Steve's Obscure Super Famicom Impressions Thread

SD Hiryu No Ken isn't too bad, definitely not the worst 1-on-1 on the SFC. I remember ownin it back in the day and it did get a fair bit of use.

As for Dead Dance/Tuff E Nuff, another average effort. The lack of combo's and the sluggishness are the only downers.

FZ> Best chara in the game is Kotono. Can easily beat it with her.

Here's a video of myself messing around with Tuff E Nuff/Dead Dance with the AI on Hard.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PxefMeFjQk

Because of the number of default characters, I find it perfectly okay to use the code to unlock the bosses in tournament situations, the only character that should be banned is Jade the Fighting King.

Interesting stuff I came up on:

>If used properly, Dolf can be a rushdown character. His bazooka makes for a meaty and has good mid-air poking.

>I may be wrong, but Ks' 2HP looks to be a good anti-air.

>Syoh and Zazi (both straight up Ken & Ryu carbon copy) got good corner pressure.

great thread steve, keep em coming

HALLOWEEN comes early this year

We all know the Super Nintendo lacks dark-toned games, with many being "cutesy" with bright vibrant colors. When you're 8 years old you don't mind, but like many gamers as we get older we start to enjoy the "more mature" titles. Recommended on Super Nintendo, just to name a few, are Nosferatu, Blackthorne and Demon's Crest. Well, add this sucker to the batch, and it's only for the Super Famicom.



MAJYUUOU (AKA King of Demons) was one of a couple SFC titles that convinced me to start importing (DoReMi was another). It could be described as "Castlevania with a gun" or "Resident Evil meets Castlevania." But more than throw out lingo's, let's delve a little deeper into this morbid action scroller.

You are Abel, and your wife, Maria, and daughter Iria have been captured by your former friend Bayer who sold his soul to the devil. With them he intends to revive the KING OF DEMONS. You're willing to do anything to save your family, even taking various forms of a demon yourself.

Your weapon in human form is a 9mm gun. Abel can roll, do a downward kick in mid-air, double jump and a super shot can be unleashed when attack is held until the power bar flashes. Your journey starts on the bridge to Hell where you battle Bayer. He is easy here and will eventually retreat. The door opens on the far right end and your foray into the darkness begins...

The Caves

Things start out not so bad. Low-entry winged demons are one and done. A fairy helper acts much like an "option" in shooters. Just when you say "This is TOO easy" the ground rumbles and the ugliest and biggest worm you've ever seen is quickly slithering your way!


The parasitic creature traps you at a dead end but fortunately, or so you think, the ground collapses sending you deep into...

The Sewers

Mutant frogs, gun-toting she-devil's and hordes of zombies greet you with open decaying arms. 1 shot takes zonmbies' heads off and 2 seals the deal. Out of the corner of your eye you can see victims pinned up like grand prizes but there's no time for sentimentality as you know you could well be next. You arrive at a decrepit elevator and with hell's army on your tail, you have no choice but to enter the dank rotting interior...

Tarantula Tangle

Don't just stand there quaking or you'll soon join the festive tapestry on the ceiling... or worse! Luckily, your trip to Japan last summer paid major dividends when Ryu taught you the art of HADOKEN



Coming out of the elevator you are greeted by an old friend


could those veins be any more gross...

You can barely stand to look at it but you are "willing and Abel." (har har) Thankfully it is an easy kill despite its intimidating sprite. March forward and meet the Barons of Hell. These big bastards are tough requiring 12 gun shots to finish off.


Get by these monsters and face...

Harpy

Beware the long purple tongue of this malpractice creature. It'd like nothing more than to add your SKULL to its precious collection. Kill it, grab the orb and begin your 1st inhuman transformation.



WHEW! That's only stage 1. It's all very short though, but you gotta love the mini-bosses and devilish enemies at every turn.

Stage 2 is a plant-themed world with buildings in ruin. A very unique aspect here are the green pods which release little red fairies. Kill 'em and you can eat their fallen carcasses to regain health. Demonic, and you know you love it too



Everything's going smoothly in stage 2 until you cross an old abandoned building. You hear a trembling and know it's not JUST the racing of your heart, but something BIG and BAD is moving toward you fast....


If it catches you in its teeth it will literally drag you up and down the screen like a rag doll, inflicting major damage. Defeat this mini-boss and find yourself eye to eye (no pun intended) with this bad boy


Hmmm... SkyBlazer anyone.....

What, there's one more after Cyclops? #@%&!!!


the mutant's super shot will make quick work of Mrs. Bushroot

The Plant Queen has several attacks but is easy. Defeat this empress and enter stage 3 which guarantees to be the "ride of your life." Stage 3 has you on a speeding train rolling past a cemetery. Something afoul is in the air...


that's one ominous skyline

Within 10 seconds this mini-boss appears. It only has 1 attack: throwing its two scythe's at you, which will spin in place for a few seconds. Just leave some room on the left and you'll be OK. Battle the rest of the minions on the train and soon you'll meet a pair of twins unlike any you've met before.


You are helpless as they kill this innocent lass. The scream as she perishes is quite eerie. After these two you immediately face the end boss of stage 3.


