Tag Archives: Super NES

Mortal Kombat II (Various Platforms)

Mortal Kombat II

Developer(s) – Midway Games, Probe Entertainment & Sculptured Software

Publisher(s) – Midway Games & Acclaim Entertainment

Designer(s) – Ed Boon & John Tobias

Producer(s) – Ken Fedesna & Neil Nicastro

PEGI – 18

One of the first examples of a video game appearing on prime-time news across America, Mortal Kombat II gained media attention for its use of excessive violence compared to other video games at the time. But was also met with a high level of critical and commercial acclaim. In my opinion, it was certainly a positive departure from the first game and a massive improvement to it.

Graphics – 9/10

One of the main improvements made to the series with the release of Mortal Kombat II was that since the developers weren’t pressed for time, they added a plethora of new characters to the roster, such as Kitana, Mileena, Baraka, Noob Saibot, Smoke, and Kung Lao to name but a few. People will argue that this was the point in which the developers got out of hand using palette swapping to create new characters, but I think the point where they got truly out of hand with that was with Ultimate Mortal Kombat III, when not only new characters were made with this technique, but more or less every other previous character had been added to the roster as well.

Gameplay – 7/10

The core gameplay concept of Mortal Kombat II remains largely the same as in the first installment, but it was made a lot more diverse with the second since the multitude of different characters also provided players with a lot more variety in terms of not only fatalities but in different character abilities too. Indeed, having Shang Tsung as a playable helped a lot in this respect. As well as introducing such characters as Jax and Kung Lao.

Controls – 7/10

Before Street Fighter II came along and properly introduced fans of the fighting game genre to the concept of pulling off combos, things started out relatively primitively. Especially given how poor the original Street Fighter was. Fighting games relied on combining attacks in a much more spaced-out and precise manner than combo systems of today, which in fact started out as a glitch. And it was all fairly well handled in Mortal Kombat II.

Originality – 8/10

Since its inception, the Mortal Kombat franchise was particularly unique for many different factors. Such as its core story concept and selection of characters. But the second game took all that to the next level, so to speak. Introducing not only different characters, but the different directions in which the story went at the time, or where it would go in the future. Ever since there have been spin-off films and TV series of the game. And I think the second installment proved to be a huge step to making a lot of all that happens.

Happii

Overall, Mortal Kombat II, though not the perfect fighting game by any stretch of the imagination, was a massive improvement over the first. And one of the more standout games of the time. It would have inevitably been difficult for a fighting game to hold up after the release of Street Fighter II. But Mortal Kombat II did that very well.

Score

31/40

7.5/10 (Good)

Mario Paint (Super Nintendo)

Mario Paint

Developer(s) – Nintendo R&D1 & Intelligent Systems

Publisher(s) – Nintendo

Director – Hirofumi Matsuoka

Producer – Gunpei Yokoi

PEGI – 3

Released on the Super Nintendo in 1992, and making use of the SNES mouse peripheral, Mario Paint allowed players to create their own personalized artwork within a video game. It was extremely well received by critics. AllGame even stated that it was  “perhaps the most ingenious and inspired idea Nintendo ever came up with for a product”. Although I personally wouldn’t label it as such, nor even give it a perfect score as they did, I do need to state as a prerequisite, I spent a lot of time playing this game. And I still think it holds up for various reasons.

Graphics – 6/10

Though many people may argue that Nintendo didn’t include much within the game to give players a rough idea of what possibilities lay before them. And the general layout of the games looks extremely empty, that was the point. The game was all about players having to use their own imagination to create whatever they saw fit. Though Nintendo had failed to put out a decent educational game prior to this, it was successful due to the fact that it would encourage creativity. Eventually even leading to schools contemplating using the same method. This game was also one of the first to include the famed Totaka’s song. Which would become synonymous with many other big-name Nintendo releases.

Gameplay – 6.5/10

As well as creating pictures, the game also offers a variety of different activities. Including composing music pieces, animations, and even a hidden mini-game called Gnat Attack. Whereby players must swat various insects flying across the screen in a somewhat Galaga-esque fashion. Though the picture-drawing aspect may have been rendered redundant over the years, the game still retains a fair bit of replay value in these other activities. And whilst not deserving of a perfect high score, does provide quite a bit of entertainment.

