All-Time Most Viewed Games Tagged 'SNES' on The Great Games Experiment All-Time Most Viewed Games Tagged 'SNES' on The Great Games Experiment http://www.greatgamesexperiment.com/css/logo.jpg All-Time Most Viewed Games Tagged 'SNES' on The Great Games Experiment en-us The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past Arguably the finest example of two dimensional gaming goodness, the Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past is the true inspiration behind the masterpieces that are Ocarina of Time, and Twilight Princess. The fine soundtrack is but one of the seminal areas of inspiration;in fact, a majority of the most prominent Zelda themes -such as Zelda's Lullaby and Kakariko Village tunes; even the name entry music-were directly lifted from A link to the past's musical score.

Between the environmentally based dungeons, two distinct realms, hookshot and punt-able chickens, it's clear to see that the original Legend of Zelda merely provided the canvas and a rough sketch of the series whereas A Link to the Past served as a the charcoal and oil paints.

Yes A link to the Past is truly a Bob Ross inspired happy little tree in the corner of the masterwork that is the Legend of Zelda series.
]]> 28 Nov 2006 11:36:44 Doom The mother of all FPSes...

Doom. Run around, blast demons, get weapons. Uncompromisingly intense, with no shortage of challenge, Doom ushered in a new era - the age of the FPS.
]]> 26 Nov 2006 06:16:16 Chrono Trigger The 32-meg Chrono Trigger utilizes time travel, science-fiction, and fantasy adventure to create one of the best role-playing games ever. The game's hero, Crono, is transported into the past and ends up altering the course of history, and with it the future as well.

The integral time travel element of the game enables players to alter the game by changing the past, give players multiple endings and excellent repeat game play value. There are mini-quests, a huge cast of characters, realistic time travel, non-linear game play, and more active and interactive battle scenes than Squaresoft's 1994, highly acclaimed, role-playing game Final Fantasy III.
]]> 06 Dec 2006 11:26:30 Final Fantasy VI Final Fantasy VI was a landmark title in the series, and set the tone for many later console RPGs, both of the Final Fantasy line and elsewhere. Released originally as Final Fantasy III in the U.S., the game has been re-released under its original title for the Playstation. A GBA re-release is scheduled for early 2007.
]]> 09 Dec 2006 07:46:38 Syndicate Controversial at its time of release ('93), Syndicate is a violent, real-time tactical game with cyborg agents performing missions all over the world ranging from political assassinations to abductions and rescues.
]]> 01 Dec 2006 02:15:43 Super Mario Bros. Super Mario Bros is a classic game of Nintendo. It revolves around rescuing a kidnapped Princess by an evil creature named Koopa. Mario and Luigi must help each other to succeed in their mission and save the Toadstool Kingdom.
]]> 30 Dec 2006 07:27:55 Super Mario World Super Mario World is most likely the best 2D adaptation of the Mario universe. Player's will guide Mario across the world map, unlocking secrets, and fighting the evil koopalings to defeat Bowser. Along the way, Mario will be aided by a variety of special power ups like the Cape and colored Yoshi's. This is an incredibly deep and enjoyable game that almost anyone can get into.
]]> 26 Jan 2007 10:31:41 Frogger The game starts with three frogs. The player guides a frog which starts at the bottom of the screen. The lower half of the screen contains a road with motor vehicles, which in various versions include cars, trucks, buses, taxis, and/or motorcycles speeding along. The upper half of the screen consists of a river with logs, alligators, and turtles. The very top of the screen contains five "frog homes"â€â€
]]> 13 Jan 2007 02:39:31 Secret Of Mana Secert of Mana was a game modeled more after the Legend of Zelda than the typical Square RPG. It was also one of the first action RPGs to allow for multi-player simultaneous play with two or three players.
]]> 07 Feb 2007 09:40:21 SuperMetroid The galaxy once enjoyed a period of peace and prosperity. Trade lines were open, the citizens were happy and the Galactic Federation kept a watchful eye over the planets. Not long ago, that peace was broken by a startling discovery:
The Dawn of the Metroids
]]> 27 Nov 2006 09:34:50 SimCity

History

SimCity was first developed on the Commodore 64 in 1985 by Will Wright. It gained much of its popularity after it was released on the PC and MAC in 1989. It spawned a legacy of "Sim" games, some successful, and others not so, that are still enjoyed by players today. Sometime after the release of SimCity 4, SimCity Classic Live was made available by EA games to registered members.


Game Summary

SimCity is a city simulation game. The player plays the roll of god and mayor, building a city from the ground up. This requires careful balance of expansion and budget management. Players can change everything from taxes to education funding. There are no legal restrictions as well, players may levy huge taxes, as well as drop police funding down to 0 in order to raise money, but they also must deal with the effects of their actions. SimCity also has a number of disasters that can occur in your city, ranging from fires, to nuclear melt-downs, even alien invasions. SimCity uses a top-down view.

Purchase Details

The game is no longer in production. You may be able to find copies on amazon or Ebay, as well as your local used games store. Also, you can play SimCity Classic Live for free.
]]> 31 Dec 2006 09:30:39 Earthbound
Nintendo Power said,
A meteorite crashes near the peaceful town of Onett, and a young boy's life is changed forever in Nintendo's role playing game, Earthbound. Earthbound is different, though, than the average sword-wielding RPG. In what other game can you defeat enemies with a frying pan, call a pizza-delivery man, or ask your dad for money? Need to get some cash? Just jog on down to the local ATM and withdraw some money for that great Yo-yo you saw at the drugstore. Similar to other RPG's like Final Fantasy or Dragon Warrior, Earthbound uses a party-based fighting format, and you pick up new members as you explore both your world and others. Earthbound is irreverent, a little silly, and a must have for RPG fans.

Additional Game Features:

  • Gameplay employs many traditional elements such as buying equipment, recharging energy, interrogating NPC's, but while taking the player away from the traditional dungeons to a more contemporary era, full of wit and humor aimed at modern life and pop icons.