Its weak spot is apparent -- that sick pulsating brain mass in the center of its back, ugh. Just dodge the purple barrage of bullets and you'll be fine.

Once the disgusting bubbly mass is blown to bits, the Ghost Train is rendered helpless and sent crashing through the castle walls.



Level 4 begins and from here on out, I'll let you discover what horrors await. Will you be able to stop Bayer? Will the King of Demons arise? Can Abel save his family?

MISC
------

-There are 3 different demons you can become, with stronger versions of each. Each has a unique regular/super shot and one can flip, another teleports, etc. Find out which form works best for which stages

-Yes, you are human only for stage 1, unless you opt to not touch an orb after the end level bosses, which would make the game more challenging (his puny slow gun shot is no match compared to the mutant's rapid crescent blades)

-The beginning plot is in Japanese, but throughout the levels there is no text. Not a biggie

-Unfortunately there is no Options screen, a few bonus modes would have been nice as well

-The helper is very useful, if you die it will revive you for a 2nd go and you won't waste a life. Some levels you will spot a green aura -- touch her and you're set

-There are health refills here and there, stand over and press down

-Your health bar will increase as your point total increases. You can continue forever, but you will start at level 1 health and for later levels kiss it good-bye

CLOSING THOUGHTS

Initially, the small sprites were disappointing and in general I felt graphically it was a bit of a letdown. The game is fairly short and not too difficult. It wasn't the 9+ out of 10 masterpiece a part of me was expecting to be honest (mostly due to hype and word of mouth from a few who had played it and raved about it), but it's well worth owning. I love the strange and gruesome creatures you encounter throughout, the mini-bosses are a hoot and it kind of me reminds me of Taromaru a little bit I have to say! It had that Japanese demonic tone down pat. The gameplay is reminiscent of an old 8-bit game for some reason and the different demons you can become is quite Altered Beast-esque. I like it.

MAJYUUOU is a good ole fashion blast that goes down on the small list of dark action games (worth playing) on the Super NES.

Majyuuou gameplay sample

Steve, do you have a video capture card
or
Do you take the screenies on an emulator?


I have some similar things i would like to do.

He used a camcorder/webcam.

Majyuuou comes with amazing box art. I suck at the game personally - I can't kill that centipede and find level 2 grueling. those fairies that pop out of the plants are a bitch.
I love the game though coz it's wacky and unlike most SFC games (much more in line with what the MD and PCE where getting).
one game I'm not going to getting rid of any time soon.

Those were the best, most-detailed screens I've ever seen of Rendering Ranger, gg Steve.
I like this thread even more than the Saturn one already.

Yeah, this thread rocks!! Keep the good stuff comign Steve, you da man!

Formation Z said:

Here's a video of myself messing around with Tuff E Nuff/Dead Dance with the AI on Hard.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PxefMeFjQk

Because of the number of default characters, I find it perfectly okay to use the code to unlock the bosses in tournament situations, the only character that should be banned is Jade the Fighting King.

Interesting stuff I came up on:

>If used properly, Dolf can be a rushdown character. His bazooka makes for a meaty and has good mid-air poking.

>I may be wrong, but Ks' 2HP looks to be a good anti-air.

>Syoh and Zazi (both straight up Ken & Ryu carbon copy) got good corner pressure.

Click to expand...

I own Tuff E Nuff, what is great about it.

a "HOT" game

If you've ever seen the old 1974 flick THE TOWERING INFERNO (Fred Astaire, OJ Simpson yes THAT OJ Simpson) then you will know exactly what to expect from this next game.

12 years ago EGM ran a spiffy 2-page feature on THE FIREMEN, and ever since I've been curious about it. Made by HUMAN, perhaps most well-known for their Fire Pro Wrestling franchise, The Firemen is a 1-player top-down action game where you navigate a top high-rise fire fighter through the burning Metrotech building. With your water hose you extinguish fires, dispatch mechanical objects gone haywire and of course face intimidating end-level bosses.

Like Godzilla, this 12-year-mystery lived up to the hype. THE FIREMEN is a stellar game. It's graphically pleasant with well-shaded characters adding a perception of depth, plays really well and the theme is unique all culminating in a game that has that "cool" factor. There is some in-game JP text communication between Danny and Pete the firefighters, but it's nothing you can't do without. Oddly, the game intro is in English.



It's 6 PM on Christmas and a small fire in the Metrotech kitchen left unattended has spread throughout the complex. With the building burning to a crisp and injured people stuck inside, it's your job to get in and neutralize the situation. There are six floors in all. Thanks to the whole theme and atmosphere, it reminds me of Die Hard the movie, except replace the terrorists with deadly flames. (and the guns with a water hose)

Your partner carries an axe and helps in eradicating fires and other enemies, including bosses. He'll carry out the victims as well. Finding and rescuing victims are not necessary, per se, but finding more means a better score and each time you save someone your health will be restored by roughly 60% (if necessary).



The buttons are simple.

