• Tag Archives SNK

  • VideoGames & Computer Entertainment (February 1993)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Source: VideoGames & Computer Entertainment – February 1993

    VideoGames & Computer Entertainment was my favorite magazine in the years that it was published (late 1980s to early 1990s). It was really sort of the successor to the original Electronic Games magazine, at least until Electronic Games was actually rebooted. The February 1993 issue includes:

    Features

    • A Matter of Chaos: Player’s Guide to Dungeon Master, Part I – VG&CE had some pretty great game guides. However, you had to be disciplined about looking at them because they could ruin the game for you. This one covers the first part of Dungeon Master for the Super NES.
    • Much Ado About 3DO: The Real Story – It’s a shame the 3DO didn’t have more success. This article is a first look at the machine with some technical details and a look at its capabilities.
    • VG&CE’s Best Games of 1992 Awards – Sonic the Hedgehog 2 won VG&CE’s Video Game of the Year award with other awards going to Street Fighter II (SNES), Warsong (Genesis), F22 (Genesis), The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (SNES), Loom (TG16), Dungeons & Dragons: Warriors of the Eternal Sun (Genesis), Mick & Mack as the Global Gladiators (Genesis), Contra III – The Alien Wars (SNES), Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss (computer game of the year), Hardball III, Wolfenstein 3D, Comanche: Maximum Overkill, V for Victory, Star Control II, The Secret of Monkey Island, Wizardry: Crusaders of the Dark Savant, Dune, LINKS 386 Pro, plus numerous honorable mentions and other lists (such as worst games of 1992).

    Previews & Reviews

    • Video-Game Previews – Brief previews of Flashback (Genesis), Bonk 3 (TurboGrafx-16), Street Combat (Super NES), Dungeon Explorer II (TurboGrafx-16), Zen Intergalactic Ninja (NES and Game Boy), Lethal Weapon (NES and Game Boy), Cool World (Super NES and Game Boy), Congo’s Caper (Super NES), Malibu Bikini Volleyball (Atari Lynx), Spot – The Cool Adventure (Game Boy), and Exile 2 (TurboGrafx-16).
    • Video-Game Reviews – Reviews of The Magical Quest Starring Mickey Mouse (Super NES) – Capcom made some great Disney licensed games and this was one of them, Mega Man 5 (NES) – and there would still be one more Mega Man game on the NES, Roger Clemens’ MVP Baseball (Genesis), Cybernator (Super NES), Buster Bros. (TurboGrafx-16 CD), Dragon’s Lair (Super NES) – a platform game not really like the arcade version, PGA Tour Golf II (Genesis), Super Strike Eagle (Super NES), Aerobiz (Super NES), Samurai Ghost (TurboGrafx-16), The Adventures of Willy Beamish (Sega CD), Tiny Toon Adventures Cartoon Workshop (NES), and Universal Soldier (Super NES) – another bad licensed game.
    • Computer-Game Previews – Short previews of Ultima VII Part 2: The Serpent Isle, Caesar – I think I actually have this one somewhere though I’ve never played it, Betrayal at Krondor – my roommate in college spent many hours on this game, and Pirates! Gold.
    • Computer-Game Reviews – Reviews of The Terminator 2029 – only a few years away now, The Incredible Machine, Dune II – the first RTS I ever really saw, The Humans, WaxWorks, Mega lo Mania, Amazon: Guardians of Eden, MicroLeague Action Sports Soccer, Discovery, and Task Force 1942.

    Departments

    • Editor’s Letter – A look at what’s ahead in 1993 including the 3DO, Atari Jaguar, the PlayStation (which at the time was essentially an SNES console with CD-ROM), and more.
    • Reader Mail – Letters from readers about RPGs, Nintendo’s 32-bit CD-ROM system, portable systems, and more.
    • Tip Sheet – Hints and tips for Night Trap (Sega CD), The Guardian Legend (NES), and Cosmic Fantasy 2 (TurboGrafx-CD).
    • News Bits – Radio Shack debuts a new interactive CD player called the Memorex MD-2500 VIS, Nintendo cleared of antitrust charges, classic games re-released for the NES (Zelda, Zelda II, Punch-out, Metroid) for $29.99 each, Sunsoft licenses The Pirates of Dark Water, Atari drops price of Lynx to $79.99, and more.
    • Easter Egg hunt – Secrets revealed for Batman Returns (Atari Lynx), Super Mario Kart (Super NES), Dead Moon (TurboGrafx-16), Faceball 2000 (Game Boy), Cobra Command (Sega CD), Toki (Atari Lynx), Alisia Dragoon (Genesis), Magic Sword (Super NES), Wacky Races (NES), and Crystal Mines II (Atari Lynx).
    • Destination Arcadia – A guide to the secrets of Mortal Kombat.
    • Computer Strategies – A strategy guide for The Ancient Art of War in the Skies.

    …and more!


