Super Nintendo Reviews N

In case you ever wondered whatever happened to the old NBA Jam, it apparently degenerated into a mess called NBA Hang Time. The box description sounds good, promising five-man rosters, new moves, create-a-player, and codes galore. Sure enough, you get the same arcade-style, turbo-charged, above-the-rim brand of arcade basketball. As in NBA Jam, chaos and razzle-dazzle reign supreme. Expect plenty of acrobatic slam-dunks but don't expect any foul calls.

New moves include an alley-oop, a spin move, and a very unnecessary "double dunk". Following on the heels of a great-looking game like NBA Jam, who would have suspected NBA Hang Time would suffer from such shoddy graphics!? The players are poorly proportioned and their heads look stretched out! All players look the same size, and that's no good because you usually want your small guard to take the three-point shots and have your big guy guard the rim.

Worse yet, players suffer from unsightly pixelation, especially when crowded together. At times it's hard to tell if the ball passed through the net, and I've witnessed shots counted as threes that were clearly inside the arc. The player pictures only bear a passing resemblance to the actual players. That's too bad because Hang Time contains a lot of old favorites like Tim Hardaway, Dennis Rodman, John Stockton, Karl Malone, Reggie Miller, Gary Payton, and Vlade Divac.

The audio is limited to generic beats and a repetitive commentator. Even the controls are hard to get used to! When playing with the CPU, you only control one of your two players (no swap mode). I guess the lone highlight of the game is the rooftop court which includes a fantastic night time city skyline. Sadly, you need to enter a code to enable that. Apparently Hang Time was released when "secret codes" were all the rage. I really wish the developers had focused their attention on the game instead! © Copyright 2013 The Video Game Critic.

When my friend Eric and I saw the first screenshots of NBA Jam in a magazine back in 1993, we thought it was the dumbest game ever. The players were soaring ten feet over the rim and performing preposterous slam-dunks. After reading several enthusiastic reviews however, I broke down and bought the game anyway. That turned out to be a major milestone in my game-playing career, because NBA Jam quickly became the premiere sports game of its time. On the very first day I bought this my friends Eric and Tuan played it for six hours straight.

This SNES version is an impressive translation of the popular arcade game, with the same crisp graphics, fluid animation, responsive controls, catchy music, and clear sound effects. Jam offered a degree of speed and non-stop action you didn't often see in sports games of the time. At its core, NBA Jam is a two-on-two dunk-fest with no rules. On offense you can shoot, throw elbows to keep defenders at bay, execute bullet passes. and easily perform death-defying dunks.

On defense you can steal and block, but the gameplay definitely favors the offense. It's so easy to score that games tend to be back-and-forth affairs, although executing a key steal or block can really effectively turn the tide. One effective maneuver is to fake a jumper to draw in the defense, and then pass the ball to the open man under the basket at the last second. Each player has a certain amount of "turbo power" that adds speed and enhances the dunks. Players that sink three shots in a row become "on fire" and are nearly unstoppable until the opposing team scores again.

NBA Jam does have a few minor flaws. The turbo is so plentiful that you can practically use it during the entire game, and blocking shots is nearly impossible. Non-dunking players such as John Stockton can slam, destroying what little realism there is. Lastly, the computer has the annoying habit of making full court, last second shots at the end of each half.

Two marquee players represent each NBA team, and since the game was made during the NBA's "golden age", you get many all-time greats like David Robinson, Karl Malone, Scottie Pippen, Patrick Ewing, Reggie Miller, and Clyde Drexler (sorry, no Michael Jordan). Records are saved using a password system. NBA Jam enjoyed a string of sequels, and its frantic, smash-mouth style of play single handedly created a new genre of "extreme" sports games. © Copyright 2004 The Video Game Critic.

Capitalizing on the unbridled success of the first NBA Jam, Acclaim's Tournament Edition retains the fast-paced gameplay of the original while spicing things up with interesting new options. Each team now has three players to choose from instead of two, and you can substitute between quarters. The gameplay places more emphasis on defense, so you can expect to see more steals, blocked shots, and "boings" off the rim.

