• Tag Archives Nintendo

  • GamePro (March 1992)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    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!


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  • Kirby’s Adventure (NES, 1993)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Kirby’s Adventure was the second game to feature Kirby and the first on the NES. It was released late in the life of the NES in 1993. However, this meant that developers had learned how to get the most out of the system by this time so graphics and sound were quite good, at least for the NES. The previous Kirby game, Kirby’s Dream Land, was released the year before in 1992 on the Game Boy.

    Kirby’s Adventure was in many respects a pretty typical platform game. Though perhaps a mild criticism, Kirby’s Dream Land for the Game Boy had been criticized for being a bit too simple. One of the things done to address that criticism with Kirby’s Adventure was to give Kirby the ability to steal enemies’ powers. By swallowing an enemy, Kirby could take the abilities of that enemy. In addition to copying an enemy’s abilities, Kirby can run, jump, slide, kick and fly. But Kirby’s main attack capability is achieved by inhaling enemies or other objects and spitting them out as star shaped bullets.

    Despite the differing platforms, Kirby’s Adventure is a direct sequel to Kirby’s Dream Land. Originally, it had been intended to be a direct port but the developers decided a more advanced game would be better for the NES so it became a sequel. The game’s plot revolves around an evil entity named Nightmare who has corrupted the Fountain of Dreams disrupting the sleep of the residents of Dream Land. You must find the various pieces of the Star Rod which powers the fountain in order to defeat Nightmare.

    Kirby’s Adventure was one of the best selling games the year it was released and achieved virtually unanimous positive reviews. If you like platform games at all, then this is definitely one worth playing. As it came out quite late in the life of the NES, a lot of people probably missed out on it…those that had moved on to 16-bit systems anyway. An enhanced remake was published on the Game Boy Advance as Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Lan in 2002. A port of Kirby’s Adventure was also released as a downloadable game via the Nintendo 3DS eShop in 2011. It was also released for the Wii Virtual Console in 2007 and the Wii U Virtual Console in 2013 with a separate release of the GBA version for the Wii U Virtual Console in 2014. It was also released as part of Kirby’s Dream Collection in 2012 for the Wii. It was also one of the games included as part of the NES Classic Edition in 2016. Finally, it was added to the library of NES games available via the Nintendo Switch Online Service in 2019. Needless to say there have been plenty of ways to enjoy this game and any platform or Nintendo game fan should definitely give it a try.


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  • Nintendo Power (January/February 1989)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Source: Nintendo Power – Issue Number 4 – January/February 1989

    In early 1989, Nintendo Power only had the NES to cover. Nintendo Power was only a few months old but the NES had already been around for several years. The January/February 1989 issue includes:

    Features

    • Wrestlemania – A wrestling game from an era near the peak of the WWF.
    • Captain Nintendo – Part 2 of a story involving a member of Nintendo’s R&D team and the Mother Brain from Metroid among other gaming themes.
    • Sesame Street 1.2.3 – A couple of educational Sesame Street themed games that had previously been released on home computers, including Astro Grover and Ernie’s Magic Shapes.
    • Zelda II: The Adventure of Link – A detailed guide to the sequel to one of the most successful Nintendo game ever, including maps, items lists and more.
    • Skate or Die – A guide to the classic skateboarding game from Electronic Arts.
    • Howard and Nester – An ongoing Nintendo themed comic strip.
    • Counselors’ Corner – How to get to the other side of the water in World 4-3 of Super Mario Bros. 2; the location of the warp zones in Super Mario Bros. 2; how to advance past Greece in Golgo 13; where to find the red key in the lava stage of Wizards and Warriors; how to get through level 7 of Zelda; how to find the clue books in Castlevania II; and more.
    • Classified Information – A variety of hints fro Double Dragon, Mega Man, Life Force, Gantlet, Blaster Master, Bionic Commando, and Track & Field II.

    Now Playing

    • Marble Madness – A guide to the classic isometric marble game.
    • Operation Wolf – One of the better light gun games on the NES and a decent port of the arcade version.
    • Nintendo Power Bowl – A comparison of three football games for the NES, including Tecmo Bowl, John Elway’s Quarterback and N.F.L. Football.
    • Metal Gear – The beginning of a franchise. I still prefer this 2D overhead version to more modern incarnations.
    • Video Shorts – Brief looks at Friday the 13th, World Games, Star Soldier, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Bump ‘N Jump, Rampage, Othello, Robowarrior, Spy vs. Spy, Gyruss and Q*Bert.
    • Pak Watch – Previews of upcoming games including Ninja Gaiden, Magic Johnson’s Fast Break, Pro Basketball, hoops, One-on-One, Robocop, Bayou Billy, The Guardian Legend, Knight Rider, Air Wolf, Bad Dudes, Defender of the Crown, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, California Game, and more.

    Player’s Forum

    • NES Journal – A look at a hands free controller designed for special needs kids. Also, a look at Nintendo’s PlayChoice-10 arcade game (I used to love playing Excitebike on this), new music from Debbie Gibson, Julian Lennon, and Huey Lewis and the News, and more.
    • Mail Box – Mail from readers with topics such as Super Mario Bros. 2, Dragon Warrior, Metroid, a 4-year old’s high score on Super Mario Bros, and more.
    • NES Achievers – Reader high scores on 1942, Arkanoid, Athena, Castlevania, Commando, Contra, Duck Hunt, Excitebike, Ghosts ‘N Goblins, Golf, Golgo 13, Gradius, Gun Smoke, Hogan’s Alley, and lots more.
    • Video Spotlight – Readers brag about their gaming prowess.
    • Top 30 – The top games this month include Super Mario Bros. 2, The Legend of Zelda, and Zelda II among many others.

    …and more!


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