SNEScapades

Welcome back to part two of the December 91 Playing with Power episode and it seems this is an issue featuring many returns. Last time we talked about the Return of the Joker, this time we're talking about Return of Samus, aka Metroid II for Game Boy which features some really gross art (which we mean as a compliment.) Later we talk about Adventure Island for Game Boy which also has some gross art (which we DON'T mean as a compliment). There's also a Ninja Gaiden game for Game Boy. And if that wasn't enough Game Boy for you, we also get to see some reader created custom Game Boy designs. Some of these are REALLY cool and make us wish they had been real. There's also a few SNES previews for Pilotwings and Populous. There's lots to talk about, including that gal from Blossom, squishy monsters, SNES arcade software. We hope you enjoy!

Another month, another two-part episode of Playing with Power. As we look at the December 1991 issue of NP, we couldn't help but be kinda impressed with the various Nintendo-related works that some readers had made in their spare time. We also get a look at Batman: Return of the Joker, which is an interesting game since it's a sequel to the first NES Batman video game which was based on the movie despite not being based on the sequel to the movie. Of course there's a Nester comic, and this one is alright. There's the usual suspects of Classified Information, Counselor's Corner, and a very cool poster feature the Ninja Turtles. There's also features about Actraiser for the SNES and The Addams Family for the NES. There's also an NES game based on Tiny Toons. Since that cartoon featured a boy and a girl protagonist, this is a great opportunity for NES gamers to get a female playable character… oh wait… no… Babs spends the game kidnapped. *sigh*

We were going to do another episode here, but the games ended up being so bad that we just put them into the wrap and decided to put February 1994 out of its misery. Today, we are going to have to briefly talk about a lot of sports games and a very bad arcade port-turned Super Scope game. We also have the (quite aptly named in Emmy's case) Turn and Burn: No Fly Zone, X-Kaliber 2097, and Super Troll Islands. The games are bad, but luckily Chase and Emmy find ways to keep the conversation fun by talking about more interesting things, like Mr. Blobby and The New Grolier CD-ROM encyclopedia.

Things weren't going swimmingly last time as far as February 1994 goes for the SNES. Sadly, this week isn't going to be much better. We have to talk about a very strange “edutainment” game called Mickey's Ultimate Challenge. While this is a game for young children, will Emmy or Chase find any merit in it as a teaching tool? Or will they conclude that giving your little ones this game is more likely to end in tantrums? Alfred Chicken is another game from the UK. Can its game play make up for its strange lack of any sense of place? Those first two games weren't amazing, but just like last week, there is one palette cleanser. This time it comes in the form of the fun arcade port Ninjawarriors. Hope you enjoy listening more than they did playing most of these. And remember our important tip: DON'T put slide puzzles in your video game. Please.

Hey everyone! We're back and we're talking about some games that came out in February of 1994 on the SNES. Things aren't amazing this month, gonna put that out there right now. After playing Bugs Bunny's Rabbit Rampage, Chase and Emmy are even more shocked that Nintendo Power snubbed SkyBlazer for the February 94 Nintendo Power cover in favor of this game. After playing Flashback, Emmy is wondering if its spiritual predecessor, Out of this World, was actually as good as she remembers or if this is really just that big of a leap down in quality. The one bright spot of the bunch is Ardy Lightfoot. It's not the most amazing game, but it has a lot of charm. Will it be enough to keep it out of the more mediocre ranks? Listen and find out!

We're back again and we're finally finishing up our commentary on the February 1994 issue of Nintendo Power. We start off talking about an interesting device that put Nintendo games in airplanes and maybe inspired the Wii, kinda? Who knows? Also, quick behind-the-scenes note; the first musical break is from a game called Noughts and Crosses which was a title exclusive to certain Gateway Systems. It's basically just fancy tic tac toe. There was also a Hangman game and a slide puzzle called Postcard Puzzle. Noughts and Crosses is the only one we have footage and music of. We're also talking about Metroid comics, politicians, X-Men, Simpsons, Startropics 2, and a whole lot more. So thank granny, sit down, and listen to this podcast. You have been watching too much tv already.

Hey everyone! Sorry we've been gone for so long. It's been a hot summer and Chase doesn't have AC in his office. Also, stuff just kept happening so we decided to take a bit of a hiatus over the summer. We should be back to getting things out weekly for the foreseeable future (hopefully). In any case, the next few episodes were recorded well before the hiatus. We've reached a new month in the chronology, and that means it's another episode of Playing with Power where we talk about that month's issue of Nintendo Power. It's February of 1994 which means a quick check-in with Newsie before we dive in. Bugs Bunny's on the cover, but we think NP dropped the ball by not giving it to SkyBlazer. In this episode, we talk about cool things sent in by NP readers of the day. There's also Looney Tunes, SkyBlazer, Inspector Gadget, Sports, and more. So much more that we ended up splitting this one into two parts, and we even leave it on a bit of a cliff-hanger.