Controls – 10/10

Since this game primarily relied on the use of a mouse and pad, there were never going to be any problems. Especially at this point. Since home computers were well on their way to becoming something only used to play video games to a household necessity.

Originality – 9/10

Even though many of the ideas this game perpetuated have since been fazed out by PCs and laptops, the fact of the matter remains that there was no game like it at the time of its release. Many video games at the time may have spoken of creativity in their own ways. Despite the lack of technology compared to what is available now. But his game encouraged it in its players. As well as presented them with a retro arcade gaming experience in the process.

Happii

Overall, Mario Paint stands out as one of the most unique gaming experiences on the Super Nintendo. It isn’t one of the greatest games to have ever been developed and hasn’t held up well with the times like many other games of the era have. But many gamers will still be able to find a use for it.

Score

31.5/40

7.5/10 (Good)

F-Zero (Super Nintendo)

F-Zero

Developer(s) – Nintendo EAD

Publisher(s) – Nintendo

Producer – Shigeru Miyamoto

Artist – Takaya Imamura

PEGI – 3

One of the two original launch titles for the Super Nintendo in Japan, F-Zero was proved to be one of the most influential titles on the system. And is one of the first to incorporate Mode-7 graphics to allow for 3D rendering. Though Super Mario Kart would arrive a year later and eclipse the popularity of this game, it is not without its merits. And has remained a cult classic to many gamers.

Graphics – 8/10

Aside from the visuals being particularly advanced for the time, it also has a surprising amount of conceptual diversity. Each of the fifteen courses in the game contains its own color schemes, scenery and style, and even soundtracks. Some of which are extremely catchy. Debatably, it’s even a lot more diverse than Super Mario Kart was, but I disagree with this. Since not only are there more characters to compete as. But like Super Mario Kart, there are also a lot of recycled elements in each course despite standing out from one another. I think both Shigeru Miyamoto and Takaya Imamura would really shine together creatively during their collaborative work on the Star Fox series.

Gameplay – 7/10

Going beyond most conventional racing games of the time, the original F-Zero would become known for its surprising level of challenge, and fast-paced racing. Like Super Mario Kart, there exist different tournaments for gamers to compete in, usually consisting of four tracks. There are no weapons to use whilst on the road. But nonetheless, the game still provides an extremely exhilarating experience. Unlike most others on the system.

Controls – 10/10

For one of the first games to use the graphic-rendering techniques it did, it’s actually quite impressive how the control scheme was handled. And would become a massive influence on future franchises, such as Wipeout. The L and R triggers could be used to strafe from side to side rather than simply having the players use the D-pad to turn and skid in different directions. This, in turn, allowed for the creation of some of the many different basic structures of certain tracks, such as Mute City II.

Originality – 8/10

Racing games had already been established as a prominent genre at this point. And it was only natural that Nintendo wanted to capitalize on this ever-evolving style of play. But what has made Nintendo’s approach to this so special is that they’ve never shied away from trying new concepts and ideas. It’s been seen in all of the Mario Kart games since, but it was first seen in F-Zero. This wasn’t the first game to play out the way it does, as Pole Position came many years before it, but it did it at a much faster and more challenging pace.

Happii

Overall, F-Zero to this day remains a must-have for anyone with either the original console or access to the Virtual Console. It went on to have a huge impact on many future racing games and spawn two sequels, and whilst in more recent years has merely made appearances in other Nintendo series (the most recent of which being Mario Kart 8), the original game has earned its rightful place in the industry’s history.

Score

33/40

8/10 (Very Good)

Final Fight (Arcade & Various Consoles)

Final Fight

Developer(s) – Capcom

Publisher(s) – Capcom, Ubisoft & US Gold Ltd

Producer – Yoshiki Okamoto

Designer(s) – Akira Nishitani & Akira Yasuda

PEGI – 12

Originally intended to be a sequel to the first Street Fighter game, but later switched from a fighting game to a beat ‘em up, Final Fight is a game made in the same vein as Double Dragon and the future classic Streets of Rage. Which whilst I found to be an overall mediocre gaming experience, does have a different kind of value to it.

Graphics – 7/10

First of all, there is some basis in visual diversity, since the level designs are pretty varied and somewhat unique for the time. But the main issue I have with it is that most of the characters present are hopelessly generic. All but one. The character Poison actually has an interesting piece of history behind her.

