Super Famicom | RVGFanatic

Super Family Tennis (SFC)

The best damn tennis title on the SNES. Yeah I said it

Tennis. A sport I rarely played as a youth, never watched and generally never had much of an interest in. Except, oddly, when it came to video games. I always enjoy a solid tennis game. Super Tennis on the SNES gets a lot of love as does Mario Tennis: Power Tour (GBA). One of my favorite Saturn titles is a little known obscure Japanese game by the name of Tennis Arena. So I’m always down for a fun little tennis game. After playing Super Family Tennis, I can honestly say it’s not only my favorite tennis title on the system but it’s actually one of my favorite SNES games, PERIOD. I’ll attempt to explain why with tons of pictures and hopefully not too much incoherent rambling below.

SMASH TENNIS

Too bad it never hit North America! — Too bad it never smashed its way into North America

SUPER TENNIS. FOR THE FAMILY. SO SUPER FAMILY TENNIS, THEN

Super Family Tennis looks normal so far, but play on a bit (or read on in this case) and you’ll quickly see what a quirky and crazy title this is.

Choose from 20 different players all with varying skills and abilities. There are a total of nine different game modes with all combinations possible for singles and doubles matches. I only wish the character selection would show a preview of your sprite and even a quick statistical rundown, but alas, it’s no dealbreaker by any stretch. Here’s where the game gets special, though: there are eight courts to select. You have your usual standard three but the other five are a bit outlandish (some more than others!)

Sorry Super Tennis fans but no egregious usage of Mode 7 here. This is just your standard lawn tennis court. Nothing special, but I do enjoy the fans in attendance. Shame though that they’re a slightly more subdued crowd than the one found in Super Tennis. Their applause isn’t as loud. I do like the collective disappointing groan they make in Super Family Tennis though when you mess up.

These are the other two standard courts. Like I said, nothing special. Typical arenas you would find in any tennis title. But now we come to the other five…

THE RESORT

Right away the camera gives you a quick sweeping view of the venue and you’re immediately intrigued. From the snow capped mountains in the background to the group of friends hanging out on a balcony watching your match, it’s unlike any other court you’d find in a tennis video game back in June 1993. I appreciate Namco’s attention to detail — everything from the potted plants to the tables. The game gave off good vibes and once I got playing, I truly fell in love with it all.

Nothing’s better than sending a shot over the head of your opponent and having the ball land just centimeters in front of the boundary. Great feeling that’s only boosted by the quick view you get of the people watching you from above. Good stuff!

"Get that $20 bill ready, Jo!" — *“Get that $20 bill ready, Susie!”*

Actually, perhaps this is even sweeter. Hitting the ball and seeing it sail just past the reach of your diving opponent. Insult to injury! And even better, seeing the ball bounce all the way underneath the tables. It’s a great touch. Hey, I’ve always appreciated the little things in video games, and Super Family Tennis serves it on a silver platter! [I C WAT U DID DERE… -Ed.]

Alright, maybe this is even better than the previous two. They’re all so satisfying it’s hard to pick a definitive winner. The European name for this game is Smash Tennis and this shows you why. Smashing the ball so hard that it literally leaves a shadow trail of sorts is quite gratifying. Its velocity is almost faster than the eye can see. Talk about a crushing blow…

Diving hits to save your ass are also incredibly satisfying to use. It’s much easier and feels more natural to dive here than it did in Super Tennis, which is only one of several reasons why I prefer Super Family Tennis. When you get caught up in a diving contest with your opponent, it only adds to the drama and intensity of it all.

While diving saves are cute and all, sometimes you just need to put a little muscle behind it and send the ball screaming your opponent’s way. Check this out…

Smash hits are cruel and quickly humble the player on the receiving end. As an added insult to injury, I love how the ball sometimes can roll underneath a table. It’s totally inconsequential but nevertheless oddly delightful to witness.

Crushing spirits left and right, these super shots are the cat’s pajamas!

"Fine, here's your $20, Jimmy!" — *“Alright, here’s your $20, Jimmy!”*

Shake their hands to honor the age-old tennis tradition, but secretly relish as you watch the opposition slumbering off with their heads drooped. Good stuff!

Nice rundown of the stats — Statistical breakdown postgame

Namco truly delivers the goods. Not only are there five unique courts but in each of those arenas there’s a certain gimmick or “sight gag” to discover. For example, in the resort you’ll occasionally see a waitress walking around. She’s a bit of a klutz though. You can actually see her falling over! It’s super silly and tons of fun. It just adds to the quirky charm of the game, of which it has in spades.

THE LODGE

Things start out foggy. A giant lodge can be seen in the background. But rather than sipping on some hot cocoa and having a read of the ol’ paper, you’ve opted instead to head out and brave the freezing cold for a little spot of tennis. You mad daredevil you! A flock of birds can be seen hanging around the premises.

Visual deterrent? Not really but the fog does add a nice touch. Brrr. You can almost feel the stinging cold, can’t you? [No, not really -Ed.]

Should the ball reach the fence it sends the birds packing. Pretty cool.

Pretty soon the fog clears out and makes way for bright sunny rays. From there the shadows of the trees envelop the lower bottom of the screen. Nice!

Depending on how the ball travels, you can even catch a glimpse of the shadow effect in full. It’s always a pleasant sight to behold, simple though it may be. It’s the small stuff, ne?

Best of all though is hands down when the flock of birds decide to fly across the screen right as you’re about to serve. Hey, where did the 4th player go there?

Clearly, she’s a tad bit concerned about what the birds might do to her new do! Talk about being distracted. Look at the poor thing struggling between hitting the ball back and dodging the birdies!

Never seen a lass dive to get out of the way of potential poopage before, but I guess there’s a first time for everything! Hey, you do what ya gotta do. Oh and Namco, don’t think we don’t see that little monkey (!) in the window there. It’s bizarre as all hell. But at this point, being Super Family Tennis, you just go with it.

THE SHRINE

Japanese people love tennis, obviously, and this is made abundantly clear with this tennis court situated right in the middle of a Japanese Shinto shrine! It even features a Torii gate for authenticity.

Remember the feeling of agony as a kid having to chase down runaway balls? Super Family Tennis brings back those warm fuzzy childhood memories! Hey, at least it didn’t go underneath the Japanese Shinto shrine there. I hate when that happens.

“Awww, do I really have to? But it’s SO far away! Alright, fiiiiiine!!”

Remember how I said each of the five unique courts have a certain gimmick or sight gag to them? Well this one has two. Here’s the first. See if you can knock the ball into the lion statue there. Doing so prompts the crow to fly away. Neat stuff!

Here’s the second gimmick/sight gag of the stage. It’s possible to hit the ball into one of the tranquil looking ponds!

Never gets old seeing the ball bounce over the rocks and into the pond. It makes a nice little SPLASH sound and from there you can see the ball bouncing back up to the surface. Excellent detail, Namco. Two thumbs WAY up

THE BEACH

Listen to the soothing sounds of the waves crashing against the shore. The game relies purely on its sound effects because there is no music whatsoever. It’s an interesting deviation from the norm and I kind of like it, personally. The crashing waves on this stage makes it feel like you’re really at the beach. I love the crowd of spectators as well as that random guy standing there underneath the coconut tree. Boy, it would be a shame if a coconut falls on his head…

Ocean waves go in and out as you play. It’s a nice effect for sure.

Check out what happens when you hit the ball at that coconut tree…

Nearly fell out of my chair the first time I saw this! It just speaks to Namco’s zany brilliance of adding in little details like this. Best of all, it’s not like it’s easy to hit that tree. It doesn’t happen often so it keeps the effect fresh and enjoyable. You can’t help but eat up stuff like this. You know the developers had a blast making this game.

Speaking of little details, look at that cute little crab dancing its way slowly across the screen. Just another odd random touch that makes me love this game even more.

Almost got ya there, Mr. Crab! I like seeing the ball roll into the ocean. Part of me almost instinctively wants to shout out “BALL!” but then I remember I’m just playing a video game

THE MOUNTAIN

What’s the best, safest place to play a spot of tennis? Why, on a mountain of course. I like how you can see the forest down below, and I like the detail of the jagged rocks on the mountain. Luckily, you can’t fall off the mountain. Whew…

Although you can’t fall off the edge, the ball can. Always fun to see the ball go spiraling off the cliff. Next time you go hike a mountain and you find a bunch of tennis balls at the bottom, now you’ll know why. The more you know!

Shortly after the match begins, you’ll discover a high adrenaline junkie making his way up the mountain cliff. And you thought you were crazy for playing tennis atop a mountain plateau! This maniac makes you look like a chicken…

Setting up camp, he spends the rest of the match waving. OK, we get it, you rock and you’re awesome but chill out, son. Hmm, if that was a way to stop his antics…

THRILL OF A LAST SECOND SAVE

Can you get to it in time? — Can you get to the ball in time?

One of my favorite moments in the game is when the ball is hit almost half the court away, and it doesn’t seem like you can get to it in time. But you make the effort anyway. And at the very last second possible, you make a last gasp dive…

Making a last second diving save is awesome. But even better? Doing it and just barely keeping it in play over the reach of your opponent. Nothing gets the blood pumping like this kind of exciting play. Really makes for some great trash talking!

UM… THAT WAS MY BAD, YO. THAT ONE’S ON ME. HEH…

Unintentionally hilarious, the most “D’OH!” moment comes when you accidentally hit the ball into the back of your partner’s head. D’oh! I love the dirty look they give you as you just kind of stand there going “Heh, um, my bad, yo.”

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD

Birds need to consider their path of flight. After all, we all saw what happened when a bird crossed paths with a Randy Johnson 98 MPH fastball…

CLOSE! Bloody birds need to be careful…

ATTACK OF THE CLONES

Mirror selections are possible, with no cheat code required. Now nobody can argue you took their favorite player

SPEAKING OF CLONES

Which is better, Super Tennis or Super Family Tennis? In my book it’s easily the latter. I appreciate Super Tennis for what it is, but I find Super Family Tennis to be superior, far more fun and far more accessible. Not to mention Super Family Tennis has a four player option while Super Tennis doesn’t. Plus, Super Tennis is pretty straight forward. It’s missing the charm and sense of wacky humor that Namco threw at us with their tennis rendition. Honestly, while I still like Super Tennis for what it is, a game like Super Family Tennis kind of makes it a bit obsolete in my book. It falls in that tragic “great games that I never play any more” category.

ACTUALLY, NOT REALLY A CLONE

Super Family Tennis isn’t so much a clone to Super Tennis because Namco released Family Tennis on the Famicom (December 11, 1987). It just turned 29 years old! As you can see from the cosmos court, Family Tennis also featured a quirky sense of style that would later carry over to Namco’s Super Famicom sequel.

A SMASH HIT IN THE EYES OF SUPER PLAY MAGAZINE

Super Play loved it, ranking it #71 on their Top 100 list — Super Play liked it, ranking it #71 on their Top 100 list

CLOSING THOUGHTS

Super Family Tennis is my favorite tennis title on the Super Nintendo, and I’d argue it’s also the best. It’s super easy to pick up and play, with 20 different characters and eight different arenas to play in (five of which are bonkers). It’s full of diving saves, vicious smashes and a sneaky sense of humor you just don’t expect from a game of this nature. But Namco went ahead and did so anyway. And I’m glad they did. Details like the waitress falling over at the resort to the beach bum getting knocked out by coconut have left a lasting impression on my gaming heart. There’s no music but I love the ambient sounds. From the soothing crashing waves of the ocean to the echo chamber sounds of the mountain, it’s something different and refreshing. Control feels very fluid, not stiff at all. When you mess up you know it’s on you, not the controls. Well done, Namco.

This is easily one of the best four player games on the Super Nintendo. Thanks to its charming stages and details, there’s a lot of casual gamer appeal here, or even to the non-gamer. Anyone can pick it up and play. It’s simple and fun. It’s really a shame that this game doesn’t get talked about much. Even to this day I tend to see people recommending Super Tennis without giving this game a shout out. While Super Tennis deserves its props, I really think this is the superior game. If you haven’t tried it yet, and you love yourself a good vintage 16-bit sports game, then be sure to check out Super Family Tennis. I highly doubt you’ll regret it. In fact, the only thing you may regret is that you didn’t play it any sooner!

Full of frills, thrills and spills! — It’s full of frills, thrills and spills!

Dream Basketball: Dunk & Hoop (SFC)

Yes, that's Michael Jordan of the Bulls, er, Vikings... — Yes, that’s Michael Jordan of the Bu, er, Vikings

In October of 1994 EGM ran a preview on a Super Famicom basketball game by the name of Dream Basketball: Dunk & Hoop. Being a huge fan of NBA Jam, this preview intrigued me highly. Man, I miss those pre-internet days when gaming magazines were not only a thing but they were magical.

Not only was I a huge fan of NBA Jam but I loved Konami’s Run ‘N Gun arcade game. It came out in 1993 and I figured it was only a matter of time before a home translation would come out for the SNES. We finally got it in November 1995 under the name NBA Give ‘N Go. But back in ’94 there was no sign of this, so Dream Basketball: Dunk & Hoop gave me great hope that I could play a Run ‘N Gun-esque game in the comforts of my home.

Nothing like throwing down a monster jam

After I got back into the SNES in early 2006, I thought back to all the SNES/SFC games I wanted to play and own. Dream Basketball: Dunk & Hoop came to mind. I remembered the preview in EGM 12 years earlier. Found a copy online and was excited to quell a 12 year long curiosity. But before we get to that, I’d like to share a personal basketball memory that made me a fan of the sport for life.

MIRACLE DAY MIRACLE

Monday, May 29, 1995 is a day I’ll never forget.

It was Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals, pitting the young uprising Orlando Magic vs. the Indiana Pacers. I was at the local mall walking past Radio Shack when I saw the game playing on ten TV screens. There were three people standing there, watching in angst and talking in-between plays. I joined to make it a crowd of four. The game was in the final three minutes and as the drama unfolded the crowd steadily grew with each passing dramatic play. Even the employees stopped to observe the madness.

With under 15 seconds to go, this improbable sequence took place:

Brian Shaw’s 3 pointer gave the Magic the 1 point lead

Reggie Miller answered with one of his own, putting the Pacers back up by 2 causing the Indiana crowd to erupt in a frenzy

Mere seconds later, Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway, nailed a dramatic 3, giving the Magic a 1 point lead with 1.3 seconds to go. It left the sold out capacity crowd in stunned silence

Penny in his prime was something special — Prime Penny was something special

As the game went to its final commercial break there was a deafening buzz within Radio Shack’s small confines. To this day I can still hear that classic NBA on NBC theme, blaring on no less than ten television monitors. The incomparable John Tesh theme reverberated throughout the store and the entire mall itself. It’s one of those vivid childhood memories that haunts me to the core even more than 20 years later.

Suddenly we were no longer just a bunch of strangers. This playoff basketball game magically banded us together. I saw basketball in a new light. There was strategy, tactics. Beyond that, I started appreciating the concept of teamwork and five different people of varying size and skills working as one well oiled machine.

That day I developed a much deeper appreciation for basketball. It’s the moment I became a fan for life.

Fakes... shoots... HE HITS HE HITS HE HITS!!! — *“Fakes, shoots and — HE HITS HE HITS!!!”*

Down by one point with 1.3 seconds left, the ball made its way to the dunking Dutchman, Rik Smits. He faked, shot and the ball ripped nothing but net as the buzzer sounded off. The place became unglued and the roof blew off. Radio Shack became a mad house.