We've come to the end of November 1991 again and we're looking at the remainders. They're... not much to write home about. We have a lot of sports, which we don't really do much of any more (though one of them, we still enjoyed.) There's also RPM Racing and Paperboy 2. Like I said, not much to talk about this week.

Hey everyone! We're revisiting two games today. One we really liked the first time we reviewed, and another that we didn't like much at all from the outset, then maybe, kinda softened on it a bit? It's complicated. Actraiser is one of the few games Chase finished for the first time while playing it for the show. Do he and Emmy still like it as much as they once did? And where will they ultimately land on Super Ghouls N Ghosts? Listen and find out.

We decided that there were four games worth talking about from November of 1991, so we've broken them down into two pairs. Today we're talking about Darius Twin and Final Fantasy II. Darius Twin is a pretty solid shooter that lets you play co-op. We really liked it the first time around. Are we going to be as generous to it this time? Okay, but seriously, we're mostly here to talk about Final Fantasy II, right? Known as Final Fantasy IV today, this is the Final Fantasy game with Cid in it. Oh, and Cecil, and Kain, and Rydia, and all those other folks. We like this one a whole lot and will break down a lot of elements we think are great (and a few that are less great) on today's episode of SNEScapades.

Have you ever imagined what it would be like to have Stopless Power?* Well imagine no more, cuz we're diving into the pages of yet another issue of Nintendo Power to tell you what all that power felt like back in the early 90s. We've got a lot to discuss here, like Final Fantasy II (and the somewhat dubious art NP made for it), Tom and Jerry (and they're amazing 90s garb), Nester's more sociopathic tenancies, The Flintstones, Freddy Krueger, Faceball, and more. So come join us, won't you? *Of course you haven't. "Stopless" isn't a word. I know it isn't because my note app is putting red squiggles under it.

It's time for another edition of Playing with Power. We've covered a lot of really exciting magazines with interesting features. This isn't exactly one of the more exciting magazines we've covered. The most interesting part of this magazine is a cool feature on Metroid (which was a pretty old game by that point) and a celebrity profile for a cast member from Murphy Brown who doesn't actually seem all that interested in video games (not more than the average adult at that time). They can't all be winners, but we're going to try to make the most of it anyway.

It's perhaps never been more dire than it is today folks. January 1994 was a pretty light month to kick off what will end up being the most packed year of the SNES's lifespan. And while we had two absolute bangers to talk about this month, we've reached the end and it's time to talk about everything else that released, and sadly, it's a lot of sports titles, cops, military, and a game that even Nintendo Power suggested was a poor investment considering how cheap it would be to buy a deck of playing cards. We don't have a lot of nice things to say about this group of games, so this one's a little on the short side. We're discussing Riddick Bowe Boxing, Brett Hull Hockey, Super Battletank 2, Super Solitaire, Lethal Enforcers (barf), and Choplifter III. Um… yeah. That's it. Sorry.

The hits keep on coming as we venture further into January 1994. But first, we gotta talk a little bit about British Candy. On this week's episode of SNEScapdes, we're talking about quirky British platformer Zool: Ninja of the Nth Dimension. It's about a ninja, it had Chupa Chup branding in the UK, that's pretty much all you need to know. We're also talking about Lester the Unlikely. This is a game with a bit of a reputation. Will Chase and Emmy find this one to be as bad as that reputation would suggest or is there anything redeeming about it? And finally, we're talking about Skyblazer. This is a game that was not on Chase's or Emmy's radars before, but they both really loved it. Did you know about this one from back in the day? All of this and a deep(ish) dive on Gremlin Graphics on today's SNEScapades.

Hey everyone! This is a big episode for a lot of reasons. First of all, we're finally in 1994 (the biggest year for the SNES in terms of quantity of games released). Second, we're talking about one of our favorite games ever made. Third, this is our first “SNEScapades Special” of season two. Finally, and most importantly, we're talking with our good friend Trevor from Catching up on Cinema. Oh, it's also almost two hours long. For this new version of SNEScapades Special, we're letting our guest craft an episode by selecting any 3 Super NES games to talk about. So before we get to Megaman X, Trevor gives us a bit of a lesson on one of the Super Scope games (which we haven't really been able to engage with) and helps us find a place on our list for Metal Combat: Falcon's Revenge. We also talk about Knights of the Round, an interesting and fun little brawler that was ported to the SNES from arcades in which you play as King Arthur and various other famous Knights of the Round. Lots of swords, big guys in armor, and moonwalking horses await. Finally, it's time to discuss Megaman X. We talk about it a lot! I don't feel the need to write much here, other than to say, we like this one and we really enjoyed talking with Trevor about all the things we loved about this game. We hope you enjoy this special, and remember if you're a content creator and want to join us for a SNEScapades Special of your own, reach out!