  • Gearing up in modern towns means that you'll more likely find baseball bats, yo-yo's and frying pans than swords! A wide variety of weapons are available in the course of the game.

  • Form parties to explore and battle.

  • Battles aren't random, as most enemies are visible.

  • Persistent onscreen analogue HP and PP meters assign losses gradually in real time, enabling the player added opportunity to heal or complete a battle.

  • Graphically simplistic, but rich in humor and imagination.

Developer: Ape, Inc. and HAL Laboratory, Inc.
Publisher: Nintendo
Producer: Shigesato Itoi
Written By: Shigesato Itoi
Game Designer: Akihiko Miura
Art Director: Kouichi Ooyama
U.S. Conversion Director: Kouichi Ooyama

Released in Japan August 27, 1994 for SNES as "Mother 2: Revenge of Gigyas!", and subsequently as a GBA port in June 20, 2003, also only in Japan. EarthBound was introduced to the U.S. on June 1, 1995 as a stand-alone game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. In Japan, however, its title refers to the fact that it's a sequel to the NES/Famicom rpg "Mother".

It's worth stating that this game has cultivated such fan devotion that there are numerous sites and communities rife with information and trivia regarding Earthbound, so that one can only scratch the surface of available information here!
]]> 16 Dec 2006 06:31:05 Super Mario Kart Super Mario Kart was a game for the SNES that introduced to many that racing games could include a lot more elements of play than just seeing who could get from point A to point B. It contained many items such as turtle shells to hit other players with, stars to make the player invicible, and mushrooms to speed up the character.
]]> 26 Jan 2007 05:58:13 Final Fantasy 3 Snes This is another addition to the treasured Final Fantasy RPG series from Square. Released in the US as Final Fantasy III, this SNES title is actually the sixth FF game -- the previous Japanese titles did not make it across the sea, and to keep continuity on the series, the game was renamed to part 3. Whatever you call it, however, this is one of the most engrossing RPGs of its era, Final Fantasy III stands up well to the test of time and still intrigues RPG fans to this day. Known for its intriguing storylines, the Final Fantasy series has always been filled with imaginative plots and twisting storylines. In Final Fantasy III, magical beings called The Espers return from centuries past to destroy the rational and mechanized new world.
]]> 13 Feb 2007 06:52:15 Flashback The year is 2142. You play as Conrad B. Hart, a man who has lost his memory. After barely escaping from hostile aliens, Conrad's bike crashes on an unknown planet. Conrad finds himself in the jungle, and from now on his quest for survival and his lost identity begins.
]]> 06 Feb 2007 03:49:44 Street Fighter II: The World Warrior Street Fighter II: The World Warrior.

"This game revolutionized the fighting-game genre with characters that had unique fighting skills, speed, special moves and unique endings. Two-player combat, all of the characters as well as all four bosses, every one of the classic stages and music themes ... the arcade great came home with this SNES title, and you can now relive it on your Wii."--IGN
]]> 09 Feb 2007 03:51:22 Super Mario Bros. 2 Super Mario Bros. 2 was the highly anticipated 2nd installment to the Super Mario Bros. Series for the NES in the US.

While still a side-scrolling platformer, the game differed greatly from its predecessor Super Mario Bros. and introduced character selection, with each character lending a special ability to gameplay, a brand new set of enemies and bosses new and never seen again to the Mario series, as well as a whole new setting.

The reasons for this are due to Super Mario Bros. 2 not being based off an actual Mario Bros. game. Super Mario Bros. 2 was first released in Japan and was simply an extension of the original NES title Super Mario Bros. with new and harder levels, but essentially the same in terms of concept, gameplay, characters, and art assets.

However, Nintendo felt that American gamers would not enjoy the high difficulty the game processed and therefore decided to remake a Japanese title named Doki Doki Panic, swap out the characters with Mario characters, and rename it Super Mario Bros. 2 for a US release.

The original Japanese version of Super Mario Bros. 2 was later released in the US under the name, Super Mario Bros. All-Stars along with remakes of a few other classic Mario Games.

This game was featured in Nintendo Power Issue #1 July-Aug 1988.
]]> 08 Feb 2007 08:17:50 Super Mario All Stars Play the original Super Mario Bros, Super Mario Bros 2, Super Mario Bros 3, and the Lost Levels in this all new updated version of each game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System
]]> 02 Feb 2007 12:23:04 Sid Meier's Civilization Sid Meier's Civilization is a landmark turn-based strategy game. It is inspired by Avalon Hill' board game of the same name.

The game begins in 4000 BC, where the player gets a small tribe which have to be controlled and made great through the ages until modern and near-future times. The game is also known simply as Civilization, or abbreviated to Civ or Civ I.
]]> 05 Feb 2007 10:25:27 Shadowrun The player takes on the role of Jake Armitage, a courier who is shot and nearly killed in the streets of Seattle in the year 2050 by a hit squad. He wakes up in a morgue with significant amnesia as to what he was doing that resulted in his near-death --- in fact, he was thought to be literally brain-burnt, which he himself felt as if he was when awakened.

Publisher: Data East
Developer: Beam Software
Release Date: Nov 1, 1993
]]> 01 Dec 2006 09:42:53 Star Fox StarFox aka StarWing
The Lylat System is home to many animal-type humanoid species. Most of the beings in the system live together in peace, and they've built an advanced space-faring civilization. Fox is the son of James McCloud, the former leader of the Star Fox mercenary team. On a mission against the evil Andross, James was betrayed by one of his own wingmen. Fox then assumed the leadership of the team and led the charge against Andross with his friends, Falco Lombardi, Peppy Hare, and Slippy Toad. Such is the premise of Star Fox; the legendary space flight game from Nintendo that introudced one of the company's most enduring characters and was the first to utilize the powerful SuperFX Chip
]]> 08 Feb 2007 04:47:51 Wing Commander I Set in the year 2654, Wing Commander tells a tale of mankind's struggle for survival in a ferocious war between the Human Confederation and the warmongering Kilrathi Empire, a fierce bi-pedal feline race.