Y = straight ahead spray
B = downward spray
X = extinguishing bomb (limited)
A = crawl
L/R = locks position and strafes (you can shoot in 8 directions)

Predominantly, you'll be using the straight spray but the downward spray is the only way to eliminate small fires. There are two main fire types: small and large. The small flames you can touch without getting hurt. Crawl is very useful because there are backdrafts and much like Burning Rangers you'll hear a quick whiz before all hell breaks loose. Crawling will help you avoid damage from backdrafts and fireballs.

crawl to avoid the annoying fireballs

You'll also crawl under high flames, desks and even a vent!

The bomb is your ultimate weapon and up to 3 can be carried. Save them for the bosses!


If you are carrying 3 already, and find another bomb, pick it up and your guy transforms into a super fire fighter with bigger and stronger spray. There is also a separate icon for this rare powerup.

Here's a look at the game's first 3 stages and bosses

Level 1



Just stay diagonal of this 1st boss because it shoots 4 flames (north, south, east and west) and then scurries around the screen

Level 2



Beware of exploding containers. The breakable glass is a nice touch


This sorching flame ball boss can only be attacked with the downward spray. Keep in mind with the downward spray you move exceptionally slower. Be careful or it will char you to a burning crisp

Level 3


Things start to get trickier as stage 3 introduces backdrafts, new enemies and collapsing floors



Easy boss in its first couple forms but the last one as shown here can be a bit of a bitch as it surrounds you in no time

Does this game have any flaws? Of course, it's not perfect. A 2-player option would have been welcomed. There is also no option screen, so much like Majyuuou there's no way to crank up the difficulty. THE FIREMEN isn't hard, in fact I beat it on my 3rd try. It takes about 75 minutes. Each level you have 10 minutes (sometimes more) to complete. You have 3 continues.

On the upside, at the end you are given a detailed account of your gameplaying; everything from class to level completion times to total play time to % of rescued people and a total point score out of 100, so that's something to shoot for. But the replay value is only average at best.

Unlike Burning Rangers the flames are not randomly generated in THE FIREMEN. So once you play through it once, you know where everything is. The number of victims to save is also on the low side. And the text that is played at the bottom of the screen is rather slow with no speed-up button.

The Strafe button (L and R) -- one of them should have been "spin in place" or at least a 180 turn.

Other than that THE FIREMEN is a true winner.

And keep in mind it's not to be confused with Fire Fighting which is known in the US as Ignition Factor by Jaleco -- similar yet not as good, but solid and playable in its own right


The list of quality SNES games is mind-blowing

Anyway, THE FIREMEN is top-notch top-down action. Sorry but I have to say it:

This game is on fire

Gameplay sample
Boss 1
Boss 2

The Firemen has some pretty sweet music from what I could tell. Keep digging up these treasures!

Speaking of weird and obscure games from the pages of EGM...

What happend to SD Ryuuko no Ken?

Romancing SaGa: Before the next-gen systems

Any SFC Romancing SaGa fans?

I saw a bunch of SFC SaGa 1-3 videos, and now I REALLY want to get into this. Everything about this series is almost as if Final Fantasy had an alter-ego. The graphics, the battles have that same flow as FF, and even most of the music kinda rips off Nobuo Uematsu's style, just listen as you watch some of these.

Romancing SaGa1 (this is "minstrel song" on PS2 in its original 2-D form. Since this came out nearly 11 months before Final Fantasy V, I suspect that the sprites for FFV's different job classes were inspired by this)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAt_MzherPU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YzM5Qzpbnw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_o8KUX0k-Jw

Romancing SaGa2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9F7YvTX91Y4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Q35RxPiUQc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1SGl0Dzh60
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aykFzxUtph4

Romancing SaGa3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPrr8AMaYuQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wP8R1Kks5ZY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrzD8Ir9D7I

Formation Z said:

Any SFC Romancing SaGa fans?

I saw a bunch of SFC SaGa 1-3 videos, and now I REALLY want to get into this. Everything about this series is almost as if Final Fantasy had an alter-ego. The graphics, the battles have that same flow as FF, and even most of the music kinda rips off Nobuo Uematsu's style, just listen as you watch some of these.

Romancing SaGa1 (this is "minstrel song" on PS2 in its original 2-D form. Since this came out nearly 11 months before Final Fantasy V, I suspect that the sprites for FFV's different job classes were inspired by this)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAt_MzherPU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YzM5Qzpbnw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_o8KUX0k-Jw

Romancing SaGa2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9F7YvTX91Y4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Q35RxPiUQc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1SGl0Dzh60
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aykFzxUtph4

Romancing SaGa3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPrr8AMaYuQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wP8R1Kks5ZY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrzD8Ir9D7I

Click to expand...

I played the first 2 back in the day. Good games. Great music and cool stories. Too bad the PS one was caca.

HOOP DREAMS

Sunday May 28, 1995 was a day I'll never forget

It was Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals pitting the young uprising Orlando Magic vs. the Indiana Pacers. I was at the local mall and walking past Radio Shack when I saw they had the game on ten TV screens. There were 3 people standing there, watching in angst and talking in-between plays. I made it a crowd of 4. The game was in its final 3 minutes, and as the drama unfolded, the crowd grew from 4 to 8 to 12. Even the employees stopped what they were doing and huddled around.

