From: v089l3s3@ubvmsb.cc.buffalo.edu (JER HORWITZ)
Newsgroups: rec.games.video
Subject: FAQ: SNES All Games [Horwitz] 1/3
Date: 3 Jan 93 17:34:00 GMT
Organization: University at Buffalo
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41

Following is the (approximately) monthly posting of my ever-expanding
SNES All-Games review list. The list contains games released both in
the US and Japan, although the Japanese-only ones are denoted as
such by the label [Japan] next to the company name. Hope it proves
to be useful for someone.

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Title                   Producer                    Megs + Config.

Actraiser               Enix                        6 + Battery
[Action/RPG which made the SFC famous. Great music (Yuzo Koshiro) + gameplay.
Combines Taito's Rastan-ish action with a more playable Populous game. 9/10.]
        * Tremendous artwork and unbelievable music. Action is shallow but
good.
Addams Family, the      Ocean                       8
[Ocean's best overall effort. An action game with Mario elements. Cutesy.
Nice animation with good music, small sprites but good gameplay. 8/10.]
        * Just feels fun to play. Lots of hidden stuff to find.
Aguri Suzuki F-1 G.P.   Lozc [Japan]                8
[3-D Perspective 2-pl. simultaneous race game. No F-Zero, but kills F-1 ROC.
Scaling is a little choppy and you spin out much too often. Good options.
7/10.]
        * Good digitized stills. Spinouts really hurt pace.
Amazing Tennis          Absolute/David Crane        8
[Fabulous animation, great sound, great play. Best SNES tennis title. There's
no doubles game, tho. Options menu similar to most tennis tourneys. 8.5/10]
        * Court announcer's voice is perfect. Visual appeal makes it.
Arcana                  HAL Labs                    8 + Battery
[Nothing stunning RPG. Long quest, so-so graphics. Moves a little slow. 6/10.]
        * Nothing enticing to make you want to play it. Too flat.
Ashibe's Amusement...   Takara [Japan]              4
[A Japanese kids' game starring Little Goma the seal and a boy named Ashibe.
Action. Graphics and sounds are fitting, play is definitely for kids. 7/10.]
        * VERY young kids will play the hell out of this one. Set for that age.
        * Jer says: This game is totally evil. Any adult within 20 feet of the
        TV it's being played on will go insane. Sound effects and graphics seem
        to be programmed to be perfect for kids, totally annoying to adults.
Axelay                  Konami                      8
[Overrated shooter. Futuristic graphics, well done overall, mix of 2 shooting
types, side-scroll and overhead. The overhead has a hyped 3-D: OK. 8.5/10]
        * Bosses are wicked. Well conceived but not revolutionary as hyped.
Bart's Nightmare        Acclaim/LJN/Sculptured      8
[Best Simpsons game out. Action with a mix of level types. Uses almost every
single character ever to appear in the shows with nice animation.  8/10.]
        * Some levels plain suck. Itchy + Scratchy rule! Feels like cartoon.
Battle Dodgeball Manga  Sunsoft [Japan]             8
[Same as one out for MD and others in Japan. Manga art + so-so gameplay. 6/10.]
        * It's not going to excite anyone. Gameplay is one dimensional.
Bazooka Blitzkrieg      Bandai                      4
[Shocker - Bandai releases a cool game. Graphics are really good, sounds are
OK. Repetitive, but what's there (soldier theme) is good. A solid 7.5/10.]
        * Feels a lot like Terminator 2 (arcade) but repetitive. 
        * Only the backgrounds need work. If it only used 4 more megs...
Best of the Best Karate Electro Brain               8
[Computer + TG-16 port of Andre Panza Kickboxing. Cool animation + OK gameplay.
Character interaction is OK, but there are many moves to pick from. 7.5/10.]
        * Requires learning time to enjoy, not immediately appealing/arcadeish.
Bill L's Combat B-ball  Hudson Soft                 4
[Among the most pathetic titles for the system. Taken from Amiga/ST Future 
Basketball. Horrible use of SNES, easy to beat computer, repetitive. 3/10.]
        * Play one game and you'll know how bad it is. Overhead basketball?
Blazeon                 Atlus                       8
[Ever see the Master System R-Type? Imagine it with worse everything. It sucks.
Big option is the "totally original" steal-the-enemy's power feature stolen
from
Gaiares. Add this to their long list of successes like Metal Jack. 4/10.]
        * The pictures lie. I've never seen such bad basic screen scrolling.
Blues Brothers          Titus                       4
[Amiga trans. Super colorful action game, 2-pl. simul, fun + awesome music. 
2-player mode is really hard, 1-player mode is difficult. Tough but good.
9/10.]
        * Dynamic appeal. Animations + sounds are from the movie. Love it.
