SNES Game of the Week 118 - Clock Tower

[excelsior]

Week #15 - Street Fighter II: The World Warrior


  

Get ready to rumble! Capcom's arcade hit Street Fighter II first arrived to change the video game landscape in arcades in early 1992 and was ported to the SNES over the following year. 

From across the globe comes eight of the wildest fighters the world has ever known. Choose your champion, gather your courage and prepare to battle your opponents in a bare knuckle brawl. Face Ken and his devastation "Dragon Punch"! Watch the temperature rise as Dhalsim incinerates you with his mystical Yoga Flame! Hear your spine crack as Zangief smashes you to the pavement with his spinning pile driver! Cover your ears as Guile breaks the sound barrier with the awesome power of the Sonic Boom!

Annihilate your competition and claim the right to test your skills against the bone-crushing power of the Grand Masters! Can you survive? Can Anyone?

  
  

[excelsior]

I remember my excitement for Street Fighter II. We had to pick this game up straight away when it released. I can't quite remember whether it was our second or third SNES game though I'm leaning towards second. Regardless it was a complete game changer from my perspective, expanding the hobby beyond simple platformers and kids licenses. I remember playing the game non-stop when we first got it, not wanting to go to bed to play five more minutes. Talking to my school friends about it. Becoming excited as I learned how to pull off the special moves. I was absolutely hooked on it. 

As for the game itself well what's immediately striking is how it still looks absolutely gorgeous. It benefits of course from how little there is on screen meaning that Capcom could present large detailed sprites with the characters given realistic form and lush backgrounds filled with colour. The audio track is outstanding with each stage theme used to create a sense of place, really pushing the World Warrior theme. It really adds a dimension to the cast and arenas. The drawbacks come from comparison to later releases, the small selectable cast of eight and the slower combat speed being the most notable. On release however this was as good as it got, and although we would ask to play as the four boss characters the playable cast was still something great, each having their own distinct look and fighting style. There were enough here where you could pick your own favourites whilst still learning to play using each, rather than being overwhelmed. I also loved that every character had their own story finish, and so finding each of those was a worthy goal, especially as the final boss M.Bison (or whatever you want to call him) was no pushover back then. Of course the game was even better played in two player battles. 

Due to the later entries basically making this one obsolete I can't give it a top score, but I do feel it's impact was so important that it wouldn't be right to go far lower than that.

Ranking - A

Oh and though he may have been considered a cheesy character to use my favourite at the time was Blanka.

--
Windfisch's eleventh hour vote not only bumped up Buster Busts loose a point (perhaps the most divisive game yet?) but also just barely pushed up Super R-Type, saving it from the dreaded D ranking. Mortal Kombat now being once more the only game with an overall 'bad' score. 

[vnisanian2001]

A. It seemed like a custom to have this version in your collection. This version also introduced the bricks Bonus Stage, which the Arcade version didn't have.

[spanky]

It's slow, it's unbalanced, you can't play as the bosses or do mirror matches. It's been imitated too many times to count and surpassed numerous times even in it's own series...but at the end of the day, even vanilla Street Fighter II is great.

I actually never owned this but I knew people who did and I rented it myself several times. I could easily blow a summer afternoon or an entire weekend playing this with my friends. SF II's strength is that's fun to play at all skill levels. While I loved playing it on easy difficulty and button mashing, I sort of assumed that once you mastered the special moves, you mastered the game. After reading a few guides in magazines that covered combos and strategies I realized there was a huge level of competitive depth there that I hadn't even scratched the surface of. Fighting games existed before SF II but this game really cracked the code as to what makes one competitive and fun.  It's such a vibrant, gorgeous game too, thanks for the large cart size.

It can't be understated what a huge deal this was at the time. A very well done ( though not quite arcade perfect) port of the most popular arcade game of it's era, it was the first 16 meg game and was a MAJOR feather in the cap of the SNES. It topped pretty much every GOTY list but is a bit forgotten about nowadays due to the superior upgrades that would follow. It's an S in the context of it's original release but in 2022 I would still consider it an A.

[dsparil]

I didn't play Street Fighter II until Super so the original version doesn't hold any specific nostalgia for me. The original game is lacking a little bit in some obvious features so I'd give it a ding below Turbo for that. Also specific to SF II is that I do think that each new version truly obsoleted the ones before in a way that isn't always the case for updates. Like Alpha 2 to Alpha 3 is a much bigger change than even Super to Super Turbo within the context of SFII broadly so there are reasons to go with one over the other. ST isn't on SNES, so I'd go with a B+ to give room for the future growth.

