• Tag Archives Super NES

  • Nintendo Power (August 1993)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Source: Computer & Video Game Magazines – Nintendo Power – Issue Number 51 – August 1993

    While I was never a subscriber, there’s no doubt that Nintendo Power was the magazine to have for Nintendo loyalists. August 1993 was just past the peak of my NES/SNES playing days as I was moving on to college (and PC gaming) but I still played from time to time. The August 1993 issue of Nintendo power includes:

    Super NES

    • Street Fighter II Turbo – An overview and strategy guide for Street Fighter II Turbo. I was really excited about the original Street Fighter II coming out on the SNES but I honestly didn’t care much about the subsequent variants.
    • Zombies Ate My Neighbors – Strategy guide for this underrated game that could best be described as comedy/horror. It is an overhead action game reminiscent of Gauntlet.
    • Alien 3 – Guide for this game based on the movie of the same name. Not the best Alien movie…or the best game.
    • Goof Troop – Disney games from Capcom tended to be quite good and this one is no exception.
    • Nigel Mansell’s World Championship – I never played this Grand Prix racing game but it looks reminiscent of Grand Prix Racing from Accolade which I played on the Commodore 64.

    Game Boy

    • Speedy Gonzalez – A side-scrolling platform game from Sunsoft featuring your favorite Looney Tunes mouse.
    • Star Trek: The Next Generation – Take command of the STTNG crew in various missions while on the go.
    • 4-In-1 Funpak Vol. II – Includes Solitaire, Dominoes, Cribbage, and Yacht(zee). Most can be played with either one or two players.

    NES

    • Jurassic Park – The movie was absolutely huge when it came out. It was even a huge deal when it was first shown on network television. Licensed games aren’t generally the best but this one isn’t terrible. This strategy guide will help you through it.
    • King’s Quest V – The King’s Quest series is better known on the PC but this conversion of King’s Quest V for the NES wasn’t too bad if you like this sort of game. This guide can be helpful…and also spoil the game.

    Tips From The Pros

    • Nester’s Adventures – The continuing adventures of Nester. This is an ongoing comic book that puts Nester in the game.
    • Classified Information – Tips, cheats and codes for Double Dragon (unlimited continues), Super Valis IV (easy mode), SimEarth (sound test), Aerobiz (sound test), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV (bonus turtles), Batman Returns (extra man), Cal Ripken Jr. Baseball (all Ripken team), The Combatribes (extra credits, super hard difficulty, one round match), Deadheat Scramble (track select), and more.
    • Counselors’ Corner – Help with Inindo: Way of the Ninja, Road Runner’s Death Valley Rally, Ultima V, and Final Fantasy Adventure.

    The Info Zone

    • Next Issue – Coming next month, coverage of Final Fight 2, Rock ‘N’ Roll Racing, Indiana Jones & The Last Crusade, Final Fantasy Legend III, and more.

    Video Updates

    • Now Playing – A brief look at soon to be released games including Final Fight 2 (SNES), Super Aquatic Games (SNES), Aliens vs. Predator (SNES), First Samurai (SNES), Dracula (SNES), Goof Troop (SNES), Street Fighter II Turbo (SNES), Nigel Mansell’s World Championship (SNES), Zombies Ate My Neighbors (SNES), Super Baseball 2020 (SNES), Jurassic Park (NES), Jimmy Connors Tennis (NES), Dracula (NES), Nigen Mansell’s World Championship (NES), Goal! (Game Boy), Spider-Man 3 (Game Boy), Muhammad Ali’s Boxing (Game Boy), Tesserae (Game Boy), and Speedy Gonzales (Game Boy).
    • Pak Watch – Previews of games accessories still in development including Clay Fighter (SNES), F1: Pole Position (SNES), Plok (SNES), Battlecars (SNES), Power Plug (SNES), Star Trek: The Next Generation (SNES), SimAnt (SNES), Mega Man VI (NES), Final Fantasy Legend III (Game Boy), Mega Man IV (Game Boy), and more.

    Player’s Forum

    • Player’s Pulse – Letters from readers about Blaster Master, game achievements, Star Fox, and more.
    • Power Player’s Challenge – High scores and other challenges for various games including Phalanx, F-Zero, Super Black Bass, Track and Field, Wave Race, Asteroids, NES Open Tournament Golf, Yoshi, Duck Tales 2, and more.
    • Player’s Poll Contest – Win a seven foot Alien and Ripley’s cryotube (actual prop from the movie). Other prizes include an Alien 3 video tape, Alien 3 game for the system of your choice and t-shirts.
    • Top 20 – The top games this month include Star Fox for the Super Nintendo, Super Mario Land 2 (Game Boy), and Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES).

    Comics

    • Star Fox – Star Fox in comic book form.

    Special Features

    • The Name of the Game – A look at games with the same name on different systems. Sometimes they are (basically) the same game. Sometimes they are completely different.

    …and more!