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  • Neo Geo Pocket Color (1999)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    https://darth-azrael.tumblr.com/post/709297738404265984/videogameads-neo-geo-pocket-ad-ask-me-anything

    The Neo Geo Pocket Color (NGPC for short) is a handheld game console released by SNK in 1999. The NGPC was designed to compete with other handheld consoles of its time, primarily Nintendo’s Game Boy Color. The NGPC had an excellent display for the time and a decent library of games. However, it was never really able to compete with Game Boy Color.

    The NGPC was technically superior to the GBC. It had a 2.7-inch reflective LCD screen (vs. 2.3-inch), it could display upt to 146 colors simultaneously (vs. 56) from a palette of 4,096. It had a clickable joystick for arguably more precise control than the GC (especially in the fighting game genre which SNK was known for). The NGPC like the GBC was powered by 2-AA batteries, however the NGPC could last for up to 40 hours while the GBC would only last about 10. The NGPC also had a much more powerful CPU, a 16-bit TLC900H @ 6.144 MHz vs. the GBC’s Intel 8008/Z80 derivative CPU.

    The Neo Geo Pocket Color had an excellent software library, especially for only being around for about two years. Many of these were arcade ports as arcade games were what SNK was beset known for. Some of the more popular games included “SNK vs. Capcom: The Match of the Millennium,” “Metal Slug: 1st Mission,” and “Metal Slug: 2nd Mission,” “Puzzle Link” and “Bust-A-Move Pocket” but there were lots of others. There were approximately 31 titles released for the Neo Geo Pocket Color in North America and slightly more than double that released in Japan.

    Despite these advantages, the NGPC did not compete well against the GBC. There are a variety of reasons. The Game Boy Color was backwards compatible with the original Game Boy and Nintendo had far more licensees making for a much larger and more diverse game library. The Neo Geo Pocket Color was also backwards compatible with the original Neo Geo Pocket but that system saw limited release in the West and there were only five English games released for it so this wasn’t that big of an advantage. One somewhat interesting note is that many Neo Geo Pocket Color games could be played on the original Neo Geo Pocket, albeit in monochrome. Nintendo was also a much more well known name. If you didn’t read gaming magazines or visit arcades, you might not even have been that familiar with SNK. It also didn’t help that the NGPC was introduced around the same time as SNK started having financial problems. These financial problems hindered SNK’s marketing and distribution efforts. SNK would declare bankruptcy and the Neo Geo Pocket Color would be discontinued in 2001.

    Despite failing to complete well, the Neo Geo Pocket Color was an excellent system. While the game library was certainly smaller than that of the Game Boy Color, the average quality was quite high. According to Wikipedia, the Neo Geo Pocket Color had a 2% market share in May 2000. Tiny by comparison compared to the Game Boy Color of course but enough to be profitable for SNK (but not enough to keep them from bankruptcy apparently).

    If you get a chance to grab one of these systems and some games, you probably should. I used to have one but regrettably sold it. To be fair, I didn’t play it much so hopefully whoever wound up with it got more use out of it than I did. Glancing at eBay it looks like the cost of these has gotten a little prohibitive unless you REALLY want one. If you just want to try the games, there are emulators out there. However, I am unsure if there are any decent emulators for portable systems (i.e. Android). Playing on a desktop is a nice way to try the games I guess but it kind of defeats the point if you lose the portability. There were multiple volumes of a Neo Geo Pocket Color collection for the Wii but I’m not sure how available these still are but the Wii would make for a pretty good portable way to play these.


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  • VideoGames & Computer Entertainment (September 1992)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Source: VideoGames & Computer Entertainment – September 1992

    VideoGames & Computer Entertainment was my favorite gaming magazine during most of its life. It went through a couple of transitions later on, eventually giving birth to Tips & Tricks but I never really cared for that one. The September 1992 issue of VG&CE includes:

    Features

    • Tokyo Toy Show Report – Some highlights of items shown at this show include a RAM backup card for the Turbo Duo, the Wondermega Genesis/Sega CD combo unit, the Teradrive which is a combo 286-based PC and Sega Genesis, Street Fighter II for the Super NES, Afterburner III for the Mega Drive/Mega CD, Lunar: The Silver Star for the Sega Mega CD, Soldier Blade for the PC Engine, Dodge Ball for the PC Engine, Musashi for the Mega Drive, Snatcher for the PC-Engine CD-ROM, Cosmic Fantasy 3 for the PC-Engine CD-ROM, and lots more.
    • Searching for the Dark World: A Player’s Guide to Zelda III, Part I – The first part of a detailed guide for A Link to the Past.
    • The 1992 Summer Consumer Electronics Show Recap – Highlights of the show include Super Star Wars (Super NES), Street Fighter II (Super NES), Dracula (Atari Lynx), Bart’s Nightmare (Super NES), Shadowrun (Super NES), TTI’s Turbo Duo, Centipede (Game Boy), Betrayal at Krondor (PC), Maximum Overkill (PC), Battletank 2000 (PC), Dark Sun: Shattered Lands (PC), and lots more.
    • Getting Into the Game: An Exclusive Look at Nick Arcade – Nick Arcade was a game show in Nickelodeon that featured virtual reality by putting players inside arcade games.