I was only 11 years old while everyone else around me was 20 or older. Those 15 minutes cheering and booing madly at the TV screen with a bunch of folks I never met before… PRICELESS. Basketball brings people together.

PUTTING A 12 YEAR CURIOSITY TO REST

3 on 3 mode is the best — Ah, a Slender Man sponsorship

There’s always a moment of slight hesitation when popping in a game you have been wondering about for many years.

There are 16 non-official teams plus one Japan team. Though oddly, if you look at the EGM preview you’ll see Spurs and Bulls. So I looked at the teams closer. The subtle not-so-hidden parallels are definitely there. For example check out the Wizards (keep in mind back in ’94 the Wizards were known as the Washington Bullets). Their court is the same color as the Orlando Magic and they have a starting center with incredible stats who wears # 32 (Shaquille O’Neal). Besides, Magic… Wizards… hmmm…

Shaq’s 1993 stats in bold. Cooper’s stats in italics:

23.4 points per game
23.5 ppg

13.9 rebounds per game
14.0 rpg

56% field goal
57% FG

59% free throw
60% FT

So there are real players in this game. Just like the classic Ken Griffey Jr. Presents Major League Baseball, the jersey numbers are the same as well as their stats (or very close anyhow). They just have different names. Sneaky!

PRACTICE MODES

Fancy a game of one on one? You can with Dream Basketball: Dunk & Hoop. First to 10 points win. It’s pretty fun for a quick little fix. When you make shots the game gives you some encouraging messages, such as GREAT! and NICE DUNK!

Regular field goals count as one point in this mode, and three point shots are worth two. Just like on the playground. You know what this mode reminds me of?

Jordan vs. Bird! (Sega Genesis) — *Jordan vs. Bird* (Sega Genesis)

Perhaps you fancy practicing your free throws? HUMAN gives you that option! Of course, the Fire Pro creators are big on timing. It’s kind of their thing. You have to release the ball at just the precise moment to swish the shot. A little off and it will rim in. But anymore off target and you’ll brick the shot. It takes some practice but once you get it down it’s extremely satisfying. And of course you get the lovely Engrish of “NICE SHOOT!” when you make a basket.

Oh man, 9/9. No pressure... — Oh man, 9/9. No pressure…

Perfecto!

5 ON 5 MODE

Things look promising... — Orlando Magic in the house

It looks just like a poor man’s Run ‘N Gun. So far, so good! Unfortunately, it doesn’t play as well. On the bright side, there is no slowdown or lag whatsoever. On the downside, it’s way too easy to steal and block shots. The team that is going down the court also has a disadvantage as the view is more obscured. There’s still some decent fun to be had but it’s passable. Between this mode and NBA Give ‘N Go, I’d rather play Give ‘N Go.

Nice black jerseys though — Ah, FILA. Totally ’90s huh?

Definitely not unplayable and there’s zero trace of slowdown, but it’s nothing special.

3 ON 3 MODE

The last mode, 3 on 3, takes me back to my blacktop days. Pick any of the 17 teams and then pick any three players on that team. Then duke it out in a 3 on 3 half court battle. Adjust the time from 3, 6, 9 or 12 minutes. It’s one quarter to the finish. Best of all, since you’re playing half court, everyone gets the top end of the court which has no obstruction of view. The passing is less clunky on account of there being less players to pass to. It works like a charm.

Hoop Dreams, baby! — Slam it home with authority

This mode somehow never gets old.

Select from two different courts in the 3 on 3 mode. It’s all cosmetic but these little touches go a long way in my book. I love both courts. The beach one has that exotic fun casual feel to it, like you and your buddies are hooping it up after a summer BBQ. The other court has an impeccable street ball gritty feel to it. In addition, you can pick from four different color balls. I like the funky blue ball. [You would, wouldn’t you… -Ed.]

EVEN MORE CHOICES…

Punch in any of these secret codes at the password screen and it’ll give you the option of playing either at dusk or dawn. It only works on the beach court though. Check out how atmospheric these new backdrops are:

Oooooh, ahhhhh. I love it when a company puts in these extra details. It goes a long way to make the game even more endearing. I love the feeling of balling in the early morning or late at evening. It’s the small things!

Night or morning, morning or night — raining threes with the greatest of ease!

AND EVEN MORE CHOICES STILL…

Press any direction on the D-pad at the versus screen and you can change the floor design of your selected court. Try up, down, left or right. Hell, you can even try up-left or up-right for even more choices. Or down-right and down-left. Here you can see I swapped the floors for the two courts.

Reminds me ever so slightly of the Mortal Kombat games and how you could tinker with the icons at the versus screen to unlock secrets…

Favorite combos for me: the green court matches the coconut trees nicely. Dig that green overload. Speaking of overload, how about the combination seen in the second pic there? Talk about splendid color coordination! It’s so inviting and hits all the sweet spots.

A GAME FOR THE AGES

Before the start of a game you can view stats as well as change the lineup. I love how they list their stats both by numbers, percentages and then in Marvel 1991 style they have the pink bars. Japan is the best shooting team in the game and if you’re looking to be Stephen Curry then Japan is your go to team.

Things start off well as I nail a simple mid-range jump shot that hits nothing but net.

Another sick dunk — 360 in your face! 7-Up.

Definitely way too easy to block shots but that only lends an arcade style to the otherwise simulation feel. It’s a fine balance that works well.

Trailing 9-12, Hara makes a beeline for that 3 point line and swishes a 2 pointer right through the net. 11-12 with under two minutes to go.

AGAIN from way downtown! Hara ties the game at 13 points a piece.

ARGH!! Hara barely misses a clutch 3 point shot. Thus sending the ball back to the Rings up 16-13 with only 41 seconds to go. It ain’t looking good for Team Japan…

Mutsuki with the save! 15-16 with 30 seconds left!

Right on cue, Hara hits yet another clutch shot, bringing the score to 17 all with just 18 seconds remaining.

Stealing and blocking the ball happen a little too frequently as mentioned earlier, but it sure makes for some dramatic defensive stands! The Rings try to break the 17-17 tie, but that’s not happening tonight — no siree!

Every kid grows up dreaming about hitting the game winning shot. Here’s Hara’s chance. Running to his sweet spot, Hara drills a picture perfect jumpshot, giving me the lead 18-17 with only two seconds remaining. Clutch! But I can’t get too cocky now. The Rings still have two seconds left…

Baumann rises for the game winning shot. He barely gets the ball out of his hands as the shot clock expires. This is either going to be the greatest victory ever or the worst defeat of all time…

WHEW! In and out! Talk about cutting it as close. Look at that Baumann punk turning around after shooting the ball. You ain’t Steph Curry, son!

Japan is such a good shooting team. Steph Curry and Klay Thompson would be proud.

Defeat everyone in the Round Robin mode and you’ll get this snazzy congratulations shot.

Speaking of endings, if you enter this password you can view all of the game’s multiple endings. Human did it with Clock Tower as well. It was kind of their thing to have multiple endings, no?

Goddess of Victory, eh? Who is that, Lady Luck’s mother?

MISCELLANEOUS

In either 3 on 3 or 5 on 5, you can play an exhibition or compete in a Round Robin. In Round Robin you’re given a password after each victory. At the end you’ll face your clones and then the USA Dream Team

Can you handle the Dream Team? — 1992 Dream Team was the best

Street Hoop (Neo Geo) came out in December 1994, a month after this game. There’s something about a basketball court right in the middle of a beach that does it for me…

Everybody's gone jamming. Jamming USA! — Everybody’s gon’ hoopin’. Hoopin’ USA!

I’m a sucker for the players’ ratings. Reminds me of the old ’91 Marvel trading card series. Ah, those were the days…

My friends and I collected the hell out of the 1991 Marvel cards. My favorite thing about them were the pink energy bars on the back that let you know at a quick glance what you wanted to know. Playing Dream Basketball: Dunk & Hoop and seeing the Marvel ’91-esque pink energy bars brought back a lot of fond memories!

The 3 on 3 mode is good for quick arcade thrills but the full-court 5 on 5 mode has more strategy thanks to the bench and stamina factor. Players are rated fresh, OK or tired. You’ll have to do some managing throughout the four quarters to keep your players fresh

My favorite team are the Photons. In the 3 on 3 mode I use Rogers, Davidson and Feguso

STREET BALL MEMORIES

All you need is a ball, a hoop and a dream — All you needed was a ball, a hoop and a dream

From playing hoops in my backyard as a youth to balling on the blacktops as a teenager, I have fond memories of the game. At the heart of the game lies a bigger message. Case in point: 1997, 8th grade. One day at lunch I was playing one-on-one with my friend, Simon. Then we noticed these three 7th graders bullying a hapless runt. Seeing them push the defenseless kid around pissed me off. I looked at Simon and without saying a word I knew he knew what we both knew. And thus, we made our way over to the kerfuffle…

I challenged the three 7th graders to a game of 21 — 3-on-3 style. The kid getting bullied wasn’t much of a baller, but I had an overwhelming confidence in Simon and myself that we could beat these cocky bastards. Simon was the Dennis Rodman of the team. Man, nobody could hit the glass like Simon. Dude was a beast on the boards. As for me, I was the three point specialist. The Reggie Miller of the team. And on that cloudy afternoon, I drained three pointer after three pointer. Hand in my face — it didn’t matter. I was a man on a mission. Not only did I want to beat those losers but I had to defend the honor of that kid.

Basketball pundits like to call it being in the proverbial zone. And that I was on that idyllic, cloudy afternoon — swishing three point shot after three point shot!

It was one of those afternoons I wished would last forever. The sky was blue with puffy clouds standing still overhead. Amid the usual lunch playground chatter of 7th and 8th graders jockeying for social position and status on the hierarchy that is junior high, I was in my own world. Bombing three after three, the opposition had no answer.

My team won going away. The three bullies bitched at each other in disbelief before slagging off, disappearing around the corner moments later. Simon and I smiled at each other. The little 7th grade kid said four words I still remember to this day with great fondness.

“Thanks for the help.”

Simon and I watched in silence as he walked away, his head held high. Through basketball, in a way, we saved him. It was just one more reason for me to love the game as much as I did. You can be big, small, black, purple, it don’t matter. It’s a game that brings people together. It can even heal some wounds, as it did that serene cloudy afternoon of 1997

CLOSING THOUGHTS

My favorite SNES bball game — This game is my spirit animal ^_^

On a technical level, the NBA Jam and the NBA Live games are far superior. But on a fun level, I actually prefer Dream Basketball: Dunk & Hoop. If a basketball game could be my spirit animal, this game would be it. It just resonates with me in a deep and personal way that no other basketball game does. I always have a blast playing it. The 3 on 3 mode takes me back to the days of my youth balling without a single care in the world. From making friends to even saving a kid from being bullied, basketball has always been a part of my life. Dream Basketball: Dunk & Hoop captures the feeling of street ball to a tee. I also love the little touches like the secret courts and being able to play at dawn, mid-day or dusk. This is such a criminally obscure hidden gem for basketball junkies.

Nothing like playing hoops under the stars — Nothing like hooping it up under the stars

It’s been over 10 years now since I bought this game and still to this day I find myself busting it out frequently. I can’t guarantee you’ll like this game — hell I bet you probably won’t like it as much as I do, but if you enjoy vintage 16-bit basketball games then it’s certainly worth a look. Call me crazy but Dream Basketball: Dunk & Hoop is one of my all-time favorite Super Nintendo games, period. I know that may sound a bit absurd but there are certain games you just click with that’s hard to explain. There are many better SNES games than this but few I enjoy playing more than Dream Basketball: Dunk & Hoop!

R.I.P. Craig Sager. 6.29.51-12.15.16. You were the man!

Tetris Battle Gaiden (SFC)

It’s *Tetris* like you’ve never seen it before

Arriving just in the nick of time for Christmas of 1993 (December 24), Tetris Battle Gaiden is the best Super Famicom puzzle game to never hit North American shores. It’s truly a shame they never ported this over for a US audience. If they had, this game would be more universally recognized and lionized to this very day. Thankfully, anyone with a Super Nintendo (or a computer) can experience it all the same nevertheless. Well, there is a bit of Japanese to wade through, but being a puzzle game and not an RPG, a fan translation is not absolutely needed to enjoy this as is.

tetrisbg-box1 — The box is inundated with the game’s various characters

Released on December 24, 1993, one wonders why this didn’t see a US release in mid to late 1994. There wasn’t much to translate and the Tetris name alone would have sold a ton of copies. Not to mention the gameplay is very expansive with several different game modes and new tricks that freshen up a classic, proven formula. Sure the characters were on the anime side, and back in the mid ’90s that wasn’t really a thing in US culture. But they could have easily modified the characters, no? Alas, it just wasn’t meant to be. On second thought, look at those zany lovable Japanese-y characters. Maybe it’s a good thing these guys weren’t turned into generic boring barbarians and the typical “radical” mid ’90s look in American video gaming. Speaking of characters, let’s take a look at them now!

PUMPKIN

Pumpkinhead here adorns the cover and has a classic colorful Halloween backdrop. Yup, I can definitely get behind this guy.

MIRURUN

Awwww, isn’t it adorable? Because bunny things just are! By the way, I love the bright visuals of this game. The art style is also on point.

SHAMAN

Witch doctor at your service! Look at all those exotic animals.

ALADDIN

Disney’s version this ain’t. Still got his Magic Carpet and Genie though. Beautiful backdrop.

PRINCESS

Majestic background if I ever saw one. Good job, Bullet Proof Software.

BIT

#SMALLLIVESMATTER. At least a little bit, right? [I see what you did there -Ed.]

NINJA

Ninjas were cool back then in the ’90s, and gosh darnit, they’re still cool today.

WOLFMAN

Wolfman’s stage is simply gorgeous. Perfect to play on a late fall afternoon!

FROM THE BOOK OF TETRIS

Always been a sucker for a good page turner, and this game most definitely is.

BATTLE!

Select from any of the eight characters, then select your desired first opponent. The game’s presentation is on point. Puzzle games aren’t usually noted for their visuals but there’s no denying this game has a very pleasing look to the eye. Everything is bright, bold and colorful. Graphics don’t make a game, but they certainly don’t hurt.

Your eyes deceive you not. One of the most unique things about this game that you’ll noticed right away is that the pieces are communal. Rather than both players getting the same pieces, here you share one queue.

Tetris purists may scoff at this, but I personally find it refreshing. It lends a whole new strategy to the game. Sometimes you find yourself stalling in order to get the desired piece. Other times you purposely rush in order to secure the next block. Which is exactly what I did here. Notice I dropped the “z” block in a bad space just to ensure that I can get the square piece which has a crystal. The crystal brings a whole new dimension to the classic formula. Observe!

Every time you clear a crystal you earn one point. Each character has four different special battle skills. Some are offensive while others are defensive. You can use your skills right away, or save them. The number of points required to use a skill is respective to its level. For example, a level one skill requires one point while a level four skill requires four points. Do you use a certain power now, or do you save for a stronger power later on? It’s all part of the strategy.

Yes, gonna beat him to the Tetris! — Yes, gonna beat ‘im to the tetris!

The battle can quickly grow intense as players joust for the right block at the right time. Sometimes, you simply want to play defense by, er, blockblocking the opposition. Yeah I just made that word up. Who knows, maybe it’ll catch on? [Oh sure… -Ed.]

What’s sweeter than earning a crystal point? Clearing two crystals in a line and earning two points! Now I have three points. Do I unleash my level 3 skill, or save it to use a level 4 skill down the road? Decisions, decisions!

