SNES Game of the Week 118 - Clock Tower

[dsparil]

I pretty much feel the same way. It's a nice game, and a big improvement over the original although that isn't surprising considering the long time gap.

Ranking: B

[spanky]

This is a solid B game for me. It was a memorable weekend rental back in the day.  Natsume was really great at making arcadey action games on the SNES that had the fast pace and challenge that you normally associated with Genesis games. That being said, it's a little too difficult for the cute theme. The levels are just a bit too long and the enemies can take just a little too much punishment The furthest I've ever made it is the airship on level 4. I think I like it better than it's sequel, which is even harder, and it tries a lot of new ideas and they don't really work. I still plan on picking up Reshrined, however.

[ommadawnyawn2]

Yeah this does feel like it should've been on the MD. A nostalgic game that I got on a whim on sale at the time, played it a lot with my cousin and raged hard at him when we didn't beat it (I was a bit of an ass at times as a kid). Great game which made it harder to go back to previous top down run 'n guns after playing it because of the blocking and dodging mechanics as well as improved variety. I also love the art style and music in the game. 
I actually find it harder in co-op for some parts of the game, as it can get a bit chaotic. Only beat it in SP.

B+

[Snake]

Pocky & Rocky!

Great, colorful game.  It's a big improvement over the 1st game that was in the arcades. It's just difficult enough... where I couldn't finish it when I rented it.  I need come back and try to actually beat it.  Rocky was my character!  It's a simple but cool mechanic to be able to swat bullets and enemy projectiles.  The general top-down shooter game format really lovingly reminded me of all the great memories I have of Jackal.  It's an ingenious and fast-paced set-up, and it's really great that they made it 2-player.  I'm glad that such a very Japanese game made it to localization - in a vibe that matches the fantasy Edo time period like Legend of the Mystical Ninja.

Rating: B+

[🧀Son of Suzy Creamcheese🧀]

I have played this one a bit on an emulator but not really enough to give it a rating. I remember it being pretty damn difficult. I'm looking forward to Reshrined, though. For some reason I had a dream about playing Reshrined last night despite the fact I've rarely played or thought about P&R. I guess that has to be a sign.

[excelsior]

Week #8 - Super Mario Kart


  

Ladies and gentlemen ... start your engines! The Super Mario Go Kart Park is open for fun! Super Mario Kart raced into our living rooms  in 1992-1993 and would become the best selling Nintendo series. How do we rank it from it's starting position?

Features:

20 Different Tracks

Race across zones throughout the mushroom kingdom using 8 familiar characters

Win the Gold!


Do you have what it takes to win the Gold Cup in the challenging Star Circuit?

2 Games in 1 - Mario Grand Prix and Battle Mode

In four different maze-like courses you'll use Koopa Shells, Banana Peels, Super Stars and other wacky weapons to burst your opponents balloons and triumph!

[excelsior]

I remember getting Super Mario Kart on boxing day in 1993 as a joint gift for me and my brother. I wasn't sure what to make of it at first, but the racer quickly grew on me due to it's addictive and combative gameplay. Whilst he was always better than me we would play grand prix's jointly in order to take first and second place - though it took me some time to be able to beat the last competition. I was able to best him in battle mode plenty of times so that was a feather in my cap at least.

Whist it's seen as something as a dark horse in it's own series now due to the style of play changing from the N64 entry onwards I always appreciated that the first Mario Kart was a great racing game that didn't rely on chaotic multiplayer to bring the fun. The circuits were relatively simple by todays standard but were nicely crafted in a way that you needed to learn where your best opportunities to take out an enemy or take a shortcut were. 

The cast of characters came to life like never before with unique stages built around several of them and each having their own abilities and winning theme. It was worthwhile playing as each since due to their differing playstyles - I found learning Bowser/Donkey Kong especially challenging at the time.

I find this to be one of the best racing games on the platform to play on your own or with a friend,. There's a great deal of personality and addictive combat style play that was never again quite duplicated.

Ranking - A

[spanky]

I love SMK. I remember seeing preview screenshots in an issue of Nintendo Power and becoming unreasonably excited over it. I never owned the game until the 2000s but this is probably my most rented video game. It was my go to for sleepovers, family get togethers (my cousins loved it), or just when there was nothing else worth renting. I remember the first time I rented it, my mother and I were stopped in the driveway by our neighbors to chit chat. I was so excited and so anxious to run in and start playing the game I was physically sweating. My neighbor even asked mom "Is he OK?"

It does feel a lot different than it's sequels. There's no mini turbo boosts, no rubber band AI(though they still cheat), and I don't think your position affects which items you get. It's a very...pure racing experience compared to a lot of the sequels. Plus, this game has the feather which allows you to take some really stupid shortcuts if you know what you're doing.

