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I don't know if there have been similar threads. If so, tell me, please.
So I'm in this 16-bit marathon and I've thought it would be nice to do threads specifically for commenting games on non-Sega systems here in the Insert Coin section. This way, we could share our thoughts about them as Sega fans (just don't hate, please… We're grown adults…).
This would be the SNES thread, to get started with.
And I'll start with ActRaiser:
For such an early 3rd party title, Enix did magic on the SNES. It went out on 1990, but should it have launched on 1995, it would still be brilliant: Unique concept for the era, mixing beautiful arcade levels with a god-game - with shoot 'em up parts for good measure - setup, all accompained by an epic soundtrack from our Yuzo Koshirō.
The one problem I have with ActRaiser is that it may be too easy on the "normal" level of difficulty. Once you get the hold of the gameplay and know what magic to use, some levels are a breeze, and so are the god-sim parts. However, the originality of the idea, the excellent execution and overall fun gameplay warrant several returns to Fillmore (do you prefer East or West? Bad musical joke, here).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJTnHa9aWiA
Love this system, even more than the MD for single player games. I never forget seeing the screenshots of F Zero: the static screen shots along made me want the game and system.
Castlevania IV was incredible and while mode 7 always gets silly knocks, when you 1st saw the top down sections in Contra 3 it was jaw dropping moment.
NCL and Konami were almost untouchable in the 16 bit era
I have a confession to make. At first, I wanted a SNES. The MD presented itself as an opportunity: It was a freebie with a collection of novels I still have (in fact, it's on a shelf behind me right now), and the rest is history.Quote:
Originally Posted by Team Andromeda
Magical Drop 1 and 2:
The first game is a little dry in the replay department, but the artwork is still nice on the SFC version. The second game however, I have as much fun with it as the Saturn version I own (I don't have the SFC version yet, and it's price is rising). Data East did a fantastic job with the SFC game, it's even a great 2 player affair if you have a friend to play.
Hagane:
This one is too rich for my blood, reminds me a lot of Shinobi III, the action is pounding, the music is great, I really consider them close relatives to one another as I enjoy them both.
Magical Pop N:
Another one too rich for my blood, but it is as cute as a button, decent length, music is groovy, and did I mention the game is so sugary sweet that it could rot your teeth?
Kiki Kaikai 1 and 2:
Known to western games as Pocky & Rocky (I don't like the rename, the reboot coming will also bear the name), cute Japanese themed run and gun, pretty challenging too, yet charming game. I consider Twinkle Tale on the MD in the same vein, sadly it shares another thing in common with Kiki Kaikai, the expensive price tag. People consider the second P&R game to be inferior to the first, if anything it's music is even better, and you get helper characters to use in certain situations, like the big bald monk who can remove boulders from in front of item chests.
The SNES and Genesis really spoiled us with some of the best games ever made, a truly remarkable era.
About Magical Drop, I picked MD III (including a special edition of I on an extra disc) for the PSX on a discount bin. The cheapest game I've ever bought for any console: I think that if I put it in dollars, it costed me 10 bucks new and sealed. It's still the PSX game I replay more often. Not a bargain, but THE bargain.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bloodreign
Ahhhh, Magical Pop'n. I have it translated on the Super Everdrive. Beautiful game, and the witchie going "ai, ai, ai" any time you attack is adorable. That said, I haven't played it that much, but, yep, here's a wonderful game that passed us by.
I still have to give Kiki Kai Kai a try. I know what it's about and all but still haven't started my career as a yokai and yurei hunter.
And Hagane… This one is new for me! Gotta search some info.
You must have the Plus Wonderful MD 3 release, arcade perfect MD 1 after the tragedy of how the first game was redone for PS1 and Saturn with some of the most soulless characters put into the game as replacements. There's two releases of it in Japan, the original Data East print, and the Taito re-release print (I think by that time Data East went bankrupt), I own the Taito print.Quote:
Originally Posted by bigladiesman
As for Magical Pop N, they actually cast an former adult film star in the role of Pop N, sadly this was her one non porn role I believe, and she tragically died alone in her apartment not too long after, kidney issue I believe. She was starting to turn her life around too, had gotten out of the adult film industry.
