Super Nintendo Reviews Sn-Sz

Space Megaforce has all the qualities you want in a vertical shooter: devastating weapons, thunderous explosions, memorable music, and a kick-ass power-up system. It even takes advantage of the SNES scaling and rotation capabilities - for better or worse. The opening stage doesn't look like much as you fly over a cloudy surface while blasting ground fortifications and rows of generic enemy ships. But the controls are terrific. One button initiates rapid fire while another adjusts your shooting trajectory and a third unleashes bombs. Collecting clearly marked icons allow you to switch between weapons or power your current one up to six levels! Guided missiles, deflection shots, spread shots are effective, but I prefer the lasers which dart all over the screen. I find it amusing how guided missiles move in circles when there are no visible targets on the screen. Less desireable weapons include directional shots (which fire away from your direction) and the "power shot" which requires several seconds to charge. Switching weapons to suit the situation is fun but it can be hard to avoid undesirable icons. The stages are wildly uneven in length and quality. In stage one you shoot weak joints of a space station, causing entire sections to disintegrate (whoa). The second stage features distant metal structures that scale in and out of view. Stage three feels more like a bonus stage as you blast through rows of bricks and icons. Beginning with the fourth stage the game goes a little overboard. Moons zoom erratically zoom in and out and you don't know what you can or can't touch. At least there's no noticeable slowdown. The soundtrack is cheesy at times, but some of the stronger tunes call to mind Streets of Rage (Genesis, 1991). In the words of Andy Samberg impersonating Nick Cage "high praise indeed". Game sessions tend to be long (don't forget to blink) but if you're in a hurry there's also a "short" mode. It's a strange game, but Space Megaforce is one of the best shooters I've played on my SNES, if not the best. © Copyright 2016 The Video Game Critic.

With a name like Spanky's Quest, it almost goes without saying that Spanky would have be a monkey right? I wouldn't be surprised if the entire game was conceived around that goofy title. Spanky's Quest is not your garden-variety SNES title. It's a platform-puzzler in the tradition of Bubble Bobble (NES, 1989). After a long (and unskippable) opening cutscene the game plays out as a series of short stages. Your goal is to collect enough keys in each stage to open a door. As Spanky hops between platforms he'll need to avoid animated fruits and vegetables. It's a premise straight out of 1982. Spanky attacks by tossing up a magic ball and heading it repeatedly to make it grow in size. Pressing a button then transforms it into sports balls (baseballs, volleyballs, etc) that fall on enemies. In the best case you can rain down five large basketballs, obliterating enemies over a wide area. It's original in concept but also awkward and clunky. Different techniques are employed to clear each stage, and your best course of action is usually pretty obvious. I like the strategic element, but sometimes enemies converge before you know what's going on. Magic hats imbue you with special powers but these are gimmicky and short-lived. The washed-out jungle backgrounds are bland but the second level offers bright white bridges and the third resembles an electric beach. Advanced stages incorporate mechanisms and traps, but these make it hard to tell what's you can or can't touch. What's the deal with those annoying birds that appear out of nowhere? I like the originality, but Spanky's Quest is a marginal title that never really gains much traction. © Copyright 2016 The Video Game Critic.

As a Spawn fan I really wanted to like this game. Sadly, it was published by Acclaim, a company known for pumping out pure garbage during the 16-bit era. The good-looking intro features comic book-style cells splashed with vibrant colors. Hey, this looks good! The opening stage is set on the roof of a building, offering a dramatic view of the night skyline. Thugs continuously jump toward you from the right, but they all miss the ledge and fall to their deaths. It's downright comical and doesn't inspire confidence. At first the game seems decent as you methodically beat up generic goons around town. In addition to kicks and punches, Spawn has Dhalsim's Yoga Spear move from Street Fighter II (Capcom, 1992) and Luke Skywalker's flip attack from Super Empire Strikes Back (LucasArts, 1992). Spawn walks slowly but can jump pretty high if you hold down the jump button. The special moves are a joke. For some reason you need to hold in the right trigger for part of the button sequence, and it's so awkward! You can't leave the stage until you've killed enough thugs, but the game doesn't bother to let you know when that time comes. Once I must have killed about 25 goons before I realized I could simply exit to the right. In one particularly agonizing stage, you're forced to wall-jump between two buildings. As if the unresponsive controls weren't bad enough, a crosshair follows you around, shooting you out of the air. It's painful, but the most brutal aspect of Spawn are the bosses. The first boss, Overtkill, isn't so hard to kill but returns about two minutes after you thought you had defeated him. The next boss, Redeemer, is pretty much impossible to beat. He's invincible half the time and unleashes laser beams that deplete your entire life bar. I used passwords to explore later stages, and they are horrible. You'll forge through various dimensions of hell, but it's hard to tell what you can or can't jump on, leading to many undeserved deaths. Flames appear under your feet when you walk, and demonic spiders fall on your head when you jump. Spawn is great fun if you're a sadomasochist. The designers either didn't know what they were doing or were the biggest douchebags in the world. © Copyright 2014 The Video Game Critic.

