Game Bytes: SNES Issue/gb-snes.zip/GAMEBYTE.DAT

Text File | 1993-05-11 | 128KB | 2,633 lines

                   The Super NES Comprehensive Review List

                               by Jer Horwitz

     You now have the opportunity to access the result of several
months of work and play through the graces of Game Bytes magazine.
Special thanks go out to Ross Erickson, who was willing to give this
list its own supplemental issue, and all of the people who have
mailed me on Internet with big smiles. It's all for you, guys...

     This supplement begins with a list of every SNES game released
to date and includes quite a few releases for the Super Famicom,
Nintendo's fully compatible Japanese version of the Super NES.
Following that list is an explanation of how I arrived at the
numbers each game was given, and a table of alternate names used
for these games both domestically and abroad.

     Following those sections is a feature which I believe may be
the most useful part of this supplement. Quite generally the quality
of a brand new cartridge cannot be assessed by the license or the
box art. The only constant which people can use to guess about
a new release's potential is the group of designers who created it.
The company scoring feature is a list of the companies who have
released two or more games on my list, the highest and lowest
scores for their games and their average point total. A guide to
interpreting the scores is included as well.

     At the very end, I added a feature which has been requested by
Internet users again and again: A list of only the best games for
the system, listed by genre and noted (except in the case of certain
sports games) if they have multiple-player simultaneous options.

     I hope the list is useful to someone out there! I've decided
that this will be my final revision of it, so enjoy it while it's
up-to-date.

[Please note: After writing my 'final' revision, I decided to add one
last supplement of new titles to the list to keep it current for
publication. As such, they are not included in the alphabetical listings,
"recommended" lists, alternate name chart or company scoring sections.
The supplement is small, so it shouldn't be a problem to glance through.]

                                         - Jer Horwitz


The SNES Comprehensive Review List

 [1] Introduction
 [2] Acrobat Mission - Gunforce (A-G)
 [3] Harley's Humongous Adventure - Romance of the 3 Kingdoms II (H-R)
 [4] Sandla's Adventure - Zelda III (S-Z)
 [5] Explanation of the Rating Scale
 [6] Alternate Name List (US/Japan/UK)
 [7] Company Scoring
 [8] "Jer's Recommended" Games
 [9] Recent Games Addendum
[10] Copyright Notice


Title                   Producer                    Megs + Config.

Acrobat Mission         UPL/Teichiku [Japan]        8
[Overhead shooter. Doesn't feel quite right in visual presentation, but it
is asthetically imaginative. Play is old news with new twists. 7.5/10.]
        * Shooter fans will like the twists, but others may think it old
        stuff.

Actraiser               Enix                        6 + Battery
[Action/RPG which made the SFC famous. Great music (Yuzo Koshiro) +
gameplay. Combines Taito's Rastan-ish action with a more playable Populous
game. 9/10.]
        * Tremendous artwork and unbelievable music. Action is shallow but
        good.

Addams Family, the      Ocean                       8
[A great Ocean effort. Plays well: An action game with Mario elements.
Cutesy. Nice animation, good music, small sprites but good gameplay.
8/10.]
        * Just feels fun to play. Lots of hidden stuff to find.

Addams Family: P.S.H.   Ocean                       8
[Pugsley's Scavenger Hunt; A musically and graphically improved version of
the first AF with similar play mechanics, based on the cartoon series.
9/10.]
        * It's fun, the challenge is there, and it looks and sounds great.
        * Very innovative "crystal ball" scene with transparent
        backgrounds.

Aerobiz                 Koei                        8 + Battery
[A unique strategy game based on the PC Air Bucks. The idea is to build
and maintain an airline, very nice interface and graphics. Sound is tinny.
8/10.]
        * Impressive interface makes playing the type of game I don't
        normally play into a better experience. Music alternates from
        being appropriately upbeat and tinny to being annoyingly tinny.
        * 4-Player Mode, like an alternating board game.

Aguri Suzuki F-1 G.P.   Lozc [Japan]                8
[3-D Perspective 2-pl. simultaneous race game. No F-Zero, but kills F-1
ROC. Scaling is a little choppy and you spin out too often. Good options.
7/10.]
        * Good digitized stills. Spinouts really hurt pace.

Amazing Tennis          Absolute/David Crane        8
[Fabulous animation, great sound, great play. Best SNES tennis title.
There's no doubles game, though. Options menu similar to most tennis
tourneys. 8.5/10]
        * Court announcer's voice is perfect. Visual appeal makes it.

Arcana                  HAL Labs                    8 + Battery
[Nothing stunning RPG. Long quest, so-so graphics. Moves a little slow.
Walk around dungeons and outside in weak Shining in the Darkness rev.
6/10.]
        * Nothing enticing to make you want to play it. Too flat.

Ashibe's Amusement...   Takara [Japan]              4
[A Japanese kids' game starring Little Goma the seal and a boy named
Ashibe. Action. Graphics and sounds are fitting, play is definitely for
kids. 7/10.]
        * VERY young kids will play this one too much. Set for that age.
        * Jer says: This game is totally evil. Any adult within 20 feet of
        the TV it's being played on will go insane. Sound effects and
        graphics seem to be programmed to be perfect for kids, totally
        annoying to adults.

Astral Bout             King Records/A Wave       [Japan] 8
[Mixed martial artists in an open 3/4 ring. Characters are limited in
moves and have choppy animation, repetitive, OK for 2-pl. sim. Wicked
beats. 7/10.]
        * A good first effort for the SFC, hard to do 3-D movement.
        * A couple dance tunes on the soundtrack use great synthesizers!

Axelay                  Konami                      8
[Overrated shooter. Futuristic graphics, well done overall, mix of 2
shooting types, side-scroll and overhead. The overhead has a hyped 3-D:
OK. 8.5/10]
        * Bosses are wicked. Well conceived but not revolutionary as
        hyped.

Bart's Nightmare        Acclaim/LJN/Sculptured      8
[Best Simpsons game out. Action with a mix of level types. Uses almost
every single character ever to appear in the shows with nice animation.
8/10.]
        * Some levels plain suck. Itchy + Scratchy - Wow! Feels like
        cartoon.

Batman: Revenge/Joker   Sunsoft/ICOM                8
[An action/shooting rerelease of the NES Return of the Joker. A few nice
graphic effects but the play isn't great or tough. Music's good. 7.5/10.]
        * Levels are very similar to one another, enemies are repetitive.
        * In a few ways isn't as good as the NES (rocketpack scenes).
        * No points deducted for it but the weapons don't fit Batman at
        all.

Batman Returns          Konami                      8
[A super impressive fighting game with driving scenes, digitized cinemas
and great music from the movie. May be the system's best 1-pl. fighter.
8.5/10.]
        * Mixes types of play through levels - fun combo of shooting
        Batarangs and fighting. Does everything perfectly and uses the
        SNES very well.
        * Super impressive visuals/sounds, but play is like fast Final
        Fight, not a bad thing necessarily.

Batter Up               Namco                       8
[An interesting baseball game. Opens with great music and nice graphic
touches, gets to play, becomes mediocre with so-so graphics and music.
7/10.]
        * It's not my first choice. The curve from cool to so-so was
        vertical.

Battle Blaze            American Sammy              8
[A SF2 clone with weapons. Enemies are either really tough or really
stupid, number of moves limited but has *some* good visual stuff. 2-pl.
sim. 7/10.]
       * Didn't do anything really special. Competant, not a good
       purchase.

Battle Clash            Nintendo                    8
[Super Scope version of Tyson's Punch-Out - look for weakness on large
robot enemy and hit it repeatedly. Nice graphics, good enemies. OK sound.
7.5/10.]
        * Misses an 8 because of each level's similarity. Cool but
        repetitive.
        * Not disappointing, but not enough diversity. Genre lovers: score
        up.

Battle Dodgeball Fire   Sunsoft [Japan]             8
[A so-so dodgeball game which has been released for the Mega Drive, Game
Gear, Super Famicom and others (?). A lil' Manga art + so-so gameplay.
6/10.]
        * It's not going to excite anyone. Gameplay is one dimensional.

Battle Grand Prix       Hudson Soft                 8
[Driving 2-pl. sim overhead with perpetually split screen, which is the
major problem. For Cyber Spin or F-1 Circ. fans who have 2-pl. needs,
only. 7/10.]
        * The split screen really confines the player a lot. The rest is
        old.
        * Gets a full extra point for the 2-pl. feature.

Battle Soccer           Banpresto [Japan]           8 + Battery
[If it looks like soccer, sounds like soccer, doesn't feel like soccer but
does have stupid robots, what is it? Right - a Banpresto SD Gundam Soccer
game. It's really slow and badly attempts to duplicate SNK's Soccer Brawl
without speed. Graphics and sounds are OK, play's OK, but SO slow.
6.5/10.]
        * I can't think of anything to add. If you like the series...
        well, then get some help.

Bazooka Blitzkrieg      Bandai                      4
[Shocker - Bandai releases a cool game. Graphics are really good, sounds
are OK. Repetitive, but what's there (soldier theme) is good. A solid
7.5/10.]
        * Feels a lot like Terminator 2 (arcade) but repetitive.
        * Only the backgrounds need work. If it only used 4 more megs...

Best of the Best Karate Electro Brain               8
[Computer + TG-16 port of Andre Panza Kickboxing. Cool animation + OK
play. Character interaction is OK, but there are many moves to pick from.
7.5/10.]
        * Requires learning time to enjoy, not immediately appealing.

Big Run                 Jaleco [Japan]              8
[So-so translation of arcade driving rally game. Graphics and sounds are
good, play is like Sega's Out Run (Genesis, not arcade), with added rally
factors. Old, not bad. 7/10.]
        * Ripped on by Japanese press because it disappointed people who
        thought the SNES had unlimited sprite power. Turns out Jaleco
        actually did a better job than most early games (it was one of the
        first ten for the system).

Bill L's Combat B-ball  Hudson Soft                 4
[Among the most pathetic titles for the system. Taken from Amiga/ST Future
Basketball. Horrible use of SNES, easy to beat computer, repetitive.
3/10.]
        * Play one game and you'll know how bad it is. Overhead
        basketball?

Birdie Try              Toho [Japan]                8 + Battery
[A golf game which doesn't impress me much given the lack of features. Has
a ball cam and some nice intro scenes but doesn't compare to others.
7/10.]
        * Colors aren't as vivid as possible, technique isn't anything
        new.

Blazeon                 Atlus                       8
[Ever see the Master System R-Type? Imagine it with worse everything. It
sucks. Big option is the "totally original" steal-the-enemy's power
feature stolen from Gaiares. Add this to their long list of successes like
Metal Jack. 4/10.]
        * The pics + EGM lie. I've never seen such bad basic screen
        scrolling.

Blues Brothers          Titus                       4
[Amiga trans. Super colorful action game, 2-pl. simul, fun + awesome
music. 2-player mode is really hard, 1-player mode is challenging, but
good. 9/10.]
        * Dynamic appeal. Animations + sounds are from the movie. Love it.

Brass Numbers           Laser Soft [Japan]          8
[SF2-alike. OK+ graphics, interesting 7 characters to use, OK sound, OK
gameplay. Special moves are really boring - I wouldn't buy it. 6.5/10.]
        * It's a step back. Some neat background IDEAS, bad control
        mechanism, small-ish characters and not enough colors.

Brawl Brothers          Jaleco                      12
[2-pl. sim. walk/fight game. Programming is much improved from Rival Turf,
much better animation and play. 5 characters. Too repetitive/easy.
7.5/10.]
        * It's much more of a "game" than the original, some good stuff.

Bulls Versus Blazers    Electronic Arts             8
[A nice basketball title. Definitely superior to Tecmo's effort during the
game except for the cinemas which Tecmo has, not EA. Not NCAA. 7.5/10.]
        * Nice large characters. Good personalized moves. Not dynamic
        enough.

Cacoma Knight           Datam/Polystar [Japan]      4
[Kids' type Qix game with 2-pl. sim. feature. Colorful but inane. 5/10.]
        * Rich music that repeats over and over. Stupid game, though.

Cal Ripkin Jr. Baseball Mindscape                   8
[An average baseball game which uses more realistic-style players and
animation. Doesn't play a dynamic game, a competant one. Nice voices.
7/10.]
        * Doesn't do anything special. Ripkin is a token endorser.

California Games II     DTMC                        8
[5 Loser Sports in 1 cartridge. This game just sucks. All of the cool
stuff from CG1 is gone and replaced by bad visual/sonic events. Boo.
5/10.]
        * I'd like to use stronger language. A poor effort esp. visually.

Captain Wings III       Tecmo [Japan]               8
[Jap. language Soccer RPG. Like US "Tecmo World Cup" -- no game, all
pictures. Watch an anime of a guy running, then choose what to do. 6/10.]
        * If you like Japanese sports animes, it's for you. If not...

Castlevania IV          Konami                      8
[NES action sequel. Solid gameplay, many levels, great music. OK overall,
since it's easy/repetitive. Ran out of good ideas, spread them thin.
7.5/10.]
        * Occasionally cool backgrounds mixed with NES ones. Whip is neat.
        * Loses a full point for having spotty challenge. Not great for
        long.

Chessmaster, The        Mindscape                   4
[It's a low resolution chess game with an intelligent computer. OK option
and play wise but Mindscape's early work shows they didn't know SNES.
6/10.]
        * It's only recommended for chess lovers. Nothing appealing.

Chester Cheetah: TCTF   Kaneco                      8
[Action game. Just a "let's try to copy Sonic's funny animations" title
with so-so play. SOME good powerups. Music's repetitive. Too Cool To
Fool? 7/10.]
        * Should have fixed the control + added sounds. Chester's animated
        well.

Chuck Rock              Sony Imagesoft/Core Design  8
[PC trans. of Bonk wanna-be. Good graphics + sound, OK gameplay. Beats
the Genesis version overall. Really nice colors but is repetitive.
7.5/10.]
        * Looks better than "Bonk" but is hurt by Chuck's lack of
        abilities.