These are the moments you live for as a sports fan, and to boot it was one of the greatest finishes in NBA playoff history.

With under 15 seconds to go, this improbable sequence took place:

-Brian Shaw's 3 pointer gave the Magic the 1 point lead
-Reggie Miller answered with one of his own, putting the Pacers back up by 2 causing the Indiana crowd to erupt in a frenzy
-Mere seconds later the player many then believed would carry Jordan's torch and the NBA into the new millenium, Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway nailed a heart breaking 3, giving the Magic a 1 point lead with 1.3 seconds and left the sold out capacity crowd in stunned silence


Penny

As the game went to its final commercial break there was a deafening buzz within those small confines of Radio Shack. I was right in the middle of it and the adrenaline was indescribable. I felt like I was at the game myself! That day I developed a much deeper appreciation for basketball in general.

Speaking of basketball....

In October '94 EGM previewed a Super Famicom-only basketball game. The unique street ball look instantly intrigued me.



Like others before it, I was recently able to play this game, effectively ending the 12-year curiosity streak.

There are 16 "non-official" teams to select from, plus a "Japan" team.



Though, oddly, if you look in the EGM preview you'll see SPURS and BULLS. So I looked at the teams closer. The subtle "not-so-hidden" parallels are definitely there. For example check out the Wizards (keep in mind in 94 today's Wizards were known as the Washington Bullets). Their court is the same color as the Orlando Magic, and they got a starting center with incredible stats who wears # 32 (Shaquille O'Neal) Besides... Magic... Wizards... hmmmm


I see you Shrek (Shaq's 93 stats: 23.4 ppg, 13.9 rpg, 56% FG, 59% FT)

I guess you can say there are real players in this game. Just like the classic Ken Griffey Junior Presents Major League Baseball on SNES, the jersey numbers are the same as well as their stats (or very close anyhow, as seen with the Diesel). They just have different names. Sneaky.

The 3-on-3 halfcourt mode is good fun. Here 3 point shots count as 2, and 2 point shots as 1, just like streetball rules. You can pick from 3, 6, 9 or 12 minutes and any 3 of 12 players from the team you selected.



There is a different court you can choose for the 3-on-3 mode, as well as 4 different basketballs, some of them being quite outlandish


I'm not going there...

You can play exhibition or Round Robin. In RR you're given a password after each victory. At the end, you will face your clones and then the USA Dream Team.

The 5-on-5 mode is highly reminiscent of Konami's Run N Gun and plays faster than the SNES game NBA Give N Go. The CPU here can be cheap on Normal difficulty, and on easy is too easy. But with 2 players, it's loads of fun. You can play exhibition or Tournament, also with passwords provided. Sadly there is no season mode but that is fine, as it only adds to the whole YMCA/street-ball feel/atmosphere of the game.




I've played a lot of basketball games, but none has mastered the beauty of making a simple 18 foot jump shot as Dream Basketball: Dunk and Hoop. In a lot of games making a jump shot is easy but here you really have to earn it. You must release the ball at the VERY peak of your jump. Any slight miscalculation and you'll miss the shot. What else do you expect from Human, the Fire Pro makers who are notorious for testing the timing of a gamer?

At first it may frustrate as you shoot 3 for 18 in practice mode. But pretty soon you get the timing down and there's no sweeter looking jump shot in town. Nor one that is as satisfying to make, because you truly have to earn it in this game. Other basketball titles even if you're not at your peak, you still have a 25% or so chance of making the shot. Not so here.

Click here to see the sweetest jump shot in town

MISC
-----

-I'm a sucker for the players' ratings as well, so it definitely gets bonus points here. Reminds me of the ole '91 Marvel trading card series. Ahhh those were the days...

vs.
Spider-Man head-to-head with SHAQ

-The players' stats are imperative to look carefully over so you know players' strengths and weaknesses. A player with a high shot rating will have better success making shots than a player with a low shot rating, no matter HOW perfect you time it

-The 3 on 3 mode is good for quick arcade thrills, but the full-court 5 on 5 mode brings about more strategy as you have a bench to go to. Players are rated fresh, OK or tired. You'll have to do some managing throughout the 4 quarters to keep legs fresh

-My personal favorite team is the Photons. In the 3 on 3 mode I call upon Rogers, Davidson and Feguso

-I love playing the sport in real life too. My freshman year in college I took 2 basketball courses and brought my own ball every Tuesday and Thursdays, regularly hitting the campus gym to play pickup games and worked on my conditioning/left-handed dribble. Although 9/11/01 was a tragic day indeed, my college basketball coach taught me something that day important, as he forced us to play ball without him once bringing up the tragic events that took place ONLY HOURS BEFORE. Yet as confused and distraught we were then, we realized by period's end the method to his madness: basketball can be therapeutic and that's good for the human soul


CLOSING THOUGHTS

If you like basketball and their video games, you'll probably get a good kick out of this. To a non-fan, this is meh. To a fanatic like me, this is freaking sweet. The different modes and 2 to 5 player options make it a great multiplayer affair.

And if you're wondering what happened in the final 1.3 seconds of that Pacers-Magic game...