Meanwhile, Mirurun ain’t waiting around. He uses his level 1 skill to blow up a few rows from his well. Like I said, this ain’t your typical Tetris game.

Every Tetris player knows the feeling of anguish and self-loathing when you accidentally misplace a block. But in this case, it’s your opponent who does. Well, in a manner of speaking. You see, one of Miru’s skills is the power to distort the way you control your blocks. Naturally this is temporary, but it’s long enough to throw you off your game leading to some unfortunate block positioning. But never fear, I see a tetris piece coming soon! Commence the “rush or stall” game within a game! Again, some purists may scoff at this, but I say it brings an added rush to the table!

Nothing beats clearing four lines at once! I love the way the pieces rotate and disappear from the field. There’s something satisfying about it, for sure.

Miru’s distortion of control skill is super annoying. Don’t get me wrong, with Christmas season here and everything I truly appreciate what the cross stands for, but I didn’t want to make a cross up there! Bloody stinkin’ bunny thing!

Alright Mr. Bunny, time to unleash hell. Pumpkin blows up Miru’s well, leaving only bits and pieces standing (many awkwardly in mid-air). This power wreaks havoc and can really mess up the opposition.

Another point added *and* I scored the tetris block. Win! Moments like these can really demoralize the competition, and provides plenty of trash talking opportunity.

Scored four points (again) and about to murder Mirurun. Take a look.

With his well nearly filled up, all it takes is one final shove to send the whole thing crashing. I love how your character appears on screen for a brief moment before unleashing their special attack. It makes it feel a little more important (not to mention a lot more fun, too). Oh man, look at that well. He’s so screwed.

Nothing compares to the sweet thrill of victory. Sure in other puzzle games you tend to send debris over after landing chain reactions, but I like how battle-oriented Tetris Battle Gaiden is. Hence the “Battle” middle name. It’s more than just sending debris over to your opponent’s field. It’s an all out war where you get to literally sabotage your rival. It’s a fight to the very bitter end.

Battle all seven of your rivals. After successfully conquering each of them, this big bad dragon baddie is your reward prize. Lucky you.

SOME MORE SKILLS AND SPECIALS

Clearly what’s happening here is that those blocks have displayed exemplary behavior, and are being beckoned to block heaven. I mean, duh!

Those bats swoop to your opponent’s side to steal any crystal points they may have earned. ProTip: make sure first though that your opponent has something to steal. D’oh! But yeah, play your cards right and you’re well on your way to victory. No more L’s… well, except when you get the L blocks [… -Ed.]

Searchlight skill is downright evil. It blackens the field and only gives you a small flashlight with which to contend. Talk about devious.

Speaking of blackening, and seeing the light, here comes the Reaper!

Sometimes it just ain’t fair. My blocks, my beautiful blocks!

Wolfman’s level 2 skill is rather strange but endearing. A peculiar old man appears at the bottom of the screen and prevents your opponent from sending blocks down at the fastest speed possible. Whenever the opponent tries to press down, the man will strain to resist to the point that you can see small sweat beads flying off his forehead. Good stuff. This power lasts for 28 seconds (yes, I actually timed it…)

Wolfman can also summon a miniature samurai to slice off the first few rows.

Wolfman’s level 4 skill inserts gravity into the picture, which allows for suspended blocks to fall until they land on something. This leads to some deadly combos. The only blocks that don’t fall are the ones that contain the crystal. This skill, however, is useless in the “Rensa” mode, but more on that in a little bit.

I SAW JESUS ON MY TOAST BREAD!

Know how some folks claim to see Jesus in the oddest places? They saw him in the clouds, or their morning toast. Whatever the case may be, Tetris Battle Gaiden reminds me of such stories. Because the way the pieces can form causes some interesting sights for sure from time to time. Check out the red monster in the second pic there, as well as the two middle fingers [Oh, I thought that was just a really long raccoon face. Or hell, since this is the Japanese we’re talking about here, a Tanuki -Ed.]

MODES OF PLAY

Battlis is Tetris Battle Gaiden. The pieces operate as they do in normal Tetris, but certain blocks now contain crystals. Cleared crystals build up your point stock, and these can be redeemed to launch various powers.

Not a fan of the crystals and unique character abilities? Then select this mode for old school Tetris fun. It’s definitely nice that Bullet Proof Software included this option as it almost feels like two games in one. I personally prefer Battlis but it’s nice to know you always have the original mode to fall back on.

Rensa is an interesting mode. It includes the crystals and powers of Battlis, but now the pieces operate with gravity in mind. Remember Wolfman’s level 4 skill highlighted a bit earlier? That’s basically Rensa. Here, take a look.

Notice that the pieces fall until they reach the top of another block or the floor itself. Crystals, however, do not fall. Rensa allows for chain reactions, making it feel more like a “modern” puzzler.

Check out this 3 line chain reaction. Personally, I prefer classic Tetris over Rensa, but it’s nice to have this mode if you’re in the mood for something a it different.

RECEPTION

Super Play loved it, ranking it #24 on their Top 100 list

Tetris Battle Gaiden has quite the positive reputation. Although a few purists dislike it, it’s generally well received. Super Play Magazine, a UK publication dedicated to the SNES back in the early to mid ’90s, were huge fans of the game. They loved it so much that they ranked it an impressive #24 on their Top 100 SNES Games list in issue #42 (April 1996). They did fail to mention above though that the game actually features three modes, not two. Poor Rensa. Always the forgotten red headed step child.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

Takes you on a magic (carpet) ride — Takes ya on a magic (carpet) ride

Tetris Battle Gaiden has been recommended to me over the years. Picked up a copy in 2006 and fell in love with it. It’s the best Super Famicom exclusive puzzle game in my book, and one of the best puzzlers on the SNES, period. Some purists aren’t crazy about the Battlis mode, but you can always switch to classic Tetris mode (or Rensa mode). I love that there are three different playing options and eight different characters with a total of 32 unique skills and abilities. The replay value on this sucker is insane! Some purists also scoff at the fact that the blocks are shared between two players. I actually don’t mind this. It brings a certain sense of urgency (and strategy) to the fold. Do you drop that piece as fast as you can in a race to grab the next much needed block, or do you stall a few blocks ahead as to time it just right? It’s the ultimate hand-eye coordination test as you have to continually eye the queue more than your average puzzle game. You have to constantly be thinking 3-4 pieces ahead all while taking care of your own field and contend with your opponent sending over debris or sabotaging you in various ways. I also love how sometimes you play offense, other times you play defense. And nothing’s better than “blockblocking” your opponent — to snatch that much needed tetris block piece right before they can — and rubbing it in their faces. Good stuff.

I usually don’t commend graphics in most puzzle games as they’re usually serviceable at best, but Tetris Battle Gaiden is full of amazing art and endearing animations. The backgrounds are all incredibly detailed and bursting with rich colors. It’s almost a shame that you really can’t see them due to the blocks. The music is extremely catchy and there are several tunes that I’m particularly fond of. The gameplay strikes a sweet spot with three different modes that expand the game’s longevity tenfold. What can I say, Tetris Battle Gaiden is a winner through and through. I can’t recommend it enough to anyone who enjoys a good puzzle game now and again.

Tsuyoshi Shikkari Shinasai Taisen Puzzle-dama (SFC)

Konami delivers a high quality puzzle game

Tsuyoshi Shikkari Shinasai Taisen Puzzle-dama is an incredibly long name, and difficult to pronounce (for me anyhow), which makes me grateful that this is a fansite rather than a YouTube channel. That way I don’t have to butcher saying the name! But whatever (or however) you want to call it, call it damn good. It’s one of my favorite puzzle games on the entire Super Nintendo. Why? Let’s take a look.

CHIBI MARUKO CHAN NO TAISEN PAZURUDAMA

Loved this game in the early 2000s — Loved this one back in the early 2000s

As previously documented, before I got back into the SNES scene in early 2006, I was living on planet Sega Saturn from 1999-2005. In the early 2000s I bought a rare import by the name of Chibi Maruko Chan No Taisen Pazurudama. I saw a screenshot of it on the internet and knew I had to own it. When it arrived it did not disappoint. Colorful graphics, cute chibi characters and a classic puzzle piece system made this an instant favorite.

The very definition of kawaii — The very definition of *“kawaii”*

Imagine my joy when I discovered in 2006 that Konami had developed a very similar game on the Super Famicom, Tsuyoshi Shikkari Shinasai Taisen Puzzle-dama. It was released on November 18, 1994 — one year before Maruko came out in the Japanese Saturn market (December 15, 1995). It features the same classic gameplay but obviously with lesser visuals. What I really like about it is that you have 10 characters to pick from, each with their own block patterns. Think of it as a beta version of Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo. It makes for some competitive battles and high replay value.

See? It comes off as an early beta version of Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo which came out nearly a full two years later (June 1996).

I love the versus screen, too. It’s simple yet super vibrant and catches your eye. Gets you amped up for war!

HOW ELIMINATING PIECES WORK

Pieces drop from the top in two. They vary from red, yellow, blue and green. You can rotate them to be horizontal (or keep them vertical).

Pieces disappear when three or more like colors are matched. They just have to be touching (except diagonally) so it’s possible to form a match with two blues on one row and just a single blue right above.

GARBAGE BLOCKS NOT SO GARBAGE

Debris come in the form of clear blocks with a certain color encased. These blocks fall on your screen when your rival performs a nice combo. Or they can come from the well itself, which you don’t see a lot of in puzzle games from that era. The great thing about these debris blocks is that they have the potential for some lethal chain reactions. Anytime you clear faces touching a clear block, that block explodes freeing the color inside for proper usage.

Check out the lower bottom left. Those three yellow faces form a match and as they disappear from the field they free the three boxes right below.

The three then dissipate which clears the box right next to it. That box contains a yellow face, which is now liberated. That yellow face connects with the two yellow faces up top. Those three disappear which frees the three yellow boxes right next to it…

Just your typical 7-hit chain reaction! I love how crazy the combos can get in this game. It’s not uncommon to get 10+ hit chain reactions. I love how each match sends this projectile upward. It makes a sweet sound effect and is a nice visual to boot. Seeing fireballs shoot from your screen like 7-10 times in a row is a rush! It makes for some ideal trash talking and some serious sweating on your opponent’s part. It can be absolutely demoralizing to be on the other end and seeing and hearing the constant swoosh-swoosh. You know you’re in for one major pounding.

It’s so satisfying to see your opponent’s well rise and rise until their well is completely filled. Good stuff.

MORE COOL CHAIN REACTIONS

Connect the yellow to make a match and start this nice little chain reaction.

It drops the green piece on the other two green pieces. The green pieces connect and frees the red block there.

The three yellow pieces connect as the red connect. Just a simple little three hit combo to let your opponent know you’re here. Now, for a more damaging combo…

The green and yellow pieces connect for a nice six piece match. I love how the faces explode — their eyes and mouths pop before bursting. It’s the small details

The yellow piece drops on the bottom two while the four red pieces connect. Meanwhile, major liberation is taking place (which is the key to creating monster chain reactions).

The blue pieces connect, freeing that yellow imprisoned block there.

The yellow faces match, freeing two blue blocks and the yellow block up top.

Now the blue faces dissipate, releasing the two yellow blocks for the 6th hit of this massive combo.

As your combo meter increases, so too do the debris on your opponent’s screen. The characters’ reactions are priceless and add to the anxiety (and thrill) of a competitive contest. Seeing the characters wince in pain before crying uncle is all part of the fun of watching your opponent’s well fill up completely.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

Konami's most unknown SNES gem — Konami’s best kept SNES secret!

Tsuyoshi Shikkari Shinasai Taisen Puzzle-dama is a blast. It’s a ton of fun to see 10+ hit combos filling up the screen. It’s competitive, charming and cutthroat. And seeing the characters react in the background, whether they’re celebrating or biting their fingernails, never gets old.

“No, no, no! YES, YES, YES!” Ah, the back and forth of a thrilling match.

On the down side, the visuals aren’t the best. I wish the backgrounds were a little more colorful than the semi-drab green that they used. Not a deal breaker for me by any means but I’m sure Konami could have added a little more color. Another negative is that the pieces aren’t as operational as some other games in this genre. For example, take moving a vertical two piece set down a narrow column. In most puzzle games you can switch these pieces despite having no room. You can’t do that here. Therefore, you have to make certain adjustments. Again, not a deal breaker for me but it’s something to be noted.

A must-have for puzzle fanatics — Puzzle fans can’t go wrong here

Puzzle fanatic? Got a girlfriend or wife who isn’t much of a gamer, but enjoys these cutesy puzzle games on a casual level? Still rocking out with the SNES? If so then do yourself a favor and check out Tsuyoshi Shikkari Shinasai Taisen Puzzle-dama. Konami smashes yet another Super Nintendo gem. Unlike their other SNES hits though, this one never got the recognition it so richly deserved. Hands down Konami’s best kept SNES secret!

Otoboke Ninja Colosseum (SFC)

Oh look, it's Super Bomberwoman! — Oh look, it’s *Super Bomberwoman*!

It is true that “chain” can be hard. Developer “Mint” knew this because they didn’t stray far from a much tried-and-true formula for their very first video game effort. In fact, they only made a total of three games. If you’ve never heard of the company Mint before, you’re not alone. Otoboke Ninja Colosseum can best be described as Bomberman with female ninjas. Sounds pretty good. But is it? Let’s take a closer look.

A UNIQUE TWIST

Rather than dropping bombs, you drop spiked capsules. But there’s an interesting twist here…

Death by shuriken! Not so fast... — Death by shuriken! Not so fast…

Two seconds later the capsule shatters, releasing four shurikens north, south, west and east (if not blocked by an obstacle).

OK, so it’s pretty much like Bomberman‘s bombs right? Hold on a second, playa…

Like a sitting duck... — Like a sitting duck, the poor gal

If a shuriken connects, it stuns the player for two seconds, but they’re not yet eliminated. You’re only halfway home.

Only during a stunned state can the chain attack finish ‘em off. This is a cool twist because the stun doesn’t automatically guarantee defeat. The other player still has to connect with their chain ball. Battles get intense when you escape the grip of death by mere nanoseconds. It’s also incredibly satisfying to manually twist your chain around from far away. Some of the chain twists can get pretty nuts!

It’s this little quirk and change in gameplay that makes this Bomberman clone stand out from the crowd. In four player battles you can hide in the shadows and wait for the other players to stun each other, and then you can unleash your chain. You can technically win a match by only using the chain attack and never having to lay down a spiked capsule. This adds a natural built-in devious and vulture-like atmosphere that works really well with three friends in tow. Being able to wait in the weeds and eliminate someone seemingly out of nowhere is damn good stuff.

So gone is the “Damnit! I accidentally killed myself in the first three seconds” syndrome. Plus the chain attack is ace. It can be manipulated to curve around corners and, when prolonged, is quite an amazing sight. Not to mention really fun to control. More on this later…

ONE PLAYER MODE

It’s decent enough, but definitely not the meat and potatoes of the game. It does sport kind of an anime look, though, which is pretty interesting, although the visuals are a little on the bland side. It doesn’t come off as a 1995 SNES game. In fact it looks more like a Genesis title from 1993 (no offense to the Sega Genesis). It just has that Mega Drive look to it, know what I mean?

I forged ahead, hoping things would pick up a bit. And it did at the first boss.

Shurikens hitting this boss does no damage. You have to first connect with the shuriken(s) and then send the chain ball at it. For regular enemies, the shuriken is enough to get the job done. For the tougher regular enemies, however, it’s the ol’ shuriken-chain combo.