"You're a starfighter pilot, the best of the best, but nothing in your training prepared you for action this hot. Deep space dogfights against Kilrathi aces are deadly, and the future of humanity is on the line each time you fly!


Wing Commander puts you in the middle of the most intense starship action you've ever experienced outside of a movie theatre. But in Wing Commander, you're the star!"





The majority of the game takes place within the cockpit of various space fighters. Depending on how well one performs while in action, the player may find themselves on the winning or losing path thus altering the plot accordingly. Medals and the respect of your wingmen are gained if performance is exemplary, in turn leading to a more effective attack wing. In between space-flight missions the player is free to roam the legendary carrier "TCS Tiger's Claw" and have conversations with their fellow crew mates, learning more about the horrors and triumphs of the bloody war that is now being fought.


When Wing Commander was released in 1990, the in-game graphics and space-combat engine were a step above all other products during that period. The game was even one of the first to use the new Sound Blaster for PC's, adding to the already cinematic feel of the game.


The strong script and characters which has been a staple through out the series are the primary reason why the Wing Commander has gained such a strong following over the years. That combined with movie-like presentation and strong gameplay has made the venerable Wing Commander a classic among gamers and critics.





Want to learn more about Wing Commander? Visit WCnews.com or Wing Commander Universe.
]]> 11 Feb 2007 07:47:45 Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island Yoshi returns to save Baby Mario in this sequel to Super Mario World! The Evil Magikoopa, Kamek, is out to kidnap Baby Mario. You play as Yoshi with a mission to successfully carry Baby Mario back to his parents in the Mushroom Kingdom while avoiding all of Kamek's clever traps and evil minions. The levels have a unique, hand-sketched look that gives this game a style all its own. Yoshi's Island has six worlds, each with eight stages. There are six kinds of Bonus Challenge games to earn extra lives or items. This game features the Super FX2 chip which allows for incredibly smooth vertical, horizontal and diagonal scrolling, as well as multiple foregrounds, multiple backgrounds, scaling, rotation, zooming, tons of special effects, huge characters and even bigger bosses!
]]> 08 Feb 2007 07:12:06 Final Fantasy V Final Fantasy V is a classic SNES Final Fantasy game. It was originally released in Japan sometime in 1992, and the US didn't recieve it until 1999 under the title Final Fantasy Anthology, being packaged with Final Fantasy VI. It has you take the role of Bartz, a young man set out on a quest to travel the world. He runs into Lenna, a princess, Galuf, an old man who lost his memory, and Faris, a pirate. They later gain the power of the crystal of wind and are able to use Final Fantasy V's job system. There are over 22 jobs in this game, and each one has its own advantages and disadvantages. It plays similar to Final Fantasy IV and VI, but using the Job system is key. This game is definately worth checking out.
]]> 29 Jan 2007 09:38:06 Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest In comparison with the original Donkey Kong Country, the game contains many new features. These include a plethora of hidden bonus stages with collectible tokens rewarded for completing, more diversity in level design and level settings, an unlockable "Lost World" with extra levels, and the ability to transform into various animals (the first game included some of these animals, but the characters normally rode them, being able to transform into them only in bonus stages). A portion of the game's theme now involves sailing and pirates, as exemplified in many enemies sporting a pirate fashion and the seaside locations in some levels. While Donkey Kong Country 2 introduced new features such as these, it also abandoned a few from the original. For example, the steel barrel was removed, eliminating the ability to roll on barrels, and the ability to find hidden items in the ground was removed. However, some of these removed features were brought back in Donkey Kong Country 3.
-Wikipedia

Dying is somewhat frequent, but the difficulty is pretty low and free lives are plentiful. Even very young players will be able to get through the difficult parts through repetition.

The real game, though, is to uncover all the secrets. Each of the 40 levels has one to three bonus rooms and a single "DK coin." I believe the DK coin is the greatest innovation in all of platform games. It’s a ridiculously large, shiny, spinning coin that somehow manages to be hidden on every level. There’s something magical about finding that single, well-hidden secret on every level that just isn’t the same as finding 5 Jingos (Banjo-Kazooie), 100 coins (Mario64), or any of the ten zillion tedious things on your shopping list in DK64.
-Sirlin.net
]]> 19 Jan 2007 07:04:13 Mega Man X Mega Man X, released in 1993 by Capcom, is the first game in the Mega Man X series. The first subseries of the popular Mega Man series, it was made primarily as a stepping stone between the NES and SNES incarnations of the original series. In Japan, it is titled Rock Man X. It was released on the SNES first, then ported to the PC in 1995. The game was remade in 2006 as Mega Man Maverick Hunter X (Irregular Hunter X in Japan), for the PlayStation Portable.

The Mega Man series has always been an action game that focuses on "run-and-gun" gameplay. The player takes control of Mega Man X ("X" for short), a Maverick Hunter who seeks to stop Sigma's rebellion against humans. After an introductory stage, the player is presented with a stage selection screen that depicts eight Maverick boss characters.

After the player selects a Maverick to battle, X is teleported into the Maverick's base of operations. The player must dodge obstacles, destroy enemies and other hazards, and keep their life bar as high as possible. Defeating a stage and its boss Maverick rewards X with the boss's weapon, which can be used in a rock-paper-scissors fashion to defeat other boss characters. This mechanic is carried over from the Mega Man Classic series; Capcom maintained the tradition throughout the new series, with a few twists. In the X series, completing a stage may affect the environment of other stages, possibly making them easier or more hazardous.
]]> 02 Mar 2007 02:12:59 Mortal Kombat Mortal Kombat was the first entry in the famous Mortal Kombat fighting game series by Midway, released in arcades in 1992. It was later picked up by Acclaim Games for the home version, then later returned to Midway. It centers on the first Mortal Kombat tournament and the ultimate defeat of the evil Shang Tsung by the monk Liu Kang.

