Past-Gen. Consoles

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Super NES Review Archive

written by Shaun McCracken

For those who want to know how games of the past fare, look no further to the Super NES archive section right here on Storm Videogames. Sure, the reviews may be shorter, but you still get the same scoring as the big reviews do, and that's really what you want to know in the end, huh?

** Later additions (after 1/05) will have a month and date alongside the title.

Act Raiser	7.75
Interesting mix of Sim City-like planning and 2-D platform action, but some players may not understand what to do or where to go next, as somewhere in the midddle of the game, the gameplay direction is a bit lost.
Act Raiser 2	7.75
The sim element is now gone, but trades it for a higher difficulty in the action stages. Sometimes too difficult for it's own good.
Arcade's Greatest Hits	7
Accurate ports of 5 Midway classics, but there's not much to come back for since you can't save scores, and I'm sure more games could have been fit on the cartridge.
Bulls Vs. Blazers	5
>A slow and plodding basketball game that luckily never saw a true sequel. If you ever wanted to see a bad EA-sports game, play this one.
California Games	4.25
Really, this is not what everyone does in California (even in the 90s), I should know. The only thing that's remotley entertaining in this game is the jetski stage.
Castlevania: Dracula X	8
This game feels and plays differently than the other games in the series, and the graphics aren't as flashy as other game relaeases around this period of time (1995). But Dracula X is an interesting game in the series, although not the most engaging.
Chrono Trigger	10
If Super Metroid is the best game on the Super NES, then Chrono Trigger ranks a very close second (if not ties for the spot). Featuring a well crafted battle system that is one-upped by Chrono Cross, Chrono Trigger is a wonderful game with a well crafted story that rivals the Zelda series. If there is anyway you have the chance to play this game, it's well worth your time.
Cyberspin [6/06]	1
This is a pointless waste of time, and I wonder why this was even made. This "racing" game seems like nothing more than just one big time trial. The controls are terrible, and combined with the speed this game puts out, it's a pretty tough feat just to complete a lap without eating wall. To make things worse, there is no save option (but a password feature), and no real options period. Leave this suckfest on the side of the road where it belongs.
Dirt Trax FX	4.5
A lofty effort to bring another polygonal racing game to the system, but it just moves way too slow and seems behind the times seeing how the Saturn and PlayStation can do 3-D environments better.
Diddy Kong Country	9
Ushered in a new style of graphics in gaming by introducing pre-rendered characters and backgrounds. It also really made a name for Rare (funny how Microsoft uses THIS game as Rare's claim to fame), as well as bring Donkey Kong back into the spotlight as a lead character. As for the game itself, it's not a bad platformer and is fairly challenging.
Donkey Kong 2: Diddy's Kong Quest	9.5
A better and improved sequel in many aspects, more challenging and more secrets to find. It doesn't stray too far from the design of the first game, just refines it.
Doom	6
If you have had a PC, chances are you've played this game. Basically ported for those who haven't played the game when it was on the PC, Jaguar, Saturn or PlayStation. Even though it uses the Super FX technology, it still doesn't do much for the game is it was pretty low res. The game also crashed quite a bit as well. Commendable effort, lacking execution.
Earthbound	7.75
Weird doesn't begin to describe the nature of this game. Full of quirky characters, plotlines, enemies and even weapons, Earthbound was an original themed RPG set in a modern time, but it's battle system was too slow and dull to really keep me interested. Originally released along with a rather usless strategy guide.
F-Zero	8.5
Where would WipeOut, Extreme G or any of the recent futuristic racers be without F-Zero. Even today, F-Zero is a highly playable, fast arcade-like racing game. Shame that the time trial was limited to only seven courses.
Faceball 2000	7.75
One of the first "first-person" shooters to ever hit a console, and an odd one at that. You go against "smiloids" in a variety of flat mazes (no elevation changes), pelting each other with balls. Not exactally a game with depth, but it did have a fun multiplayer deathmatch mode.
Family Feud	6.5
An accurate representation of the early 90's Family Feud, complete with Bullseye and main game rounds, as well as the bonus round. It's a bit limited, and questions may repeat after some time. Also, it seems like the computer knows the answers a little too well.