It's part 2 of Playing with Power for January 1994. We're getting the this one started with a bang as we discuss… AN INDEX! Thrilling stuff. But don't worry, we've also 1993 Game of the Year (according to Nintendo Power), some Magic Eye pictures, Batman, more Ninja Turtles, an article all about music on the SNES, and plenty of Dog Action! We also get into the reviews and previews at the end of the magazine. This particular issue was unique with how much Nintendo peeled back the curtain for its audience, but it's also unique in that it's editorial team seems uncharacteristically harsh toward some of the products that they were meant to be advertising. Not that quite a few of them didn't deserve it.

Hey everyone! It's a new Playing With Power episode. This one is very special, not just because we're finally in 1994, not just because Megaman X is on the cover, but because this is a big ol' bonus issue. Which means Chase and Emmy have a LOT to talk about. Megaman X is a huge game for the duo and is going to give them plenty to talk about by itself. But the duo also find time to discuss some other game features that they haven't gotten to play yet, let Flashback and Claymates. Both of these games are built on the legacies of other games made by their respective studios. Only time will tell if either of them lived up to their spiritual predecessors. We got Soldiers of Fortune, Bugs Bunny, Ninja Turtles, Classified Information, solitaire, a really cute Mario & Wario comic, and some forbidden knowledge in the form of games that never made it over to America.

We have come to the end of September 1991 once again. Chase and Emmy played these games so long ago, how have they held up? For the most part, not great. In this episode, we talk about Hal's Hole-in-One, Super Bases Loaded (featuring Ryne Sandburg… kinda), The Chessmaster, HyperZone, Populous, Final Fight, and a special guest appearance by Ultraman: Towards the Future. A lot of these games are somewhat unique on the system and some of them take some pretty big swings, but most of them fall flat. How will that effect their placement in the SNES rankings?

Hey everyone. Welcome to another episode of SNEScapades. We're talking shooters today. Oh, and I guess Drakkhen's here too. The early days of the SNES had plenty of shm'ups to play. Chase and Emmy were a little less kind to Gradius III than they were the first time they encountered it due to all of its slowdown. Today they're talking about Super R-Type, which is a similar kind of shooter with classic arcade roots. Will it drop in the ranks like its contemporary or will it stay its original charted course? Hell, will they actually like it more? Who's to say? Well, they are, but you have to listen to the episode to find out. Drakkhen is a strange game in the SNES library. It was rewarded for its uniqueness the first time around but Chase and Emmy's opinion on the game sullied a bit over time. Find out where this strange RPG ultimately ends up. And finally, we've got a re-review of UN Squadron, a Capcom shooter that Emmy and Chase have thought highly of in the past. Listen to find out if they still hold it in such high regard on this episode of SNEScapades!

Hey everyone. Welcome back! It's time for the second part of Playing with Power for September 1991's issue of Nintendo Power. We talked about a lot of Mario World last week. This week we're talking about a whole lot of stuff. We've got Game Boy stuff (like Final Fantasy Adventure), NES stuff (like Kick Master), and more SNES stuff (like Castlevania.) There is so much stuff. Emmy talks about her encounter with American Gladiators, Chase ponders if anyone from The Simpsons actually signed off on Bart Simpson's "interview", and there's even some POGs in there. Er... sorry, they're "milk caps". POGs is a registered trademark. You won't wanna miss all this, come listen and feel free to follow along! You can read the magazine here (we start on the Smash TV feature).

Here we go again! It's time to discuss another issue of Nintendo Power. If you want to follow along, you can do that by checking out the Internet Archive's copy of the issue here! And we have a LOT to talk about in this issue. This is the issue that properly introduced its readers to Super Mario World. That alone makes this a very special issue for Chase, but it's even more special because for him because his had a fun marketing gimmick on the cover. To get readers to renew their subscriptions, NP would occasionally wrap the magazine in an additional cover. But Emmy and Chase aren't only going to be talking about Super Mario World (though that is a pretty big chunk of what they'll be talking about) but there's also Star Wars, Power Animals, REM, another one of these freaking Nester Comics, a check in with Newsie, and more. There's so much stuff to talk about, that we're just going to break this up into two episodes. So please be sure to check back next week for the conclusion of this episode.

We've reached the end of another month. And that means it's time to wrap things up with another edition of The Wrap. But before we get to that, we just want to let you all know that we'd love to have folks come on our show to discuss thier favorite SNES games. If you're a fellow content creator, feel free to reach out on Instagram, Youtube, or even Bluesky. Links to all of those are on our website Snescapades.show. You get to pick three SNES games to form the episode around and chat with us around them. If you're nice, we might even let you help us rank them!Alright, with all of that out of the way. It's time to talk about what we're doing on December 1993's edition of The Wrap. We've got sports games, Koei strategy games, and a Super Scope game. But there's also games that we're going to talk about.In sports, we've got ABC Monday Night Football, Dig & Spike Volleyball, and World Soccer '94. There's also F1 Pole Position and Side Pocket in games that are kinda sports. Somehow three freaking Koei games came out in the same month, Nobunaga's Ambition, Romance of the Three Kingdom's III, and Genghis Khan. The Super Scope game is Metal Combat: Falcon's Revenge, which we don't have a way to play right now, but have it on pretty good authority that it's the best of the Super Scope games.And, of course, there's the licensed stuff. We've got Beethoven: The Ultimate Canine Caper, Barbie Super Model, Dennis the Menace, and Mario's Time Machine. We're going to talk about them all and rank them. Will there be any surprises? I'm not gonna say. You'll have to listen to find out.

It's a little bit of a mixed bag today as we reach the final proper episode for the games released on the SNES in 1993.We start with the top-down, Gauntlet-like shooter Soldiers of Fortune (aka Chaos Engine). Not much to say about that one here. There's mutants in it. That's neat. Is that a Gundam? Yes! But they aren't allowed to call them that, so let's just call them Metal Marines. That's the second game on tap for today. Finally, we have a JRPG to cap things off. It's Lufia and the Fortress of Doom. Lufia doesn't carry the same weight as a Final Fantasy or Breath of Fire, but does it deserve to be just as loved as those franchises? We'll let you know.

Put on your gi, sharpen those sai, and do whatever the heck you were supposed to do in Battle Blaze because it's time to get into the ring! We've got three fighting games to talk about today. And this just might be the batch of games that redeem this less-than-stellar month in SNES games.We're talking about Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters. It's a fighting game starring the ninja turtles which seems like a combination as obvious as pepperoni and cheese. We'll tell you why we liked it and how it stacks up to the other fighting games on the list.We're also talking about Art of Fighting, the second SNK fighter on the system. This one is a huge improvement over the first fighting game SNK ported from the arcades. Is it as good as TMNT? Better? Which tier will it end up in?Turtles and SNK fighters? We're on a roll. Sadly, Battle Blaze also came out this month. Look, they can't all be winners.All of this and an SNK deep dive on today's episode of SNEScapades!

Hey folks. We're gonna tell you about a trio of 2D platform games on today's show. We're not going to lie to you. Things start out a little bit dire on today's episode. The first two games feature franchises that didn't last very long. Dr. Franken is a game that answers the question "What if a bunch of boring people tried to make Frankenstein's monster a cool dude?" You get a pretty bland video game. Jim Power: Lost Dimension in 3D seems to ask the question "Can we make gamers motion sick with a 2D game?" Both of these games are technically playable, but will that be enough to save either of them from the "F" tier? Our last game for today is Inspector Gadget, which is based on the popular 80s/90s cartoon. The titular Inspector is mostly known for being a witless buffoon on that show, but could he be the hero we need to come back from this dire episode? Or is "best game of the episode" a very relative term this week?

Buckle up, because we've got a need to go really fast in various vehicles. Spiky car? Sounds like fun. Space ship that shoots lasers? Sign me up. Cool cop car? Eh... maybe not that one. We're starting the show talking about Battle Cars which is another Mode 7 racing game where you drive around and try to use weapons to knock the other cars off the road. It's also very Mad Max inspired. Find out if we think this game is off to the races, or if it's just a pile of scrap. Then we're chatting about Super Chase HQ, a game in which you get in your car and take off after criminals. Yup, you're playing a cop so you know Chase is going to have a few things to say about that. And no, he's not happy that this game has his name in the title.Finally, we're talking about Super Nova, which is another entry in the Darius series which strangely left the "Darius" part out of the title. Will this game rise to the heights of Darius Twin before it? Listen and find out. All of this, and a Taito deep dive on today's episode of SNEScapades.

It's time for another Playing with Power episode where we crack open the very last Nintendo Power issue for the year 1993. Aladdin is on the cover, so that's pretty cool. In this episode, we tackle all the hard-hitting questions: What is the political leader of Ireland called? Why don't my special moves work in Street Fighter II? Did the idea for the Wii Remote start with an obscure Nintendo system for planes and hotels? What does Bad Mr. Frosty want? Which SNES games were the most awkward? Will the Star Fox comic ever move past the fact that Fox's new girlfriend looks like his mom? Does Chase understand the difference between Jay Leno and David Letterman? Answers to all of these questions and more on this (kinda long) episode of SNEScapades Playing with Power. We hope you enjoy.

We're finishing up August 1991 again, and we're really excited because we get to talk about SimCity again, and we're pretty big fans of SimCity. But first we need to discuss Gradius III and Pilotwings, and we end up making our first shifts in the list. But what where will they end up? Do you think their re-evaluations are fair?Then we get to talk about the SNES's quirky take on the classic game, SimCity. Not only is SimCity a pretty important game, but it's got some interesting history behind it. We'll be discussing that and some other early "god-sims" in today's deep dive.All of this, a fun easter egg Emmy found in early SNES instruction manuals, and more in today's SNEScapades! Check out show notes on our website at SNEScapades.show

Here we are, back where we started. We're talking about two of the most prominent launch titles for the Super NES. Also, our website is back up at snescapades.show. Check it out for show notes, references, and more!First up is F-Zero, which was an amazing showcase of what the SNES's Mode 7 graphics were capable of. We placed it in the A tier when we first talked about it a few year back. Will we be a charitable to this impressive game, or will its lack of features cause it to slip a little in the rankings?And finally, we gush a little bit more about Super Mario World. Look, you don't need me to leave you in suspense, we love this game and it's position at the top of the list is really not in any danger (that is, if we were still doing individual numerical rankings).Also, we do a deep dive into the founding family of Nintendo, the Yamauchis. Happy listening!

Hey everyone. We're going back to the start of this whole crazy thing and talking about the issue of Nintendo Power that came out the same month the SNES hit the market. And it may surprise you to learn that there actually wasn't a lot about the SNES in that issue, but a whole lot about the Game Boy. We're talking about great Ninja Gaiden art, a better Nester's Adventures format, unwieldy (and likely unwanted) contest prizes, Mega Man on Game Boy, and lots more. Oh, and there is SOME talk about the Super NES (and how unlikely it was that the average kid was going to be able to get their hands on one at launch.) Also, listen and find out how many times we can say "Bio Force Ape" in a single segment.

Welcome, one and all, to the very first edition of The Wrap. This is an episode of SNEScapades where we look at all of the leftover games from a particular month that we didn't feel was worth one-third of an entire featured episode. Why did we decide to start doing this? Well the first two games on the docket have a lot to do with that. Actraiser 2 is the game that nearly broke Chase and Biometal was so dull that Emmy questioned whether she could continue talking more than a few minutes about every single game on the system. So congratulations Actraiser 2 and Biometal for being so awful and bland respectively that we changed the entire format of our show. We also discuss (briefly) Championship Pool, International Tennis Tour, Lamborghini American Challenge, NHL Stanley Cup, Steel Talons, Super Battleship, Super Putty, Super Tecmo Bowl, Terminator 2: Judgement Day, Time Slip, Tony Meola's Sidekick Soccer, and We're Back: A Dinosaur's Story. Whew, that's a lot of games, and we still managed to keep this episode a pretty typical length. We hope you enjoy this rapid-fire format for getting through the less-interesting stuff.

Happy new year, everyone. Sorry our release schedule was so spotty last year. We're hoping to make up for it by starting to go weekly again. Expect these episodes to be recorded FAR in advance, so apologies if we make references that are far out of date. Case in point, this was recorded in October of last year. We know we're making these for at least a month out now so they should get less dated moving forward. So, we're talking about Out to Lunch, Ranma 1/2: Hard Battle, and Clay Fighter in today's episode. Out to Lunch just barely escapes being relegated to the wrap-up for being an odd curio that neither Chase nor Emmy had really ever heard of before digging into the library for this show. But does that mean it's any good? We'll tell ya. Ranma 1/2: Hard Battle is based on the manga and anime Ranma 1/2. It's kind of amazing that a manga-based game made it to America so early (the first game in the series was turned into the disappointing "Street Combat"). If you want to hear Chase talk about this game more in-depth (back when he was still SteampunkLink), you can check out this episode of Play Comics. Finally, we're talking about Clay Fighter, a game that looks really cool and obviously had a lot of work go into it. But does this one reach the hights of say "World Heroes" or does it sink to the depths of "Power Moves". Look, we already know it's no Street Fighter II, right? All of this and a deep dive into Interplay. Thanks for sticking with us and we hope to bring you more SNEScapades than ever this year! References Barton, Matt. "The Burger Speaks: An Interview with an Archmage", GameDeveloper.com, 16 Dec 2020 Williams, Mike. "Interplay Selling Off Its IP, Putting Earthworm Jim and Descent in Play"(via Internet Archive), USGamer.net, 8 Sept 2016

It's Thanksgiving weekend and you know what that means? It's time for our yearly (usually yearly) movie review podcast. We decided to watch Five Nights at Freddy's in the hope that we could spare any of you having to watch this boring, nothing-burger of a movie. So consider this your warning because we're spoiling everything about this movie. Are you spending the weekend with some relatives that are, let's say, not politically aligned with you? Well, this movie might give you something we can all hate together. Will our wooden protagonist manage to keep his little sister out of his evil aunt's clutches? Will the antagonist end up being the guy played by the most recognizable actor in the movie? Who was that girl at the food court? Wait, how do these animatronics work? How does this compare to Willy's Wonderworld? We'll (try to) answer all these questions and more.

Hey everyone, we thought we'd do something a little bit different for Halloween. We wanted to talk about horror games and our experiences with horror media in general. All of this builds up to a discussion of the Super Famicom game Clock Tower. It may not have made it stateside, but we decided we'd give this one the SNEScapades treatment anyway. We hope you'll enjoy this little chat about our favorite horror games, Halloween's past, and this wonderful SNES game that we in North America had to miss out on back in the day. And maybe stick around for a little Zombie Jamboree on this episode of SNEScapades!

Oh, why hello there. We've got another episode for you today. We're talking about Robocop vs. Terminator, Total Carnage, and Disney's Aladdin. What do they all have in common? Not really anything. I'm not sure why I asked. Robocop vs Terminator is the best SNES adaptation of either of those properties up to this point, but that's a low bar. Does that mean it's actually good, or simply not awful? Total Carnage has nothing to do with Spider-Man villains, but is a pseudo-sequel to Smash TV. And what's this? Did this game cause an actual disagreement between our hosts? Find out who liked it, who didn't, and where it ultimately landed in our ranking. We wrap things up with Capcom's take on Disney's take on Aladdin. Is it any good? Yes. How good? C'mon, you have to listen to find that out. All this, a deep dive about Shinji Mikami, and more on this episode of SNEScapades.

We're back, everyone. Welcome to season 2 of SNEScapades! Why season 2? Well, we're going to be making a few changes to the way this all works going forward and we felt like this was a good time to do a soft reboot. We're not starting over, we're still talking about games in November 93 and moving forward, but not every game is going to get the kind of treatment they usually got in the past. Don't worry, we explain it in the episode and it's really not a drastic change. We hope you like this new format. As for today's episode, we are talking about three franchise games. We've got Pink Goes to Hollywood starring the Pink Panther, The Lawnmower Man, and Jurassic Park. Do any of these games live up to their respective franchises? Are any of them perhaps better than what you'd expect given their source material. All that, and our first formalized Deep Dive segment featuring UK developer/publisher Ocean (how apropos) on this episode.

We had a tiny mix-up today, so we're only reviewing two games. We're discussing Actraiser 2 and Biometal. And you'll be sure to want to hear who won in the first four preliminary match ups of the 2023 SSMP Showdown. Biometal is another horizontally scrolling shooter. But unlike other shooters on the SNES, this one is powered by Eurodance! Specifically, MIDI versions of songs by the 90's own 2 Unlimited. And we'll just let ya know right now, that Actraiser 2 does not live up to the original. Actraiser is still sitting pretty high in the A tier. So how far does the sequal fall? B-tier? C-tier? Something worse than that? You'll have to listen to find out. Thanks to everyone who voted, and check us out on social media to cast your vote for the next three rounds.

We decided we wanted to spice things up just a bit as we head down that road toward episode 100. Emmy and Chase are both picking 16 of their favorite Super NES tracks and pitting them all in a tournament to see which one is the best. And you're going to help us decide! We hope, please? We'll announce who's moving on in different match-ups every episode starting with the next one. So be sure that you're following Chase on social media to let us know which tune you think is your favorite. Check out Chase's Instagram account @snescapades to vote for your favorite. Also, you can reach out to him on Mastadon @snescapades@mstdn.social. Tumblr @chase-keys. Even Cohost, why not? @snescapades. Share this with your friends! We really hope we get a good turn-out. This'll be a pretty boring tournament without your help.

Another month is in the books and that means we're cracking open another issue of Nintendo Power. This time we're taking a look at the November 1993 issue. This issue contains some interesting information about Secret of Mana (which we already played) and a lot of maps of the SNES Jurassic Park game (which we have not yet played.) There's also some info for SimAnt, Aero the Acrobat, the penultimate issue of the Star Fox comic, and a Nester comic that was *gasp* kinda good? Most excitingly, we got what was a very early look at some renderings by some (at the time) very powerful CGI workstations which Nintendo hoped would be indicative of the visuals that its next console would deliver. But looking back on it all, was it a lot of wishful thinking, or was it accurate to the sorts of experiences the N64 would deliver? All this, a check-in with Newsie, and a whole lot more on this edition of SNEScapades Playing with Power.

We made it just under the wire to celebrate Pride and wrap up the month of October 1993 with a nice, rainbow-colored bow. Today we're talking about The Wizard of Oz, True Golf Classics: Wicked 18, and Troddlers. Wicked 18 takes the True Golf Classics series in a new direction with impossible courses. But is it par for the course, or do these courses get a bit too silly for their own good? The Wizard of Oz on the SNES has a bit of a reputation and we're sad to say, it lives up to them. And finally, Troddlers is a Lemmings-like that you may not have heard about. Can it live up to the lofty heights of its inspiration? All of this and more on today's episode of SNEScapades!

Hey everyone! We're still here, I promise. And we're talking about destructible toy lines, awful British fish things, and a really gross duo of cartoon animals. I guess you could say, this episode is about a bunch of dummies. First we're talking about The Incredible Crash Dummies, and how a PSA pleading with stubborn Americans to buckle up in the 80s lead to a toy line that would become the bane of many a vacuum cleaner in the 90s. Then we're talking about the Aquabats; an obscure spin-off to the somewhat already obscure James Pond franchise. We don't have quite as much to say about that one. But we have plenty to say about the early Nickelodeon Nicktoon Ren & Stimpy. How well does the strange and off-putting world of Ren & Stimpy work in the video game Ren & Stimpy: Veediots? Better than you'd expect. So buckle those seat belts, put on your running flippers, and sit down with your favorite tooth beaver. It's time for SNEScapades!

We've got cowboys, Jedi, and gambling. What more could you possibly want? Do you like really good arcade ports about colorful gun-slingers shooting capitalists? We got it! Do you like playing casino games but without the money or actual casino? We got that too! Do you like Star Wars? Oh boy, we got it! We've got some history behind the company that made Super Caesars Palace, but not much to talk about concerning the game, cuz there isn't much to talk about. But is it at least as good as that other SNES casino game? The Super Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back has a lot to live up to after the first game. The fact that it's not on the cover of this one should probably give you an idea of what we thought of it. But you can listen to our opinions anyway. May the Force be with you and all that jazz. Finally, we've got Sunset Riders. This is a really enjoyable arcade port and we can't wait to tell you what we like about it. So please give this one a listen, won't you? Hee Haw!

Hey everyone! Chase and Emmy are back to discuss ants and rpgs. First up is the Maxis game SimAnt, another PC sim port. Emmy has a lot of love for this game, but Chase isn't a huge fan of bugs. Give this one a listen and find out if Emmy's nostalgia will win the day over Chase's entomophobia. Then we have two games all about magic. The first is a traditional RPG called Paladin's Quest. It's certainly not one of the better known SNES RPGs. Is there a reason for that, or is Paladin's Quest a hidden gem? Finally, it's time to talk about Secret of Mana and it's well-documented troubled development.

Your hosts Chase Keys and Willie Martindale are back to discuss another three strange games in the short library of an equally strange system. First, we're talking about Inca and wondering, is the gameplay any good? Who wrote that amazing theme song? Is this game problematic? These are just a few questions we'll ponder as we discuss this FMV puzzle game/shooter/space combat about an ancient people fighting Space Spaniards. Totally normal game that still somehow manages to be more educational than the History Channel. Next, it's The Joker's Wild; a game based on an American game show that every elder-millennial and (maybe gen-xers) who stayed home sick watching TV all day in the early 90s. We'll talk a bit about the history of the TV show and the video game before deciding if this game still holds up. And finally, a game that needs no introduction, the infamous Zelda: Wand of Gamelon. You almost certainly know about this game if you're listening to this? But how many of us have actually played it? Is it as bad as everyone says? Is it better or worse than it's sibling game Link: Faces of Evil? We'll tell you. All this and Tetris music on this episode of CD-iSCAPADES. And be sure to listen to Willie's other show Grand Rapidians Play Video Games.

Today we've got three games that are fine. These are fine. They're fine. Well, two of them are fine. Well, Emmy thinks two of them are fine. Chase thought one of these games wasn't worth his time. But they both agree on one thing: one of these games is very bad. The others... they're fine. Emmy was pleasantly surprised by Lock On and found it's gameplay similar to parts of Star Fox 64 while Chase didn't care for it very much. Who will have more sway when it comes to placing it on the list, though? Well, if I wrote that in the description, you'd have less reason to listen to the episode, wouldn't you? Pac-Attack is a falling-block puzzle game that adds some Pac-Man... and it's fine. It's totally fine. You know what's not fine, the game based on Last Action Hero. It's bad. Give us a listen and we'll tell ya just how bad we thought it was.

Classic Looney Tunes shorts, American game shows, 90s anime; these are just some of the topics we talk about in this episode. We're talking about Daffy Duck: The Marvin Missions, Family Feud, and Kendo Rage. Marvin Missions is based on the classic Duck Dodgers and the 24th 1/2 Century short (that's really funny, you should go watch it.) Is this game worthy of the classic short, or is it as useful as a disintegration pistol? We also go into a brief history of the game show Family Feud before discussing the game. Did the SNES need a game based on Family Feud? Does something like this work in a world before the internet and easily accessible 4+ multiplayer? Are these questions hinting toward our overall opinions of this game? They probably should be. Finally, we've got Kendo Rage. It's a bit amazing we got a game like this without it getting westernized to hell and back. We'll tell you what we thought of it and Emmy will even talk a little bit about the OVA based on the game. All of this and a special message from Emmy at the end that we hope you'll stick around for. Enjoy!

Okay, Chase and Emmy were a little cranky on this one. But you would be too if you had to play these three games back-to-back. Cliffhanger is a boring game that plays acceptably, until it doesn't. Battletoads and Double Dragon isn't fit for either of those franchises (and that's saying something because we already kinda don't like Battletoads.) And Aero the Acrobat is kinda like if a DM went through the trouble of crafting a really excellent story, and was then just hell-bent on wiping the party and ending the game early. I wish I'd thought of that metaphor on the show. In any case, don't expect us to be kind at all to these games. If you really cherish any childhood memories of these games... it'll be okay if you want to give this one a skip. We also talked about the movie Cliffhanger (a first time watch for both of us) and we didn't like that either. So, you've been warned. We are sorry about all the negativity today. We really don't like to be that kind of a show. We do discuss the brief history of Malibu Comics, and that's kinda interesting. We hope you still enjoy the episode more than we did playing the games we talked about.

We have made it to another month in our chronology, so it's time to talk about an issue of Nintendo Power. Our guests for this episode are two-thirds of the amazing team from the Gateleapers podcast. Jason and Matt might have been too young to have read this issue when it was new, but they have a ton of hilarious commentary to offer anyway. If you're into fonts, early 90s CGI, Yoda feet, Plok, or wrestling then we've probably got something for ya. Also plenty of humorous US/UK misunderstandings. This issue was a bit lackluster, but we had so much fun chatting with these jokers, that I don't think mind. But if you take away one thing from this podcast, it's this: Don't EVER suggest your girlfriend dress up like your mom, please.

Happy New Year, everyone! We're kicking off 2023 and saying goodbye to September 1993 with a trio of pretty all-right games. We start with Wing Commander: The Secret Missions. It was, perhaps, a bold move to release what was an expansion for the computer versions of this game as a stand-alone game on a system that was already a bit ill-suited to it. Despite that (and not being a genre Chase enjoys all that much) maybe Chase and Emmy are feeling a little more fond of this game than they were with the original. I dunno. Listen and find out. Then it's time to talk about World Heroes, and it's strange place amongst SNK fighting games. Is this one tough enough to rival the likes of Tuff E Nuff, or is this another poor fighting game that's not fit to wash Street Fighter II's gi? And finally, it's Zombies Ate My Neighbors. Yes, we're going to talk about LucasArts. Yes, the game is amazing? How amazing? You're going to have to listen to find out just how high this one moves up the rankings.

It's a few days before Christmas, and we just have a regular episode that's been in the can for a week. Sorry about that. But the games are pretty interesting. We're talking about Tuff E Nuff and Top Gear 2. Also we briefly mention Utopia: Creation of a Nation. Tuff E Nuff is a goofy fighting game taking place in a dystopia where society has collapsed and the majority of its roster is locked behind a cheat code. But other than that, this one actually isn't bad for a fighting game of this vintage. We'll tell you what we think it learned the right lessons from Street Fighter, and what it could have improved on... ya know, if Jaleco had ever given us a sequel to this one. Top Gear 2 as a big legacy to live up to, as it's predecessor was a racing game that really took us by surprise. Does this one rise to the heights of the original, or will it be a disappointment? Listen and find out.

Well folks, it's finally happening. We've talked about wanting to make some changes to the list for some time and we're finally doing it. We're not just potentially re-ranking, we're changing the way ranking works. Basically, we're changing things to a tier list. We'll explain more in the episode. Is your favorite game getting a more or less favorable position on the new list? Listen and find out. And there's one more little change that's going to be talked about at the end, so don't check out early or else you're gonna be confused when the next episode drops.