When it came time to release Final Fight on the Super Nintendo, Nintendo took umbrage with the idea of players having to fight women in order to progress. Since their censorship policies were at their most draconian at the time. Capcom tried to get around it by saying that Poison wasn’t, in fact, a woman, but a man. Although Nintendo told Capcom that they had to change it anyway, Capcom has stuck with the idea of Poison being a man ever since. Making for the inclusion of one of the first transgender video game characters in history.

Gameplay – 6/10

A retro 2D side-scrolling beat ‘em up, I found the gameplay to be repetitive and lacking in incentive. There is some basis in variety in gameplay with the number of weapons that can be picked up throughout. But in all honesty, that’s about as far as it goes, and it’s not really enough to keep things overly interesting. The only game of its kind that I have spent an extended amount of time with is Streets of Rage. And I think Final Fight pales in comparison.

Controls – 6/10

The main reason why I have taken umbrage with this kind of game is because of the control scheme. Because the player has to be on a fairly precise angle with enemies they need to fight in order to progress, to me, it makes the hit detection particularly sketchy. And by that token, it’s very easy to mess up. Which makes games like this a somewhat uneven challenge.

Lifespan – 1/10

Like most arcade games, Final Fight was primarily designed to be played multiple times in quick succession. So, the lifespan of one playthrough is hopelessly short. Taking an average of merely half an hour to complete, I think it’s just as well that it lasts so short a time since there is little basis of variety in gameplay to warrant it lasting any longer than it does.

Storyline – 6/10

The game’s story involves three playable characters, Cody, Guy, and Mayor Mike Haggar resolving to rescue the mayor’s daughter, who is also Cody’s girlfriend, from the infamous Mad Gear gang. It’s a story extremely typical of what was being released at the time. A story made in the same vein as Super Mario Bros, which had come some years before this game. Since there wasn’t a great deal of emphasis put on the story at the time, the characters are forgettable at best. And Poison is the only standout element of the entire title for me.

Originality – 7/10

Although I have gone into depth about how extremely generic I think Final Fight is overall, with its repetitive and tedious gameplay, short lifespan, and lack of story, Capcom made it a unique game, as well as a unique series, for pioneering equal rights in video gaming, and there are have been only a handful of games to do so, such as Metroid, which helped to pioneer the female protagonist and the Sly Cooper series also helped to pioneer wheelchair-bound characters in video games.

Angrii

In summation, although Final Fight has indeed served as a fairly important piece of video gaming history, I didn’t personally get much enjoyment out of playing it, unfortunately. Streets of Rage would go on to become the only 2D side-scrolling beat ‘em up game I would vaguely enjoy. But there wasn’t much else apart from Poison to make Final Fight stand out to any great extent for me.

Score

32/60

5/10 Far Below Average

EarthBound (Super Nintendo & Wii U Virtual Console)

 EarthBound

Developer(s) – Ape & HAL Laboratory

Publisher(s) – Nintendo

Director – Shigesato Itoi

Producer(s) – Shigesato Itoi & Satoru Iwata

PEGI – 12

EarthBound was a game released late in the shelf life of the Super Nintendo. Part of the obscure Nintendo series known as Mother, EarthBound is also known as Mother 2 in Japan. Due to the low sales figures attached to the game in both Japan and America, it never saw a physical release in Europe. Looking back, I wish that I did have this game as part of my childhood. Because it is one of the best 16-bit games I’ve played. And it has found its way onto my top ten list of 16-bit games that I did two weeks ago as the new number 6 entry.

Graphics – 7/10

At first, the settings and style of the game can seem pretty generic. Especially by today’s standards. For example, the first four towns in the game are unimaginatively named Onett, Twoson, Threed, and Fourside. But it’s later on in the game with locations such as Yucca Desert and the Cave of the Past. That’s the point whereby the game starts to get really good in terms of visual presentation. Not only that but there is also an extremely diverse enemy roster. Including opponents such as nightmares, krakens, giant ants, and gang members. And a race of extraterrestrials known as Starmen. It’s concepts like these that remind me of how imaginative Nintendo’s personnel are.