Gradius III	7.5
It's Gradius on the Super NES. Nothing has really changed from it's original arcade form, and sems a bit simple when compared to Super R-Type.
Home Improvement [6/06]	3
Back in the 2-D era, a lot of TV and movie licenses had games made from them, and they should have relaized that most properties don't make great games. Take Home Improvement for example. The TV series was a ratings hit for ABC in the 90's, so Absolute decided to base a game upon it. As we know, things like this go wrong. This is a basic platformer that is boring and a little frustrating due to slippery controls and bad level design. Gee, you think this was a success? About as successful as a game based upon Mr. Belvedere.
HyperZone	8
Before HAL Labratory was known for Super Smash Bros., or even Kirby, they were their own company in the late days of the NES and the early days of the SNES. HyperZone was HAL's first SNES game, as well as one of the first games on the system. It's basically an arcade shooter that looks like F-Zero. It's fun, but at only 8 stages, it's also short.
Illusion Of Gaia	8.25
I enjoyed this game, despite the fact that it was a lot like Zelda in some spots. It's a challenging adventure game, but aslo pretty linear. Once you go somewhere, you really can't go back to where you were before in an earlier stage (essentially, you're not allowed to backtrack).
Killer Instinct	8.25
Man, did the hype-machine ever go on overtime on this one. Originally supposed to appear on the N64, Nintendo and Rare really couldn't wait another year to bring this to a home console, and probably figured out that they didn't need the N64 to bring this home. It's a fairly standard fighting game with an addictive and challenging combo system to try and perfect. Funny for a game made by Nintendo, this had no battery back-up to save scores or progress. Kind of kills replay value.
Kirby's Avalanche	7.5
It's "Puyo-Puyo" with a Kirby theme. Actually, it's almost a lot like Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine on the Genesis with better color and sound.
Kirby's Dream Course	8.5
A unique way of putting out a character based game. It's miniature golf, but with a twist. You need to clear all enemies on the course to access the hole, but you can also acquire the enemie's abillities to eliminate multiple enemies and keep the ball in play.
Kirby's Super Star	8
An assortment of mini-games and short adventures, including a remake of sorts of the original Kirby's Dreamland from the Gameboy. Some games are okay and have some length, while others are just a waste of time.
(The) Legend Of Zelda : A Link To The Past	9.75
You can now see why Nintendo ported this to the GBA. It's a timeless classic that can be played quite a few times no matter when. To this day, I think this is the best Zelda game in the seies because of the gameplay and mechanics. While Ocarina of Time had some depth and more interaction, it never really felt fresh. I'm a bit cuirous why this was the only Zelda game on the system, as the NES saw two games, as well as the N64.
Last Action Hero [6/06]	0
For the first time ever on this site, for every game I have reviewed, this game recieves a score of 0. It takes a certain kind of awful to reach that score, but the idiots at Imagesoft managed to pull it off. Last Action Hero is virtually unplayable, where you have a limited set of actions against some of the most aggressive AI ever to be done for a game. This game is basically one huge "dare", to see if you can actually complete the first stage. I've been playing games for years, and I can't believe how unfair the difficulty can be in this game. I tried for almost an hour to complete the first stage, and I don't even think it's possible. If you ever see this game at a garage sale for a quarter, run away, nothing good ever came from this pile of crap.
Mario Is Missing!	3
Whenever video games and education collide, run. Sure, Luigi heads this outing, but then again, he gets stuck with the crappy adventures. Story of his life. Oh, by the way, I found Mario. He was at the Deja Vu gentlemen's club in Corona, CA.
Mega Man 7	8.25
Not much different than previous outings, other than how limited you are in the order you defeat the bosses. The graphics are nice, and the sound isn't so bad. Also marks as the last "numbered" Mega Man game where he doesn't sound queer or fight robots that sound pretty gay as well (I'm looking squarely into Mega Man 8's direction, with Mega Man's girly voice and the flamboyant bosses such as Sword Man, Tengu Man and Aqua Man).
Mega Man X	8.5
When I first played this game back in 94, I wasn't sure what to make of it. The character design was changed and matured, the bosses were now animal-themed and the stages seemed a lot different than what they were in the "numbered" Mega Man games. But the core Mega Man element is still there as seen in the NES days.