The second world was a lot more interesting with more puzzles to solve instead of just laying spiked capsules and high-tailing it. They’re not yet mind-bending but it’s still early. Here is the first “puzzle” you’ll encounter:

To beat a stage you must first clear every bad guy. Three unbreakable blocks halt your progress here.

Use your chain to pull those three blocks out one by one.

Now with one block remaining, you’re able to push through it and unleash hell on all them fools.

Like I said, not taxing but a lot more satisfying than the wide open. Later on, teleports come into play and the puzzles get rather perplexing.

The next snow stage is very nice. I love little details like that creepy, possessed-looking volcano face launching fireballs without mercy — awesome. Watch the shadows of these on-coming fireballs and skidaddle!

By the way, the volcano baddie reminds me of GAROKK from X-Men fame… in his rocky prison form.

The haunted theme is the best. Contend with bats, vampires, ghoulish skeletons and super quick werewolves. Check out this sick 2×2 screen level!

FOUR-PLAY GETS ME GOING

Feeling quite satisfied with the one player mode now, which went from meh to hey that’s not so bad, the four player battle mode is the meat of any Bomberman type game. The one player mode was never anything more than a bonus, a frill, a silk handkerchief in the breast pocket of the game’s velvet regalia.

POWER HOUR

Power-ups are always important to these games. Otoboke has some of the coolest you’ll find anywhere. A list of some:

Drop more spiked capsules at a time
Spiked capsules are made invisible when dropped
Spiked capsules exploding after one second rather than two
Chain can PUSH spiked capsules around (very evil power-up!)
Chain can break blocks, not just your shurikens
Speed down
Speed up

Etc. Everyone starts with a full screen chain and shurikens which also travel the full length of the screen, not to mention the ability to drop two spiked capsules right off the bat. This makes it a bit more chaotic than Bomberman from the get-go at least. There’s an emphasis on being offensive-minded. You have to watch your back from jump street as everyone starts out pretty strong even in their default state.

COLOSSEUM NUMBER ONE

Your standard first stage. The snowmen are unbreakable and can be used defensively as shurikens can’t cut through them. The snowmen are pushable and your chain can pull them toward you as well. All but two battle zones have these movable barriers in some shape or form.

COLOSSEUM NUMBER TWO

Each player has their own island waiting to be invaded. The cool thing here is, unless you use the bridge points, chains cannot stretch across islands, thus eliminating “cheap kills.” This stage effectively forces you to man up, er, woman up. This Colosseum separates the boys from the men. Er, the girls from the women. Ah you know what I mean! The Super Famicom barriers add a nice touch as well.

COLOSSEUM NUMBER THREE

What would a game of this nature be without a roof / tunnel stage? Can you locate the green player? Not here you can, since she is taking shelter under one of the roof tops. This stage is full of Japanese culture — from the roofing style to the Tanuki statues. I always enjoy these tunnel type levels, where parts of the playing field is obscured by some kind of structure. It lends a fun hide and seek aspect to the game.

COLOSSEUM NUMBER FOUR

What else could make a game of this nature more complete? Of course, the stage with multiple exit points. The green player enjoys a blend-in advantage (see far right). Hey, sometimes it pays to be controller number four, eh?

COLOSSEUM NUMBER FIVE

The green bars restrict certain movement. Sorry, not much else to say here. It’s not one of my favorite stages as it’s a bit dull both in concept and in terms of looks. One of the more forgettable battle zones. Not worthless, but not exactly as enticing as some of the others on tap.

COLOSSEUM NUMBER SIX

This one is unique because all spiked capsules dropped are invisible! Note the return of the Tanuki. The green pool in the middle there is aesthetically pleasing in a mystical, mythical fashion. See, this is what the previous Colosseum lacked. Just the smallest detail or graphical touch can really go a long way! It makes me wonder if the combatants took a sip of the water before the match and thus were granted the super power of having invisible spiked capsules. All thanks to one small graphical detail ^_^

COLOSSEUM NUMBER SEVEN

It’s the super power war zone. Each player begins with the ability to drop five spiked capsules and there are no obstacles! Only the strongest will survive here.

You can’t fall through those holes by the way. Whew!

COLOSSEUM NUMBER EIGHT

At a cursory glance you wouldn’t know the gimmick here. However, play for a bit and arrows are soon revealed. Determines where shurikens travel? Nope. The arrows directs where your CHAIN can go. A nice variation on top of a nice variation. The Super Famicom barriers make a return because they’re awesome.

TAKE A SPIKE, PAL

When the clock runs down to 30 seconds, spikes crop up. If you come into contact with the spikes then you’re stunned a la the shurikens. Also, you lose if you fall through the holes. An interesting variation on Bomberman‘s falling blocks.

THE TIMES… THEY’RE A’CHAINING…

Check out some of the cool things you can do with that ole chain ball:

WITH FRIENDS LIKE THIS, WHO NEEDS ENEMIES?

Nothing’s quite as sweet as lurking in the shadows waiting for others to do the dirty work. As soon as you find a stunned opponent, send the chain ball twisting and curving some twenty feet away — it makes for great enemies and “Ooooh-I’ll-get-you-next-round!” battles.

The feeling of surviving by the skin of your teeth as the chain comes your way JUST as you recover from your slumber is equally a great high, and on the flip side, morally deflating.

NEGATIVES

Otoboke lacks the finishing touches and isn’t nearly as customizable as the Bomberman games. There’s no option for CPU AI — the default AI is laughably horrible. There’s no tag team option. Thankfully the rest is status quo: pick between 2-4 players (from a character choice of four females), 1-5 wins and any one of the eight Colosseums.

Graphically, it’s a bit weaker than the SNES Bomberman games (which were no visual tour-de-forces themselves). The music can get annoying at times. Control is a bit “stickier” than the Bomberman games.

What I mean by that is you can’t readjust your position when “waiting.” You know how you drop a bomb in Bomberman, go hide in a safe corner and can face north, south, west or east to ready yourself for your next movement? In Otoboke if you go in facing east, you can’t turn west without moving out of your safe position. Maybe hard to understand in text, but you’ll see what I mean if you play it. This forces you to have greater wherewithal to compensate for a flaw that shouldn’t be there in the first place. It’s not a deal breaker in my opinion, but diehard Bomberman fans will take notice of this change and be quickly forced to adjust their playing style.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

Best Bomberman clone on SNES — Best *Bomberman* clone on SNES

Despite the flaws listed above, I love Otoboke Ninja Colosseum. It plays enough like Bomberman to provide you with that sense of comforting familiarity, yet it throws some curveballs at you to keep you on your toes and makes this a game worth playing rather than that lingering thought creeping into your head: “I would much rather play Bomberman.” Otoboke does just enough to separate itself from Bomberman that it makes owning both games more than worth it. One of the better Super Famicom imports and one of the best four player games on the SNES, Otoboke Ninja Colosseum is a quirky little gem.

Natsume Championship Wrestling (SNES)

***Pub and Dev: Natsume | June 1994 | 16 MEGS***

My brother Kevin and I were huge wrestling fans growing up. I remember in the early ’90s when Virgil, a WWF superstar, visited my local mall. I wanted to ask him, “Is wrestling real?” I was seven or eight. But when I got up to him and saw how big he was, I timidly handed him my Virgil trading card and said not a single word. I was in sheer awe. The question I had rehearsed in my head all week long and on the car ride over, it flew straight out the window the second I caught sight of those gigantic biceps.

Virgil signed my card, and he didn't charge me $50! — Still got my signed Virgil card to this very day ^_^

In the summer of ’94, my brother saw an ad for Natsume Championship Wrestling in EGM. The ad, much like the cover, was one of the cheesiest, most laughable ads I ever saw. Two wrestlers that hardly resembles any of the actual NCW combatants are seen sparring. The text read NATSUME CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING IS DEFINITELY THE MOST INCREDIBLY EXCITING GAME EVER DEVELOPED. IT WILL BLOW YOU AWAY!!

Well hot damn. Say no more. I’m sold. Ah, the innocence of youth. In addition, it had a ton of engrish. And just what in the BLUE HELL is a “Jumping Kneepat” … “Shoulder Through” … “Kitchen Sink” … EH? O_o

My brother then uttered the words I’d heard a hundred times before…

“Steve, go rent it this weekend.”

I wanted Double Dragon V but couldn't betray my bro — I wanted Double Dragon V but couldn’t betray my bro

And so, it was that Friday night that my dad and I were off to the rental shops. No store had NCW except Ultimate Video — the new gigantic mom ‘n pop that opened circa spring of ’94. I remember seeing Double Dragon V and wanting to rent that instead. But I had a direct objective to see through. My dad checked the game out and we stopped by Burger King to grab dinner on the way home. Hey, isn’t it kind of funny how our brains remember the most random little details? Man, I remember it as if it only happened yesterday…

I opted to stay in the car. Ultimate Video did a rarity in those days… they included the game’s manual. Sitting there in the faint orange glow of the street lamp, I studied the extensive manual. To this day it’s a vivid memory that’s stuck with me all these years later.

Read this outside a Burger King summer of '94, heh — Read this outside a Burger King summer of ’94, heh

I remember being impressed by the large move set. Most wrestling games of that era simply didn’t have very many moves. Here you had different moves for the SAME button! All you had to do was hit left, right, up or down to do a different maneuver. Maybe the ad wasn’t lying. Maybe this was indeed the most incredibly exciting game ever developed. But then I spotted some funny errors in the manual. What the hell is a slipper hold? And why is Conan 6’9″ when he’s 6’0″? The game received extremely limited exposure in magazines. I was beginning to think I should have gone with Double Dragon V [Yeah like that one turned out so hot -Ed.]

Long story short(er), we ended up loving this game. It’s a shame that NCW has never really been in the spotlight like it deserves. So without further ado, let’s see why this game is the most incredibly exciting game ever developed. Or at least, why it’s a damn fine wrestling title, anyhow.

What is Technostasy? Why is there no space in between since and 1987? What an odd bunch! [You’re one to talk -Ed.]

There are five modes in all. If you play against the computer you can choose from easy, medium or hard. With friends, it’s possible to have 12 players via the Round Robin Tag Match, though obviously not simultaneously. Don’t start on hard if you’re new and wish to keep your teeth intact. The system is based on timing, not rapid button mashing (thank goodness) but for newbies it’ll take a while to get the timing down pat.

FEEL THE POWER!

The energy bar system is one of the best I’ve ever seen. Like Vampire Savior (but much earlier, mind), when you take damage it’s possible to recuperate health. However, the more damage you take, the slower the healing. There are six bars. Blue, green, yellow, red, dark red and black. I found it innovative as hell back in ’94.

It’s bloody ace. Other wrestling games of that era had one energy bar, with no healing potential. Think of all those WWF games, Saturday Night Slam Masters and so forth. You’ll never look at an energy bar in a wrestling game quite the same again after playing NCW.

In tag matches this feature especially shines. Tag out with your health on dark red, two minutes later tag back in and you’ll find your health in the green. Therefore, tag team strategy in this game more closely mimics the real thing than other wrestling games of that era.

And nothing satisfies more than beating someone up SO bad that his health recovers at a snail-like pace! That’s when you know you’ve truly given someone a legit beat down.

THE WRESTLERS

There are 12 in all, with three different body shapes: big, medium and small. Let’s meet these barbaric savages now shall we?

ASTEROID

6’4″
269 pounds

My favorite. According to the manual he has won many championships and bloody hell, he does one mean face slam!

conan-ncw CONAN

6’0″
259 pounds

One of only two medium body types, Conan does one hell of a moonsault! Maybe it’s the name, maybe it’s the unique look, but I always thought Conan was one cool ass dude.

Beautiful moonsault. No one does it better. Because nobody else can even do a moonsault! Always been a fan of Conan because of this very fact.

VIPER

6’1″
248 pounds

Fast as lightning, with some of the game’s coolest moves, thanks to the fact that they belong only to him. I liked his unique blue tights with the fangs, and his blue hair was quite a riot back in ’94. Viper was my brother’s second favorite wrestler in this game

Viper delivers one hell of a flying elbow drop. Somewhere the Macho Man Randy Savage is looking down with a grin on his kisser. “OOOH YEAH!”

Small in stature perhaps, but don’t underestimate the little guy’s strength. He pulls off a mean powerslam. The snap is so smooth and crisp on that sucker.

PHANTOM

6’0″
258 pounds

Palette swap? Shh, Natsume knows no such thing. Phantom has that devious look down to a science, but unfortunately lacks cool moves. As such, my brother and I hardly ever picked him as our choice wrestler. He was fun as hell to beat up, though!

Nice cross chop to the throat though. Ooof!

SPIKE

6’4″
279 pounds

Spike is the tallest bloke in NCW at shockingly just 6’4″ — it would have been cool to see a 7 footer in this game. Spike sports one hell of a tan. Hmm, he reminds me of Jake “The Snake” Roberts. My brother and I used to hype up Spike as one tough customer because he reminded us so much of Jake Roberts, who was one certified badass.

Spike even finishes off his opponents with a DDT, much like Jake himself. However, Spike adds a little twist — it’s a jumping DDT. Ouch.

J. KRAZE

6’3″
277 pounds

He sure could use Spike’s tan, eh? A former mental patient, he’s earned his name for good reason! My brother and I used to love beating up J. Kraze. We got a kick out of his “crazy” backstory and the fact that his last name is “Kraze.” Oh Natsume, you bastards you.

Look at all that cray cray — All that cray cray…

I mean, just look at that kisser! He’s a psychopath! Nothing beats beating up crazy folk…

Clothesline from hell! The victim will receive a NASTY whiplash if near the ropes.

BIG APE

6’2″
322 pounds

Big Ape is the heaviest competitor but I was always disappointed at his lack of height. I wish they made him a towering 6 foot 10 or even 7 foot tall. A King Kong Bundy clone, Big Ape knows how to throw his weight around!

Wrong side of town, Phantom... — Wrong side of town, Phantom…

It’s like using Bowser or Donkey Kong Jr. in Super Mario Kart. You don’t want to be bumping (no pun intended) into this guy!

Avalanche Slam wipes out the competition. Love this finishing move. I always thought it was super cool and often wondered why no wrestlers in real life use this move. It’s like a running powerslam without the running, but the way Big Ape spikes them, with all of his 322 pounds crashing on them, is devastating.

H. SNAKE

5’9″
245 pounds

No knee pads? Is he mad, or just plain dumb? I hate this guy. I always take great pleasure in beating him up. He looks like the kind of guy you just want to pummel! My brother and I never used H. Snake. He was kind of a lame design to be honest! And his moves weren’t very interesting.

Clothesline him against the ropes. Then smack ‘im in the face, bouncing him off the ropes, before he can counter.

Cap off the combo by evading the punch and nailing a sick standing dropkick.

FANGZ

6’1″
262 pounds

Fangz may be the dullest of them all. Basically a swap of Asteroid but hardly any fun to play as. He doesn’t even have the cool tights of Viper or H. Snake. He’s just there and very forgettable.

Delivers one decent power bomb, though.

PYTHON

6’2″
302 pounds

Hmmm, Viper, Fangz, H. Snake, now Python?! Snake fetish, much? This fool is mad strong! Arguably has the best looking move in the game too. His throwing power bomb is a sight to behold.

Decapitation city — what a brutal looking clothesline!

Python’s throwing power bomb is a beautiful sight. You can even throw them out of the ring with this move!

M. ROACH

5’9″
229 pounds

Roach was my bro’s favorite. Easy to see why. Not only is he great fun to play as, but those are some killer trunks! Plus that name is a hoot. M. Roach. Weird enough that it sticks with you.

