• Tag Archives Super Nintendo

  • Chrono Trigger (Super Nintendo, 1995)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    https://darth-azrael.tumblr.com/post/705462466395635712/caterpie-chrono-trigger-1995

    Chrono Trigger, developed by Square and released for the Super Nintendo 1995, is widely regarded as one of the best role-playing games for that system or any other. I always preferred more “traditional” computer role-playing games like the AD&D gold box series, Ultima, etc. or the later Baldur’s Gate and similar games to the Japanese style RPGs but nevertheless, Chrono Trigger is excellent.

    Chrono Trigger is set in a world where time travel is possible. The story involves the journey of Chrono and his companions as they endeavor to prevent a catastrophic from destroying the world (isn’t that always the goal?). One of the unique things about this game are the complex moral decisions you have to make, including those involving the consequences of time travel.

    Chrono Trigger also has a unique battle system which is sort of a hybrid turn-based system. You can execute combo attacks by timing your moves and coordinating actions between other members of your party. There are also “techs” (special abilities) that characters can learn.

    This game did not slack on the visual or audio components either. It takes full advantage of the Super Nintendo’s 16-bit graphics and sound capabilities making for a visually beautiful game. The soundtrack is also excellent and anyone who has spent extensive time playing this game can recognize music from this game instantly.

    Also, somewhat unique for games of this style, Chrono Trigger has quite a bit of replay value. There are various choices to be made throughout the game that lead down different paths and to different endings. There are also tons of hidden secrets and characters to interact with along the way.

    There have been a number of spin-offs and sequels. The main games are Chrono Trigger and its sequel, Chrono Cross which was released on the PlayStation in 1999. As far as Chrono Trigger goes, it was ported to the Nintendo DS, PlayStation, Android and PC (available via Steam). As far as the best version, it somewhat depends on personal preference. You can’t go wrong with the Super NES original (if you can afford it). The PlayStation port if a faithful translation but suffers from long load times. The Android version suffers from a touch screen interface which is less than ideal (though I guess otherwise it is fine). The Windows version had issues in earlier releases but the latest iteration is excellent. The DS version is sometimes considered the best as it is a faithful translation of the original with minor improvements and additional content. I guess the downside is that you are stuck on a small screen.

    If you are a fan of RPGs in any way, then you should definitely try this in one form or another. The Windows version is probably the most accessible these days and it is an excellent version. But if you are a fan of the SNES or DS then those versions are great too, you’ll just have to do a little more work to track them down and they will cost you more. Unless you are a fan of long load times or touch screen interfaces for classic games then I would skip the PlayStation and Android versions but the games themselves are really just as good. And of course you can always go the emulation route. Whichever version you chose, you’ll have a blast with this one.

    Screen shots above are from the original Super NES version of the game.


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  • Super Play (November 1993)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Source: Super Play – Issue Number 13 – November 1993

    Super Play is a magazine that was dedicated to the Super Nintendo and published in the U.K. This is another thing we didn’t have much of in the U.S. Magazines dedicated to a specific gaming system weren’t all that common until the PlayStation came along, at least if you exclude Nintendo and Sega official publications and even those typically covered multiple systems. Other than a short-lived EGM spin-off, I don’t think we had any magazines dedicated to the Super Nintendo. The November 1993 issue of Super Play includes:

    Features

    • Third-party politics – An article on the relationship between Nintendo and third-part developers. Because of what Nintendo charges developers for carts, taxes, etc., they were not making money on 60 pound carts. This was exacerbated by the fact that Nintendo restricted developers from releasing games on multiple systems. This is what pushed some companies like Electronic Arts to develop for the Genesis.
    • The Super Mario Collection – Part two of a player’s guide for Super Mario Collection. This part covers Super Mario Bros. 2 (The Lost Levels) and Super Mario USA.
    • Kick It!: Super Play’s Soccer Special – Reviews and previews of various soccer games on the Super NES. Games covered include Sensible Soccer, Empire Soccer, Pele, World Soccer, High School Soccer, EA Soccer, Super J-League Soccer, World Cup Striker, Virtual Soccer, and Prime Goal.
    • Top Gear 2 vs. Lamborghini American Challenge – Reviews and a comparison of these two games. Both were similar style games that are played from a similar perspective as Outrun.
    • Mario & Wario – In this game, you must place blocks in front of Mario using the Mouse so that he does not plummet to his death. He has a bucket over his head so he cannot see. I guess you could say that this game is a distant cousin to something like Lemmings.
    • Aero the Acrobat – A platform game that features a bat as the protagonist.
    • Super Putty – A platform game for all ages that puts you in the role of a ball of super putty.
    • Goof Troop – An action adventure game played from an overhead perspective. Most of Capcom’s Disney licenses were pretty good and this one is no exception though it is a bit on the easy side. However, it is also targeted towards a younger audience.
    • Jurassic Park – A game based on the movie of the same name. Most games based on movies aren’t that good. In fact, most are complete garbage. However, there is the occasional exception and this is one of them.