In this game's kick-ass intro Spiderman swings around a city with a full moon looming in the background and a gargoyle in the foreground. Then you're treated to the Spiderman theme song sung by some kind of freaky electronic voice. This game is great until you play it! The perplexing controls and non-intuitive design is infuriating. And what is the deal with Spiderman's body? He's so bulky and top-heavy, it might as well be the Incredible Hulk in that costume! That huge head of his is something you'd expect to see in an NES title. The first stage takes place in a research facility, and its layout is totally redundant. Cliches come early and often in the form of timed flames, electric fields, and conveyer belts to nowhere. Enemy soldiers you encounter look exactly like Master Chief from Halo (Xbox, 2001). The control scheme doesn't make any sense. Spiderman can crawl on ceilings, but apparently only in certain designated places. Likewise your webline never sticks where you need it to. And why in the world do I need to jump first before I can shoot my web line or grab a wall? I felt bewildered playing this game, constantly wondering where the heck I was supposed to go. A pause screen lets you access grenades, but after highlighting them you must press select (not start!) to resume the game or your selection won't take. That's confusing, and adding insult to injury, the grenades are worthless. In theory you're supposed to be able to call in members of the Fantastic Four, but those options were never available when I checked. Spiderman has a lot of arbitrary rules, like not being able to kick in a mesh grate until you fight a robot in a different part of the stage. Stage locations include a bridge, construction site, penthouse, and Coney Island. Except for a few nice skylines and sunsets, the scenery is lacking in detail and extremely repetitive. On a positive note, you do get to face-off against a wide range of classic foes like Doc Oct, Lizard, Rhino, Vulture, and Green Goblin. Still, this is so inferior to the Genesis Spiderman (Genesis, 1991), you have to wonder what the developers were thinking. © Copyright 2014 The Video Game Critic.

When I first purchased Star Fox back in 1993, it was a truly groundbreaking title. The cinematic opening sequence showing a squad of ships taking off from a hangar was a showcase in of itself. Everyone I showed the game to was blown away by its 3D polygon graphics and shifting camera angles. These cutting-edge visuals were made possible by a special graphics chip embedded in the cartridge itself (which also added to the price). The characters in Star Fox are personified animals, and you play the role of Fox McCloud, a brave star pilot out to defeat an evil Emperor (who's a dead-ringer for Dr. Zeus from Planet of the Apes, by the way). The action can be viewed from a first-person perspective or from behind your ship. Your squad is composed of a falcon (Falco), rabbit (Peppy), and frog (Slippy), but they're mainly only good for comic relief. When they're not getting in your way, you're constantly having to bail them out by shooting down enemies on their tail. As a shooter, Star Fox has not aged well. The polygon graphics don't look so bad, but the choppy frame rate, rampant slow-down, and lagging controls take their toll on the fun factor. Most stages take place on the surface of a planet, and there are some impressive sights like hulking robots carrying construction materials. Other stages are set in outer space, but these tend to be somewhat disconcerting. Your targeting system is very constrained in the third-person view, and the crosshairs are surprisingly jumpy in first-person. The explosions are fantastic, and I love how bosses fall apart piece by piece, making their destruction all the more satisfying. While not terribly addicting, Star Fox remains entertaining thanks to its thoughtful design and high production values. The heroic orchestrated score is outstanding, and hearing it will instantly transport you back to 1993. This was also the first game I can recall where the stereo sound effects really got my attention. Star Fox may not be the "A+" title it once was, but this landmark game is still fascinating to look back on. © Copyright 2006 The Video Game Critic.

