Category: SUPER Nintendo / Famicom

When Nintendo Power introduced Epic Center to its pages in 1995, it offered previews and tips for many role-playing games on Nintendo platforms as the genre was growing in popularity. A feature I loved in gaming mags at this time were when games from overseas were previewed, and Epic Center would eventually do this with RPGS exclusively for the Super Famicom. In these parts at-home Internet was still finding its footing.  When you’re a kid who doesn’t have much savvy because they’re still new to the Internet and you’re living in a community without an import scene – that you could possibly be aware of anyhow – information like this just seemed extra special.

Among the games showcased in issue 74 of Nintendo Power was the unfortunately named Lady Stalker. I was interested in all of the Super Famicom games shown in this issue but Lady Stalker stood out. It was an isometric view like Equinox, another game I poured over in the pages of NP, or Mystic Towers – a game I fell in love with through shareware. It was an action RPG that promised to be engaging and quirky. And while I would eventually play Landstalker and place it among my favourite Genesis games, somehow I’ve held out this long for Lady Stalker.

Continue reading “Lady Stalker – Revving Up The Apocalypse Engine”

Games that stand out on older platforms typically excel in their genre or are one of the few titles that fit into their particular niche. It’s these titles that do things differently or attempt to break ground that are the most immediately striking, for me. Many genres nascent on older systems need to grow, and that often comes with growing pains. But in spite of their perceived flaws, they can endure and endear. Of course, it’s all the better if it does what it does well! So, we’re faced with S.O.S. on the Super Nintendo.

Continue reading “S.O.S. – Surviving Our Septentrion”

Godzilla has had a surprisingly storied history in video games, with many entries being vastly different from one another. Perhaps this is symptomatic of trying to translate gigantic kaiju to fitting gameplay. Even within similar series, look at the difference from Crush, Crumble, and Chomp! to Rampage to King of the Monsters to Robot Alchemic Drive. There have been so many ways to demonstrate giant monsters, and Super Godzilla definitely has its own spin.

However, with the Big G’s great deal of variety comes a lot of dubious reception. To be fair, I like most of them. I think the chibified Game Boy entry is a lot of fun, and I think Monster of Monsters is criminally underrated. A lot of people seem to have made up their mind that fighting or brawling games are the only format for Godzilla. And yeah, I’ve imported Kaijuu Dai Kessen and I’ve played loads of Destroy All Monsters Melee and Save The Earth. They’re a great fit. But I don’t believe they’re the only fit.

Continue reading “Super Godzilla – Underrated and Unorthodox”

Sometimes you can’t help but fall to the “overnight fan” effect, and I fell hard when I started to get acquainted with Ghost Sweeper Mikami. GS Mikami is a horror comedy property with its origins as a manga written and illustrated by Takashi Shiina, focusing on the adventures of professional Ghost Sweeper Reiko Mikami and her agency in their exorcisms and consultations. Sometimes crass on the surface, there’s a certain kind of heart beneath it all that qucikly endeared me to the series (starting with the anime).

Ghost Sweeper Mikami has a lot of material that it could lend to a game from a cast of characters with established ghost sweeping lore to derive mechanics from, creative ghosts to fill in a juicy rogue’s gallery, and a distinct and colourful art style to set its presentation apart. It’s no surprise that a Super Famicom game would be released, but there’s always the onerous albatross of being licensed material. So does Ghost Sweeper Mikami: Joreishi wa Nice Body manage to shed the stigma and stand as solid title?

Continue reading “Sweep Me Away, Ghost Sweeper”

I don’t have to explain to anyone what a phenomenon Jurassic Park was when it was released. And as a kid crazy about dinosaurs? It was a perfect storm. I saw Jurassic Park twice at the cinema, the Triple Cinema  when it was still standing, and then again at the Drive-In. I bought Jurassic Park comics, dinosaur figures, got Jurassic Park meals at McDonalds because they were giving special plastic cups with dinosaur profiles on them. It only stands to reason that I would play the games.

Even though I was a Nintendo kid, I have much more history with the Genesis Jurassic Park which I played a whole bunch at a friend’s house. However, I rented the SNES game and I was pretty excited about it. I remember thinking it looked great in Nintendo Power, I enjoyed overhead games, and hell – it was Jurassic Park. The thing is, at the time it seemed imperceptable.

Continue reading “Welcome to Jurassic Pak Watch”

I’ve been a fan of Godzilla ever since I can remember. These have remained some of my favourite movies of all times, and rank among the few movies I can watch multiple times in short succession. But as a kid, and even now, why do I watch Godzilla movies? Is it for the gripping human drama and interplay? Nah, it’s for the ferocious throw-downs between gigantic creatures. Godzilla movies aren’t titled Human Scientist or Spunky Reporter or the like for a reason. The monsters are the stars, the top billing, and what draws viewers. So a game that cuts to the chase – the monster battles –  must stand out, right? Godzilla Kaijuu Daikessen is that game.

Continue reading “Godzilla vs Super Famicom: Kaijuu Daikessen All-Out Attack”

Rewind. I was at an EB Games that had recently opened. They had a game I had always wanted – Equinox. However, at the time I had already spent my cash and didn’t have my debit. I was determined to go back and buy it, but when I did – it was gone. Denied. Never to see it crop up in the wild again. But I’ve rectified that error, and I recently procured a copy for myself.

I was spurned on by my completion of Solstice, the “skeleton in my gaming closet.” It just so happens that Equinox is Solstice 2. A proper sequel featuring Shadax’s son with some solid talent behind it, designed by the Pickford brothers with both Tim and Geoff Follin as composers.  And given my love for Solstice, this was a natural choice for me. Does Equinox hold up to its predecessor?

Continue reading “The Amazing Equinox – We’re Off To The Witch”