Clue                    Parker Brothers             4
[Rendition of the classic board game. Neat idea of animating house's
rooms, various characters and weapons in cinemas, plays like the original.
7.5/10.]
        * Not exactly an addicting game, but can be great for a group.

CombaTribes, The        Tradewest/Technos           12
[Arcade fighting game translation. 2-pl. sim. Good graphics, OK sounds, OK
play. Not interactive like arcade, short levels but nice one-on-one.
8/10.]
        * The new one-on-one part added to the arcade game makes it an 8.
        Taken seperately, the two games would have been 7s.

Congo's Caper           Data East                   4
[Action, semi-sequel to Joe and Mac, not 2-pl. sim tho. Nice graphics,
sounds and play (not spectacular), smoother than J+M, hidden stuff. Cute.
8/10.]
        * A more kids-oriented version of J+M - they'll like it lots.
        * It *just* gets an 8. Feels a little weak, play wise, but still
        good.

Contra III              Konami                      8
[High quality action/shooting game. 2-pl. sim. Too few levels, but perfect
on the intensity meter. So many scenarios, PERFECT use of play mechanics.
9/10.]
        * Multiple endings and great play get the big thumbs up. Awesome
        rent or good cheapie purchase.
        * First to have 2 simultaneous rotating backgrounds with different
        axes.

Cosmo Gang the Puzzle   Namco [Japan]               4
[An odd variant on the Columns puzzle theme, not enough diversity for my
liking but different. Uses the Cosmo Gang + space theme, for kids. 7/10.]
        * Pleasant presentation and nice music, gameplay's not enough for
        me.

Cosmo Gang the Video    Namco [Japan]               8
[Namco's adaptation of a kids arcade game, using some cutesy characters as
enemies in a ripoff of Galaga. Has 2-pl. sim, old-style shooting. 7/10.]
        * If you liked Galaga, give it a little higher score. That's the
        game.
        * Has some cutesy bonus games too.

Cybernator              Konami/Masiya               8
[Sequel to Target: Earth for the Genesis, shooting and action combo. Among
the best games for the SNES w/ great graphics, sounds, play and plot.
9/10.]
        * Not a 9.5 because it's not long term, but tough + higher than 9.

Cyber Spin              Takara                      4
[Overhead car game without Super F1 Circus' rotation. Poor use of SNES. It
has OK music, but Takara should stick to Neo-Geo translations. 4.5/10]
        * It's been done too many times before. Without rotation, it's
        old.

Darius Twin             Taito                       8
[2-pl. sim. shooter, arcade translation. Has processor problems in
pockets. Good graphics and music, not great. Gameplay is same as Dariuses.
7.5/10.]
        * An early programming effort which suffers from early programming
        problems. A sequel will likely be far better, but it's a good
        rent.
        * Gets a good mark for challenge if you don't cheat. Not intense.

Death Valley Rally      Sunsoft                     8
[Sonic competitor, tough too. Road Runner is fast like Sonic, great Warner
Bros. characters and themes. Only problem - control hurts. Good game.
8.5/10]
        * Graphics are mixed: Good and boring. Wile E. is totally great.

Desert Strike: RTTG     Electronic Arts/Vis. Conc.  8
[Strategic shooter. Not stunning, but very solid gameplay from an overhead
3/4 perspective. Fly a helicopter in the desert to take out Hussein.
8.5/10.]
        * Missions and opening cinemas are cool. Game + weapons feel neat.

Dig and Spike V-Ball    Hudson Soft                 8 + Battery
[An excellent 3-D volleyball game - takes skill and is not boring like the
others. Lots of technique and varying places and types of opponents.
8.5/10.]
        * Totally well conceived. Has technique, even lets you train.

Dimension Force         Asmik                       8
[A weak overhead helicopter shooter. Included an option to use Mode 7
which wasn't supported/worked on. Slowdown constantly hurts OK game.
5.5/10.]
        * It plays fair (both meanings) but visual programming hurts it.

Dino City               Irem                        8
[Game for the kiddies. Action game, idea by 3rd graders if even. You're a
kid who can ride a dinosaur around and jump on things. Hidden areas.
5.5/10.]
        * Colorful. If it had a dynamic graphic edge and intensity...

Dirty Challenger        Yutaka       [Japan]             4
[M.U.S.C.L.E. characters wrestling game. Unbelievably limited game play
and graphics/sounds. For the kids? Nope. Even fans of toys will hate it.
5/10.]
        * 6 characters. Wow. Do something new, guys.

Dragonball Z(Zed)       Toho [Japan]                8
[RPG with some nice stuff for Japanese anime fans. The in-game RPG stuff
is totally unimpressive except for oddly random manga anime scenes. No
Rating.]
        * Only if you like the series, you may find things here you like.

Dragons Earth           Human [Japan]               8
[Populous type strategy game with nice music and confusing play. Graphics
are OK, not many options or things to do. Kind of like Actraiser's RPG.
6.5/10.]
        * Couldn't get into it. Pretty nice music though.

Dragons Eye: Shanghai 2 Activision                  8
[Really great MahJongg game with lots of options and very nice use of the
SNES. Music is pleasant, graphics are nice, and computer reshuffles!
8.5/10.]
        * You have to like Mahjongg (tile matching) to like it, but I do.
        * Conversion of PC Shanghai II: Dragons Eye, ACTUALLY ENHANCED!
        Yeah!

Dragon's Lair           Data East/Elite             8
[Not the arcade game, but a solid action game with good character
animation. British programmed, control is OK but not as good as it should
be. 8/10.]
        * Feels different from most action games due to control. A good
        effort and challenge with the classic visual feel of the series.

Dream Probe             Renovation                  8 + Battery
[A very odd Telenet action game in the Valis vein with new weapons and
powers, mixes shooting into action play sometimes, good graphics. 7.5/10.]
        * Choice of characters is nice; feels like there should be a story
        and cinema intermissions (either/or) tossed in to explain it all.

Dungeon Master          JVC                         8 + Battery
[Standard-setter in dungeon RPG games. Many characters/weapons. Good 3-D
dungeon interface, many puzzles. Needs more animation + music. 8.5/10.]
        * What's there is perfect for RPG lovers, and is long, too. A buy.

Earth Light             Hudson Soft [Japan]         8
[Jap. Military Madness pt. 2 with cartoony graphics and intermissions.
8/10.]
        * Neat cartoons and good music help. MM1 fans may not like new
        art.

Elfaria                 Hudson Soft [Japan]         12 + Battery
[A very, very impressive RPG in storyline, graphics and music. Probably
the most potential of any Japanese RPG I've seen, no rating.]
        * "Storyline?" you ask. The cinemas at the beginning tell the
        story of your quest, which looks great. Art by famous Susumu
        Matsushita.

Evo                     Enix/Gameplan 21            12 + Battery
[An excellent idea with good execution. Evolve from primitive life to more
modern creatures, consuming creatures in a Darwinian survival game. 9/10.]
        * Any age will like this game. Starts out easy. Good graphics +
        music.
        * Extremely original gameplay concept - get points, choose body
        forms.

Extra Innings           Sony Imagesoft              8
[Kids' baseball, graphics don't deserve to be on SNES. Gameplay OK. 6/10.]
        * It's a repeat of every other "no-frills" baseball title ever
        made.

F-1 ROC                 Seta                        8 + Battery
[Horrible driving game. 3-D visuals not bad, but no fun, no thrills. Uses
Mode 7 very plainly, cars are really small + gameplay totally sucks.
4/10.]
        * Just doesn't feel right at all. Before the game starts, it's
        great.
        * Who programmed the opening? Teach that guy how to do a GAME!

F-Zero                  Nintendo                    4 + Battery
[Best driving game. Among the first made, still one of the best in every
way. Choose from 4 cars - challenge for anyone, great graphics and music.
9.5/10.]
        * Total opposite of F-1 Roc. Everything feels right and it takes
        skill.

Faceball 2000           Bullet Proof Software       4
[Maze game, hunt enemies and shoot them. Cute. Good 2-player sim., OK 1-
player. Graphics don't take advantage of the Super NES, play is 1-D.
7/10.]
        * If it was more than just the old game it would be better.

Fatal Fury              Takara/SNK                  12
[SF2-alike. Neo-Geo translation. Great graphics, play as 11 chars, OK
sound. Not as good as SF2, but same as Power Athlete and better than most.
8.5/10.]
        * Control sometimes hurts the play. Moves are tougher than
        original.

Final Fantasy II        Square Soft                 8 + Battery
[Best true RPG for the SNES thus far. Characters are too small and not
animated well, but the music is good. Plotline and combat are great.
8/10.]
        * A little childish, but has a lot going for it. Graphics hurt
        score.

Final Fantasy Mystic Q. Square Soft                 4 + Battery
[Totally kids-oriented RPG. Graphics are NES quality, music is OK. Long
quest but poorly drawn and animated. Not for adults, poor use of SNES.
5.5/10.]
        * Was a "quickie" update to keep people buying FF. For kids, 8.5.

Final Fight             Capcom                      8
[Early arcade fighting game for SNES uses system well. Challenge relies
mostly upon wearing down men over levels. Repetitive, nice graphics.
7.5/10.]
        * Missing 2-pl option from arcade hurts score. An OK rental.

Final Fight Guy         Capcom [Japan]              8
[Duplicate of Final Fight released a year or so later with the "Ninja",
Guy, replacing Cody as a character choice. Same game as Final Fight.
7.5/10.]
        * New pick-up items like Pineapple; still no smashable phone
        booth.
        * It was nice of Capcom, but why not put the missing level in,
        also - perhaps instead of one of the others like Cody -> Guy?

Firepower 2000          Sunsoft                     8
[Popular British Amiga "Silkworm" sequel, 2-pl. simultaneous. Player 1
flies and Player 2 drives or vice-versa, shooter with Terminator 2 FX.
8.5/10.]
        * Choice of tank and plane makes it like 2 shooters in one. Neat.

Fist of North Star 6    Toei Animation Co. [Japan]  12
[SF2-alike. Gameplay isn't great, but huge characters and neat futuristic
backgrounds. Based on Japanese comic. Needs better control scheme. 7/10.]
        * New method of special move power-ups is OK. A step down.

Flying Hero             Sofel [Japan]               8
[Kids' shooter. Nice selection of powerups, intense enough for kids and
very cute. Has some assets, but not really recommended for adults.
7.5/10.]
        * From critical point, it's a retread of overheads past. Good 4
        Kids.

Football Fury           American Sammy              8
[One of the best football games for SNES, uses rotation and scaling, neat.
Nice to play up the field on receiving kickoffs, across it in normal play.
8/10.]
        * Lacks plays. Not as dynamic as Pro QB but side-view is nice.

Gemfire                 Koei                        8 + Battery
[Strategy game. Play is as boring as the Koei series normally is, again
has a very nice opening. The plot is better than R3K, but still not fun.
7/10.]
        * Diehard strategy lovers may rate it far higher than I... Nice
        plot.

Geo. Foreman KO Boxing  Acclaim/Beam                8
[Weak boxing game. Tyson's Punch Out without Nintendo programmers.
Graphics are OK but there's not much to characters, play sucks. Voices
great. 5.5/10.]
        * Innovative power meter display and voices are the only
        redeemers.

Goal!                   Jaleco                      8
[Nice soccer game from Jaleco. Graphics and sounds are pretty good, action
is fast paced and challenge is good. Formation options. 2-pl. sim.
7.5/10.]
        * Better soccer effort than most I've seen, for fans, rate it
        higher.

Gods                    Mindscape                   8
[The way to do SNES puzzle/action games. Good enough action for action
fans, good enough puzzles for puzzle fans. Nice graphics, sounds, play.
8.5/10.]
        * I like it more each time I play. A good challenge, well
        designed.

Golden Fighter Hyper V. Culture Brain [Japan]       12
[Improved version of game reviewed as Ultimate Fighter herein - more modes
with fun things to do, play character vs. himself/herself, etc. Good.
7/10.]
        * Still not the greatest fighting game around, but a good mix.

Gradius III             Konami                      4
[Mediocre shooter. Arcade game, lots of slowdown, many levels, play OK.
Varying levels of challenge with some cool visuals. 7.5/10.]
        * Moves a little too slow. Power ups are diverse, but too slow.

Gunforce                Irem                        4
[Arcade translation of walking shooter, 2-pl. sim., OK sounds, graphics
and play mechanics. Compared to Contra 3, the feel just ain't there.
7/10.]
        * Does have some neat things like vehicles you can use. That's it.
Harley's Humongous Adv. Electronic Arts/Vis. Conc.  4
[Another good EA title. Claymation action game, many levels, like Super
G'N'G in that the play is similar but the pace of HHA is faster. Good
music. 8/10.]
        * The concepts and feel help a lot. All sprites are great.

High School Baseball 2  K. Amusement Co. [Japan]    8
[A nice Japanese theme baseball game. No crowds, good crowd sounds + music
though, nice graphics and play but not dynamic. Pretty good tho. 7.5/10.]
        * Very Japanese feel with cinemas showing that aspect. Unique.

Hole in One Golf        HAL America                 8
[Somewhat drab golf game. 4-pls. Ridiculous password feature, but
otherwise, reasonably playable. Too flat for modern golf gameplay, not
special. 6.5/10.]
        * Lacks various features of most golf games. Not worth your time.

Home Alone              T*HQ                        4
[Sad attempt at an action game based on the movie. Kids MAY like it but
the play is pretty sad, graphics are OK/bad, sounds are bad. Don't buy it.
5/10.]
        * The license tricked some people into wanting it. Play is
        archaic.

Home Alone II           T*HQ                        4
[Sad action game 2. If kids like it, not by end of level 1. Graphics
better, sounds are same: No real improvements in 1 year. Pointless
enemies. 5/10.]
        * See Kevin do stupid things like jump over evil suitcases!
        Hooray!
        * Little things like Tim Curry character strangling Kevin seem
        fitting.

