SNES Game of the Week 118 - Clock Tower

[dsparil]

It's worth noting that the US name of this game is Soldiers of Fortune on SNES and Genesis. I played the DOS version in the past and that still has the original title.

Bitmap Brothers always seemed like top shelf stuff on the Amiga, but I think they struggled a bit on other platforms. This is a great game, but the port isn't that good. It looks nice and sounds better than the DOS port I'm used to, but there is just way too much slow down. The Genesis port doesn't seem to fair much better either. I'd give the original game a B, but this is a C at best.

[excelsior]

Sorry, I was going to mention the name when I got around to making a post. I almost forgot to do a game this week altogether. Where's my head at??? Yeah, I'm not as into this one as the home computer version. It was a popular game on the Amiga. I do need to play through it properly before making a proper judgement. I have this game in my backlog so I'll push through it before the end of the week.

[spanky]

I've given this a shot several times and I never make it very far. I've never been very impressed by it. I like the pulpy style of it all though it's kinda drab looking. The game never contains anything as cool as the dinosaur that appears in the intro story cutscene I've played far worse but I've played better too. Cool music though. C.

[excelsior]

OK, I ran through it a couple of times. For the most part I enjoy it. Though I think it's a game with some limitations.

I'll address the slowdown by saying it only occurs when there's more than two enemies onscreen. That doesn't sound great when I state it, but screen management is a bit of a goal here - you should be killing everything before moving on. It's very rare the game pulls out more than 2 enemies at once.

Next, the game is a tad clumsy. It works, but combat involves going back and forth in order to avoid enemy projectiles. Movement is a bit stiff compared to its contemporaries and so, whilst a lack of boss battles and enemy variety is generally considered a bad thing, this game is working within the limitations it has set. When it does introduce a boss at the end it doesn't work too well, which I pretty much expected.

What I do like is the customisation. You get to select a player, along with a cpu played partner (or a second player) both of whom have unique stats and weapons and are individually upgradeable. This ties in nicely to the maze-like stages, where money etc you collect are key to upgrading, so you're encouraged to explore and find secrets. As the difficulty increases you will need to have a well upgraded pair, especially to beat the end. The game is short with just 16 stages so experimentation with pairings is both feasible and enjoyable to add some replay value. I did find one way to make it even more fun was to put in a cheat code to big money so that you could top up both characters nicely.

I also like the visuals here. They're simple, yet effective. They do evoke a steam punk setting nicely. There's unfortunately an into animation missing in the SNES version from what I remember.

Ranking - C

[ommadawnyawn2]

The best version overall seems to be on CD32, with a pretty nice new intro added: www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3ja58waNZs

Anyway I'll go with a D for this one based on the MD version, which also suffers from some slowdown. This version does have overall better sound and slightly better controls (see the review). I think the lack of continues, invincibility time, strafing/dodging and the frequently cheap level design later on hurt the gameplay too much. 

[excelsior]

• Publisher - Nintendo
• Developer - Argonaut Games
• Genre - Rail Shooter
• Initial Release - 21 February 1993

In the distant Lylat star system, imagine yourself at the controls of a futuristic, heavily armed, space fighter - Arwing. Lead the counter-attack on an invasion force of hundreds of alien tanks, fighter ships, laser gun emplacements and super battleships. Maneuver at warp speed through fog-enshrouded canyons, dense asteroid belts and waves of the enemy's best defense. You must use skill and cunning to fight to the enemy's home planet Venom and smash the Core Brain for victory!

  

  

[excelsior]

Using the US name this time around. Don't you just love that inconsistency. The PAL lands 'Star Wing' versions 50Hz speed is really felt on these Super FX games, I think, and so that version is better forgotten all around. I can be fairly harsh on Star Fox, but, without checking, I believe this is the first Super FX game we've covered, and really there's only 2 that come to mind worth playing. It is a matter of how you look at things, really, because I believe this was pretty much replaced by the 64 sequel, with no real reason to revisit except for historical interest. Within the SNES library itself, it certainly stands out, but it's a matter of whether you compare it to other shmups, of which there are a number that faired better. Looking at a rail shooter, though, it's unique in the library, and brings with it a different style of play. There's nice enough stage design for the time, and the branching paths representing difficulty choices was a nice idea that, thankfully, carried forward. I'm going to give this a B.