Rik Smits sends the Pacer crowd home happy

3-on-3 gameplay

Formation Z said:

Any SFC Romancing SaGa fans?

I saw a bunch of SFC SaGa 1-3 videos, and now I REALLY want to get into this. Everything about this series is almost as if Final Fantasy had an alter-ego. The graphics, the battles have that same flow as FF, and even most of the music kinda rips off Nobuo Uematsu's style, just listen as you watch some of these.

Romancing SaGa1 (this is "minstrel song" on PS2 in its original 2-D form. Since this came out nearly 11 months before Final Fantasy V, I suspect that the sprites for FFV's different job classes were inspired by this)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAt_MzherPU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YzM5Qzpbnw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_o8KUX0k-Jw

Romancing SaGa2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9F7YvTX91Y4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Q35RxPiUQc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1SGl0Dzh60
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aykFzxUtph4

Romancing SaGa3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPrr8AMaYuQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wP8R1Kks5ZY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrzD8Ir9D7I

Click to expand...

I bought all of them like 4 years ago. Romancing Saga 3 has some awesoem 2D graphics and fine gameplay!

TAKARA TWIN KILLING

Before TAKARA became well known in the US for releasing Neo Geo ports to the Super NES, they had two kiddie platformers on the Super Famicom. Though not must-have's, if you're looking to add to the ole library you certainly can do a lot worse than these two

SYONEN ASHIBE
A cute platformer where you guide Syo the seal through many levels with classic themes such as forest, cave, haunted house, etc. Syo cannot hurt enemies. Jumping over is the only defense. Enemies range from little brat boys and girls to animals like bats and polar/teddy bears to name a few.

Your goal is to locate 8 items in each level. The item is connected to the level theme (i.e. stars for ice world, squids for water etc.)



Once 8 are collected, head for the exit. If you're hit, one apple (or whatever it may be) squirts away, waiting to be reclaimed. Syo also whimpers Eeeek! The only way to lose is to be squeezed into submission by one of the bratty kids or if the clock reaches 0. The animals cannot make you game over, even if you have zero items when they touch you.



Some items are hidden, other times, in the wide open. Syo can head-smash walls to reveal potential items. Jump and head-smash are the only two buttons. The gameplay is very basic, as intended for 6-year-olds, but done rather well for what it had to work with.


head-smashing may reveal an item, or a brat

There are some cool set-pieces, like the giant hippo machine that releases basketballs from high above which Syo must head-butt into the hippo's mouth. Doing this is easier than it looks, especially if the timer is running down and the pressure builds. Each good basket grants you an apple. The hippo machines hold 4 apples; the other 4 are scattered throughout the level.



An overhead map is your main screen where you move Syo and his friend around to pick levels. You can backtrack as you wish and along the way folks provide you with info, 16-character passwords and some even challenge Syo to mini-games. The boy is never actually used.



The game has some nice details but nothing we haven't seen before. Re-appearing blocks, moving platforms, lightning outside the windows for the haunted house theme, etc. There's definitely a me-too feeling throughout the game but hey, if you can't get enough you'll be right at home. Though, the seal can cling on edges which is a nice touch, admittedly.


gotta love the lightning

My favorite theme was Ice. I'm not sure I've ever played a game where the ice levels were more slippery than Syonen Ashibe's. The poor fella just slides around if you pick up any sort of momentum



It's awesome that this game also features the vaunted Northern Lights. I'm a sucker for great little details... though DoReMi's version looked better. (Syo came out late '92, DoReMi early '96)

vs.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

Not shabby, surprisingly solid even, yet nothing worth writing home. The graphics are nice, simple, big and pleasant. The music isn't bad though gets sugary sweet in spots. The game is way too cute though, and prolonged play may cause insanity.

**************

MIRACLE GIRLS
Based on the famous Japanese TV anime, you pick Tomomi or Mikage (twin girls with supernatural powers) and transverse platforming stages with mini-games thrown in for good measure. You start with 3 hearts and up to 5 can be stored by collecting fruit. The levels are so colorful you just may go blind.



Like Syo there's only 2 buttons: jump and throw candy. Likewise you won't find any killings here. Instead you toss candies around, and while they're occupied chowing you can advance to go and collect 200. They chew for approximately 5 seconds and cannot harm you in this altered state. Otherwise any other contact robs you of 1 heart.


Touchdown

You can stand on their heads during this time to collect otherwise unreachable items and powerup's.



There are also mini-games during the story mode and a mini-game mode on its own so you can practice, as well as a 2 player mode for the mini-games. After level 1 you play Water Tag with a bubblebee. It's a classic look -- overhead action similar to Bomberman. My advice here is to hit him ONCE and then RUN LIKE HELL. You can shoot (which will need to recharge before you can fire again) and there's an umbrella cover defense that lasts for half a second.



Halfway through, bubbles begin to roam. Anyone it touches that person will lose 1 point off their score. It prevents a certain level of "babysitting" as the term we old kids used to use.


at the end whoever has more points win

One thing that did stand out besides the uber-bright colorful graphics was the aid of the twin. Before a danger spot there's an icon which allows the twin to magically appear on screen.