Hook                    Sony/Epic                   8
[Pretty good action game, smallish characters and very cartoony. Moves too
slow, sword power-up is too infrequent. Music is well orchestrated.
7.5/10.]
        * The speed hurts. The enemies stay the same. Tiny, weak bosses.

Human Grand Prix        Human [Japan]               8 + Battery
[2-pl. sim. racing game with 3-D. Better scaling than A.S. F1, hard to
control. Good sounds and lands are far better colored than A.S. 7.5/10.]
        * Feels much smoother than AS. Better control would = better
        score.

Hunt for Red October    Hi-Tech Expressions         4
[Shooting both side-scrolling and 3-D (joystick/Super-Scope). Not
impressive visually but has good music and OK / unique play (weapons).
6.5/10.]
        * Use of varying weapons, challenge help a weak first try from
        HTE.
        * Don't rush out and buy a Super Scope for *this* game...

Hyper Zone              HAL America                 4
[3-D Flying and shooting. Totally repetitive, disco-esque backgrounds used
100x. Not fun, but mid game power-up is nice idea. Don't touch. 4.5/10.]
        * Really old SNES game looks its age. Just has no redeeming
        features.

Imperium                Vic Tokai                   8
[Shooter. Blah graphics and sounds, Vic Tokai obviously doesn't know SNES.
No intensity, play is average. If it were on stage, you'd throw tomatoes.
6/10.]
        * Looks like a 1987 arcade shooter - nothing big on screen.

Irem Skins Game         Irem                        8
[The best SNES golf game I've played. Good music, classy graphics and
play. 4 players. The play mechanics are nice for a golf game, neat FX.
8.5/10.]
        * It's not dynamic enough, but it does everything else right.

Jack Nicklaus Golf      Tradewest                   8
[Polygon golf game, just as bad as the older Turbografx-16 versions on
chip and CD. Just doesn't have much going for it with better titles out.
6/10.]
        * A LITTLE slow? If they had only waited two years for the SFX
        chip..

Jaki Crush              Naxat Soft [Japan]          8
[Pinball game sequel to Devil's Crush (Dragons Fury) + Alien Crush TG-16
games. Not as intense as D.C. but better graphics, great pinball fun.
8/10.]
        * If you've seen the others, starts out lighter but grows on you.

James Bond Jr.          T*HQ                        4
[Action with water/air scenes. Action scenes are weak but two shooter
levels are average. Graphics are a mix of poor and cool. Sounds are OK.
6/10.]
        * Misused license, action scenes are plain stupid. Needs cool
        gadgets.
        * Variety of genres is good but none have enough. Not a purchase.

Jeopardy                Gametek                     4
[The TV Show quiz game, 2-pl. sim. complete with digitized Alex Trebeck
and all that. Interface needs work; typing in answers req's spelling.
7.5/10.]
        * It's good, but the interface makes knowledge of spelling
        necessary. It's one thing to *know* French church names, but to
        spell them...

Jimmy Conners' Tennis   UBI Soft                    4 + Battery
[Graphics belong on the Genesis, gameplay is OK, sound is good. Looks 4
megs. Hate some of the "options" like the "I can't control my player" one.
7/10.]
        * Played without dopey options, feels much like Super Tennis.
        * A die-hard tennis fanatic friend liked it more than I did.

Joe and Mac             Data East / DECO            8
[Arcade's Caveman Ninjas. 2-pl. simultaneous action/shooting. Large
graphics and several powerups. Too easy, repetitive. Lot of levels.
Rental(?) 6/10.]
        * Graphics bring the score up a lot. Play is very old-style.

Joe of Tomorrow         K. Amusement Co. [Japan]    8
[Boxing game -based- on Neo Geo (Japanese only) title. Has a really
impressive opening, graphics are good and sounds are okay. Play is
reasonable. It isn't the N-G game, though. 6.5/10.]
        * Although the moves are VERY limited (really), it's [sadly] the
        best boxing title for the SNES. At least the action is reasonably
        paced, and there are hidden moves.

John Madden Football    Electronic Arts             4
[Horrible translation of successful Genesis original Madden football. Just
about everything possible is wrong with it. Avoid it like the plague.
4/10.]
        * Computer's so easy that you must cripple yourself to lose. Skip
        it.

John Madden Football 93 Electronic Arts             8 + Battery
[Graphics and sound are much better than the original Madden. Game is OK.
In comparison, average. Perspective not great. Old teams are cool.
7.5/10.]
        * Playbook too hard to sift through, bad structure. Good opening.

Kablooey                Kemco                       4
[Puzzle game. Walk in a maze setting off bombs in a certain order. Concept
is OK. Feels like what it is - one of the first 5 SNES games programmed.
6/10.]
        * Doesn't make great use of SNES, very repetitive very quickly.

Kendo Rage              Seta                        8
[Terrific Valis type game with dynamite audio and very good graphics and
play mechanics; far better than the Valis series ever was. Funny, too.
8.5/10.]
        * Telenet should cede the Valis series to them. #1 Female Action
        game. Ignore Die Hard, it's a victim of "too many free games this
        week" magazine syndrome.

Kick Off                Imagineer/Anco              4 + Battery
[Unimpressive Soccer game. Graphics are worse than Sega's four year old
game, but it has lots of options. Some cool voices. Second worst for SNES.
5/10.]
        * Just doesn't use the SNES at all. Not as bad as World League,
        tho.

King Arthur's World     Jaleco/Argonaut             4
[Very interesting variant on the Lemmings theme with you as commander of
an army of soldiers of various types. Interface is a little tough, but the
visuals are well done with great color and smooth DSS music. Cool. 8/10.]
        * Music with Dolby Surround Sound is the first to do it, neat.
        * Perhaps the best Lemmings type game for action lovers, a lil'
        slow.

King of Rally, The      Tradewest/Meldac            8
[Surprisingly good 3-D driving game - third person view 3/4 perspective,
neat and original. The Paris-Moscow-Beijing Rally, very controllable/fun.
8/10.]
        * It's a better version of RC Pro AM type games with more rally
        emph.

King of the Monsters    Takara/SNK                  8
[Graphics and sound are 75% of the Neo-Geo game. Play is 90%, 2 chars
gone. A generally repetitive wrestling action game, nothing special.
7/10.]
        * It's not fun except for kids who like monsters and button
        pressing.

Krusty's Funhouse       Acclaim/LJN                 4
[Good puzzle game. Mix between Lemmings and the Simpsons. Not a
graphic/sound showcase, but the play is pretty good. Few Simpsons uses. OK
action. 7/10.]
        * Good for a rental if you like puzzle games. License sells it.

Lagoon                  Kemco                       8 + Battery
[Early RPG. Solid plot and music, okay graphics. Tries to be like a Zelda
game, action overtones aren't as well done but the plot is strong. 7/10.]
        * Don't buy it for the action or a challenge. It's easy, so rent
        it.

Last Fighter Twin       Banpresto [Japan]           8
[Jap. piece of crap fighting game. Banpresto says it all. 2-player simul.
5.5/10.]
        * The good backgrounds are the only thing saving this game from 4-
        dom.

Legend of Benki Suna    Sunsoft [Japan]             12 + Battery
[RPG with nice battle scenes and super Japanese flavor. Impossible to
enjoy if you don't speak the language... interface is Phantasy Star 2. No
rating.]
        * Battles show frontals of both your party and the enemy;
        original.

Legend of Myst. Ninja   Konami                      8
[Based on Japanese "Charge! Goemon" series. Very Japanese style, 2-pl.
action simul. Small sprites. Nice bosses later in game, good for its time.
7.5/10.]
        * Has a funny plot and some good insider jokes. Not mindblowing.

Lemmings                Sunsoft                     8
[Big 2-pl. sim. PC/Amiga fun strategy game. Very original play and
concepts, OK graphics, good sounds. Has tons of levels + difficulty
settings. 8/10.]
        * Play is the strong suit, didn't addict me as it did computer
        gamers.

Lethal Weapon           Ocean                       8
[Action with shooting and punching. Very unimpressive characters and in-
game graphics, but good sound and decent digitized visuals. Game is OK.
7.5/10.]
        * The game has some solid traditional action themes and challenge,
        but very little unique use of the license for play mechanics.

Magic Sword             Capcom                      8
[Arcade translation, graphics reasonably like arcade, music not. Gameplay
OK. 1 player only. Action with RPG idea; walk through castle, get allies.
7/10.]
        * Many of the levels play the same, bosses look the same. Rental.

Magical Quest w/ Mickey Capcom                      8
[One of Capcom's overall best. Great graphics, action, music, story.
Awesome. Mickey Mouse animations are top notch. It whips the Genesis'
first MM. 9/10.]
        * The feel is perfect. Amount of attention to detail totally
        amazing.

Mario Paint             Nintendo                    8 + Battery
[A kids' type paint/music program w/ crappy "squash the bug" game. Tools
are generally good, easy to use. Lack of on-screen colors... but it saves.
8/10.]
        * Music editor is too limited but graphic editor is classy.
        * Built in bug game is dumb. Perhaps T*HQ will consider a sequel?

Mechwarrior             Activision/JVC/Beam         8 + Battery
[Very impressive Battletech license; robot battle simulation in Mode 7,
then has slight RPG overtones in cities. Very dynamic graphics/sounds.
8.5/10.]
        * Takes time to learn, not a kids game by any means. Rent it
        first.

Metal Jack              Atlus                       8
[One of the worst games. An E-SWAT pretender w/ weak everything 'cept
opening. Unbelievably repetitive, horrible graphics. Gets a longer
review because I hate it so much. The programmers: "Execute them!" Ugh!
4/10.]
        * Play mechanics are just plain poor. "Jack On!" half right.

Might and Magic 2       Lozc [Japan]                8 + Battery
[A good translation of the not-so-interesting PC RPG game. The flow of
movement is OK, but the game feels its (old) age and haa nothing new.
7/10.]
        * I couldn't recommend it to anyone because it's nothing special.

Monopoly                Parker Brothers/Sculptured  4
[A very nice Monopoly translation with great animation and visuals, plus
an interface which allows players to have flexible trades. Well done.
8/10.]
        * There's a lot of stuff in the game that you wouldn't get from
        just buying the board-game version. Cute use of the 1930's theme.

Musya                   Seta                        8
[Japanese flavored action game. Small sprites and so-so animation of
enemies combine with OK gameplay and OK backgrounds. Sounds aren't
special. 7/10.]
        * Looking forward to it but there's nothing special except main
        character, whose animation and moves are interesting.

NBA All-Star Challenge  Acclaim/LJN                 8
[One neat effect: Reflective floor. Graphics are OK otherwise. Sounds are
OK and the game's really boring. Has each team's real star player.
6.5/10.]
        * Wouldn't buy it by any means. 2/4 game types OK, 2 bad.

NBA Pro Basketball      Tecmo                       8
[Plays like EA's Lake v. Celts with some NES quality cinemas. Real
players. Charging calls ALL the time, unrealistic shots often. No NCAA.
7/10.]
        * Fast pace is good, but it's hard to put the moves on people.

NCAA Basketball         Nintendo/HAL Labs           8 + Battery
[An excellent basketball game. Great animation, play, graphics and sounds.
Awesome 3-D rotation of the court during play, very fun and realistic.
9/10.]
        * Another dynamic-feel game. The "We Will Rock You" makes the
        game.

NHLPA Hockey '93        Electronic Arts             4
[Real players, OK sounds, OK graphics. Better than NHL for Genesis, not
NHLPA. A lot of players disappeared. Where's line edit? Goaltenders are
flawed. 7/10.]
        * Not half as good as it should have been. Jittery graphics hurt.

New 3D Golf: Augusta M. T&E Soft [Japan]            8 + Battery
[The Augusta Masters golf game, the first by T&E. This one was not
released in the US (yet), is the same as the TGC (U.S.) series but a
different place. 8/10.]
        * Opening interface is a little rougher, but not bad. Less music.

Nigel Mansell's F-1...  Gremlin Graphics            8 + Battery
[Very smooth driving game without scaling but nice psuedo scaling. Well
ironed design with good options, well done effort overall. Love the globe!
8.5/10.]
        * This is how Super Monaco GP 2 should have been designed.
        * Race alongside Mansell to practice a track - he shows you when
        to slow down for turns, etc. Terrific features are like that...

Nolan Ryan Baseball     Romstar                     4 + Battery
[Another cartoon baseball game with a token endorsement. These stupid
chubby graphics with lush colors don't do it, OK music + animation,
rehash. 6/10.]
        * Get original, Romstar. This has been done over and over and
        over.

On the Ball             Taito                       8
[Very excellent Taito innovation. Spin a maze to manuever a ball through.
Many levels, neat hidden codes. Taito put in some unique twists, too.
8.5/10.]
        * Codes: plain cool. Different control in later levels: great
        idea.

Out of this World       Interplay/Delphine          8
[Excellent action game done entirely with polygons. One of the 5 best.
Rotoscoped animation in play, neat sounds and music, too. Mental
challenge. 9/10.]
        * Has some totally great cinematic ideas. Play may frustrate some.

Pachinko Wars           Coconuts Japan [Japan]      8
[Jap. RPG based on Pachinko, a Japanese game with balls (ha), not good.
6.5/10.]
        * You like Pachinko? Secret agents wandering parlors? Like real
        life.

Paperboy 2              Mindscape                   4
[Sequel to OK arcade game, point of which is to toss newspapers. Not
diverse, has bad graphics and sounds, relies on jokes. Looks like an NES
game. 5/10.]
        * No attempt is made to use the SNES' resolution/graphics. Plays
        OK.

Parodius!, It's         Konami [Japan]              8
[Comical arcade shooter for Japanese release only. Best side-scrolling
shooter out there, damn funny graphics, 12 levels, 4 ships, great music +
play. 9/10.]
        * Amazing amount of action w/o slowdown, totally funny Gradius
        mockery.

PGA Tour Golf           Electronic Arts             8 + Battery
[A step up from Nicklaus but down from Irem Skins. Has scaling and nice
hole preview, but play is not designed too well; nothing special. Not
great. 6.5/10.]
        * Doesn't really look or feel right. Too many good choices out
        there.

