Why am I continuing this crazy series? I don't know, to tell you the truth. I guess I just like writing and publishing weird blog posts.
Anyway, as you hopefully can tell by reading the header above, this particular "five favorites" post is going to focus on five of my favorite non-Enix, non-Nintendo, non-Squaresoft Super Famicom games.
I know I could have (and maybe even should have) kept myself from including Super Famicom games made by Capcom, Konami and even Taito, but the fact is that I'm less of a fan of their 16-bit releases than I am of their 8-bit ones. So, I decided to allow them here.
Anyway, enough of my yammering. Here are five non-Enix, non-Nintendo, non-Squaresoft Super Famicom games that are among my favorites for Nintendo's second console:
1. Ace wo Nerae!--I'm guessing a good number of you will skip right past this selection because it's a tennis game. I understand that, but I have to say it's a shame. This is a top-tier tennis game, in my humble opinion, and well worth trying if you're at all into the sport. The main reason? Makers Telenet Japan make good use of the Super Famicom's famed "Mode 7" capabilities (as well as a special DSP chip, I believe) to produce a surprisingly successful three-dimensional tennis title. Sure, it's a bit awkward at first, but give it a few minutes and it feels great.
2. Kiki Kaikai: Nazo no Kuro Manto--Although it was renamed Pocky & Rocky when it was readied for North American release, this top-down, forced-scrolling shmup would be a favorite of mine no matter what developers (and publishers) Natsume decided to call it. Admittedly, that's partially due to the fact that this is one gorgeous game (one of the prettiest to grace the Super Famicom/SNES, if you ask me), but it's also due to the fact that it controls like a dream.
3. Sanrio World Smash Ball--I know I've written about this syrupy sweet game, cobbled together by the folks at Tomcat System, at least once before, but I'm mentioning it again because it is, simply put, one of the best pick-up-and-play carts available for this particular system. Gamers who have hearts of stone are sure to point out that this Character Soft-published title is little more than a pixelated take on air hockey that's been gussied up with the Sanrio crew, but what's wrong with that? All that matters in the end is whether or not the final product is a joy to play, and this one is (in spades).
4. Torneko no Daibōken: Fushigi no Dungeon--What do you get when you mix Chunsoft's Mystery Dungeon series with characters from the world of Enix's Dragon Quest? You get one hell of a 16-bit dungeon-crawler. Granted, I regularly swoon for both slimes and roguelikes, so maybe you should take my opinion with at least a medium-sized grain of salt. Unless, of course, you suffer from a similar malady--in which case you should check out Torneko no Daibōken: Fushigi no Dungeon at your earliest convenience.
5. Umihara Kawase--True story: if I were to buy a Super Famicom system, this would be one of the first games I'd pick up for it. That's how much I love this quirky platformer that is like no other. How so, you ask? Why, it's all about helping a little girl work her way through a bunch of vertically scrolling stages using little more than a fishing rod (which can be used both to latch onto platforms, a la Bionic Commando, and stun aquatic-themed foes). Which is to say it's brilliant and precious and mesmerizing and everything in between.
By the way, if any of you'd like to give Umihara Kawase a try and you don't own any retro systems (or you're not a fan of emulation), you might want to pick up a copy of the DS version of the game, which includes both the Super Famicom and PlayStation iterations. Just be aware that copies of Umihara Kawase Shun Second Edition Complete, as the DS release is known, can be pretty pricey.
See also: 'Five favorites: non-Capcom, non-Enix, non-Konami, non-Namcot, non-Nintendo, non-Square Famicom games' and 'Five favorites: non-Hudson, non-Konami, non-Namco, non-Taito PC Engine HuCards'
While I'm too lazy to actually look it up, I would imagine that chances are pretty decent that the PS1 version of Umihara Kawase is available on PSN in Japan as well.
ReplyDeleteOh, I didn't even think of that! Blogging fail :(
ReplyDeleteSomeone else will pop in and tell me if that's really the case, I'm sure. Which would be great, of course, because then people wouldn't have to spend $70 or so on the DS version, but they also wouldn't have to resort to emulation (if they're against such things).
Personally, I still want to own a copy of the PS1 original, and also the DS version, I think. Why doesn't money grow on trees again? :P
Nice list! I'm kinda surprised to learn that Chunsoft published Torneko no Daibōken and not Enix. Weird!
ReplyDeleteOh! What is this? Someone who's actually interested in a tennis game (especially an old one)? OK, you're on my buddy list now, lunch :)
ReplyDeleteAs for Torneko: god, I love this game. I'm actually planning to pick up a copy of it soon even though I don't currently have a SF or SNES. That's how much I love it.
I also have a copy of the PS1 sequel, but (gasp!) I've yet to play it. Have you played it, BTW? If so, what do you think of it?
Me, too, Ryan! In fact, at first I was really bummed because I thought I wasn't going to be able to include it here. Then I realized that it wasn't an Enix game. Huzzah! :P
ReplyDeleteI wish I could edit my comment. I just wanted to throw a shoutout to Hot Shots Tennis: Get a Grip, which is possibly the greatest tennis game of all time.
ReplyDeleteOh, don't let the anime connection keep you from trying Ace wo Nerae, lunch. It's well worth playing regardless, I think.
ReplyDeleteAs for not being on my buddy list before: I was joking :) About you not being on it before, I mean...
I also wish we had gotten the Yangus roguelike here in the States--and the PS2 Torneko game as well. Sigh.
Are you commenting through Disqus, lunch? If so, you should be able to edit your comment. At least I'm able to do so! (Below each comment are three options: Edit, Reply and Share.)
ReplyDeleteAnyway, yes, I love Hot Shots Tennis: Get a Grip, too. Not sure it's my all-time fave tennis game, though. Super Tennis for SNES, Ace wo Nerae for SF and even Final Match Tennis for the PC Engine are its competition in my mind.
Umihara Kawase is a great game. I actually recently reviewed it, though it was on another website and not UZW.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I prefer Fuurai no Shiren over Torneko no Daibouken, but the Slimes are most definitely adorable, so I can see why you'd pick it.
Regardless, a great list!
Oh, that sucks. I assumed everyone was able to do so :(
ReplyDelete#5. I need to play this. What an interesting mashup of ideas.
ReplyDeleteOh, I'd love to review your Umihara Kawase review, Espiga. Would you be willing to share a link?
ReplyDeleteAlso, did you review the SF version or the PS1 one?
I like both Fuurai no Shiren and Torneko, but I have to say the DQ characters in the latter make me prefer it to the former :)
I can understand feeling the opposite, though. No question!
Oh, yes, Justin, you have to play it at some point. Be warned, though, that it's tough! Also, the presentation can be a bit ... boring at times. Still, it's so unique and charming that I'm pretty sure you'll like it all the same.
ReplyDeleteOf course, I'm always glad to have you read it! You can find it here:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.realmofgaming.com/reviews/supernes/umihara-kawase/872.html
I tend to shy away from posting links like this in comments, unless it's particularly relevant to the topic at hand. Otherwise, I feel like it's spamming. =[
Also, I reviewed the SFC version. I've never played the PS1 or DS releases.
Oh, you never need to worry about that here, Espiga. As long as whatever you link to is in line with the post in question, I won't mind at all.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, thanks for the link. I'm going to read it in just a minute.
BTW, the DS release basically includes both the SFC and PS1 versions of the game--plus a few bonuses, I think?
The PSP release, on the other hand, apparently is a gimped/broken version of the PS1 release.
Ah, thanks for the heads-up. Hopefully, you enjoyed reading the review as much as I did writing it (and playing the game, of course.)
ReplyDeleteI think you're right about both the DS and PSP releases... But I scored the SFC version of Umihara Kawase for the low, low price of free thanks to a Japanese friend of mine... So it was really a no-brainer as to which version I'd get.
Oh, I very much *did* enjoy reading it, Espiga. And I agreed with pretty much everything you said in it :)
ReplyDeleteYou're a lucky dog for getting a copy of the game for free, BTW. You know what copies of it go for on eBay, right??
Umihara Kawase is really great! I was really lucky to find out about the PSX version right before the "Shun" re-release came out, the original version was already quite rare so I was able to get it pretty easily. Being so used to that, when I tried the SuperFami version later I didn't really like it, the physics feel so much more rigid. It does seem easier to do some moves more consistently, though.
ReplyDeleteSo, do you have the Shun re-release, or the original? In either case, consider me envious!
ReplyDeleteI've had my eye on a copy of the original PSX version for a while now, but I can't get myself to pull the trigger. In part, that's because I need to blow money on another somewhat-pricey PS1 game like I need another hole in the head, but it's also because I tend to prefer the aesthetics of the SFC version and wonder if I should spend my money on the DS version instead (since it includes both the SFC and PSX versions).
The problem is, I prefer playing these kinds of games on the big screen (i.e. on a TV), and of course that's not going to be possible if I buy the DS version. Also, I really like the cover art of the first PS1 release. Which is a weird reason to get a game but, hey, I've done crazier things.
So, now that I've let you know just how whacko I am, I have a question for you: is the PSX version just a remake of the SFC original, or are the stages in each game unique? I haven't played enough of the PSX version to know, unfortunately.
I am not entirely familiar with the SFC version, the levels definitely start out similar but I recall things start changing up before long, I think it has more levels, too. Because of the physics differences I mentioned, the PSX version is a very different-feeling experience as well.
ReplyDeleteSupposedly the second edition (which is what I have) has new levels over the old PSX version, however I have never been able to access them because I'm just not that crazy good at the game! The DS version has a "level map" that shows where all the doors go, so you can see exactly how much (or how little) of the game you've actually been through. (Turns out there's a lot I've never seen!)
For more jealousy and/or "wasted financial opportunity," when I was in Japan (again, over 10 years ago, for perspective..) I also came across the original PSX release at a used game shop in the middle of nowhere for 1500yen! Needless to say I bought it! Like I said, the differences to me were minimal because I couldn't access any of the new levels anyway, but sure enough, it did have the original between-stages "advertisements" for fishing equipment that were replaced in the 2nd edition with character art, which was kind of interesting and maybe even more surreal, it's just weird to see in-game advertising in general, especially in a game like that! Anyway, I ended up giving that copy of the game away to some friends in the UK, kind of an "easy come, easy go" mentality. Reading your other comments here I did glance on eBay though, I can't say I wouldn't mind selling it now, if I still had it! (getting a little more practical in my older years, I guess!)