[ommadawnyawn2]

I understand that fighting fans think this one is a bit outdated or clunky but it doesn't seem like much of a step down compared to modern games to me besides being a bit slow. More deliberate I suppose and some hitboxes and how the game prioritizes certain moves might be a little off. At the time it was amazing, yeah there was at least one great game in the genre (IK+) but the diverse cast with different specials, large and detailed sprites, varied locations, multiple endings and excellent OST took the genre to the next level.
The SNES port plays really well, while sounding better overall than the arcade game (strangely, Super sounds a bit worse than this one on SNES) and looking great for the time and the system. The sprites are a tad small to be fair and the animation not quite there in a side by side comparison.

A

[Snake]

Rank B.

Street Fighter II is really impressive as a port for its time. I remember the magazines making it a big deal that the game would land at 16 megs of power! Probably one of the most anticipated when I was a kid, since I spent waaaaaaaay too much time in the arcades. But the subsequent releases of Street Fighter II Turbo and Super Street Fighter II really make the first game rather obsolete.  While  I have fond memories of the SNES version, in this day and age, I'd much rather emulate and play the original Arcade version for the 1st Street Fighter II: The World Warrior.  Sound effects, sprites, handcuff glitches and all.

[🧀Son of Suzy Creamcheese🧀]

Yet another one I'm not going to rank because I haven't played it, but at least I've played Turbo on SNES. I quite like that one. I'm not the biggest fighting game fan, but Street Fighter II is simple enough. No overly complex inputs that you have to do in a split second, no reliance on combos, a pretty good pick-up-and-play experience. I'd probably give that one a B.

[excelsior]

Week #16 - Krusty's Super Fun House


  

Hey kids! Give a hoot! Help out your old pal Krusty the Clown! Krusty's Fun House released across various platforms in 1992 to 1993. It was an adaptation of the home computer game Rat-Trap.

My official Krusty's Fen House is infested with rats! There are over 60 leverls in this game, and they're all crawling with the little varmints! I've got my loyal cadets, Bart and Home Simpson, Sideshow Mel, and Corporal Punishment to guard the rat traps, but I need you to lead the filthy rodents into those traps! Then we blow 'em up! We incinerate 'em! We laser-blast'em! We electrocute'em! We Krusterize the little stinkers!!! Hoo boy!

Did I mention the snakes, aliens and the flying pigs? Well, watch out for those riffraff! If you can't Krusterize 'em, at least avoid 'em...they're worse than the #@!*%! rats! Making Krusty's Fun House vermin-free is not a pretty task, kiddy cadets--but someone's gotta do it!

  

  

[excelsior]

This game isn't spoken about these days and so I'm not sure how many people here would have played it. It's the first of four Simpsons games on the SNES with the license being incredibly popular at the time of course, although it was a case with all four of those of not giving fans the straightforward platformer they were asking for. The license itself it very much just slapped on, this being an adaptation of Rat Trap, and some members of the main family don't even appear to my recollection.

The game itself is a platforming based puzzle, with the objective being to guide rats towards a trap in Lemmings style gameplay. You generally need to use blocks to guide them and limited weapons to clear your path. It starts off well enough in my opinion but on top of getting repetitive once you hit the second set of stages it becomes really finnicky. Puzzles require precise timing to a frustrating extent and the clunky controls elsewhere lead to easy mistakes. 

As a Simpsons interpretation this is a complete misfire, and the game itself is only a little better. 

Ranking - D

--
spanky On Street Fighter II - You can have mirror matches in VS mode by inputting the code as the Capcom logo appears - Press Down, R, Up, L, Y, B. This code is so imprinted into my muscle memory that I put it in every time I hear that classic Capcom jingle.

[spanky]

excelsior Ah, how could I forget the player vs. player code!

I did in fact play Krusty's Fun House on the SNES and the NES as well. KSFH being a reskin of an Amiga game...makes tons of sense and I feel like I should have figured that out sooner. Krusty, Homer, Bart, Sideshow Mel and "Corporal Punishment" are the only characters from the show to actually appear though a few others do make cameos through signs in the background. I remember enjoying this as a kid but it's something that's not begging me to replay it. If I recall it was really challenging once you got past the opening levels. I'm pretty comfortable giving this a C. It's a low C but not quite a D level game for me

[lurker]

I grew up with the Sega Genesis version.

[dsparil]

I mostly played the Genesis version too although I did give the SNES version a quick spin. It's fine, and it totally makes sense that the license is just slapped on. I'd give it a C- since Krusty doesn't look quite right.

[ommadawnyawn2]

Never really played this one properly but it's reminiscent of Lemmings I suppose. Also of Baby's Day Out and Sleepwalker though... I'll have to give it another go.