To go in a long and boring story. I was like a mistake LOL, there's a 10-year gap between me and my brother and my Gran would always take my brother away on Holidays abroad in his teenage years, but by the time I came to the age of 13/4 my Gran heath was getting worse and she could no longer fly, as a way of making it up to me My gran and auntie would always look to give me money for new gaming consoles and games. SEGA ones were always for my BIG Christmas presents off mum, but my gran and aunt helped to fund my Snes and N64 console buysQuote:
Originally Posted by bigladiesman
So at school, I was one of the few kids who did actually own both a Mega Drive and SNES. I was die hard SEGA, but the Snes won me over (and I only bought it for SF II really) but I was simply blown away by the sound of the system, the colour and Mode 7. I remember even telling my gran how amazing the music and sound was in Super R-Type was, how amazing the 3D in F-Zero was and I will never forget the truly jaw dropping moment of playing the overhead sections in Contra III for the 1st time. Not that my gran really cared or knew what I was talking about, she was just glad I was happy
The Snes was an awesome system and I never could understand the digs at Mode 7, I so wished the Mega Drive had it and was so glad SEGA put the ASIC chip inside the Mega-CD
Jeez, really, sometimes real life can surpass a Yakuza series video game. :(Quote:
Originally Posted by Bloodreign
And about Magical Drop, it must be the edition yountalk about: the characters were the same as III, and it included a wonderful picture gallery.
I haven't found your story boring at all. These are beautiful memories.Quote:
Originally Posted by Team Andromeda
Let me tell you about a game I actually own and it's somewhat divisive AFAIK: Pilotwings.
Many people accuse it of being nothing but a SNES tech demo, and, well, I personally don't find this to be a fair assumption. Don't get me wrong here: it really works as a tech demo, but I think there's more to it than this. It still looks and sounds good to this day, and in spite of me finding it a bit difficult, it manages to be a relaxing experience thanks to its chill atmosphere. Thing is that over the years, I feel like the own simplicty of its concept (just minigames) played against Pilotwings, but then again, isn't Nintendo celebrated for its minigames? Right now, on the Switch, half of my collection are minigame carts to play with all my family. That is why I don't understand the relative flak Pilotwings recieves on several places.
Oh, well, here's the consuetudinary video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmEKjqgEGpE
BTW, if you're noticing some kind of pattern of my posts… I'm posting the games I comment in [kind of] chronological order.
I thought Pilotwings looked silly until I sat down and played it properly. Then I was totally hooked! Really fun game that must have felt so ahead of its time (I didn't play it for more than a few minutes until 2010).
Pilotwings could have received a more favorable view from gamers, if it had a battery save for your progress. I absolutely love Pilotwings 64, because it saves your progress and high scores from other players. It offers so many challenges that you can try to beat the score of, from yourself and others that played it. It's a great game on the N64 and it could have been just as great on the SNES.
Pilotwings looked amazing to me. When you played that or the likes of F-Zero there was nothing like those graphics on any home system in 92 (when I had my Snes). The game was amazing too, with perfect playability and amazing music. I love the N64 version and in my eyes, it's a better game than Mario 64.Quote:
Originally Posted by goldenband
I think "silly" might be the wrong word, but when I first saw the game I had the same feeling I get when I look at a flight sim on Atari 7800 -- "this is going to be a hassle", I suppose. But once I got into the gameplay I loved it. Great tunes, too -- my wife and I will sometimes sing the rocketbelt theme at each other ("Bwah, bwah bwah, bwah").
Glad to see I'm not the only one who likes that game.
That's fair enough and it all depends on when one 1st saw such games. I mean by 1994 I was bored of Mode 7 effects, but in 1992 nothing could touch it for me in the home, not even on the Neo Geo. I remember when I 1st Played Lunar in 1992 and just hearing real speech (and lots of it) in game (not just for intro's) was a totally amazing experience, but after a while, one got used to it and just expected itQuote:
Originally Posted by goldenband
Okie dokie, I've been off for a time and - forgive the redundancy - it's time to give the SNES some love. This game is special to me because I played it at a local video store and it "cured" my fanboyism and made me realize the SNES wasn't The Enemy, but a fantastic machine:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNl6WJygciw
This may be the best remaster(?) of gaming history. It kept the exact playability of the original games while giving them a complete overhaul. A winner in all aspects.