Phalanx                 Kemco                       8
[Shooter. Small sprites, non-intense, mediocre computer translation.
6.5/10.]
        * Not original enough. Things aren't interesting or unique.

Pilotwings              Nintendo                    4
[Nintendo's flight sim. display piece uses many nice 3-D effects and has
great gameplay. Many tough missions and great choice of diverse flying
craft. 9/10.]
        * A good purchase for the system. Transcends "flying", just fun.

Pipe Dream              Bullet Proof Software       4
[Puzzle game where you connect two open ends of a pipeline to each other
with random pieces of piping, 2-pl. sim. Good concept, OK fun, repeats.
7.5/10.]
        * Only gets half point for 2-pl. mode, because one player can push
        another out of the place he/she is about to put a pipe down in...

Pit Fighter             T*HQ                        4
[Poor translation of digitized graphic arcade fighting game. Primitive
program work takes OK arcade game and makes it bad in graphics, sounds,
control. 5/10.]
        * Don't expect the arcade game. Play is OK, but not as good as
        original, which wasn't all that strong to begin with.

Pocky + Rocky           Natsume/Taito               8
[Cute walking shooter that moves from 3/4 overhead up/down to overhead
side scrolling. 8-directional firing, 2 pl. sim, neat powerups, Japanese
feel. 8/10.]
        * 2-pl. feature is neat. A cool game overall, like Parodius in
        ways.

Populous                Acclaim/Imagineer           4
[Famous IBM PC strategy game, includes expanded levels, still sucks.
5.5/10.]
        * If you like computer games, give it a 8.5. If not, see Madden
        '92.

Populous 2: Trials/Gods Imagineer [Japan]           8 + Battery
[Take Populous and add 4 megs worth of cinema opening graphics and a few
new "God" powers, a map scene, and remove the music. Still Populous.
6/10.]
        * The opening is very nice. Too bad you couldn't play it.
        * Theme is "Trials of the Olympian Gods", neat visual
        representation.

Power Athlete           Kaneko                      8
[SF2-alike, but real good. Backgrounds are neat, cool characters and good
play. They made good use of 3-D movement, and has great music. 8.5/10.]
        * Love Thailand and Japan especially. Game is cool. Not SF2, tho.

Prince of Persia        Konami/Masiya               8
[Famous IBM action game. Best version out there, excellent gameplay. Has 8
levels not found in the original plus training levels. Great graphics.
9/10.]
        * If you like puzzles and action games, it's a must have.

Pro Quarterback         Tradewest                   8
[Best football game visually, good sounds too, play is equal to Ult.
Football a little worse in some ways, better in others. Too few plays.
8.5/10.]
        * Totally feels like football. Options are nice. Hard to find
        receivers.
        * Missing "season" option angers other people more than it does
        me.

Pushover                Ocean                       8
[Puzzle game where you use an ant to place and knock down dominoes.
Original idea, pretty fun with good graphics and sounds. Lots of levels,
tough. 7.5/10.]
        * Will please Lemmings fans intensely. Not my type of game, but
        good.

Q-Bert 3                NTVIC                       4
[Really great background graphics make this much more enjoyable than I
guessed. It's the old game with some new enemies and new "grabable" items.
8/10.]
        * I was surprised at how much I liked it. Great control option
        menu.

Race Drivin'            T*HQ                        4
[Translation of Atari real driving game. Visual effects and resolution
don't really compare to arcade, but generally a good translation. Not bad.
6.5/10.]
        * Not much long term play in it, but 3 tracks are diverse enough.

R.P.M. Racing           Interplay                   4
[2-pl. sim. track racing game with limited weapon use. Not really too fun
or unique, feels like RC Pro AM but more cramped. Graphics and sounds OK.
7/10.]
        * Has some good ideas, but it's little more than Off Road with big
        cars.

Raiden Trad             Electro Brain / Toho        8
[Worst SNES game. Pitiful translation of arcade shooter which was the same
as every other overhead out there. 2-pl. sim, but no fun. Any good stuff
from the arcade -- graphics, sounds, etc. has been totally ruined. Slow,
too. 3/10.]
        * Just looks like crap. 2-player option saves it from a 1 or 2.

Rampart                 Electronic Arts/Atari       4
[Very excellent. Conversion of the arcade game. Also has a Super Rampart
mode with great bosses and new levels, as well as new weapons and
defenses. 8.5/10.]
        * A good game for Tetris lovers who also like shooters. Neat
        combo.

Rival Turf              Jaleco                      8
[2-pl. sim. action game in same vein as Final Fight. Programming is
shoddy; graphics and play aren't 100% right. Sound is OK. Some good
options. 6.5/10.]
        * The game needed more playtesting. An okay 2 player game, though.

River City Ransom 2     Technos [Japan]             8 + Battery
[Double Dragon type RPG game. Nice graphics and OK sounds mixed with a
game where you walk around, talk to people and then fight them (bad). Odd.
7/10.]
        * If the fights were exciting, then it would be cool. Just hit two
        buttons over and over though.
        * It's all in Japanese and would not appeal to those unable to
        read.

Road Riot 4WD           T*HQ                        4
[2-pl. sim. driving game. Based on arcade game. Graphics are nothing close
to the arcade, sounds are OK and the little music is good. Play is weak.
6/10.]
        * 2-player mode is the only redeeming feature. Programming is
        faulty.
        * A late '92 game still scrolls wrong? Sometimes you're off
        screen!

Robocop 3               Ocean                       8
[Action/shooting game somewhat adapted from Robocop arcade game. Character
moves worse than arcade, plays same, graphics + sounds are mostly better.
7.5/10.]
        * Control is lacking enough to cut the game from 8+. Good
        otherwise.
        * Frustration is part of it, but challenge seekers, give it 8.5...
        * Has overhead and side scrolling scenes for diversity.

Rocketeer, the          I.G.S.                      8
[Among the worst games for the SNES. Everyone hates it. Action and
shooting mix in events which use high resolution scanned graphics, but
suck. 4/10.]
        * Amazingly boring game but has some nice digitized graphics.

R. Clemens MVP Baseball Acclaim/LJN/Sculptured      8
[A baseball game with better camera angles but nothing special play.
6.5/10.]
        * Some may think the camera angles compensate for the OK play.

Romance of 3 Kingdoms 2 Koei                        8 + Battery
[Famous IBM PC strategy/RPG, based on ancient Asian history. Snore.
6.5/10.]
        * Asthetically flat. The opening is the best part of the game.
Sandla's Adventure      Namco [Japan]               8
[Japanese action game, a little green guy with a pitchfork. Nothing great,
but would be very fun for kids if it came out here. 7/10.]
        * Adults will never take it seriously but it has some cool ideas.

SD Battle Dodgeball     Banpresto [Japan]           8
[Really, really bad dodgeball game with Japanese art. By Banpresto. See
above comments re: Banpresto. Dodgeball doesn't work as a video game yet.
5/10.]
        * The overused Gundam characters from every Banpresto game don't
        help.

SD The Great Battle     Banpresto [Japan]           8
[3/4 overhead walk/shoot. First SFC use of SD Gundam characters. Actually
plays reasonably and is a kids type fun game, nothing mindblowing but
solid. 6/10.]
        * Yes, up the grade for kids. A little simple in concept but OK.

Sim Ant                 Imagineer/Maxis [Japan]     8
[I dislike the genre enough that I'm not going to review this game for a
grade. The graphics are simplistic and play is flat. Semi-strategic life
of an ant. No rating.]
        * It's not a strong title, even for the Sim series. Boring.

Sim City                Nintendo/Maxis              4
[Successful IBM PC game where you build and maintain a city. Graphics and
sounds are acceptable, the play is either like it or hate it. 7/10.]
        * It's not exactly my type of game. If you like strategy or
        edutainment, it gets a higher score. It has lots of assets but I
        personally didn't find it "fun". PC game likers will, similarly,
        like this one.
Sim Earth               FCI/Imagineer/Maxis         8
[Sequel to Sim City, observe and interfere in the growth of a planet from
the biosystem to the environment. Not my type of game at all, can't grade
it.]
        * Not, in my opinion, as playable as Sim City, but someone will
        like it.

Skuljagger              American Softworks          4
[Action game. Good gameplay, not great graphics. Sounds OK. Looks like 4
megs. Pirate theme interesting, use the manual to find secrets (good
idea). 7.5/10.]
        * Some impressive powerups make this a better than average game..

Smart Ball              Sony Imagesoft              4
[An action game designed for kids. Play mechanics, graphics and sounds
seem set to a younger level than the SNES' main users. For what it is, OK.
6.5/10.]
        * Nothing impressive. For young kids, an 8.5 or 9 - difficulty
        good.

Sonic Blast Man         Taito                       8
[Good Final Fight-type game, with lots of good animation and sound, etc.
Levels are long and somewhat difficult. Great hero, too! Based on arcade
game. 8/10.]
        * A sci-fi Final Fight - Bonus levels and bosses make it better.

Soul Blazer             Enix                        8 + Battery
[Mix of action/RPG. Good plot, small graphics, OK animation and OK sound.
Don't expect Actraiser from it although it tries albeit with overhead
view. 7.5/10.]
        * Even a Koshiro tune couldn't have helped. Action is just weak.

Space Football 1-on-1   Triffix                     4
[Reincarnation of old Atari Ballblazer with better scaling and more
obstacles, reasonable music and gameplay. Lots of levels, 2-pl. sim. also.
7.5/10.]
        * 3-D isn't always perfect, finding goal hard, "football"
        is a misleading term used to up the sales.

Space Megaforce         Toho/Compile                8
[12 level overhead shooter, sequel to TG-16 Blazing Lazers series. Very
good music, great graphics and graphic effects, great gameplay. Among
best. 9/10.]
        * If you like shooters, it's a must buy. A lot of game for the
        buck.

Spanky's Quest          Natsume                     8
[Kids' type action/puzzle game with a ball-bouncing monkey. Graphics and
music are OK, play is great for kids, okay for adults. Rate higher for
kids. 7/10.]
        * It's a good compromise between challenge and fun. For genre
        lovers, it'll likely rate a little higher.

Spiderman and the X-Men Acclaim/LJN/Sculptured      8
[Best mix of action game types around, small characters but great
backgrounds music. Ignore the magazines - if you buy it and beat level 1,
it's great. 9/10.]
        * Best use of these characters thus far. Only level 1 is boring.

Spindizzy Worlds        Ascii                       8
[An action oriented puzzle game with the player as a spinning top which
must be moved through mazes. A cross between Marble Madness and Chip's
Challenge. 8/10.]
        * It's really not bad but doesn't quite feel perfect. If you rent
        it and it turns out to be your type of game, you might buy it.
        Unique.
        * Deserves acclaim for making good use of the novel play mechanic.

StarFox                 Nintendo                    8 + SFX Chip
[A polygon filled 3-D Shooter, first game to use SFX coprocessor. Control
and play are excellent, resolution hurts only a little and sounds are
great. 9/10.]
        * One of the best for the system so far. Solid, solid gameplay.

Street Combat (*)       Irem/Masiya/NCS             8
[Street Fighter Junior. Quite a few moves with reasonable controls, 2 pl.
sim. A semi-futuristic theme with 8 characters to pick, mod'd (*) Ranma.
6.5/10.]
        * Easier than SF2, thus more fun for kids. Moves are simpler.
        * Impressive use of memory - packed as much in 8 megs as I've
        seen. The cheesy graphics of the U.S. version obscure this, tho.
        * (*) This game is a heavily modified version of Masiya's Ranma
        1/2 Part One game, with all of the character art and some of the
        background art replaced, but characters retain the same moves.
        * The original Ranma 1/2 Pt. One is much cooler. 8/10.

Street Fighter II       Capcom                      16
[The name says it all. A 92% conversion of the arcade game. 2-pl sim.
(For aliens, it's a one-on-one fighting game with replay value. 10/10.]
        * Closest to perfect thus far. Challenging fighting game with
        replay.

Strike Gunner STG       NTVIC                       8
[Really bad shooter, gameplay not bad but backgrounds are all the same.
The enemies are super repetitive and 1942-ish. 2-pl simultaneous. 5.5/10.]
        * Nice weapons and 2-pl feature, but all levels look and feel the
        same.

Super Adventure Island  Hudson Soft                 8
[Bad gameplay, very good music (Yuzo Koshiro), OK graphics,
jump/shoot/jump. Difficulty to Hudson means slipping off the edge of a
step. 6.5/10.]
        * Only for lovers of tedium. Not very fun, but is sonically good.

Super B-ball Sim. 1.000 Culture Brain               4 + Battery
[Baseball game, badly refined graphics and sounds typical of Culture Brain
but good gameplay and concepts. Ultra league lets you have "super"
players. 7/10.]
        * Special players can use neat disappearing balls or missile bats,
        good.

Super B-Bl. Sim. Pt. 2  Culture Brain [Japan]       4 + Battery
[Baseball sequel to above game, with much better programming in everything
possible. Graphics aren't SBL2 but Ultra players make it equal. 8/10.]
        * Worth purchasing for baseball fans - long term value for them.

Super Bases Loaded      Jaleco                      8
[Baseball game with more visual punch than most others, takes a Japanese
camera angle. Sounds are average, gameplay is OK, but lacks season +
options.  6.5/10.]
        * Major failing is lack of standard features of most baseball
        games.

Super Bases Loaded 2    Jaleco                      8 + Battery
[I like it! I like it! SNES' best baseball game with great music and very
nice graphic stuff (including close-ups), challenging gameplay! 8/10.]
       * Adds new bat positioning mechanism, great close-ups, neat crowd
       noise. The bat movement makes it harder on the player because of
       the camera angle.

Super Battletank: WITG  Absolute                    4
[Digitized scenes melded with OK tank simulation. Not what I define as
real fun, but for simulation freaks - ?. Digitizing is good, other stuff
is not. 6/10.]
        * Stuff to do but I don't like it. In-Game visuals don't impress
        at all.

