Player Two Start: An SNES-CD Timeline
- Thread starter RySenkari
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Surprised you mentioned Polly Klass. This has to be one of the only times she's been mentioned. Sad what happened to her OTL.
Good TL so far. Can't wait for the next update.
Maybe you can butterfly away the Super Mario Bros. movie (read the TVtropes.org description; among other things, Dennis Hopper admitted that he took the role for the money, and Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo kept getting drunk to make it more bearable. That should tell you what they thought of it.)
Good TL so far. Can't wait for the next update.
Maybe you can butterfly away the Super Mario Bros. movie (read the TVtropes.org description; among other things, Dennis Hopper admitted that he took the role for the money, and Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo kept getting drunk to make it more bearable. That should tell you what they thought of it.)
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There will definitely start to be more pop-cultural butterflies as time goes on, now that the peripheral's been released in North America, the wheels are set in motion for those butterflies. Polly Klaas' Christmas gift is the first of many.
EA Sports is still feeling things out with the add-on and the first major sports games will drop in 1994 (we've already got 1993's entire game lineup planned out). For the time being, sports will stay confined to the vanilla SNES and changes will be small but we've got some sports stuff planned for 1994.
Sims is a ways away, in fact we haven't even discussed The Sims yet, we're still deciding whether or not to butterfly it away. As for FIFA, it will likely get its first SNES CD installment in 1994 or 1995.
EA Sports is still feeling things out with the add-on and the first major sports games will drop in 1994 (we've already got 1993's entire game lineup planned out). For the time being, sports will stay confined to the vanilla SNES and changes will be small but we've got some sports stuff planned for 1994.
Sims is a ways away, in fact we haven't even discussed The Sims yet, we're still deciding whether or not to butterfly it away. As for FIFA, it will likely get its first SNES CD installment in 1994 or 1995.
Early 1993 - The Slow Start
“I remember when the call came in from Square in January 1993. The early sales figures from New Generation were out and they were going to make a really quick decision on whether or not to bring Final Fantasy V over. I know it was really close. The game had sold well, but it wasn't a major hit like Street Fighter II was. I got the call at work in the afternoon. Final Fantasy V, which would be called Final Fantasy III in the States, was a go. They wanted a summer 1993 release which gave us about three months. I told them I could do it in two.”
-Ted Woolsey, excerpted from an interview with RPGamer.com in 2002
“If you're asking about the moment when my sister and me decided that we wanted to make video games for a living, it had to be when we first got Pickton Lake. Ariel and I got it with the Super Nintendo CD for our 8th birthdays and it was the best birthday ever. That game was amazing, I know it's more of a cult classic now but for us it was just awesome, those two kids were just like us and we loved the spooky atmosphere and fun dialogue. We couldn't stop playing it, we'd take turns beating it over and over trying to get through it the fastest or get all the secret items. It was so much fun. It was a big inspiration for our first game, Terror Trip. The idea of the brother/sister protagonists? So Pickton Lake.”
-Alex Hirsch, co-founder of Pyramid Games, excerpted from the Kotaku.com article “Meet The Twins Who Are Taking The Indie Gaming World By Storm”, January 14, 2013
“The definitive version of 'Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego?' appeared on the Super Nintendo CD in February 1993. Considered the first major post-release title for the add-on, it featured challenging new geography puzzles, a variety of memorable suspects and characters, and it was one of the first games to use both live-action and animated FMV sequences. Yes, some of the acting seems cheesy now, but it helped set the mood of the game and kept things fun and interesting.”
-Quoted from “The Top 10 Educational Video Games Of All Time: #2- Where in The World Is Carmen Sandiego? (SNES CD)” on Screw Attack
“The new CD-ROM peripheral for the Super Nintendo video game system may have its first controversy. Mad Dog McCree is a new western-based video game where you use a realistic-looking play gun to shoot characters, played by real life actors, on screen. While there's no blood or guts in the game, some say that gunning down real people is beyond the pale. It's the first game to earn a rating of 17 from Nintendo's in-house ratings board, but parents say that retail stores often ignore the ratings to sell this game to kids. Tonight at 11, we'll talk to some local parents who think that the fun's gone too far.”
-reporter at WKRC-TV, Cincinnati, from the March 25, 1993 newscast
“You let go of my sister you bug-eyed vampire creep!”
-Cody, Level 16, Pickton Lake
“I would've loved to stay in Paris, but they ran out of crepes. It seems you just missed me. Better luck next time, kids.”
-Carmen Sandiego (Jasmine Herrera), Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego? (SNES-CD version)
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And at the end of January, the Super Nintendo CD finally gets some post-launch love with a pair of new games sure to tickle the fancy of anyone who's starting to get bored of Super Mario Kart. On the 18th, it's Atlus' Run Saber. Also releasing for the Super Nintendo, the CD-ROM version features enhanced audio, two additional levels, and a higher level of graphical detail. Then we've got Double Switch, launching on the 25th. While we wait to hear any word about the controversial but sexy Night Trap on Nintendo's peripheral, Double Switch is a much more family-friendly trap 'em up game sure to appeal to older kids and their parents alike. You have to work to free the game's protagonist, Eddie, from a basement before criminals and mobsters get to him. With a little bit of Universal-style horror thrown in, the game is actually considered somewhat better than Night Trap and should be a welcome addition to the SNES-CD's growing FMV library.
-Excerpted from the February 1993 issue of GamePro
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Nintendo Working With The Jim Henson Company?
Nintendo recently announced a partnership that they've been keeping secret for the last year, but that we can finally announce here in Nintendo Power. Nintendo creative staff have been in talks with the Jim Henson company on a number of still-secret projects, one of which is an upcoming video game for the SNES CD peripheral. In fact, Shigeru Miyamoto and puppeteering legend Frank Oz recently appeared together at the Jim Henson Company Lot, where a Nintendo creative team has been working for several months. More details are soon to come and we can't wait to announce them in a future issue!
-Excerpted from the January 1993 issue of Nintendo Power
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February 15, 1993
“Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego?” was released for the Super Nintendo CD. Based on the classic educational PC game, the Super Nintendo CD version featured a brand new set of crimes and clues and an interface optimized for the Super Nintendo CD. While keyboard support, utilizing the optional keyboard peripheral that had been quietly released a few weeks after the SNES CD's release, was available, the game also offered a non-keyboard mode that allowed for multiple-choice guessing for most of the game's inputs. The game was influenced heavily by the successful PBS game show released a couple of years earlier, and Lynne Thigpen played The Chief in some of the game's live-action segments, while relatively unknown actress Jasmine Herrera played the tricky thief Carmen Sandiego. The game also featured about 30 minutes worth of animated segments, notably the intro video (utilizing Rockapella's theme song from the game show, with the line “Monday thru Friday at 5!” changed to “Super Nintendo CD!”) and some animated travelogues of the various geographic locations in the game.
-
Pickton Lake
Take brother and sister Cody and Cassie through 16 levels of platforming horror action in this exciting new game for the SNES CD as they try to rescue their abducted friends from spooky ghosts and zombies. While comparable to the NES horror game Friday the 13th, this is a FAR better made game and you'll actually have quite a bit of fun. With the ability to detour off the beaten path for hidden items and with about 300 different voice acted lines, the game utilizes the SNES CD's capabilities well while remaining a super-fun platformer at its core.
Graphics: 4.5
Sound: 4.0
Control: 4.0
FunFactor: 5.0
Challenge: Intermediate
Super Turrican
An incredibly fun run-and-gun game in the vein of Contra, it's comparable to Contra III in terms of play-style and with the SNES CD's enhanced graphics it's in some ways the superior game, offering a lot in terms of smooth animation and graphical detail. We're glad Seika decided to create this game for the CD peripheral in lieu of the planned SNES version, though a dual release might have been nice for those who have yet to hop on board with the peripheral yet. Make no mistake, this might just be the best game for the SNES CD to date.
Graphics: 5.0
Sound: 5.0
Control: 5.0
FunFactor: 5.0
Challenge: Advanced
Mad Dog McCree:
This light-gun game, the SNES CD's first, is a fun diversion despite its cheesy dialog and at times spotty controls. The option to use the SuperScope for those who have it from the SNES is nice, but you'll do a lot better with the Justifier gun (though it's sold separately). It's definitely fun, but a little bit on the short side, making it a difficult sell if you're buying at full price. It's a nice demonstration of the SNES CD's abilities but hopefully we get a meatier light-gun game in the future.