Versions of the original Mortal Kombat game appeared on several different formats, most notably the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis and Nintendo's SNES. When the first game in the series was released for the SNES in North America, Nintendo of America had a strict "Family Friendly" policy towards the content of the games released on their systems which required the removal of graphic violence, religious imagery and themes, mentions of death, sexual themes, and other sensitive subjects. Hence, the first Mortal Kombat game on the SNES had the blood recolored gray in an attempt to pass it off as sweat, and the various Fatality moves were graphically changed to be less gruesome. The SNES version was graphically superior to the Mega Drive/Genesis port, but all violence was censored.

The game was a response by Midway to Capcom's successful Street Fighter II, which spawned a number of fighting games. However, it used a distinctly different fighting system from the Street Fighter formula, which was used in all subsequent sequels until Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance. The controls consisted of five buttons arranged in an "X" pattern: a high punch, a high kick, a low punch, a low kick, and a block button, as well as an eight-way joystick. If the two fighters were standing next to each other, hitting any of the attack buttons would result in a modified strike: a low punch turned into a throw, a high punch turned into a heavy elbow, headbutt, or backhand, and either kick turned into a knee strike. Crouching and hitting either punch resulted in an uppercut, which was the most damaging attack of the game. Jump kicking and crouch-kicking were executed in a similar fashion to Street Fighter, although leg sweeps and roundhouse kicks were performed by holding away while pressing the appropriate kick button.

The blocking in Mortal Kombat I by itself greatly changed the flow of fighting in comparison to contemporary games which used Street Fighter conventions. Characters do not block while retreating or crouching, but only block when the block button is pushed. Even then, characters take (reduced) damage from any hit while blocking. However, successfully blocking moves is simple – a crouching block can successfully defend against all moves, even aerial attacks such as jumpkicks – and blocking characters give very little ground when struck rather than sliding backwards. This style of blocking rewarded dodging to avoid damage but also made counterattacks much easier after a successful block, and the ultimate result was an environment which rewards a more furtive playing style than contemporary games.

Another of the game's innovations was the Fatality, a special finishing move executed against a beaten opponent to kill them in a gruesome fashion. For example, one character (Sub-Zero) would grasp a defeated opponent by the head, then rip out the head and spine while the body crumpled to the ground in a pool of blood.

Finally, Mortal Kombat also changed the way special moves were performed. Street Fighter (and many other fighting games) performed most special moves in fractions of circles (usually full, half or one-quarter) on the joystick followed by a button press (such as a quarter-circle forward, plus punch). Mortal Kombat was the first to introduce moves that did not require a button press (such as tap back, tap back, then forward), and only a few of the special moves required circular joystick movement.
]]> 02 Mar 2007 07:14:32 Wing Commander II Released in 1991, Wing Commander 2 is a sci-fi space simulation that is a continuation of the storyline that was told in the original Wing Commander.






"Ten years ago, you were the Hero of Vega Sector, idol of millions - the starfighter pilot who single-handedly turned the tide of a major Kilrathi invasion. Then something went wrong.


You were disgraced, court-martialed and transferred to a backwater outpost. For years, your lightning-quick reflexes and instinctive dogfighting tactics went to waste while the Kilrathi killed your closest friends on the front lines.


But Mankind still needs a hero, now more than ever before. And you're still the best pilot in the Galaxy. You've got just one chance to prove yourself, just one chance to keep the Terran homeworlds from falling to the massed armada of the Empire of Kilrah."



Think you can handle it, flyboy?"





Again most of the game is spent flying missions in space for the Confederation in the continuing war effort against the fearsome Kilrathi Empire. When not flying missions, the player is also able to explore the "TCS Concordia" and talk to fellow crew-mates. A greater emphasis has been placed on storytelling, which gives the player a greater scope on the people fighting this war. The mood is darker than the original, mainly due to the fact that the Humans are in fact losing the war.


Wing Commander 2 bettered the original in every regard, from the updated graphics engine to the detailed script. It is considered an all-time classic within the gaming world.








Want to learn more about Wing Commander? Visit WCnews.com or Wing Commander Universe.
]]> 18 Feb 2007 11:05:29 Utopia Utopia (subtitled: "The creation of a nation") is a strategy game which features both isometric SimCity and RTS gameplay, although in a somewhat primitive form as it's from 1991. At this time the RTS genre was still experimental, and this could be argued to be both the strength and weakness of this game.

There was an expansion called "The new worlds".
]]> 10 Dec 2006 02:18:09 Mortal Kombat 2 Following the footsteps of the original Mortal Kombat game, MK2 is more visceral, brutal, and better looking than first. With more playable characters, interactive levels, this game is a must own for any fans of the fighting genre.
]]> 02 Feb 2007 12:27:41 Final Fantasy II It's not an exaggeration to say that Square Enix's Final Fantasy series of role-playing games rates as one of the strongest entertainment franchises in the world. You'd be hard pressed to name another RPG series that can match Final Fantasy's breathtaking computer-animated FMV sequences, fantastical steampunk environments, gorgeous musical scores, and enormous, pristine worlds that practically beg for exploration. This is the series that introduced the now-trite concept of the airship to the gaming masses, after all.

All of these elements are truly great, yes, but perhaps the Final Fantasy series' most important innovation has been in storytelling. The characters are believably human (even the nonhuman ones)--they get scared, play jokes on one another, and even get married. Although the world's always on the brink of destruction in Final Fantasy, the path to preventing the catastrophe is usually convoluted and filled with twists and cul-de-sacs, like a great fantasy novel. And the dialogue is consistently top-notch, from the everyday banter around the towns to the villains' soliloquies. The storytelling prowess didn't start with the original Final Fantasy, though. In its day, the game was more comparable in its construction to leading RPGs like Dragon Quest rather than to something completely groundbreaking. No, the revolution that created the rich RPG genre that millions of fans adore today began with the release of Final Fantasy II (Final Fantasy IV, in Japan). Together with Phantasy Star 2, Final Fantasy II invented the modern, story-driven RPG simply by making players care about what happened to their characters. This is why it deserves to be called one of the greatest video games of all time.

he narrative in Final Fantasy II gripped you and shook you like a rag doll right from the beginning of the game. Your introduction to the protagonist, Cecil, took place on the deck of a military airship that had been ordered to extort a magic crystal from an innocent town (not a very heroic vocation). After his complicity in this war crime, the conscience-wracked Cecil was dismissed from the military and sent on an errand to a nearby town, along with his best friend Kain. Using generic archetypes for characters (like Final Fantasy's White, Black, and Red Mages, for instance) was standard operating procedure in RPGs at the time, but Final Fantasy II went off on a far more interesting tangent.