Mega Man X2	8.75
An improvment over the first game with better bosses, more challenge, new techniques and better graphics and sound. Still the same mechanics and still not much in replay value.
Mega Man X3	8.75
Same as X2, but with more items and a higher difficulty level.
Mega Man Soccer	6.75
One of those "what the f*@# ?" moments you like to cherish. If you've ever wanted to play soccer as multi colored Mega Men against previous bosses, well, here you go.
Mortal Kombat	7.5
While it was graphically superior to the Genesis version, the Genesis version still managed to outsell the SNES version 4:1, since the Genesis version had the blood and gore. As a fighting game, it's okay. A little slow and doesn't really have as many characters as the other fighters of the time such as Street Fighter II.
Mortal Kombat 2	8.75
Nintendo finally loosens it's collar, and allows all the gore in this version of MKII. It also happens to be not only the best version of the game, but also the best MK game in the series, up to the recent MK Deadly Alliance. You go girl!
Mortal Kombat 3	7.5
I'm not sure how they did it, but MK3 managed to be worse than MKII. I thought sequels were supposed to improve upon the previous version. It's just very recycled and full of one-hit characters that you'll never really see again. It's not nearly as bad as the Genesis version, which had so many problems, it just ends up being a mediocre product.
NBA Jam	8.25
A fun and accessible arcade basketball game that shined even brighter as a multiplayer game. I'm kind of curious how Acclaim ran off with the license when Midway developed the arcade version.
Ninja Gaiden Trilogy	7
Kind of like Super Mario All Stars, but with Ninja Gaiden games and no graphical or audio improvements. Password feature does make the game easier, though.
On The Ball	7.75
It's like Marble Madness and the modern Super Monkey Ball, except it's in a 2-D perspective. A fun puzzler that does get harder later on.
Out Of This World	6.75
When I recieved this game as a gift back in 1992 (when I was 11), I was wondering what the hell my stepdad was thinking. This wasn't the game I wanted, and worse, I found it pretty unplayable. My brother (who is a coupe years younger than me) played it a lot more than I did. But after almost 10 years, I realized that this game did something that no other game did around that time: use cinematic scenes to move the plot ahead, plus it was in (flat-shaded) 3-D. Although this is rather impressive for that period of time, today it's pretty archaic. And the controls still suck.
Pilotwings	8.25
A short, but fun arcade-like flight sim that was available for the launch of the Super NES. Take your shot at skydiving, hanggliding, flying a light plane or use a rocket belt. After the 4th and 8th stage, you could take part in a helicopter mission.
Primal Rage	6.25
It wasn't that good of fighter in the arcades, and while a solid port here, it still wasn't that much of a fun game at home. Plus, 3-D fighters started to emerge at this time, with the likes of Virtua Fighter and Tekken.
R-Type III	7.75
A difficult and rare shooter on the SNES. I'm suprised it made it to store shelves, as Irem's US office shut it's doors almost right near this game's release.
Rise Of The Robots	1.5
Over-hyped and just plain bad. It would figure that Acclaim would release a game like this. Why is it that you can only play as one character in the single player mode?
Sim City	8.5
The SNES version improved the PC version in every way, from the graphics to the design. It feels more complete than the original PC edition. Even though current offerings provide a lot more options than what was done here, this version of Sim City is still fun to pull out and play every so often.
Sim City 2000	6.5
A port of the PC classic, but was way to slow and had too many aggrivating periods of loading (yeah, loading in a Super NES game). I'm suprised that a smaller company like Black Pearl actually kicked in for a battery save.
Sim Earth	1
Read the chapter of Genesis in the Holy Bible. It's a lot more exciting and fufilling than this game.
Spindizzy Worlds	0.25
One of the worst games in the SNES library. Confusing interface and gameplay, plus one of the only games that actaully made me a little nauseous with it's sound.
Star Fox	8.75
Star Fox was a classic in the making, and it also was one of the first games to bring 3-D gameplay to the market. Although it's slower (but not unbearably slow) than modern releases, the gameplay was simple but addictive. It's even better (and harder) than Star Fox 64! It's a shame that there wasn't a battery save for scores.