This pathetic vertical shooter was released early in the system's life cycle when people were pretty desperate for SNES titles. Strike Gunner's back-story explains that by 2008 we have dismantled all of our nuclear weaponry, leaving us defenseless when hostile aliens invade from space. Let this be a lesson; we need to stock up now! Before each stage you choose from a smorgasbord of special weapons, although it's not clear what any of them do. In the endless opening stage Strike Gunner gives new meaning to the term monotonous. Your jet glides slowly over a featureless jungle as you mindlessly blast helicopters and jets that appear over and over in the same predictable formations. You're equipped with a rapid-fire cannon and a special attack. Although your special weapon is limited, the meter drains slowly so feel free to unleash it with reckless abandon. The first stage is a mind-numbing exercise, and if you lose a few lives you'll probably be too bored to notice. Should you have the intestinal fortitude to reach stage two, you'll find yourself staring at the same jungle scenery. An auto-fire feature protects your hand from carpal tunnel, but what will protect your eyes? These repetitive graphics actually gave my eyes carpal tunnel! Things get slightly more interesting when you reach the desert, but most gamers will be unconscious by then. Strike Gunner supports two-player simultaneous play (with "combination" attacks), but it's plagued by terrible slowdown on top of the boredom. I even hate the layout of the screen which wastes real estate on both sides and displays very little information. Strike Gunner is abysmal, and I consider it a pox upon my entire collection. © Copyright 2011 The Video Game Critic.

Considering the high quality of the first SNES game to use the FX chip (Starfox), I'm really surprised what a worthless piece of junk this is. Hard on the eyes and even harder to play, Stunt Race FX is about as likeable as Rosie O'Donnell. Starfox made fine use of the FX chip, but Stunt Race was in way over its head. Its polygon graphics allow for angular hills, banked turns, and various camera angles, but the action is slow, choppy, and unresponsive. The cars resemble dune buggies with eyes for headlights. Is that supposed to look cute? The controls exhibit terrible lag, and trying to compensate results in wild swerving from side to side. The problem is exacerbated by the wide cars with their big, bouncy tires. Worse yet, the low camera makes it difficult to anticipate upcoming turns. There's no need to concern yourself with the other racers, because simply steering straight will require your total undivided attention. Stunt Race offers three modes, and each tends to suck. The "speed mode" lets you compete in races against CPU-controlled opponents, but these long, arduous races will leave you feeling nauseated. The tachometer may read 130 MPH, but it feels more like 5 MPH! The "Aqua tunnel" track (which goes underwater) is entirely too ambitious, and likewise the "Night Owl" track looks okay but plays like a nightmare. The desert stage is as boring as can be. "Bonus stages" challenge you to drive a big rig through a course of pylons, but they are so unpleasant that "punishment stages" would be a more appropriate name. In the "stunt mode" you drive through an obstacle course while collecting stars, but where are the stunts? The battle mode offers two-player split-screen action, but as you can surmise, it's a lost cause. Stunt Racer FX is so repugnant, it almost makes me want to lower the grade for Starfox! © Copyright 2010 The Video Game Critic.