Graphics: 4.5
Sound: 3.0
Control: 3.5
FunFactor: 3.5
Challenge: Intermediate
-Excerpted from GamePro's reviews of March 1993's SNES CD releases, from their May 1993 issue
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List of Nintendo Power cover subjects from October 1992-March 1993 (italics signify OTL cover):
October 1992- The Simpsons: Bart's Nightmare
November 1992- Super Star Wars
December 1992- Super Mario Kart
January 1993- The Magical Quest: Starring Mickey Mouse
February 1993- Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego?
March 1993- Tiny Toon Adventures: Buster Busts Loose
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April 1, 1993
Hiroshi Yamauchi reviewed the sales numbers from the first four months of Super Nintendo CD sales in North America. Nearly 350,000 units had been sold, more than half of them before Christmas 1992. Sales had been progressing at a slow but steady pace after the sharp drop-off from the holiday season. There'd been a brief spike in sales from the Carmen Sandiego game, but it was a very small spike and sales were beginning to dip slightly. The true test, of course, would come once Super Mario World 2 was released later that week. It had already been released in Japan in February and had done extremely well, pushing total sales of the SNES CD in Japan past the one million mark, while reviews had been excellent, including the first ever perfect 40 from Famitsu.
Yamauchi couldn't be blamed for his trepidation. The Sega CD was outselling the Super Nintendo CD in North America, though it was by a very small margin. Big games could only do so much, if sales didn't pick up soon, more than a few people would start to consider the peripheral a failure. Only Ken Kutaragi's words of encouragement over the last few days calmed his fears, though Kutaragi had been doing that for Norio Ohga as well. He thought about calling up Howard Lincoln and telling him to think up ways to boost sales, but he didn't want to cause friction with his North American branch the way that Sega had begun to do. The continued robust sales of the Super Nintendo were another comfort to him. The company hadn't placed all of its eggs in one basket...indeed, with the continued success of the Gameboy and even the old NES, the company had four. There would be time to worry about the future of the SNES CD later. For now, Hiroshi Yamauchi would be content to wait and see.
-Ted Woolsey, excerpted from an interview with RPGamer.com in 2002
“If you're asking about the moment when my sister and me decided that we wanted to make video games for a living, it had to be when we first got Pickton Lake. Ariel and I got it with the Super Nintendo CD for our 8th birthdays and it was the best birthday ever. That game was amazing, I know it's more of a cult classic now but for us it was just awesome, those two kids were just like us and we loved the spooky atmosphere and fun dialogue. We couldn't stop playing it, we'd take turns beating it over and over trying to get through it the fastest or get all the secret items. It was so much fun. It was a big inspiration for our first game, Terror Trip. The idea of the brother/sister protagonists? So Pickton Lake.”
-Alex Hirsch, co-founder of Pyramid Games, excerpted from the Kotaku.com article “Meet The Twins Who Are Taking The Indie Gaming World By Storm”, January 14, 2013
“The definitive version of 'Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego?' appeared on the Super Nintendo CD in February 1993. Considered the first major post-release title for the add-on, it featured challenging new geography puzzles, a variety of memorable suspects and characters, and it was one of the first games to use both live-action and animated FMV sequences. Yes, some of the acting seems cheesy now, but it helped set the mood of the game and kept things fun and interesting.”
-Quoted from “The Top 10 Educational Video Games Of All Time: #2- Where in The World Is Carmen Sandiego? (SNES CD)” on Screw Attack
“The new CD-ROM peripheral for the Super Nintendo video game system may have its first controversy. Mad Dog McCree is a new western-based video game where you use a realistic-looking play gun to shoot characters, played by real life actors, on screen. While there's no blood or guts in the game, some say that gunning down real people is beyond the pale. It's the first game to earn a rating of 17 from Nintendo's in-house ratings board, but parents say that retail stores often ignore the ratings to sell this game to kids. Tonight at 11, we'll talk to some local parents who think that the fun's gone too far.”
-reporter at WKRC-TV, Cincinnati, from the March 25, 1993 newscast
“You let go of my sister you bug-eyed vampire creep!”
-Cody, Level 16, Pickton Lake
“I would've loved to stay in Paris, but they ran out of crepes. It seems you just missed me. Better luck next time, kids.”
-Carmen Sandiego (Jasmine Herrera), Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego? (SNES-CD version)
-
And at the end of January, the Super Nintendo CD finally gets some post-launch love with a pair of new games sure to tickle the fancy of anyone who's starting to get bored of Super Mario Kart. On the 18th, it's Atlus' Run Saber. Also releasing for the Super Nintendo, the CD-ROM version features enhanced audio, two additional levels, and a higher level of graphical detail. Then we've got Double Switch, launching on the 25th. While we wait to hear any word about the controversial but sexy Night Trap on Nintendo's peripheral, Double Switch is a much more family-friendly trap 'em up game sure to appeal to older kids and their parents alike. You have to work to free the game's protagonist, Eddie, from a basement before criminals and mobsters get to him. With a little bit of Universal-style horror thrown in, the game is actually considered somewhat better than Night Trap and should be a welcome addition to the SNES-CD's growing FMV library.
-Excerpted from the February 1993 issue of GamePro
-
Nintendo Working With The Jim Henson Company?
Nintendo recently announced a partnership that they've been keeping secret for the last year, but that we can finally announce here in Nintendo Power. Nintendo creative staff have been in talks with the Jim Henson company on a number of still-secret projects, one of which is an upcoming video game for the SNES CD peripheral. In fact, Shigeru Miyamoto and puppeteering legend Frank Oz recently appeared together at the Jim Henson Company Lot, where a Nintendo creative team has been working for several months. More details are soon to come and we can't wait to announce them in a future issue!
-Excerpted from the January 1993 issue of Nintendo Power
-
February 15, 1993
“Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego?” was released for the Super Nintendo CD. Based on the classic educational PC game, the Super Nintendo CD version featured a brand new set of crimes and clues and an interface optimized for the Super Nintendo CD. While keyboard support, utilizing the optional keyboard peripheral that had been quietly released a few weeks after the SNES CD's release, was available, the game also offered a non-keyboard mode that allowed for multiple-choice guessing for most of the game's inputs. The game was influenced heavily by the successful PBS game show released a couple of years earlier, and Lynne Thigpen played The Chief in some of the game's live-action segments, while relatively unknown actress Jasmine Herrera played the tricky thief Carmen Sandiego. The game also featured about 30 minutes worth of animated segments, notably the intro video (utilizing Rockapella's theme song from the game show, with the line “Monday thru Friday at 5!” changed to “Super Nintendo CD!”) and some animated travelogues of the various geographic locations in the game.
-
Pickton Lake
Take brother and sister Cody and Cassie through 16 levels of platforming horror action in this exciting new game for the SNES CD as they try to rescue their abducted friends from spooky ghosts and zombies. While comparable to the NES horror game Friday the 13th, this is a FAR better made game and you'll actually have quite a bit of fun. With the ability to detour off the beaten path for hidden items and with about 300 different voice acted lines, the game utilizes the SNES CD's capabilities well while remaining a super-fun platformer at its core.
Graphics: 4.5
Sound: 4.0
Control: 4.0
FunFactor: 5.0
Challenge: Intermediate
Super Turrican
An incredibly fun run-and-gun game in the vein of Contra, it's comparable to Contra III in terms of play-style and with the SNES CD's enhanced graphics it's in some ways the superior game, offering a lot in terms of smooth animation and graphical detail. We're glad Seika decided to create this game for the CD peripheral in lieu of the planned SNES version, though a dual release might have been nice for those who have yet to hop on board with the peripheral yet. Make no mistake, this might just be the best game for the SNES CD to date.
