From: v089l3s3@ubvmsb.cc.buffalo.edu (JER HORWITZ)
Newsgroups: rec.games.video
Subject: Re: Genesis v. SNES, Sega-CD; Summary [Horwitz]
Date: 19 Dec 92 00:38:00 GMT
Organization: University at Buffalo
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41

In article <1992Dec18.211138.36624@uvmark.uucp>, davem@uvmark.uucp (Dave Meeks) writes...
>In article <BzGrAu.J65@acsu.buffalo.edu> v089l3s3@ubvmsd.cc.buffalo.edu (JER HORWITZ) writes:
>>Part I: Sega [Genesis] v. Nintendo [Super NES]
>>
>Well, here is where you and I start to diverge some..  In your list, you
>include SFII (great game), Contra 3 (ok, didn't find it exception though),

Contra 3 has several things going for it. First, you have to play a 
high difficulty level to see the real ending. Second, it has game play
that better tests the players' abilities to use the characters' 
abilities than any other game.

>Smash TV (seems to be a great game.. .just picked it up), Road Runner (great
>graphics, annoying game play, loads of humour...  but not better than many 
>of the other cartoon games like Taz-Mania, etc...), 

Road Runner is bad only from the control. Otherwise nearly perfect.

>TMNT 4 (very good, very
>short...  just don't play it anymore...  Liked Sega's version just as much
>if not more),

Short? 10 or so levels is too short? That's one complaint I'd never
make on this one. Too easy, yes. Too short, no.

 Prince of Persia (just haven't gotten into it... does it get
>better after the first couple of levels??),

It's a game of skill. It is good from the get go but requires learning.

> Pro QB (yuck... both Montana
>and Madden were better), Amazing Tennis (like it, but thought Conners was
>better overall),

Nay, nay. Conners is sad... Pro QB is excellent except the lack of plays
and options.

> X-men (haven't played YET!!!), Rampart (thought the Sega
>version was just as good, but really never got into this game that much),

Rampart has the Super Rampart mode and cool Mode 7 visual parts. Love it.

>On the Ball (haven't played it YET), Power Athlete (???), Space Megaforce

Power Athlete aka Deadly Moves aka Power Moves, now.

>(good game), Star Wars (looks great, sounds great, just didn't find it all
>that fun), Out of this World (still haven't decided on this one... love it
>and hate it all in one), NCAA (yes, great game), Mickey Mouse (as good as
>Castle of Illusion, but just way too easy... took maybe 2 hours of my time to
>finish it...), Firepower 2000 and Blues Brothers (yuck...)

Firepower and Blues Brothers yuck? Jeez! Two quality titles, although
BB is much better.

>In addition to these, I have also picked up Axelay (ho hum, not great),
>Hook (looked good, but again, took about 3 hours to complete...no replay 
>value), Jimmy Conners (great game), Mario Paint (very nice), Soul Blazer 
>(another great game)...  

Agree except Conners. zzzzzzz.
>>last longer than 2 days on the average, unlike Sega's.
>>(TMNT 4 is easy, but excellent.)
> 
>This is where I disagree..  Most of the nicer games for the SNES just don't
>last...  Hook, Mickey, TMNT, etc... Granted, same could be said for Sega
>(Taz, Chuck Rock, etc...)  I just found the length of some of the similar
>Sega games to be better and last longer...   But, I think both systems
>(and gaming in general) is going to much for the quick fix games.  This is why
>I like Smash TV...  Not a great game in many ways, but it is something that
>I feel will last a long time.  It has great replay value.  Same with SFII
>and Sonic II..   I go back to these all the time..  Too many games these days
>go for graphics and sound and forget that we are paying ~$60 a pop nowadays
>for a couple hours of entertainment...  

Agree agree... but whereas Nintendo as a company puts out long term value
games, Sega does not.

>>
>>As for this SNES cd v. Sega-CD thing, it's totally
>>immaterial. As long as Sega has a CD player with the
>>quality of games it has now (relatively average to
>>low), it could matter less if their system is
>>out or not. They could have made the exact claim, 
>>"We have a CD player" one year ago, when I bought it,
>>but all the games they released came out afterwards
>>in the US as cartridges, they were so short and
>>bad. I'd rather wait for a good system like the SNES-CD
>>will undoubtably be, than purchase a Sega-CD now on
>>the empty promise that it will eventually have good
>>games.
> 
>This is where I think we disagree the most..  That being you seem to take
>it for granted that the SNES-CD will "undoubtably be" better???  Based on
>what???

Name a Nintendo system that didn't use its capabilities. Down the line,
they're all great in their own ways. Even the Game Boy has great graphics,
but the screen obscures them. I have full confidence that their CD system
will be completely excellent, and seeing as Sega's already talking about
their new 32-bit system, they obviously have reason to fear.

  The vaportrail they have left so far??  I would be willing to bet
>that by next XMas, when the SNES-CD is "due out", their will be a great deal
>of great SegaCD games out by then, and I still stand by my claim that their
>is no way Nintendo will put out a 32 bit CD for under $200 by next summer..
>I just remember that the SNES sucked when it first came out...  I was one of
>the first in line to get one, but when I saw the games coming out and played
>them, I didn't bother.

It didn't suck. The system just came out after Sonic. I had it when the
software was new and the games destroyed everything on the market. It took
Sega a year to program SoR to counter Final Fight's U.S. release...

>  It was finally SFII that convinced me to get it,
>and I am glad I did, but the first wave of games was very weak in my mind..
>I think you will see the same with the Sega CD.  Though it has been out 
>in Japan, it is just now getting started here, and many developers are just
>getting ramped up to put out games for it...

Different situations... Sega's CD launched with primitive games for the
time it was released in both the U.S. and Japan -- Nintendo's games were
still good enough to challenge Sega when it (finally) made it to the U.S.
Can't say Pilotwings was weak, nor F-Zero, nor Final Fight, nor Super
G'N'G or Castlevania... first wave.

[ -> Jer Horwitz ] [INTERnet Game Consultant]
Newsgroups: rec.games.video