I had heard from somewhere that the SNES Sunset Riders was essentially the same as the Genesis edition. Don't believe it! While both feature the same mechanics and graphic style, this version actually feels more like a sequel. That's ironic, since I'm told this is actually a port of the original arcade game! I like the animated intro and the option to select from four riders instead of two. The stages seem remixed from the Genesis game, and some are completely different altogether. The game opens at some kind of outpost with occasional stampedes and outlaws hiding in hay bales. You can rapidly fire colorful bullets, leaving the landscape strewn with the bodies of outlaws. You can squat to shoot low or slide as an evasive maneuver. I find it somewhat disturbing how the bonus "turkey" icons for health are actually pulsating! This Sunset Riders is a refreshing change, but the stages don't feel as well designed as the Genesis. The stage where you ride alongside the train isn't too exciting, and sometimes there are multiple boss encounters in a row. While in town there are no "comfort ladies" in the saloon. Did Nintendo water this down?! The first-person shooting bonus stage pales to the stagecoach chase in the Genesis version. Still, the graphics are sharper than the Genesis with clever animations like cowboys spinning their guns at the end of each stage. Instead of red dashes the bullets actually look like, well, bullets. On the down side, the explosions are very ugly and pixelated. The audio is clear, with realistic grunts and bosses that recite less-than-enthusiastic dialog. The excellent music has a catchy melody with the rhythmic beat of a horse's gallop. You can change characters when you continue and I like how the current high score is always displayed on the top of the screen. While not quite as fun as the Genesis game, Sunset Riders is still pretty fantastic - especially in coop mode. If this game is historically accurate (and I assume it is) life in the wild west must have been an absolute blast. © Copyright 2018 The Video Game Critic.

As a big fan of Bonk's Turbografx adventures, I was pretty pumped when I heard about his SNES escapade. Super Bonk borrows elements from the original Turbografx trilogy while placing the bald-headed cave-boy in a new set of stages. Okay, some of these stages are best described as recycled. For those of us accustomed to seeing the little caveman in prehistoric worlds, it's kind of a shock to see him in front of a modern city skyline in the first stage. As in previous adventures Bonk defeats enemies like alligators and pterodactyls by performing head-butts or diving headfirst at them. Bonk fans will recognize familiar elements like the ability to grow large or tiny, slide through narrow tubes, vault from tree branches, and climb up walls using his teeth. One new element is the ability to throw flowers plucked from the ground, but it's not very useful. The stages are new but some are very familiar, and no Bonk game would be complete without the obligatory trip through a dinosaur's digestive track! Super Bonk looks like classic Bonk on the surface (better even), but the controls are not quite right. It's very hard to gain any momentum, and you can no longer change direction at the drop of a dime. As a result the controls feel stiff, and the cloud-bouncing stages are a nightmare to navigate! In the original game it was a challenge to send Bonk into a rage, but here it happens early and often. Not only does Bonk become invincible, but he remains that way for an inordinate period of time! And when he's like that he looks like a hideous freak. Still, I must admit that it's fun to plow through buildings in his "Bonkzilla" form. There's some good stuff here, but the watered-down difficulty ruins the game. I can pretty much play this thing indefinitely. The easy bonus stages are so common you eventually make an effort to avoid them. Other missteps include an ill-conceived power-up that lets you build bridges (really?) and a boss named Blue Balls (c'mon now). I'll give the developers credit for cramming every Bonk-ism they could think of into this cartridge, but without the challenge it's an unsatisfying romp. © Copyright 2011 The Video Game Critic.

As the first Castlevania title to appear on a 16-bit system, Super Castlevania IV is everything a fan could ask for and more. This huge action/adventure improves upon the original NES games in every way, and even pays homage to them by recreating some old stages. As vampire hunter Simon Belmont, you'll explore mountains, graveyards, forests, ruins, riverbanks, and dungeons on your quest to confront Dracula. Castlevania veterans will smile when they see familiar adversaries rendered in bright colors and high resolution. New enemies lurk as well, include floating horse-heads(?), flying insect men, and stone golems that break up into smaller monsters. Parallax scrolling depicts colorful, layered medieval scenery, and striking down foes results in a dazzling display of flames and flying body parts. It looks terrific, but it did occur to me that the flashy visuals somewhat undermine the dark, gothic atmosphere established by the first three games. Castlevania IV features twelve expansive stages, and it's amazing how much gameplay Konami has packed into this cartridge. The presentation is first-rate, and the controls are outstanding. For the first time, you have complete control of your whip. Not only can you aim it up, down, and diagonally, you can even wave it around to kill small pesky creatures such as bats. Perilous leaps still play a major role in the gameplay, but the crisp, responsive controls make even the most risky jumps a breeze. Navigating stairs, a tricky proposition in previous Castlevanias, is no problem at all in this game. A fantastic soundtrack incorporates a surprising number of musical styles besides the traditional minor-keyed organ hymns. I do have a few minor quibbles. I'm not a fan of the instant death spike traps - I don't think touching one spike should cause you to lose an entire life bar. Second, I found swinging from the whip - a new move - to be trickier than it should be. There's some slow-down here and there, and I hate how the password is given in rows of symbols. Even so, I found Super Castlevania IV to be easier and more enjoyable than any of the NES titles. © Copyright 2004 The Video Game Critic.