Okie-dokie. Let's shake this thread with a 1990-92 SNES marathon (in alphabetical order and without the already discussed ActRaiser - what a masterpiece! - and Pilotwings):
3x3 Eyes: Seima Kourinden (Yutaka, 1992): Based on Yuzo Takada's already classic manga, it's a decently presented J-RPG with a good soundtrack. Haven't played it much because I don't speak Japanese and this one isn't translated.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5X5leh89VI
Acrobat Mission (Teichiku, 1992): Port of a 1991 arcade by UPL and Taito, it's a run-of-the-mill shooter that plays like Xenon on steroids. Plain graphics (it has to be said, though, that some enemies are humongous), good music, deliberately dated sound effects - a nice addition - and decent but unremarkable gameplay. Average as it can be. Apparently it never make it out of Japan.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTiKYgYnn_w
Aerobiz (Koei, 1992): Same as we had on the MD/GEN but fancier, with - useless - Mode 7 and scaling effects and somewhat nicer menus. Good music. Still not my type of game, but Kou Shibusawa is a legend in his own right and I get why his games have so many fans.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6UtJjVaUrg
I should try that game out. I need something a little different to play.
Fans say the sequel, Aerobiz Supersonic, is superior. Check the review here on Sega 16.Quote:
Originally Posted by gamevet
Arcana (HAL, 1992): Highly competent dungeon crawler not unlike Shining In The Darkness: very nice anime aesthetics - I think SITD looks a little better if we take into consideration the console specs, though - , excellent music, good story and gameplay mechanics partially based on card RPGs like Magic: The Gathering. Of course, it has all the shortcomings related to dungeon crawlers like the frustration of getting lost and the somewhat repetitive nature of the gameplay, but overall, it's a winner.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiSmg2HwBtk
Area 88/U.N. Squadron(Capcom, 1991): I haven't read Area 88 until fairly recently, and I have to say that the hype around this manga classic is real. Kaoru Shintani found an exciting balance between action, war drama and spy story. It has a dozen of very memorable characters, his shōjo-esque style is pretty unique for the style of story he tells and has a surprising knack for slapstick.
But, alas, nowadays Area 88 may be best remembered for Capcom's wonderful arcade shoot 'em up. And this awesome SNES port.
After choosing between the reluctant Shin Kazama, the adventurous Mickey Simon and the almost indestructible Greg Gates, the leader Saki Vashtar will brief us on several missions we can choose between, much like Bionic Commando on the NES (of course, this is console exclusive, and many people think this makes this port better than the original arcade). Then we go to that money-hungry engineer McCoy and personalize our plane in exchange for our well-earned (?) reward money. Wash, rinse, repeat, and it works nicely.
Graphically it looks very much like the arcade with less bells and whistles, but still impressive enough for 1991: Well drawn sprites and backgrounds, lots of parallax and less slowdown than expected (it's there, though). Sound-wise is wonderful, with lots of hummable tracks and competent sound effects. It controls well (though the use of the shoulder buttons to exchange weapons would have been utterly fantastic) and, man, is pad-crushing hard.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBXexBX0FDI
Ashita no Joe (Wave Corp./K. Amusement Leasing, 1991): Although better than the god-forsaken Neo Geo game, the misadventures of Joe Yabuki - Asao Takamori and Tetsuya Chiba's masterpiece, which has grown to be considered one of the best comic series of its era, way beyond the manga world, with excellent anime adaptations by Osamu Dezaki and Shingo Araki - have a… Discreet (yes, that would be the word) playable version on the SNES.