You played a washed-up veteran with a tortured past, and the game quickly introduced you to a multitude of characters with different backgrounds, motivations, and abilities. Each character had unique combat abilities that fit together into a cohesive whole, like Kain's jump attack and Cid's peep. Furthermore, every character kept his or her own counsel during the course of the adventure. Some left the party at an important juncture in the story, only to return at an unexpected moment. Other major characters were simply, shockingly written out of the lineup. Was Kain firmly on your side, and, if so, why was he acting so erratically at times? What about Edge, the mysterious ninja? Did the game's chief bad guy, Golbez, really mastermind the evil plan you were trying to defeat, or was there some other, ulterior force at work?

You simply didn't know the answers, and there was only one way to find out: fly to the moon on a spaceship that looked like a gigantic whale. This memorable sequence was only the most grandiose in a long line of in-game breaks for story advancement, which are now referred to as cutscenes. Some of them, like the noble sacrifice of the Magi Twins, Palom and Porom, were particularly poignant, while the epic-staged battle right before the end of the game was just awe-inspiring. Compared to other Super Nintendo games from 1992, Final Fantasy II was a feast for the eyes and ears. Nobuo Uematsu's gorgeous, haunting MIDI scoring was completely peerless, and the game did a lot of fancy work with the SNES's Mode 7 scaling technology, too. That Meteo attack looked like it hurt.

In Final Fantasy II, your characters weren't dumb marionettes; they were full-fledged actors and actresses, and they delivered knockout performances. By the time you finished the game, you had developed such an affinity for your band of heroes that you actually wanted to see what happened to them after they defeated the final boss. And the game obliged with a sort of "where are they now?" trailer during the credits, which was another innovation in a game full of novelties.

The Final Fantasy series has already chalked up a Greatest Game of All Time, and it will surely contribute more entries to the list over time, thanks in part to the quantum leaps Square made in Final Fantasy II. It was with this game that Square assumed the pole position in the console RPG market--a position it has never relinquished. We, and the Kingdom of Baron, are the better for it.

-- Steve Palley
]]> 15 Jan 2007 09:41:58 Clock Tower: The First Fear
patente101 said,
I thought a SNES game couldn't be scary. I was wrong. Really wrong. Clock Tower made me scream and made nightmares form in my mind. For almost a month, I checked behind each single door in my house...

The true title of this game is simply "Clock Tower". It was released in Japan only, for the Super Famicom (Japanese market equivalent of the SNES). It was later ported to the Playstation (also in Japan only), and Windows 95, but under the title "Clock Tower: The First Fear". Thus it was natural for the sequel to be titled "Clock Tower 2" in Japan, but the North American sequel was entitled "Clock Tower", since the title had not yet been exploited here. In keeping with the North American release title, it is the sequel that's listed as "Clock Tower" elsewhere here at GGE.


We enter the story just as the 15 year old orphan Jennifer and three of her friends are adopted by the reclusive Mrs. Barrows. Upon arriving at the imposing Barrows mansion in the mountains of Norway, Jennifer and her friends are left alone for a long while and finally the girl sets out after Mrs. Barrows, but runs back in search of her friends when she hears a scream. The power has gone out, and Jennifer finds herself in the dark and alone.

As Jennifer, you now must seek out your friends, and save them if you can as you discover the depth of evil at work, witnessing a murder at the hands of the Scissorman, leaving you terrified throughout your ordeal as you try to evade and hopefully, escape.

Jennifer's adventure will unravel mysteries of the mansion, the murderous evil Barrows twins, and even her own past as she explores the eerie mansion and encountering it's evil inhabitants.


Additional Game Features:


  • Simply point and click gameplay means you have to use your head and keep your wits. Choices made throughout the game will sooner or later have consequences.

  • Keep an eye on Jennifer's avatar throughout the game. Her current strength is indicated by the window color and must be managed wisely, and her reactions to what's going on may provide useful hints.

  • Sounds and music used sparsely and cleverly, adding to the overall tension and drama.

  • Explore the numerous rooms and levels of the Barrows Mansion.

  • Intricate story full of mystery and puzzles, with many alternate endings adding to the replay value.

Developer: Human Entertainment
Publisher: Human Entertainment
Released: Sep 14, 1995 (JP)

System Requirements
Windows 95 version information unverified. Contributions welcome!
]]> 26 Jan 2007 06:53:43 Ogre Battle: March of the Black Queen Ogre Battle: March of the Black Queen is a strategy video game for Nintendo's Super Nintendo. It is the first installment of an episodic series (although it is supposed to be the 5th episode), and was originally developed by Quest for the Super Famicom system (and subsequently Sega Saturn in 1996 with voice acting) in Japan.
]]> 14 Dec 2006 12:23:45 Pilotwings This flight simulator for the SNES features 4 training locales and instructors with 4 flight mechanisms to master. It also features a helicopter rescue mission as an added bonus. The 4 main flight mechanics include the Light Plane, Skydiving, Rocket Belt, and the Hang Glider. With the inclusion of the game's Expert mode there is a total of 8 training levels and 2 rescue missions.

When it was originally released Pilotwings wowed the world with mode 7 graphics which allowed for hardware scaling and rotation. In terms of gameplay, this system feature allowed some of the very first open ended 3D environments to be explored. Although the pseudo-3D effects featured in Pilotwings would be dismissed as primitive by most gamers today, they can still effectively put a pit in a player's stomach.
]]> 30 Jan 2007 12:25:28 Killer Instinct Killer Instinct is a fighting game by Rare and Nintendo. Initially released in arcades in 1994, and claiming to use an "Ultra 64" hardware engine. The game received a high profile launch on the Super Nintendo, as well as on the Game Boy. It led to a sequel, Killer Instinct 2.