    Regulars

    • Gamefreak – Questions answered from readers about 16-bit versions of Metroid and Zelda, Romancing Saga from Square Soft, Blaster Master, the possibility of an uncensored Mortal Kombat, technical specs of the SNES, game release dates, and more.
    • Mode 7 – Tips, tricks, passwords and cheats for various games including Final Fight 2, Powermonger, Super Turrican, Yoshi’s Cookie, Super Mario World, Starwing, Street Fighter II, Super Fire Pro Wrestling 2, Super Probotector, Prince of Persia, Desert Strike, Rival Turf, Super Family Tennis, Super Formation Soccer, Street Fighter II Turbo, WWF Royal Rumble, and more.
    • Playback – Letters from readers about Home Improvement, Japanese vs. U.S. ads, plus envelope art and more.
    • What Cart? – Short reviews of 320 Super Nintendo games.
    • Supermarket – Readers offer Super NES hardware and software for sale.
    • Next Month – Coverage of Japanese games, troubleshooting the SNES, tons of reviews, and more.

    Plus reviews of Arcus Odyssey, Captain America, Championship Pool, Evo, Incredible Crash Test Dummies, Might & Magic II, Mr. Nutz, Prime Goal, Super F1 Cirucs 2, Super Slap Shot, and Wing Commander and much more!


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  • Pac-Attack (Super Nintendo)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Source: GameFan – Volume 2, Issue 2 – January 1994

    While Pac-Man was originally famous for maze games starting in 1980 (eat the dots, flee the ghosts), there have been numerous Pac-Man games over the years in a variety of other genres. Pac-Attack, released in 1993 is one such game and fits into the puzzle game genre. Pac-Attack has the distinction of being the first Pac-Man game released exclusively for home systems.

    Pac-Attack was initially released for the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis late in 1993. In 1994 versions were released for the Game Boy and Game Gear. In 1995, a version for the Philips CD-i in 1995. both the Sega Genesis and Super NES versions have been re-released as unlockable content in other games and/or as part of various compilations over the years. The Genesis version seems to get slightly better reviews but the Genesis and Super NES versions are very similar. While this was technically the first Pac-Man game released exclusively on home systems, it was based on another game called Cosmo Gang the Puzzle which was released in arcades.

    This game is similar to games like Tetris and Columns in that you must clear blocks that fall from the top of the screen. The unique twist with Pac-Attack is that sometimes ghosts will fall instead of blocks. To clear ghosts you must guide special Pac-Man pieces to fall on them. Pac-Man will eat any ghosts in his path with the direction he is facing determining the path he will take. There is also a two-player mode in which clearing blocks will cause extra blocks to fall on your opponent.

    If you like puzzle games, then you will probably enjoy this one. However, it was criticized as having less depth and less replayability than some other similar puzzle games at the time. It was frequently compared to Tetris, Dr. Mario and Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine among others and Pac-Attack did not come out on top. Still, reviews were more positive than negative and it’s worth giving a try.

    If you do want to give this one a try, you can of course track down an original or use emulation. There are also several re-releases that you could consider. In 1998 there was a Japan only release of the Genesis version along with a remake as part of Namco Anthology 2. The Genesis version was also available as an unlockable bonus in Namco Museum for the PS2, Xbox, and GameCube in 2001. The remake that was released in Namco Anthology 2 also showed up as an unlockable bonus in Pac =-Man World 2 for the GameCube, PS2, Xbox, GBA, and Windows in 2002. The Genesis version was once again re-released as Pac-Man Museum collection released in 2014 for the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. Most recently, the Super NES version was re-released as part of Pac-Man Museum + for the PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC which was released in 2022.

    The screen shots and ad above are all for the Super NES version of the game.


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