (Super NES), Mortal Kombat (Super NES), Zombies At My Neighbors (Super NES and Genesis), Splatterhouse 3 (Genesis), Gunstar Heroes (Genesis), Aliens Vs. Predator (Super NES), Street Fighter II Championship Edition (Genesis), Mad Dog McCree (3DO), Rocket Knight Adventures (Genesis), Wayne’s World (Super NES), Street Fighter II Turbo (Super NES), Alien 3 (Super NES), WWF Royal Rumble (Super NES), Super Turrican (Super NES), Time Gal (Sega CD), Super Mario All-Stars (Super NES), Battletoads and Double Dragon (NES), Bubsy (Genesis), and lots more.
    • Next Wave – Previews of upcoming games including Dracula Unleashed (Sega CD), T2 Arcade (Super NES), Incredible Crash Dummies (Genesis), The Untouchables (Super NES), Double Switch (Sega CD), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters (Genesis), Out of This World (3DO), NHLPA Hockey ’93 CD (Sega CD), Bill Walsh College Football (Sega CD), Super Turrican 2 (Super NES), and more.
    • Special Features – A look at Shanghai 2 from Activision, X-Kaliber 2097, Scratch Golf, S.O.S., Socket, and Mansion of Hidden Souls from Vic Tokai, Super Adventure Island 2, Dig and Spike Volleyball, Beauty and the Beast and An American Tail from Hudson Soft, and more.

    Fact Files

    • Super NES Times – A brief look at recent games for the Super NES including Battletoads Double Dragon, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Tournament Fighters, Bugs Bunny Rabbit Rampage, Star Trek The Next Generation, The 7th Saga, Monday Night Football, F1 Pole Position, Soldiers of Fortune, Wicked 18, The Lawnmower Man, Obitus, Inspector Gadget, Flashback, Super Battletank 2, R-Type III, Undercover Cops, and more.
    • Outpost Sega – A look at recent games for the Sega Genesis including The Lost Vikings, NFL Football ’94 Starring Joe Montana, T2: Judgement Day, Beauty and the Beast, Lotus 2, Winter Olympic Games, Dragon’s Revenge, Race Drivin’, Night Storm, Super NBA Basketball, Genghis Khan 2, Fido Dido, Dragon’s Lair (Sega CD), Lunar: The Silver Star (Sega CD), and Ground Zero (Sega CD).
    • Planet 3DO – A look Mad Dog McCree for the 3DO.
    • Club Gameboy – A look at recent games for the Game Boy including Tiny Toon Adventures, F1 Pole Position, The Lawnmower Man, and Duck Tales 2.
    • Super Gear – A look at recent Game Gear games including X-Men, Deep Duck Trouble, Chuck Rock II, and Formula One: Grand Prix.

    …and more!


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  • GamePro (April 1993)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    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!


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  • Palamedes (NES)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Palamedes is a relatively obscure puzzle game for the Nintendo Entertainment System that was released in 1990. It’s probably far more obscure than it really should have been as it was originally an arcade game by Taito and it is a fairly solid game for those that like the puzzle genre. It’s not terribly flashy and I think it just got lost in the shuffle in what was probably the most prolific time for the NES and probably puzzle games as well as Tetris had been released the year before.

    The basic concept of Palamedes is pretty straightforward: players must match dice faces to clear a stack of descending dice before they reach the bottom of the screen. The visuals are pretty simple and there are no fancy licensed characters which perhaps contributed to it being overlooked by many (but then the same can be said of Tetris), however the gameplay is what is important and that is pretty solid here. In Palamedes, you control a small character at the bottom of the screen. At the top, a wall of dice slowly descends. Your character holds a die that can be rotated to show any face from 1 to 6. By pressing the button, you can throw your die upward to eliminate a die in the descending wall by hitting it with a matching number.

    What makes the game a little more interesting is that players can perform combos by eliminating multiple dice in a row or in patterns, such as sequences (e.g., 1-2-3) or matching sets (e.g., three of the same number), which result in bonus points and can push the wall back, giving you more time to react. Essentially, you are trying to clear rows just as in Tetris but doing so in a different way. Another plus is the two-player split-screen mode. Like some similar puzzle games, as you clear rows on your side, they are added to your opponent’s side.

    There are two keys to success in this game. The first is being able to quickly rotate the die your are throwing to the value you want. The second is being able to not only quickly identify simple matches, but patterns that can eliminate more dice from the top of the screen in one throw. The early levels are pretty easy but as the speed ramps up, it gets very challenging as you would expect. It can be said for many games, but playing another person is probably the most fun and gives the most replay value.

    While generally viewed positively, even reviewers seemed to largely miss this game. Contributing to the game’s relative obscurity is probably the lack of anything resembling fancy graphics. The dice are easy to see and identify but very simple. Your avatar at the bottome of the screen is likewise fairly simple. I suppose the graphics are fairly colorful but other than that, there’s not much to say about them. Of course, Tetris was likewise very simple graphically but it first gained fame on the Game Boy where simpler graphics were more expected. One thing they definitly could have improved on is the music. It’s relatively simple, repetitive, and definitely not as catchy as Tetris (though your taste may vary). I doubt the box art helped sell the game either. However, neither the simple graphics or repetitive music (or box art) detract from what is pretty solid gameplay.

    If you are a fan of puzzle games then this is definitely one you should check out and one you might have missed back in the day. The screen shots above are from the NES version but it was also released for the MSX, FM Towns, and Game Boy. If you want to play the NES version, this game can be had fairly cheaply especially if you don’t care about it being complete in the box. You can, of course, always emulate but then you probably might as well play the arcade version.

    The ad above is from the March 1991 issue of Game Player’s.


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