    Reviews & Previews

    • Video-Game Reviews
      • Dungeon Master – The classic 3D adventure game for the Super NES.
      • Taz-Mania – A platform game for the Genesis featuring the classic Warner Bros. character.
      • Danny Sullivan’s Indy Heat – A racing game for the NES featuring nine courses across the U.S.
      • Jackie Chan’s Action Kung Fu – Side scrolling beat-em-up featuring Jackie Chan before he became a household name.
      • King Salmon – Another fishing game, this one for the Genesis. I don’t like fishing games anyway and this isn’t one of the best.
      • DinoCity – A platform game for the Super NES in which you team up with a dinosaur to defeat some evil Neanderthals.
      • Andro Dunos – A side-scrolling shooter for the Neo Geo.
      • Side Pocket – Classic pool game for the Genesis.
      • WWF Wrestelmania Steel Cage – The last WWF wrestling game for the NES.
      • Ka-Blooey – A puzzle game for the Super NES in which you must set off all the bombs on a level without blowing yourself up.
      • The Terminator – An action adventure game based on the movie of the same name for the Genesis.
      • Adventure Island III – The latest iteration of this platform game for the NES.
      • Splash Lake – A puzzle game for the TurboGrafx-CD that bears more than a passing resemblance to a classic board game called Don’t Break the Ice.
      • King of the Monsters 2 – Fighting game featuring various monsters for the Neo Geo.
    • Gaming on the Go
      • Roger Clemens MVP Baseball – A reasonably fun baseball game for the Game Boy.
      • R.C. Grand Prix – A fun R.C. racing game. I never played this one but have fond memories of R.C. Pro Am on the NES and Re-Volt on the Dreamcast.
      • Tom & Jerry – A platform featuring the famous cartoon duo on the Game Boy.
      • Marble Madness – Conversion of the arcade classic for the Game Gear.
      • Steel Talons – Conversion of the helicopter coin-op game for the Atari Lynx.
    • Seven’s The Charm: A VG&CE Exclusive Preview of Wizardry VII – Eleven years after the original Wizardry was released, the seventh game in this classic RPG series, Crusaders of the Dark Savant, makes its debut.
    • Computer Game Reviews
      • Darkseed – An H.P. Lovecraft/H.R. Geiger inspired adventure game for the PC.
      • Mutant Beach – A puzzle/adventure game for the Macintosh.
      • Pinball Dreams – A pinball game featuring four different tables for the PC and Amiga.
      • Global Effect – A world building sim for the Amiga and PC featuring 14 different scenarios.
      • Aquaventure – An action game that plays like a 3D version of Defender for the Amiga.
      • Crisis in the Kremlin – A strategy game for the PC based on the Tom Clancy book of the same name.
      • Road & Track Presents Grand Prix Unlimited – A Formula One racing sim for the PC.
      • Gateway – A sci-fi game based on the Frederik Pohl book of the same name.
      • Gods – A run and shoot platform game. Think Contra.
      • Hong Kong Mahjong Pro – An actual Mahjong game for the PC, not the tile matching game that is usually associated with that name.
      • Wolfenstein 3-D – The granddaddy of all first person shooters. Welcome Id software to the scene…

    Departments

    • Editor’s Letter – A preview of this issue as well as a little about the upcoming October issue.
    • Reader Mail – Readers write in about game incompatibility with the new version of the Genesis, rumors of a new Super NES pack-in, controllers and Street Fighter 2, Neo Geo coverage, and more.
    • Tip Sheet – Game tips for Terminator 2 (arcade), Mission: Impossible (NES), and The Immortal (Genesis).
    • News Bits – Atari drops price of Lynx software, Galoob wins legal battle to keep making Game Genie, Nintendo and Sega lower 16-bit system prices, Sunsoft to release Road Runner’s Death Valley Rally and Tazmania for the Super NES, TTI lowers hardware prices, and lots more.
    • Easter Egg Hunt – Hidden secrets revealed in Street Fighter II (Super NES), Mike Ditka Power Football (Genesis), Awesome Golf (Lynx), The Guardian Legend (NES), Q*Bert (Game Boy), Sengoku (Neo Geo), MLBPA Sports Talk Baseball (Genesis), It Came From the Desert (TurboGrafx-16), OutRun (Genesis), and Steel Empire (Genesis).
    • Inside Gaming – A look at the near future of multiplayer gaming.
    • Q & A – Questions answered about unlicensed NES carts, software for the Apple IIgs, technical details of the Atari Lynx, the maximum number of Genesis controllers, the ext. port on the Genesis, the future of Sega CD, and more.

    …and more!


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