Graphics: 5.0
Sound: 5.0
Control: 5.0
FunFactor: 5.0
Challenge: Advanced
Mad Dog McCree:
This light-gun game, the SNES CD's first, is a fun diversion despite its cheesy dialog and at times spotty controls. The option to use the SuperScope for those who have it from the SNES is nice, but you'll do a lot better with the Justifier gun (though it's sold separately). It's definitely fun, but a little bit on the short side, making it a difficult sell if you're buying at full price. It's a nice demonstration of the SNES CD's abilities but hopefully we get a meatier light-gun game in the future.
Graphics: 4.5
Sound: 3.0
Control: 3.5
FunFactor: 3.5
Challenge: Intermediate
-Excerpted from GamePro's reviews of March 1993's SNES CD releases, from their May 1993 issue
-
List of Nintendo Power cover subjects from October 1992-March 1993 (italics signify OTL cover):
October 1992- The Simpsons: Bart's Nightmare
November 1992- Super Star Wars
December 1992- Super Mario Kart
January 1993- The Magical Quest: Starring Mickey Mouse
February 1993- Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego?
March 1993- Tiny Toon Adventures: Buster Busts Loose
-
April 1, 1993
Hiroshi Yamauchi reviewed the sales numbers from the first four months of Super Nintendo CD sales in North America. Nearly 350,000 units had been sold, more than half of them before Christmas 1992. Sales had been progressing at a slow but steady pace after the sharp drop-off from the holiday season. There'd been a brief spike in sales from the Carmen Sandiego game, but it was a very small spike and sales were beginning to dip slightly. The true test, of course, would come once Super Mario World 2 was released later that week. It had already been released in Japan in February and had done extremely well, pushing total sales of the SNES CD in Japan past the one million mark, while reviews had been excellent, including the first ever perfect 40 from Famitsu.
Yamauchi couldn't be blamed for his trepidation. The Sega CD was outselling the Super Nintendo CD in North America, though it was by a very small margin. Big games could only do so much, if sales didn't pick up soon, more than a few people would start to consider the peripheral a failure. Only Ken Kutaragi's words of encouragement over the last few days calmed his fears, though Kutaragi had been doing that for Norio Ohga as well. He thought about calling up Howard Lincoln and telling him to think up ways to boost sales, but he didn't want to cause friction with his North American branch the way that Sega had begun to do. The continued robust sales of the Super Nintendo were another comfort to him. The company hadn't placed all of its eggs in one basket...indeed, with the continued success of the Gameboy and even the old NES, the company had four. There would be time to worry about the future of the SNES CD later. For now, Hiroshi Yamauchi would be content to wait and see.
Actually hadn't thought of TTL's Buffy yet, Pickton Lake is basically just supposed to be a random cult classic. Only pop culture butterfly it's caused so far is....well it's in the quotes. ^_^
Don't give us ideas...buffy is still like 4 year to be made and the butterflies(looks out is Mothra)
But mention...there will be a lot of cultural butteflies...not mention because will be a big spoiler...
Cool, TL.
What about Rareware?
I could see Donkey Kong Country CD being a definitive game.
What about Rareware?
I could see Donkey Kong Country CD being a definitive game.
Excellent TL! I wonder how would be the reception of the SNES CD in Latin America and Europe.
Will the launch of Final Fantasy III (V) in America be the spearhead of JRPGs for the American market?
PLAY IT LOUD!
Will the launch of Final Fantasy III (V) in America be the spearhead of JRPGs for the American market?
PLAY IT LOUD!
Woa..Un Compatritota, gracias por la respuesta compa, siempre se agradece.
In Latin America will be slowly but much higher like OTL, but in the middle term, the Playstation Combo Set will remplaced vanilla SNES and the few who have the combo with SNES-CD, not only both will have similar price but more practical, plus some families will like one in all machine with the CD playback, but will be slower, but remember, Super Nintendo were sold in Exito-Vivero in 1995 legally, thus can happen early, like 1994..and we still wait for OTL SNes second killer app in Donkey Kong Country.
You're reading our trails, soon, Final Fantasy III(V) show that the market for the game is there and slowly growing, but you remember which was the other RPG who put Square in the road during 16-bit era(and that is already tease), will be the true killer app and the game who willl put JRPG early into Road(plus convice other, specially nintendo of the potential market).
WE MUST BE HEARD...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FArjEUhBgP4
Thanks for the answer, hope my partner comeback soon, to restart the TL, comment like you give us strehght to going forward
April 1993 - Super Mario World 2 (and the rest)
We're baaaaack...
“Super Mario World 2 is the best Mario game I've ever played and quite possibly the best video game I've ever played. The world is enormous, the music and graphics are quantum leaps from the original game...indeed, it makes the original Super Mario World look like a tech demo. You wanted a reason to buy the Super Nintendo CD? Here it is.”
-Ed Semrad, from his 10/10 review of Super Mario World 2 in the May 1993 issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly
“So you finally get to the final boss, which of course is Bowser, and he's in this big tank thing, which looks awesome and has so many moving parts, way more than anything seen in a Nintendo game before. The background is this hellish firescape of burning parapets, it's like Toadstool's castle but in an Ozzy Osbourne video or something, and then Toadstool (she's Peach now of course) is lowered on a rope and she's tied up and gagged, and you see her eyes go wide when she sees Mario and then she kind of moves around a bit (great animation here too by the way), and the gag comes down and she lets out this loud “MAAAAAAARRRIIIOOOOO!!!!” before she gets lifted back up and the fight starts. We've never even HEARD her talk before but that yell for Mario gets you so hyped up for the fight. I mean you knew this was going to be awesome.”
-Ravi Arikanian, from the article “Mario Memories: Super Mario World 2” on IGN.com, published February 17, 2009
“I must confess, the big reason for the delay of Super Mario World 2 from the SNES CD launch to the following spring was mostly on me. Miyamoto-san asked if I would create some extra music for the game, of course we remembered the last Super Mario World only had a few basic themes for the level music but he wanted about 15 different tracks to be played, instead of just the three or four from the original game, so it took a few months longer to compose those. Miyamoto-san and I both wanted them to be perfect, it was pretty much the last thing we nailed down was the score for the game.”
-Koji Kondo, Game Informer interview, January 2007
“You collected all eight parts of my time machine! Thank you so much! It's time for me to take you to the Mushroom Kingdom of the future!”
-Professor Toadstein, preparing to take Mario to the first of two secret worlds once all eight time machine parts are gathered in Super Mario World 2
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SUPER MARIO WORLD 2: The Basics
Super Mario World 2 is a direct sequel to the SNES cartridge game Super Mario World. The game takes place almost immediately after the original. Upon returning from Dinosaur Land, Mario, Luigi, and Princess Toadstool throw a massive party at Toadstool's castle, celebrating their return and also honoring Yoshi for his help. The party, however, is crashed by an angry Bowser and his Koopalings, who kidnap Toadstool and Yoshi and send the brothers flying to the other end of the Mushroom Kingdom. Bowser's Koopa Troop has taken over the entire kingdom and the two Mario brothers must fight their way back to Toadstool's castle to save her.
The game has eight main worlds, unlike the original which had only seven. Also unlike the original, each level has a name, so instead of something like “Yoshi's Island 1”, you'd have “1-1: Koopas On The Beach”. There are 120 total “goals”, with around 75 total levels spread out over the eight main worlds and two secret worlds. Once the second secret world is clear, you can elect to play as Luigi in a single-player game (otherwise he's only available for multiplayer). The eight worlds are as follows:
World 1: Mushroom Beach (A beach-themed world similar to Yoshi's Island in the original, with a few more swimming parts added in.)