Brass Numbers           Laser Soft [Japan]          8
[SF2-alike. OK+ graphics, interesting 7 characters to use, OK sound, OK
gameplay. Special moves are really boring - I wouldn't buy it. 6.5/10.]
        * It's a step back. Some neat background IDEAS, bad control mechanism.
Bulls Versus Blazers    Electronic Arts             8
[A nice basketball title. Definitely superior to Tecmo's effort during the game
except for the cinemas which Tecmo has and EA doesn't. Not NCAA. 7.5/10.]
        * Nice large characters. Good personalized moves. Not dynamic enough.
Cacoma Knight           Datam/Polystar [Japan]      4
[Kids' type Qix game with 2-pl. sim. feature. Colorful but inane. 5/10.]
        * Rich music that repeats over and over. Stupid game, though.
Captain Wings III       Tecmo [Japan]               8
[Jap. language Soccer RPG. Like US "Tecmo World Cup" -- no game, all pictures.
Watch an anime of a guy running, then choose what to do with the ball. 6/10.]
        * If you like Japanese sports animes, it's for you. If not, forget it.
Castlevania IV          Konami                      8
[NES action sequel. Solid gameplay, many levels, great music. OK overall, since
it's easy and repetitive. Ran out of good ideas and spread them thin. 7.5/10.]
        * Occasionally cool backgrounds mixed with NES ones. Whip is neat.
Chester Cheetah: TCTF   Kaneco                      8
[Action game. Just a "let's try to copy Sonic's funny animations" title with
so-so play. SOME good powerups. Music very repetitive. Too Cool To Fool? 7/10.]
        * Should have fixed the control + added sounds. Chester's animated
well.
Chuck Rock              Sony Imagesoft/Core Design  8
[PC trans. of Bonk wanna-be. Good graphics + sound, OK gameplay. Beats
the Genesis version overall. Really nice colors but is repetitive. 7.5/10.]
        * Looks better than "Bonk" but is hurt by Chuck's lack of abilities.
Clue                    Parker Brothers             4
[Rendition of the classic board game. Neat idea of animating house's rooms and
various characters and weapons in cinemas, plays like the original. 7.5/10.]
        * Not exactly an addicting game, but can be great for a group of
people.
CombaTribes, The        Tradewest/Technos           12
[Arcade fighting game translation. 2-pl. sim. Good graphics, OK sounds, OK play.
Not interactive like the arcade game, short levels but nice one-on-one. 8/10.]
        * The new one-on-one part added to the arcade game makes it an 8.
Congo's Caper           Data East                   4
[Action, semi-sequel to Joe and Mac, not 2-pl. sim tho. Nice graphics, sounds
and play (not spectacular), much smoother than J+M, hidden stuff. Cute. 8/10.]
        * A more kids-oriented version of J+M - they'll like it lots.
        * It *just* gets an 8. Feels a little weak, play wise, but still good.
Contra III              Konami                      8
[High quality action/shooting game. 2-pl. sim. Too few levels, but perfect on 
the intensity meter. So many scenarios, PERFECT use of play mechanics. 9/10.]
        * Multiple endings and great play get the big thumbs up. Awesome rent!
        * First to have 2 simultaneous rotating backgrounds with different
axes.
Cybernator              Konami/Masiya               8
[Sequel to Target: Earth for the Genesis, shooting and action combo. Among the
best games for the system with great graphics, sounds, play and plot. 9/10.]
        * Not a 9.5 because it's not long term, but it's tough + higher than 9.
Cyber Spin              Takara                      4
[Overhead car game without Super F1 Circus' rotation. Poor use of SNES. It
has OK music, but Takara should stick to Neo-Geo translations. 4.5/10]
        * It's been done too many times before. Without rotation, it's too old.
Death Valley Ralley     Sunsoft                     8
[Sonic competitor, tough too. Road Runner is fast like Sonic, great Warner
Bros. characters and themes. Only problem - control hurts. Good game. 8.5/10]
        * Graphics are mixed: Good and boring. Wile E. is totally great.
Desert Strike: RTTG     Electronic Arts/Vis. Conc.  8
[Strategic shooter. Not stunning, but very solid gameplay from an overhead
3/4 perspective. Fly a helicopter in the desert to take out Hussein. 8.5/10.]
        * Missions and opening cinemas are cool. Game + weapons feel neat.
Dino City               Irem                        8
[Game for the kiddies. Action game, idea by 3rd graders if even. You're a kid
who can ride a dinosaur around and jump on things. Hidden areas. 5.5/10.]
        * Colorful. If it had a dynamic graphic edge and intensity/challenge...
Dragon's Lair           Elite                       4
[Not the arcade game, but a solid action game with good character animation. 
British programmed, control is OK but not as good as it should be. 8/10.]