She'll aid you through the next perilous section. Her speech is in Japanese but thankfully there's only two voices: one indicating red, the other white. Before long you will learn two Japanese words! Whatever color she yaps is the flower color you'll want to hop on, for the other will drop sending you to an early grave.


level 1 and 2.. in 2 an air current lifts you up

CLOSING THOUGHTS

Like Syo it's solid, way too cute and a title to get once the big-hitters are procured. Muscially, it's pretty damn good too. Not bad, TAKARA. Too many games of this nature are a disgrace to the world of video games, so I give the big T much props for making two competent ones.

Syonen Ashibe Gameplay
Miracle Girls Level 1
Miracle Girls Water Tag Mini-Game


Mikage says until next time... GOOD NIGHT

Great reviews as usual! Nice little games to play, though not big ones like you said.

A True Shocker

It amazes me that this next game has zero exposure on the net. And it's a good game. Is it really THAT unknown? I'm not sure but its name has never been brought up in the many SFC discussion I've searched. That's a shame too, so tonight let's shine the spotlight on this little gem, even if it's highly unoriginal.

BATTLE CROSS was sort of like Mario Kart meets Bomberman. What about the opposite eh....

SPARK WORLD is essentially that. It's a 4 player Bomberman clone featuring cars that are reminiscent of the snazzy CHEVRON mascots.

It's a distant world where intelligent cars rule, a shady casino operator who is actually a drug dealer casts his shadow over the alleys and streets. Two young cop cars, Beat and Barts decide to take matters into their own hands (so to speak) when they learn that the police department is riddled with corruption by the syndicate Boss. The intrepid pair must set off to points around the globe and blow up enemies by denotating fuel barrels. If you're not in the mood for saving the world you can always play against 3 friends (or CPU's in the battle mode)

That's the story line, apparently.

The Story mode allows you to select any 1 of 9 stages, each with 3 zones with the 4th being the boss. After each boss is vanquished a 4-character password is given.



The classic themes are represented: jungle, river, ice, desert, etc.




City 1's boss is the TERROR TRAIN

The meat of the game like Bomberman is the battle mode with 12 selectable stages. Any combination of 2-4 players can play, and CPU AI is selectable from 1-9. You could set CPU 1 AI level nine, CPU 2 AI five and CPU 3 AI one if you so choose. Talk about user-friendly.

And of course, by blowing blocks sky-high, you reveal items that can either help or hinder. Longer sparks, more bombs dropped at 1 time, "jelly bombs" (I told you this game was highly unoriginal...), a boxing glove (though instead of punching bombs it allows you to punch the OPPONENTS... very cool) etc.

There are also ? marks but they're a HUGE gamble. If you get the bad side of it, a grim reaper appears over your head with a 30 second countdown. When it reaches 0 you die. Luckily, you can pass this evil icon to anyone you touch, and it can be passed back infinite until it reaches 0. It's a hoot to transfer this death card to someone with 3 seconds left *evil laughter*

There are no dinosaurs or animals, but it takes TWO hits to die.

BATTLE ZONE 1

Basic plain classic stage where pure skills reigns supreme

BATTLE ZONE 2

At 1st glance one may assume the arrows indicate where bombs go, but rather than COMPLETELY ripping off Bomberman, the arrows actually indicate where YOU can go

BATTLE ZONE 3

When the button is red you can't pass. When blue you're good. The colors switch occasionally and shrewd timing is the key to surviving and creating traps

BATTLE ZONE 4

I thought my SNES broke when I first played this zone. You are moved automatically! Challenging zone indeed

BATTLE ZONE 5

When the sides are bombed, the doors on the floor opens up. Fall through and you're a goner

BATTLE ZONE 6

Ahh the classic stage with 4 exit points. I especially like the look of this stage. Unfortunately the sparks will NOT go through the exit points, unlike Bomberman. Shame, but oh well

BATTLE ZONE 7

I like the box look of this stage, very pleasant. The gimmick here is once the boulder is released, it will roll around the stage. Sparks influence its direction as well. If it touches you consider yourself crushed

BATTLE ZONE 8

Ahhh the classic conveyor belt stage. I also love the look here. Good stuff

You can set match victory to 1-5 matches much like Bomberman. The victory screen is a hoot:


oops!

While Spark World is a rip-off almost through and through, it does have a sweet feature that draws the battle lines in the sand emphatically. At the end of a round the game lets you know who your "Rival" is.


Yellow car is screwed for round 2... lol

CLOSING THOUGHTS

A solid fun Bomberman clone. If you love these games as much as I do, this is a must-own. Not as good as Bomberman, no, but very competent and nicely copied. The 4 stages I did not highlight all have crazy gimmicks (i.e. Gun placed in the middle, mega bombs etc) but use the same stage design.

I'm "shocked" (pardon the pun) that this never comes up in SFC discussions. Hopefully now it has received the exposure it deserves. You probably won't be playing this in favor of Bomberman, but it's a nice alternative, for sure. The sparks can get really long and I love how the color of the sparks are respective to who dropped it.

A nice little gem

Battle Zone 1
Battle Zone 2
TERROR TRAIN boss


GOOD GRIEF blue car!