Unlike many other fighting games, especially its contemporaries, Killer Instinct takes place in a modern/futuristic setting. Ultratech is a very powerful company which organizes a tournament called Killer Instinct. Along with regular participants, experimental creatures created by Ultratech also fight in the tournament. Ultratech also discovers a technology to make bridges between dimensions, and to also release from his dimensional prison a two-headed monster called Eyedol, an ancient warrior that was locked away along with his rival.
Developed using SGI computers and 3D modeling software from Alias, Killer Instinct was considered a graphical leader when it was released. It featured animated backgrounds that were pre-rendered movies which changed angles depending on the character location. This technique causes the backgrounds to have an unprecedented three dimensional look — a look far better than was possible at the time in real time 3D rendering.

Killer Instinct plays like many other typical fighting games, in which the player controls a character in order to beat an opponent in a one-on-one encounter. The game borrows Street Fighter IIs attack set (a weak, medium and strong attack for punches and kicks, respectively), but also is inspired by Mortal Kombats graphic violence and finishing sequences. There are several features that distinguish it from other franchises: A double energy bar; Automatic combos; Finishing moves; Ultra Combos; Combo Breaker.
]]> 02 Mar 2007 12:42:09 Terranigma Terranigma is a 1995 action role-playing game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System developed by Quintet and published by Enix. It is the story of the resurrection of the world (as we know it), and its progress from prehistoric times to the near future.

Terranigma keeps a constant top-down view of the world. Instead of turn based battles, which were common in most RPGs at this time, Terranigma utilizes a combat system that allows the player to perform different attacks based on whether or not the player is running, in a jump, tapping the attack button, or a combination of the three.

(source en.Wikipedia)
]]> 08 Feb 2007 03:07:38 Demon's Crest The Red Arremer demon Firebrand is on a quest to collect all of the elemental Crests, magical stones which preside over their respective elements (Fire, Earth, Water, Air, Time, and Heaven). It is said that when all crests are combined, the Crest of Infinity will appear, allowing its holder infinite power, and the ability to conquer any and all realms with it. However, during his quest, he is gravely wounded in a battle with the Demon Dragon in his efforts to claim the Crest of Heaven, and his nemesis Phalanx uses Firebrand's moment of weakness to attack him and steal all of his crests for himself, with the exception of the Crest of Fire which was broken into pieces in the fight (Firebrand still has one shard of it at the game's outset). Having fallen back to earth in the coliseum where he fought the Dragon earlier, Fireband is forced to destroy him for good to survive, so that he can go after Phalanx and reclaim the Crests. Whether Firebrand wants them for power, or for glory, is never stated.

Main Characters

  • Firebrand: The story's anti-hero. Known as the Red Blaze by the lesser demons who fear him. He has the ability to tap into the power of the crests to increase his powers, or even take on entirely new forms.

  • Phalanx: The arch-nemesis of Firebrand. He desires the crests for himself, so that he may summon the Crest of Infinity and obtain ultimate power to conquer both the demon realm and the human worlds.

  • Arma: A general in service of Phalanx, Arma has been given orders to hunt down and retrieve the Crest of Fire from Firebrand. The player encounters Arma on several occasions throughout the game, each time receiving one of the Crests he was given for safekeeping as spoils of victory (first the Crest of Earth, then the Crest of Wind, and finally the Crest of Time). Upon losing the Time Crest to Firebrand, Arma seals himself within it to help Firebrand in his quest to defeat Phalanx.

    • Gameplay

    The gameplay is a mix of standard platforming, with mild RPG elements and occasional side-scrolling shooter sequences. Each level can be played multiple times, and often the player has to revisit a level with new Crests to access areas, items and bosses that he could not before.

    The player collects different 'crests' which, when equipped during the game, allowing you to change into different-ability Firebrands. Some of the powers possible are Earth, Wind and Water. The player also collects talismans, magic potions and other equipment during their journey.
    ]]>     05 Apr 2007 10:45:20     Tactics Ogre Tactics Ogre is a Strategy RPG made by Quest and released by Altus. The game was innovative in its branching plotline. Crucial decisions made in the game determine the path of the story, the members of your army and the ending sequence. There are always multiple endings with radically different outcomes.

    For eighty years, Valeria has been in constant strife, and its three leading ethnic groups all claim leadership. The three factions are:

  • Gargastan: While these people make up 70% of Valeria's total population, they suffer constant inner struggle between moderate and radical theorists on how government should best be handled. This weakens what would be a dominant majority.
  • Walstanian: An oppressed minority of Southern Valeria, making up only 10% of the population. Their suffering is the catalyst to the plot in Tactics Ogre.
  • Bacrumese: These are generally the more "elite" of Valerian society, making up a solid 20% of its people.

    • Mighty King Roderick, aided by the forbidden powers of the "Hell Gate," is able to dominate the people until Dolgare of Bacrum successfully leads his army to defeat Roderick and his dark powers. With the king dead, the charismatic Dolgare claims the throne as his own, and is able to end the struggle between the ethnic groups. Under King Dolgare, the rights of the people are preserved, and internal struggles in Valeria come to a temporary halt.

    All is right until the entire royal family is lost due to a string of accidents. Because the late King Dolgare had no living heirs, the ethnic groups once again struggled for leadership: Bishop Branta of the royal court, Cardinal Barbatos, dictator of the Gargastan people, and Duke Ronway, representative of the Walstanian minority, all fought for control, but in the end, Barbatos and Branta stalemated. In order to preserve their power, the two men took separate measures: Cardinal Barbatos sought an "ethnic cleansing" policy and slaughtered thousands of innocent Walstanians and Gargastans, while Branta received aid from the Roslolians, the greatest order in all of Lodis.