Starting with Yabuki's pro entrance exam fight against Shohei Inagaki, we fight Wolf Kanaguchi, the much endearing Tōru Rikiishi, Tiger Ozaki, Carlos Rivera, Kim Yong-bi, Harimau and José Mendoza, the main rivals Joe faces in the manga (and every fight ends with a scene taken from it). The game is not good looking besides some floor effects, with limited colours and sprites that don't make justice to the characters they are meant to represent. However, it has good music and sound, and the gameplay itself is quite unusual, mixing boxing simulation and arcade fighting: there's a count, indeed, but the rival and the player can easily get up and the fight ends when the rival's life bar is depleted. No count, then, just the points screen. That alone makes for a couple of games' worth of curiosity, if nothing else. It's very, very short, too: just check that longplay video length.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdKyynHzs-g
Astral Bout(A Wave/King Records, 1992): The first of three Fighting Network Rings-licensed games on the SNES. RINGS was and still is a MMA promotion that back then was considered as a shoot wrestling competition before fully embracing mixed martial arts. Here we have 9 - apparently some are real and some not - characters representing 9 disciplines. Bad graphics, awful animations and worse controls. Both music and sound effects start promising but they get annoying fast. Not a good game, here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbRl6fkXLAo
Axelay(Konami, 1992): Axelay really needs few words of presentation. Pure Konami shooter goodness that makes use of the capabilities of the SNES to bring pure spectacle: scaling and Mode 7 fill the spectacular 3D levels, while the 2D levels look very good without being the most gorgeous the genre had to offer on the 16-bit generation. The sound is masterful, with tremendous, unforgettable melodies and loud, epic sound effects. And it plays awesome: it compels the player to learn the little details than can make a difference when playing X level. In fact, it's one of those games where even the slowdown turns out to be advantageous if one know when and how to use it.
A game that, overall, reeks of pure professionalism and programming proficiency, and one of the few SNES games that I really envied as a MD/GEN player back in the time. It's excellent. The best SNES shooter? As always, it depends on the eye of the beholder… I think, for instance, that, speaking of recently played games, I rather prefer U.N. Squadron and/or several MD/GEN shooters over Axelay. And I see many people say it: a top SNES shooter but maybe, just maybe, not THE top SNES shooter.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIT03mDqX5Y
We start the B with Battle Blaze(Sammy, 1992, though the copyright says 1993): Before Sega-Sammy there was Sammy and and there was Sega. There, I said the obvious :horse:. BB is plain and average as it can be. A kind of avant la lettre version of Samurai Shodown with 6 fighters and two game modes: story (The Hero), where we control Kerrel the Barbarian in his quest to save his country from demons trying to overthrow its good king, and tournament (The Battle), where we battle before said king and we can choose between the six fighters. Bland in all aspects, I feel like this is a kind of below average game, even taking into account that it appeared a bit early on the system's life.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4vkUzyHkFQ
Edit: I read it's an arcade port and not even the original is that good, so no wonder.
I love me some Area 88/U.N. Squadron. It was one of the 1st shooters I had on the SNES. I was so close to beating it, but those last 2 levels were brutal. Awesome looking game too!
Indeed. One of the best licensed games of the era. Can be soul-crushing at times, but… Phew, one has fun with it!Quote:
Originally Posted by gamevet
I've had to play the following 'uns by emulation, as they require a Super Scope and I don't have one. As such, I'll try to be brief and limit myself to what I experienced, that, as usual on gun games, is not even a 10% of the real deal (and I'm being generous)…
Battle Clash (Intelligent Systems/Nintendo, 1992): Produced by Gunpei Yokoi himself, this game is best defined as Wild Gunman on steroids, a wonderfully looking and sounding boss rush with Japanese mechas, lots of action and few substance. That said, who cares about substance? It's shooting and it's lots of fun, baby! Pew-pew, muddafakka!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyBUCJufcLo
Bazooka Blitzkrieg (Tose/Bandai, 1992): A nice, professional and polished but not especially remarkable lightgun game. Average looks, good music and sound effects for a run-of-mill arcade.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ng2nA4E_Plk
Axelay is awesome, though I am moreso Konami's other offerings, the 3 Parodius games, and Pop N Twinbee. Axelay is more serious in tone than those, but I love it anyway, even if it is not my top SNES shmup (those effects Konami pulled off for this game blew my socks off first time I saw the game. I think my eyes almost popped out of my head). I tend to like Gradius 3 as well, it was the first SNES my parents bought me, not counting Mario World since it was included with the console. I traded Gradius 3 away eventually after 1 crediting it, to a friend for his copy of A Link to the Past. I eventually ended up with Gradius 3 later on, a few years back, bought a copy, eventually landed another one for free, and still have that Zelda game.Quote:
Originally Posted by bigladiesman
I feel lucky to have an SNES, and a Genesis, and loads of games between them.