Super Big Sumo          Namcot [Japan]              8
[A cute Namco-art style Sumo game. The moves are there, it's not really
all that fun in my mind but has good graphics and sounds. Not long term.
7.5/10.]
        * No salt thrown? What's the deal? Not enough diversity for me.
        * But... Can be a good 2-player game.

Super Bikkuriman        Interbec/Toho [Japan]       8
[A supremely weak 2-pl. sim SF2 clone based on some Japanese cartoon.
Everything except character size is bad, and that's OK. Why bother,
Interbec...? 5.5/10.]
        * Like Japanese art? Don't mind if play sucks? Maybe it's for you.
        Well, even then, the art isn't that great.

Super Black Bass        Hot-B                       8 + Battery
[For what it is, it's great. Choose your lure, move the boat, nice visual
FX and hokey country music at the opening. If you like to sit in your
living room and pretend you're fishing... Well, this is the game. I
think. 7.5/10.]
        * It does what a fishing game should do. Is that enough for an 8?
        * I played it more than I had expected to play it. I'm sorry.

Super Bowling           Tradewest/Technos/Athena    4
[Bowling. Not Neo-Geo quality, but not bad. 4-player, neat options.
7.5/10.]
        * It's not bad but unfortunately doesn't have long term value.

Super Boxxle            Pack In Video [Japan]       4
[An OK puzzle game where you push boxes around to manuever them into spots
on the floor. OK theme but extremely repetitive, nice opening tho.
6.5/10.]
        * Same game was out for the Genesis 4 years ago as Shove It,
        aptly...

Super Buster Brothers   Capcom                      4
[Shooter/action arcade game where you shoot balls falling from the sky.
Good art and music, challenge is good, a little repetitive but not bad.
8/10.]
        * Would have been great if it had arcade's 2-pl. sim. option.
        * Looks easy and stupid, really is fun with variety of powerups.

Super Double Dragon     Tradewest/Technos           8
[Fighting game with use of all 6 buttons. REAL good for a fighting game.
Nice gameplay and neat moves, "block" idea great. Good 2-pl. sim. action.
8/10.]
        * Gets a thumbs up for moves, thumbs down for repetitivity.
        * Japanese version has better options and better opening, too.
        Music is rematched to different levels, not as good as US matches.

Super EDF               Jaleco                      8
[An arcade shooter. Good graphics and sounds. Underrated. Good weapons.
Good backgrounds. Bosses of attrition-type. 7.5/10.]
        * Has good feel and some neat stuff going for it. Try renting it
        first. A good cheap purchase.

Super F1 Circus         Nihon Bussan/Lotus [Japan]  8 + Battery
[Overhead driving game with rotation, licensed by Lotus (car company),
good but not great. Options are confusing. I wouldn't buy it, but i'd try
it. 7.5/10.]
        * Rotation is good, many tracks. If it was 2-players, it'd be
        great.

Super F1 Circus Limited Nihon Bussan [Japan]        8 + Battery
[Same as above with new driving teams which may be actual F1 teams. Same
as above in play value. 7.5/10.]
        * Almost the same as above game. Same complaints.

Super F1 Hero           Varie Soft [Japan]          8
[A really good 3-D driving game. Good options, play is good for a racer.
Large sprites, too (relatively). Sounds OK, good graphics. Solid 8/10.]
        * Better than most other drivers (not F-Zero). SNES Super Monaco
        GP.

Super Fire Pro Wrest. 2 Human [Japan]               8
[Looks a lot like cancelled Sega "The Body" Wrestling. Smallish sprites in
a 3/4 view wrestler, graphics/sounds are sad, many moves. 4-pl. sim.
7/10.]
        * I wouldn't recommend it unless you're real desperate. Many
        modes, but it doesn't matter when the game doesn't feel right. Not
        like WWF.
        * Gets credit for supporting 4-pl. simultaneous (buy a MultiTap).

Super Ghouls and Ghosts Capcom                      8
[One of my faves. Ultimate difficulty action game, sequel to arcade game.
Has great backgrounds, animation and good music, good play. Slowdown
hurts. 9/10.]
        * It gets a 9 primarily because of challenge. A great game,
        though!

Super Mario Kart        Nintendo                    4 + Battery
[Slower F-Zero go-karting game with Mario characters. 2-pl. sim. Lots of
options and modes, perfect for kids. Mix of Mario + driving. Not for
speeders. 8.5/10.]
        * For kids, it gets a 9.5 or more. Fun for people who like SMB
        play.
        * Sprite psuedo-scaling has problems in battle mode. Not as
        intense as F-Zero, which was F-Zero's strongest quality.

Super Mario World       Nintendo                    4 + Battery
[Sequel in SMB series. Action and puzzle game with 96 levels, mix of
difficulty levels with good animation but basic graphics, OK music and
strong play. 9/10.]
        * If you like the style of Mario games, this is excellent. If
        not... Don't hate Mario just because it's fashionable to hate
        him - try the game and enjoy.

Super Off-Road          Tradewest                   4
[Arcade title with snazzed up SNES graphics, 2-pl. simul., neat music.
They could have just done the exact arcade game, but did more. 7.5/10.]
        * Has some good enhancements to the arcade game. Could use new
        cars.

Super Play Action FBL.  Nintendo                    8 + Battery
[3/4 Perspective football game with OK play - passing is tough, graphics
aren't special, sounds are OK, nice map option and other options. Not
best. 7.5/10.]
        * Title screen and options are better than the play...

Super R-Type            Irem                        8
[Strategic shooter. Mix of oft-duplicated arcade game and its successor,
adds better graphics, powerups and great music. Play is great but slows
down. 8/10.]
        * Would be the premier shooter for SNES if there was no slowdown.
        Hard.

Super Scope 6           Nintendo                    8
[Peripheral bazooka gun comes with six in one cartridge. Games are
reasonably diverse; graphics and sounds are OK. Peripheral: 7/10. Game:
7.5/10.]
        * Gun itself has two problems. First, the gun itself is huge,
        requiring lots of space between you and the TV. Second, the
        sighting in some of the games is done with a scope on the gun
        which forces you to squint: uncomfortable. Luckily, some games now
        have on-screen cursors.
        * 6-in-1 cart is far better than a "Duck Hunt" cart would have
        been.
        * Gun seems to be made well, feels right. Many good games = good
        gun.

Super Smash T.V.        Acclaim/LJN/Beam            4
[Arcade shoot/action, missing levels but retains most. Has awesome voices
from the arcade, bosses and graphics are nearly perfect. 2-pl. sim.
8.5/10.]
        * Shooter lovers must try it. Totally challenging and semi-
        dynamic.

Super Soccer            Nintendo/Human              8
[It's the only soccer game for the system to use Mode 7 for any real
purpose, has reasonable sounds and play. Good options, reasonably fun.
7.5/10.]
        * It feels like a Human game, not as fun as a Nintendo one.

Super Soccer Champ      Taito                       4
[A very competant soccer game without Mode 7, but it's translated well
from the arcade game. Lots of "moves" with your player and good animation.
7.5/10.]
        * It plays a game of soccer as good as S.S. and Goal.

Super Star Wars         JVC/Sculptured              8
[System selling action/shooting/driving/flying game. Overall excellent.
Has levels with Landspeeder, X-Wings AND Luke/Han/Chewy. Great cinemas,
too. 9/10.]
        * A lot of diversity. Any game player should like it. Uses SNES
        100%.

Super Tennis            Nintendo/Tonkin House       4
[First SNES tennis, best doubles matches, OK graphics + good sounds.
7.5/10.]
        * Fun game, preferred choice for doubles games. Not visually
        great.

Super Tetris + Bombliss Bullet Proof Software       8 + Battery
[One of Jer's faves. 2-pl. simultaneous. A very nice version of the
Nintendo Tetris license with new modes and a new Tetris with bombs. GREAT!
9.5/10.]
        * Tetris can only be improved upon at this point by adding more
        variants like Bombliss and better graphics. If the graphics were
        mindblowing, it would get a 10. As it is, it has options and great
        long-term value.
        * Bombliss Puzzle Mode: Could be a game all by itself. Totally
        great.

Super Valis IV          Atlus/Telenet/Laser Soft    8
[Action; sequel to TG-CD/Sega Valis series. Graphics sometimes good,
sometimes weak. For a platform game, it really wears the idea thin. Sounds
are OK. 7/10.]
        * Lighter on cinemas than others, play still = jump/attack/jump.

Super Wrestlemania      Acclaim/LJN                 8
[WWF licensed wrestling game, has digitized graphics (impressive) and
sounds. Plays well for a wrestling game, but each character has same
moves. 7.5/10.]
        * Everything is good except lack of moves. A good rental.

Syvalion                Toshiba EMI [Japan]         8
[Player is a metallic dragon in mazes, has flame-breath. Interesting,
7.5/10]
        * Somewhat original ideas but isn't a purchasable title in my
        mind.

T.M.N.T. IV             Konami                      8
[2-pl. sim. conversion of super TMNT II arcade game. 10 levels. A little
easy, but has dynamic animation and sounds, great backgrounds too.
8.5/10.]
        * Two button fighting games don't get much better. Great rental.

Test Drive II: The Duel Ballistic/Accolade          8
[No, sir. Don't like it. Translation of an old computer game with options
and graphics commensurate. Sounds are a little better. Nothing new/great.
6.5/10.]
        * Uh, guys... Why did you bother? We said part THREE, not part
        TWO.

3 x 3 Eyes              Yutaka/Bandai [Japan]       8 + Battery
[An OK appearing RPG based on a Japanese cartoon series. Graphics are good
in gameplay, nice cinemas occasionally and OK music, no rating because of
language.]
        * No reason for fans of the series to get the RPG. Not enough art.

Thunder Spirits         Toshiba EMI                 8
[Horrible copy of Technosoft's Genesis Thunder Force 3 shooter. Awesome
graphics and sounds reduced to trash by bad programming. Play is only OK.
5/10.]
        * Loved the original, hated the copy. Not good enough to rent.

Tiny Toons Adventure    Konami                      8
[Probably the best kids' action game around (if you hack the passwords).
Good graphics, sounds and play - difficulty spotty (some parts
frustrating). 8/10.]
        * Easy password feature = auto level select. Skip frustrating
        levels.
        * Very cute and makes good use of Warner Brothers licensed
        cartoons.
        * Multiple endings great, new levels for advanced players are
        great.

TKO Super Champ Boxing  Sofel                       4
[Early SFC boxing effort came out too late in U.S. to be even average.
Very few moves, so-so graphics + sounds (better before game began), plays
bad. 6/10.]
        * There seems to be no point to it. OK options have no place here.

Tom and Jerry           Hi-Tech Expressions         4
[Good use of a license for a decidedly kids game. Graphics are cute and
play mechanics are pretty good, some sounds are annoying. Has diversity.
7/10.]
        * Probably the best kids action game out there if you don't want
        to screw with the Tiny Toons password feature. Raise the score for
        kids.

Top Gear                Kemco                       4
[2-pl. sim. driving game which uses no scaling. Graphics are good but
animation's jerky, sounds and options are good. 2-pl. feature great!
7.5/10.]
        * Choice not to use scaling made it unique. Can't wait for TG2.

True Golf: Pebble Beach T&E Soft                    8 + Battery
[Very nice golf game with mix of polygons and bitmaps. Good music, nice
play mechanics for a golf game, good options. Second best golf on system.
8/10.]
        * It feels right, but isn't all that dynamic. Real golf course,
        tho.

True Golf: Waialae C.C. T&E Soft                    8 + Battery
[The same as the other T&E Soft golf games with another course, the
Waialae Country Club in Hawaii. Music is a little more cheery than others.
8/10.]
        * Same comments, generally, as the others.

Ultimate Fighter        Culture Brain               12
[Fighting game with mix of 1-on-1 and plain street brawl modes, reflex
game and RPG also. Graphics have big problems but are large, sound OK,
play OK. 5.5/10.]
        * Play hurt by bad control, many concepts but none properly done.
        * Pictures deceiving, animation and scrolling done improperly.

Ultraman V1.            Bandai [Japan]              4
[Bad 1-player 1-on-1 fighting. Banpresto made it in Japan. I hate
Banpresto. Figure that one out yet? The game is slow and enemies are
dopes. 6/10.]
        * Ultraman's moves are almost childish. Not for anyone over 12.

Ultraman V2.            Bandai [US - different]     4
[Bad 1-player 1-on-1 fighting. Bandai rewrote V1 for the US and added a
little better color and enemy selection, fixed bad scaling but left dumb
CPU. 6.5/10.]
        * Ultraman's moves are almost childish. Not for anyone over 12.

U.N. Squadron           Capcom                      8
[Based on arcade shooter, good graphic conversion, tries to add choices to
the arcade game by allowing player to select levels. Nice options.
7.5/10.]
        * Plagued by early SNES game "low-intensity" problem. Good
        otherwise.

Uncharted Waters        Koei                        8 + Battery
[A not so stylish strategy RPG by Koei. Unlike their others, has a
reasonably bad opening and weak in-game characters and animation, boring
game. 6/10.]
        * If you're a fan of Spanish conquests, then consider it.
        Otherwise..

Universal Soldier       Accolade                    4
[Action/shooting game, sequel to Turrican renamed at the last minute for
the movie license. Visually and sonically it's OK, play is repetitive.
6.5/10.]
       * Game has nothing to do with the movie, collect gems? Boo
       Accolade!

Warpspeed               Ballistic                   8
[Should be called Wing Commander Jr. Space flight sim with scaling enemy
craft + multiple missions. Better enemies than WC but 1 at a time. OK
music. 7/10.]
        * Should be used as a trainer for W.C. All ships fly the same.
        * Doesn't have the cinemas of Wing Commander, nor the atmosphere.

Wheel of Fortune        Gametek                     4
[A translation of the popular game show. The interface is pretty badly
done, rotating wheel is OK, but the game is there. Not a great game, tho.
6.5/10.]
        * 3-players simultaneous and it has Vanna voice and graphics. No
        Pat.
        * Without the chance to win prizes ('cept the end), what's the
        point?