After his work on games such as this, it was no wonder why Hiroshi Yamauchi chose to hand Nintendo over to the current president Satoru Iwata who worked on this game. However, I think the biggest fault I could point out about the game’s graphics is the inconsistency of the designs of the character sprites. A lot of the female characters have differently shaped mouths. Presumably to highlight how much make-up they all individually wear. But a lot of them were pretty badly done. For example, Pokey’s mother was given a huge pink smile to seemingly make it look as if she wears more make-up than other women. But to me, it just makes her look like a clown.

Gameplay – 8/10

What I like about EarthBound is that, unlike a lot of other turn-based RPGs, it also provides a particularly stern challenge as well as extremely addictive gameplay. It differs from the likes of Final Fantasies VII through X. The fact is that players are not able to simply beat up on whatever they please for the most part. As with all turn-based RPGs, the further the player progresses, the tougher the enemies become.

But that’s done a lot more effectively in EarthBound. But what the aforementioned Final Fantasy games lack in the challenge, I find that they more than make up for in-gameplay variety. And whilst EarthBound does indeed have a lot of variety to it, it just doesn’t have as much so. But having said that, this is so far the best 16-bit turn-based RPG I’ve ever played so far. But in the future, I may yet be proven otherwise. As I haven’t properly played through Final Fantasies III, IV, V, or VI.

Controls – 10/10

Like South Park: The Stick of Truth for example, before the release of EarthBound, the turn-based RPG genre was very prominent in Japan by the late 80s and early 90s. And then throughout the late 90s everywhere else. By that token, the control formula had been well and truly mastered by developers. And there were never going to be any issues. I also think that EarthBound may have been one of the first games that had ATMs that could be used to withdraw and deposit money. As EarthBound was developed by many of the same people who developed Pokémon (another turn-based RPG), it’s intriguing to know where that particular feature originated from.

Lifespan – 8/10

Overall, EarthBound can be made to last around 30-40 hours. Although that may seem like a fraction of how long many other future games would be made to last, must have been considered exceptionally long at the time. Especially as most gamers in North America, for example, would’ve been more accustomed to playing traditional 2D side-scrolling games as opposed to turn-based RPGs. EarthBound was released in the mid-90s before Final Fantasy VII was released. And took the genre into the global mainstream. 30 to 40 hours is also particularly long for a turn-based RPG that virtually has very few side quests compared to other games of its kind. Most of the time is spent on leveling up characters due to the game’s exceptional level of challenge, I find.

Storyline – 9/10

Undoubtedly, this is by some margin the best aspect of this game in many, many ways. Over the years, it has yielded controversy, humor, fan debate, and a cult following. And to me, is a very important early example of how video games can indeed be considered a viable art form. The story of EarthBound follows a young boy called Ness, who is woken up one night by a meteor, which has fallen near his house. He investigates, and he is approached by a fly called Buzz Buzz. Who warns Ness that he is from a future universe dominated by an entity called Giygas. And that Ness must embark on a quest to defeat Giygas in the present. And thus stop his reign of terror. The story itself is simple enough.

But it’s the additional content to be found throughout the course of the game that adds to the story and makes it so excellent and full of substance. The game is rife with cultural jokes and references concerning the Western world. For example, a mode of transportation in the game is a yellow submarine. And one of the enemies in the game is a diamond dog. The settings were also heavily influenced by Western culture.

There’s also a lot of fourth-wall humor. An example of that is when one of the adult NPCs tells Ness that children like him should be at home playing Nintendo games. But aside from fourth-wall humor and numerous cultural references, there are also some very poetic themes to the game. Such as motherhood, which is rife throughout the entire franchise, and life and death. Giygas. I think I could probably write an entire essay in regard to that. But I’d like to possibly save that for another week.

Originality – 9/10

This game was destined to stand out among others and age very well in this respect. Because EarthBound was developed at a time when stories in video games were virtually in their infancy. And nowhere near as much emphasis was put on it back then as there is now. But what truly differentiates this effort from most other turn-based RPGs out there is the fact that EarthBound is set in pre-apocalyptic modern times. Unlike most games of its kind, which are typically set in medieval, post-apocalyptic, or steampunk eras.

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In summation, Nintendo defied convention in many ways than one with EarthBound. With its unique approach to gameplay challenge, the substance in the story, clever cultural references, and conceptual design. It’s certainly a misunderstood game for how poorly it sold, to begin with, and I could not recommend it enough. It’s also unique in that it is the first game on this blog to achieve this high score.