His running hip toss is smooth AF!

He’s got a pretty sweet legdrop too. He gets great height on it.

Exclusive to Roach is this super excellent looking neckbreaker! Great animation. Like everything he does, it’s smooth as butter. Love the crash of the mat as Roach drives his opponent into the canvas.

Phantom is dazed as Roach goes for the kill.

K. BRUTO

6’2″
312 pounds

A 3-time champion, Bruto lives up to his moniker. He’s got some of the game’s most brutal moves. Check out his finishing move below. It never fails to make me wince a bit on the inside whenever I see it.

His high angled power bomb will compress your spinal cord and crack your skull. I like how K. Bruto and Python have different power bombs. Poor Fangz though just has a regular power bomb as his finishing move. Like I said, Fangz is forgettable.

THE GAME

Tries to cop Street Fighter II a bit with this — Tries to cop *Street Fighter II* a bit with this

Post match quotes even rear their ugly head in NCW. I guess no brawler of any sort was safe in those days, no? By the way, some of the comments are hilarious I recall. “Wow, he’s heavy” just feels so random. And the excuse of twisting your ankle during the match? It’s got a funky little sense of humor.

Take the fight outside for more destruction

Reach out and touch somebody [Har har -Ed.] — Reach out and touch somebody *[Har har -Ed.]*

Go to sleep, GO TO SLEEP... — Go to sleep, go to sleeeep

When you pick up an opponent, he sits up half way. From here you can pick him up again so that he stands, or leave him sitting, whereby you can kick the back of his skull or wrench his neck in a sleeper hold! I always liked this versatility.

Blood? Only for Roach, oddly — Blood? Just a smidgen

Although no weapons like chairs and broken beer bottles are available, the steel barricades make for a great ally. Try and time it so you can follow up with a killer clothesline combination, right as this animation expires. Simple but highly effective stuff!

QUIRKY BLACK HUMOR TRICKS

This is a neat little "trick" — This is a neat little “trick”

My brother and I nearly fell out of our chairs when we first saw this back in the summer of ’94. We were just messing around as usual, wondering if we could knock the other guy off the apron. We figured we couldn’t, but we had to try anyway. Imagine our shock when we saw that it worked. Nothing beats knocking him off right as the computer tries to go for the tag

You’ve seen how the ropes can come into play (i.e. face slam, clothesline) for a nice added whiplash effect. You’ve seen the dirty tag team tactic. There are some others but I have to show this one…

You’ll need to use a faster wrestler (i.e. Viper) and it only works against a bigger, slower guy (i.e. Big Ape). On the outside, fling them toward the far left of the screen. As soon as you do, RUN. By the time they get to the other side of the ring if you time it right you can actually knock them down! It’s completely satisfying and a bit demoralizing for them. My brother and I played NCW to death back in the day so we knew all the “tricks” of the trade. The game was amazingly deep for its time, especially for the US market. There was no other wrestling game like this.

Ah, the "monkey" commentators. Good times — Ah, the “monkey” commentators. Good times

My mom never cared for gaming. She never bothered to stop and watch me play. However, there was something about Natsume Championship Wrestling that caught her eye. Maybe it was all the devious whiplash tricks, or the catch-you-from-behind spot, but my mom used to stop and watch my brother I play NCW. She would be doing her chores, then she’d hear laughter roaring from the game room. She’d poke her head in and actually watch us play for a bit. She never did that with any other game. One day she made the comment “Are those guys monkeys?” My brother and I never noticed it prior, but they did look a bit like monkeys, so my bro and I started calling them the “monkey commentators.” It’s just one of those funky memories that has stuck.

MORE NCW MEMORIES… AND THE DAY IT DIED

After my brother and I enjoyed the heck out of Natsume Championship Wrestling, we decided it was a game we were going to buy, once it went on budget. Sure enough, one year later we were browsing the SNES game aisle at Toys R Us in good ol’ 1995.

And there it was, like a beacon of light.

NCW on clearance for $19.99.

I grabbed that classic Toys R Us game slip — it turned out to be the last one!

We played NCW for a good long time. My mom would casually walk by and actually stand there to watch for a minute or two. She couldn’t care less for video games, but something about the barbaric game tactics (rope whiplash trick, catch-you-from-behind, etc.) appealed to her, and of course, the outlandish chimp commentators. Looking back, those were truly the good old days…

We played together mostly, but when against, I usually got the better of him.

We played NCW well into 1997. It was loads of fun, but one day, my brother finally “laid the game to rest” — as they might say.

“Hey, let’s play NCW,” I said.

“Naw, I had enough of it.”

“What? One more time… c’mon.”

“We’ve played it to death…”

And he was right. We had slammed J. Kraze’s crazy ass probably a zillion times, crushed Snake’s wind pipe five hundred thousand times and sent Spike to the hospital more times than I could count. We truly exhausted the game for all it was worth. With my brother retiring from NCW, so too did I. It was a sad day, but inevitable. Such is the life of video games…

WHERE HAVE I SEEN YOU BEFORE?

Notice the name there? JULIE... — Notice the name in the bottom right corner?? JULIE…

The person who did the artwork for NCW, Julie Bell, also did several other gaming covers. I thought the work looked familiar. I did some research and I found out Julie Bell also worked on these games. After you see the artwork you can kind of see her style. For years I noticed a “Julie” on some of my SNES games but never bothered to look it up. It’s nice to solve this little mystery. You already saw Double Dragon V earlier in this review. That was a Julie piece of work. Here are some others…

juliencw — *Splatterhouse 3* (March 1993)

Run Saber (June 1993) — *Run Saber* (June 1993)

Eternal Champions (December 1993) — *Eternal Champions* (December 1993)

King of Dragons (April 1994) — *King of Dragons* (April 1994)

Demon's Crest (October 1994) — *Demon’s Crest* (October 1994)

Good stuff there, Julie! I always liked these covers. Well, aside from the NCW one. Sorry but that one is a bit hideous based on the fact that the drawn wrestlers don’t match the actual in-game wrestlers! But other than that, nice work Julie!

ZEN NIPPON PRO WRESTLING TRILOGY

NCW was based off the Zen Nippon games — NCW was based off the *Zen Nippon* games

If you enjoy NCW then I highly recommend Zen Nippon Pro Wrestling Budokan. It’s the third and final game in the trilogy, and features more wrestlers, more moves and a sweet Fatal Four Way match. To be honest it pretty much renders NCW a bit obsolete as it’s everything NCW is and more. Still, I appreciate the generic localization of NCW’s wrestlers and they have a bit of personality to them that makes it worth revisiting once in a blue moon for that odd nostalgic rush. Plus, it never hurts to beat up J. Kraze one last time.

There's a devious aspect to the Fatal Four Way — *Zen Nippon Pro Wrestling Budokan* is awesome!

CLOSING THOUGHTS

February 20, 2006.

A little over a month into my SNES resurrection, I re-bought NCW to relive not only the memories, but just to play again a very good wrestling game.

And sometimes good memories obscure a game’s flaws… well, not the case here! NCW still holds up well but of course Zen Nippon Pro Wrestling Budokan is essentially an upgraded model. Still, when viewed on its own, NCW certainly holds it own.

Unlike other wrestling games from that time period, the move set was extensive, the grapple system relied on timing (much like the awesome Fire Pro series) and there were so many nice touches. Got your opponent on the ground? Stomp his face or his knees. Do an elbowdrop. A kneedrop. Fling them into the ropes? Backdrop. Clothesline. Running hiptoss. The list goes on and on. Y is for weak moves, B for medium and A for power. If you attempt too strong a move on a fresh opponent they will counter! They must be sufficiently weakened before you can slap your finisher on them.

The first time you witness a running clothesline followed by your opponent ducking seamlessly into a back suplex you will go, “OH NO! But damn if that wasn’t sick.”

While the graphics don’t match that of a Saturday Night Slam Masters, its gameplay is simply unrivaled. There is no comparison between NCW and any other American SNES wrestling game. NCW also has nice sound and music too. Actually, quite catchy indeed.

Here’s another cool twist — instead of 2 going to 3 — there’s 2.5 and 2.9 first. If you kick out during these close counts, the fans can be heard stomping in unison from the rafters!

The wealth of moves and how extremely playable it is makes ita shame this game went under the radar as much as it did. There was ZERO coverage in GameFan and EGM only had a one page preview in their May ’94 issue. Neither publication reviewed the game. It also came out the same time as arcade champion Saturday Night Slam Masters. Tough way to break in, eh?

What a shame. It deserved so much better.

What is the best American SNES wrestling game?

Without hesitation I’d say it’s

It’s not the most incredibly exciting game ever developed. BUT… it is pretty damn good.

Graphics: 6.5
Sound: 9
Gameplay: 9
Longevity: 7.5

Overall: 8.5

There's my guy! Rock on, Asteroid. Rock on — There’s my guy! Rock on, Asteroid. Rock on

Zen Nippon Pro Wrestling Trilogy (SFC)

Natsume launches their underrated wrestling series — *Zen Nippon Pro Wrestling* (7.16.93)

With the popularity of Human’s Fire Pro Wrestling series in the early-mid ’90s, Natsume counteracted with their (underrated) Zen Nippon Pro Wrestling trilogy. They even Americanized a version of this, calling it Natsume Championship Wrestling, which came out on the Super Nintendo market in June 1994. I have fond memories of NCW, so it was a great deal of fun to play the original Japanese version.

Growing up in the late ’80s a kid only needed two things really: Nintendo and Hulk Hogan. I still remember how my uncle would watch Saturday Night’s Main Event with me and my brother. As well as that time he took us to the mall to get an autograph from visiting WWF superstar Virgil. It was a great time.

ZEN NIPPON PRO WRESTLING is an excellent wrestling game featuring solid graphics, good sound and terrific gameplay. The grapple system relies on timing rather than speed. You have weak, medium and power attacks during grapple. The energy bar is perhaps my favorite thing about these games. The “whiplash rope” trick is pretty damn cool too… more on this later on.

EGM introduced me to this series when they ran a cool little preview back in 1994.

Your energy bar starts out BLUE.

The bar decreases as damage is taken, revealing these colors in sequence:

GREEN
YELLOW
RED
DARK RED
BLACK

Like Capcom’s Vampire Savior, health can be recuperated. For example, you recover health when you’re on the apron resting during a tag match. When you eat a move, like a power bomb or dropkick, you lose the proper amount of health but your energy will recover at a decent pace. However, the more damage you sustain, the slower your energy will recuperate. Brilliant.

Japanese wrestling legend Giant BABA is no match for the younger and quicker Patriot. I dig the simple, colorful visuals. That health bar system was innovative for its time!

There was a subtle sense of black humor, too. You can knock the opposition silly right before they can make the tag. Or even knock out their partner off the apron right as they’re going for the hot tag!

As good of a first entry as this was, the follow-up made some vast improvements.

*Zen Nippon Pro Wrestling Dash: Sekai Saikyou Tag* (12.28.93)

ZEN NIPPON PRO WRESTLING DASH was released only five months after the first one. It’s more of an upgrade than a sequel. Like the original, 16 wrestlers are available. So what’s new? Besides minor roster changes, the focus is now on tag team play, though the first game had tag team modes as well. The difference here? Tag team moves.

That'll rearrange his furniture — That’ll rearrange his furniture

OK, I know what you’re thinking

“Tag team combo moves. BIG DEAL!”

That’s why, to save Dash from being simply a hack cash-in, they included…

This mode is a wild free-for-all providing great multiplayer action. There are no energy bars cluttering the screen. The only way to win is via pin fall or submission. Over-the-top-rope doesn’t matter here — hell, you can take the battle outside if you wish.

Just don't get counted out — Just don’t get counted out

The mat on the outside even has a different (more brutal sounding) sound effect as compared to the ring mat. Great attention to detail and made slamming fools on the outside all the more satisfying.

The third and final game of the trilogy, however, is by far the best of the bunch.

Zen Nippon Pro Wrestling 2:3-4 Budokan (April 7, 1995) — *Zen Nippon Pro Wrestling 2:3-4 Budokan* (4.7.95)

Zen Nippon Pro Wrestling 2:3-4 Budokan (yes, I know it’s an incredibly weird and awkward title) is my favorite SNES wrestling game. I even prefer it over Super Fire Pro Wrestling X Premium, which I just reviewed earlier today. While I don’t think it’s technically better than Premium, I do find it to be slightly more fun. There’s a difference between what one considers to be their favorite versus what one considers to be the best. Let’s see what makes this final game in the Zen Nippon trilogy so good.

A CLASSIC FORMULA

Similar to the Fire Pro games, Natsume chose wisely when they decided to make the Zen Nippon games based on timing rather than button mashing. When two wrestlers go to lock up, the first to press an attack button right as the two combatants touch hands will win that grapple. However, if you use a medium or power based attack early on, it may be countered as the opposition might still be too strong. Therefore, you must weaken them bit by bit until you can pull out the heavy hitters (power bombs, pile drivers and so forth). It made for progressive matches that flowed nicely, like real life wrestling matches on TV. You don’t see wrestlers hitting their big power moves right after the opening bell (well at least you don’t in most cases). It’s a classic formula that works and has stood the test of time.

PICK FROM 19 WRESTLING SUPERSTARS

They’re all actual real wrestlers that competed in Japan back in the ’80s or ’90s. My favorite is this guy…

Asteroid was my favorite wrestler from Natsume Championship Wrestling which was a 1994 Super Nintendo release based off Zen Nippon Pro Wrestling. Man, did my brother and I have some good times with NCW. From buying the last copy at Toys R Us in ’95 for its clearance price of $19.99 to all the late evenings we spent glued to the TV screen waging war in tag team battle. Even my mom, who never cared for video games, would occasionally stop whatever chore she was doing to glance at the game. My bro and I played NCW to death for a good number of years until we finally laid it to rest in 1997 when one day my bro simply refused to play it. It was a sad day, but such is the life of video games, I suppose. Thanks for all the good times and fond memories, NCW! You and all your cheesy charm will never be forgotten.

WHY BUDOKAN IS THE BEST IN THE TRILOGY

Poor Doug Furnas probably lost a tooth there

Like I said, more moves than ever before

*[OK, please do not use the word KINKY ever again -Ed.]*

Not really THAT big a deal, but cool stuff nonetheless — Not really that big a deal, but cool stuff nonetheless

Press ‘A’ to hold. If you catch your opponent, you can hit Y for a weak move, B for a medium move, A for a power move or X to sling them into the ropes. It allows you to skip the grappling process but be warned, your opponent can still counter if they’re too strong.

The new entrances are very cool, as well, with their own theme — New entrances with personal theme music? Sick

It's like one of those lavish GODZILLA VS. titles — It’s like one of those lavish *GODZILLA VS.* titles

Just like in the previous games, the 2.5 and 2.9 dramatic counts return. These close counts result in the audience stomping in unison causing the screen to shake. Adds nicely to the drama and intensity of a match.

SICK MOVES

Countering creates a dramatic ebb and flow

No blood, but Budokan is satisfyingly BRUTAL

OUCH, nothing says pain like taking a missile dropkick straight to the mush!

Akira’s face slam is devastating enough on its own. But when combined with the top cable rope? It’s downright dirty.

Jackhammer?! Close enough. In real life Akira used this move which he called Chichubu Cement. Odd name, sick looking move. The crash of the mat sounds extra loud on this move in particular, and never fails to make me wince a little on the inside.

Chichubu Cement against the ropes! Now that definitely makes me wince.