World 2: Steamy Jungle (A jungle-themed world)
World 3: The Crystal Sea (An entirely aquatic based world except for a large undersea dome at the end where a couple of levels take place)
World 4: Creepy Caverns (A world of caves and mysterious passages, somewhat similar to Vanilla Dome)
World 5: Heroic Heights (A sky-themed world with a mountain level or two)
World 6: Toad City (A big city with towering crystal buildings)
World 7: Barrel Volcano (Fire-themed worlds)
World 8: Bowser's Factory (Bowser's stronghold, a massive factory complex he's built around Toadstool's castle)
Secret World 1: Mushroom Kingdom 3000 (A group of futuristic levels)
Secret World 2: Rainbow Road (Based on the Rainbow Road from Super Mario Kart, features eight ultra-challenging levels, equivalent to SMW's Special Zone)
The game can be regarded as sort of the Super Mario Bros. 3 to Super Mario World's Super Mario Bros., more of an incremental update than a total gameplay overhaul. Graphics and sound are vastly improved, the SNES CD allows for improved animation on the characters and very detailed and animated backgrounds, with a well-defined soundtrack. Gameplay-wise, a double jump has been added to Mario's repertoire, if he's running he can jump once and once he lands he can jump again to reach new heights. The Fire Flower and Cape return, along with the Frog and Tanooki Suits from Super Mario Bros. 3. In addition, there's a Mini Mario “power-up” that allows Mario to get smaller to reach secret passages, and finally there's a Jet Mario powerup that enables him to travel incredibly fast (some critics pointed out that this seemed to be deliberately aimed at Sonic's speedy reputation), when Mario is running fast he can blast right through enemies and leap long distances but it takes a while to slow down so pitfalls become a major hazard. The Koopa Kids return as bosses, one per world, with Iggy first as usual, then followed by Larry, Roy, Morton, Wendy, Lemmy, and finally Ludwig. The Koopa Kids don't fight Mario directly, however. Instead they either mount huge machines or summon large creatures to battle Mario, always related somehow to the world's main theme. Secret exits are of course still present, with one secret exit even present in the initial beach world. The game is a BIT more difficult than Super Mario World overall but still a fairly easy game for platforming veterans, however, the level design is much more intuitive and creative. Branching paths in some levels give players more choices about what sorts of challenges they want to tackle (and add to the replay value of the game), other levels (particularly ghost houses, fortresses, and castles) feature a variety of hidden doors and traps to keep players guessing.
The game also notably featured the debut of Charles Martinet as the voice of Mario and Luigi. Mario's voice could be heard mostly in the form of shouts or a few words as he made his way around levels. The game introduced the idea of a more mild-mannered, friendly Mario, as opposed to the gruff Brooklyn voice from previous adaptations of the game. The game featured a few cutscenes (not animated, but shown in a series of images and on-screen narration) between worlds, showing Mario and Luigi adventuring, or Toadstool in Bowser's castle (sometimes trying to escape, sometimes showing kindness to the Koopa Kids or once even to Bowser). It gave the main characters of the series some personality and the game received praise for its limited but amusing narrative which added a bit of flavor and plot to the action of the game.
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April 5, 1993
Super Mario World 2 is launched in North America for the Super Nintendo CD (the PAL release would come on April 26). The game is launched to rave reviews from a variety of gaming publications, including two of a possible four perfect 10s in Electronic Gaming Monthly, a perfect 40 in Famitsu (the first ever), perfect 5s from Gamepro, and many many more. The game sells over 200,000 copies on launch day in North America, making it thus far the biggest opening day for an SNES CD game. The game gets a 24-page cover story in Nintendo Power, which covers the first five worlds of the game (the magazine teases the remaining three worlds and mentions the existence of at least one secret world, then advises readers to buy the 204 page Official Player's Guide for more tips). It also becomes the second SNES CD software release to get coverage on mainstream news stations (the first being the controversial light gun game Mad Dog McCree) and the first to be mentioned in a positive light. It drives sales of the peripheral and combo set in both North America and Japan, the former to its largest sales week to date (in Japan the launch week was slightly better). Nintendo executives, particularly Hiroshi Yamauchi, are pleased with the game's success. There are two other games released for the Super Nintendo CD on that day: Classics Of Great Literature, more of an educational tool than a game, which featured the texts of ten great classic novels and offered quiz games based on them, and an adaptation of SimEarth: The Living Planet, which would later that year make its way to the Super Nintendo cartridge system in a slightly less detailed version. Due to being overshadowed by the juggernaut release of Super Mario World 2, the game becomes an instant cult classic, though it's not as well loved as the SNES' 1991 release of SimCity. Super Mario World 2's release signals to the gaming world that the SNES CD is here to stay, and signals to Sega that Sonic CD will need to be an all-time great to top it.
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“Super Mario World 2 was THE killer game of April 1993 for the Super Nintendo CD, but hey, what about all the other games that got released that month? Yes, there were other games that got released that month and I played them all. Here are some mini-reviews. You're welcome.
Classics Of Great Literature (released April 5): Wait, this isn't a game! And I'm not about to read all ten of these books. I've read two of them, Moby Dick and Tom Sawyer. They were okay, I guess. This was the first game in a line of educational software that all the optical-based systems seemed to have in spades. Nobody bought this. 1/5
SimEarth: The Living Planet (released April 5): Hell yeah, it's SimEarth! I had fun with this game back in the day. Actually this was the only game from this month besides SMW2 I played back in the day. It was pretty killer on SNES CD. They gave you a lot more options and the graphics were much better. 4/5
Dragon's Destiny (released April 12): This was a kind of 3-D graphics game they tried out but the graphics were pretty lousy. Basically you fly around on a dragon and there's another guy on a dragon and you're trying to kill each other. Remember Firebreather on Action 52? It's like that but not god awful. But still pretty bad. 2/5
Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective (released April 19): An FMV game, this puts you in the shoes of Sherlock Holmes. There are three different mysteries to solve and you can look for clues. The acting's pretty lousy but I still had some fun with this. As far as FMV games go, it's okay. 3/5
P.T.O.: Pacific Theater Of Operations (released April 19): This was actually a really neat little war game and Koei put some nice graphical touches on it for the SNES-CD. The maps look a LOT less awkward. There are some pretty cool in-battle animations and several more battles to play. One of the system's best turn-based strategy games and probably the month's best game besides Super Mario World 2. I had trouble putting this down to finish the article. 4/5
Katie Corner (released April 19): I wasn't expecting much from this at ALL. Basically there's a little girl named Katie, who is actually played in some cutscenes by a real child actress, and she helps you solve puzzles and play mini-games and stuff. It's supposed to be an educational game but I had actual fun with parts of this. I'm astonished. This game is rare as balls today, by the way. Like $150 on Ebay rare. 3/5”
-article from Captain Retro at Games Of The Past, June 8, 2011
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No SNES-CD? No Problem!
While Super Nintendo players who don't have the CD peripheral may feel left out in the cold in the wake of the release of killer app Super Mario World 2, there's little to be bummed out about this month, with nearly a dozen new releases set to land on the SNES in April alone. Headlining them is the first game to use the SNES' heralded Super FX Chip, “Super Squadron X”. Featuring out-of-this-world polygonal graphics, Super Squadron X is the sequel of sorts to the cult Gameboy classic X, a Japan-only release. Created by Argonaut Software, the game is a space shooter that centers around an effort by an elite team of starfighters to liberate a besieged planet. Originally, Star Fox was planned to be the first Super FX chip release, but that game is headed to the SNES CD this summer. Also scheduled to be released is Battletoads and Double Dragon, which hits the SNES in June. Perhaps the biggest SNES release of all, at least over the next 12 months, is Super Metroid, the third game in the Metroid series, which will feature the legendary bounty hunter Samus Aran once again battling space pirates on Zebes. We'll have more information about Super Metroid in the coming months, but it's clear that Nintendo is keeping its promise to support both the cartridge and CD incarnations of the Super Nintendo, and it doesn't look like that will be changing any time soon.
-excerpted from GameFan Magazine, May 1993
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BREAKING NEWS: Nintendo Teams Up With The Jim Henson Company For “Star Fox”
We've been sitting on this bit of juicy info for quite some time, and now we can finally give you the first scoop! We've reported that Nintendo has been teaming up with the Jim Henson Company, famous for its work on “The Muppets”, “Sesame Street”, and many other hit properties across the film and television worlds, but now we can reveal that the company has also provided resources for the in-game cutscenes that will appear in Star Fox, coming to the SNES CD in June. During your flights through the game's levels, you will be occasionally hailed by your wingmen, commanding officer, or even some of the dastardly villains, and all of these animations, including the voice acting, were done by the Jim Henson Company, very closely partnered with Nintendo. The company's staff of writers, camera crews, and “Muppeteers” were all on hand to provide the game's nearly one hour of FMV footage, which Nintendo's talented programmers have seamlessly integrated into the fast-paced action of the game. We'll be able to give you more looks at Star Fox in next month's issue, but for now we're all eager to start playing and be the first to let you know what an awesome game this is shaping up to be!