HIT & MISS

I can never get enough of the early-mid 90s fighting games. The pre-Super Special moves era where fighters only had 3 to 5 special moves each -- there's just something beautiful about that, and I thought BATTLE MASTER would fit right in. Shame the controls aren't responsive, the animation choppy and frames lacking. It leads to a disappointing fighter for me. Oddly, the fight in the video is pretty cool, go figure.



Toshiba EMI's other SFC game, SUPER BACK TO THE FUTURE II, is thankfully much more playable and enjoyable. It's no masterpiece but it's a fun little diversion. I was surprised at how decent it actually is. GAMEFAN magazine ABSOLUTELY slammed it.



They're right that the game does suffer from bouts of slowdown, but nothing severe nor anything that hinders the overall outcome of the game. Also, SBTTF II is liked by many SFC players on the net, so what does that tell you? Super Back to the Future II deserved a 12% about as much as (Saturn) Skeleton Warriors deserved a 98% !

So whats the deal with the game?


Doc tells you some jibberish about righting the time periods

You control Marty McFly on his hoverboard, pouncing on all sorts of bizarre enemies as you travel through time. The game has a very pleasant SD look and the classic BTTF overture was ported over flawlessly. The game provides 4-character password.

Let's look at some of the levels...

1-1



BOSS - GRIFF (1-2)


Really simple boss. To hurt him just touch the buttons which sends the TV's flying at him

2-1



BOSS - GRIFF 2 (2-2)


Very familiar scene for those of you who watched the movie. Touch the buttons to splash the water.

3-1



Love this night stage, and I told ya the enemies are bizarre. Look at that slobbering weirdo!

3-2



I just dig this stage... great soft yellow backdrop and the BTTF overture from stage 1-1 returns

BOSS: JAZZMAN (3-3)



Break open the suspended makeshift floor so the balls can slip through the cracks, crushing Jazzman's skull

3-4



Somewhat tricky travels here as you'll be lifted up with plenty of obstacles waiting for you. Thankfully, if hit you'll be flashing and invincible for JUST long enough to go up again and safely make it to the next section. This stage stumped me for a while but ya just gotta gut it through

BOSS: HAMMERMAN AND RINGMASTER (3-5)



So incredibly easy you might not believe it yourself

4-1




Ooh, spooky. Check out the thunder clouds and creepy looking trees splattered across this ghoulish graveyard level. Be on your toes for the Sunday drivers

4-2




The rain is a nice touch. A very tricky stage as seen in the last 2 pics. This is another one of those repeat-and-gut-it-through levels. Took me several attempts to beat it.

4-3



This foor is littered with knife-wielding goons. Be particularly weary of doors as these foot soldiers love to surprise ya

BOSS: 1985 BIFF (4-4)



Gotta love the cool backdrop here. 4 buttons when pressed releases sparks. Only the lower buttons will the spark hurt Biff. The upper two can only harm you. Like all boss fights up to this point, it's another cakewalk.

Well the game has several more levels but I won't spoil the rest. It's a fun little platformer that all Back to the Future fans should enjoy.

Lastly, the password screen allow for some pathetic sophomoric jokes, luckily I'm just not that kind of guy....





*cue ALAN SILVESTRI overture*

TO BE
CONCLUDED...
no not really but you know....


Battle Master (that arm attack is ridiculously powerful!)
Super Back to the Future II

Those Super BTTF2 screens are so funny to look at. Just for fun, I'll put pictures of the actual people right next to their SD versions. I heard there's also a chibi Alternate 1985 Linda McFly spite that had huge boobs that was rather amusing to look at.





I'd hate to say this, but the color scheme on the Griff Tannen sprite is way off.

TRILOGY WITH "SOUL"

Good stuff Z

---

Ah halfway to Halloween. Today we look at a platforming trilogy by the folks at Banpresto. Based on the 1993 manga by Akira Toriyama, the GO GO ACKMAN games definitely have some good things going for them. You control Ackman, supposedly Satan's lackey, and as you slay enemies your winged companion captures their souls in a little jar (100 granting you an extra life). It's all quite bizarre; from the sense of humor to the bosses, Go Go Ackman does nothing new but does it well.

GO GO ACKMAN

The original is my favorite of the 3. One of those I liked so much I kept playing until I finished it. That's when you know a game is A) short and B) good. You punch, kick, run, jump, slide, climb, even have bombs -- all the quintessential platforming features. What's really nice is Ackman can jump on an angel's head and send it sliding across the screen taking out others caught in the path of destruction. (a la the koopa shells)

And of course what hero, or in this case, anti-hero, would be complete without the powerup shot?


Making the game extra fun is the ability to pick up three weapons along the journey: sword


boomerang


and my favorite, the gun


The weapon will be forfeited upon 1st hit, but on the upside a health bar is not deducted, only the weapon is. (the sequels you start with a sword, and weapons collected will not be wiped out after receiving damage)

Level 1 is your standard easy plain-ish stage, but I really like its look and early on I could tell this was a nice little game


The 2nd level introduces a darker brown tone with lots of hills to jump from, and plenty of instant death pitfalls


Like DoReMi there's even the force-scroller thrown in for good measure. This one being a car ride. Of course, Ackman has his own advertising splashed on the vehicle.