Undertaker would be proud. Love those flashing cameras. Totally captures the spirit of pro wrestling in the mid ’90s!

Akira also delivers one mean power bomb. But wait, there’s a twist here…

There are actually two versions of it! To execute Akira’s power bomb, press A to catch them in a hold first. Then press up or down + A. Tap A once for a regular release power bomb. But tap A multiple times and Akira will turn it into a pinning power bomb! The first time I discovered this by pure accident of button mashing for the hell of it, I almost fell out of my chair. It’s such a deep game, only second to Super Fire Pro Wrestling X Premium.

Akira just heaves them like they were yesterday’s garbage. I love the ability to do moves from behind — the previous two games didn’t allow this.

Samoan drop and a beauty! Budokan added in quite a few new moves the previous two games didn’t have.

Beautiful frog splash — Eddie Guerrero would be proud.

WHAT IS THE ACTUAL BUDOKAN MODE?

First, check out the cool entrances. Most wrestlers wear some sort of special t-shirt or robe that they only wear during their ring entrances. Good stuff. Baba is PIMPING!

Better fill those seats or else... YOU'RE FIRED — Better fill those seats or else… YOU’RE FIRED

Budokan is a unique mode where you book the wrestling matches. The arena starts out looking rather sorry and sparse, but depending on the quality of your booked matches, more fans fill in as the evening progresses. It’s a cool little niche mode but it’s not my favorite.

Don't hit start, hit option first — Don’t hit start, hit option first

This is a bit tricky. If you hit start you’ll begin the tournament which is meh. But if you press start on OPTION you actually open up the game’s various modes. Kind of weird, huh?

I may be a bit overly enthusiastic here... — I may be a bit overly enthusiastic here…

I love beating up on the masked wrestlers... — I love beating up on the masked wrestlers…

Fire Pro ain't got nothing on this! — *Fire Pro* ain’t got nothing on this

The Fatal Four Way leads to some good old fashion arcade-esque fun and chaos. Bum rushing folks from behind is oddly one of the greatest pleasures in multi-player history. There’s just something about attacking your friends from behind that will cause you to grin like a Cheshire cat. Trust me when I say… it’s priceless.

Like in Natsume Championship Wrestling, the ropes can be your friend if used wisely. You can actually ram them into the ropes, bouncing them off! This makes a neat sound effect as you watch in pure joy at the clever brutality and sheer violence of it all. It’s viciously, deviously violent.

It's why I prefer it slightly over Fire Pro — It’s why I prefer it slightly over Fire Pro

Part of the fun is waiting in the wings, then rush attacking the opponent in the middle of his wrestling move. Here we see a well-timed dropkick in the middle of a suplex. All three bodies crash loudly to the mat, but of course only you get up immediately. The others? Licking their sore wounds on the canvas! Sweet.

That's what I call a hit and run — That’s what I call a hit and run

Indeed, taking out two wrestlers at the same time, particularly nailing one in front and the other from behind, is too damn fun. You can imagine the chaos and temporary allegiances this may create when playing against friends.

If anyone is foolish enough to taunt during a Fatal Four Way match, it’s your civic and rightful duty to remind them why doing so is not a good idea. Hey, someone’s gotta do the dirty work… don’t mind if I do!

LEGENDARY BATTLES

My longest match ever, this was simply epic

On average, my Fatal Four Way matches roughly go anywhere from about eight to 12 minutes. The real fun lies in trying to see how long you can prolong the torture of the three other wrestlers. You can break up pin falls by pressing ‘B’ to stomp, but it doesn’t always work, oddly enough. My longest time was 24 minutes and 38 seconds. However, on my last play-through, it went a record long 51 minutes and 28 seconds! After Patriot and Eagle were eliminated, this damn fool refused to lose. He kicked out at 2.5 and 2.9 at least 30 times. He was a man possessed. I hit him with about 15 missile dropkicks yet, like Freddy or Jason, dude kept coming back for more. I never saw anything like it before. After a back breaking power bomb, he finally submitted to my foul desires. It’s just fun to see how long you can keep a match going with all three guys, then two, then finally one. It’s like some sick game within a game type thing. I know, I’m weird. But damn if this isn’t fun.

Gotta watch that ref's count, though — Gotta watch that ref’s count, though

Whenever the fight spills outside the ring, there’s a decent chance one of the computer wrestlers will be counted out. They stay out there no matter what until the count of six. Also, when they’ve been beaten to a pulp, the first submission animation leads to a submission victory. It’s trickier than you think to keep all three computer opponents alive, and it’s fun to see how long you can take them to the limit. Zen Nippon Pro Wrestling Budokan is largely a dream come true for this ol’ wrestling fan. I see something new almost every time I play it. The other night Patriot and Eagle actually did a tag team move in the Fatal Four Way match to take out Kobashi. It was a suplex-top rope splash combination. That same match I discovered that Akira Taue can counter a rope reversal by hitting UP + Y or B, which produces a DDT! Speaking of Akira, I was pleasantly surprised when I found out he had two different power bombs (based on whether you press A once or tap it a few times). The depth of this wrestling game is second only to Super Fire Pro Wrestling X Premium.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

"COMING DOWN TO THE RING, WEIGHING IN AT..." — *“COMING DOWN TO THE RING, WEIGHING IN AT…”*

Budokan took everything that worked in the first two games and cranked it up even further. Budokan offers more wrestlers, more moves, a superb Fatal Four Way match, better gameplay, better graphics and so on. This is one of those games I can pop in after a long day, play for even just 10 minutes and be satisfied with each and every time. It’s just a bloody brilliant fun time — especially for wrestling fanatics like myself.

The game's bread and butter — The game’s bread and butter

Zen Nippon Pro Wrestling Budokan is my favorite wrestling game on the SNES. If only the game featured WCW and WWF guys, it would be flawless. Imagine using guys like Sting, Undertaker, Bret Hart, Hulk Hogan, Macho Man Randy Savage and Shawn Michaels with this graphic style and gameplay system. Alas, we get 19 All Japan Pro Wrestling stars. They’re not bad but I don’t connect with them as I do with the more well known American wrestlers of mid ’90s fame. But I digress. Combining the arcade-like fun and chaos of Saturday Night Slam Masters with Fire Pro’s purity, Budokan is a gem that deserves more props. Bravo, Natsume!

Gotta love those lovely entrances, complete with the wrestler’s theme music!

Super Fire Pro Wrestling X Premium (SFC)

Arguably the greatest 16-bit wrestling game ever

Fire Pro Wrestling. It’s a cult classic franchise that has picked up steam over the years. Even back in the day of the late ’90s, when the internet was still relatively new, I remember hearing the rumblings online of Fire Pro. People were talking about Super Fire Pro Wrestling X Premium for the Super Famicom and Fire Pro S: Six Man Scramble for the Sega Saturn. My brother bought Fire Pro G on the Sony PlayStation and we played it to death. A little later on I bought Six Man Scramble.

It's an all out WAR! — It’s an all out WAR!

Somewhere Samurai Shodown is smiling — Somewhere *Samurai Shodown* is smiling

Fire Pro games are well known for being very realistic and in-depth. There were several entries on the Super Famicom but the last one, Super Fire Pro Wrestling X Premium, was the best of the 16-bit lot. Four could wrestle at once, and there was an extensive create a wrestler mode where you could create and save up to 80 wrestlers. It blew away any other “CAW” at that time (1996). It was revolutionary in many ways. The grappling is based on a timing and strength system. No button mashing here! I never was a huge fan of wrestling games where you had to mash away in order to win a grapple. Here you win based on timing, which is far more enjoyable. There are weak, medium and strong buttons. If you start out a match trying to use medium or strong moves, your opponent will counter because they’re still too fresh. No energy bars are shown — you’ll just instinctively know how strong or weak someone is.

REVOLUTIONARY FOR ITS TIME

There are a crap load of wrestlers to choose from. It spans many different federations and even include a few familiar American faces, like Hawk here of Road Warriors/Legion of Doom fame (R.I.P.)

SUPLEX CITY! Somewhere Brock Lesnar is pacing as Paul Heyman preps his vocal cords. “LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, MY NAME IS PAUL HEYMAN…”

There are several modes to select from. The game is mostly in Japanese but of course there is a fan English translation floating out there. I always switch the ref to this old guy here — he counts the slowest of all the refs and so the matches are extended a little bit beyond the norm.

HULK HOGAN and UNDERTAKER?! Yup, they’re available from the start.

Tonight’s main event is a FATAL FOUR WAY featuring the Undertaker, Hulk Hogan, Hayabusa and ECW’s homicidal, suicidal, genocidal death-defying maniac, SABU! It’s gonna be a barnburner, folks! That shot of all four men knocked out on the mat is a sign of the chaos and sheer insanity to come…

Hulkster does his classic pose. Sabu then points to the sky to honor his uncle, The Sheik. Just like their real life counterparts back in their hey day. Great attention to detail! Coming from HUMAN and Fire Pro you wouldn’t expect anything less.

Tonight’s main event will continue until there is one man (or dead man) left standing. Every man for himself, elimination style. Let’s check out the action!

Undertaker delivers a high impact side suplex while Hogan tries to shut up the marks with a well executed Boston Crab.

Hogan with the Big Leg Drop of Doom! Hayabusa tried to intercept it but his timing was a bit off there. In reality we all know nothing stops Hulkamania.

Hayabusa shows off his strength by slamming the dead man, followed by a nice senton flip. Meanwhile, the Hulkster delivers a sweet vertical suplex to the mad man, Sabu.

“STUNNER! STUNNER!! STUNNER!!!” -Jim Ross, probably

Taker with his patented beautiful running flying clothesline. Meanwhile, Hulk hits Sabu with a nasty pinning power bomb.

Hayabusa shows off his classic 450 Splash.

German suplex well executed. That’s gonna leave a mark.

Nobody ever said Sabu was smart now. He lives up to the “suicidal” part of his nickname, for sure. Meanwhile, notice that gorgeous DDT on the Hulkster there. Hayabusa spiked him good! Somewhere Jake “The Snake” Roberts is grinning.

FLYING SPINNING CARTWHEEL KICK AND A BEAUTY! Taker displays his power with a standing delayed vertical suplex. The mat crashes with the bodies of these fierce, insane gladiators.

Break up pin falls if you wish to have all the glory for yourself.

Hayabusa and Sabu form a temporary alliance to take down the Immortal One, but the Undertaker has other plans.

The X sign! He's injured! — The infamous X — he’s injured!

So much for that alliance, eh? Sabu turns on the masked warrior right after and gets him to submit. Not only that but judging by the referee’s X signal, that means we have a legitimate injury… after all, referees show the X sign in real life for real injuries. They’ve never used it as part of a storyline…

Or maybe they did (WrestleMania 22) — Or maybe they have… see WrestleMania 22 and Ric Flair. WOO!

Speaking of the legendary Nature Boy, Ric Flair, look at Hogan taking a page out of Flair’s playbook!

Ric, it worked once in 63 years! — Ric, it worked like once in 49 bloody years!

Choke Slam and a beauty! That HAS to be it!

WHAT THE FU — !

hbk-vs-undertaker-wm-25-highli-o — WrestleMania 25

Hogan tried to mock D-Generation X by doing their signature crotch chop, but the Dead Man wasn’t having any of that.

Guess Taker really took great offense to Hogan trying to rip off DX…

“WOULD SOMEBODY STOP THE DAMN MATCH!” Look at the way Sabu’s head bounced violently off the mat. “GOOD GAWD ALMIGHTY!” is right, Jim Ross.

“AS GOD IS MY WITNESS HE IS BROKEN IN HALF!” The winner of the match, via DEATH, THE UNDERTAKER!

NOT QUITE PERFECT, THOUGH

Super Fire Pro Wrestling X Premium does a lot of things right, especially for 1996 standards. However, it’s not quite perfect. For starters, when you’re near the apron of the ring it’s far too easy to fall outside. It’s awkward and kind of kills the flow of a match. This of course was fixed in later Fire Pro games. Another disappointment is that submission moves are way overpowered. I hate seeing an opponent tap out in a simple head lock hold five minutes into the match. It’s just not realistic. Later Fire Pro games gave you the option to turn submissions off, which negates this flaw. Unfortunately there’s no such option here. Another thing that this game is missing are steel cage matches, tables, fluorescent light bulbs, barb wire and all the crazy gimmicks and weapons that the later Fire Pro games would introduce. Think of this as a very PG and promising start to the series, but it’s far from being the “perfect” Fire Pro game. It’s like an early proto of what would become the successful backbone of the series. Don’t get me wrong, it’s an excellent game but whenever I play it it’s hard not to think about the improvements the series would later introduce, and you kind of wish at least a few of those made their debut here. Hell, just give me the no submissions and I’d be happy. Nevertheless, even as is, this is easily one of the greatest wrestling games of the 16-bit era. Possibly even the greatest…

CAW CAW CAW!

The Create A Wrestler (CAW) mode was revolutionary for its time. You could create and save up to 80 wrestlers. There were tons of moves and body models to pick from that you could closely replicate your favorite titans of the squared circle. Here we see Macho Man Randy Savage, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Sgt. Slaughter and the Ultimate Warrior. They all resemble their real life counterpart pretty damn well! So if you take the time you can easily recreate the magic of late ’80s/early ’90s WWF!

Going super old school with Bobo! — Go super old school with Bobo!

CLOSING THOUGHTS

It’s easy to see why Super Fire Pro Wrestling X Premium is so beloved. Released in March of 1996, it’s been over 20 years now and the game remarkably still holds up well. As I stated a bit earlier, there are definitely better more recent Fire Pro games available, but considering this now 20 plus year old game can still stand toe to toe with most wrestling games from ANY era is no doubt impressive indeed. It speaks to how innovative and fresh this game was back in ’96. You want to recreate the Attitude WWF era? Or the Ruthless Aggression era? Or WCW? ECW? Perhaps relive the Monday Night War? With a little time and devotion to the CAW mode, you can! The game certainly isn’t without its flaws but you simply have to appreciate how deep this game was and still is. Human did a great job and should be highly commended. The series definitely didn’t peak here, but it no doubt laid its grass roots with Super Fire Pro Wrestling X Premium.

Mega Man & Bass (SNES)

Capcom released this Super Famicom game on April 24, 1998 — Capcom’s Super Nintendo swan song (April 24, 1998)

Even to this day, a part of me can’t believe this game ever actually happened. Known as Rockman & Forte, Capcom released it on April 24, 1998, well after the SNES was essentially dead. I guess there was a big enough Japanese market still for them to do this. Whatever the case may be, I’m damn glad they did. Because it’s one hell of a Mega Man entry, and a nice bow on the original series.

The original Japanese version is perfectly playable, but there is a bit of Japanese dialogue. Especially for the item shop and the character bios, it sure helps to be able to read it. Crazed and dedicated fans felt the same way as they worked on an English translation. As a result of that, we have been graced by Mega Man & Bass.

Bass and Treble made their series debut in Mega Man 7. Treble is a wolf and is basically to Bass as Rush is to Mega Man. But for those who don’t want to backtrack to the Mega Man 7 review, here is a quick summary…

Prophetic words indeed from the Blue Bomber. The duo did get their own game and surprisingly it was on the Super Famicom (April 1998). After releasing Mega Man 8 for the Sony PlayStation and Sega Saturn in December of 1996, Capcom wanted to create a new Mega Man game specifically for loyal SNES fans who hadn’t yet made the jump to 32-bit. Further proof that Capcom was the best back in the ’90s.