    📂This entry was posted in Game Boy Nintendo (NES) Retro Games Super Nintendo (SNES) 📎and tagged

  • Super Play (August 1993)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Source: Super Play – Issue Number 10 – August 1993

    Super Play was a U.K published magazine dedicated to the Super Nintendo. I know we had at least once such magazine in the U.S. but it really only had a handful of pages and was published bi-monthly. Nintendo Power was probably a better option though it would have covered the NES and Game Boy to depending on what time period we are talking about. Issue number 10 of Super Play from August 1993 (100 pages!) includes the following:

    Features

    • Different Strokes – A look at how advertisements and cover art for the same games differ between Japan, the U.K. and the U.S.
    • Troubleshooter – How to easily and cheaply fix a Super NES that has been damaged by adaptor (mis)use.
    • CES! – A look at the Summer CES in Chicago on June 3-6, 1993. Super Nintendo highlights included Arcus Odyssey, Beast Ball, a new version of the NES, Brawl Brothers, Beauty and the Beast, Dream Probe, Super Battletank 2, Crash Dummies, Caribbean Kawasaki Challenge, Ultima: The False Prophet, Rabbit Rampage, T2, Monday Night Football, Legend, Yoshi’s Cookie, Aladdin, Rock ‘n’ Roll Racing, River Raid, Super Mario All-Stars, Street Fighter II Turbo, Side Pocket, Pac-Man 2, Jurassic Park, Super Brawl, Utopia, Last Action Hero, Family Feud, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Inspector Gadget, and tons more.

    Import Reviews

    • American Gladiators – A game based on the T.V. show of the same name involving the same challenges.
    • Bubsy – A great side-scrolling platform game.
    • Doraemon – A sort of combination action/RPG featuring a cat.
    • Dracula Kid – A Zelda-like RPG featuring Dracula as a kid.
    • Final Fight 2 – Featuring a two-player mode and upgraded graphics for the SNES.
    • GP-1 – A motorcycle racing game with average reviews.
    • International Tennis Tour – An Ok tennis game.
    • Run Saber – Basically a wannabe Strider but Strider is much better.
    • Shadowrun – A SNES version of the classic tabletop cyberpunk themed RPG. It’s set in 2050…we are already more than halfway there from when this game was released.
    • Septentrion – An action adventure game set on a sinking ship.
    • Super Black Bass – A pretty good fishing game if you like fishing games.
    • Super Turrican – Thirteen levels of sci-fi platform action.

    Super Player’s Guide

    • Legend of the Mystical Ninja – A complete strategy guide for this action RPG that received no official UK release.

    UK Reviews

    • Striker – One of many soccer games released in the U.K. though this one seems to be a pretty good one.
    • WWF Royal Rumble – A pretty good wrestling game featuring the WWF.

    Regulars

    • Super Express – The latest Super NES related news including the latest on the Super NES CD, info on upcoming U.K. releases, Mega Man X, some new SNES controllers and other peripherals, a look at recent fantasy games including Ogre Battle and Neugier, more on the Summer CES in Chicago, and much more.
    • Gamefreak – Questions answered about Pop ‘n Twinbee, Street Fighter II Turbo, PAL vs. NTSC, upcoming RPGs, Actraiser vs. Soul Blazer, Sensible Soccer, and much more.
    • Playback – Feedback from readers about downbeat reviews, extra speed in U.K. games, upgrading Street Fighter II, violence in games, and more.
    • What Cart? – A brief summary of reviews of older games.
    • Next Month – Coming in the next issue, tons of game designer interviews, Final Fight 2 and Dragon Ball Z coverage, a look at the Japanese games industry, reviews of Troddlers, First Samurai, Super Back to the Future 2, World Soccer, and more.

    …and more!


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  • SOS (Super Nintendo)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Source: Electronic Gaming Monthly – Issue Number 56 – March 1994

    The above ad is from the March 1994 issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly. I have to say, I didn’t remember this game at all when I came across this ad today. I know I was buying EGM at the time but I don’t even remember seeing this ad before. My guess is that this game was not heavily advertised and that this ad probably didn’t appear in very many issues…maybe even only one. Vic Tokai published quite a few well known and, on average, high quality games in the 8-bit and 16-bit era. S.O.S. does not appear to have been a bad game, but it is definitely not one of their more well known games.

    S.O.S. was released for the Super NES in 1994 and appears to be loosely based on The Poseidon Adventure, a 1969 book and 1972 film. The goal of the game is to escape a sinking ship within an hour. It plays more or less like a combination platform/adventure game but there are some puzzle elements and some rather unique aspects to the game. You can play as one of four characters, each of which has their own story. You can also help to rescue up to seven other people, each of which has different requirements for rescue and can help you in different ways.

    S.O.S. got mixed to positive reviews so it does not appear to have been a bad game. It apparently does a good job making you feel as though you are in a movie though some parts are better designed than other. Graphics and sound are fairly average for a 16-bit title. Play control is ok but could be better. Personally, timed games always tended to annoy me. For instance, I loved Impossible Mission but thought it would have been a much better game had they implemented it without a timer somehow.

    S.O.S. was apparently successful enough to warrant a sequel. Septentrion: Out of the Blue was released as a follow-up in 1999 for the PlayStation. However, this game was a Japan only release. The premise is much the same as S.O.S. except that Septentrion is set in modern time (instead of 1921) and there is no time limit. I would probably like the lack of a time limit better but I could see how it removes a bit of the suspense element.

    If you want to give S.O.S. a try, you will have to track down an original or be content with emulating it. Emulation is probably the better choice as original copies are absurdly priced on eBay (from $200-$600 depending on completeness and condition). It seems to be fairly rare. There are no re-releases that I am aware of. Also, don’t confuse it with Sink Or Swim. On the other hand, in addition to the original PlayStation release, Septentrion also had PSP, PlayStation 3, and PS Vita releases but as far as I know, none of them were released in North America.


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