Super Mario World: Still Super After All These Years?
The date is August 23, 1991 and North America is about to experience something completely new. Following the success of the Super Mario Bros. trilogy on the NES, Nintendo have created a new incarnation of the series for their brand new Super Nintendo console. Packed in with the console is a copy of Super Mario World, now a well established, and still much loved classic for the console. So much so that Nintendo re-released the game in a special All Stars + Super Mario World for the SNES, and subsequently almost ... Read more
Posted 2 years ago
Peripheral Vision: Super Famicom vs North American Super Nintendo Controller
After many years of wanting one, I recently purchased a Super Famicom controller. I always preferred the different colored buttons over the bland lavender and purple of the North American Super Nintendo controller. It's sad that I feel the need to note that it's the North American version as the European Super Nintendo has the same name, but the controller and console are identical to their Japanese counterparts. So what exactly are the differences between the North American Super Nintendo controller and the Super Famicom controller?
Most notably are the aforementioned action buttons ... Read more
Posted 2 years ago
Ken Griffey Jr. Presents Major League Baseball for the SNES
As a kid I loved baseball games on the NES, well some of them. My first experience was LJN's Major League Baseball and I actually enjoyed it, which gave way to R.B.I. Baseball and the Bases Loaded series. After a certain point I became burnt out on baseball video games and started to pursue more interactive games like RPGs. It wasn't until I found Ken Griffey Jr. Presents Major League Baseball for the Super Nintendo at a thrift store, almost ten years ago, that I decided to give a Super ... Read more
Posted 2 years ago
N64 Controller Showdown: One Year Later
A year has past since I decided to buy and test some new controllers for my N64. I was very pleased with the quality and functionality of all three controllers I purchased, with the exception of the crack that developed on the cheap knockoff of the original design. What shocked me, however, was the fact that is the one that has seen the most use. Although I do genuinely enjoy the Tribute and Brawler controllers, I just associate the old trident design with playing N64 games, and that's something only the cheap knockoff can offer.
The Tribute 64 ... Read more
Posted 2 years ago
Super Mario Kart for the Super Famicom
Super Mario Kart, the game that started the franchise, obviously. Although, as I've previously admitted, Super Mario Kart wasn't where it all started for me. Super Mario Kart 64 was where I got my start and from there it was Double Dash and Mario Kart 7. All of which are really good games, but I really had to see, play and experience where the franchise officially broke ground. When I accidentally won a Super Famicom copy of Super Mario Kart on ebay I figured that was my chance, so here we ... Read more
Posted 2 years ago
MTV Sports: Snowboarding
In the mid to late 90s sports video games were an open market. It was a time when seemingly any company could publish whatever sports title they wanted, which kept EAvil companies from monopolizing every sport known to humanity. This was good for the consumer as it meant developers actually had to try harder with each installment, instead of merely updating rosters for each subsequent year. However, this left developers fighting for an ever-dwindling slice of the same pie, causing developers to turn to up and coming sports such as snowboarding, giving birth to titles such as MTV Sports: Snowboarding.
Developed ... Read more
Posted 2 years ago
Confession: I’ve Never Played Super Mario Kart
It's true, until this year (2021) I had never really played Super Mario Kart. I can remember watching other kids playing it at the Super Nintendo kiosks in Sears or Walmart, but I never got a turn. I didn't personally own an SNES until 2001, and to be honest playing Super Mario Kart wasn't a top priority back then. When I started hunting for video games in my adulthood Super Mario Kart didn't cross my path as much as you might think. It did pop up from time to time in retail stores, for a retail price, but I always ... Read more
Posted 2 years ago