Same as you: I saw images of Axelay and thought I was hallucinating. I'd also rather play the other games you name, especially Parodius, over it, but it doesn't give it less merit. Konami just nailed almost everything it touched (almost).Quote:
Originally Posted by Bloodreign
About your anecdote about Gradius and Zelda, man, you're lucky when it comes to trading.
Now that I remember it, my little brother lent our MD copy of Bubsy to a friend and she eventually moved to another city. IIRC, they talked it over once she moved and after asking me, it ended up being a trade: we got Sonic 2. A farewell to bobkitties.
I'd say you fared well getting Sonic 2 over Bubsy, the only positive I can say for Bubsy, Rob Paulson.Quote:
Originally Posted by bigladiesman
As for Axelay, it is a visual feast for the eyes, and when you play it, you don't feel empty inside. It and Thunder Force IV are probably the two shmups I own that I can watch others play, and appreciate the hard work that got put into them (another would be Taito's Puchi Carat, arcade and PS1 versions, gorgeous sprite work).
I remember trading Bayou Billy NES to a friend for SMB 2. I still got that SMB2 copy, but I also have Bayou Billy again. I had gotten Bayou Billy when I returned John Elway's Quarterback back to K-Mart, I told them the game was broken, it sort of is by how awful it is (first game I got for my NES in 88, hoo boy my tastes in games would thankfully improve from there). Well fast forward to now, when a friend a few years back sent me a box of NES games, and Snatcher for the Saturn, and what one game did I find in that box I never thought I'd see again, freaking John Elway's QB. That was one case of the past coming back to haunt me.
Holy… This is the first time I read about a bad game chasing collectors instead of the other way round! :shock:Quote:
Originally Posted by Bloodreign
Battle Grand Prix (Kid Corp./Naxat Soft/Hudson Soft, 1992): One of those anarchic overhead arcade F1 games the Japanese players loved back then (like Sega's original Monaco GP from the late 70s, for instance). Oriented to two-player games, using only two buttons, with several outrageous tracks - like the Vatican Grand Prix - and the consuetudinary customisation options. Not good looking, with a forced vertical split screen that doesn't help matters, nice sounding and the potential a real killer if playing with someone else. When it comes to playing alone, this is quite meh.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zyy0E85GGk
Bill Laimbeer's Combat Basketball (Hudson Soft, 1991): An Amiga port (the original was by Hewson Consultants, generally a very dependable company) endorsed by that tough as steel basketball player most fans loved to hate: Bill Laimbeer. A terrible, sluggish and virtually unplayable clone of The Bitmap Brothers' Speedball, it looks like a turd, has abominable controls and sounds repetitive. To top it up, the rival AI is borderline cheating even on the lowest difficulty level. All this makes me wonder if Laimbeer['s management] endorsed this just out of sadistic pleasure: this is the very definition of shovelware.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9veUvuvVV0
BlaZeon (A. I. Co./Atlus, 1992): O, BlaZeon, mediocrity is thy middle name, even in your original arcade incarnation. Yes siree: a good idea but kind of a middling execution. I love the idea to turn the feeble ship we control into one of those cool enemy mechas, but the graphics are so-so (the backgrounds are quite bland, like half of the enemies, while the other half, like the aforementioned mechas, are quite eye-pleasing. And the bosses are colossal) the sound effects are quite bad and it just plays like so many other shooters. So, duh. That said, I think this game's music is notable, with several very catchy tunes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_1LkNI-HkA
Barbarossa (Sammy, 1992): Aka Blitzkrieg: Tōbu Sensen 1941~45, it's… Well… Yes, a game where you take on the infamous Operation Barbarossa. It's port of a tabletop-like strategy game by Systemsoft that had some degree of success on Japanese computers. I can't review it further because I don't speak Japanese and on this game it's indispensable. Gotta confess, though, that playing as the German army on the times of the nazis creeps the hell out of me. And don't get me started on its cover art…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1CsyAVcWpA
Ka-Blooey(Kemco, 1990): A launch title and another Amiga/ST port, this time of Mirrorsoft's puzzle Bombuzal. In all versions, Bombuzal is the name of the batshit crazy blue gooey guy we play as, who is very much into chewing the scenery and then blowing it away to smithereens. Visually very close to the original source - for the SNES standards, though, is VERY primitive - and showcasing the sound qualities of the then new console with all kinds of synthesised sounds and voices, it can take a bit to get used to its controls. Once you do, this game can turn to be pretty enjoyable, and it has been considered by Nintendo as enough of a classic to be included in its SNES collection for the Switch (an inclusion that, as I see, has triggered several gamers).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rsx_DCg3pkE
For some reason, programmers forgot to include much in the way of enemies in Blazeon, unlike the arcade version, you get large stretches of nothing to shoot at, or do. As for Bill Laimbeer, a friend had it years ago, even at that time, the game was dull and dry, couldn't squeeze a bit of fun of it at all.
