SNES Game of the Week 118 - Clock Tower

[ommadawnyawn2]

Only played the MD version and that was like 1-2 years back, would be interesting to know if there are any major differences.

I gave that one about a C- or D+ and I guess this is about the same, but I'll refrain from voting on it atm.

[spanky]

Another game I haven't played! I'll give it a whirl here sometime soon. I remember it was well reviewed and received a lot of coverage back in the day.

[retr0gamer]

I really like desert strike but it's let down by a small rom size. However it does a lot with it's limitations. The biggest issue is that there's only 4 missions and the map is obviously the same everytime even if they do a good job trying to differentiate the maps with roads, enemies and buildings.

The game takes a bit of time to get used to since it uses the same type of controls as resident evil but once you do it handles really well. There's a surprising amount of depth to the game. The mission structure is excellent as well, depending on the missions you beat you can turn off danger zones around the map to make other missions easier. There's also a lot of resource management. You really have to balance ammo, fuel and armour. Rescuing prisoners leaves you open to damage but it's well worth doing as each prisoner rescued gives you 100 armour. It's absolutely heartbreaking to die right before a drop off point and lose those prisoners that would have gotten your armour back.

It's a lovely looking game with some good music cues. I thought the cutscenes were photorealistic when this came out... Not so anymore.

It's a tough game and it can be rough that there's no checkpoints. I'd probably give this a B- because the snes version has performance issues but the megadrive or improved Amiga version would be a B+. It would be a low A except jungle strike does everything so much better.

[excelsior]

Biggest differentiator I would say between the SNES and MD/Gen versions is the music. The MD version really is a lot better on this point. Otherwise though, the game has quite a bit of strategy to how you approach each stage, rather than being the usual action style shooter. I think because of this in part (as well as the controls) that it doesn't show it's strengths so well on initial plays and takes some getting used to. With practice this is a nice game, though I prefer to play the MD version. 

- Also, I'd say this game doesn't show well in PAL 50Hz. I know the general preference is to play everything in 60, but some games particularly take a hit with the slower speed and I think this is one of them.

Ranking - B

[dsparil]

I've never been able to get into Desert Strike or any of the 16-bit games in the series. Desert Strike at least has the option of screen oriented control that got dropped in the next two. There's too many performance issues on SNES and Genesis although it's a bit faster to pull up the map on Genesis. I'd be interesting to see what the SuperFX version of Comanche would have been like had it not been canceled, and none of the Strike games are a good substitute either. I'll be nice and go with a C-.

[excelsior]

• Publisher - Nintendo
• Developer - Nintendo
• Genre - Flight Sim
• Initial Release - 21 December 1990

Are you ready to earn your wings at the most exclusive flight school in the world? Then report immediately to the secret Pilotwings Flight Club, where your training begins! You'll see the ground twist beneath you as you jump from your plane and attempt a precision skydive (don't forget to pull your rip cord!). You'll relive the early days of flying as you bring your biplane in for a pin-point landing. After you master the basics, you'll be called on to test an experimental rocket pack, soar in a hang glider, and pilot an advanced attack helicopter in a hazardous rescue mission.

The realism is incredible as the Super NES takes you airborne with multi-dimensional graphics, endless skylines and the freedom to fly wherever you like. Do you have what it takes to earn your wings? Then get going! You're late for your first class!

  

  

[spanky]

I never got around to playing Desert Strike!

But I do love Pilotwings and out of the two launch Mode 7 tech demo games (the other being F-Zero). I like this one a lot more. From the lo-fi jazz music, to the generally low stakes, to the atmospheric weather and time changes, this is a very relaxing game -aside form the helicopter missions of course. It's full of "vibes" as the kids say. It's also surprisingly fun for a "pass around the controller" sort of game. I have a friend that comes into town only once or twice a year but pretty much every time we make it a point to sit around and play this one. It's an A for me.

[excelsior]

I'm afraid I'm less able to capture my feelings about Pilotwings on the basis of youthful slang, but I do really enjoy it. It's a game I've spent a good amount of time with over the years, and play improves with experience and practice in my opinion, with a decent difficulty curve (it took me a while to get to grips with some vehicles). The audio and visuals do a good job of providing a fairly laid back experience, whilst adding enough personality to keep the theme from becoming dry.

Ranking - A

[vnisanian2001]

Pilotwings is so much fun. A for me.

[dsparil]

Pilotwings is one of my favorite SNES games so it's an A for me. Great Mode 7 graphics, and it's a good demonstration of the way on-cart chips, the DSP-1 in this case, can seamlessly enhance the system. It would have been nice if there was a bit more to do since it feels like the game is a tutorial for a fuller mode that never comes. More ring time trials would have been nice at least.

[excelsior]

• Publisher - Capcom
• Developer - Capcom
• Genre - Beat-em-up
• Initial Release - 21 December 1991

When Haggar became Mayor of Metro City, he thought he had put his street fighting days behind him for good. No such luck - his delectable daughter, Jessica, has been kidnapped by the lawless Mad Gear Gang and Haggar must face his Final Fight!

  

  

[excelsior]

Final Fight for SNES gets a lot of flack, and it is understandable. After all there's a reduction in playable characters, a complete lack of 2 player mode, a lack of enemies on screen and missing content. That said, there is enough of what makes Final Fight an iconic game here for me to enjoy it, especially if I was only looking to play alone anyway. Despite not being the version of choice the compromised version is still enough especially in terms of the translation of core gameplay and visuals. I'm going to give it a C.

Trying to get back on timing here and hope to have next weeks game uploaded on Monday.

[spanky]

Pretty much everything excelsior said. Despite the loads of cut content, you have a a game that still generally looks, sounds and plays like the arcade game. Nintendo fans had not seen a game that looked this close to it's arcade counterpart since the mid 80s. To a 7 year old in 1991, that was pretty awesome. In a complete vacuum I would say it's excellent but it's never going to run away from the comparisons to the arcade version. C is probably the correct score but I am going to be completely subjective here and give it a B.

[vnisanian2001]

Very flawed port. A clear case of Arcade version better than console ports. C.

[Snake]

Pilotwings - Iconic, mode-7 showcasing 1st gen game.  The sound effect and soundtrack are so evocative of Nintendo's early years.  Isn't it about time they revived Pilotwings?  I don't recall seeing anything after Pilotwings 64.
Rank - A

Final Fight - So yes, sad, the obvious lack of Guy, Rolento and his stage, and the 2-player Simultaneous action.  But it's a good looking, good-sounding port of the arcade game, and the control scheme is sharp.  It helped passed the time as a rental game. 

I give it: Rank B.