• Tag Archives Super NES
  • Nintendo Power (March 1992)

    Source: Nintendo Power – Issue Number 34 – March 1992

    If there is a single magazine that most people have the most nostalgia over, it is probably Nintendo Power. I was never really that big into Nintendo Power because, even though I had both an NES and Super NES during their peak (as opposed to the Genesis or other systems), I was always curious what was out there for other systems. Also, I didn’t exactly consider Nintendo Power to be impartial. Nevertheless, it was always a great resource for Nintendo owners. The March 1992 issue includes:

    NES

    • The Empire Strikes Back – While most licensed games are pretty crappy, Star Wars has done pretty well on average and The Empire Strikes Back was a solid platform game on the NES…especially if you were a Star Wars fan. This guide will help you through it.
    • Terminator 2 – A guide to this multi-staged platform game based on the movie of the same name. Another licensed game that isn’t as bad as most.
    • Nightshade – A guide to an adventure game I’m not very familiar with. My biggest complaint with game like this was that they tended to be not long enough and lacked much in the way of replayability. Probably a good rental.
    • M.C. Kids – A guide to this advertisement for McDonald’s. Apparently it wasn’t a half bad game but I’m not sure how a McDonald’s themed game would do today.

    Game Boy

    • Mega Man II – A guide to the second Mega Man game for the Game Boy. A great game if you liked Mega Man and the Game Boy (Mega Man was ok but I was never fond of Blur Boy).
    • Tiny Toon Adventures – A guide to this game based on the excellent cartoon of the same name.
    • High Stakes – A gambling game that includes various casino games. This type of game works pretty well on the Game Boy.

    Super NES

    • Lemmings – An excellent game on the SNES (and other platforms). Though it could definitely be frustrating at times.
    • Joe & Mac – A pretty good platform game with a caveman theme and humor.
    • The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past – Even though I haven’t played all of the Zelda games, this one is still the best. Here’s an extensive guide if you need the help.

    Tips from the Pros

    • Classified Information – Tips, tricks and passwords for Rockin’ Kats (NES), Captain Planet (NES), Spud’s Adventure (Game Boy), ActRaiser (Super NES), Super Tennis (Super NES), Super Mario World (Super NES), Sim City (Super NES), and Mystical Ninja (Super NES).
    • Counselors’ Corner – Questions answered about Lagoon, Drakkhen, Dragon Warrior III, and Metroid II.

    The Info Zone

    • Celebrity Player Profile – An interview with Corin Nemec, star of Parker Lewis Can’t Lose.
    • Next Issue – Games featured in the next issue include The Addams Family, Captain America and the Avengers, Star Trek, and WWF Super Wrestlemania.

    Video Updates

    • Now Playing – Opinions on some of the latest releases, including Blazebusters, The Empire Strikes Back, Godzilla 2, Super Square Deal, High Stakes, Terminator 2, Wizardry II, Pop Up, Pyramids of Ra, Star Trek, and more.
    • Pak Watch – Previews of recently released and upcoming games including WWF Super Wrestlemania, The Addams Family, The Duel: Test Drive 2, and Gargoyle’s Quest.

    Comis

    • Zelda – For those that like Zelda and their comics based on games.
    • Super Mario Bros. – Ditto the above but replace Zelda with Super Mario Bros.
    • Nester’s Adventures – Nester was the mascot of Nintendo Power and had a regularly occurring comics trip.

    Player’s Forum

    • Player’s Pulse – Readers answer the question, “What do you want?”.
    • Nester Awards – The best games as ranked by Nintendo Power in various categories. Winners include Battletoads (NES), Battletoads (Game Boy), Actraiser (Super NES), Adventures of Lolo 3 (NES), Caesar’s Palace (Game Boy), Final Fantasy Adventure (Game Boy), PilotWings (Super NES), Final Fantasy II (Super NES), Castlevania II (Game Boy), and more.
    • Power Players – High scores and accomplishments for ActRaiser, Battletoads, Battle Unit Zeoth, Castlevania II, Drakkhen, Dr. Mario, Duck Tales, Faria, Final Fantasy II, Final Fight, The Immortal, Klax, The Little Mermaid, The Adventures of Lolo III, Ninja Gaiden III, Princess Tomato in The Salad Kingdom, Super Mario World, Tetris, The Uninvited, and U.N. Squadron.
    • Top 20 – At the top of the charts this month are Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES), Super Mario World (Super NES), and Super Mario Land (Game Boy).

    …and more!


  • GamePro (March 1992)

    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!


  • Electronic Gaming Monthly (April 1998)

    Source: Electronic Gaming Monthly – Issue Number 105 – April 1998

    I would say that by 1998, EGM was already past its peak, however it still seemed to be going strong covering the Nintendo 64, PlayStation, Saturn, Super NES, Genesis and the arcades. The April 1998 issue includes:

    Features

    • Tekken Triumphant – A detailed preview of Tekken 3 which was about to be released for the PlayStation, including a comparison to the arcade version.
    • Calling All Poor Losers – A humorous look at sore losers and their tactics.

    Departments

    • Editorial – A look to the future of gaming along with a complaint about there being too many sequels and not enough originality. Not that all sequels are bad (the upcoming Zelda: The Orcarina of Time is mentioned along with others), just that there are no surprises.
    • Letters – Letters from readers regarding female gamers, 2D vs. 3D, “explicit” ads, big chain stores discontinuing Saturn products, and more.
    • News – The big story this month was the impending launch of “Project X” (later called “Nuon”) from VM Labs. VM Labs was made up in part by ex-Atari employees and the idea was to embed 3D capably gaming hardware in DVD players and set top boxes. Hardware was launched but a late launch (after the PS2), poor marketing, and little games support doomed it quickly. In other news, Namco plans bankruptcy for arcades…they owned Aladdin’s Castle at the time…I miss Aladdin’s Castle.
    • Gaming Gossip – Quartermann reports that the 64DD disk drive for the Nintendo 64 might not make it to the U.S. in 1998 (little did he know it never would); he also reports on a satellite gaming service from Nintendo, the Sega Dural/Katana (ultimately to be the Dreamcast), and Sony using a mini-disc format in the next version of the PlayStation.
    • Review Crew – Reviews this month include Mystical Ninja, NBA In The Zone ’98, NHL Breakaway ’98, and Quake 64 for the Nintendo 64; Winter Heat for the Sega Saturn; Gex: Enter the Gecko, March Madness 98, Newman/Haas Racing, Punky Skunk, and Tactics Ogre for the PlayStation; and James Bond 007 for the Game Boy.
    • Jump Start – A strategy guide for NFL Blitz.
    • Tricks of the Trade – Tips and tricks for Jet Moto 2 (PlayStation), Resident Evil 2 (PlayStation), NFL Quarterback Club ’98 (Nintendo 64), Auto Destruct (PlayStation), WCW Nitro (PlayStation), Street Fighter Collection (PlayStation), and more.
    • Get Some! – Toys, gadgets, electronics and other stuff. This month featuring an R2D2 cassette player, Deer Hunter and Wild Turkey Hunt, Gamer’s Web Directory and more.

    …and more!