Super Chase HQ is the third edition of the series following Chase HQ (Turbografx-16, 1992) and Chase HQ 2 (Genesis, 1992). Most SNES games feature the word "Super" by default, but this game earns it, upping the ante in both content and quality. Before each mission you're provided with a little background story about a heist-in-progress, and the first criminal looks like Andrew Dice Clay. The mission briefing screens are sharp and for once you can actually understand your radio partner say "This is Nancy" (although she sounds like a 10-year-old girl). When you hit the road Chase HQ fans might want to brace themselves for an initial let-down. Instead of a behind-the-car, overhead perspective, you get a first-person, inside-the-car view. This dramatically crops your view of the road and might seem a step backward. Stick with it, because it will win you over. The driving animation is smooth and the collision detection is extremely forgiving. Navigating through traffic is practically effortless and you're not likely to hit the palm trees and light posts lining the road. Driving under the occasional overpass looks awesome. The shiny dashboard looks impressive with hands moving the steering wheel and interacting with the controls. Heck, you can even see your character in the rear-view mirror. Come to think about it, this is comparable to the view in Forza Motorsport 5 (Xbox One, 2013). Weaving through traffic causes your multiplier to...well... multiply... and it's hard to keep your eyes off of it as it accumulates into the thousands. When you finally catch up with your target, the traffic clears out for the ensuing chase. Both cars have damage meters and the bad guys will even shoot at you! And get this: the cars have damage modeling! Heck, we're still waiting for the developers of Gran Turismo to acquire that technology! In terms of scenery, the backdrops look a little blocky but it's nice how how the time of day changes and transforms the city skylines. The digitized sounds are amazing and the thumping guitar is like something from an old cop show. Super Chase HQ may be lacking in the replay department (the missions are always the same) but if you like arcade-style racing you owe it to yourself to give this a try. © Copyright 2014 The Video Game Critic.

My first encounter with Super Metroid was in 1994 at a local video game store. Upon hearing it referred to as the "best video game ever" by an employee, I tried out a copy they had on display. After whizzing through the brief initial stage where you escape the underground lab, I left feeling unimpressed. Well, thanks to my short attention span I missed out on one truly incredible game. It took me ten years to finally experience this science fiction masterpiece! Super Metroid redefined what a side-scroller should be, with an unprecidented degree of depth and variety. On the surface, it looks like a generic cave exploration game with the usual shooting and platform jumping. But the more you play, the more this finely crafted game unfolds and sucks you into its fascinating little world. The graphics are phenomenal, with amazing visual effects like sweltering heat waves and scaling enemies. Despite being set in a series of underground tunnels, Super Metroid doesn't feel the least bit boring or repetitive. Each section is unique and brimming with amazing detail. In one room I found a bunch of tiny green creatures gnawing on a corpse, and they scattered as I approached. Enemies come in an amazing assortment, from lizard creatures, to crawling plants, to giant insects you can shoot the wings off of. And the mammoth gigantic bosses were monumental for their time. The game is perfectly paced, so just when you think you're getting stuck, you discover a new weapon, item, or ability that opens up a slew of new possibilities. Special items include an electronic grappling hook, an ice beam, and an x-ray scope to expose hidden passages. And there are plenty of secrets to discover. But beyond its imaginative graphics and crisp control, it may be Super Metroid's audio that stands out the most. Edgy and intense, the infectious soundtrack perfectly suits the game's ominous theme. When it comes to finding fault with this game, I am at a complete loss. It's definitely hard but never cheap, and the save points are reasonably spaced. Super Metroid may not be the best game ever, but it certainly is one of the best SNES games I've played. © Copyright 2005 The Video Game Critic.