Capcom felt bad this wasn't on SNES? — *Mega Man 8* is GORGEOUS

MEET THE GOOD GUYS

SAY HELLO TO THE BAD GUY(S)

rofobad5 — Look familiar? They were bosses in *Mega Man 8*

MEGA MAN OR BASS?

Players get the choice to play as either the good old Blue Bomber or the relative newcomer, Bass. Similar to Zero from Mega Man X³, this adds greater longevity to the game as both characters play vastly different. It’s also a blast trying to beat the game with both Mega Man and Bass.

Differences range from small to big. Cosmetically, it’s cool to see the health refills and what not are in the character’s respective color. It’s a nice little touch that I appreciate, even if it’s completely minor.

However, Mega Man as you know has his classic shot. He can only shoot straight ahead. Bass, on the other hand, can shoot in all directions except for straight down. If you’ve ever played a Mega Man game and thought to yourself, “Man, I wish he could shoot up or diagonally…” then you will appreciate Mega Man & Bass. Or at least, Bass anyhow. To compensate for Bass’ shooting ability, he can’t move while he’s shooting (bummer) and his shot isn’t very strong.

Another difference: their personality and disposition. Mega Man is more compassionate and an all-around goody two shoes.

Meanwhile, Bass is a bit more “robotic” [har har -Ed.] and edgy. Hey, he is technically a bad guy. He’s only teaming up on the “good side” temporarily to knock off King.

Checking in with Bass later — for now let’s use good ol’ Megs.

There’s something strange happening at the Robot Museum. Mega Man sets off to figure out what’s going on. I like how the READY sign is big and blue — it reminds me of Mega Man 8.

Museum serves as the standard Mega Man introductory first level you must beat before getting to select from the robot masters. Right away you can see while it’s no Mega Man 8 in terms of visuals (duh), it’s damn impressive for a 16-bit console.

WHEW!! With the whipping rain and wind pushing against you, you manage to barely clear the jump. Make sure you jump at the very edge there.

Proto Man attempts to slay KING — the game’s big bad — but to no avail. OUCH!

Remember the Green Devil from Mega Man 8? He’s back. It’s a different version of the Yellow Devil which appeared in the very first Mega Man title back in 1987.

Reminds me of the bubble boss from Gradius III in that you have to blast away until you expose its core.

Simple, satisfying introductory boss battle that will wet your appetite for the main game coming up. By the way, isn’t it the best feeling in the world to beat a boss with only a health bar or two remaining? Always provides a nice little rush!

WHOA, IT SAVES?!? Yes, it does. It’s the first and only Super Nintendo Mega Man game that uses a save system over passwords.

Purists were a little disappointed when they found out in Mega Man 7 you could only select from four robot masters first instead of all eight. You only get a paltry three here. Once you beat those three, the other five open up. Let’s pay Cold Man a visit first.

Gotta love the animation of Mega Man as he’s zapped magically to the beginning of a stage. It somehow reminds me a bit of Astro Boy. See that CD over there? Throughout the game you’ll find CD’s lying around. Collecting them gives you a character bio card. It’s fun to collect and read (at least if you’re playing a fan translation or if you can read Japanese). Right now you can’t collect that CD since that ice block is, er, blocking your path. But maybe if you beat Burner Man a bit later on and use his Web Burner… hmmm…

Other CD’s are more instantly accessible. They’re not necessary to collect but of course it’s fun to try and collect all 100.

Beginning to look a lot like Christmas [TOYS IN EVERY STORE -Ed.]. No, I mean it’s almost December. That and this gigantic snowman mid boss [Oh, ahem, I knew that… -Ed.]

Slightly tricky bit where you have to time your jump correctly to catch a ride.

Cakewalk city with Cold Man. Jump over his Ice Wall and blast him with your Mega Buster.

Beware of his Sub Zero-esque ice puddle attack, however. He also sends forth an annoying cloud that can really bog you down and leave you ripe for the taking. Best to shoot it down early to avoid that possibility altogether.

Ahhh, what’s better than getting the last shot in and seeing the boss explode with that sweet visual and sound effect? It never gets old, I tells ya!

Speaking of never getting old, I also like seeing how Mega Man earns the boss’ weapon. Just sit back and enjoy.

Alright, we got Ice Wall! But, um, what does it do, exactly?

WHOA!! This game actually gives you a demo preview of each new weapon you steal! Why Capcom didn’t think of this a long time ago remains a mystery.

Ground Man, huh? To Capcom’s defense, after NINE titles you would be running out of ideas too [Oh yeah watch this! Er, um, Cup Man! Hmm, OK, I’ll cut Capcom some slack -Ed.]

There’s a ton of sand everywhere here. You’ll be wondering if there’s an instant death pit or a helpful item hiding in the sand. Find out for yourself…

Creepy robotic worms fall from a pod located up top. Meanwhile, don’t stand still for too long as you’ll sink to your death.

You’ll quickly discover you can’t kill it. So hold onto that ladder there and wait for it to pass by. The ladder doesn’t take you to a new screen. It’s just there for you to safely wait it out. Well isn’t that thoughtful of Ground Man? Helping out the good guys. Just don’t let King know about this…

Better high tail it as the nasty critter quickly reappears. Whew, just barely slid home safe here, eh?

MAJOR FAIL on the first pic there. You can’t run back to a previous screen so get ready to eat some damage. Second pic, the race is on! Who will get to the ladder first? Oh the tension…

Although not the same creature (it would be cool if it was), it’s definitely related. Tough mid boss. Its pattern is somewhat erratic so it’s a bit of a pain to deal with. Close call there, Mega Man!

OUCH. I bet that stings like a you know what. Look at the attention to detail. When your health is low, Mega Man is visibly injured. Nice, Capcom. Nice.

Watch out for its little babies. You can only kill them with the Mega Buster since they’re so small. Gotta love the classic flashing.

SAFE!! Silky smooth, that Mega Man.

Shots sail harmlessly off Sniper Joe’s shield. I’ve always liked the detail of the shots flying backwards. Sniper Joe likes to launch grenades. Give him a taste of your Mega Buster to put him down for the count.

Puzzle time! Each pillar destroyed causes the spikes to fall one more notch. It starts out simple but…

Doesn’t take long before it gets a tad trickier. Sorry about that, Mega Man.

ProTip: Not all treasure chests are helpful. A little RPG-esque here, eh? By the way, see that match there? See what happens when you revisit this level later on with the Web Burner in tow…

Speaking of boss weapons, here’s Mega Man riding the Ice Wall to victory. Sick.

Astro Man, no relation to Astro Guy from King of the Monsters, is next. If he looks familiar to you it’s because he was a boss from Mega Man 8.

Cursory glance and I might believe you if you told me this were a PlayStation or Saturn Mega Man title. It speaks volumes about how gorgeous this game looks and how silky smooth it is.

Meggers giving it the old college try.

Bonjour, Joe. That CD taunts you but after you get your hands on Burner Man’s Web Burner, you’ll be the one who gets the last laugh.

Strange birds and creatures fly out of that inter-dimensional portal screen. Part of me almost expects to see Shredder and Krang!

Interesting bit: study the light pattern and repeat it. If done so correctly, the door magically opens. If not, well, you can figure out what those guns might do…

Tricky bit with the elevating platforms. Keep moving along, Megs!

D’OH!! OK, let’s switch over to Bass now.

Firing off rapid plasma shots for a little “purple rain” action.

Double jump like a ninja. Bass can’t slide, but this is decent compensation.

Shooting diagonally in a Mega Man game? I’m so there.

Reminiscent of Mega Man X, Bass can also dash. It’s fun playing this on a cold rainy December night.

Green Devil is definitely an easier boss when using Mega Man. C’mon Bass!

“THIS IS SPARTA!” Bass battles Green Devil to the very bitter end.

SHOP ‘TIL YA DROP

Remember Auto from Mega Man 7? He’s back. He’s sometimes known as Rightot. Whatever you want to call him, call him helpful. He runs this shop where he creates useful items in exchange of bolts (the game’s currency). Throughout the levels you will find small and big bolts. Collect them to buy power-ups. There are lots of items; they range from extra lives to auto charge (!) on the Mega Buster shot. Selecting the right power-up for the right stage is all part of the strategy.

GOTTA COLLECT THEM ALL!

Throughout the game there are a total of 100 CD’s strewn about the stages waiting to be collected. These open up character bios. This is where playing an English translation pays off. I mean, it’s nothing fancy but it’s certainly fun to be able to read the silly little text. It’s a nice piece of Mega Man history, you know?

Character bios span the entire previous Mega Man universe. Knight Man from Mega Man 6, Freeze Man from Mega Man 7, Frost Man from Mega Man 8, and yes even Saturn from Game Boy Mega Man V! Impressive. True diehards will definitely make it a point to collect all 100. By the way, Saturn hates video games? BOO!

CLOSING THOUGHTS

Mega Man & Bass, er, Rockman & Forte, rocks — *Mega Man & Bass*, er, *Rockman & Forte*, rocks

I remember when I first found out about Rockman & Forte being a real thing. It was during the mid 2000s and I was thinking, “Seriously? Capcom released this great looking Mega Man game on the Super Famicom in 19-freaking-98?!” That they did. Whatever the reasons were, I’m damn glad they did. It’s easily the Super Nintendo’s second best Mega Man game, only trailing the epochal Mega Man X. Being able to use Bass, with his double jumping and diagonal shooting, brings a whole new dimension to the table. The items present a bevy of strategies one could take and the game presents a fairly decent challenge. The 100 CD’s are fun to collect and read — it’s basically a little Mega Man compendium. Oh and perhaps best of all, you can now save. What a fantastic swan song for the Super Nintendo from the fine folks at Capcom. If it weren’t for 1999’s Sutte Hakkun, I’d say this is easily the last great Super Nintendo game ever crafted.

Stunning visuals, classic Capcom audio and vintage Mega Man gameplay cements Rockman & Forte (or Mega Man & Bass) as one of the best Super Famicom games to never appear in North America. Thank you Capcom for giving us loyal SNES fans one last bang. Capcom’s SNES swan song turns out to be one of the Blue Bomber’s finest 16-bit outings.

Graphics: 9.5
Sound: 9
Gameplay: 9
Longevity: 7

Overall: 9.0
Gold Award

Quit monkeying around and play this! — Quit monkeying around. Play it!

Mega Man 7 (SNES)

**Pub and Dev: Capcom | September 1995 | 16 MEGS**

After gifting SNES owners with two high quality Mega Man X games, Capcom shocked the world when it released Mega Man 7 in the fall of 1995. By then the SNES was starting to wane as 32-bit war machines and 3D polygons became all the rage. The PlayStation was unleashed that same month to much hype, and it was clear the SNES had seen better days. But can Mega Man 7 prove there’s life yet in the Super Nintendo and the Blue Bomber? Let us take a trip back in time. The original Blue Bomber is back, but is it a happy homecoming?

DEATH, HOMEWORK AND MEGA MAN

mmnes6 — Like a horror movie franchise, they kept coming

Growing up in the late ’80s to mid ’90s I was blessed enough to witness the rise of the classic 8-bit NES as well as the SNES. Along with that, my friends and I got to play a crapload of Mega Man games. There were a whopping six of them on the NES. The second one remains one of my favorites to this day; it still holds up remarkably well even 25+ years later and was a defining game for many of us. The rest of the sequels all had their good points. It was nearly a certainty back then that with each passing year there would be a new Mega Man title to play, and eight more robot masters to conquer. It was death, homework and Mega Man for many kids. While the series peaked for me at number two, I can vividly remember playing parts three through six in one fashion or another. There wasn’t a single bad Mega Man title among them. They might not have been as epic as Mega Man 2, but with these games I could always be guaranteed a certain amount of polish. Like a comfy old pair of sneakers, Capcom rarely let me down.

They just keep coming and coming... — Mega Man and Michael Myers have more in common than you think…

In many ways I consider Mega Man as the horror movie franchise of video gaming. Like Halloween, Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th, it seemed like every year a new sequel was made. Just like Freddy Krueger, Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees, you couldn’t kill Mega Man or his nemesis, Dr. Wily. And just like the horror film franchises I cited, there was usually one stand out in the group, with the following sequels never quite living up to the standards set by the best entry in the series. Still, the sequels nevertheless held a certain charm for the diehard fan. For the Halloween series, it was the original. For Mega Man, it was part 2. In the early ’90s I was clamoring for a Halloween sequel as well as a 16-bit Mega Man. Finally, in September 1995 HALLOWEEN 6: The Curse of Michael Myers came out. And that same month Capcom gave us MEGA MAN 7, bringing the original Blue Bomber for the first time to the Super Nintendo. My wish had come true and I was psyched! [Be careful what you wish for… -Ed.]

HE'S BAAAACK... — HE’S BAAAACK… *heavy breathing*

It was a homecoming for both Michael Myers and Mega Man in the fall of ’95. The Boogeyman returned to the silver screen after a six year long absence while the Blue Bomber made his classic series debut on the Super Nintendo. Yet again the town of Haddonfield is steeped in danger and cold blood as a masked maniac roamed the streets. The film followed the sordid exploits of the Shape stalking his unsuspecting victims both day and night. And in his penultimate role, the legendary Donald Pleasence returned one last time to reprise Sam Loomis — Michael Myers’ former doctor turned boogeyman hunter. The theatrical version was universally panned. Rightfully so, as it was a mess. However, hardcore Halloween fans know there is a producer’s cut featuring 43 minutes of alternate footage (including a different ending). It tied up some of the loose ends of the shoddy and heavily edited version shown in theatres. It’s one of my favorites but the theatrical version, not so much. Michael Myers had a rough homecoming. How did Mega Man fare?

Sadly, not that much better (with the critics anyhow)

Mega Man 7 couldn’t have arrived at a worse time. It came out the same month as the PlayStation. While the SNES was very much still alive in the US, it was clear that its best days, commercially, were over. Next gen became all the rage, and in the midst of all this, Capcom decided to resurrect the original NES series. Had it came out two years prior, it would have been hailed as one of the great comebacks of the 16-bit generation. Instead, it got lost in the shuffle and was largely deemed as redundant, outdated and ultimately forgettable. It was seen as a Capcom cheap cash cow attempt to milk a classic franchise for a few bucks from loyal 16-bit owners before moving to 32-bits. Mega Man 7 did garner some solid reviews but no one really noticed as it quietly went as quickly as it came. But one of the great things about this hobby is the ability to explore any game in-depth, even if it flew under the radar back in the day. With that said, let’s take a look at the 16-bit debut of the original Blue Bomber.

TIMING IS EVERYTHING IN LIFE AND GAMING

mm7-2 — It’s all about being at the right place, right time

Isn’t it amazing how big a role timing plays in life? Today complete copies of Mega Man 7 can reach as much as $700. Back in 2006 I got it complete for a measly $25. How times change. I took this pic on a Saturday morning of April 1st, 2006. I’m thankful I got back into the SNES scene when I did. I was lucky the nostalgia bug bit me a few years earlier than it did for many others, as the retro market began to rise just 2-3 years later. Speaking of timing, it’s a well known fact that Mega Man 7 was rushed; it had a developmental time window of just three months. While the programmers look back on the tight-knitted experience fondly, with designer Yoshihisa Tsuda referring to it as being fun like a sports team camp, they all admitted they had different regrets. Ideas they wish they could have fleshed out more with an extra month of time. It’s easy to see where their sentiments stem from. Mega Man 7 is flawed but plenty of fun with a few twists along the way, in addition to its familiar traits. Plus it had cameos galore from Mega Man’s 8-bit gaming past.