[excelsior]

Updated stats

Rankings - Avg Rank per Game (no players)

1. Super Mario World - 5.57 (7)
2. Turtles in Time - 5.20 (5)
3. Street Fighter II - 4.67 (6)
4. Final Fantasy IV - 4.60 (5)
5. Super Mario Kart - 4.42 (7)
6. SimCity - 4.17 (6)
7. Pocky & Rocky - 4.00 (6)
8. Gradius 3 - 3.83 (6)
9. NBA Jam 3.80 (5)
10. Tiny Toon Adventures 3.67 (6)
11. The Magical Quest - 3.42 (7)
12. Super Off Road - 3.25 (4)
13. Super Star Wars - 2.67 (6)
14. Super R-Type - 2.50 (6)
15. Krusty's Super Fun House - 2.50 (4)
16. Mortal Kombat - 2.20 (5)

Rankings per player

dsparil
A - Super Mario World; Final Fantasy IV
B - Gradius 3; Pocky & Rocky; Super Mario Kart; Super R-Type; SimCity; Street Fighter II
C - Super Off Road; Super Star Wars; The Magical Quest; NBA Jam; Tiny Toon Adventures; Krusty's Fun House
D - Mortal Kombat
Unranked - Turtles in Time

excelsior
S - Super Mario World; Turtles in Time
A - Super Mario Kart; Sim City; Final Fantasy IV; Street Fighter II
B - Pocky & Rocky; NBA Jam; Tiny Toon Adventures
C - Gradius 3; Super Off Road; Mortal Kombat; The Magical Quest
D - Super Star Wars; Super R-Type; Krusty's Fun House

ommadawnyawn2
S - Super Mario World
B - Turtles in Time; Pocky & Rocky; Super Mario Kart; The Magical Quest; Street Fighter II
C - Gradius 3; SimCity; Final Fantasy IV
D - Mortal Kombat; Super Star Wars; Super R-Type; Tiny Toon Adventures; Krusty's Fun House
Unranked - Super Off Road; NBA Jam

personman
B - SimCity
C - Tiny Toon Adventures
D - Super R-Type
Unranked - Super Mario World; Gradius III; Super Off Road; Mortal Kombat; Super Star Wars; Turtles in Time; Pocky & Rocky; Super Mario Kart; The Magical Quest; NBA Jam; Final Fantasy IV; Street Fighter II; Krusty's Fun House

Snake
S - Super Mario World
A - Turtles in Time; SimCity; Final Fantasy IV
B - Super Star Wars; Pocky & Rocky; Super Mario Kart; NBA Jam; Street Fighter II
C - The Magical Quest
Unranked - Gradius 3; Super Off Road; Mortal Kombat; Super R-Type; Tony Toon Adventures; Krusty's Fun House

🧀Son of Suzy Creamcheese🧀
S - 🧀Gradius 3🧀
A - 🧀Super Mario World🧀; 🧀Super Mario Kart🧀
C - 🧀Super Off Road🧀; 🧀The Magical Quest🧀
Unranked - Mortal Kombat; Super Star Wars; Turtles in Time; Pocky & Rocky; NBA Jam; Super R-Type; Sim City; Final Fantasy IV; Street Fighter II; Krusty's Fun House

spanky
S - Super Mario World; Turtles in Time; Super Mario Kart
A - Final Fantasy IV; Tiny Toon Adventures; Street Fighter II
B - Super Off Road; Pocky & Rocky; The Magical Quest; NBA Jam; SimCity
C - Gradius 3; Super Star Wars; Krusty's Fun House
D - Mortal Kombat; Super R-Type

vnisanian2001
A - Street Fighter II
Unranked - Unranked - Super Mario World; Gradius III; Super Off Road; Mortal Kombat; Super Star Wars; Turtles in Time; Pocky & Rocky; Super Mario Kart; The Magical Quest; NBA Jam; Super R-Type; Sim City; Final Fantasy IV; Krusty's Fun House

windfisch
A - Super Mario World; Turtles in Time; Tiny Toon Adventures
B - Gradius 3; Pocky & Rocky; The Magical Quest; NBA Jam
C - Super Mario Kart; Super R-Type
D - Mortal Kombat; Super Star Wars
Unranked - Super Off Road; SimCity; Final Fantasy IV; Street Fighter II; Krusty's Fun House


Average Ranking Per Player (no. games ranked)
1. vnisanian2001 - 5.00 (1)
2. snake - 4.40 (10)
2. son of suzy creamcheese - 4.40 (5)
4. spanky - 4.13 (16)
5. excelsior - 3.88 (16)
6. windfisch - 3.73 (11)
7. dsparil - 3.60 (15)
8. ommadawnyawn2 - 3.21 (14)
9. personaman - 3.00 (3)


No. Ranked (discluding myself)
1. spanky (16)
2. dsparil (15)
3. ommadawnyawn2 (14)
4. windfisch (11)
5. snake (10)
6. son of suzy creamcheese (5)
7. personman (3)
8. vnisanian2001 (1)

Please let me know if anything needs changing