There's no shortage of SNES games beginning with the word "Super", but Super Off Road is undeserving. While trying to play this with a group of friends I couldn't figure out how to configure a multiplayer match. Then the manual confirmed my deepest, darkest fear: this game only supports up to two players! Really?! Super Off Road is a series of races between four trucks. If you do the math, no less than half the field is guaranteed to be CPU-controlled! What a [expletive] joke! That's like someone releasing a two-player version of Warlords (Atari 2600, 1977)! Taken for what it is, Super Off Road is mediocre racing fare. I find it amusing how the opening screen prompts you to "hit select to start". No, you can't hit the "start" button because that would make too much sense. The tracks, each a single screen in size, feature rugged terrain that makes for a wild ride. The graphics are razor sharp but the physics are crazy! The vehicles quickly bound around the tracks but their speed is herky-jerky. One moment you'll be driving normally and then you'll suddenly bolt ahead for no particular reason. The manner in which the trucks bounce all over the place gives the impression they have zero mass. Subtle differences from the Genesis version include a flag-waving man and slightly annoying bails of hay scattered throughout the courses. The CPU is a worthy challenge (his trucks are loaded with turbos) but without a score there's no way to measure your progress. The audio features high-revving engines and guitar music, but it lacks the personality of the NES edition. My friends were disappointed with this version of Super Off Road, and most say it should have never even seen the light of day. © Copyright 2015 The Video Game Critic.

I suspect Play Action Football was merely a stop-gap measure to hold sports fan over until Madden arrived for the SNES. The highlight of the game is its intro, which depicts a player throwing a scaling football directly at you! Thankfully two large hands reach up and grab the ball just before it can smash through the glass of your TV and tumble into your living room! Super Action Football carries an NFL license, which is surprising considering how generic it is. You have the option of playing as pro, college, or high school teams, and for the latter two, you can select the team name and colors. Play Action's diagonal point-of-view provides the absolute worst possible perspective for a football game. I couldn't come up with a worse viewpoint if I tried! A vertical "scanner" indicates the location of the players, but I found it impossible to reconcile with the main screen. A sufficient number of plays and audibles are available, but the play diagrams lack labels and are hard to read. Play Action's rousing theme song is good, which is fortunate because restarts with each snap. Running the ball is no problem thanks to a nifty stiff-arm move, but completing a pass requires an act of God. The players are so huge that you never actually see your receivers on the screen. Playing defense is equally frustrating, as you're constantly being held by linemen. After each play players scatter like roaches, followed by a pause as you wait for the referee to appear on the bottom of the screen - even if he has nothing to say! Most of the time he just stands there like a dork, and it's unintentionally hilarious. My buddies were literally rolling on the floor with laughter. Occasionally the game cuts away from the action to show a bunch of ugly people watching the action on a TV in the concession area. If it looks like they're watching a trainwreck, well now you know why. © Copyright 2005 The Video Game Critic.

I don't know how I missed out on this one back in the day, because I love arcade-style boxing games. A worthy successor to Punch-Out!! (NES, 1987), Super Punch-Out's graphics even surpass the arcade game. You view the action from behind your semi-transparent boxer, providing an optimal view of your opponent. The directional pad lets you dodge, duck, and block, with the Y and B buttons serving as your left and right punches. Instead of earning "star" punches, the A button lets you unleash special attacks when your meter is full. These include an uppercut, hook, or a quick flurry. There are plenty of fresh new faces to beat the crap out of, including the geriatric Gabby Jay, Rastafarian Bob Charlie, Dragon Chan, Aran Ryan, Narcis Prince, and the Mad Clown. Each of the 16 fighters has his own technique, and part of the fun is figuring out how to defeat each one. The cartridge has a battery back-up for up to eight players, which not only saves your progress but the high scores and best times as well. Super Punch-Out is awesome, but not as awesome as it could be. Punches seem somewhat soft due to muffled sound effects and slight pauses when you make contact. It's cool to see a mouthpiece go flying, but none of these punches seem particularly devastating. Another issue is the lack of rounds. You just keep playing until one fighter registers a KO. This takes away some suspense and doesn't feel like real boxing. Plus, trainer Doc Lewis isn't around to lift your spirits. Super Punch-Out comes off a little flat, but arcade fans will still love its stylized brand of boxing action. © Copyright 2009 The Video Game Critic.