Score

51/60

8.5/10 (Great)

Contra III: The Alien Wars (Super Nintendo)

Contra III

Developer(s) – Konami & Factor 5

Publisher(s) – Konami

Designer – Nobuya Nakazato

Rating – N/A

Released for the Super Nintendo in 1992, and under multiple titles in different regions, such as Contra Spirits in Japan and Super Probotector: Alien Rebels in Europe, Contra III: The Alien Wars puts players in the shoes of two new heroes, as they repel a full-scale assault from the hostile aliens of the Red Falcon organization. Personally, I find it to be much more accessible than the previous two games. Even without the inclusion of the Konami Code, and by proxy, far better.

Graphics – 8/10

Of course, the greatest leap from the second to the third game was in its visuals. Taking advantage of the vastly superior technology of the SNES, the level of detail had been greatly improved. And even more intense and explosive special effects have been included adding to the series’ already highly charged atmosphere. From a conceptual standpoint, the third game is also much more thrilling and scarier than in the previous games. The opening cinematic for example was particularly imposing for a lot of players.

Gameplay – 8/10

The gameplay in Contra III: The Alien Wars is also as intense and fast-paced as ever. Offering perhaps not as much of a challenge as in the first two games. But still a legitimate one. I guess Konami thought to make it much more accessible in order to appeal to as many gamers as possible. And in my opinion, this was the right choice to make. They would also go on to do the same with Castlevania when it came time to port Super Castlevania IV to the Super Nintendo. And continued to do so as the series progressed.

Controls – 10/10

Games in the Contra series prior to this had pretty decent controls compared to many other NES games, but for the third installment, they have been improved dramatically. With more fluency and smoothness, it’s a lot easier to get to grips with than in previous games, and the general movement feels nowhere near as stiff. Taking advantage of this key feature is actually integral to mastering the game; especially when it comes to the harder playthrough and certain stages.

Lifespan – 6/10

Clocking up at roughly 4 hours after both playthroughs of the game, depending on skill level, lasts about as long as a standard platformer. This is acceptable enough since this was the average lifespan of a game at that time. It would be a good few years before the standard length of a game would be increased with the advent of mainstream RPGs back in 199. But games like this still provided a challenge stern enough to last even longer for players as they improve their skills.

Storyline – 7/10

The story simply involves two heroes, as they join the fight for humanity against the Red Falcon organization. As the alien horde invades the Earth overnight, which is on the brink of apocalypse. It slightly deviates away from the typical gaming scenario whereby the white knight resolves to save the damsel in distress. But it’s still quite basic, as that was how games were at the time. Extremely light on the story. But this game does make a little more of an effort than many other games. Incorporating a cinematic cutscene in the beginning. And bringing out a great deal of raw emotion in players to add to the gameplay.

Originality – 6/10

2D side scrollers at the time were the standard play style synonymous with most games at the time. But it is quite unique from my perspective since it was the first time I’d witnessed a game that had a sense of maturity about it. Making me think that they can be more than just about calm environments and fun levels and enemies. For most gamers, it was Doom that had that same impact, but I didn’t play Doom throughout my childhood, instead of going to play it for the first time many years later.

Happii

In summation, Contra III: The Alien Wars is most definitely my favorite out of the original three games and remains one of my favorite Super Nintendo games of all time. It provided something very different from what I was used to during the fourth generation of gaming and is still an experience holding up to this day.

Score

45/60

7.5/10 (Good)

ClayFighter (Super Nintendo)

ClayFighter

Developer(s) – Visual Concepts, Ringler Studios & Danger Productions

Publisher(s) – Interplay Entertainment

PEGI – 12

ClayFighter was a game released during the midpoint of the fourth generation of gaming, developed to contend with the likes of Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter; minus the excessive violence. After playing this game for even two minutes, it makes me glad that I didn’t grow up playing it. I think if I did, there would have been an inevitable prerequisite based on nostalgia. Compelling me to have liked it to a certain extent. But in my opinion, it is one of the worst fighting games I’ve ever played; if not, the worst.

