The Super Nintendo was released in August of 1991 and was Nintendo’s second home console, following the wildly successful NES. The SNES seemingly faced an uphill battle to reclaim the top spot in the market after Sega’s 2 year head start with their own 16-bit console, the Genesis, but quickly reached equal footing in the market. The resulting console war was one of the most fiercly fought in the history of video games. The SNES had a library of first-party titles based on established franchises from the NES era along with better graphics thanks to the system’s larger color palette, while the Genesis boasted a faster processor and games that were intended for a more mature audience. In the end, the Super Nintendo edged out the Genesis to become the number 1 console of the 16-bit generation. While Sega abruptly ended support for the Genesis once the Saturn was launched in 1995, the SNES saw many quality titles released well into the 32-bit generation, most notably the Donkey Kong Country series and Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island. The Super Nintendo had an 8 year active lifespan in North America and sold nearly 50 million units worldwide.
Episode 38 – The North American launch of the Super Nintendo. Although the 16-bit generation started in the late summer of 1989 with the near-simultaneous launch of the Sega Genesis and TurboGrafx-16, the release of the Super Nintendo in August of 1991 signaled the real start of the 16-bit console war. The system came bundled … Read more
Episode 14 – This week, I review Nigel Mansell’s World Championship Racing for the Super Nintendo. A worthy Formula One game on the SNES, a console not known for sports games!
Episode 5 – This week I review Operation Logic Bomb: The Ultimate Search & Destroy for the Super Nintendo. This excellent run & gun is somewhat similar to games like Ikari Warriors, Total Carnage, Shock Troopers, MERCs, etc, but has great atmosphere and music. This is definitely a hidden gem on the SNES and can … Read more
Petrolheads like me might be excited upon first learning of this game, thinking that it is somehow tied in to the UK TV Show. This is of course not the case as this game came out long before that show started. Top Gear is easily one of the best racing games on the Super Nintendo. … Read more
Anyone who played computer games in the late 80’s or early 90’s should instantly recognize this classic city building game. SimCity was originally released on the DOS PC, Mac, Amiga, Commodore 64, and Atari ST, and arguably launched a whole new genre of video games. As the mayor/city planner, you lay out roads, rails and … Read more
As an avid retro sports gamer, I’m always picking up old sports games that I either don’t have or have never played. Doubly-so when they’re Ice Hockey, Golf, or Baseball games. Sometimes I find a hidden (at least to me) gem, and sometimes that dollar would have been better spent if flushed down the toilet. … Read more
I’m a video pinball junkie so whenever I see a pinball game that I haven’t played before, I have to grab it. I don’t expect much out of a 16-bit pinball game, but this one isn’t half bad. The presentation and menu system are terrible, but once you get into the game itself, it provides … Read more
How close can you come to copying Street Fighter II without getting sued? Back in 1993 Konami seemed curious to find out. Tournament Fighters is a 2D fighting game based on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles license. It includes 10 playable fighters plus 2 bosses; the Turtles themselves, Shredder, and 7 characters I’ve never heard … Read more
Being a huge fan of the Genesis version of PGA Tour Golf, I had been keeping an eye out for the SNES version. It was my hope that the Super Nintendo’s superior color palette would give this game a bit of an edge in the graphics department while keeping the high quality gameplay intact. Unfortunately … Read more
Boxing Legends of the Ring is a boxing simulation released for the SNES, presumably as a more realistic alternative to arcade-style boxing games like Punch-Out. The game features 8 real life boxers, including Sugar Ray Leonard and Jake LaMotta (of Raging Bull fame.) You can fight through a single bout, a career mode where you … Read more
Legend is a medieval hack-and-slash game that seems like it should be a lot of fun (think Golden Axe or Knights of the Round.) I consider myself to be a huge fan of the genre, so I was excited to play this game. The game’s crisp graphics and large, detailed sprites leave a good first … Read more