• Tag Archives Super Nintendo

  • Electronic Gaming Monthly (April 1998)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    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!


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  • Ardy Lightfoot (Super NES, 1994)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    https://darth-azrael.tumblr.com/post/702714361793429504/superfamiblog-ardy-lightfoot-1994-ascii

    Ardy Lightfoot is a side-scrolling platform game that was released by Titus in the U.S. on the Super Nintendo in 1994. In many respects, it is like any other platform game of the time though it is a solid one. It received mostly positive reviews and graphics and sound were top notch.

    In Ardy Lightfoot you control a fox (named Ardy Lightfoot obviously). He also has a companion called Pec. I’m not really sure what kind of creature Pec is supposed to be…he’s just sort of a blue blob. However, Pec can transform into various helpful things and can also be used as a weapon. If Ardy is hit by an enemy then Pec will disappear and must be retrieved by finding a chest.

    The story line involves a “sacred rainbow” that has been shattered into seven crystal pieces. You, as Ardy, must retrieve them all. Whoever gets all seven receives a wish and there is an evil King that has already found one of them. You will have to fight off his followers in order to retrieve the others and ultimately face King Visconti for the last piece. You’ll have help along the way from other characters.

    There were some changes made between the Japanese release and the North American release. A bunch of sprites and animations were removed (I am assuming to reduce the memory footprint of the cartridge and therefore lower costs) and it was censored to some degree (a gruesome acid death was removed). However, these changes don’t significantly impact the game.

    If you are a fan of platform games, then this is one you probably want to try. There is a caveat though. Despite the cartoony graphics, this really isn’t a game designed for kids, even ignoring the gruesome death scene that was removed for the U.S. release. This is mainly because of the difficulty. There are seven huge levels and they aren’t easy. This game is only for patient players that are up for a challenge. Younger kids, in most cases, would probably only be frustrated.

    If you do want to give it a try, you’ll have to track down an original cartridge or make do with emulation. To the best of my knowledge, this game has never been re-released in any other form.


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  • Super Play (June 1996)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Source: Computer & Video Game Magazines – Super Play – Issue Number 44 – June 1996

    Super Play is a magazine dedicated to the Super Nintendo that was published in the U.K. There weren’t really many particularly successful single system magazine in the U.S. at that time and the ones that came around (usually living brief lives) tended to have 50 pages or less. Super Play on the other hand lasted several years and the June 1996 issue has close to 100 pages. The contents include:

    Regulars

    • Super Express – The latest news includes info on the upcoming Nintendo 64, including looks at some of the first games including Turok, Shadows of the Empire, Super Mario 64, War Gods, and more. Plus a look at upcoming Super NES releases including Olympic Summer Games, Pinnochio, Killer Instinct 2, Dragon Ball Z Hyper Dimension, Lufia 2, Starfox 2, Mohawk and Headphone Jack, and more.
    • Fantasy Quest – A detailed look at Tales of Phantasia from Namco.
    • Charts – The top 10 games fro the SNES. Topping the list this month is Diddy’s Kong Quest.
    • Game Freak – Questions answered about a portable SNES, Earthbound, Resident Evil, a new Golgo 13 game, the PlayStation, Square and Enix, Ace Driver, and more.
    • Mode 7 – Cheats, codes and strategies for Mortal Kombat 3, Breath of Fire II, Ogre Battle, Mega Man X3, Super Bomberman 3, and much more.
    • What Cart? – A guide to all of the games reviewed by Super Play, a brief description and their score along with what issue the review appeared in.
    • Final Fantasy Forum – A guide and map to Evermore’s Nobilia market including a map of vendors and what they have available among other tips.
    • Playback – Letters from readers about the future of Super Play, Nintendo 64 delays, plus envelope art and more.
    • Irresponsible Pictures – Reviews of the latest anime on VHS, including Urusei Yatsura TV Episodes Vol. 8, Ghost in the Shell, Gunsmith Cats, Dragon Half, Neon Genesis Evangelion, and more. This was the golden age of anime if you ask me.
    • Next Month – Coming next month, coverage of Bomberman 4, War Gods, Donkey Kong Country 2, and more.

    Features

    • Game of Life – A tongue-in-cheek study on using video games to learn real-life skills. How well to games help you to learn how to summon a fireball, drive a car, cook, and more?
    • Super Players Guide: Diddy’s Kong Quest – Part one of a strategy guide for Diddy’s Kong Quest, the sequel to Donky Kong Country.

    Reviews

    • Star Kirby Super Deluxe – Kirby stars in his first Super NES game.
    • Super Mario RPG – Not really my preferred genre of RPG but it was still a good one.
    • College Slam – Like NBA Jam only with college teams.
    • Pacific Theatre of Operations 2 – A.K.A. P.T.O. II, brought to you buy KOEI, really the only company to make strategy war games for the Super NES.
    • Secret of the Stars – A fantasy RPG by Tecmo, a company that wasn’t really known for them. And it kind of shows.

    …and more!


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