Boss 1 is really simple. Just a big fancy suit-and-tie corporate fiend


Boss 2 -- my what big teeth you have...


On to Stage 2 we move toward a more tropical setting. As my man Flavor Flav once said, "PEACE IN BELIZE!"


Keep an eye out for 'hidden' passages that may appear on first glance to be a pitfall, but actually leads to a plethora of goodness


Boss 3 is a karate bully on steroids


The next level sends Ackman on another force-scroller, this time he hits the high seas


Boss 4 has bombs of his own but no worries; like the others he's a piece of cake


The next level has sections of water with sharks and other nasties.

the mermaids can give Ackman one big ole headache

Boss 5 is the epitome of the game: very offbeat and goofy. You gotta dig the goggles


And that's stage 2. Onto 3, which is a pyramid-sand theme. Here the game takes on an extra graphical punch, with scrolls that stretch on... pretty amazing in a simple kind of way

don't stand on the quickstand too long, sonny!

The 1st mid-boss of this world (boss 6 for those keeping count at home) is ridiculously easy. And way bizarre-o


Next you enter a pyramid and new obstacles stand in your way... including...

this big son-of-a-gun takes 2 hits to vanquish


NO NO ACKMAN!!


Right out of an Indiana Jones movie, run bitch run

Boss 7 burrows a lot


And this one... perhaps the 1st boss that'll give you some fits, thanks in part to the quicksand. He reminds me ever so slightly of MUMM-RA from THUNDERCATS fame


While the levels are short as well as the boss battles in comparison with others of this genre, the game is a blast while it lasts. More levels await but I'll let you discover the rest. Now let's look at the sequels. Worthy... or no?

GO GO ACKMAN 2

I couldn't get into it. After enjoying, pardon the pun, the hell out of the original, the sequel did disappoint as it felt like a cheap cash-in. It didn't have the sweet feel or look of the original, and although old faces return (like some of the mid-bosses) the game just never came together for me. It is however the hardest of the trilogy by far. Maybe you'll like it, I didn't. Not to say it's a bad game, it just doesn't compare to the original.



GO GO ACKMAN 3

GGA 3 to me is the classic "Oh wow we really messed up the last sequel didn't we let's make another and get back to basics" kind of sequel. Playing this you really feel like it's part 1 in terms of spirit. It had some ace layouts like the booby trap-filled prison. New features like shops within levels. Heck the game even has a nice prelude battle where you duke it out with your infamous angel rival... and his incompetence offsets the end boss so much, he has banished the angel on your side. Thus, in certain levels you play as the angel. With his propensity for flight it only further enhances the game playing experience.

Here's a quick glance at some of the happenings:

Immediately when you play level 1 you just feel right


The 1st boss is (again) a return of old faces from the original. You joust with the trio in succession and the time lapse between each is handled brilliantly.

Take a look:





Now that's good stuff

After you knock these re-tread bozo's off their high horses, you have the choice of any 1 of their vehicles -- the next section is a shooter or action racer... pretty dope



The 2nd boss packs a mean punch, and you know I love good ole school boss flashing when they take a hit. GGA 3 takes "boss flashing" to a whole new spectacular level. Check it out

My favorite boss-flash of all time? Rocksteady from NES TMNT 2, but this one is up there

Bear in mind this trilogy can be very off-beat. Look no further than this major freakish cutscene...

Mode 7 zooming in his mouth... how delightful

The next level is one of my favorite of the entire series. I just love the different booby traps and riding in elevators to eventually reach the top floor. The backdrops where you can see far into the background is an EXCELLENT touch.


Well there ya have it.

Some folks I'm sure prefer part 3 to 1 and 2. In my opinion, if you want to try Ackman, go with 1 first and then 3. If you only try one game however, play the 1st one. The 1st one is the best, the second iffy and the third solid.

Finally, there's a smattering of JP dialogue after each level in all 3 games; it doesn't really affect your enjoyment, but I hear the text is quite amusing for those who can follow it.

I give kudos to Banpresto for making a good enough trilogy worth checking out.... since they butchered what could have been a great sleeper in HYPER IRIA (Iria is still alright but it could have been great). Hey, at least they got this one right, right?

Hmmm, I wonder if my local Halloween store has an Ackman costume in storage...


GGA
GGA car ride
GGA 2
GGA 3

I remember Ackman from when I was getting into teh DBZ (shameful chapter in my life, but I admit it) and noticed how similar the guy looked to Trunks.
But wow, graphically that game had no progress at all. It's the exact same sprite in those three games. Looks fun, but man talk about lazy.

steve-o you must be buying these games out the wazoo.

LoneSage said:

I remember Ackman from when I was getting into teh DBZ (shameful chapter in my life, but I admit it) and noticed how similar the guy looked to Trunks.
But wow, graphically that game had no progress at all. It's the exact same sprite in those three games. Looks fun, but man talk about lazy.

steve-o you must be buying these games out the wazoo.

Click to expand...

yeah I did thought too that he looks like Trunks.