The expanded options menu lets you customize more aspects of the game, as well as enabling power-ups and "hot spots" on the floor that are worth extra points. The new "juice mode" speeds up the action and sends things into overdrive. But the most valuable new addition is the inclusion of a much-need four-player mode. Statistics are now saved via battery backup instead of a long password. NBA Jam Tournament Edition retains the magic of the original game but offers more options, more unpredictability, and more fun. © Copyright 2004 The Video Game Critic.

The NBA Live series got its start on the Genesis, but the SNES edition of NBA Live 96 is clearly better, thanks to sharper graphics and clear sound effects. In addition, holding in the shoulder buttons to initiate turbo is much more convenient than the awkward Genesis controller scheme. In terms of gameplay, NBA Live 96 offers nonstop action and realistic gameplay. It's a huge step up from NBA Showdown. With the five-player multitap, you and four friends can even control an entire team! The only thing I don't like about the game are its horribly pixelated hardwood floors. Otherwise NBA Live 96 is a slam dunk. © Copyright 2001 The Video Game Critic.

NBA Showdown is a step up from Bulls vs. Blazers (EA's previous basketball game), with smooth graphics and more realistic gameplay. Unfortunately, it still uses the same slow engine, which bogs down the action. With no turbo button, the pace is slow and deliberate with no possibility for fast breaks. There are less unstoppable dunks, and it's more difficult to penetrate on the dribble. On a positive note, the court looks terrific, and I love how the coaches pace back and forth in front of their benches on the sidelines. The crowd sounds are muffled, but occasionally a fan will yell like "put it up!". Showdown is interesting to look back on, but this basketball series has seen better days. © Copyright 2001 The Video Game Critic.

When first released in 1992, NCAA Basketball must have been stunning. As the very first college basketball video game ever, its five-on-five contests take place on a 3D court with rotating camera angles that follow the action every step of the way. The game even has a battery backup and I noticed a few saves on mine from the previous owner.

NCAA Basketball offers 44 teams spread over five conferences: The Big East, Big 8, ACC, SEC, and SWC. I enjoyed travelling back in time to see my Maryland Terrapins playing in the ACC. There are no real players, and there are some odd fake names like Yash, Bloxum, and Hutt.

The controls are fairly robust. In addition to all the basic moves you can toggle your offensive and defensive formations on the fly. Still, I find it confusing how there are two buttons to switch defensive players.

If you're used to uptempo sports games like NBA Jam (Acclaim, 1993), you will find this one very slow. As you chug up the court you'll be desperately searching for a turbo button. You can't pass on the run, making the action feel even more clunky. The passes are almost too accurate. You can throw one the length of the court with little chance of it getting picked off.

Three-pointers are hard to come by, even when the shooter is wide open. From the three-point line, the hoop looks like it's a mile away! Working your way into the paint can be tricky, but if you find an open lane you may go up with a satisfying slow-motion dunk. I'm not sure if it's really slow-mo or just the game's normal lethargic speed.

The players look pretty good, but there's no crowd, coaches, or bench. The court is just suspended in a sea of blue, as if you're playing another dimension! There's no play-by-play commentary but refs shout out arbitrary penalties like "foul by point guard" and "charging by center."

I had a good time playing this with Scott M. but we couldn't help but notice our players were becoming more and more sluggish. That's when we realized how important it was to substitute players. Otherwise by the end of the game your guys will be moving like snails.

Most of my friends didn't object to NCAA Basketball's archaic 3D effects but Eric described them as "vomit-inducing", so your mileage may vary. I will admit depth perception is a problem and things can get muddled under the basket. That said, if you're looking for a unique, more deliberate-paced basketball experience, this is one to savor. Note: I'm told Davison of UNC and Lark of OSU are legendary shooters talked about to this day! © Copyright 2025 The Video Game Critic.

This is the weirdest [expletive] basketball game I've ever played. I was willing to give NCAA Final Four Basketball the benefit of the doubt. I mean, there's something to be said for taking a fresh, new approach. In terms of graphics, this is a good-looking game. The players are very small but their animation is silky smooth. The court looks expansive with its colorful crowd and scorers' table, but where are the benches?

The main problem with NCAA Final Four is that it's too hard to play! The control scheme is bizarre. Why would you assign turbo to B when you have two shoulder buttons to work with? You're supposed to press B and A to dunk, but I couldn't get that to work. Likewise for the overhead pass (B+Y) and hands up (B+Y).

Part of the problem is that the controls are so unresponsive. You'll hold the shoot button to execute a jump shot, and I swear it'll be two seconds before your player even reacts. I do kind of like the passing controls, where you point to a receiver and an icon appears over their head. Unfortunately the passes travel so slowly that by the time the ball gets there the player has already moved on.

The action unfolds in slow motion except for short bursts when the game inexplicably moves faster. The most impressive aspect of the game is the foul shooting. The amazing over-the-shoulder graphics really put you in the action, but the meter moves so fast that making shots feels like a matter of luck. NCAA Final Four is a marginal game, but if you're a basketball fan this is definitely something different. © Copyright 2019 The Video Game Critic.

Reviewing this game was an emotional rollercoaster ride. I wasn't impressed by the limited number of college teams which do not include Maryland. The graphics are clean but plain. The game employs a zoomed side angle view, so you don't see the upper or lower sections of the field until the screen scrolls. There's a lot of room, making this the most wide-open football game I've played.

At first I couldn't figure out how to kick the ball in-bounds. The kicking meter seemed simple enough, pressing once to set the power and then again for the angle. Well, it turns out you need to hold in the button to set the power, then press again for angle. Not intuitive, but it's in the manual at least.

The passing was a harder nut to crack. My quarterback wouldn't release the ball and was continuously getting sacked. As it turns out, you need to be facing downfield to pass the ball. If you try to pass on the run nothing happens! This is problematic because when passing you're probably looking at your receiver, not your quarterback.

Once you get a feel for things you can really get into a rhythm. There are a lot of sacks, but if you can get the ball out, there's a good chance it will be caught. There's nothing more satisfying than delivering a precision pass to a wide-open receiver, and then have room to run.

Rushing up the middle is rarely effective, but it's not hard to get around the corner. The "46 sweep" is my money play; the CPU seems to have no answer for it. It occurred to me that computer AI could be better. For best results, play against a friend.

The semi-transparent "radar" display at the top is meant to give you a birdseye view of the field, but it's not practical and tends to obscure your view. The scoreboard screen presents the score over a blood-red digitized image along with some easy-listening music. Huh? NCAA Football is playable but lacks the feel of an authentic college football experience. © Copyright 2022 The Video Game Critic.

Ask any gamer worth his meddle about classic hockey games and he'll attest that NHL 94 was "the one game to rule them all". I cut my teeth on the Sega Genesis version but this SNES version is also outstanding. Not only does it offer a perfectly-balanced mix of arcade and realism, but it's packed with features and subtle details.

The match-up screen features Ron Barr at a desk (with a little EA mug) presenting digitized photos of player match-ups. The fact that these are rendered in color is something the limited-palette Genesis could not achieve. All the teams are represented including the upstart Anaheim Mighty Ducks with their awesome tiel-colored uniforms. The game lets you play as so many past legends like Sergei Federov, Adam Oates, Mike Yserman, and of course "the great one" Wayne Gretzky.

The animation is fluid and the action is non-stop. The body checks are so hard, I saw one guy get knocked into the first row of seats! The ability to execute one-timers is a game-changer. Literally. When in the attack zone, you can pass the puck to a teammate approaching the goal, letting him slap it into the net in one quick motion. I knew a guy named Mike A. who would refer to this as the "quick stick".

There are little things too. The team logos are displayed on center ice. The crowd is raucous and even the benches are animated. Between the penalty boxes can be seen two penalty box officials. Nets can be knocked off their moorings, and when a goal is scored a siren blares. When a hat trick occurs (three goals by a single player) fans litter the ice with thrown hats.

The game may be a bit smoother on the Genesis, but the graphics here are so razor sharp, you may notice little details you couldn't make out before. The music is fantastic and packs a high-octane punch. The player grunts are far less obnoxious than the Genesis. Whatever system you play it on, NHL '94 is a timeless hockey masterpiece that's yet to be issued a serious challenge. © Copyright 2025 The Video Game Critic.

I respect how the developers of EA's NHL franchise tried to keep pushing the series forward, but you could argue 1995 was the year when the series jumped the shark. Previously editions did a stellar job of straddling the line between arcade and realism, but this feels more like an unhinged free-for-all.

The interface has been given a complete overhaul and apparently poor Ron Barr was given his walking papers. It's a shame because he gave the game a television flair. Now the set-up screens are very functional and boring. I will admit the full-color player pictures look astonishingly clear.

The players on the ice have been re-rendered from more of an overhead angle with longer limbs that flail around. The framerate is exceptionally smooth and the action is twice as fast. Unfortunately, these changes caused the playability to take a dive.

The packaging boasts of faster gameplay, and that's an understatement. NHL 95 is turbo-charged! And yet it's really hard to move the puck up the ice, because changes in possession are constant. Completing passes is like pulling teeth, and you can pretty much forget about orchestrating one-timers.

The controls feel squirrelly as players tend to slip and slide all over the place. It's like they're on ice for crying out loud! When players are knocked out you see "stars" around their heads but this is far less satisfying than watching their heads bleed a la NHLPA Hockey '93 (Genesis, 1992).

Even the audio leaves much to be desired. The sound effects are muffled, and when giving body-checks it sounds like they're shouting "boo!" at each other. NHL 95 is what happens when you fix something that wasn't broken. No use in making a car faster when its wheels are coming off. I'll stick with my NHL 94 any day. © Copyright 2025 The Video Game Critic.

After taking a wrong turn with NHL '95 (SNES, 1994), EA tried to get the series back on track. The players have been given an old-school makeover but NHL '96 still retains the chaotic pace of its immediate predecessor. Upon firing up the cartridge you're greeted with everybody's favorite party tune from 1996! "Yall' Ready For This?"

New moves assigned to the shoulder buttons let you stop on a dime, perform a "spin-o-rama" maneuver, or lay down to block a shot on defense. I'm sure they could come in handy, but the fact that you could play these games with just two buttons was one of their most appealing features.

NHL 96's checking animations are satisfying, especially when you crush an opponent against a board and he just stays there like a squashed bug. I also like it when a puck hits a player in the back of the head, causing him to fall forward. This looks comical and happens quite a bit.

I noticed it's easier to transport the puck up the ice by yourself as opposed to passing it. Executing a centering pass is no problem, but there's never anybody there to receive it! Where in the hell are my teammates?! No wonder scoring is so hard. Unless you're the CPU of course, who can score at will.

The fighting looks ridiculous, especially when the winner starts jumping up and down like a little kid. When headed to their respective penalty boxes both players bang their sticks against the glass before entering.

As for the audio, what is the deal with that obnoxiously loud air horn? Then there's the lame "announcer" who chimes in with deadpan lines like "face off", "icing", or "hat trick". I do like the new and improved crowd, who gasp and cheer every shot. The sound of scraping skates is pretty remarkable as well. The organ music selection is a little odd, prompting Sudz to inquire "who cued the clown music??"

The season mode contains a pretty elaborate Stanley Cup red carpet ceremony if you make it that far. You would definitely deserve an award because this game is tough. If you're a die-hard hockey fan looking for a challenge, you may have met your match with NHL 96. Casual fans should stick to the '94 edition. © Copyright 2025 The Video Game Critic.

