Fact: Defunct Games has been around for 12 years, 7 months and 3 days. And at no point in that time have we reviewed a Super NES game. On sure, we occasionally looked at Nintendo's 16-bitter on the Virtual Console, but never before have we had a proper Super NES review archive. That changes this week, thanks to reviews of three very different Super NES games. Take a moment to read over these clues and see if you can guess what games we'll be reviewing this week!
CONTEST: Can you guess what games I'm reviewing? Below you will find clues for to all five games we're reviewing. Tweet us
@DefunctGames with your guesses for a chance to win valuable prizes. The person who gets the most right before Friday wins!
Rocky
[ System: Master System | Pub: Sega | Release: 1987 | Score: D+ ]
Stallone is a blockbuster action hero, filmmaker and Hollywood legend. Rocky is an Oscar-winning film, complete with five sequels and a well-loved legacy lasting over thirty years. What could possibly go wrong?
Well, as it turns out, a whole lot went wrong! It boils down to a major lack of content. This is ironic, considering the wealth of backstory there is to draw from. Granted, only four of the six films had been released when this Sega Master System game was released, but there is no plausible excuse for such simplistic gameplay. What's more, the game only offers three main levels. That's right, THREE LEVELS!! Most modern games have more training levels than that.
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Super Mario Kart
[ System: Super NES | Pub: Nintendo | Release: 1992 | Score: B+ ]
It may not have been the first high-profile 16-bit racing game, but Super Mario Kart is certainly the most influential. The ingenious idea of pairing high-speed racing with popular mascot characters led the way to countless imitators, including knock-offs starring Sonic the Hedgehog, Crash Bandicoot, Angry Birds, LittleBigPlanet, WWE wrestlers and many, many more. Twenty years of history and seven sequels later, there's no question that Super Mario Kart is a seminal racer. But is it really one of the best racing games of all time?
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Crystal Quest
[ System: Game Boy | Pub: Data East | Release: 1991 | Score: C- ]
Crystal Quest is a game I have fond memories of. As a kid, I played it a lot in the 1980s on my Apple Macintosh and Apple IIgs. It's a game that was originally developed by Casady & Greene, who later went on to produce a lot of exclusive Mac titles. Of course, Crystal Quest eventually found its way onto a number of other platforms, including a 2006 remake for the Xbox 360. The remake by Stainless Games was pretty boring, but at least it included the original.
Somehow I managed to overlook the Game Boy edition that was released in 1991. Developed by Novalogic and published by Data East, it's finally time to check out the first portable version of Crystal Quest.
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Only released in Japan, Macross: Scrambled Valkyrie is a gem in the shoot-em-up genre. It's based on the Macross anime series, where giant humanoid aliens known as Zentradi attempt to destroy all of humanity. And they would have succeeded, if not for the overpowered spaceship Macross. Now it's up to the humans to strike back against the evil aliens.
These days, the shoot-em-up genre is underappreciated, but back in the 16-bit era they were unstoppable. The arcades, Mega Drive and even the PC Engine all experienced a surge in these addictive games. The Super NES, on the other hand, didn't have the same gigantic library of quality shooters, mostly due to the system's slow processor. Games like Gradius III and Super R-Type were plagued by horrible slowdown problems.
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Run Saber
[ System: Super NES | Pub: Atlus | Release: 1993 | Score: B ]
Dubbed the "Strider killer" by 1990s game critics, Run Saber certainly shares a lot in common with Capcom's popular 16-bit action game. From the slice of the sword to the way our futuristic ninja hero moves about the five stages, this 1993 title shares more than a passing resemblance to Strider. But while it looks and feels a lot like the must-own Genesis game, Run Saber is no Strider killer.
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