★ Pang Man Part 11 – "Gaming Memories –Super Famicom" ★ #Retrogaming #GamersUnite

The Pang Man has been reminiscing on the glory days of the Super Famicom and that glorious Game .....

Hole In One Golf.......

Never heard of it? 

Read On To Find Out What The King Of Retrogaming Has To Say......

"My favourite console of all time is the Super Famicom (i.e. the Super Nintendo). I was lucky enough to be given the Japanese version of the console with a couple of games in 1991. 

One of these games was an overhead view golf game called Hole in One Golf

Hole in One Golf was bit of a challenge at the time, because none of the in-game instructions were in English and because I didn’t understand the rules of golf either! 

I remember hitting a lot of shots into bunkers and water hazards, but overall it was still pretty fun!

Super Mario World

This is the other game that I was given and for me it is the best platformer of all time. The in-game instructions and the instruction booklet itself were all in Japanese (which I don’t understand), so when I discovered something by chance, it was all the more surprising! For instance working out how to fly/glide using the cape, discovering the spinning attack, or realising you could run up the side of exclamation blocks to access new areas. 

 

This was also the game that introduced everyone's favourite sidekick Yoshi! A green dinosaur with a penchant for eating enemies or spitting out shells, he was the perfect travelling companion. Later on in the game, the inclusion of different coloured Yoshi's with varying abilities (flying, spitting fire etc) added an extra element of surprise.

 

This was also the first game in the Mario series to feature Ghost houses. Incorporating false or circular exits, alongside an often unusual level structure, meant that this was one of the few types of level where there was a genuine danger of losing a life, due to the clock running out.

The game was huge for the time. 96 level, with no filler. Endless invention in terms of level design, with clever puzzles and hidden areas, I was constantly amazed! Completing the levels felt satisfying especially when you got to Special world after the main game had finished.

Super Mario Kart

Everything about Super Mario Kart was brilliant, the catchy music, the characters, the perfect controls, local multiplayer, last gasp victories, the simplicity of the weapons, the strategy involved in using those weapons, awesome battle mode and fantastic and varied track design. 

Even the one player, time trial races against the ghost version of yourself, was great! 

This is one of the few franchises where I would purchase a console just for the game!

Super Tennis

One of the most underrated aspects of a movie are the sound effects. For example if someone is kicked in the face in a martial arts flick, then if there is a feeble impact sound, then the moment is diluted. On the other hand, if the sound effect accurately reflects the physicality of the action being shown (e.g. Bloodsport, The Raid, The Raid 2, Ong Bak) then this can enhance a scene.

 

This concept also applies to video games. Luckily Super Tennis gets this aspect right!  When the ball hits the racket a truly satisfying thud sound is made. Similarly the sound of the ball bouncing off the surface of the court is spot on!

 

Of course apart from the sound, there are many other great aspects of Super Tennis; the controls were responsive, the game was very competitive (especially against friends), it had a great tour mode and most importantly it was fun!

 

I am very surprised this game not been updated for modern consoles. I would love to play Super Tennis Wii U! (After all it is a travesty, that the best Tennis game on the Wii is still Wii Sports!)

UN Squadron (aka Area 88)

This was a horizontal side scrolling shooter with great weapons, non-stop arcade like action, diverse enemies and awesome boss battles, alongside top notch graphics and music. It was a tough game so there was a real sense of achievement when negotiating a challenging level

Final Fight

Final Fight was one of the best beat em ups of the early 90’s. Memorable moments include trying to survive the pit with loads of wrestlers (Andore) and the satisfaction of punching the 1st boss (Damno) in the face (especially after his annoying laugh!) Although this game was great, the SNES version sadly dropped the simultaneous 2 player mode from the arcade as well as the awesome Rolento lift level.

International Superstar Soccer Deluxe

There was a time when FIFA was rubbish and ISS (or Pro Evolution as it is now known) was the king of the footy games. This game was probably responsible for the most physical fights and tantrums in my house, as the devastation of losing became too much to bear. Luckily the controllers were quite robust considering the amount of times they were thrown in anger!

Killer Instinct

A decent alternative to Streetfigther 2 with; memorable characters (Saberwulf and Orchid in particular were pretty cool) including a Predator rip off, bone crunching sound effects, and a ridiculous combo count (MONSTER COMBO!!!!, ULTRA COMBO!!!) This is the only game I currently want to play on the XBOX one

SF2/ SF2 Turbo /Super SF2

For me this is the best fighting game ever. 

Streetfighter 2 had such memorable characters, each with their own storyline (Guile avenging Charlie, Ken and Ryu’s rivalry, Chun Li avenging her father) that they are all still in Streetfighter IV, 17 years later! 

This game was a true trendsetter in every way. It was probably the 1st one on one fighting game to incorporate different buttons for different strength attacks and special attacks based on 45 degree, 90 degree movements of the joystick/joypad. 

I believe it was also one of the 1st fighting games to introduce chaining attacks of combos, which are now a staple ingredient of all modern beat em ups!   

So those were the games that I remember the most fondly. I’m sure there are many I have forgotten, but I suppose I can always update this article when they spring to mind!

As always, thanks for listening!"

Pangman

Now You've Heard What Pang Man's Super Fami Faves Are, Let Us Know What Your Famicom Faves Are!