Nintendo was pushing the light gun concept to the limit when they released this bazooka-shaped accessory. It looks pretty cool with its shoulder rest and side-mounted scope, but it's just not practical. Keeping both arms raised is tiring, and the fact that the gun packs six AA batteries doesn't help! That said, the thing is pretty accurate. The manual recommends sitting ten feet from the TV (really?) but it works fine from about six feet. Super Scope comes with a cartridge packing six separate light gun games. Three of them (Intercept, Engage, and Confront) are simple shooters that let you target missiles, scaling jet planes, and buzzing UFOs. The simplistic gameplay harkens back to Subroc on the Colecovision (1983). The SNES scaling capabilities are used to good effect. There's a nice sense of depth and leading your shots is essential. Unfortunately, the dry, repetitive gameplay tends to induce coma, requiring a surprise appearance by Mario (chased by Bowser in a biplane) to revive the player. Next up are a few interesting Tetris-inspired games. In "Blastris A" the blocks fall sideways and you shoot them so they fit snugly into place. This game has some surreal, carnival-like music that really gave me the creeps! "Blastris B" is based on Tetris 2, so you shoot blocks to toggle their color, creating groups of like-colored blocks. The ensuing explosions cause nifty chain reactions, but the challenge ramps so slowly that I could feel my arm cramping. The final entry "Mole Patrol" is an instantly forgettable version of whack-a-mole. Super Scope 6 has a few innovative ideas sprinkled throughout, but like Sega's Menacer collection, once the novelty wears off it starts to feel like a chore. Note: The Super Scope only operates on old-style, CRT televisions. © Copyright 2012 The Video Game Critic.

Clearly inspired by the Arnold Schwarzenegger classic movie "The Running Man", Super Smash TV is an overhead shooter that makes a concerted effort to glorify violence! You and a partner are contestants on a brutal reality game show. It's hosted by a sleazy guy with two blond chicks on his arms, but they look a lot like dudes! The challenge is to survive a series of rooms in which hordes of maniacs are unleashed upon you. Fortunately you're armed to the hilt with rapid-fire weapons that can be aimed in eight directions. It all seems pretty futuristic until you realize the game is set in 1999! Super Smash TV was originally designed for dual joysticks, but the SNES controller works surprisingly well thanks to its diamond-shaped button configuration. The run-and-gun action is satisfying. Enemies splash blood when shot, but the violence is tame by today's standards. The game looks and sounds every bit as good as the arcade version, with vibrant colorful graphics and digitized sound effects. Perhaps most impressive is the lack of slow-down despite the fact that there are dozens (or even hundreds) of objects moving around the screen at any given time! Even in the two-player coop mode, the action maintains a fluid and exciting pace. I've witnessed the SNES struggle mightily with sports titles, so I had to give the programmers a lot of credit for this. Smash TV's frenetic gameplay tempts you by randomly placing presents, power-ups, and piles of cash around the room. You'll earn comical bonus items like toasters and VCRs. Four continues are provided, which is probably the ideal number. The fact that you can take different paths through the maze adds replay value. If you're looking for fast action and instant gratification, Super Smash TV has what you need. © Copyright 2013 The Video Game Critic.

Both me and my friend Tuan received Super Star Wars for Christmas in 1992, and I can still remember him calling me up and proudly proclaiming this to be the "best video game ever!" For Star Wars fans, this was indeed a thrill. Not only did the game's storyline follow the movie (more or less), but the graphics and sound were state of the art. Although most stages follow the standard platform jumping/shooting formula, a few innovative 3D stages let you drive vehicles, including a sandspeeder on Tatooine and an X-Wing in the Death Star's trench! The 3D animation looks a little rough now, but it was amazing back in the day. The outstanding visuals portray every character, monster, and location you can remember from the film - and then some! The adrenaline-pumping Star Wars theme sounds crystal clear, as do the digitized sound effects and voice bits. Depending on the stage, you might control Luke, Han, or Chewbacca. The controls are tight, but I must admit you're too often asked to make "leaps of faith". Some of the platform jumping can be downright tedious, with the hellacious Java sandcrawler stage serving as a prime example. The stage difficulty uneven, and cheap hits are also a problem. The only way I've managed to finish the game is to locate the "secret cave" containing 99 extra lives. Since there's no save or password feature, you may find yourself playing into the wee hours of the morning, and by then the jumping and shooting will have gotten pretty old. A better option is to obtain the cheat code, which lets you select your stage. It's not perfect, but Super Star Wars is a quality title, and it's the main reason at least one of my friends purchased their SNES system. © Copyright 2005 The Video Game Critic.

