Showing posts with label Neo Geo. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 6, 2024

Electronic Gaming Monthly (May 1992)

I still have this particular issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly which I bought off the shelf back in the day. Consolidation has its advantages but I miss the variety of systems that used to be around. At this time, EGM was covering the Nintendo, Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis, TurboGrafx-16, Neo Geo, and a variety of portable systems including the Game Boy, Sega Game Gear, and Atari Lynx. The May 1992 issue includes:

Departments

Insert Coin - An editorial on the inevitable wave of CD-ROM based games and whether or not the gaming industry is really ready for it.

Letters to the Editor - Letters from readers about the Super NES version of Street Fighter II, The Super NES CD-ROM, Genesis coverage, the Magicom and Super Magicom, Mega CD coverage, the Consumer Electronics Show, and more.

Review Crew - Four reviewers give their score for a variety of games including Super Scope 6 (SNES), The Rocketeer (SNES), Spanky's Quest (SNES), Might & Magic (NES), Blues Brothers (NES), Lemmings (Genesis), Earnest Evans (Genesis), D&D: Warriors of the Eternal Sun (Genesis), Jordan vs. Bird (Genesis), Star Saver (Game Boy), Top Gun (Game Boy), Batman: Return of the Joker (Game Boy), Outrun Europa (Game Gear), and Hydra (Lynx).

Software Calendar - A list of planned releases for May 1993. There are a total of 38 games listed including Batman: Return of the Joker (Game Boy), George Foreman KO Boxing (Game Gear), Last Resort (Neo Geo), Steel Empire (Genesis), Rampart (Lynx), Ballistix (TurboGrafx-16), The Empire Strikes Back (NES), Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (Super NES), and others.

Gaming Gossip - News and rumors regarding the new Street Fighter 2 Competition Joystick from Capcom, a new "Quad" development system for the Super NES, Camerica's Aladdin project, Super high Impact from Acclaim for the Super NES, Cool World for the Mega CD, Dolphin for the Genesis, and much more.

International Outlook - A look at new and upcoming games being released internationally (mostly Japan). Games covered this month include Axelay (Super Famicom), Adventure Island 3 (Famicom), Parodius (Super Famicom), Gargoyle's Quest (Famicom), Astral Bout (Super Famicom), Macross (PC-Engine Super CD-ROM), Spindizzy Worlds (Super Famicom), Thunder Force IV (Mega Drive), Loom (TurboGrafx Super CD-ROM), After Burner III (Mega CD-ROM and cart), Blazeon (Super Famicom), Cameltry (Super Famicom), Ultimate Football (Super Famicom), Battleblaze (Super Famicom), Dinosaurs (Super Famicom), and Twinkle Tale (Mega Drive).

Tricks of the Trade - Tips, tricks, codes and strategies for Super Smash T.V. (Super NES), The Legend of the Mystical Ninja (Super NES), Joe & Mac (Super NES), Snow Bros. Jr. (Game Boy), Sim City (Super NES), Hole In One Golf (Super NES), Rolling Thunder 2 (Genesis), Batman: Return of the Joker (NES), Snow Brothers (NES), Captain Planet and the Planeteers (NES), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3 (NES), Faceball 2000 (Game Boy), and Parasol Stars (TurboGrafx-16).

Next Wave - Previews of upcoming games including Return of Double Dragon (Super NES), American Gladiators (Super NES), Super Soccer Champ (Super NES), Wordtris (Super NES), World Trophy Soccer (Genesis), Muhammed Ali Knockout Boxing (Genesis), Dragon Strike (NES), Barcelona '92 (Game Gear), Double Dragon (Game Gear), and Spanky's Quest (Game Boy).

_{Table of Contents from the May 1992 issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly}

Features

Behind the Screens - A look at the making of the Wondermega. This was the all-in-one Sega Genesis/CD unit created by JVC.

Leading Edge - A look at some of the latest and upcoming arcade games, including Blazeon from Atlus, Seibu Cup Soccer from Seibu Kaihatsu, and Undercover Cops from Irem.

Super Play - A strategy guide for Contra III: The Alien Wars on the Super Nintendo.

Game Over - A look at the last stage and end of Super Castlevania IV for the Super Nintendo.

_{Back cover of the May 1992 issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly}

Friday, December 20, 2019

Alpha Mission II (Neo Geo)

Alpha Mission 2 is a 2D vertically scrolling shooter that was originally released in 1991 for the Neo Geo. The Neo Geo was an awesome system because it was essentially SNKs arcade hardware stuffed into a game console for the home. The upside was arcade perfect games (because they were the same games). The downside was that the system and the games were quite expensive.

Alpha Mission 2 is an excellent example of the genre. At the beginning you start with lasers and air to ground missiles. The game play is somewhat similar to Xevious in that you can only hit targets on the ground with missiles/bombs. Weapons have limited power that is reduced through use or damage to the ship. Weapons and armor can be recharged and upgraded in various ways throughout the game.

This game received generally good reviews and fortunately you don't have to drop a fortune for a Neo Geo and the game to play this as it has been re-released in various ways throughout the years. Alpha Mission II became available on the Neo Geo CD. CDs were a cheaper way to go originally though you paid for them with loading times. However, on the second hand market these days even the CD version is quite expensive. It was also later released as a digital download for the PSP and PS3. It was also released on the Wii Virtual Console but only in Japan and then even later in April 2017 as part of the Arcade Archives for the Switch internationally. Alpha Mission II is also currently available as a digital purchase for the Xbox One.

For 2D shooter fans, this is definitely one you should check out if you have never played it. If you want to play on the original system than it will be very costly but arcade perfect versions are currently available cheaply as digital downloads. The preview above is from the January 1993 issue of GameFan.

Wednesday, December 12, 2018

VideoGames & Computer Entertainment (June 1993)

VideoGames & Computer Entertainment (June 1993)

VideoGames & Computer Entertainment was always my favorite video games magazine. VG&CE along with EGM were really the only two I ever bought. The June 1993 issue includes: Features

The Quest for Immortality: A Player's Guide to Gods, Part I - We'll show you how to get past the first two levels in this challenging multi-platform game.

Departments

Editor's Letter
Yea & Nay
Reader Mail
Tip Sheet
News Bits
Easter Egg Hunt
Advertiser Index

Reviews & Previews

Video-Game Previews

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
Saturday Night Slam Masters
Rocket Knight Adventurers
Mario is Missing!
3 Count Bout
Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective Vol 2
Double Dragon
The Incredible Crash Test Dummies
The Punisher
Beach Volley

Video-Game Reviews

Street Fighter II Champion Edition
Blaster Master 2
Super Turrican
Battletoads/Double Dragon: The Ultimate Team
Taz-Mania
C & C Music Factory: Make My Video
Batman Returns
Riot Zone
Cool Spot
Bases Loaded 4
American Gladiators
Super Ninja Boy
Sorcerer's Kingdom

Gaming on the Go

Battletoads in Ragnarok's World
Land of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse
European Soccer Challenge
Star Trek: The Next Generation

Computer-Game Reviews

Street Fighter II
Doom
Quarter Pole
The Awesome Adventures of Victor Vector & Yondo Adventure 2
Rules of Engagement 2
Take a Break! Pinball
Spectre Supreme

Computer-Game Previews

X-Wing: The Farlander Papers
Empire Deluxe
The Prophecy
Michael Jordan in Flight
Space Quest V
V for Victory: Market Garden
Wilson ProStaff Golf
Rome: Pathway to Power
World Tour Tennis
Tony La Russa Baseball II
S.C.O.U.T.

...and more!

Wednesday, December 5, 2018

Electronic Gaming Monthly (May 1993)

Electronic Gaming Monthly (May 1993)

Electronic Gaming Monthly was my second favorite gaming magazine behind VideoGames & Computer Entertainment. It was close though. EGMs sheer volume was amazing and they did a better job of covering new and upcoming games and systems including rumors than anyone. One of the earliest issues I bought had detailed coverage of the upcoming Super Nintendo CD add-on. Alas, that never came to pass. The May 1993 issue includes: Departments

Insert Coin
Interface: Letters to the Editor
Review Crew
Software Calendar
EGM Top Ten
Gaming Gossip
EGM Express
Leading Edge
Game Doctor
Tricks of the Trade
Game Contests
High Scores

International Outlook

Hot Hits From The Orient - The epic journey of Adol continues in Y's IV: Mask of the Sun. Plus, shooting action with Esperanza and mystery with A-Rank.

Next Wave

The Latest and Greatest - The first pix of Sega's Phantasy Star IV for the Genesis. Thrill to Alien 3, General Chaos, G-2 and Spider-Man 3!

Special Feature

Street Fighter Spectacular - We've got the hot new pix for Street Fighter 2 on the Genesis. This Champion Edition is sure to blow your mind!

Behind the Screens

Chip Off the Old Block - Jez San of Argonaut Software talks about his work on the Super FX chip, debuting in Nintendo's new space shooter, StarFox.

EGM Lifestyles

Street Fighter Comic! - Check out the second part of Malibu's fantastic Street Fighter comic! It's a sure hit with all SF fans!

...and more!

Tuesday, November 13, 2018

Neo Geo CD

Neo Geo CD

The Neo Geo was the Cadillac of video game systems in the 16-bit era. Released in 1990, it was technically vastly superior to competitors such as the Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo. The Neo Geo let you play the same exact games that SNK was putting in arcades. However, this came with a price. The system debuted at $649, far above the more popular 16-bit systems of the time and games cost $200 and up because of the relative vast amounts of ROM they required.

To address these issues, at least in part, SNK developed the Neo Geo CD which would be released in North America in 1996. Instead of expensive cartridges it used CDs which allowed the games to be somewhat more reasonably priced at $49-$79 and pretty much all the same games were available. The system itself was priced at $399.

While the Neo Geo CD did help reduce prices significantly, it just wouldn't be enough for the system to become a major competitor in the market place. It would sell reasonably well and make SNK a profit but it would remain a niche system. By the time it was released, the PlayStation and Saturn were already out and were cheaper. In addition, while the Neo Geo was still a 2D force to be reckoned with, it had no real 3D capabilities putting it at a severe disadvantage.

There were three variations of the Neo Geo CD. The first was a front-load system released only in Japan. The second was a top-load system released world-wide. The final version is definitely the one you want, as it was the only one with a 2x CD-ROM. The others were 1X and load times were abysmal. The final version (the CDZ) was only released in Japan but it is not region locked so it was relatively popular as an import.

All of the Neo Geo systems had the same basic hardware and capabilities including:

CPU: Motorola 68000 (or clone) @ 12 MHz
Coprocessor: Zilog Z80 @ 4MHz
Colors: 4,096/64,536 on screen
Max Sprites: 384

The biggest difference between the cartridge-based original and the CD versions, besides the format, is the amount of RAM. The original Neo Geo only had 284 KB total but the CD version had 7 MB since CDs were so much slower and more data needed to be accessible in RAM.

This was definitely an impressive system in its day but by the time a more affordable version was released, it was too late to become a truly popular system. However, I don't believe this was ever SNKs intent. They were content with providing arcade games to home users for those willing and able to pay the price.

The preview from above is from the July 1994 issue of EGM^2 and features the original front-load model.

Sunday, November 4, 2018

Electronic Gaming Monthly (August 1995)

Electronic Gaming Monthly (August 1995)
There were a vast number of home video game systems to chose from in the mid 1990s and EGM covered them all. From the older but still viable 16-bit classics to Segas frankenstein add-on system to the latest and greatest 32-bit systems and systems that were never really mainstream, they were all here. It makes today's video game scene look tame by comparison. The August 1995 issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly includes: Cover Story - Super NES, Genesis, PlayStation? Which system will have the best translation of Mortal Kombat 3? Check out this issue's cover story! Departments

Insert Coin
Interface: Letters to the Editor
Press Start
Review Crew
EGM Hot 50
Gaming Gossip
Special Features
Arcade Action
International Outlook
Next Wave
Tricks of the Trade
Team EGM
Lifestyles
Advertising Index

Fact-Files

Super NES - Save the kiddies from the baddies in SWAT Kats!
Genesis - Go on a deadly adventure with Indiana Jones!
Sega CD - Drive a bus across the desert and back again in Penn & Teller!
3DO - Play s a brain on a scavenger hunt in Daedalus Encounter!
PlayStation - Wear a cosmic powersuit in the futuristic RPG Space Griffon!
Game Gear - Stop the evil terrorists with the portable game, Jungle Strike!

Features

Which System Will Be Crowned King of the Home Translation of MK3? - The Super NES, Genesis and PlayStation will be battling this holiday season for the best translation of the arcade smash, Mortal Kombat 3. The Genesis version, although a bit grainy, contains smooth animation and excellent sound. The Super NES version has everything from the Versus Screen with the secret code on the bottom to the Continued Screen. Don't forget the PlayStation version with its fantastic graphics, and the game might even be shipped with the system. It's up to gamers now to judge the winner!

It's Mario's 10th Anniversary and Nintendo Celebrates with Yoshi's Island! - Mario, the famous plumber, is in trouble again and it is up to Yoshi to help his Italian pal out. Super Mario 2: Yoshi's Island will be slamming onto the Super NES. In this issue, we have hot pictures, secrets and a cool two-page map of the game. This cart falls in nicely with the other Mario games and sticks to its genre, with all the Mario secrets, techniques and loads of levels. However, this time the classic look is traded for an almost childlike perspective with crayon style graphics and cuteness at every angle.

EGM Travels to the Tokyo Toy Show to Bring Back Exclusive Pictures - The Tokyo toy show is one of the most highly anticipated shows in Japan and EGM was there! Housing tons of video game companies and toy manufacturers, we received exclusive pictures on Rockman 3 (Mega Man X3) and Final Fight 3. Also check out the shots of Mickey Mouse 3, DarkStalkers for the PSX, RayTracers, Zeitgeist, Hat Trick Hero, Darius Gaiden (Darius 3 in the U.S.), Race Drivin', Clockwork Knight 2, Kabuki Fighting Lore and many more. Also, EGM snuck in and photographed the highly anticipated 3DO M2 unit!

More than 60 games are reviewed, previewed or otherwise covered in this issue.

Friday, June 16, 2017

Electronic Gaming Monthly (January 1997)

Electronic Gaming Monthly was probably the best video games magazine of the late 1990s. It covered all the available systems in the U.S. and was also covered imports and rumors about upcoming systems and games. Some of the systems covered in 1997 include the Nintendo 64, PlayStation, Sega Saturn, Super NES, Genesis, Game Boy, Game Gear, Neo Geo, and 3DO.

The January 1997 issue includes:

Departments

Insert Coin - A look back 20 years to the introduction of Pong and Star Wars to today when a new wave of Star Wars games is coming along, including Shadows of the Empire for the N64.

Press Start - News this month includes the introduction of the Dual-Analog pad for the PlayStation, more M2 cancellations and doubts about its future, a new PlayStation model, possible future networked N64 games, Sega expands its online presence, Super Mario Kart R will become first four player N64 game, Arcade Shark N64 joystick introduced, and much more.

Gaming Gossip - News and rumors including: Midway making Quake for the Nintendo 64 and PlayStation and Joust 3D for the N64; Mortal Kombat 4 coming soon; San Francisco Rush coming to the Nintendo 64; Lode Runner coming for the Nintendo 64; Sega develops arcade games with M2 board including Jurassic Park: The Lost World; and much more.

Next Wave Protos - A sneak peek at games in early development, including Spider (PlayStation), Command & Conquer (PlayStation), Oddworld (PlayStation), Carmageddon (PlayStation), HED (Nintendo 64), Sentient (PlayStation), Dynasty Warriors (PlayStation), Mission Impossible (Nintendo 64), Rocket Jockey (PlayStation), ID4 (PlayStation), WCW (PlayStation), XS (PlayStation), SWIV (PlayStation), Brahma Force: Assault on Beltlogger 9 (PlayStation), Rush Hour (PlayStation), Ark of Time (PlayStation), and more.

Review Crew
- Dragon Force (Saturn) - A fantasy based military sim.
- Sonic 3D Blast (Saturn) - A port of the Genesis version with improved graphics.
- Bug Too! (Saturn) - A pseudo-3D side-scrolling platform game; Virtual On (Saturn), Sega's fighting mech game ported from the arcade to the Saturn
- Toshinden Ura (Saturn) - One of the worst versions of Toshinden.
- Virtua Cop 2 (Saturn) - A good port of the arcade light gun shooter.
- Batman Forever (Saturn) - A mediocre game based on a mediocre Batman movie.
- Adventures of Lomax (PlayStation) - A 2D side-scroller featuring Lemmings.
- Robotron X (PlayStation) - Basically, the classic Robotron unnecessarily "upgraded" to 3D.
- Suikoden (PlayStation) - A large and pretty solid fantasy RPG.
- Tunnel B1 (PlayStation) - An action game in which you must race against the clock. Looks and game play are somewhat reminiscent of Wipeout.
- King's Field 2 (PlayStation) - First person RPG.
- Project X2 (PlayStation) - A difficult 2D horizontal shooter.
- Tempest X (PlayStation) - A nice update of Tempest and it includes the original.
- Tobal No. 1 (PlayStation) - A somewhat underrated (for the time) 3D fighter.
- Twisted Metal 2 (PlayStation) - A pretty good sequel to the original and the game to have at the time if you like vehicular combat games.
- Dragonheart (PlayStation) - A 3D hack and slash game based on the movie that garners comparisons to Skeleton Warrior. Average at best.
- Samurai Showdown 4 (Neo Geo) - Another 2D fighting game classic on the Neo Geo.
- Street Fighter Alpha 2 (Super NES) - The newst street fighter game on the SNES seems to have the worst game play and control.
- Maui Mallard (Super NES) - A pretty good 2D side-scroller for the SNES.