Wing Commander          Mindscape/Origin            8
[IBM PC port, space flight/battle sim with plot. Good for a computer game,
but control mechanism takes some time to adapt to. Well conceived. 8/10.]
        * Many long missions and good play. Good 3-D shooter with great
        cinemas.

Wings II: Aces High     Namco                       4
[Flight sim with strong action overtones. Nice graphics + music, good
gameplay. Has WWI feeling throughout, a favorite of renters but could be a
"buy". 8/10.]
        * WWI buffs will go nuts. Only problem: the "powerup meters" do
        nothing until you get full.

Wizardry 5              Ascii [Japan]               8 + Battery
[Good translation of IBM series RPG. Can be played in English or Japanese,
has very nice graphics and dungeon emphasis. Sounds good. Good options.
8/10.]
        * Heavy emphasis on dungeon exploring, has D&D-ish feel in
        everything.
        * Uses very nice character art and backgrounds. Dark colors
        though.
        * Can use your old characters from NES Wizardry with adapter unit.

World Class Rugby       Misawa Entertainmt. [Japan] 4
[Yes, it is world class. Has lots of options and is a nearly perfect
visual use of the SNES during the gameplay, good sounds. Tough sport but
good. 8/10.]
        * With so few Rugby games, this one is a must have for
        enthusiasts.

World League Soccer     Mindscape                   4
[Ho! Ho! This game makes NES soccer games look impressive. Graphics and
sounds are nothing to speak of, actually microscopic sprites. Boo! Boo!
4.5/10.]
        * Gets the .5 extra because it plays soccer. Doesn't use SNES.

Wordtris                Spectrum Holobyte           4
[Variant on Tetris theme using letter blocks to spell words. Has nice
digitized art and great music, but game is generally luck, not skill. 2
pl. sim. 7/10.]
        * If there was a larger "pit"/smaller letters, it'd be an 8 or
        more.
        * 2-player mode has problems - with such a small pit, hard to
        move.

X-Zone                  Kemco                       4
[Super Scope shooter, uses rotation and scaling. Intense, quality effort
with neat effects and an on-screen crosshair. Fight your way into enemy
bases. 8/10.]
        * Reminds me a little of Subroc-3D arcade game, good for a gun
        game.

Xardion                 Asmik                       8 + Battery
[Sci-fi action game with multi. characters, OK gameplay. Bad graphic work
(esp. animation) and poor music/sound, control not right. Has a plot, tho.
6.5/10.]
        * Doesn't feel right, wouldn't rent it. Don't be fooled by ads or
        box.

Y's III: Wanderers...   American Sammy              8 + Battery
[RPG Followup to PC/TG-CD Y's 1 & 2. Cinema screens are nice, music is
good but can be annoying. Good plot w/ quests, but play + graphics are
outdated. 6.5/10.]
        * Play is a rehash of Zelda II action scenes with graphics
        appropriate more for the TurboGrafx than SNES. Backgrounds are
        notably lax.
        * Sprites on the SNES don't get much smaller than this.

Zelda III               Nintendo                    8 + Battery
[Best RPG game with action overtones. Graphics, music and play are near
perfect but graphics don't use enough SNES special effects. Great items +
areas. 9/10.]
        * It's a must buy. It transcends the RPG genre with cool puzzles.


How the games were rated on a scale from 0-10:

Rating Scale: 0-3.5: Must be bad enough that I likely wouldn't have
                     bothered to try the game. If it appears on this list
                     and it's got a number in this range, feel free to
                     openly joke about it no matter how dumb your friends
                     are.

              4-4.5: This type of game teeters on the edge of being
                     completely horrible. At least it has gameplay, but
                     likely suffers in either scrolling of graphics, play
                     mechanics, control, interface, concept,
                     repetitiveness or fluidity of animation. Most 4-type
                     games have one or more of these traits. If it gets a
                     4, the "Nintendo Seal of Approval" doesn't belong on
                     it.

              5-5.5: Below average. Likely uses ideas from older games and
                     fails to improve on them, also likely has bad
                     graphics and perhaps sounds.

              6-6.5: 6.5 is about average. Games here are graphically okay
                     but are generally boring or repetitive. Good music
                     can't help (sorry, Hudson) and powerups are likely
                     drab. Not enough variation from the norm. Control
                     could hurt.

              7-7.5: If one player, these games will at least be turned on
                     more than once. They likely have sufficient graphics
                     and good gameplay, with good or better music and
                     sounds, but fail to charm me with their features or
                     lack thereof. If two player simultaneous, they'll see
                     some action but won't be favorites. A rental for
                     some. a buy for devotees.

              8:     Good enough to get play and get me excited about its
                     existence. Games at this level usually come from the
                     same companies. These are purchaseable for various
                     reasons - as showcases for the system's abilities,
                     most often. They're not great enough to keep forever
                     since they'll tire after some time, but they're
                     worth renting for a few days or buying to keep for
                     a while.

              8.5:   I'd be excited enough to call these 9's when I first
                     get them but wind up finding that they're not that
                     perfect. These must have a special sense of quality
                     that you just feel -- this number seems like a
                     minimum for Nintendo's releases, generally. These
                     games are generally ranked as they are because of
                     high-quality 2 player simultaneous modes. If not,
                     they have solid gameplay and *I* [keeper of VERY few
                     games] would consider keeping this game.
                     Rent it to see if you like it enough to buy.

              9:     Upper echelon games, no doubt. These games are surely
                     good enough to buy based on some special factors
                     like personal satisfaction and graphic appeal.
                     For me, if it's a sports title and it's here, it
                     transcends the sport's quality and is fun regardless
                     of the sport. If it's 2 players and here, it's a
                     great 2-player game.

              9.5:   Very few games make it here for a few reasons. The
                     first qualification for the near-perfect score is
                     that the game must have extended-term playability;
                     You shouldn't want to put it down for a while
                     after buying it. It also must have good options
                     to the point at which choosing one of them
                     dramatically effects the game. It should also have
                     good control, graphics, sounds and play mechanics,
                     and require skill. It should have multiple endings,
                     too.

              10:    Totally rare. Only one game I have ever played meets
                     this score. The game must require a hell of a lot of
                     skill, and should have multiple endings for better
                     players to achieve. Options are vital. If the game
                     shows the best ending on easy level, forget it. The
                     play must be refined to an edge at which people want
                     to get good. It must have great graphics and sounds,
                     but the play must be the shining point. It should
                     also have a competitive two-player feature. I can
                     envision a driving or flying game eventually meeting
                     the score, and any game with 3-D, but not an action
                     game (simple beat-em-up) of present day variety.


Quick Advice: My scoring, of course, will deviate some from your opinions.
              I like action games, especially one-on-one fighting games,
              puzzle games like Tetris, side-scrolling shooters and 3-D
              driving and flying games (including those with shooter
              overtones).

              To adjust my scoring for your preferences, add one point to
              any game in a genre which you like and I don't. Deduct one
              or one and a half points from any game in a genre I like and
              you don't. The scale isn't absolute - I try to give a game a
              reasonable chance and/or workout, but some just are really
              amazingly bad at the beginning.

              Japanese RPGs and some strategy games are not rated because
              I cannot fairly judge the storyline with my limited Japanese
              vocabulary.



The List of Alternate Names - U.S. Subtitles, Japanese and U.K. Names

If you are unable to find a game on the list, please consult this
           table for alternate names before you declare it missing.


Japanese/UK/Alternate Name      Listed As:

*ANYTHING*                      See Name Plus Super
Augusta Masters Golf            See New 3-D Golf Simulation: Augusta
Ashite no Joe                   See Joe of Tomorrow
Assault Suits Valken            See Cybernator
Area 88                         See U.N. Squadron
Bombuzal                        See Kablooey
Cameltry                        See On the Ball
Card Master                     See Arcana
Castle of Dracula               See Castlevania IV
Charge Goemon                   See Legend of the Mystical Ninja
Chodakaimura                    See Super Ghouls'n Ghosts
Contra Spirits                  See Contra III: The Alien Wars
Cyber Formula GPX               See Cyber Spin
David Crane's Amazing Tennis    See Amazing Tennis
Deadly Moves                    See Power Athlete
Defeat by the Fiery Sword       See Kendo Rage
Dino Wars                       See Dino City
Dynamite Bombuzal               See Kablooey
F-1 Exhaust Heat                See F-1 Race of Champions
Final Fantasy IV: Easy Type     See Final Fantasy II
Ganba Pro League '91            See Extra Innings
Garry Kitchen's Battletank      See Super Battletank: War in the Gulf
Garou Densetsu                  See Fatal Fury
Golden Fighter                  See Ultimate Fighter
Hansei Zaro Jiro Kun            See Spanky's Quest
Hat Trick Hero                  See Super Soccer Champ
Hiryunoken S: Golden Fighter    See Ultimate Fighter
Hotblood                        See River City Ransom 2
Jerry Boy                       See Smart Ball
Jumbo Ozaki Hole-in-One Golf    See Hole-in-One Golf
Kikikaikai Ninja                See Pocky + Rocky
Kiriku Man                      See Dirty Challenger
Krusty World                    See Krusty's Funhouse
Legend of Zelda: Link to Past   See Zelda III
Major Title                     See Irem Skins Game
Makeruna Makendou               See Kendo Rage
Masters Golf                    See New 3-D Golf Simulation: Augusta
Outer World                     See Out of this World
Pebble Beach Golf Links         See True Golf Classics: Pebble Beach Golf
Power Moves                     See Power Athlete
Pro Football                    See John Madden Football
Pro Hockey                      See NHLPA Hockey '93
Pro Tennis Tour                 See Jimmy Conners Pro Tennis Tour
Probotector       [U.K.]        See Contra 3
Psycho Dream                    See Dream Probe
Pugsley's Scavenger Hunt        See Addams Family [2]: P.S.H.
Raiden Densetsu                 See Raiden Trad
Ranma 1/2 Part One              See Street Combat (*)
Return of Double Dragon         See Super Double Dragon
Revolt of the Westicans         See Skuljagger
Rival Turf II                   See Brawl Brothers
Road Runner v. Wily Coyote      See Death Valley Rally
Royal Conquest                  See King Arthur's World
Rushing Beat                    See Rival Turf
Rushing Beat Run                See Brawl Brothers
Ryne Sandberg Plays Super B.L.  See Super Bases Loaded
SD Soccer                       See Battle Soccer
SD The Great Battle 2           See Last Fighter Twin
Shanghai II                     See Dragons Eye Super Shanghai
Shiyodai Netsu Ketsu Kouha
    Kunioken                    See River City Ransom 2
Soul Blader                     See Soul Blazer
Stories from 46 Million Yrs Ago See Evo
Super *ANYTHING*                See Name Minus "Super"
Super Aleste                    See Space Megaforce
Super Cup Soccer                See Goal!
Super Dunk Shot                 See NCAA Basketball
Super Formation Soccer          See Super Soccer
Super Pang                      See Super Buster Brothers
Super Professional Baseball     See Super Bases Loaded
Super Linear Ball               See Space Football
Super SWIV                      See Firepower 2000
Super Ultra Baseball            See Super Baseball Simulator 1.000
Syonen Ashibe Gomachan No
Yuuenchi...                     See Ashibe's Amusement Park Adventure
TMNT: Turtles in Time           See TMNT IV (4)
Tomorrow's Joe                  See Joe of Tomorrow
Top Racer                       See Top Gear
Ultimate Football               See Football Fury
Ultra Baseball Jitsuoipan       See Super Baseball Sim. 1.000 Pt. 2
Volleyball Twin                 See Dig and Spike Volleyball
Waialae Golf                    See True Golf Classics: Waialae
Wanderers from Y's              See Y's 3


Company Scoring:

           The following list is intended to help you guess the quality of
           future releases by any given company which has released two or
           more games on the list. Listed: Company's name, number of games
           I've rated by them, highest and lowest scores, and average
           score.
           You can estimate scores of new releases by looking at the
           company's past highs, lows, and averages.


Company Name:           Games:          High:           Low:
Avg:

Absolute                2               8.5             6
7.25
Acclaim                 9               9               5.5
7.11
Activision              2               8.5             8.5
8.5
American Sammy          3               8               6.5
7.17
Asmik                   2               6.5             5.5
6
Atlus                   3               7               4
5
Ballistic (Accolade)    2               7               6.5
6.75
Bandai/Banpresto        7               7.5             5
6.22
Bullet Proof Software   3               9.5             7
8
Capcom                  8               10              7
8.19
Culture Brain           4               8               5.5
6.88
Data East               2               8               6
7
Electro Brain           2               7.5             3
5.25
Electronic Arts         8               8.5             4
7.19
Enix                    3               9               7.5
8.5
Gametek                 2               7.5             6.5
7
HAL America             3               6.5             4.5
5.67
Hi-Tech Expressions     2               7               6.5
6.75
Hudson Soft             5               8.5             3
6.60
Human                   3               7.5             6.5
6.83
Interplay               2               9               7
8
Irem*                   4               8.5             5.5
7.25
Jaleco                  7               8               6.5
7.21
JVC                     2               9               8.5
8.75
K. Amusement (Japan)    2               7.5             6.5
7
Kaneco                  2               8.5             7
7.75
Kemco                   5               8               6
7
Koei                    4               8               6
6.13
Konami                  11              9 (+)           7.5
8.36
Mindscape               5               8.5             4
6.5
Namco(t)                6               8               7
7.25
Natsume                 2               8               7
7.5
NTVIC                   2               8               5.5
6.75
Nihon Bussan (Japan)    2               7.5             7.5
7.5
Nintendo                14              9.5             7
8.24
Ocean                   5               9               7.5
7.9
Parker Brothers         2               8               7.5
7.75
Seta                    3               8.5             4
6.5
Sofel                   2               7.5             6
6.75
Sony Imagesoft          4               7.5             6
6.88
Square Soft             2               8               5.5
6.75
Sunsoft                 5               8.5             6
7.7
T+E Soft                3               8               8
8
Taito                   4               8.5             7.5
7.88
Takara                  4               8.5             4.5
6.75
Tecmo                   2               7               6
6.5
Toho                    2               7               7
7
Toshiba EMI             2               7.5             5
6.25
T*HQ (Toy Headquarters) 6               6.5             5
5.58
Tradewest               7               8.5             6
7.64

If the average score is over eight, you can generally count on being
satisfied by anything you buy from the company. Below that, rent the game
first.