[spanky]

I kind of hate the phrase "aged poorly" but I can't shake that phrase out of my head every time I play this game. It's a showcase for the Super FX chip but it never shakes the "tech demo" label for me. There's nothing wrong with a straightforward space shooter, but when I think "Nintendo" I think of games that offer a bit more flexibility and freedom than this. The game is generally fun and creative though. Having three distinct paths is a nice touch.. The framerate and chuggy controls were acceptable in their era but now you sort of feel like you're navigating your Arwing through molasses. The music absolutely rocks though - it's combination of space opera and high energy rock. None of the soundtracks of the later games live up to this one.

I do think the game is quite a bit more fun if you play one of the faster overclocked versions of the game. Nintendo should have done something like that for the NSO release of the game but I think that would be more effort than they'd want to put in. The N64 follow up is much better and one of the few games on that system that I can say without reservation I enjoy more than the SNES equivalent. Let's call this one a C.

[vnisanian2001]

I think B sounds adequate. The technology was very revolutionary, but does feel a bit dated. The unreleased Star Fox 2 and Star Fox 64 were better.

[dsparil]

I was going to say that the original still has its charms compared to 64, but Star Fox 2 is just so much better. I'd still go with an A though. I have no nostalgia for it, but I still think its enjoyable overall despite the slowness. It's the kind of game where a different company would have just made some bland sci-fi shooter (for instance look at Argonaut's predecessor game Starglider), but Nintendo had the good sense to go with quirky animal characters.

[personman]

I do have a ton of nostalgia with this one and its a personal favorite but I get that nowadays with 64 around and just how poorly it runs its an extremely tough recommend now. Still though it is really interesting to me from a historical point of view and not just for the tech points. What I like best about it is how un Nintendo it's presentation feels compared to how we usually see Nintendo nowadays, hell there was a brief period in the SNES lifetime where there were a decent amount of titles like that with things like the Sim City port, Super Scope 6, Battle Clash and then this. The only things barely anchoring it to that Nintendo feel is the anthromorphic cast themselves. Then there's the soundtrack which is some of the best in the series and again sounds like little to nothing else in Nintendo's history.

I agree that most should be pointed at 64 and even 2 first then come back to this if they're curious. It's still decent but very rough around the edges. C sounds about right.

[retr0gamer]

Starfox has major framerate issues but after beating it last year I really came to appreciate it. The game and gameplay is tailored towards the poor framerate so it's not as bad as say most PS360 games with awful inconsistent framerates. Also most people just play the easy route but the medium and hard route provide a stiff challenge and also have some really inventive stages and bosses.
I had a lot of fun finishing this game and that's what really matters and it really seeks the space opera feel it's going for even despite the technical issues. I'm going to give it a B+

[ommadawnyawn2]

It's technically dated of course, but still barrel rolls into the A zone in my book. I didn't find SF2 as fun overall.

[excelsior]

• Publisher - K Amusement Leasing/Tradewest
• Developer - Monolith
• Genre - Sports
• Initial Release - 12 March 1993

Conventional baseball no longer exists in the year 2020. The "Super Baseball Association" has been very profitable over the years with robotics power players up against the strongest of athletes. Due to the secret manipulation of certain robotics team players, abilities have been computer controlled to decide the outcome of certain games, benefitting the SBA. Die hard players discovered the SBA's cheating and have now disconnected several parts of the computers to achieve fair and challenging play. Now the games may continue in the famed "Cyber-Egg" Stadium where only power and skill will determine the winner!

  

  

[excelsior]

2020 Super Baseball was released by SNK in arcades in 1991, a year before Baseball Stars 2. The two games are pretty similar, both arcade-styled baseball games, though BS2 plays things straight, whereas 2020 takes liberties in its interpretation of the sport. It's 2020; the future at the time, and baseball players have been replaced by robots, and the audience enclosed behind a protective cover. We didn't realise it at the time of release, but it turned out these changes were necessary due to the global COVID pandemic. As we now know, the sport returned to its previous identity the following year.

Because of the covering on the crowd the ball will roll off back onto the field if the ball is hit out of bounds towards the right or left side, so home runs can only be scored across the centre. Fouls can also only happen directly behind the batter now, changing up the potential areas you can aim for from a regular game of baseball. There's also a player upgrade system, where money is gained throughout the match and spent during it, with upgrades lasting only the match itself and not any ongoing league. You can upgrade some stats or replace some of the remaining human players with robots, adding a little strategy. Visuals are also very similar to Baseball Stars 2, which likely used the same base images and overdrew them. Comparisons to that game suggest that this will be a good time, and it is, with the gameplay changes ensuring quicker outages and shorter games, but there's one big problem here on the SNES - slowdown. The games stutters at various times including during a pitch itself, causing disruption to you response on the bat. Obviously this is crucial to the game and makes it a harder recommendation. Still, though, the game itself is nice enough. I'm going to give it a C.