        * Feels different from most action games due to control. A good effort.
Dungeon Master          JVC                         8 + Battery
[Standard-setter in dungeon RPG games. Many characters/weapons. Good 3-D
dungeon
interface, many puzzles to solve. Needs more animation, more music. 8.5/10.]
        * What's there is perfect for RPG lovers, and is long, too. A buy. 
Earth Light             Hudson Soft [Japan]         8
[Jap. Military Madness pt. 2 with cartoony graphics and intermissions. 8/10]
        * Neat cartoons and good music help. MM1 fans may not like new art.
Extra Innings           Sony Imagesoft              8
[Kids' baseball, graphics don't deserve to be on SNES. Gameplay OK. 6/10.]
        * It's a repeat of every other "no-frills" baseball title ever made.
F-1 ROC                 Seta                        8 + Battery
[Horrible driving game. 3-D visuals not bad, but no fun, no thrills. Uses mode
seven very plainly, cars are really small and the gameplay totally sucks.
4/10.]
        * Just doesn't feel right at all. Before the game starts, it's great.
F-Zero                  Nintendo                    4 + Battery
[Best driving game. Among the first made, still one of the best in every way.
Choose from 4 cars - challenge for anyone, great graphics and music. 9.5/10.]
        * Total opposite of F-1 Roc. Everything feels right and it takes skill.
Faceball 2000           Bullet Proof Software       4
[Maze game, hunt enemies and shoot them. Cute. Good 2-player sim., OK 1-player.
Graphics don't take advantage of the Super NES, play is 1-dimensional. 7/10.]
        * If it was more than just the old game it would be better.
Fatal Fury              Takara/SNK                  12
[SF2-alike. Neo-Geo translation. Great graphics, play as 11 chars, OK sound.
Not as good as SF2, but same as Power Athlete and better than most. 8.5/10.]
        * Control sometimes hurts the play. Moves are tougher than the Neo-Geo.
Final Fantasy II        Square Soft                 8 + Battery
[Best true RPG for the SNES thus far. Characters are too small and not animated
well enough, but the music is good. Plotline is great, combat is great. 8/10.]
        * A little childish, but has a lot going for it. Graphics hurt score.
Final Fantasy Mystic Q. Square Soft                 4 + Battery
[Totally kids-oriented RPG. Graphics are NES quality, music is OK. Long quest
but poorly drawn and animated. Not for adults, poor use of SNES. 5.5/10.]
        * Was a "quickie" update to keep people buying FF. For kids, 8.5.
Final Fight             Capcom                      8
[Early arcade fighting game for SNES uses system well. Challenge relies mostly 
upon wearing down men over levels. Repetitive but nice graphics. 7.5/10]
        * Missing 2-pl option from arcade hurts score. An OK rental.
Firepower 2000          Sunsoft                     8
[Popular British Amiga "Silkworm" sequel, 2-pl. simultaneous. Player 1 flies
and Player 2 drives or vice-versa, shooter with Terminator 2 effects. 8.5/10.]
        * Choice of tank and plane makes it like 2 shooters in one. Neat.
Fist of North Star 6    Toei Animation Co. [Japan]  12
[SF2-alike. Gameplay isn't great, but huge characters and neat semi-futuristic
backgrounds. Based on Japanese comic, Japanese language. Needs control. 7/10.]
        * New method of special move power-ups is OK. A step down.
Flying Hero             Sofel [Japan]               8
[Kids' shooter. Nice selection of powerups, intense enough for kids and very
cute. Has some assets, but not really recommended for adults. 7.5/10.]
        * From critical point, it's a retread of overheads past. Good 4 Kids.
Goal!                   Jaleco                      8
[Nice soccer game from Jaleco. Graphics and sounds are pretty good, action is
fast paced and challenge is good. Formation options. 2-pl. sim. 7.5/10.]
        * Better soccer effort than most I've seen, for fans, rate it higher.
Gods                    Mindscape                   8
[The way to do SNES puzzle/action games. Good enough action for action fans,
good enough puzzles for puzzle fans. Nice graphics + sounds, cool play.
8.5/10.]
        * I like it more each time I play. A good challenge, well designed.
Golden Fighter Hyper V. Culture Brain [Japan]       12
[Improved version of game reviewed as Ultimate Fighter herein - more modes
with fun things to do, play character vs. himself/herself, etc. Good. 7/10.]
        * Still not the greatest fighting game around, but a good mix of types.
Gradius III             Konami                      4
[Mediocre shooter. Arcade game, lots of slowdown, many levels, play OK.
7.5/10.]
        * Moves a little too slow. Power ups are diverse, but too slow.
Gunforce                Irem                        4
[Arcade translation of walking shooter, 2-pl. sim., OK sounds, graphics and
play mechanics. Compared to Contra 3, the feel just ain't there. 7/10.]