* Irem's Street Combat release was made worse by conversion to US
standards. Pick up the higher rated Ranma 1/2 Pt. 1 instead. [Both are
listed under S.C.]


"Jer's Recommended" Games.

           These games are the best the SNES has to offer. Viewed by
           genre, you can pick the ones best for your needs.
           [Sorry if that sounds like an English-language Japanese ad.]

Action

Title                   Producer                    Megs + Config.

Actraiser               Enix                        6 + Battery
[Action w/RPG. 9/10.] [Reasonable # of levels, difficulty is too easy.]
[Graphically musically superb. Like Rastan. Has a fun Populous game too.]
        * Recommended for straight action fans. Populous part is
        unimportant.

Addams Family, the      Ocean                       8
[Action/Mario elements. 8/10.] [Many levels, average challenge, password.]
[High quality graphically and sonically. Play has more action than Mario.]
        * Recommended for Mario lovers who want stronger action overtones.

Addams Family: P.S.H.   Ocean                       8
[Action/Mario elements. 9/10.] [OK # of levels, above avg. challenge.]
[Graphics and sounds are of excellent quality. Very good action game.]
        * Recommended for skilled action players who like Mario.

Blues Brothers          Titus                       4
[Action, 2-pl. simul. 9/10.] [Many levels, good difficulty level.]
[Sound is excellent quality, graphics are high qual. Strong action. F.F.]
        * Recommended for shooter lovers and Mario lovers who want action.

Evo                     Enix/Gameplan 21            12 + Battery
[Action. 9/10.] [Many levels, moderate difficulty increases.]
[Sounds are very high quality, graphics are above average. Good action.]
        * Recommended for any age player, starts easy and gets very good.

Kendo Rage              Seta                        8
[Action. 8.5/10.] [Good # of levels, good level of difficulty. No FF.]
[Sounds and graphics are of very high quality, very good sword action.]
        * Recommended for those who like sword-carrying action games.

Magical Quest w/ Mickey Capcom                      8
[Action. 9/10.] [Reasonable number of levels, difficulty is light.]
[Graphics are of very high quality, sounds are above average. Diverse.]
        * Recommended for people who like slight Mario edge to action.

Spiderman and the X-Men Acclaim/LJN/Sculptured      8
[Action. 9/10.] [Excellent number of levels, challenge is very high, fun.]
[Graphics are of good quality, sounds are excellent. Lots of skill/tech.]
        * Recommended for fans of strong action. Lots of types of action.

Super Ghouls and Ghosts Capcom                      8
[Action. 9/10.] [Reasonable number of levels, challenge level super high.]
[Graphics are excellent, sounds are of high quality. Skill + timing, F.F.]
        * Recommended for strong action fans, people who love tough games.

Tiny Toon Adventures    Konami                      8
[Action. 8/10.] [Very reasonable number of levels, challenge adjustable.]
[Graphics and sounds are of high quality, some skill + but fun. Some F.F.]
        * Highly recommended for kids, fans of the series.


Action/Puzzle

Out of this World       Interplay/Delphine          8
[Action/Puzzle. 9/10.] [Reasonable # of scenes, difficulty is avg/high.]
[Graphics / sounds are excellent. Play requires thought and timing, F.F.]
        * Recommended for people who like thought and action equally.

Prince of Persia        Konami/Masiya/NCS           8
[Action/Puzzle. 9/10.] [20+ levels (8+ more than PC), challenge high.]
[Graphics/sounds are high quality. Play requires thought / timing. F.F.]
        * Recommended for people who like action first, thought second.

Action/Shooting

Contra III              Konami                      8
[Action/Shooting, 2-pl. sim. 9/10.] [Too few levels, difficulty aboveavg.]
[Graphics and sound are of high quality, play requires some skill/timing.]
        * Recommended for action lovers who like shooting, too.

Cybernator              Konami/Masiya               8
[Action/Shooting. 9+/10.] [Great # of levels and difficulty settings.]
[Graphics and sounds are excellent, play requires skill and intelligence.]
        * Not a 9.5 only because of "long-term" factor - I love it
        totally.

Mechwarrior             Activision                  8 + Battery
[Action/Shooting/RPG. 8.5/10.] [Lots of missions, high difficulty.]
[Graphics and sounds are excellent, play requires skill and strategy.]
        * Interface takes time to master. Rec'd for challenge lovers.

Super Smash T.V.        Acclaim/LJN/Beam            4
[Action/Shooting. 2-pl. sim. 8.5/10.] [OK # of levels, challenge high.]
[Graphics / sounds are excellent. Timing, reflexes needed. A little F.F.]
        * Recommended for high-intensity shooter fans who like action.
        * Highly recommended for 2-player game needs.

Super Star Wars         JVC/Sculptured              8
[Action/Shooting/Flying. 9/10.] [Excellent # of levels, challenge avg.]
[Graphics and sounds are superb. Lots of shooting, little timing + F.F.]
        * Recommended for action fans who like shooting. Flying adds to
        both.


Action/Fighting

Batman Returns          Konami                      8
[Action/Fighting. 8.5/10.] [Great number of levels, above avg. challenge.]
[Graphics/sounds are superb. Some skill required, perhaps more than avg.]
        * Recommended for movie fans, fans of fighting games in general.

Return of Double Dragon Technos Japan               8
[Action/Fighting. 2-pl. sim. 8/10.] [Reasonable # levels, challenge avg.]
[Graphics are good quality, sounds are high quality. More skill than avg.]
        * Recommended for series fans, more intelligent fighting fans.

Sonic Blast Man         Taito                       8
[Action/Fighting. 8/10.] [OK # of levels w/ bonuses, challenge light.]
[Graphics are of high quality, sounds are of good quality. Little skill.]
        * Recommended for fighting lovers who like simple, comical action.

T.M.N.T. IV             Konami                      8
[Action/Fighting. 2-pl. sim. 8.5/10.] [Excellent # levels, too easy.]
[Graphics/sounds are excellent. Little skill/technique, strong fighting.]
        * Recommended for characters' fans, simple action lovers.
        * Highly recommended for 2-player game needs.


One on One Fighting

Fatal Fury              Takara/SNK                  12
[Fighting, 2-pl. sim. 8.5/10.] [Good # chars, many moves, control good.]
[Graphics are of excellent quality, sounds are high qua. Response req'd.]
        * Recommended for fighting fans who have SF2 + don't mind OK
        control.
        * Recommended for 2-player needs.

Power Athlete           Kaneko                      8
[Fighting, 2-pl. sim. 8.5/10.] [Good # chars, few moves, control good.]
[Graphics are very high quality, sounds are high quality. Response req'd.]
        * Recommended for fighting fans who have SF2, want easy to learn
        game.
        * Highly recommended for 2-player needs.

Street Fighter II       Capcom                      16
[Fighting. 2-pl. sim. 10/10.] [Very good # chars, perfect moves/control.]
[Graphics are superb, sound is excellent, thought req'd + challenge good.]
        * Recommended for all skill and action fans, want long term
        obsession.
        * Highly recommended for 2-player needs.


Shooting

Axelay                  Konami                      8
[Shooting. 8.5/10] [Too few levels, challenge is above average.]
[Graphics and music are of very high quality. Some skill, some reflexes.]
        * Recommended for overhead and side-scrolling fans who can't
        choose.

Desert Strike: RTTG     Electronic Arts/Vis. Conc.  8
[Shooter/Strategy. 8.5/10.] [OK # of levels, above average challenge.]
[Graphics and sounds are of good quality. Play requires thought / skill.]
        * Recommended for strategy fans who like shooting second.

Pocky and Rocky         Natsume                     8
[Shooter/Walking. 2-pl. sim. 8/10.] [OK number of levels, high challenge.]
[Graphics are good quality, sounds of very good quality. Req's reflexes.]
        * Recommended for shooting fans + action fans. Highly for fans of
        both.
        * Highly recommended for 2-player needs.

Space Megaforce         Toho/Compile                8
[Shooting. 9/10.] [Excellent # of levels, challenge is above average.]
[Graphics are very high quality, music is of high quality. Need reflexes.]
        * Recommended for all shooting fans, especially overhead.

StarFox                 Nintendo                    8 + SFX Chip
[Shooting. 9/10.] [Excellent # of levels, challenge is above average.]
[Graphics and music are of very high quality. Reflexes and skill req'd.]
        * Recommended for shooter fans who like 3-D perspective +
        animation.

Super Buster Brothers   Capcom                      4
[Shooter/Action. 8/10.] [Excellent # of levels, challenge is variable.]
[Graphics are of high quality, music is good quality. Thought/reflexes.]
        * Recommended for reflex-testing shooter fans, action secondary.

Super SWIV              Coconuts Japan              8
[Shooting. 8.5/10.] [Reasonable number of levels, challenge is high.]
[Graphics are high quality, sound is of good quality. Thought/reflexes.]
        * Recommended for lovers of slower-scrolling but intense shooters.
        * Highly recommended for 2-player needs.

Wing Commander          Mindscape/Origin            8
[Shooting/Strategy. 8/10.] [Excellent number of levels, challenge is high.]
[Graphics and sounds are of good quality. Much thought / skill required.]
        * Recommended for people who like strategy and shooting equally.


Sports

Amazing Tennis          Absolute/David Crane        8
[Sports, 2-pl. sim. 8.5/10] [Reasonable # of options, variable challenge.]
[Graphics and sounds are excellent. Reflexes and skill are required.]
        * Recommended for tennis fans and reflex test lovers.

Dig and Spike V-Ball    Hudson Soft                 8 + Battery
[Sports. 2-pl. sim. 8.5/10.] [Excellent options, varying tech./challenge.]
[Graphics excellent, sounds are of good quality. Requires skill + timing.]
        * Recommended for volleyball fans and reflex-oriented gamers.
        * Highly recommended for 2-player needs.

F-Zero                  Nintendo                    4 + Battery
[Sports/Driving. 9.5/10.] [Great # of options, variable(good) challenge.]
[Graphics are excellent quality, sounds are high quality. Reflex/Skill.]
        * Recommended for driving fans, fans of any type of 3-D movement.

Irem Skins Game         Irem                        8
[Sports/Golf. 8.5/10.] [Good # of options and holes, average challenge.]
[Graphics / sounds are of good quality. Requires some reflexes, strategy.]
        * Recommended for golf fans, those who need medium intensity golf.

King of Rally, the      Tradewest/Meldac            8
[Sports/Driving. 8/10.] [Good # of options, average challenge level.]
[Graphics and sounds are good quality. Requires some reflexes, thought.]
        * Recommended for driving fans who prefer less intensity, more
        strategy.

NCAA Basketball         Nintendo/HAL Labs           8 + Battery
[Sports, 2-pl sim. 9/10.] [Great # of teams / options + good challenge.]
[Graphics/sounds are superb quality. Requires skill, strategy, reflexes.]
        * Recommended for almost anyone, especially basketball fans.

Nigel Mansell's F-1...  Gremlin Graphics            8 + Battery
[Sports/Driving. 8.5/10.] [Very nice # of options, above avg. challenge.]
[Graphics and sounds are of excellent quality. Requires skill, reflexes.]
        * Recommended for medium-intensity driving fans who prefer
        realism.

Pilot Wings             Nintendo                    4
[Sports/Flight. 9/10.] [Great # of levels/vehicles, increas. challenge.]
[Graphics are high quality, sounds are of good quality. Requires skill.]
        * Recommended for flight lovers, fans of any type of 3-D movement.

Pro Quarterback         Tradewest                   8
[Sports/Football, 2-pl. sim. 8.5/10.] [Good # of options, good challenge.]
[Graphics are superb, sounds are excellent. Requires some strategy.]
        * Recommended for football fans, also some action fans.

Super Bases Loaded 2    Jaleco                      8 + Battery
[Sports, 2-pl. sim. 8/10.] [Reasonable number of options, good challenge.]
[Graphics and sounds are of very high quality. Requires skill / reflexes.]
        * Highly recommended for baseball fans.

Super BBall Sim 1.000 2 Culture Brain               4 + Battery
[Sports, 2-pl. sim. 8/10.] [Very good number of options, good challenge.]
[Graphics and sounds are above avg. Requires some skill + reflexes.]
        * Recommended for Baseball fans who want diversity + new options.

Super Mario Kart        Nintendo                    4 + Battery
[Sports/Driving/Combat, 2-pl. sim. 8.5/10.] [OK # of options, challenge.]
[Graphics are very good quality, sounds of good quality. Requires skill.]
        * Recommended for Mario fans and fans of less intense driving
        games.

True Golf Classics      T&E Soft                    8 + Battery
[Sports/Golf. 8/10.] [Choose from any in the series, all are well done.]
[Graphics are high quality, sounds are good quality. Strategy + timing.]
        * Highly recommended for golf fans.

Wings II: Aces High     Namco                       4
[Sports/Flight/Shooting. 8/10.] [Good # levels, good challenge + PW.]
[Graphics are high quality, sounds are very high quality. Reflexes req'd.]
        * Recommended for flight fans, shooter fans and World War One
        fans.


Miscellaneous

Aerobiz                 Koei                        8 + Battery
[Strategy. 8/10.] [Not many options, definable challenge, good interface.]
[Graphics and sounds are of high quality. Requires thought + strategy.]
        * Highly recommended for computer-style strategy lovers.
        * Does have a 4-player mode, like a board game.

