• Tag Archives Super 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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  • Super R-Type (Super Nintendo)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Super R-Type is a horizontal side-scrolling shooter published by Irem for the Super NES in 1991. This was one of the more popular genres in the 16-bit era and the R-Type series was one of the most iconic examples. Super R-Type was kind of a hybrid conversion of R-Type II with additional unique levels and features. Super R-Type was one of the earliest releases for the Super NES and one of the first games I owned for that system.

    The graphics were always a standout feature of the R-Type series and the Super NES version is no exception. The R-Type series in general is known for its mechanical look and gigantic bosses. The graphics have a bit of a Geiger-esque feel and the Super NES version compares favorably to the arcade version. In general it did not disappoint fans of the arcade originals.

    Likewise, the sound and music were also very good. Combined with the graphics, this helped to create a very atmospheric games. There were a lot of great 2D side-scrolling shooters but the R-Type series is one of the most memorable.

    All was not perfect with the Super NES version, though. Super R-Type, like a lot of Super NES games (especially early ones) suffered from slow-down when there were lots of sprites on the screen at once. While not ideal, I didn’t think this detracted from the game too much. Some say this made the game easier but I was never good enough to beat it on anything harder than the easiest level anyway. The lack of mid-level checkpoints is a notorious sore spot with this game. Whenever you die, you are sent back to the beginning of the level no matter how far along it you were.

    There’s nothing groundbreaking about the game play but there are a few unique touches. There is a variety of levels, power-ups, enemies, and more. One of the more unique aspects is the “force pod” which attaches to the front or rear of your ship and is indestructible. It can also detach and operate as an autonomous weapon. Super R-Type also has a charge mechanic where you hold the button down for a stronger weapon blast.

    If you are at all a fan of this genre, then I think this is a must play game. Super R-Type has an atmospheric impact that few games are able to achieve and despite its flaws, it is a blast to play. The unique levels make it worth playing even if you have played the arcade version of R-Type II.

    Over the years, there have been a couple of re-releases that make it a bit easier to play. It was released on the Wii Virtual Console in 2008 and more recently on the Nintendo Classics service in 2024. You can of course also track down an original copy or play it via emulation.

    The ad above is from the January 1992 issue of VideoGames & Computer Entertainment.


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  • Claymates (Super NES)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Claymates is a side-scrolling platformer developed by Visual Concepts and published by Interplay in 1993 exclusively for the Super NES. The was by far the most popular genre of gaming in the 8 and 16-bit era so this one probably got lost in the crowd a little. The most unique thing about this game is its claymation style animation similar to what the same company did in ClayFighter which was released around the same time. ClayFighter had pretty big success and judging from the three page ad layout in EGM, Interplay must of thought they had a big hit on their hands with Claymates as well. Honestly though, I didn’t remember this game at all so I’m not sure it was as popular as they hoped…but maybe it was just me.

    This game follows the same general formula as most other side-scrolling platform games of the time. Run and jump avoiding obstacles and defeating or avoiding enemies along the way. The unique play mechanic in this game is the fact that the main characters is a ball of clay that can transform into one of four animals. These include Muckster the Cat, Doh-Doh the Duck, Oozy the Mouse, Goopy the Guppy, and Globmeister the Chipmunk. The ad here features Goopy the Guppy leaving me to wonder if there were ads for all of the animals. In any case, each animal has its own special abilities that will help you in different situations.

    This game has a fair amount of variety. As you work your way through different levels you will progress through places such as your back yard, the Pacific, Japan, Africa, and even outer space. The story doesn’t really matter much but you are basically trying to rescue your father from the bad guy that stole his transformation serum and turned you into a clay ball.

    The graphics are kind of a mixed bag. On one had, the backgrounds are nice and the claymation effect is very unique. On the other hand, these clay animated figures, though well done, don’t necessarily look as good as the sharp and colorful looking sprites found in most games. I guess it’s a personal preference thing. There’s also nothing to complain about with the sound and music.

    This game was generally reviewed well. If I were playing a side-scroller like this at the time, other than Mario, I would have been more into sci-fi themed games so I would probably have passed this one by. A pin-up of Goopy the Guppy sure wouldn’t have made me want to play it, lol. However, if you are a fan of the genre and the SNES, then this is definitely a decent one to pick up. This would seem to be a case of not wanting to judge a book by its cover.

    There are a couple of interesting development notes. Development initially started on the NES but moved to the Super NES early on. There was also a Genesis version planned but for some reason never completed. I’m not really sure why. It doesn’t seem like it would have been a particularly difficult port but perhaps the sales weren’t what they were expecting and they chose not to pursue additional ports. I’m just speculating but Clayfighter had a number of sequels and I don’t think there were any sequels to this game.

    Claymates was added to the Nintendo Classics service in 2021. If you have a Nintendo Switch or a Switch 2 then that is an easy way to play this game. Otherwise, you will have to track down an original copy for your Super NES or use emulation. As far as I know, there haven’t been any other releases of this game.

    The ad above is from the March 1994 issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly.


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