They say that BL Combat Basketball was a Speedball ripoff. I have Speedball on the Amiga. It has nice graphics and sound, but I’ve always found the gameplay to be rather lacking. It’s like a live action game of Pong.
Indeed, there are parts on Blazeon where there's no enemy in sight for half a minute. It's weird to say the least.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bloodreign
Bill's game… I can’t stand it. I remember trying it two or three years ago and thinking it was bad. This time around, I've found it even worse.
I think it can be because of what can be called "gaming culture shock". That is, games that appeal to a wide but at the same time limited audience, like, say, the sheer amount of mahjong games we can find on consoles created in Japan.Quote:
Originally Posted by gamevet
IMHO, Speedball is pretty well loved here in general because it plays like a mixture of handball, and we happen to love that sport in Continental Europe, and has those Rollerball-like aesthetics. At the time it was considered quite groundbreaking, but I see your point: games like Atari's Cyberball were already there, and they offered way more complex gameplay than Speedball while having a - YMMV here - similar concept: deadly future sport based on one from the present day.
Before getting started with this tiny batch, I'll warn that I haven't passed Brawl Brothers by. It's just that I'll get to it after covering Rival Turf, in order to have the first two Rushing Beat entries together.
The game I tried but I'll pass by, though, is Cal Ripken Jr. Baseball - gotta say, though, that the fluidity of the players' movements is impressive - due to my unfamiliarity with the sport (despite actually liking it). Same with Capcom's MVP Football (lovingly presented but confusing compared to the EA sims).
Bulls vs Blazers and the NBA Playoffs (Electronic Arts, 1992): Well, well, well; this one came at the right moment with EA and EA Sports parting ways…
SNES owners got this one before us. It'll be interesting to compare this original version and the port we got already in 1993. A very good basketball sim with arcade and simulation modes, it boasts real rosters and player sprites that look as much as their real world counterparts as it could be done back then. The fact that several stars have their signature moves was pretty innovative at the time. When it comes to playability it's solid and fun. That said it's on the average side in sound, and it moves pretty slowly. Janky, even. But this has minimal impact on the overall quality of the game.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bNST8KqJf8
Cacoma Knight in Bizyland (Affect Co./SETA, 1992): A neato Qix-like game about an moronic king having to rely on three morons to save his moronic daughter and change back his kingdom from morose to moral-heightened. Well presented, cute, colourful, full of humour, with good music and a correct progression from easy-creasy levels to hard as nails ones where you will never know what killed you. That said, it's extremely, but EXTREMELY short, and that's what it keeps it from being other than simply average, neato or decent.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=tPg4sA8UN0s
California Games II (Silicon Sorcery/DTMC, 1992): In 1990, Epyx launched the second part of its enormously successful California Games as a DOS release. Let me get something straight, here: I've never been a fan of this franchise. I enjoy several events and some ports (Atari 2600, Lynx, Master System and the original Commodore 64 game were awesome even if they're not my type nor my forte) but in general it leaves me indifferent. For this, I could have a bit of a bias against it: sorry for that. I think Silicon Sorcery tried hard to adapt the game to the SNES specs, making good use of SNES's vibrant colours, arranging the music to sound better on MIDI while being faithful to the original and even skilfully using Mode 7 for the jet surfing event, but it had to make several important compromises to save memory (only one jet surfing track against 5 on the 1990 original) and to enforce Nintendo's censorship (the darkly humorous game over screen and the no less sadistically hilarious helicopter ascent on the snowboard event and the rock-rebounding fall on the glider one are all out). California Games fans may value this one better than me, but I find this to be utterly mediocre.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hc9IL_Bh6yI
Captain Novolin (Sculptured Sofware/raya systems, 1992): Poor Cap. He's faced with the worst kind of enemies he could fight: an army of aggressive and humongous mutant sweets and snacks that have kidnapped the Major. And worst of all is that both our hero and the Mayor suffer from type I diabetes and there's only insulin for 48 hours in town. But the good Cap is a brave man and will come to the rescue even if he can only dodge.