        * Does have some neat things like vehicles you can use. That's it.
Harley's Humongous Adv. Electronic Arts/Vis. Conc.  4
[Another good EA title. Claymation action game, many levels, like Super G'N'G
in that the play is similar but the pace of this is faster. Good music. 8/10.]
        * The concepts and feel help a lot. All sprites are great.
Hole in One Golf        HAL America                 8
[Somewhat drab golf game. 4-pls. Ridiculous password feature, but otherwise is
reasonably playable. Too flat for modern golf gameplay, not special. 6.5/10.]
        * Lacks various features of most golf games. Not worth your time.
Hook                    Sony/Epic                   8
[Pretty good action game, smallish characters and very cartoony. Moves too 
slow, sword power-up is too infrequent. Music is well orchestrated. 7.5/10.]
        * The speed hurts. The enemies stay the same throughout. Bogus bosses.
Human Grand Prix        Human [Japan]               8 + Battery
[2-pl. sim. racing game with 3-D. Better scaling than A.S. F1, hard to control.
Good sounds and environments are far better colored than A.S. 7.5/10.]
        * Feels much smoother than Aguri. Better control would = better score.
Hunt for Red October    Hi-Tech Expressions         4
[Shooting both side-scrolling and 3-D (joystick/Super-Scope). Not the greatest
game in the world graphically, has good music and OK play (weapons). 6.5/10.] 
        * Use of varying weapons and challenge help a weak first try from HTE.
Hyper Zone              HAL America                 4
[3-D Flying and shooting. Totally repetitive, disco-esque backgrounds used
again
and again. Not fun, but mid game power-up is nice idea. Don't touch. 4.5/10.]
        * Really old SNES game looks its age. Just has no redeeming features.
Imperium                Vic Tokai                   8
[Shooter. Blah graphics and sounds, Vic Tokai obviously doesn't know SNES. No
intensity, play is average. If it were on stage, you'd throw tomatoes. 6/10.]
        * Looks like a 1987 arcade shooter - nothing big on screen.
Irem Skins Game         Irem                        8
[The best SNES golf game I've played. Good music, classy graphics and play.
4 players. The play mechanics are nice for a golf game, neat effects. 8.5/10.]
        * It's not dynamic enough, but it does everything else right.
Jack Nicklaus Golf      Tradewest                   8
[Polygon golf game, just as bad as the older Turbografx-16 versions on chip
and CD. Just doesn't have much going for it with much better titles out. 6/10.]
        * Lesson for SNES companies: No polygons w/out SFX chip. A LITTLE slow?
Jaki Crush              Naxat Soft [Japan]          8
[Pinball game sequel to Devil's Crush (Dragons Fury) + Alien Crush TG-16 games.
Not as intense as Devil's Crush but better graphics, great pinball fun. 8/10.]
        * If you've seen the others, starts out lighter but grows to be better.
Jeopardy                Gametek                     4
[The TV Show quiz game, 2-pl. sim. complete with digitized Alex Trebeck and all
that. Interface needs some refining - typing in answers req's spelling.
7.5/10.]
        * It's good, but the interface makes knowledge of spelling necessary. 
        It's one thing to *know* French church names, but to spell them...
Jimmy Conners' Tennis   UBI Soft                    4 + Battery
[Graphics belong on the Genesis, gameplay is OK, sound is good. Looks 4 megs.
Hate some of the "options" like the "I can't control my own player" one. 7/10.]
        * Played without dopey options, feels much like Super Tennis.
Joe and Mac             Data East / DECO            8
[Arcade's Caveman Ninjas. 2-pl. simultaneous action/shooting. Large graphics and
several powerup items. Too easy, repetitive. A lot of levels. Rental(?) 6/10.]
        * Graphics bring the score up a lot. Play is very old-style. For kids.
Joe of Tomorrow         K. Amusement Co. [Japan]    8
[Boxing game based on Neo Geo (Japanese only) title. Has a really impressive
opening, graphics are good and sounds are okay. Play is pretty good. 6.5/10.]
        * Although the moves are VERY limited (really), it's [sadly] the best
        boxing title for the SNES. At least the action is reasonably paced.
John Madden Football    Electronic Arts             4
[Horrible translation of successful Genesis original Madden football. Just
about everything possible is wrong with it. Avoid it like the plague. 4/10.]
        * Computer is so easy that you must cripple yourself to lose. Skip it.
John Madden Football 93 Electronic Arts             8 + Battery
[Graphics and sound are much better than the original Madden. Game is OK.
In comparison, it's average. Perspective not great. Old teams are cool.
7.5/10.]
        * Playbook too hard to sift through, bad structure. Good opening.

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Part two continues with K-Z.

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