Tricks of the Trade - The trick of the month is for Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 and gives you access to a secret menu that provides a variety of options (including enabling playable bosses). There are also tons of other tips and tricks for Twisted Metal 2 (PlayStation), Project Overkill (PlayStation), Die Hard Trilogy (PlayStation), Namco Museum Vol 2 (PlayStation), Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 (Super NES), Tobal No. 1 (PlayStation), Waverace 64 (Nintendo 64), NHL Powerplay '96 (Saturn), Tomb Raider (PlayStation), Street Fighter Alpha 2 (Saturn), Motor Toon Grand Prix (PlayStation), Star Gladiator (PlayStation), Triple Play '97 (PlayStation), Super Mario 64 (Nintendo 64), Time Commando (PlayStation), Battle Arena Toshinden Ura (Saturn), Wipeout XL (PlayStation), Pilotwings 64 (Nintendo 64), Gun Griffon (Saturn), Gunship (PlayStation), Machine Head (PlayStation), Loaded (Saturn), and more.

Special Features
- Cover Story: Mechwarrior 2 - A detailed overview of Activision's classic mech combat sim game. I played the PC version but never tried the console versions.
- PlayStation Expo '96-'97 - A semi-annual event held in Chiba, Japan. The highlights of this show were the five new arcade conversions released by Namco including Soul Blade, Time Crisis, Ace Combat 2, Namco Museum Vol 5, and Rage Racer.
- Retrogaming - It's a little disconcerting to read a retrogaming article from a magazine that is itself now retro. This article takes a look at some of the many compilations available at the time including Namco Museum Volumes 1-4, IREM Arcade Classics, Thunder Force Gold Pack, Gradius Deluxe Pack, Arcade's Greatest Hits as well as some standalone re-releases like Outrun, Asteroids, Afterburner II, Paperboy, Donkey Kong, Space Invaders, and Pac-Man as well as some modern updates to classic games. The article also asks "Will the PlayStation become a dinosaur in the years to come?...will the Super NES one day become an archaic system?"
- MDK - A sneak peek at this third-person, 3D shooter that was attracting a lot of attention at the time.

Team EGM - Previews and reviews of sports games. Previews: FIFA '97, Big Bass World Championship, Open Ice, Space Jam, and Grand Slam Baseball. Reviews: Hardcore 4x4, Jet Moto, 2 Extreme, In The Zone 2, Street Racer, NBA Hang Time, NBA Jam Extreme, and Motor Toon Grand Prix. Plus an interview with Cedric Ceballos whom I think was playing for the Phoenix Suns at the time.

Interface - The letter of the month deals with Nintendo's botched launch of the Nintendo 64. Basically, there weren't enough units produced to match pre-orders and on top of that they prioritized bigger outlets like Wal-Mart over smaller specialty gaming stores so that they got them earlier. Also, letters about PC vs. console gaming, the cost of "modern" consoles vs. the Atari 2600 when it was new, upcoming Saturn releases, complaints about the review format in the magazine, and more.

Features

Shoshinkai - A look at Nintendo's annual trade show. Some highlights include a look at upcoming games for the Nintendo 64 such as Blast Corps, Star Fox 64, Golden Eye, Mission Impossible, Yoshi's Island 2, and Mario Kart 64 among others. There was also a look at the 64 DD disk drive for the Nintendo 64 but that was never released outside of Japan.

Mortal Kombat Trilogy - Which version is better, the PlayStation version of the Nintendo 64 version? There are trade-offs of course. The PlayStation version has 7 more characters and CD quality sound but also more loading time. The Nintendo 64 version on the other hand offers a 3 on 3 game mode that the PlayStation version doesn't have. Three out of four EGM staff picked the PlayStation version as the best.

Final Fantasy VII Update - An update on the continued development of the much anticipated 7th installment of the Final Fantasy series. This was actually the only Final Fantasy I ever spent significant time playing.

Next Wave

Saturn - Previews of recent or soon to be released Saturn games including Scud (80% complete), Virtual On (100% complete), Spot Goes to Hollywood (100% complete), and Heir of Zendor (95% Complete).

PlayStation - Previews of recent and soon to be released PlayStation games including Batman Forever, Psychic Force (85% complete), Warhammer: Shadow of the Horned Rat (95% complete), Persona (100% complete), Final Fantasy VII (25% complete), Discworld 2 (60% complete), League of Pain (90% complete), Project X2 (95% complete), Re-Loaded (90% complete), K-1 (75% complete), and Allied General (100% complete).