    The separation of the three races thus sets the stage for the beginning of the game. The player is greeted by a collage of scenes depicting the Roslolian Order's mysterious actions in Griate, home to Denim Powell, Kachua Powell, and Vice Bozek, the main characters. Denim and Kachua's father, Plancy, was kidnapped by the enigmatic Lans Tartare, and the three heroes seek vengeance against the dark knight.
    ]]>     17 Jul 2007 04:02:39     Earthworm JIm 2 Earthworm Jim 2 is a platform video game released in 1995. It is a sequel to the original Earthworm Jim.

    Earthworm Jim 2 follows the exploits of annelid superhero Jim and his new sidekick Snott as they try to rescue Jim's beloved Princess What's-Her-Name from a forced marriage to the nefarious Psy-Crow. While chasing them across the universe, Jim comes across the summer homes of a number of villains from the first game, including Evil the Cat and Bob the Killer Goldfish.

    The game originally appeared on the Mega Drive/Genesis, Super NES and PC, with enhanced versions later released on the PlayStation and Sega Saturn. It was also ported to the Game Boy Advance.

    Like the original game, Earthworm Jim 2 contains a lot of irreverent, random humor. It also features more diverse gameplay than the original, with each stage having a different style and mission, as well as various new weapons.
    ]]>     02 Mar 2007 05:09:24     Might and Magic 3: Isles of Terra The third, and highly updated, installment in the classic CRPG once again sees you commanding a party of adventures in a bid to save the world.

    From Moby Games:

    The third installment of the roleplaying series, with a multi-faceted plot full of twists and turns. Ease of use was central to the gameplay and interface, and the plot included piles of new twists and turns.

    Lead a party of adventurers to rendezvous with the legendary wizard Corak. From dark moldy dungeons, through corridors of hewn stone and timber, and onward to the lofty frozen peaks of Terra you will uncover the mysteries that surround the exotic islands in the Great Sea.
    ]]>     07 Mar 2007 02:27:53     Secret of Evermore Secret of Evermore, released in North America on September 18, 1995, is a role playing video game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System video game console. The game was created by Square Co., Ltd.'s new development house, Square USA.

    The story of Secret of Evermore revolves around an anonymous teenage boy and his dog, whom the player may assign names of up to fifteen characters each (a tremendous amount at the time, when names were typically six characters or shorter). In the beginning of the game, the boy, who has a penchant for B-movies, is leaving with his dog from a matinee in a small town called Podunk, USA. Upon leaving the theatre, the dog begins to chase after a cat in the street. The boy hurriedly follows his best friend, finally reaching a large, abandoned mansion. When the dog begins to chew on some wires in a hidden laboratory, the pair soon find themselves transported to the mysterious world of Evermore.

    Throughout the course of the game, the player explores Evermore's main areas, many corresponding to different epochs of Earth's history: Prehistoria is an area with dense jungle and primitive men; Crustacia is a land of pirates; Nobilia remembers the Roman Empire and Ancient Egypt; Gothica draws on the Middle Ages; and Omnitopia is a futuristic space station.

    In each of the four areas, the boy will encounter a citizen of Podunk involved in the original experiment gone awry 30 years ago in the same mansion where the boy and his dog were transported to Evermore. The player will learn that the regions are manifestations of those citizens' personal Utopias. The boy's ultimate goal is to escape from this fantasy world and return to his hometown of Podunk.

    The game shares two major surface similarities with Secret of Mana: It uses a freshly coded interpretation of that game's ring-based menu system, and it requires the player to control multiple characters one-at-a-time. The player guides both the boy and his apparently shapeshifting dog through Evermore, free to switch between characters and sometimes forced to do so to solve various puzzles.

    A unique element to Secret of Evermore is its system of magic. Rather than using a traditional system of collecting magic points and using them to cast learned spells, the boy must, with the help of his trusty dog's nose, find various ingredients that may be used to perform alchemic formulas which the alchemists across Evermore teach him; the rarer the ingredient, the fewer times a particular spell may be cast.

    The boy wields four different styles of weapons throughout the game: sword, spear, axe, and bazooka. His Bone Crusher is roughly categorized as the first sword. Each type of weapon has different characteristics; for instance, the spears at a high enough level may be thrown at an enemy across the screen, while the swords and axes can cut swaths of destruction around the boy's vicinity. With the exception of the Bone Crusher, all swords, axes, and spears may cut through vegetation. The boy operates the bazooka for the first battle of the game, but abruptly loses it and only receives it again at Ebon Keep to utilize against the deadliest monsters near the end of the game. Each category of weapon has four versions (one for each world the boy visits), and repeated use of them can increase their levels to a maximum of three, unlocking a new charged attack move with each level. The bazooka has three types of ammunition, each more destructive than the last; no charged attacks are possible, and when ammo runs dry, the bazooka can be swung as a weak club.

    Although both the boy and his dog are playable characters for the majority of the game, Secret of Evermore is a single-player game.
    ]]>     02 Mar 2007 06:32:08     Breath Of Fire II Breath of Fire II is the second role-playing game in the Breath of Fire series. It was originally released for the Super Famicom in Japan in 1994 by Capcom, and was later brought to North America in 1995 by Capcom, before Laguna released it in Europe in 1996. It was later re-released for the Game Boy Advance in Japan under the name Breath of Fire II: Shimei no Ko, which translates to Breath of Fire II: The Fated Child. It was re-released in North America and Europe in 2002 under the original title.
    ]]>     07 Mar 2007 06:17:16     Rival Turf When a ruthless gang led by Big Al invades their turf, it's up to the Brawl Brothers to take back their streets and send their rivals home with their tails between their legs. You can go it alone or team up with a friend for some simultaneous two-player action as you kick, punch, and body slam your way to victory through six stages of no holds barred, hand-to-hand fighting action. There are all kinds of realistic street-fighting techniques to master, including body slams, leg sweeps, jabs, hooks, uppercuts and headbutts. There are also various weapons that may be used throughout the course of the game. The game also includes an "angry" mode where the character becomes temporarily invincible. If you want a fight but aren't feeling friendly, then turn the tables on your friend and go head-to-head for bragging rights and control of the streets. In RIVAL TURF, only the strong survive. Can you take it?

