SNES Game of the Week 118 - Clock Tower

[excelsior]

• Publisher - Konami
• Developer - Konami
• Genre - Beat em Up
• Initial Release - 26 February 1993

Leap with Batman into wild acrobatic battle! The Penguin has Gotham City gripped in his twisted flippers. Track the Dark Knight's most feared enemies through intense search-and-destroy danger! Attack the deranged Red Triangle Circus Gang with the Caped Crusader's own weapons. Swing on grappling hooks across collapsing rooftops. Pitch deadly Batarangs. Rage down goon-infested streets in the Batmobile. Waylay mobs of street thugs by hurling smoke bombs, wrist-shields and swarms of bats from Batman's Utility Belt. Dodge Catwoman's slashing claws and swinging kick. Duel with the homicidal Juggler. Fight murderous Gargoyles and machinegun-toting clowns. Then slog through poisoned sewers to a heart-stopping face-off in The Penguin's lair!

  
  

[excelsior]

Continuing with the Christmas theme we have Batman Returns - and there's no argument there - there's Christmas trees in this game.   Regardless, it's been a while since we covered a licensed game in this thread so it's a bit overdue.

I'm pretty fond of The Bat, so it's not surprising that I like this game. Konami are as ever faithful in capturing the source material within the product. Here, it being the second Tim Burton film which it follows to a tee. What we end up with for this reason is a dark interpretation of the character with a good amount of realism and grit to the artwork. Batman has a nice array of attacks which are all useful but also give needed strategic options with varying risk/reward. There's a good amount of learning here when it comes to boss battles, which can be pretty tough. Of course, it's a Konami game and there's good difficulty and life options as per their other games of the time. What particularly stands out in the combat of Batman Returns is just how visceral it feels. The sound effects hit particularly hard encapsulating the harsh environment of Gotham perfectly. Being able to smash enemies into walls and windows feels especially violent. Of course, Konami did a really nice job with the soundtrack also, which creates a thick atmosphere. The only real issue I have is that in sticking so closely to the source material we don't get a look into The Dark Knight's vast rogues gallery, and the two villains from the movie repeat. Nevertheless, I'll give it an A.

Merry Christmas

[spanky]

Yep this is a great Konami beat-em-up. Not quite as good as Turtles in Time but surprisingly close IMO. One of the things I like about the game is that Batman FEELS powerful. His sprite is big and he hulks around smashing clowns headfirst into concrete. It's a quality that I always like in this genre. I suppose it helps me suspend my disbelief better when it comes to a game where one guy fights off hundreds with his bare hands.

The audiovisuals mimic the style of the film rather well. It doesn't feel as abstract and "video gamey" as a game like this would have appeared a generation ago. It's very dark and you see a lot of the features of Burton's Gotham, like the art deco statues. Streets and alleys are dark and grimey. The score sounds a lot like Danny Elfman's score as well.

The platforming and driving levels aren't as good as the beat-em-up sections but they do help provide some variety which is welcome in a game like this. I think an A is slightly generous but I feel like it's better than a B. So let's stick with an A!

[magic89]

Never played too much SNES Batman Returns but i agree its very fun to play , if you looking for Final Fight clone on same platform this game is just for you.

[ommadawnyawn2]

Obviously some effort was put into this game with some new moves for the genre, great visuals and some creative level design. Following the movie closely is a plus since I do like the movie overall. But idk, maybe I should try easy mode as I found this more frustrating than fun at various points (catwoman is super OP and the side view segments have cheap enemy placements). Didn't like how it's 1-player only and how the moves are different in the side view segments, and didn't really like the hookshot (one thing the MD game actually did better IIRC). Some bosses can hit you again just as you get up and sometimes the hit detection is unforgiving. Only 3 continues is kinda bad too not that it matters as much nowadays.

Can't give this more than a C

Merxmas!

[dsparil]

I pretty much agree. The side scrolling stages are frustrating enough that they drag the rest of the game down. It's better than a quick cash-in but it still could use more work. I'll be a little nicer and go C+ if that counts differently otherwise C.

[excelsior]

There's a nine continues cheat - on the options screen highlight rest and enter Up, X, Left, Y, Down, B, Right, A, Up, X. There's also a 9 lives cheat.

Personman mentioned problems with Catwoman recently and I gave more of an answer there. Let me just say that though tough the game is very learnable. Catwoman will go from the hardest part to easiest part of the game when you know her patterns. I see that as a sign the game is well designed.

