On like…well, you know.
The story so far…
NES:
SNES:
Chapter 2 – Imperfectly Balanced
Chapter 3 – Positivity? Impossible!
Oh don’t worry, I didn’t forget. Nintendo may have decided to put out Nintendo 64 and freaking Sega Genisis games on Switch, but there’s still a whole SNES library to go through. And besides, as much as I’d love to play some of those newer games, that price tag is a bit much. Maybe some day. In the meantime, we still have plenty of games to go through in this library, and there’s no better time like now to start playing through them and see what I think. Overall, the SNES library has been a fairly good one, especially when compared to the NES library. But will it maintain that momentum? Let’s find out.
As usual, the rules here are simple. I just boot up a game, play it for a little while, and write my thoughts. So these aren’t full reviews, but more of a first impressions write up. With each game, I try to answer the same questions – do I like it? Would I ever play or think about it again? Did I have fun? As we go, I’m going to try and keep my thoughts simple and to the point, dedicating about a paragraph to each game.
Wild Guns
Cowboys and robots? Okay, the premise alone already has me sold. That is so hilariously over the top that just thinking about it is fun. But then you actually play it, and it gets better. I can see this being in some people’s “top SNES games” list. It’s an arcade shooter where you move left and right and shoot anything that moves, while avoiding enemy fire using your own dodge roll. There’s power-ups to collect and a handful of challenging yet engaging shooting galleries to keep things interesting. My only major gripe is that the movement is a little stiff. But, to its credit, the game does feel designed around that, and not like many other old games where the movement seems to be bad for no reason other than frustration. Overall, Wild Guns is a lot of fun, and one that I’ll definitely come back to in future.
Rating: Thumbs Up
Operation Logic Bomb
This one was a bit surprising. When starting, I thought it incredibly awkward to combat enemies, to the point that this was becoming a thumbs down game. Then I figured out that you can hold the R button to maintain the direction you’re firing and still move. Once again, I humbly request that we get manuals with these games. It would help a lot. After I learned that helpful fact, I had a lot more fun with Operation Logic Bomb. It’s got just the right amount of challenge, and new weapons are introduced periodically to add some spice to the gameplay. There also appears to be a story going on in this game, told through wordless cutscenes dotted throughout the game. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like you can skip those cutscenes. You’ll inevitably get a game over and start from the beginning of the game plenty of times, so rewatching all those scenes will get tiresome. It makes me wish there was either a save game feature or simply a way to skip cutscenes. Despite this, I still recommend Operation Logic Bomb and anticipate returning to it at some point.
Raintg: Thumbs Up
Donkey Kong Country
The first of the classic trilogy, if you only try one SNES Donkey Kong game, make it this one. This game is still enjoyable to this day thanks to its excellent platforming mixed with a strong feeling of momentum. Graphics is the one area I don’t feel holds up well, which is ironic given that this game was something of a graphical showcase for the SNES. Certainly good for its era, but doesn’t pass the test of time to me. Fortunately, it makes up for it with some good character designs, and of course the gameplay. Donkey and Diddy feel good to control, along with the different animal buddies that help spice up the gameplay. Levels are almost never too long or short, so the pacing is solid too. And there’s plenty of secrets to find for repeat playthroughs. All in all, a very solid entry in the SNES library.
Rating: Thumbs Up
Natsume Championship Wrestling
Glares menacingly
I’m pushing buttons and things are happening. But I don’t understand how these buttons correlate to the actions on screen. I feel like the game is just playing itself. This is boring, like every other sports game. Let’s move on, quickly.
Rating: Thumbs Down
Super Mario All Stars
Well, this is a bit awkward. See, this was added as part of Mario’s 35th Anniversary celebration. Makes sense. However, everything in here is something you can play in the NES library with improved graphics and sound (though some may debate that, some just like the beeps and boops of NES). I’ve already reviewed those games, and they’re all good, not that you needed my reminder. Plus, I must confess that this version of the NES Mario games is nostalgic to me, as it was the first game(s) I have memory of playing. So, I guess this is also a thumbs up from me. Enjoy your freebie, SNES library.
Rating: Thumbs Up
The Peace Keepers
It’s no Streets of Rage, but Peace Keepers is reasonably fun. My main criticism is how stiff the game feels, but my memory tells me this is how most beat-em-ups were back in the ancient days of 16-bit technology. Otherwise, I enjoy the game overall. The gameplay is easy enough to just pick up and play when you want to, while providing just enough challenge to keep things interesting. There’s enough playable characters to keep things lively as well, and the number of continues is quite generous. It may not be the best of the best, but it’s a solid game that I think will be worth most people’s time.