-Article in Nintendo Power, May 1993
“Super Mario World 2 is the best Mario game I've ever played and quite possibly the best video game I've ever played. The world is enormous, the music and graphics are quantum leaps from the original game...indeed, it makes the original Super Mario World look like a tech demo. You wanted a reason to buy the Super Nintendo CD? Here it is.”
-Ed Semrad, from his 10/10 review of Super Mario World 2 in the May 1993 issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly
“So you finally get to the final boss, which of course is Bowser, and he's in this big tank thing, which looks awesome and has so many moving parts, way more than anything seen in a Nintendo game before. The background is this hellish firescape of burning parapets, it's like Toadstool's castle but in an Ozzy Osbourne video or something, and then Toadstool (she's Peach now of course) is lowered on a rope and she's tied up and gagged, and you see her eyes go wide when she sees Mario and then she kind of moves around a bit (great animation here too by the way), and the gag comes down and she lets out this loud “MAAAAAAARRRIIIOOOOO!!!!” before she gets lifted back up and the fight starts. We've never even HEARD her talk before but that yell for Mario gets you so hyped up for the fight. I mean you knew this was going to be awesome.”
-Ravi Arikanian, from the article “Mario Memories: Super Mario World 2” on IGN.com, published February 17, 2009
“I must confess, the big reason for the delay of Super Mario World 2 from the SNES CD launch to the following spring was mostly on me. Miyamoto-san asked if I would create some extra music for the game, of course we remembered the last Super Mario World only had a few basic themes for the level music but he wanted about 15 different tracks to be played, instead of just the three or four from the original game, so it took a few months longer to compose those. Miyamoto-san and I both wanted them to be perfect, it was pretty much the last thing we nailed down was the score for the game.”
-Koji Kondo, Game Informer interview, January 2007
“You collected all eight parts of my time machine! Thank you so much! It's time for me to take you to the Mushroom Kingdom of the future!”
-Professor Toadstein, preparing to take Mario to the first of two secret worlds once all eight time machine parts are gathered in Super Mario World 2
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SUPER MARIO WORLD 2: The Basics
Super Mario World 2 is a direct sequel to the SNES cartridge game Super Mario World. The game takes place almost immediately after the original. Upon returning from Dinosaur Land, Mario, Luigi, and Princess Toadstool throw a massive party at Toadstool's castle, celebrating their return and also honoring Yoshi for his help. The party, however, is crashed by an angry Bowser and his Koopalings, who kidnap Toadstool and Yoshi and send the brothers flying to the other end of the Mushroom Kingdom. Bowser's Koopa Troop has taken over the entire kingdom and the two Mario brothers must fight their way back to Toadstool's castle to save her.
The game has eight main worlds, unlike the original which had only seven. Also unlike the original, each level has a name, so instead of something like “Yoshi's Island 1”, you'd have “1-1: Koopas On The Beach”. There are 120 total “goals”, with around 75 total levels spread out over the eight main worlds and two secret worlds. Once the second secret world is clear, you can elect to play as Luigi in a single-player game (otherwise he's only available for multiplayer). The eight worlds are as follows:
World 1: Mushroom Beach (A beach-themed world similar to Yoshi's Island in the original, with a few more swimming parts added in.)
World 2: Steamy Jungle (A jungle-themed world)
World 3: The Crystal Sea (An entirely aquatic based world except for a large undersea dome at the end where a couple of levels take place)
World 4: Creepy Caverns (A world of caves and mysterious passages, somewhat similar to Vanilla Dome)
World 5: Heroic Heights (A sky-themed world with a mountain level or two)
World 6: Toad City (A big city with towering crystal buildings)
World 7: Barrel Volcano (Fire-themed worlds)
World 8: Bowser's Factory (Bowser's stronghold, a massive factory complex he's built around Toadstool's castle)
Secret World 1: Mushroom Kingdom 3000 (A group of futuristic levels)
Secret World 2: Rainbow Road (Based on the Rainbow Road from Super Mario Kart, features eight ultra-challenging levels, equivalent to SMW's Special Zone)
The game can be regarded as sort of the Super Mario Bros. 3 to Super Mario World's Super Mario Bros., more of an incremental update than a total gameplay overhaul. Graphics and sound are vastly improved, the SNES CD allows for improved animation on the characters and very detailed and animated backgrounds, with a well-defined soundtrack. Gameplay-wise, a double jump has been added to Mario's repertoire, if he's running he can jump once and once he lands he can jump again to reach new heights. The Fire Flower and Cape return, along with the Frog and Tanooki Suits from Super Mario Bros. 3. In addition, there's a Mini Mario “power-up” that allows Mario to get smaller to reach secret passages, and finally there's a Jet Mario powerup that enables him to travel incredibly fast (some critics pointed out that this seemed to be deliberately aimed at Sonic's speedy reputation), when Mario is running fast he can blast right through enemies and leap long distances but it takes a while to slow down so pitfalls become a major hazard. The Koopa Kids return as bosses, one per world, with Iggy first as usual, then followed by Larry, Roy, Morton, Wendy, Lemmy, and finally Ludwig. The Koopa Kids don't fight Mario directly, however. Instead they either mount huge machines or summon large creatures to battle Mario, always related somehow to the world's main theme. Secret exits are of course still present, with one secret exit even present in the initial beach world. The game is a BIT more difficult than Super Mario World overall but still a fairly easy game for platforming veterans, however, the level design is much more intuitive and creative. Branching paths in some levels give players more choices about what sorts of challenges they want to tackle (and add to the replay value of the game), other levels (particularly ghost houses, fortresses, and castles) feature a variety of hidden doors and traps to keep players guessing.
The game also notably featured the debut of Charles Martinet as the voice of Mario and Luigi. Mario's voice could be heard mostly in the form of shouts or a few words as he made his way around levels. The game introduced the idea of a more mild-mannered, friendly Mario, as opposed to the gruff Brooklyn voice from previous adaptations of the game. The game featured a few cutscenes (not animated, but shown in a series of images and on-screen narration) between worlds, showing Mario and Luigi adventuring, or Toadstool in Bowser's castle (sometimes trying to escape, sometimes showing kindness to the Koopa Kids or once even to Bowser). It gave the main characters of the series some personality and the game received praise for its limited but amusing narrative which added a bit of flavor and plot to the action of the game.
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April 5, 1993
Super Mario World 2 is launched in North America for the Super Nintendo CD (the PAL release would come on April 26). The game is launched to rave reviews from a variety of gaming publications, including two of a possible four perfect 10s in Electronic Gaming Monthly, a perfect 40 in Famitsu (the first ever), perfect 5s from Gamepro, and many many more. The game sells over 200,000 copies on launch day in North America, making it thus far the biggest opening day for an SNES CD game. The game gets a 24-page cover story in Nintendo Power, which covers the first five worlds of the game (the magazine teases the remaining three worlds and mentions the existence of at least one secret world, then advises readers to buy the 204 page Official Player's Guide for more tips). It also becomes the second SNES CD software release to get coverage on mainstream news stations (the first being the controversial light gun game Mad Dog McCree) and the first to be mentioned in a positive light. It drives sales of the peripheral and combo set in both North America and Japan, the former to its largest sales week to date (in Japan the launch week was slightly better). Nintendo executives, particularly Hiroshi Yamauchi, are pleased with the game's success. There are two other games released for the Super Nintendo CD on that day: Classics Of Great Literature, more of an educational tool than a game, which featured the texts of ten great classic novels and offered quiz games based on them, and an adaptation of SimEarth: The Living Planet, which would later that year make its way to the Super Nintendo cartridge system in a slightly less detailed version. Due to being overshadowed by the juggernaut release of Super Mario World 2, the game becomes an instant cult classic, though it's not as well loved as the SNES' 1991 release of SimCity. Super Mario World 2's release signals to the gaming world that the SNES CD is here to stay, and signals to Sega that Sonic CD will need to be an all-time great to top it.
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“Super Mario World 2 was THE killer game of April 1993 for the Super Nintendo CD, but hey, what about all the other games that got released that month? Yes, there were other games that got released that month and I played them all. Here are some mini-reviews. You're welcome.
Classics Of Great Literature (released April 5): Wait, this isn't a game! And I'm not about to read all ten of these books. I've read two of them, Moby Dick and Tom Sawyer. They were okay, I guess. This was the first game in a line of educational software that all the optical-based systems seemed to have in spades. Nobody bought this. 1/5
SimEarth: The Living Planet (released April 5): Hell yeah, it's SimEarth! I had fun with this game back in the day. Actually this was the only game from this month besides SMW2 I played back in the day. It was pretty killer on SNES CD. They gave you a lot more options and the graphics were much better. 4/5
Dragon's Destiny (released April 12): This was a kind of 3-D graphics game they tried out but the graphics were pretty lousy. Basically you fly around on a dragon and there's another guy on a dragon and you're trying to kill each other. Remember Firebreather on Action 52? It's like that but not god awful. But still pretty bad. 2/5
Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective (released April 19): An FMV game, this puts you in the shoes of Sherlock Holmes. There are three different mysteries to solve and you can look for clues. The acting's pretty lousy but I still had some fun with this. As far as FMV games go, it's okay. 3/5
P.T.O.: Pacific Theater Of Operations (released April 19): This was actually a really neat little war game and Koei put some nice graphical touches on it for the SNES-CD. The maps look a LOT less awkward. There are some pretty cool in-battle animations and several more battles to play. One of the system's best turn-based strategy games and probably the month's best game besides Super Mario World 2. I had trouble putting this down to finish the article. 4/5
Katie Corner (released April 19): I wasn't expecting much from this at ALL. Basically there's a little girl named Katie, who is actually played in some cutscenes by a real child actress, and she helps you solve puzzles and play mini-games and stuff. It's supposed to be an educational game but I had actual fun with parts of this. I'm astonished. This game is rare as balls today, by the way. Like $150 on Ebay rare. 3/5”
-article from Captain Retro at Games Of The Past, June 8, 2011
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No SNES-CD? No Problem!
While Super Nintendo players who don't have the CD peripheral may feel left out in the cold in the wake of the release of killer app Super Mario World 2, there's little to be bummed out about this month, with nearly a dozen new releases set to land on the SNES in April alone. Headlining them is the first game to use the SNES' heralded Super FX Chip, “Super Squadron X”. Featuring out-of-this-world polygonal graphics, Super Squadron X is the sequel of sorts to the cult Gameboy classic X, a Japan-only release. Created by Argonaut Software, the game is a space shooter that centers around an effort by an elite team of starfighters to liberate a besieged planet. Originally, Star Fox was planned to be the first Super FX chip release, but that game is headed to the SNES CD this summer. Also scheduled to be released is Battletoads and Double Dragon, which hits the SNES in June. Perhaps the biggest SNES release of all, at least over the next 12 months, is Super Metroid, the third game in the Metroid series, which will feature the legendary bounty hunter Samus Aran once again battling space pirates on Zebes. We'll have more information about Super Metroid in the coming months, but it's clear that Nintendo is keeping its promise to support both the cartridge and CD incarnations of the Super Nintendo, and it doesn't look like that will be changing any time soon.
-excerpted from GameFan Magazine, May 1993
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BREAKING NEWS: Nintendo Teams Up With The Jim Henson Company For “Star Fox”
We've been sitting on this bit of juicy info for quite some time, and now we can finally give you the first scoop! We've reported that Nintendo has been teaming up with the Jim Henson Company, famous for its work on “The Muppets”, “Sesame Street”, and many other hit properties across the film and television worlds, but now we can reveal that the company has also provided resources for the in-game cutscenes that will appear in Star Fox, coming to the SNES CD in June. During your flights through the game's levels, you will be occasionally hailed by your wingmen, commanding officer, or even some of the dastardly villains, and all of these animations, including the voice acting, were done by the Jim Henson Company, very closely partnered with Nintendo. The company's staff of writers, camera crews, and “Muppeteers” were all on hand to provide the game's nearly one hour of FMV footage, which Nintendo's talented programmers have seamlessly integrated into the fast-paced action of the game. We'll be able to give you more looks at Star Fox in next month's issue, but for now we're all eager to start playing and be the first to let you know what an awesome game this is shaping up to be!
-Article in Nintendo Power, May 1993
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Great update glad to see it back
I have the Henson company with Ninty in my TL too
Looking forward to more updates
SMW2 sounds awesome
I have the Henson company with Ninty in my TL too
Looking forward to more updates
SMW2 sounds awesome
BONUS - The March-April 1993 SNES-CD Nintendo Power Charts
A really quick update here and something I'm going to try to do for every "month" of the timeline is the Nintendo Power Chart for the SNES CD. The Power Charts were published once a month in Nintendo Power, ranking the top 20 games for each system based on a combination of three factors: Players votes, where Nintendo Power readers voted on their current favorites, Pro votes, where Nintendo Power editors and Nintendo employees voted on their current favorites, and Dealer points, which tabulated a score based on sales for that month. Sales had a delay of about three months, so, for example, December 1992's sales would show up on the March 1993 chart, April 1993's sales would show up on the July 1993 chart, and so on. For games not yet released, Player and Pro votes still factored in, so hype/anticipation for upcoming games could get them spots on the charts (and indeed, in the first few months of the charts, most games made the charts this way)
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SNES-CD Power Charts - March 1993 (debut of the SNES-CD section of the Power Charts)
1. Street Fighter II: Arcade Edition - 19,713
2. Super Mario Kart - 17,055
3. Final Fantasy: New Generation - 15,604
4. Super Mario World 2 - 11,883
5. Sewer Shark - 10,274
6. Final Fantasy III - 7,840
7. Super Turrican - 6,443
8. Dragon's Lair - 6,371
9. Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego? - 5,844
10. Run Saber - 4,905
11. Lethal Enforcers - 4,881
12. Star Fox - 4,560
13. Alien 3 - 4,186
14. Mad Dog McCree - 3,755
15. Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts CD - 3,747
16. Shadowrun - 3,051
17. Dragon's Destiny - 2,348
18. Double Switch - 1,950
19. MechWarrior - 1,752
20. The Simpsons - 1,711
SNES-CD Power Charts - April 1993
1. Street Fighter II: Arcade Edition - 16,844
2. Super Mario Kart - 16,350
3. Final Fantasy: New Generation - 13,863
4. Super Mario World 2 - 13,500
5. Run Saber - 9,884
6. Final Fantasy III - 9,500
7. Star Fox - 7,417
8. Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego? - 7,154
9. Sewer Shark - 6,608
10. Super Turrican - 6,542
11. Lethal Enforcers - 5,201
12. Double Switch - 4,473
13. Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts CD - 4,100
14. Dragon's Lair - 4,072
15. Alien 3 - 3,651
16. Mad Dog McCree - 3,052
17. Shadowrun - 2,980
18. Snatcher - 2,457
19. MechWarrior - 2,124
20. Battletoads II - 2,056
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SNES-CD Power Charts - March 1993 (debut of the SNES-CD section of the Power Charts)
1. Street Fighter II: Arcade Edition - 19,713
2. Super Mario Kart - 17,055
3. Final Fantasy: New Generation - 15,604
4. Super Mario World 2 - 11,883
5. Sewer Shark - 10,274
6. Final Fantasy III - 7,840
7. Super Turrican - 6,443
8. Dragon's Lair - 6,371
9. Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego? - 5,844
10. Run Saber - 4,905
11. Lethal Enforcers - 4,881
12. Star Fox - 4,560
13. Alien 3 - 4,186
14. Mad Dog McCree - 3,755
15. Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts CD - 3,747
16. Shadowrun - 3,051
17. Dragon's Destiny - 2,348
18. Double Switch - 1,950
19. MechWarrior - 1,752
20. The Simpsons - 1,711
SNES-CD Power Charts - April 1993
1. Street Fighter II: Arcade Edition - 16,844
2. Super Mario Kart - 16,350
3. Final Fantasy: New Generation - 13,863
4. Super Mario World 2 - 13,500
5. Run Saber - 9,884
6. Final Fantasy III - 9,500
7. Star Fox - 7,417
8. Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego? - 7,154
9. Sewer Shark - 6,608
10. Super Turrican - 6,542
11. Lethal Enforcers - 5,201
12. Double Switch - 4,473
13. Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts CD - 4,100
14. Dragon's Lair - 4,072
15. Alien 3 - 3,651
16. Mad Dog McCree - 3,052
17. Shadowrun - 2,980
18. Snatcher - 2,457
19. MechWarrior - 2,124
20. Battletoads II - 2,056
Henson+Star Fox will be great! Also, why is it that I would want to play Dragon's Destiny? I guess once you play games on Action 52, you'll play anything that's better. Anyway, can't wait to see more!
May 1993 - The Library Builds
“If April 1993 was all about Super Mario World 2, the following month was about diversity. May 1993 was when the SNES-CD's lineup really started to fill out with quality games. You had Super Bomberman CD, which was an excellent four-player game, you had the arcade hit Lethal Enforcers which was by far the best lightgun game to date, there was Alien 3, an outstanding adaptation of the hit movie, there was MechWarrior, one of the best PC games to be adapted to the system, and finally you had the great cult classic Shadowrun. Even that Scatterbeans game was a fairly addicting puzzler. By the end of that month you had no less than a dozen games that were at least decent, with Star Fox AND Final Fantasy III coming out that summer. I think a lot of us were starting to realize that SNES owners on the fence about buying the CD add-on were running out of excuses. Nintendo was doing everything right and sales were increasing every week. It was around that time that Sega began to get somewhat desperate.”
-Former GameFan staffer Tim Lindquist, quoted in “The 90s: A Decade Of Gaming – 1993”, on Gamespot.com, July 21, 2001
“The game that convinced ME to get the SNES CD add-on was Shadowrun. Really great graphics, really fun gameplay, and such a mature narrative, I had to remind myself I was playing this thing on a Nintendo system. The SNES CD is still probably my favorite console of all time and Shadowrun was one of my favorite games for it. A shame it didn't sell very many copies.”
-Adam Sessler, from the X-Play SNES-CD 20th Anniversary Retrospective, December 7, 2012
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And “Fallout: The Boneyard” Week continues with our interview of actor/comedian Ray Combs, who voices a sadistic gameshow host who forces your character into a fight for their life (and the lives of several innocent wastelanders). Combs is probably best known for his hosting of Family Feud in the early 90s and his stint on the late 90s sitcom “Fair Play”.
(…)
UGO.com: This isn't the first video game you've worked on.
Combs: Right, I did the Family Feud video game back in.... 1993 I believe?
UGO.com: For the Super Nintendo CD, yeah. That looked like a lot of work that you did, you had to read over 1000 questions and film quite a bit of footage for the FMV scenes.
Combs: The game was pretty involved from what I could tell, I don't play games myself but the footage I saw was pretty cool, it looked a lot like the real show and I got paid pretty well for the sessions, so it wasn't bad. I enjoyed it for the most part. It was kind of a rough time for me though, it was just before I got fired from the show and I was pretty depressed for a while afterward.
UGO.com: We did read about that, I don't know how much you want to talk about it but-
Combs: No, no, it's okay, I've given some motivational talks where I relate my experiences with depression. I think I was just about at my lowest point when I nearly got into a car accident one day, the guy just barely missed me but it was a close and scary call and I started to really re-evaluate my life, I realized even with everything that was going on I had a lot to live for and that's when I started getting help.
UGO.com: We talked to Mary Kay Bergman yesterday, she voices a lot of the female characters in the game and she told us about her own struggles with depression and anxiety.
Combs: Oh, I did a guest voice on South Park a few years back and I got a chance to talk to her, she's a wonderful person and she's made such a good recovery. People don't understand how bad it can be, mental health struggles should be getting a lot more attention. With the shooting at North Carolina State last year, I think it's been getting more coverage in the news but it's still not enough.
UGO.com: People are blaming the games!
Combs: Yeah, they don't want to confront these issues. But I got the help I needed so I'm doing better now. If you're struggling with it, depression or anger or whatever it is, there's help out there.
UGO.com: One more question, would you ever go back to hosting Family Feud?
Combs: I don't think so, Bernie Mac is doing such a good job. He's hilarious isn't he?
UGO.com: He is!
-Excerpted from an interview on UGO.com, November 18, 2008
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Super Bomberman CD
Ed: 9
Danyon: 10 (quote: “The most fun I've ever had with a multi-player game. With a huge slate of options, eighteen different arenas, and tons of items and power-ups, grab three friends and bomb the night away with this amazing game! The single-player mode is a ton of fun as well.”)
Al: 9
Sushi-X: 9
Scatterbeans
Ed: 7
Danyon: 7
Al: 8 (quote: “Really reminded me of Bust-A-Move, but shinier, more colorful, and it moved a lot faster. Probably the best puzzle game available on the SNES-CD, it provides addicting gameplay and some serious challenge.”)
Sushi-X: 5
Lethal Enforcers
Ed: 7
Danyon: 6
Al: 9
Sushi-X: 9 (quote: “A pitch-perfect adaptation of the arcade game and the number one reason to buy a Justifier gun, the arcade hit shines here with thrilling action, tricky stages and lots of ways to rack up points and rescue hostages.”)
Alien 3
Ed: 9
Danyon: 9
Al: 8 (quote: “It's not faithful to the film but it doesn't need to be, it's a great work all its own, with its dark environments and intuitive action, the SNES-CD version of the game is the best looking and best playing and if you're a fan of the film, you're missing out if you don't pick this up.”)
Sushi-X: 8
Family Feud
Ed: 5
Danyon: 5
Al: 9
Sushi-X: 6 (quote: “I'm not a gameshow fan but this is about as close to being on the show as it gets. The FMV is smooth and there are lots of questions to keep you from having to play through repeats for quite some time.”)
VideoMash
Ed: 2
Danyon: 1
Al: 4
Sushi-X: 2 (quote: “When are companies going to learn that we don't want to use our CD add-ons for remixing crappy music videos? This is worse than Make My Video and that's really saying something. They actually went out and filmed original music videos just for this game. A huge waste of time and money for both the makers of the game and anyone who buys it.”)
MechWarrior
Ed: 8 (quote: “A fun adaptation of the PC hit, MechWarrior puts you in the cockpit of a giant robot and sends you to battle other robots across a huge battlefield. The graphics are updated from the PC version, with colorful backgrounds that put you right in the thick of battle.”)
Danyon: 8
Al: 7
Sushi-X: 8
Shadowrun
Ed: 9
Danyon: 9 (quote: “The best RPG available for the SNES-CD, this makes Final Fantasy: New Generation look positively old-hat. This game is the future of the RPG genre.”)
Al: 9
Sushi-X: 9
-reviews of May 1993's SNES-CD releases in the June and July 1993 issues of Electronic Gaming Monthly
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New Software Bundle And An Exciting New Peripheral For Music Lovers!
With two of the most anticipated SNES-CD releases, “Star Fox” and “Final Fantasy III”, set to debut this summer, Nintendo is giving people more reasons than ever to purchase the SNES-CD! Starting in May, which means that these bundles are already in stores as you're reading this, Nintendo will be including the critically-acclaimed hit “Super Mario World 2” with every SNES-CD add-on and Playstation Combo Set! For those who pine for the four-player racing action of Super Mario Kart, don't fret, as the game is still available for separate purchase on store shelves everywhere. In addition, music lovers will want to buy the Nintendo CD Companion. The CD Companion is a control deck which includes a set of stereo speakers and an LED display, so that you can use the Super Nintendo CD as a stand-alone CD player without the use of a television. The CD Companion will retail for $49.99 and will be available for purchase starting in late May.
-Excerpt from the June 1993 issue of Nintendo Power
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SNES-CD Power Charts – May 1993
(italics signifies an unreleased game without sales figures included, bold signifies a newly released game with sales figures included for the first time)
1. Super Mario Kart – 16,418
2. Street Fighter II: Arcade Edition – 16,370
3. Super Mario World 2 – 14,389
4. Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego? - 11,105
5. Final Fantasy: New Generation – 10,884
6. Star Fox – 8,705
7. Final Fantasy III – 8,364
8. Super Turrican – 7,906
9. Run Saber – 5,606
10. Lethal Enforcers – 4,851
11. Alien 3 – 4,700
12. Sewer Shark – 4,158
13. Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts CD – 3,712
14. Battletoads II – 3,155
15. Mad Dog McCree – 2,840
16. Double Switch – 2,750
17. Shadowrun – 2,667
18. Dragon's Lair – 2,253
19. Super Bomberman CD – 1,886
20. Final Fight II – 1,824
-Former GameFan staffer Tim Lindquist, quoted in “The 90s: A Decade Of Gaming – 1993”, on Gamespot.com, July 21, 2001
“The game that convinced ME to get the SNES CD add-on was Shadowrun. Really great graphics, really fun gameplay, and such a mature narrative, I had to remind myself I was playing this thing on a Nintendo system. The SNES CD is still probably my favorite console of all time and Shadowrun was one of my favorite games for it. A shame it didn't sell very many copies.”
-Adam Sessler, from the X-Play SNES-CD 20th Anniversary Retrospective, December 7, 2012
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And “Fallout: The Boneyard” Week continues with our interview of actor/comedian Ray Combs, who voices a sadistic gameshow host who forces your character into a fight for their life (and the lives of several innocent wastelanders). Combs is probably best known for his hosting of Family Feud in the early 90s and his stint on the late 90s sitcom “Fair Play”.
(…)
UGO.com: This isn't the first video game you've worked on.
Combs: Right, I did the Family Feud video game back in.... 1993 I believe?
UGO.com: For the Super Nintendo CD, yeah. That looked like a lot of work that you did, you had to read over 1000 questions and film quite a bit of footage for the FMV scenes.
Combs: The game was pretty involved from what I could tell, I don't play games myself but the footage I saw was pretty cool, it looked a lot like the real show and I got paid pretty well for the sessions, so it wasn't bad. I enjoyed it for the most part. It was kind of a rough time for me though, it was just before I got fired from the show and I was pretty depressed for a while afterward.
UGO.com: We did read about that, I don't know how much you want to talk about it but-
Combs: No, no, it's okay, I've given some motivational talks where I relate my experiences with depression. I think I was just about at my lowest point when I nearly got into a car accident one day, the guy just barely missed me but it was a close and scary call and I started to really re-evaluate my life, I realized even with everything that was going on I had a lot to live for and that's when I started getting help.
UGO.com: We talked to Mary Kay Bergman yesterday, she voices a lot of the female characters in the game and she told us about her own struggles with depression and anxiety.
Combs: Oh, I did a guest voice on South Park a few years back and I got a chance to talk to her, she's a wonderful person and she's made such a good recovery. People don't understand how bad it can be, mental health struggles should be getting a lot more attention. With the shooting at North Carolina State last year, I think it's been getting more coverage in the news but it's still not enough.
UGO.com: People are blaming the games!
Combs: Yeah, they don't want to confront these issues. But I got the help I needed so I'm doing better now. If you're struggling with it, depression or anger or whatever it is, there's help out there.
UGO.com: One more question, would you ever go back to hosting Family Feud?
Combs: I don't think so, Bernie Mac is doing such a good job. He's hilarious isn't he?
UGO.com: He is!
-Excerpted from an interview on UGO.com, November 18, 2008
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Super Bomberman CD
Ed: 9
Danyon: 10 (quote: “The most fun I've ever had with a multi-player game. With a huge slate of options, eighteen different arenas, and tons of items and power-ups, grab three friends and bomb the night away with this amazing game! The single-player mode is a ton of fun as well.”)
Al: 9
Sushi-X: 9
Scatterbeans
Ed: 7
Danyon: 7
Al: 8 (quote: “Really reminded me of Bust-A-Move, but shinier, more colorful, and it moved a lot faster. Probably the best puzzle game available on the SNES-CD, it provides addicting gameplay and some serious challenge.”)
Sushi-X: 5
Lethal Enforcers
Ed: 7
Danyon: 6
Al: 9
Sushi-X: 9 (quote: “A pitch-perfect adaptation of the arcade game and the number one reason to buy a Justifier gun, the arcade hit shines here with thrilling action, tricky stages and lots of ways to rack up points and rescue hostages.”)
Alien 3
Ed: 9
Danyon: 9
Al: 8 (quote: “It's not faithful to the film but it doesn't need to be, it's a great work all its own, with its dark environments and intuitive action, the SNES-CD version of the game is the best looking and best playing and if you're a fan of the film, you're missing out if you don't pick this up.”)
Sushi-X: 8
Family Feud
Ed: 5
Danyon: 5
Al: 9
Sushi-X: 6 (quote: “I'm not a gameshow fan but this is about as close to being on the show as it gets. The FMV is smooth and there are lots of questions to keep you from having to play through repeats for quite some time.”)
VideoMash
Ed: 2
Danyon: 1
Al: 4
Sushi-X: 2 (quote: “When are companies going to learn that we don't want to use our CD add-ons for remixing crappy music videos? This is worse than Make My Video and that's really saying something. They actually went out and filmed original music videos just for this game. A huge waste of time and money for both the makers of the game and anyone who buys it.”)
MechWarrior
Ed: 8 (quote: “A fun adaptation of the PC hit, MechWarrior puts you in the cockpit of a giant robot and sends you to battle other robots across a huge battlefield. The graphics are updated from the PC version, with colorful backgrounds that put you right in the thick of battle.”)
Danyon: 8
Al: 7
Sushi-X: 8
Shadowrun
Ed: 9
Danyon: 9 (quote: “The best RPG available for the SNES-CD, this makes Final Fantasy: New Generation look positively old-hat. This game is the future of the RPG genre.”)
Al: 9
Sushi-X: 9
-reviews of May 1993's SNES-CD releases in the June and July 1993 issues of Electronic Gaming Monthly
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New Software Bundle And An Exciting New Peripheral For Music Lovers!
With two of the most anticipated SNES-CD releases, “Star Fox” and “Final Fantasy III”, set to debut this summer, Nintendo is giving people more reasons than ever to purchase the SNES-CD! Starting in May, which means that these bundles are already in stores as you're reading this, Nintendo will be including the critically-acclaimed hit “Super Mario World 2” with every SNES-CD add-on and Playstation Combo Set! For those who pine for the four-player racing action of Super Mario Kart, don't fret, as the game is still available for separate purchase on store shelves everywhere. In addition, music lovers will want to buy the Nintendo CD Companion. The CD Companion is a control deck which includes a set of stereo speakers and an LED display, so that you can use the Super Nintendo CD as a stand-alone CD player without the use of a television. The CD Companion will retail for $49.99 and will be available for purchase starting in late May.
-Excerpt from the June 1993 issue of Nintendo Power
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SNES-CD Power Charts – May 1993
(italics signifies an unreleased game without sales figures included, bold signifies a newly released game with sales figures included for the first time)
1. Super Mario Kart – 16,418
2. Street Fighter II: Arcade Edition – 16,370
3. Super Mario World 2 – 14,389
4. Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego? - 11,105
5. Final Fantasy: New Generation – 10,884
6. Star Fox – 8,705
7. Final Fantasy III – 8,364
8. Super Turrican – 7,906
9. Run Saber – 5,606
10. Lethal Enforcers – 4,851
11. Alien 3 – 4,700
12. Sewer Shark – 4,158
13. Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts CD – 3,712
14. Battletoads II – 3,155
15. Mad Dog McCree – 2,840
16. Double Switch – 2,750
17. Shadowrun – 2,667
18. Dragon's Lair – 2,253
19. Super Bomberman CD – 1,886
20. Final Fight II – 1,824
Ray Combs is alive and Bernie Mac is hosting Family Feud.
Hopefully, this butterflies away Mac's death.
Oh, and North Carolina State had the Virginia Tech-like shooting? Here, they'll be known for something other than the "Kardiac Kids" and Jimmy Valvano running around looking for someone to hug. Pity it's this.
Keep up the good work!!!
Hopefully, this butterflies away Mac's death.
Oh, and North Carolina State had the Virginia Tech-like shooting? Here, they'll be known for something other than the "Kardiac Kids" and Jimmy Valvano running around looking for someone to hug. Pity it's this.
Keep up the good work!!!
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