SNES Game of the Week 118 - Clock Tower

[spanky]

Wow! I am so honored! My handle was chosen on a complete whim, so nothing to do with this game but I actually really enjoy it! It's a very fun arcadey action game - kind of a single screen type game but over multiple screens. It does as some odd mechanics but once you get the hang of it, it's pretty engaging. Gripes? I always forget what each power up hat is supposed to do and there's a few levels in the game where enemies just seem to fall on top of your head and there's not a lot you can do about it.
The graphics and sound are fantastic! I can't think of many games that look and sound as "early 90s" as this one. I love the bright colors, neon signs in the background, the jazzy sound track etc. It's ultimately a "B" game but that undersells how much I like it.

[excelsior]

I've been swamped so we're going to go an additional week for this game before moving on. No need to rush through.

[personman]

I remember seeing this in a big old guide/catalogue Nintendo Power put out. I always remembered it since even in the few screens I saw it just seemed really odd what with the antagonists being sentient fruit. Playing the thing now its even weirder than I thought it would be with how you detonate bubbles to conjure various sports balls(?). Took me a bit to get used to but once I did honestly I didn't have a hard time getting into it, I wanted to see how weird it got. It doesn't carry any of its ideas much farther but I just found its weird kinda sorta puzzle action structure charming and its got a good soundtrack. Also just that very specific surreal cartoony feel is something you plain don't see anymore and I always enjoy it.

It did stick in my craw here and there. Like you need a fair amount of set up to attack things and as soon as the 2nd world they have a habit of starting you out with an enemy just beelining for you. Later on they start to just smother you too and you'll have those apple things just raining from the sky and is a bitch to deal with. Its not too mean but there were a couple times I had to start over on a world due to some gotchas. But thankfully the game is fast enough I didn't mind too much. Wasn't impressed with the boss fights but they didn't bother me either.

Not bad for what it is! Its nothing no one needs to rush out to play but is one of those weird titles off the beaten path that is nice to check out just to say you did and I imagine there isn't much like it. I'm gonna go with a B-.

[dsparil]

That's pretty much how I feel. It's a cute game and fun but also a little unfair at times. B sounds about right.

Also, I finally got some 7-Up which was practically hidden at my local grocery store, and I still hate it! At first, it's pretty good to the point that I thought that maybe I'd been confusing it for Slice this whole time. Orange and Grape Slice were delicious, but the original Lemon-Lime was not good. Then I got that bitter aftertaste I remember so well. It's not so bad to an adult palate which is good because I had to get so much of it, but I can see why I didn't like it when I was younger.

[excelsior]

It took me a bit of tome to get into it, but I do like it. I don't have anything to add that hasn't been said.

Ranking - C

[excelsior]

• Publisher - Nintendo
• Developer - TOSE
• Genre - Sports
• Initial Release - 30 August 1991

Volley, slice, lob, and overhead smash! Rip a top-spin forehand crosscourt past your opponent. join the exclusive Super Tennis club and call your own shots!

Choose one of 20 professional players and compete on the prestigious World Circuit for a top international ranking. All players have their own special strengths and weaknesses. The choice is yours!

Plus, Super Tennis serves up amazing variety. Master ground strikes, serves, and footwork on hard courts, clay and grass. Play head-to-head against the computer or challenge a friend. Compete in singles or opt for doubles. You and the computer can be a team, and take on a friend with a computer partner. Or, pair up with your friend and compete against a computer duo.

With great graphics and digital stereo sound, Super Tennis is as close to the real thing as you can get!

  

  

[spanky]

Fun tennis game with appealing early-SNES aesthetics and great presentation. I like the mildly caricatured portraits and the Mode-7 camera sweeps when you change court. Even the little graphics showing how the balls bounce on different courts is a nice touch. Nothing really wrong with the game at all but nothing really spectacular either. C.

[dsparil]

I just wait for spanky to post so I can say ditto 🙃 C is right for this. Personally, I don't really see the appeal of tennis games outside of Wii Sports. There's just not a lot to sport itself so any adaption is lacking in general.

[Snake]

Super Tennis - Rank C

Admittedly, feels like a next-gen update of Tennis on the NES, requiring more nuanced skill.  But not the kind of game to hold my interest for long periods of time.  Wii tennis is definitely more fun, for being physically interactive.  Honestly, I never really got into a video game form of tennis, until I picked up Prince of Tennis Smash Hit 2 with excitement, character design, and moves of the manga. 

[excelsior]

I don't really agree that Super Tennis doesn't have anything noteworthy about it. The physics are really quite good and offer a really accurate interpretation of the game of Tennis. For me the game can be a little tough when it comes to judging your positioning whilst I think most would agree that the presentation is on the dry side of things. I also think it's not quite the best SNES Tennis game.

Ranking - B

As far as Wii Sports Tennis, it does nothing for me. Actually I don't think I put a full hoir into Wii Sports as a whole package and I got that thing on launch.

[excelsior]

• Publisher - Tonkin House/American Sammy
• Developer - Advance Communication Company
• Genre - Action RPG
• Initial Release - 21 June 1991

As Adol, hero of Ys Book I & II, your most fearsome new adventure is about to begin!



The curse of the monster Demanicus terrorizes your friend Dogi's homeland. Chaos rules as blood-thirsty creatures threaten innocent lives. Only you have the courage and strength to defeat them!



Gather your fiercest swords and deadly amulet to battle these horrific creatures with a thrilling new action view. Survive the fiery depths of Alcaino. Conquer the terrifying Nekevil. But stay alert, brave Adol! The fury of Demanicus awaits your final epic struggle!

  

  

[dsparil]

Ys III is pretty good. It makes some bad design decisions e.g. that dumb fly at the beginning of the first dungeon, but it's a good time overall. The other console ports are supposed to be better in some ways, but there's nothing wrong with the SNES version intrinsically. The differing combat takes some adjustment over I and II, but it makes it way easier to grind if you abuse the slightly buggy Ninja Gaiden-esque enemy respawning.

B

[excelsior]

There's some jank to the combat system in Ys III and it's grindy in the wrong ways sometimes, but I enjoy Ys III. It's a bit campy, with an enjoyable adventure and a pretty good soundtrack. The SNES version isn't the best and the audio track is one of the greater shortcomings by comparison, but it's recognisable.

I'm going to give it a B.

[spanky]

The Ys series is pretty much a gigantic hole in my personal gaming history. But I have played this one as well as the Turbo version of the first game. I found the game extremely off putting at first but I gave it some time and once I started to gain a few levels I found it sort of addictive. It doesn't allow for a whole lot of room for skill to overcome being underleveled unless you're some sort of savant though which I would consider a bit of a mark against it. I do enjoy the smaller scale nature of the quest and while the music can't compare to the CD versions, the compositions themselves are good and the arrangements have that early SNES charm to them. B.

[ommadawnyawn2]

Ys 3 is pretty average for the most part, and would get a C from me if the MD version didn't have less slowdown and better music. It plays more like an 8-bit game (except with simpler combat than in Zelda 2, although that one instead goes a bit too far with the challenge) and would've scored higher in a NES/SMS thread I think, but it feels a bit lacking on the 16-bit consoles. I do like the speed and the detail in some of the backgrounds, the dialogue is pretty good for the time and format, and seeing (some) new gear show on your avatar is neat.

D