Rating: Thumbs Up
Donkey Kong Country 2
Building off the incredibly solid foundation of the first game, Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest has you controlling Diddy and Dixie Kong. The main Kong himself, Donkey, has been kidnapped by King (or rather, Kaptain) K. Rool, and it’s up to the two small monkeys to save him. While gameplay is largely similar to the first, there’s a lot of new additions to keep things interesting. Probably the most notable of these is the inclusion of Dixie and her ability to slow her descent through the air, which is a godsend for the harder platforming and boss sections. Almost too much of a godsend, in fact. I was playing as Dixie whenever I could, because why wouldn’t I? As far as I could tell, Diddy has no special ability of his own at all. He’s just less interesting to play as in comparison. Additionally, something about Diddy’s Kong Quest feels less precise than the first game. I’m constantly missing jumps I feel like I should’ve made and moving in ways I’m not expecting. Some obstacles and enemies are just annoying, particularly the Cat O’ Nine Tails, which they try to incorporate into platforming later, though thankfully it’s mostly for collectibles. Still, it’s very unreliable, which is not what you want out of a platformer. I’m criticizing this game a lot, but it’s worth remembering that the same Donkey Kong Country gameplay core is still present and accounted for. If you enjoy that game, you’ll probably enjoy this too. When everything clicks and you’re zipping through levels and finding collectibles and secrets, Diddy’s Kong Quest is great. Some of the levels even outshine the previous game’s, with the haunted house ride being a standout level in my mind. Let me put it this way – both games are good, it’s just that this game’s lows go a little lower than the first. But at the same time, it can also be said that this game’s highs go higher than the first too.
Rating: Thumbs Up
Donkey Kong Country 3
This time taking control of Dixie and newcomer Kiddy, these two Kongs are off on a new adventure to save both Donkey and Diddy from King K. Rool. These apes are very good at getting kidnapped, huh? I’m particularly surprised at this happening to Donkey again. Perhaps removing Diddy from the equation was a good idea though, because I don’t feel like I have to play Dixie like I did in Donkey Kong Country 2. It helps that they establish the two characters differences much better. Dixie has her ability to float from the last game, and Kiddy is the muscle, so he can carry objects without losing speed, making him especially helpful during boss fights. Levels also seem to have distinct preferences for one Kong or the other, so it’s encouraged to play both characters. I haven’t finished this yet like I have the other two, but this could end up being the strongest of the three games. Biggest criticism I have of it so far is that movement feels stiff and slow compared to previous games. I think in terms of movement, the original still wins out, but 3 has made up for it with stronger level designs and unique characters and abilities. The worlds look the best of the three games, and they’re delightful to run through. I’m a little worn from the back-to-back Donkey Kong games, but after a break I’ll definitely come back to this and play some more.
Rating: Thumbs Up
The Ignition Factor
The premise of The Ignition Factor is interesting. You play as a firefighter and try to put out fires and rescue the people inside. Unfortunately, the execution wasn’t very good at all. For starters, character movement is extremely stiff. Your walking speed is slow, and running is unnecessarily janky. Plus, you can be over encumbered very easily, especially when you’re starting and don’t know what you’re doing yet. For some bizarre reason, you use a cursor to navigate menus as opposed to traditional snapping to buttons. It’s really slow, unwieldy, and I hate it. And I can’t even figure out how to use healing items and other things. Using my inventory shouldn’t be hard! As for the moment to moment gameplay, it’s slow going and not very interesting to play. You’re trying to save civilians trapped inside a burning building, but navigating the levels is unnecessarily difficult due to the slow movement and samey rooms. Seriously, there’s very little distinguishing of rooms, making it easy to get lost and turned around. Even the doors blend in with the environment. Putting out fires is fine, with movement and controls similar to Operation Logic Bomb, but that just makes me wish the game was about putting out fires and nothing else. As is, this game is just clunky and awkward to play.
Rating: Thumbs Down
Super Valis IV
A bit mixed on this one. On the one hand, I do like the fast pace of the game and the plethora of items to keep the game interesting. The art is really nice for the most part, and the combat is simple but effective. On the other hand, this feels like a trial and error kind of game, where you just hope the next thing you do doesn’t kill you as opposed to analyzing the enemies and environment and playing around those things. Knockback is high, and the platforming is really basic so the gameplay isn’t mixed up much. I might come back to this later to see what else it has in store, but at the same time I think I was pretty close to the end of the game by the time I finished. I’d say it’s worth trying if you really like action platformers, but know that it’s an overall weaker action platformer compared to most.
Rating: Neutral
Holy smokes! I think there’s more thumbs up ratings in this batch of games than there was in the last. I didn’t think that number would be topped. To be fair, there’s a couple games here that are really straddling the line between thumbs up and neutral, but in the end I figured they were just good enough to get the thumbs up rating. At this point, I think it’s safe to say the overall library is good. I’m now curious as to how it would stack up against the Nintendo 64 games, but I’m gonna wait for more games and/or a price drop before dipping my toes into that world. And unfortunately, I don’t believe the NES library has been updated since my last blog covering it, so we’ll probably go right back to the SNES library for the next round. That said, I’ve a mind to revisit a few of those NES games and see if my mind has been changed on any of them. But, let’s get through the SNES games first. There’s still a lot of titles to go through, after all.
SNES BATCH #4 RATING: A-
RECOMMENDED – 7
NOT RECOMMENDED – 2
NEUTRAL – 1
OVERALL LIBRARY RATING: A-
RECOMMENDED – 18
NOT RECOMMENDED – 9
NEUTRAL – 11
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