[ommadawnyawn2]

Fair enough, I can see how it's a case of having to memorize the patterns more. I'm a sucker for certain games like that, like Lion King which I grew up with and some would consider too unforgiving.

[Snake]

Batman Returns - Rank B

Solid belt-action brawler, with distinct Batman vibe. Dark, brooding, great soundtrack.  Great moves.  I enjoy seeing the double head-konk when you grab two enemies.  A great rental game, with style that does the movie some justice.  The boss fights are pretty fun.

[excelsior]

• Publisher - Hudson Soft
• Developer - Produce/Hudson Soft
• Genre - Puzzle Action
• Initial Release - Super Bomberman: 28 April 1993; Super Bomberman 2: 28 April 1994; 28 April 1995; Super Bomberman 4: 26 April 1996; Super Bomberman 5: 28 February 1997

What A Blast!

Let the games began with Super Bomberman! Invite your friends and family to join you in bombastic action!



Two Great Games to Choose From:

Using the Super Multitap accessory, up to four people can compete simultaneously in the ultimate game of elimination. The strategy is simple . . . drop bombs and get outta the way! Duck as the bombs explode. Last one standing wins.



Without the Super Multitap, you and a friend blast your way through six stages of intense, pulse pounding action. Monsters and machines stand between you and the freedom of Diamond City.

  

  



--- 
So I decided to do something a bit different when it comes to Super Bomberman. Reason being it's iterative nature which lead me to the presumption that whilst most are likely to have played something from this series, chances are they would have largely stuck to one entry. As such I ask for an overall series ranking. Feel free to speak about which game(s) you've played and rank entries individually but please ensure an overall ranking is clearly marked for consideration should you wish to submit one. 

[excelsior]

Did 🧀Son of Suzy Creamcheese🧀 inadvertently select the gotw again? It seems to be becoming a trend. Apparently, yes, you can choose Super Bomberman 5.

For my experience with the Super Bomberman series on SNES, though I've played a bit of 2 and 3, the majority of my time was spent with the first entry. By the point of reaching the SNES Bomberman had settled into its party game settings which the series is still known for today, although the concept was still fresh and the original story mode was still present, allowing for two players simultaneously. The story mode is actually not bad, at least with a second player. Certainly better than anything they came up with in subsequent generations which strayed too far from the original concept. That said, the battle mode is the real draw and that is pretty much timeless. There's a nice selection of stages; although the standard layout is probably the best for various skill levels this kind of game invites. Some of the others are a tad frustrating. The powerups here are pretty nice, although the detonator is a clear winner - and when combined with a boxing glove it's game over. The controls are pretty much perfect on the SNES, which leaves the result of the game completely down to who can best whom. Generally speaking the most skilled player will win at this most of the time, which is the only real drawback. 

Series ranking - A

[spanky]

I'm not a huge fan of the Bomberman games. Similar to how I feel about a lot of SHMUPs, the game is really a lot of fun when you are completely powered up but I don't find it a ton to play in the early stages of the game when you're underpowered, and losing power when you die in these sorts of games are so demoralizing to me.

I actually owned Super Bomberman 2 - I fished it out of a bargain bin in a toy store back in the day and played it a ton. I think I prefer the original though. I like the smaller, less gimmicky levels. The multiplayer arenas are better and the music is amazing. 2 goes sort of crazy with the gimmicks and sprawling levels and it looks like later games in the series dial that back a bit.  I haven't spent a ton of time with the other games in the series but I really should give them a shot. Super is probably the closest game to an A for me, but the series as a whole always has registered as a solid B series in my mind.

[ommadawnyawn2]

Awesome multiplayer games. The first couple of games might be a bit worse than the contemporary ones on the other platforms, and SB4 stumbles a bit IIRC but as a whole it's an easy collective A just for the battle modes. Although speaking of the music it would be nice if those modes had more music variety (SB5 has two tracks at least). SB3 and SB5 are my faves overall.

[Snake]

Didn't even know they got up to Bomberman 5!!

I've played up to Super Bomberman 3.  In which case, it has a top notch soundtrack with great variations of the main Bomber Man theme, interesting new power-ups (like the kangaroo!), bosses, and environments. 

Rank - A

[dsparil]

My main multiplayer experience with Bomberman is Atomic Bomberman by Interplay for Windows so I've only played the SNES games single player. I don't find them particularly fun in that mode, and they're all very samey across them all. I'd go with a blanket C for Super series.