Graphics – 1/10

From a conceptual standpoint, especially compared with many other fighting games at the time, this game is an absolute embarrassment. It supposedly features visuals inspired by claymation, but it isn’t made noticeable to any great extent. To me, it is just a mishmash of stupid idea after stupid idea. Aside from pointless characters such as Bad Mr. Frosty the snowman and Ichybod Clay the Pumpkin (I wish I was making this up), there are also even more generic-looking characters, such as Taffy and The Blob, which are basically just indiscriminate blobs of clay. For a development studio called Visual Concepts, this game certainly doesn’t live up to that name.

Gameplay – 1/10

The game’s play is also substandard as well as outright boring. The idea was to develop a game to compete with the likes of Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat, but if the developers weren’t even willing to add any more gameplay features than what was included, they never stood a chance. ClayFighter has no combos, no fatalities, no brutalities, and not even one secret character to unlock as far as I’m aware. Like many developers since and before them, they put their efforts into all the wrong places and came up with a complete mess of a game.

Controls – 5/10

If the game’s play wasn’t bad enough, there are even issues with the controls, feeling stiff as well as redundant. For a game that had significantly fewer features than that of most of its competitors at the time, I suspected that there shouldn’t have been any kind of problems with the controls, but alas, these issues cropped up.

Originality – 0/10

Though the characters in this game may differentiate from many other characters in many other fighting games, they differ from them for all the wrong reasons. They stand out for being particularly uninteresting and for the most part, completely nonsensical. In particular, N-boss is made up of a series of spheres, which make faces based on his mood.

Furiious

To summarize, I would rather be locked in a room with Adrian Chiles than have to ever play ClayFighter again. It would be a close call, but I think Chiles would provide only fractionally more entertainment.

Score

7/40

1.5/10 (Painful)

Castlevania (Nintendo Entertainment System)

Castlevania

Developer(s) – Konami

Publisher(s) – Konami

Director – Hitoshi Akamatsu

Rating – N/A

The original Castlevania, originally titled Akumajou Dracula (Japanese for Devil’s Castle Dracula), has been considered by the likes of PC World and Nintendo Power to be one of the greatest video games of all time. And has kicked off a library of sequels, spin-offs, and prequels in a franchise that has been going for almost 30 years. Whilst I don’t think the original game is one of the worst I’ve played, it was the first game I ever played whereby I thought the level of difficulty was nothing short of unreasonable. Three years after my first playthrough, I still can’t see the overwhelming appeal that many others see in it.

Graphics – 8/10

The best thing I can say about this game is that the visuals were extremely well executed; especially for the time. The NES only had a very limited color palette. Which made visually realizing video games particularly difficult on the system in many cases. But in this case, Konami made it look easy. Not only did they manage to create some excellent scenery. But they also manage to create a very fitting atmosphere too. On top of that, like Strider, there are some superbly designed boss fights (in terms of concept, anyway). Including the likes of Medusa, the Grim Reaper, and of course, Dracula. Not to mention that the soundtrack to the game is was very well composed too.

Gameplay – 5/10

Just like Mega Man, which I reviewed some time ago, this game will work better for some than it will for others in terms of gameplay. The main reason being is because it’s extremely hard. For example, the boss fight with the Grim Reaper is considered to be one of the hardest boss fights in video gaming. If not, the hardest. Most of the courses in the game are just as testing. With such obstacles as flying Medusa heads and suits of armor attacking players from several different angles, it can cause a lot of frustration at the best of times. I don’t mind challenges in video games. But not to the point where developers make an overly hard game for the hell of it. And consequently make the game unnecessarily inaccessible.

Controls – 9/10

A problem with the controls that I found whilst playing Castlevania for the first time. And have become a frequent source of frustration since is that they can be slow to respond at times. Especially when jumping from one platform to another. And in my opinion, that can add even more unnecessary frustration to a game made for the sake of it being excessively difficult. Otherwise, however, there are no problems, and the rest is all down to player skill.

Lifespan – 6/10

I should think that experienced players would be able to complete the original Castlevania in roughly half an hour. Which was the average lifespan of a video game in those days. But for most players, most time will be spent dying. Players will die over, and over, and over again in this game, and it can become very frustrating very quickly. But for the people who relish challenges like this, it can potentially make for hours of entertainment.

Storyline – 4/10

The story of the original Castlevania game revolves around the vampire hunter Simon Belmont. Who must defeat Dracula, as his ancestors have throughout the ages. Again, like Strider, it was all pretty standard stuff, except much less is elaborated on. Even for the time, it felt quite empty in terms of story, but this game was developed in a time when the story mattered little in video games anyway. At least gameplay took priority, I guess.

Originality – 8/10

Regardless of its lack of substance in the story, I can commend this game for being particularly unique for the time. It was the first time that many gamers experienced a challenge on this level, and although many gamers (including myself) may express disdain to it, the fact of the matter is that many other gamers don’t, and they have since grown to want more games like it, which is fair enough; at least for that certain demographic.

Niiutral

In summation, I wish that the original Castlevania could have indeed been a bit more accessible to other players, who may have wanted to play through the game without as much difficulty in order to more easily appreciate it for the other aspects, which in my opinion, save from even being an average one. I can’t help but feel that with a difficulty setting in place, the franchise could have possibly gone on to the kind of heights that video game franchises of comparable longevity can brag.

Score

40/60

6.5/10 (Above Average)

Aladdin (Super Nintendo)

Aladdin

Developer(s) – Capcom

Publisher(s) – Capcom

Designer – Shinji Mikami

Rating – N/A

Part of Capcom’s repertoire of licensed games, Aladdin for the Super Nintendo was in fact in direct competition with a counterpart for the Sega Mega Drive developed by Virgin Games, which were both met with critical and commercial acclaim; with the Mega Drive port becoming the third best-selling game for the system behind Sonic 1 and 2. The Super Nintendo game was developed by Shinji Mikami of Resident Evil fame, who went to say that he actually preferred the Mega Drive version, but in my opinion, the Super Nintendo version is much more challenging, and more enjoyable by proxy.

Graphics – 10/10

With what technology was available at the time, the developers captured the feel of the film perfectly. The city of Agrabah is shown in every different time frame, ranging from day to sunset to night. And the Cave of Wonders has the same dark and ominous atmosphere, along with some pretty elaborate level designs. There was also even a level added in the form of the Desert Temple. It depicts Aladdin attempting to rescue Abu, after falling of the carpet whilst returning to Agrabah.

Gameplay – 7/10

The game is a traditional 2D side scroller, which was commonplace at the time. Players are required to adapt to the structure of each level in order to get around as best as they can; similar to the Lion King video game, but with a great element of challenge in my opinion. Shinji Mikami stated that the reason why he thought the Mega Drive port to be better was because of the fact that Aladdin wields a sword, but in my opinion, not only does the lack of a weapon make for a heightened sense of challenge but it also better adheres to Aladdin’s character in the film, since he likes to improvise.

Controls – 10/10

There are no issues with the game’s controls whatsoever. It’s actually quite interesting to witness how well the developers were able to modify the 2D platforming formula by giving Aladdin so many different acrobatic abilities in order to overcome all the different obstacles in each level. The level whereby this factor is at its most prominent is in the Cave of Wonders, with the player having to make very careful precision jumps over narrow rock and skipping stones.

Lifespan – 5/10

The game can take just over an hour to complete, which at this time was just about the average lifespan of a 2D platformer. With the advent of Super Mario World, Nintendo had proven that 2D Side scrollers could be made to last considerably longer, whilst also having much more substance in gameplay, so at this point, Aladdin’s lifespan was underwhelming in comparison.

Storyline – 6/10

Depicting the story of the film, it follows a young street urchin named Aladdin. Coming across a magic lamp, and uses the genie inside to change the course of life for the better. As was customary at the time, there wasn’t much emphasis on the story, merely sticking to the broad strokes. They added another subplot to it in order to in turn add a new level. But of course, it’s much better to simply watch the film to get the best feel for the story. The comedic element is much stronger, as it is provided by the late great Robin Williams as the genie.

Originality – 5/10

Since this game followed the tropes of most games, it was rushed out to retail to coincide with the film. But regardless, the game isn’t without its charms. it’s a challenging title, in lieu of Capcom tradition. It isn’t too inaccessible and presents players with an experience that stands out among a fair few other side scrollers released at the time.

Happii

Overall, Aladdin is an enjoyable game, made before games based on a pre-existing license would become frowned upon within the industry. Batman: Arkham Asylum would go on to break that notion many years later. But Capcom made good use of many Disney licenses, and this game is no exception.

Score

43/60

7/10 (Fair)