Back in the day my friend Eric and I were so stoked about this game we took off the day it came out so we could head straight to the mall to pick it up. The clerk at EB Games asked his manager (who was shrinkwrapping games in plain sight) if we could have a free strategy guide. The response was, "Nah - save 'em for later." What a jerk! That clerk did end up giving us one to share, which was the least he could do considering we paid $75 each! We swung by McDonald's on the ride home and when we arrived back at my room Super Empire Strikes Back did not disappoint. We gazed wide-eyed at the beautiful snow-covered scenery while chomping on our Big Macs. There's something about snow in video games that looks so pure and appealing. Riding a Tauntaun through blizzard conditions was fun, but unlike the barren ice planet in the movie, this Hoth is teeming with life. You're relentlessly bumrushed by warthogs, dive-bombed by birds, and stalked by probe droids. Porcupines shoot needles and plants release poisonous spores. Ice shards sprout beneath your feet and electric eels leap out of the water to get you. Everything wants you dead in the worst way, and it takes several whacks of your lightsaber to kill anything. Meanwhile you're sliding on narrow icy platforms over spike-lined pits! The designers threw in everything but the kitchen sink, so the rampant slowdown should come as no surprise. Still, Empire manages to be a lot of fun thanks to Luke's awesome spinning attack and a generous number of health/power-up icons. Unlike the first game, Luke has the power to block with his lightsaber and employ force powers. The controls are responsive but expect cheap hits, regenerating foes, and blind leaps of faith. The graphics are first-rate and you have to love subtle details like Luke's hair blowing in the wind. The sweeping orchestrated score adds gravitas, as do the crystal-clear voice samples (particularly Darth Vader's "Impressive!"). The entire first half of the game is set on Hoth, and the 3D stage where you take down AT-AT walkers with tow cables truly pushes the limits of 16-bit power. Later you explore the swampy jungles of Dagobah and the cloud city of Bespin with its gorgeous pastel-red skyline. Encounters with Boba Fett will thrill Star Wars fans, and the climactic battle between Luke and Vader will have your heart racing! The six-letter password system is easy to use and a top-10 rankings screen makes it fun to play for high score. Super Empire Strike Back is clearly over the top at times, but you can't deny the greatness of this epic title. © Copyright 2016 The Video Game Critic.

This conventional side-scroller is completely unremarkable. I've never played a game so spectacularly average in my life. Super Valis IV's presentation is clean but uninspired, and its platform gameplay is utterly predictable. Playing as a sword-wielding female warrior, you hop around ledges and strike down creatures through six mythology-inspired stages. Special weapons are unleashed by pushing the directional pad up while pressing the attack button. If that doesn't remind you of Castlevania, wait until you see the fire-breathing dragon statues. Valis IV feels like an amalgamation of every side-scrolling adventure I've ever played. That's not to say it's a bad game. The controls are responsive enough, and being able to switch between weapons adds strategy. The crisp, colorful scenery includes burning ruins, flowery meadows, and jewel-encrusted caves. In the meadow stage, the buildings in the distance caught my eye, including one that resembled a tower from Lord of the Rings. Your adversaries include knights and archers, but there are also a few original creations like winged women with spears. The "mechanical monkeys" in the fourth stage resemble dogs made out of fortune cookies, a concept I found somewhat disturbing. Most enemies aren't particularly aggressive and move in predictable patterns. Each stage ends with the obligatory boss encounter, and these include a grim-reaper look-alike and a tiger-riding knight. The electronic background music is respectable but forgettable. In the final analysis, Super Valis IV serves its purpose but that's about it. © Copyright 2005 The Video Game Critic.