As the 16-bit era entered its twilight years, EA predictably placed its venerable NHL franchise on autopilot, tweaking it only slightly each year to milk a few extra bucks out of it. The box claims the game is "tougher", as if the last one was such a pushover!

The action is fast and fluid and the players look good. The scraping of ice, player grunts, and organ music are very well done. For some reason EA felt obligated to ratchet up the defense and goalie AI. As a result it's easy to dislodge the puck and perform bone-crunching checks, but hard to do much on offense!

While trying to move the puck up the ice, your player sometimes inexplicably passes the puck backward. Good luck trying to thread the needle. If any players are between you and the net, they might as well be a brick wall.

Shots on goal tend to be rather weak. It seems like the bulk of the scoring is done by running into the goalie (cheap), or worse yet, scoring on yourself! Once me and a CPU player were heading down the ice on a 2-on-1 fast break. I was planning on executing a one-timer, but then my teammate suddenly broke off, retreating back to the other end of the rink. What the [expletive] is going on here?! Apparently one-timers are a thing of the past.

I do like the bells and whistles like the zamboni during intermissions, penalized players who hack the glass with their sticks, and hats tossed onto the ice after a hat trick. But the crowd noise is very subdued in this edition - it feels like much of the game is played in silence! I can understand the lack of enthusiasm. NHL 97 is a marginal hockey game clearly produced with a minimum amount of effort. © Copyright 2025 The Video Game Critic.

It's hard to muster much enthusiasm for a hockey game when its box lists "updated team rosters" and "more intelligent crowd" as its key selling points. The "hot and cold streak" feature is an example of developers looking for something new they could incorporate with the least amount of effort.

The main menu looks sparse but it does contain new skill challenge and shootout modes. These mini-games are good for practice, and they'd be even better if they recorded high scores.

Each game is introduced with a short rendition of the national anthem or oh canada. The announcing is improved slightly. Like last year, NHL '98 is an arcade-minded hockey title with slick visuals and crisp, digitized sounds. It's hard to play offense, but at least shots on goal have some mustard on them. I like how when injured, a guy will writhe on the ice holding his head in pain as everyone just mills around the ice.

Leafing through the manual I noticed how the moves have accumulated over the years. You can do all kinds of stuff like dump the puck, fake a shot, or hit the ice to block a shot. But it's become painfully obvious that NHL 98 is the same game we've been playing for the last three years. © Copyright 2025 The Video Game Critic.

Playing this hockey game today is a nauseating experience, and I can't imagine it was much better in 1993. Stanley Cup utilizes the Super Nintendo's trademark "mode 7" rotation and scaling effects to create a constantly shifting view of the action. It looks like the entire rink is spinning in outer space. The effect worked well in Nintendo's NCAA basketball game (1992), but it's not a good fit with hockey.

Why? It has a lot to do with hockey's breakneck pace and constant possession changes. At least in basketball you can control the tempo to some degree and play at a more deliberate pace. In Stanley Cup, the stilted animation, pixelated sprites, and constant rotation make it hard to find the puck, much less execute a crisp pass or target the corner of the goal. You can only pass to the player with the icon over his head, and switching players on defense is maddening.

The special moves look horrific, and when you perform a "hip check" it looks like you're trying to rub your butt on an opponent! That really stinks! Stanley Cup's sound effects are equally weak, with the same constipated "grunt" sounds over and over again. The lone highlight of the game is the intro, which shows an over-the-shoulder cinematic of a player approaching the goal on a fast break. Too bad you won't see anything that impressive in the actual game. © Copyright 2006 The Video Game Critic.

Most gamers associate EA's NHL series with the Sega Genesis but this SNES game is no slouch. Its twangy intro music sounds like something from the Country Bear Jamboree but don't let that deter you.

All the NHL teams and players are included, and it's a thrill to relive the days of Mario Lemieux, Chris Chelios, and Jeremy Roenik. Even Jaromir Jagr got in on the act, who I hear he is still playing professional hockey! Before each contest intrepid reporter Ron Barr provides a quick run-down of the match-ups.