Stunt Race FX	8.75
This was one of my favorite games on the SNES, and I think it was due to the fact that it was one of the first 3-D racing games brought over to the mainstream console market. While most of the game is flatshaded, and a bit slow (framerate-wise), it still is a really fun game.
Super Castlevania (Castlevania IV)	8.5
Konami wasted no time jumping from the NES to the Super NES with this timeless classic. Castlevania IV is still fun and challenging today as it was over 10 years ago. This is definitley one game that should be ported to the GBA (with perhaps Dracula X).
Super Mario All-Stars	9.25
All NES Super Mario Bros. games, plus the "Lost Levels" addition and a new look adds life to these classics.
Super Mario Kart	9.5
Nintendo unleashes a new genre that would be copied over and over and over for many years. The first game in the series is probably the best, although the GBA Super Circuit includes the SNES courses along with new ones. If there's one thing that will go down in history, is this game's multiplayer mode, which back then could be played for hours. It probably still could today.
Super Mario World	9.25
This was the best pack-in game for any system for years, due to the sheer length, depth and secrets it contains. While one would think that what they see on a map is what is playable, don't realize that there may be multiple paths and secret stages to unlock. Fairly good graphics but kind of odd music for a Mario game. While Super Metroid has this beat in terms of best SNES game, it's the best platformer on the console.
Super Metroid	10
If there were ever a standard on which adventure games had to mee, this would be the one. I'll admit, I never really was into Metroid when I got this game and it really was one of those "what-the-hell" purchases I made back in 1995. But this is probably one of the best games I've ever bought (and only for $15.99 at Best Buy, in 1995). Everything was done right, from gameplay, to design, to graphics, sound, atmosphere and pacing. It also delivered a great dose of exploration never seen games before this one. It's the best Super NES game, as well as the best game ever made, even 10 years after it's release.
Super Off-Road	6
A port of the arcade game that's not much fun, since there's no steering wheel to whip around.
Super R-Type	8
I'm not sure if this was based upon any existing R-Type title at the time, since there's only one stage I recognize from R-Type II. Still, it's a fun and challenging arcade shooter
Test Drive	2.75
A terrible racing game with 4 courses, a horrible perspective, and poor gameplay.
Tetris 2	7.25
The odd backgrounds and music really put this behind the Gameboy version, which is actually a more ideal system for this game.
Tetris Attack	8.5
It's Panel De Pon with Yoshi's Island characters. It's actually the first time we're introduced to this kind of puzzle design, and it's actually very fun and very addictive. With all the modes that are given here, you would have thought the developers would have included a battey save. Pokemon Puzzle League for the N64 and Game Boy Color are very similar to this game, in case if you wanted this game in a Pokemon theme.
Uniracers	9
Back when this game came out, I obsessed about owning it after playing it at a friends house. I eventually did get the game a few months later, and had a pretty good time with it. This is probably one of the best 2-D racing games I've played, sheerly for the number of insane courses it had. It also used the ACM (3-D rendered modeling) technique used by Donkey Kong Country. With a blazingly fast framerate that challenged Sega's Sonic series, Uniracers was the fastest game around on the SNES. Intersting fact: This game was developed by DMA, the same ones responsible for the Grand Theft Auto series
Urban Strike	6.75
It's Desert Strike in an urban seting. That's about it.
Vegas Stakes	9
I believe that Vegas Stakes is the best casino sim game to date, even though it doesn't feature any real hotels or casinos. What this game has, and many future casino games lack, is the RPG-like element, where people come up to you with offers, problems or to ask if you remember them. It feels like you are not alone in a casino world, which games like Caesar's Palace did. Plus, the batter save's your progress!
Wario's Woods	8
Another original puzzle game that appeared on the SNES with a bit of a learning curve. Suprisingly, this does have a battery to save progress.
Yoshi's Cookie	7.75
Yoshi's Cookie is one of the strangest puzzle games released in ages, with a learning curve that would throw off many. The SNES version seems the most polished, but the audio wasn't so memorable.
Zoop	8.25
An addictive and refreshing puzzle game that can lead up to a whole lot of swear words in later stages. Not a hell of a lot of gameplay options, though.