He can now duck! Er, maybe if they had more time

THE STORY GOES…

One by one, these top secret robot masters awoke from their six month long slumber…

With the city lying in ruin and countless casualties, the world needed a hero to step up…

After killing Mad Grinder, you meet Bass and Treble

Sad but true: his Mega Buster has been toned down. Normally, the charge shot counts as 3 regular shots, but here it’s been reduced to 2. It pissed off quite a few diehard fans.

Wait, where's my eight? — Wait, where’s my eight?

Speaking of pissing off, Mega Man 7 also had another big change in the classic formula that was not very well received by some pundits. Rather than giving you all eight bosses to pick from right off the bat, now you begin with four. Some complained that this killed the strategy component of the original concept. On the other hand, it allowed the four back end levels to be harder… based on the fact that the programmers knew you had to have gained certain skills prior! It’s a give and take. After a while I honestly didn’t mind it one bit.

Yellow, you're mellow. Be near RED, you're DEAD — Yellow, you’re mellow. Be near RED, you’re DEAD

Sliding effectively is the difference between the agony of defeat or the thrill of victory.

I hate to burst your bubble -- [HAR HAR -Ed.] — I hate to burst your bubble — *[HAR HAR -Ed.]*

Things get international with VISHNU MAN (or not) — Things get international with Vishnu Man (or not)

Everything's bigger in Mega Man 7... even the ladders — Everything’s bigger in *Mega Man 7*, even the ladders

Those annoying Mets are back in a beat 'em up bit — Those annoying Mets are back in a beat ‘em up bit

And you thought your room was messy... — And you thought your room was messy…

Freeze Man has one seriously, pardon the pun, cool ass boss entrance.

When he said FREEZE, I didn’t think he meant it literally!

Can't hold it back anymore! The cold never [SNIP -Ed.] — Can’t hold it back anymore! The cold never *[SNIP -Ed.]*

MEANWHILE, BACK AT THE LAB…

Doc, open your eyes. Stop listening to your heart... — Doc, open your eyes. Stop listening to your heart…

THE ROBOT MUSEUM HALL OF FAME

Home to some old “friends,” the Robot Museum is an awesome bit of fan service.

You’re too late. Guts Man is going back to the lab to be reinvented. Wily exits and in his place comes forth the corpulent Clown Robot.

A funny sight gag, it turns into Skull Clown Robot

Forget shooting it anywhere on its body other than its shrunken head. The Clown Robot can be an annoying mid boss due to its massive size yet small hit box. Once you knock its head off, shoot like crazy as the head will soon reattach and the whole process repeats itself.

Now that you have beaten the first four, the final four is unveiled. These last four levels are a bit harder than the first four since the programmers knew you’d be coming in with certain boss weapons equipped. I kind of dug this format.

Sonic the Hedgehog defined the summer of '91 — *Sonic the Hedgehog* defined the summer of 1991

Get too high and die [See, games are educational -Ed.] — Get too high and die *[See, games are educational -Ed.]*

[I hear some call him PRICK MAN... -Ed.] — *[I hear some call him PRICK MAN… -Ed.]*

You can’t help but miss the awesome Ride Armors from the previous two Super Nintendo entries, Mega Man X and Mega Man X². Perhaps as a result of knowing that, they gave us this. Er, okay. There is no comparison between this friendly robotic dino ally and that of the magnificent Ride Armors, but at least it helps to break up some of the action.

It’s also thanks in part to how it rumbles after you as you desperately flee to the far right. Until it finally corners you into a duel to the death. Attacking with its flame breath and fireballs, it’s easily the best and most memorable mid boss fight in the game. Fusing the best of Mega Man and Jurassic Park, it’s simply awesome.

The weapon-level interaction doesn't get enough love — The weapon-level interaction is highly underrated

Mega Man meets Strider. It is with the Slash Claw! — *Mega Man* meets Strider. Nice!

It completely changes the way you approach controlling Mega Man as he goes from gunslinger to a badass killing samurai! There’s something about getting up close and personal to slice robots apart that can’t be beat. One of the best weapons to ever come out of the series due to it fulfilling a childhood dream… what if you crossed Mega Man and Strider? You get the Slash Claw. Pure total destruction at its finest!

"RODNEY KING, RODNEY KING!" — ***“RODNEY KING, RODNEY KING!”***

Whew, a close call there! This is a neat little section that kind of brings me back to 8-bit gaming. In a lot of ways there is a bit of a vintage feel to Mega Man 7.

Thankfully if hit it's not an instant kill — Thankfully if hit it’s not an instant kill

Shade Man’s level starts out in the pitch black of night as Mega Man looks out… only for the darkness to slowly peel away, revealing a full moon in the distance. Brilliant stuff. It’s made even better if you did the Ghouls ‘N Ghosts code to get the Ghouls ‘N Ghosts theme going! ^_^

... ARE CLOSING IN TO SEAL YOUR DOOM!! — ***… ARE CLOSING IN TO SEAL YOUR DOOM!!***

It's a bit shy and doesn't like coming out of its shell — It’s a bit shy and doesn’t like coming out of its shell

Not quite the sinister Pumpkinhead demon from horror movie fame, but nonetheless makes for a solid mid boss battle.

A little liquid courage gets it to open up... — A little “liquid courage” gets it to open up…

Damnit, your shot still bounces off it harmlessly. Guess if you’re gonna go all the way then you’ll need to wine and dine its ass first…

Finally it opens up. But not for very long, so make each time count with a well placed shot. It’s all a matter of patience and being on point.

mm7-98 — *[Stupid idiot! YOU JUST MADE THE LIST!! -Chris Jericho]*

ALL YOUR BASS ARE BELONG TO US

"Damnit. I thought everyone knew Bass was pronounced as Base" — *“Doc, everyone knows Bass is pronounced Base!”*

"Crap. Something really big is right behind me, right?" — *“Crap. Something really big is right behind me, huh?”*

Guts Man is trying to turn Mega Man into Rock Man

BOSS WEAPONS: POWERS AND ABILITIES

It never gets old stealing weapons off the bosses

Like all Mega Man games, the formula remains the same. Beat a boss and gain its powers. One of the unique things about 7 is that the weapons not only serve as offensive tools, but they can also aid you through various levels and situations, too.

You can even fight Proto Man and win his shield!

What will this to lead to? It pays to experiment!

The Noise Crush bounces off walls and can be caught, giving you a mega blast.

mm7-116 — Come on feel the noise crush! Girls rock your boys!

But don't use Freeze Cracker on Freeze Man. Trust me. — You’re going to the junkyard, Turbo Man

Try out the various weapons! Each boss has a weakness but there are also some weapons that will cause different status changes. For example, see what happens when you fire the Thunder Bolt at Turbo Man. But whatever you do, don’t use the Freeze Cracker on Freeze Man. Trust me…

"GET TO DA CHOPPA!" — *“GET TO DA CHOPPA!”*

MORE ABILITIES

Call on the Super Adaptor for a major boost. “IT’S MORPHIN’ TIME!”

The only downside: no sliding in this form — The only downside? No sliding

Call upon Rush to fuse with you into a super power known as Super Adaptor. This is a combination of powers from Mega Man VI (NES) and Mega Man V (Game Boy). It’s just another example of how Mega Man 7 pays homage to its previous entries.

It helps ease the pain of no dashing or wall climbing — It helps ease the pain of no dashing or wall scaling

The Super Adaptor is a game changer. You can jump and then hover, which allows you to leap distances far away from a ladder and in one smooth motion grab a hold. It turns the Blue Bomber into an efficient killing machine!

When not charged, he fires his Mega Buster as usual — This replaces the Super Mega Buster

Instead of shooting the Super Mega Buster when charged, Mega Man launches his Rocket Punch.

When you activate the Rush Search, Rush appears on the scene to sniff out any nearby goodies. When there’s nothing of use, he’ll dig up a bone. Thanks for the help, bud. But he can also find dolls, dead fish, dentures, robot toys and a Game Boy. Real funny, Capcom.

Rush Jet, on the other hand, is very helpful

SHOP SO YOU DON’T DROP

Introducing Eddie's Shop — Introducing Eddie’s Shop

Purists may find the bolt shop "rebolting" [... -Ed.] — Purists may find the bolt shop “rebolting” *[… -Ed.]*

Even better than buying a 1-UP was killing an enemy only to find a 1-UP left in its place. It rarely happens too, which only adds to the great feeling of when it does happen.

Show of guilty hands here… how many of us have “farmed” at some point while playing a Mega Man title over the years? Yep, guilty as charged here. I try to avoid it for the most part, but there are a few times where I slip back into it.

Beat saves your butt if you have a Beat Whistle on ya — Beat saves your butt if you have a Beat Whistle

HIDDEN “STREET FIGHTER II” MODE

After this, hold L + R while pressing start

Indeed. Remember how I mentioned that the programmers expressed regret that they were rushed to roll out Mega Man 7? They only had three months to create it. This mode would have been more fleshed out if only they had an extra month of programming time… it’s too bad, eh?

TAXICAB CONFESSIONS

Stuck on Sigma's last form. One of these days... — Stuck on Sigma’s last form. One of these days…

Some claim 7 to be one of THE hardest in the series — Some see 7 as one of the hardest in the series

It is ironic, eh? Mega Man X is considered to be easy while Mega Man 7 is viewed by many as one of the hardest entries in the entire franchise. Somehow I was able to beat 7 but not X (yet). Strange but true.

The ending reveals a fed-up and darker Mega Man — The ending reveals an angrier, darker Mega Man

For those who don’t wish to be spoiled, skip this block of text. In the end, Wily apologizes for the trouble and grief he’s caused. He also promises to go quietly. Unlike previous adventures, Mega Man knows better this time. He charges his Mega Buster and tells Wily he’s going to do what he should have done a long time ago. It was shockingly violent (and satisfying). Wily counters by reminding Mega Man robots can’t hurt humans. Then, in total action hero movie mode, Mega Man utters the hauntingly brilliant one-liner: “I’M MORE THAN A ROBOT… DIE, WILY!” I couldn’t believe my eyes when I read that. Blew my mind to know the Blue Bomber was about to kill Dr. Wily by blasting him square in the face. But of course, before he can, Bass and Treble come to the rescue. They whisk Wily away, and the whole place starts to blow. In the closing sequence we see Dr. Wily’s Fortress exploding in flames. Mega Man is seen walking away, never once glancing back, like an action movie star. Nice ending.

WHAT THE CRITICS SAID

It didn't quite make the splash it was hoping for — It didn’t quite make the splash it was hoping for

Mega Man 7 received solid, if unremarkable, feedback. EGM gave it scores of 8.5, 7, 7 and 7. GameFan hyped it up big time in previews but never reviewed it. Super Play rated it 79%. While the numbers were certainly respectable enough, the consensus seemed to be along the lines of “Good game but it’s nothing we haven’t seen before.” This was made evident by such remarks as EGM reviewer Danyon Carpenter saying, “Get ready for more of the same.” Al Manuel added, “With all the good things going for it, this game really needs a revamp. The engine is getting old and tired.” On the flip side, Sushi-X defended it. “I can understand some people getting burnt out on the concept, but I love the action and challenge of this classic game with an excellent feel.” It’s hard to deny that by late ’95, the Blue Bomber was looking a bit conceptually outdated…

When the first Mega Man title burst onto the scene way back in December of 1987, it was a revelation. The sequel refined the process and dazzled the gaming world with its visuals, amazing music and non-linear gameplay. But of course, like with the original Halloween or Nightmare on Elm Street films, many years and many sequels later, the once fresh concept has now grown more than a bit stale. Mega Man X managed to reinvent the series by taking it in a different and radical, more mature direction. By the time Mega Man 7 came out in late 1995, for many fans it felt like a step back. People were now used to X’s athleticism, yet here comes the original Blue Bomber without the dashing or wall climbing abilities. It’s easy to see why Mega Man 7 sort of became the black sheep of the SNES Mega Man legacy. When I first played through it in 2007, I, for one, really liked it. Then I went online seeking other people’s opinions of the game and I was mortified to see all the venom people were spewing at the game. The hatred was so thick that it felt like Mega Man was being stoned to death by these vociferous gamers. I can understand the criticism, but it doesn’t change the fact that I still really like Mega Man 7 a lot.

Didn't mind the odd lull -- I like to admire the scenery — Didn’t mind the odd lull. I like to admire the scenery

Someone's been eating donuts and burgers... — Someone’s been eating cheeseburgers

The most common complaint is that Mega Man is too big compared to earlier models, specifically X. 7 is much bigger and less agile than X. If you love X’s faster and more mobile capabilities, naturally, there might be a disappointment with 7. 7 is more of a plodding, methodical adventure. It goes back to understanding each game for what it intended to be. The X series was all about refreshing changes and new gameplay mechanics to go along with a much darker storyline and tone. And the X games do a splendid job of that. But 7 was meant to go back to the original roots of the series — a more cartoon-ish, light-hearted affair. The sprite is full of character; it’s totally Inafune. Sure he’s a bit clunky, but I actually enjoy the way he looks. His size didn’t bother me, and I still had a blast with the game. That’s all that really matters to me. Credit Boxed Pixels for this comparison shot.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

Mega Man 7 is a solid game worth sinking your teeth into — This is a solid game worth sinking your teeth into

Mega Man 2 was one of my earliest video gaming memories and a defining game of my youth. I liked Mario growing up but was always more of a Mega Man guy. There was an entire generation of 8-bit gamers who couldn’t wait to see the Blue Bomber make his SNES debut. It proved to be worth the wait when he finally did as Mega Man X is considered one of the finest games in the franchise. Capcom’s decision to continue the original NES series on the Super Nintendo in late ’95 was a bit of a shock. But I love how we can look back on the history of the SNES and say there was at least one classic original Mega Man game made for it. In a lot of ways, it’s close to how I imagined the series would look and feel in 16-bit. Mega Man 7 may have its fair share of critics, but it’ll always have a special place in my gaming heart.

Not the best homecoming but good to see him back — Not the best of homecomings, but it still rocks

Though many view it as a step backwards, I found it to be a refreshing return to its roots. Sure, 7 has its flaws. A chunkier sprite means the action is more methodical than fast paced. The charge shot is nerfed. On the bright side: Bass and Treble are great additions to the franchise. It’s cool to see Rush back, and the Super Adaptor is a killing machine. The ability to use weapons in multiple ways was brilliant. Various nods to the past are made giving the game a good bit of fan service. And what’s a Mega Man game without menacing monstrosities? The ones featured here are among the most memorable in Mega Man lore, ranging from a towering T-Rex to a roaring evil big rig. The bolt system and shop added a new wrinkle to the classic formula. It proves handy as you progress throughout the game especially for the final battle, which is hailed by most as one of the hardest Wily fights ever. Despite falling short of its potential, Mega Man 7 is a quality action game. It’s no Mega Man X, but I don’t think it was ever meant to be, and perhaps that’s where the charm lies. Sometimes you want refreshing. Other times you’re in the mood to return to your roots. Mega Man 7 manages to do a bit of both all at once. I’m not saying it’s perfect. But it hits sort of a sweet spot for me. While it isn’t his greatest outing ever, there are a lot of underrated aspects it brings to the table. Approach it with an open mind and you might appreciate it, too.

Graphics: 8.5
Sound: 8
Gameplay: 8.5
Longevity: 7

Overall: 8.5

*[Fooled folks all these years except me. Prick Man! -Ed.]*

Not the best of homecomings but it still rocks — Good to have the original Blue Bomber on SNES!