The action on the ice is white-knuckle excitement. You can dish out devastating body checks, causing the puck to become "dispossessed" You can pass with precision and deliver lightning-fast slap shots. One-timers are not a thing in this game, so taking advantage of second-chance opportunities is critical. For the second or two when the goalie is laid out and the puck is loose, it's pure bedlam.

The animated crowd looks sharp and a zamboni can be seen cleaning the ice between periods. Crystal clear sound effects include the click-click-click of the puck being handled. The sound of a body slamming into the boards has an amazing resonating quality. The only thing that sucks is how all other sound effects completely cut out whenever the organ plays.

NHLPA '93 is slightly less fluid than its Genesis cousin, but an even more egregious fault is the fact that you can't make your opponent's head bleed. Did Nintendo have a say in this? Why must they deny us the little joys in life? What's even more tragic is that you can tell where it should have occurred, when a devastating hit lays an opponent out, knocking him out cold on the ice. A little ketchup goes a long way... © Copyright 2025 The Video Game Critic.

It was largely overlooked in its time of release, but Ninja Warriors is like a slice of 16-bit heaven in 2013. This side-scrolling brawler offers three playable cyborgs, each of which has its own attack style, providing a unique experience. The first character, "Ninja", uses brute force to throw enemies around like rag dolls. Kunoichi is a babe decked out in red who specializes in quick, agile attacks. Kamaitachi is a warrior with metal blades for hands who prefers a slice-and-dice approach.

The stages mainly consist of city ruins and industrial facilities, but later stages offer some colorful skylines. The scenery isn't very memorable but the degree of detail is commendable. I just wish certain stages didn't rain bombs, because that got on my nerves. Unlike Streets of Rage (Genesis, 1991) or Final Fight (SNES, 1991), the action takes place on a single plane, saving you the trouble of "lining up" with enemies.

You'll face soldiers, robots, martial artists, and monkeys that look extra creepy because they're decked out in little uniforms. As is often the case in games like this, enemies have a tendency to linger off the edge of the screen. I like how you can throw large objects like computers, safes, and even motorcycles. Hazards include giant fans that turn on and off at timed intervals, but since the violence is minimal you don't have the pleasure of watching enemy soldiers getting splattered.

Hidden moves add some depth to the repetitive fighting action, and a "blaster" meter lets you charge up smart bombs. Ninja Warriors has the look and feel of an arcade game, complete with the high score displayed on the top of the title screen. The music has a Street of Rage flavor, and that's quite a compliment. Ninja Warriors may follow the typical fighting formula, but sometimes that's exactly what you want. © Copyright 2013 The Video Game Critic.

Nosferatu tries to mimic the gameplay of a Castlevania title, but lacks style and seems generic in comparison. The word "Nosferatu" means vampire, and this platform adventure challenges you to save your girlfriend from the original bloodsucker himself, Vlad the Impaler (the real Dracula). Most levels are a maze of castle ledges and walkways, but bosses are fought outside where there's more room.

Your vampire hunter has plenty of fighting moves at his disposal, including a flying round-house, uppercut, and charge. There's a nice variety of monsters to beat up, ranging from the traditional movie monsters (Frankenstein, Mummy, etc) to some truly bizarre original creations. Inexplicably, the second boss is a pair of gorillas! The game lacks tension, although there are occasional surprises like falling corpses and hands that grab you from under the floor. Too many traps litter the later levels, and if you don't fall into a spiked pit on your own, you're likely to be pushed into one.

In terms of graphics, the creatures look great but the castle walls start to get boring after a few levels. The controls are less than responsive, making it difficult to enter certain doorways or get off a punch in time. The audio is weak, with sparse sound effects and music that's uneven in quality. A few of the tunes have an edgy Nine Inch Nails flavor, but others just sound goofy. Nosferatu is not a terrible game, but it fails to distinguish itself in any way, making it a thoroughly forgettable experience. © Copyright 2000 The Video Game Critic.