    Note: Rival Turf is known as "Rushing Beat" in Japan.
    ]]>     13 Mar 2007 12:23:18     Tetris Attack What's better than Tetris? Depending on whom you talk to, its distant cousin Tetris Attack (and N64-released Pokémon Puzzle League) might be even more satisfying and addictive. Nintendo designers took what was already a sure-win formula and embellished it to cater to a more-demanding, evolved gamer. Tetris Attack presets colored square blocks in a well and has players swapping them into vertical or horizontal lines. Match three or more and they vanish. Seemingly simple, it is actually one of the most complex puzzlers due to the potential resulting combinations and chains. Played alone or with others, it's extremely addictive. Don't say we didn't warn you.
    ]]>     08 Feb 2007 07:15:12     Eye Of The Beholder 2: The Legend Of Darkmoon In the sequel to Eye of the Beholder, the Archmage Khelben summons the Heroes of Waterdeep, slayers of the Beholder Xanathar, for another mission. Strange things are happening in the forests near Waterdeep, centered around the Temple Darkmoon. People have been disappearing and shallow graves containing human remains have been found. Khelben teleports the party to the forests near Darkmoon so they may find out what kind of evil is working in the towers of the temple.

    Eye of the Beholder II is, like its predecessor, a first-person role-playing game based on the 2nd Edition AD&D rules. It uses the same point-and-click gameplay mechanics and controls as the first game, with only minor changes.

    A starting party consists of four characters, which can be transferred from the earlier game or created from scratch. Characters can reach higher levels and learn new spells, must face new and tough monsters and solve multiple puzzles. Compared to the first game, many more illustrated NPC encounters and cutscenes were added.
    ]]>     29 Mar 2007 05:29:46     Blackthorne This excellent Prince of Persia clone has you controlling Kyle Blackthorne, who has been called back to his home planet after being sent into hiding on Earth as a child when his planet was overrun by some generic forces of evil orcs and demons.

    You have to jump, climb, and shoot your way through the dark caverns, prisons, forests, and castles of the planet Khuul in order to liberate your planet. But there are traps everywhere, and the forces of evil are armed to the teeth. Tools like grenades needed to get through obstacles are few and far between. Meaning you more have to out-think instead of out-shoot the enemy in order to survive.
    ]]>     19 Jan 2007 04:27:18     Super Bomberman 2 The sequel to the best selling Bomberman series. Super Bomberman 2 puts you in the shoes of it's title character. 5 Aliens have come to earth and you must defeat them before they carry out their evil plan. In single player you make your way through the worlds of these aliens before facing off with them. Upgrades are in the form of cards which range from increased speed to more powerful bombs. In multiplayer you face off against 1-3 enemies in a fight to the death. The game requires strategy and cunning as you outwit your enemies to become the "Golden Bomber"
    ]]>     26 Feb 2007 03:43:24     Star Ocean The spiritual successor of Tales of Phantasia, Star Ocean is the story of Ratix Farrence, a young Fellpool (think cat-person, all you anime fans) who goes back in time to save his friend Dorn from a strange virus that turns people to stone. The story is a hybrid of fantasy and sci-fi, with all of the attention to detail and technical tricks that made Tales of Phantasia such a great game -- and more to boot.

    Star Ocean never received a proper North American release, due to Enix shutting down its American branch the year before the game's release. However, the game "fanlation" group DeJap produced an unofficial English version in 2003.
    ]]>     08 Mar 2007 03:01:23     Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure is a video game released in 1994 for the Super NES and Mega Drive/Genesis by Activision. It was ported to the Sega Mega-CD (1994), Sega 32X (1995), the Atari Jaguar (1995), PC (1995), and the Game Boy Advance (2001), with the last one ported by Majesco. Pitfall: TMA was also the first commercial game released for Windows 95.

    In this game, the player takes the role of Pitfall Harry Jr., son of the hero of the original game, who has to find his kidnapped father.

    An extra feature in all versions is the ability to play the original Pitfall! (the Atari 2600 version) after finding a secret doorway. The doorway can be found by looking for something that seems out of place. The Mega-CD, 32X and Windows ports contained extra (and expanded) levels and other enhancements over the earlier versions.
    ]]>     02 Mar 2007 06:57:03     Rock N Roll Racing The races themselves put the player against two (in 2-player games) or three (1-player games) computer opponents and are viewed from an isometric viewpoint. In the background play instrumental versions of several heavy metal and rock 'n roll songs: "Paranoid" by Black Sabbath, "The Peter Gunn Theme" by Henry Mancini, "Highway Star" by Deep Purple, "Born to be Wild" by Steppenwolf, and "Bad to the Bone" by George Thorogood. Players are updated on the race by commentator "Loudmouth Larry" (Larry "Supermouth" Huffman) making comments like "The race is set, the green flag drops!" (or "Let the carnage BEGIN!"), or "Rip: is about to blow!" at appropriate points through the race. (There is a slight pause between a name and action, as each name and each action is its own sound effect, which can be heard in the FX screen).

    The tracks are littered with mines, money power-ups ($1,000 for each one you collect), and health power-ups. Similarly, in each lap, each player's frontal weapons (energy weapons or missiles), rear weapons (oil slicks or mines), and turbos (jumps or nitro boosts) are recharged. The number that you get depends on the ammo upgrades you've bought, which maxes out at 7. You get money for blowing opponent cars up and for lapping (gaining a full 1 lap lead on the opposition) your opponents.

    The race goes on for 4 laps and the final standings provide rewards: 400 points and $10,000 for first place, 200 points and $7,000 for second, 100 points and $4,000 for third, nothing for fourth. Money is used to buy upgrades and new cars. Points are used to advance to the next racing class or the next planet. In 2-player mode, one player can choose to advance and leave their "loser friend" (as the character in charge of advancement calls players without enough points to advance) behind, kicking him/her out of the game for good. Once left behind, the other player has no choice but to hope that they had written down their password (available fron the F/X screen) and that the other player will reset the game and let them try again at some point.


    --from the Rock and Roll Racing wiki
    ]]>     12 Feb 2007 02:27:53