Cameltry/On the Ball    Taito                       8
[Timing Puzzle. 8.5/10.] [Neat options, great challenge, PW feature.]
[Graphics and sounds are good quality. Requires thought and timing. F.F.]
        * Recommended for puzzle lovers who also like fast action.

Dragons Eye: Shanghai 2 Activision                  8
[Puzzle/Strategy. 8.5/10.] [Many great options, layouts, great challenge.]
[Best visual and sonic Mahjongg thus far. Thought/strategy.]
        * Highly recommended for any type of puzzle fan.

Jaki Crush              Naxat [Japan]               8
[Pinball. 8/10.] [Few options, but great pinball machine layout/feel.]
[Excellent pinball game which misses "superb" because of low intensity.]
        * Highly recommended for pinball fans, recommended for others too.

King Arthur's World     Jaleco/Argonaut             8
[Puzzle/Strategy/Action. 8/10.] [Good number of options, many levels.]
[Well designed strategy/puzzle game. High qual. asthetics, req's thought.]
        * Recommended for fans of Lemmings, action/puzzle lovers.

Mario Paint             Nintendo                    8 + Battery
[Painting/Music/Game. 8/10.] [Not enough colors, good features for kids.]
[Music editor is nice but not good enough, very good paint / anim. tools.]
        * Recommended for educational purposes, aspiring artists.

Rampart                 Electronic Arts/Atari       4
[Puzzle/Action/Strategy. 8.5/10.] [Great options, features, challenge.]
[Graphics are good quality, sounds are excellent. Timing/skill/strategy.]
        * Recommended for Tetris fans who like shooting and skill.

Super Tetris + Bombliss Bullet Proof Software       8 + Battery
[Puzzle/Strategy, 2-pl. sim. 9.5/10.] [Superb options/features/challenge.]
[Graphics and sounds are good quality, play is superb. Skill + strategy.]
        * Highly recommended for Tetris and puzzle fans. Long term value.


RPG

Dungeon Master          JVC                         8 + Battery
[RPG/Dungeon. 8.5/10.] [Great choice of characters, high challenge.]
[Graphics are high quality, sounds are good quality. Management + Combat.]
        * Recommended for dungeon/quest fans who like learning + applying.

Zelda III               Nintendo                    8 + Battery
[RPG/Action. 9/10.] [Great # of items and weapons, challenge just right.]
[Graphics and sounds are of high quality. Reflexes, skill + strategy.]
        * Recommended for action fans who like RPGs second.



[F.F.] = Frustration Factor; continual death until successful.
Levels of quality: Good/High(Very Good)/Very High/Excellent/Superb
Levels of difficulty: Too easy/light/moderate/avg/above avg/high/
                      very high/extremely high



The following is a recent addendum to the list containing some of the more
recent titles for the SNES and Super Famicom. Please note that the number
reviews here have not been factored into the Company Scoring chart, nor
have they been added to the list of Recommended games.

SNES All-Games Review List
-- Recent Games Supplement --

Title                   Producer                    Megs + Config.

Alien3                  Acclaim/Probe               8
[The best all-around action/shooting game for the system. Wonderful
animation of all characters; Ripley is more than Prince of Persia quality,
graphics are all-around great, as are sounds and highly challenging + fun
play. 9/10.]
        * Close to 9.5/10. Again, not long term, but it has some amazing
        visuals which *are* the visions in the movie. Highly recommended.

Aliens vs. Predator     Activision                  8
[Amazingly horrible action game based on the comic series. While the
graphics are above average, there are few enemies, repetitive backgrounds
and really weak punch-walk-punch gameplay. Even fans of the comic should
avoid it. 5/10.]
        * The cinemas are not bad, nor is the animation.. The play is
        death.
        * Play as the Predator, fight the Aliens... why no one-on-one
        fight? (No points detracted for that, though.)

Biometal                Activision/Athena           8
[Among the best SNES shooters; probably the best side-scrolling one out
there. An creative weapon system makes it fun; tough and has great
graphics. 9/10.]
        * Amazing amount of activity on screen for a SNES title - LOTS.
        * Beautiful backgrounds accompanied by a terrific soundtrack.

Bizyland                Seta                        4
[See CACOMA KNIGHT. 5/10.]
B.O.B.                  Electronic Arts/Gray Matter 8
[A comical robot action game with light-rap background music and good
sprite animation. Doesn't feel quite right but has some neat features.
7.5/10.]
        * It's a little too easy and there isn't enough unique about it.
        The individual cool points (and there are some) aren't enough to
        sell it.
        * B.O.B.'s animation does deserve some points, as does the plot.

Breath of Fire          Capcom (Japan)              12 + Battery
[Capcom's excellent (I think) RPG. Characters and backgrounds are really
nice, plot seems to be good from what I could read, battles are neat. No
rating.]
        * Translate it into English! It appears to be among the best
        console RPGs as far as use of home system capabilities; neat
        plotline.

Bubsy: Claws Encounters Accolade/Ballistic          16
[A good Sonic-style platform action game with cute "death" animations for
the main character. Repetitive but neat backgrounds, good music + sound.
8.5/10.]
        * 16 Megs are mostly used for player animations, long/semi-
        understandable voices.
        * A good diversion, but not a perfect or especially addicting
        title.

Cool World              Ocean                       8
[Among Ocean's worst action games. Bad player control, irritating music
and pixelized visuals hurt a game which has some unique play mechanics.
6.5/10.]
        * The license will sell more copies than the gameplay (movie).
        * The levels aren't bad, and the world maps/characters are well
        done.

Devil's Course Golf     T+E Soft (Japan)            8 + Battery
[An intentionally unrealistic golf course with surreal challenges. Golf
up a mountain or through some of the most amazing polygon courses to
date. T+E's new interface is still imperfect, but this is a terrific
playing game. 8.5/10.]
        * Like a "Zany Golf" game with great terrain and polygons mixed
        with bitmaps. Nice music.
        * Seeing the ball go up and down a mountain with polygon redraw
        is hellish. A slight lag problem in that regard.

Doomsday Warrior        Renovation                  8
[See BRASS NUMBERS - 6.5/10]

Dracula                 Sony Imagesoft/Psygnosis    8
[Mediocre attempt at an action/slashing game. Based on the movie, has
almost nothing to do with it, bad animation, OK character size +
backgrounds. Sounds aren't great either, and it's too easy. Not exactly a
winning combo. 6.5/10.]
        * There just wasn't any point to making this game except for the
        name.

Dragonball Z II [2]     Bandai (Japan)              16
[A reasonable one-on-one fighting game based on Japanese comic. Characters
are neat but not too different, isn't overly playable but lots of moves to
learn. Control isn't great, either. Does have neat air combat/split
screen. The backgrounds are not all that great, music is somewhat catchy.
7.5/10.]
        * Fans of the series should consider the game; don't expect
        anything close to SF2 playability or variety.

Equinox: Solstice 2     Sony Imagesoft              8 + Battery
[A combination of Q-Bert and Zelda 3. A 3-D perspective action/quest game
with good graphics and music, very good puzzles and gameplay. Limited
control hurts tons, since the screen is oriented one way and the joystick
another. 8.5/10.]
        * I could rate it a 9 if the controls didn't stink.
        * Fans of the Spidey/X-Men game - Software Creations wrote it.

Hit the Ice             Taito                       4
[Reasonably good translation of a fighting hockey game. Players skate
around trying primarily to attack other players, also to score goals. Bad
play, screwed-up graphics (flicker) + sounds are big problems. No fun at
all. 5/10.]
        * The arcade game rates about a 7. The play is pretty stupid,
        really.

Lost Vikings, The       Interplay                   8
[A terrific action/puzzle game with great comical touches and an abundance
of levels. Superb music, although there isn't enough of it. Challenging.
9/10.]
        * Among the few games close to a 9.5, but not long term enough...
        * Will keep most good players going for at least a full week.
        * A reasonable two-player simultaneous feature.

Ogre Battle             Quest (Japan)               12 + Battery
[A unique strategy game based on map/attack scenes and the use of tarot
cards. Visual candy galore (terrific) and nice music, interesting play. No
rating.]
        * Non-Japanese speakers will have a hard time with it. A U.S.
        version could be a big success... a really playable strategy game?
        * Beautiful 3-D mapping with realistic time-of-day color changes.

Outlander               Mindscape                   8
[A slower paced, more-involved desert version of Roadblasters. Mixes
driving and shooting scenes with action sequences - you leave your car to
side-scroll walk and punch/shoot people for supplies. Has a terrific
premise, but it's too slow and not intense enough on the SNES. Control is
only OK. 7.5/10.]
        * The Genesis version rates about a 9, with much larger sprites
        (wow) better psuedo-scaling, more intense and precise action.
        * And it feels like a scaled down version of the Genesis game...

Pop'n Twinbee           Konami (Japan)              8
[A cutesy vertical scrolling Japan-only 2-player simultaneous shooter.
Uses some Parodius characters + powerups, and is original in that sense,
but isn't overly intense or addicting. Parodius fans may like it, kids
will. 8/10.]
        * Gets the 8 because of the 2-player feature. Nothing awesome.

Ranma 1/2 #2: Hard Btl. Masiya (Japan)              12
[The sequel to what became Street Combat; funny characters and animations,
with much better color, graphics and diversity than #1. Sound is about
equal. The play hasn't improved much, although everything else has. 8/10.]
        * There are more characters, but the action isn't all that great.
        * Would get a higher score if there wasn't Tuff Enuff to compete
        with.

Run Saber               Atlus/Hori Electric Co.     8
[A blatant rip-off of Strider, but now 2-player simultaneous and musically
improved. The characters are smaller, but well animated, and the music has
some very good tunes. If the levels were densely packed with difficulty,
the game could get a really high score. Good ideas but too easy. 7.5/10.]
        * Can beat it on first or second try on "hard". Still a cool
        theme.

Shadowrun               Data East/Beam Software     8 + Battery
[Among the best RPGs ever made. Great music, terrific gameplay and a
diverse group of characters, scenes, etc. make it awesome. No tedious
battle scenes, but not an easy ride, either. Based on a 2050 AD semi-
futuristic scenario with small magical overtones. A perfect blend of
action and role-playing. 9.5/10.]
        * There are *only* two things that could have been better. Some
        spots don't have enough clues to adequately explain what to do.
        The sprites are also a little too small, although they fit
        perfectly into the world. A perfect ten would come if the
        characters were bigger, but the background art is spot-on.

Super Conflict          Vic Tokai                   8 + Battery
[One of few hexagonal strategy games, has choppy graphics and OK sounds.
Can't get into it at all, it's a modern-day air/land war combat game. No
rating.]
        * I wasn't impressed at all with what I saw, but the desperate
        fans of Hex-games might be tempted to buy it regardless. Many
        scenarios.

Super Strike Eagle      Microprose                  8
[A mix of two types of flying simulations. The first is a visually poor
first-person jet scene (done with silver skies?), second is a Mode 7
bombing mission where your plane can fly almost straight up + down. Fun,
though. A 2-player simultaneous feature lets one player be pilot, the
other a gunner. 7.5/10.]
        * "The most realistic flight simulation ever created for the Super
        NES"? Only by default.
        * Certainly not on par with their computer games.

TazMania                Sunsoft                     8
[A first-person racing game with Warner Bros.' Taz as the star. The 3-D is
generally well done, characters are great and the music is so-so. The
sounds are good. Catch X number of chicks to pass a level. Repetitive
play. 7.5/10.]
        * If you've played a few levels, you've really seen the whole
        game.
        * Some enemies come from nowhere because of psuedo-scaling /
        hills.

Toys                    Absolute                    8
[A mix of genres, shooting scenes and action scenes with reasonable
graphics and awkward control. Found the play of the first level so weak
that I didn't want to play anymore - sounds like lax reviewing but playing
the game will explain why. No number because it wouldn't be fair; first
level = 5.]
        * Nice digitized shots and some neat ideas like elephant cameras
        you shoot with a water gun; the good parts are hidden in a bad
        game.

Tuff Enuff              Jaleco                      16
[Redefines the 8.5 standard for most 1-on-1 fighting games. Although it
has 4 neat player characters and great enemies, backgrounds and
animations, you don't have enough options. Very well-done save the # of
player chars. 8.5/10.]
        * It's very playable although it's too easy (except on HARD).
        * Has a full complement of cool characters and voices, backgrounds
        in a post-war world (neat). Every 8.5 fighting game moves down a
        notch in comparison, Ranma 2 stays where it is. Good use of the
        SNES.

Ultima 6                FCI / Pony Canyon           8 + Battery
[A nice adaptation of the PC RPG classic; very nice 3/4 perspective with
detail/color, lots of things to do + very long. Text is imperfect, battles
are a good step up from old Ultima games, reasonable in comparison to
other RPG games. The interface is quite good and a good step up. 8.5/10.]
        * The fantasy theme and plotlines are very good; for expert
        RPGers.

Ultraseven              Bandai (Japan)              8
[A slightly improved version of the old Ultraman games. You can now pick
from four characters (but you can only use three of them once) and the
effects are a little better. Still an easy, limited game. 7/10.]
        * If they release 6 more games, they might work their way up to
        a perfect 10. Then again...

USA Ice Hockey          Jaleco (Japan)              8 + Battery
[At the moment, the best all-around hockey game for the SNES. Has
reasonably good action, button use; cinemas and fights are reasonable, has
some difficult computer opponents and OK 2-player options. Better than
SNES NHLPA. 8/10.]
        * Missing a lot (like real players/teams) and unnecessary slight
        rink Mode 7 just makes for slowdown. It is playable, though.

Wayne's World           T*HQ                        8
[With intermissions from the TV show and movie, the game has some
impressive graphic scenes. The actual game - action with shooting, is
repetitive and not too fun. Sound effects/music are real annoying, bad
programming. 6.5/10.]
        * It has some good humor, but the play isn't great. Some people
        will push themselves to play through some of it to see the
        intermissions.


The SNES Comprehensive (All-Games) Review List is Copyright 1993 by
Jer Horwitz. All Rights Reserved.