An edutainment title to raise awareness about diabetes, it takes the classic formula of combining arcade levels (all of them ugly as sin. Gotta say that I'm kind of fond of the hideous but huge sprites) with trivia and advice about dieting, sugar levels and insulin use. At the end, it doesn't work out as a game nor as an educational tool, but it was a commendable effort nonetheless.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGPuRUNDgdI
Chester Cheetah: Too Cool to Fool (System Vision/Kaneko, 1992): Same as our version, maybe with more colours and a couple of useless SNES gimmicks that ended up making me dizzy. More info on this game here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Nty5AZfAtk
Chuck Rock (Core/Sony, 1992): Better looking than both the MD/GEN and the Sega CD, this port moves too fast, making it harder - and needlessly so- than other versions. Also, personally I find the music of this port to be less catchy than the MD/GEN version (on sound effects, I'd say the SNES has an edge over the other two console versions). So, for me, SNES had the better looks (and sound effects), MD/GEN won on music and the Sega CD, with its extra levels, wins playability-wise and so, is the best port overall.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6Lgw_fGL6I
Clue (Sculptured Software/Parker Brothers, 1992): Same asthe MD/GEN version, maybe with brighter colours. Play the board game instead of this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RTHqXiGrHM
Congo's Caper (Data East, 1992): An official prequel (this bit of lore got lost in translation on the Western localisation of the game) to Joe and Mac telling the story of their ancestor monkey-human hybrid Congo (his Western name) and his efforts to rescue his girlfriend from a gang of demons. Looking and playing quite a bit like Joe and Mac, and having its same parts of pure frustration - sure, there are lots of lives scattered throughout, but I got quite frustrated on several levels -, it's a highly competent platformer. It has better music than any Joe and Mac game, too. It also has received quite a bit of deserved reappraisal recently. Pretty good stuff overall. Give it a try: Data East may be a weirdass company, but rarely disappoints.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBTdw-XXVws
Contra III : The Alien Wars (Konami, 1992): What can I say about the game I knew back then as Super Probotector? It takes the technical prowess of the SNES and uses it for adrenaline, huge and pretty original bosses, fast action, adrenaline, scaling, splendid cyberpunk aesthetics, more adrenaline, awesome music and sound effects, and then some more adrenaline and cursing to the screen while the player enjoys every second of it. An non-stop action masterpiece (that said, if you are able to, play the Japanese version: it has a 30 lives code - though not THE Konami Code- and infinite continues.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFSiQwGLlqs
Cool World (Painting by Numbers/Ocean, 1992): If you ask me, this is another piece of licensed trash from the era. One thinks a real life man mixing himself with cartoons must be a good idea for a video game, but, alas, it isn't. I think it tries to emulate the gameplay of the Dizzy series (platforming adventure) and it's utterly unsuccessful. Plain-looking, average-sounding, fiddly-controlling and depressive-playing. Ralph Bakshi deserved better.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nbf5YHqYGY
Cosmo's Gang: The Game (Namco, 1992): Good port of an arcade game that aimed to bring Galaxian to the nineties parodying all Namco's mythos. Bright, funny graphics, excellent sound, tight controls and classic gameplay that never fails to hook the player. I understand why it never made it out of Japan, but I think it could have found an audience in the West by targeting seasoned players. Cosmo's Gang may be up to no good but they are welcome here anytime.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVS4Nfk-YpQ
Cyber Knight (Group SNE/Tonkin House, 1992): A competent port of a PCE/TurboGrafx game. As I always say, I'm not that much into strategy RPG's, but this Japan exclusive - lovingly translated to English by the retro community - has all the ingredients to hook Asian sci-fi fans: anime aesthetics, lots of mechas, 26 systems to explore - or so they say in the game -, the idea of saving fellow humans living in another planet from an army of robot marauders (they're more than happy to welcome people from their ancestors' world) and just being overall good - weaponised - samaritans. Very nice music too, making up for the then already dated visuals (not that they are bad).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsfSvlhtWjg