Who
ate the Flying Chair?, tiddles, my
ratings, me, Graffiti,
Manga, Computer Games,
deep stuff,
word of the week, other stuff,
downloads, links.
Super Smash TV
(Super Play: "A shoot 'em up in its purest form")
At one point it was ridiculous how many games were being given a needless 'Super' tag. Super Bomberman. Super Mario World. Fair enough. Then you get Super Bowling, Super Aleste, Super Back to the Future, Super Adventure Island, and Super Smash TV.
Actually, to be fair to it, this game deserved its Super tag. It was actually based upon an arcade game called Super Smash TV which was based around an earlier game called Smash TV. And both those games were about the same thing. Shooting things whilst staying alive.
Yeah sure, there's a load of tosh about a gameshow in the future (1999) which requires people to shoot the hell out of a load of robots in an attempt to win prizes. However, all that matters is that you control a little guy shooting stuff. And you need to stay alive.
The d-pad moves you; the 4 buttons on the other side of the pad controls which direction you shoot in. Using this system, you can aim at a set of enemies, whilst moving in totally different directions. It's a nice idea, and it definitely works.
You can get access to a load of 'prizes' and cash - which gain you points, and a load of power ups, which include a few unamazing weapons, short-term invincibility, the destrucion of enemies on the screen, another life, and so on.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
how far I got: completed
the 1-player mode after giving myself 7 lives
and got tired during turbo mode.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
rating : 5
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
So you plug in the cartridge. You switch on the Snes. The game begins.
The game is astonishingly simple, and in today's light, you'd probably imagine that it'd last a few minutes before becoming too boring to be fun. After all, Space Invaders - a game which was loved when it first arrived - is now as dull as a blackboard. At first, this game seems hardly any more complex.
Each room is simply a single static screen. Enemies only come from doors above, below or to either side of you. The graphics are as simple as the game. At first glance, you'd think this was a tedious load of rubbish.
However, perhaps it is because of this simplicity that the game works so well. Everything you see must either be destroyed or collected. There is never any doubt about what to do; never any doubt about what this game is.
Despite the simplicity, there is a great deal more variation and depth than you might expect. Enemies all behave in distinctly different ways, requiring different methods to be overcome. Bosses require strategies to be devised if you are to survive the game. Secret rooms, the Pleasure Dome and alternate routes make for a more engrossing experience. Each room feels different, due to the blend of enemies.
This is what impresses me the most. Whereas in other games, much of the game feels the same bar the graphical changes, the rooms in Super Smash TV all play differently, due to the brilliant design of both the enemies and the blend which is thrown into the room for you to shoot. From Mr. Shrapnel's first appearance, it is apparent that this game will continue to explore it's rules in many ways, presenting you with new challenges all the way through the game (even though these challenges conform to the same basic ethos).
The controls are superb. Once you get used to the fact that the d-pad moves you and the coloured buttons aim your fire, you will be able to pull off manouvres that would have been otherwise impossible. This means that the rooms are more crowded and the action more frantic that any other shoot 'em up I know. Turbo mode, being twice as fast, will blow your mind.
Obviously, this game isn't for everyone, just as no other game is. There are those who hate all platformers, even disliking Yoshi's Island and Super Mario World. In the same way, there are those who will dislike this game.
It isn't a game which I could play for half a day (although my brother, who played until the score maxed out and rolled over, could), but it is a game which I believe you would, like me, enjoy for a couple of hours whenever you feel like some mass destruction.
Ultimately, after all, that's what it's all about. The game doesn't hide itself until the later levels or anything silly like that - what you see is what you get. However, rest assured that you'll still be getting the same enjoyment a few years down the line. After all, something this pure doesn't really wear out...
Overall, to quote a guy who used to work at Super Play - a brilliant Snes magazine, 'A shoot 'em up in its purest form.'
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends