Well, it's time to keep going through the SNES catalog. There were six more games released in 1990 that didn't make it out at launch, so let's just go ahead and finish out the year shall we?
The system's been out for almost a month now. Bowser's been beaten countless times. F-zero's tracks have been mastered, and everyone's getting tired of setting off bombs in Bombuzal. Japanese gamers were surely ready for something deeper. They were ready for ActRaiser.
ActRaiser - Master of 2 genres
Developer: Quintet
Publisher: Enix
Released:
12/16/1990 (JP)
11/1/1991 (US)
ActRaiser is actually two games. There's a side-scrolling portion that's a mix between Castlevania and Ghost & Goblins. Then there's the simulation portion where you need to develop the town and seal up monster layers. The better you do in the sim side, the more powerful you are in the action levels. Everything was solid in this game, from the graphics, to the soundtrack, to great mix of gameplay. ActRaiser is at least a must-play, and you can get it on the Virtual Console here.
Game info and shopping options:
My Grade: A+
Worth Playing: Yes
Populous - Buttons, Buttons Everywhere
Developer: Bullfrog
Publisher: EA (JP)
Acclaim (US)
Released:
12/16/1990 (JP)
9/1/1991 (US)
Populous is an early god-sim where you are tasked with helping your tribe to prosper. I'm pretty sure this was a PC game first that was ported to the SNES and it's easy to see that it would work better on PC. The screen layout is confusing and while it may be deeper, it's not as clean as the sim part of ActRaiser.
Game info and shopping options:
My Grade: B-
Worth Playing: Not unless you love steep learning curves.
Final Fight - I Wish More Mayors Would Suplex Gang Members
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Released:
12/21/1990 (JP)
11/10/1991 (US)
Final Fight is a ported version of the arcade game of the same name. It's a pretty faithful job considering how early it is in the SNES life-cycle. You choose one of two characters and go through the city beating up everyone in sight to save the girl and stop the gang. It holds up pretty well if you don't mind the challenge that comes with ports of arcade games designed to eat all your quarters. You can find it on the Virtual Console here. I also wonder if mayor Mike Haggar was Arnold Schwartzenegger's inspiration to go into politics.
Game info and shopping options:
My Grade: B+
Worth Playing: Yes, but the lack of co-op makes the arcade version better.
Gradius III - UUDDLRLRBASTART
Developer: Konami
Publisher: Konami
Released:
12/21/1990 (JP)
8/13/1991 (US)
Another entry into a new genre for the SNES, Gradius III's 100% classic shmup gameplay had you saving the galaxy as the pilot of the Vic Viper. It's got tons of enemies, huge bosses, and a steady stream of power-ups. It was also a game that used the famous Konami code. One of the cooler features was the ability to change the weapons loadout so you could try different setups. The only downside is that the graphics, especially the backgrounds are pretty bland. It's on the Virtual Console so you can check it out here if you want to play an old school shooter.
Game info and shopping options:
My Grade: A
Worth Playing: Yes
Pilotwings - You Want Mode7? You Got Mode7!
Developer: Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo
Released:
12/21/1990 (JP)
8/13/1991 (US)
Pilotwings was designed purely to show off the (at the time) amazing Mode7 effects that the SNES could produce. Your task is to earn licenses in various flying activities like planes, parachuting, hang gliding, and even jet packs. While the effects were great and it deserved the success it had, the game doesn't quite hold up as well as other early titles. You can still play it on the Virtual Console though. Click here to go to the page.
Game info and shopping options:
My Grade: B
Worth Playing: No
SD The Great Battle - Black Sheep of the Launch
Developer: Banpresto
Publisher: Banpresto
Released:
12/29/1990 (JP)
And now we come to our first game to never be released outside of Japan. It's also the only game released in 1990 that didn't make it here. Not only was it based on Anime, which was just starting to gain a following in the US, but the SD meant Super Deformed, so the characters were all squished and childish looking. Gameplay wise it's a pretty generic top-down action game.
Game info and shopping options:
My Grade: C+
Worth Playing: No
Phew, that was a lot of games, but we're done with 1990, and the SNES owners in Japan have a nice variety of games to play. My 10 year old self, however, was still slobbering over the pages of Nintendo Power waiting impatiently for the US release. Thanks for reading and God Bless!
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