The tracks are mostly well designed and they lack the gimmicks of the later games but they're still quite fun to play. The Battle Mode arenas are also quite small and don't have any gimmicks, but I think that makes them more intense.

The music is great with some wonderful sound design - I like how each track sounds different depending on the terrain.

The Mario Kart games have only gotten bigger and crazier since this one, but the original is still quite fun. And in the context of other SNES games I would give it an S. One of, if not the best 2-player games on the system and endlessly fun.

[dsparil]

I'd give it a B. It is good for multiplayer, but the single player isn't great with super cheap AI that also gets unlimited use special abilities. The SNES has a whole lot of racing games most of which are more on the "simulation" side of things so the personality in SMK does give it a quality that makes it stand out.

[🧀Son of Suzy Creamcheese🧀]

I am quite fond of this one, though it does have some flaws. It plays well, although it's a bit weird how you never seem to reach top speed. I've never managed to do well with any character besides Koopa/Toad, usually sticking with Toad these days because having Luigi as top rival is a lot more annoying than Peach. Drifting is satisfying (and very necessary if you want to do well), and there's even some curves in the road where I usually have to slow down a bit (most MKs don't have that). The computers are a total bitch and in certain tracks getting hit by one item means you won't be able to even reach the top 4. Donut Plains 3 is absolute hell; whenever I get hit in that one or fall in the water I just instantly reset the cup as there's no chance of recovery. It's best played in multiplayer, but the behavior of the CPUs clearly indicates that they didn't fully anticipate yet that MK was going to be come so multiplayer focused (even though it was IIRC created as a multiplayer answer to F-Zero). The soundtrack is fantastic too.

Mario Kart 64 and Super Circuit both do this type of gameplay but both closer to what you'd expect from Mario Kart. Super Circuit especially I've always seen as SMK but better (64 is more of a mixed bag and probably the worst MK). However, it's one of the MKs that's still fun to revisit in single player, so it's got that going for it. That alone makes it something I play more often than at least 64, DS and Wii. 150cc is very challenging.

Overall it's somewhere between an A and B, but let's be generous and say it's an A.

spanky, items are dependent on your ranking, but it's a bit poorly implemented as shown by the fact you didn't even think they did.

[ommadawnyawn2]

I agree that there are some flaws in SP, and I find the sense of speed and physics more satisfying in later games. It's between a B and C for me but it is still pretty fun with others, so I'll go with B. From the same era I prefer Rock 'n Roll Racing and Micro Machines.

[lurker]

The problem I have with Mario Kart is being able to judge depth with stuff on the tracks

[excelsior]

Thanks for the continued participation to everyone who has posted in here over the last 8 weeks. Just to let you know there will be no SNES Game of the Week next week because I will be on my jollies, but the thread will continue the following Monday.

[windfisch]

Pocky & Rocky

This one looks and sounds just lovely - one of Natsume's most adorable titles for sure. And it plays pretty well, too. That said, I don't think I ever beat it, there certainly is a steep learning curve to it. The ability to deflect projectiles is great. On the other hand, I haven't been able to implement the slide into my playstyle, outside of bosses. And I agree with excelsior : strafing used to be a common feature in the genre, so it feels weird not having something akin to that here. Pocky & Rocky has potential of being great, if I just learned how to properly play it. At the moment it's a solid B.

Super Mario Kart

Having played lots of Mario Kart 64 before getting to play this one properly (versus a quick go at some store), it's hard to go back for me. Where 64's tracks could feel vast, the original SMK feels flat and compressed. The same is true even when compared to another SNES racer, the original F-Zero. In the latter those Mode 7 graphics work far better, mostly due to the viewing angle allowing you to see more of the track. Those tracks may still be flat, but they manage to convey a great sense of speed, which is F-Zero's bread and butter. SMK being a different, slower beast, introduces some issues. First of all, it features a lower camera (probably due to the split screen), which doesn't let you see as far ahead (edit: Okay, technically it allows you to see further ahead, but the tracks look more condensed, lessening the sense of scale and visible details). Coupled with having much more tight turns and more stuff happening on the tracks, like the coins and item boxes, barriers and ramps, recognising in time which distorted puddle of pixels is supposed to be what exactly can get a little tricky. So a lot comes down to memorisation. Groundbreaking and charming as it may be, I feel it's just a little too ambitious for what was technically possible. Almost a B (maybe had I played more multiplayer), but I can't give it higher than a C, I'm afraid.

[windfisch]

Jun 30, 2022 6:10:59 GMT -5 excelsior said:

Thanks for the continued participation to everyone who has posted in here over the last 8 weeks. Just to let you know there will be no SNES Game of the Week next week because I will be on my jollies, but the thread will continue the following Monday.

Never heard that phrase before. According to the web it's either you going on a vacation or you're going to, well, pay someone for intercourse... for a whole week?! Either way, have a good time!