The enhanced version of Kirby’s Dream Land 2 is a real treat on the Super Game Boy. While it only has one special border to choose from, it does have enhanced sound effects (like the sound of wind blowing on some levels), level-specific palettes, and even some special full-colour screens such as the title screen, menus and the ending.
Tag Archives: pioneering
Kirby’s Dream Land 2, Game Boy
First released in 1995 for the original Game Boy, Kirby’s Dream Land 2 continues the adventures of Kirby – after Kirby’s Dream Land and Kirby’s Adventure – adding three new animal friends to help Kirby as he sets out on a quest to restore seven stolen rainbow bridges and defeat the evil force known as “Dark Matter“.
Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter, Arcade
Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter is the sequel to X-Men vs. Street Fighter and the second instalment in the Marvel vs. Capcom series. The game was first released as an arcade game by Capcom in 1997. It then received ports to the Sega Saturn in 1998 and the PlayStation in 1999.
Continue reading Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter, Arcade
X-Men vs. Street Fighter, Arcade
X-Men vs. Street Fighter is Capcom‘s third fighting game to feature Marvel Comics characters, following X-Men: Children of the Atom and Marvel Super Heroes, and is the first instalment in the Marvel vs. Capcom series. It was originally released as an arcade game in 1996, and was ported to the Sega Saturn in 1997, the Sony PlayStation in 1998, and Windows PCs in 2001.
The Sentinel, Amstrad CPC
Geoff Crammond‘s classic The Sentinel was first released for the Amstrad CPC by Firebird in 1987, and it is one of the best 8-bit versions of this weird and wonderful game.
The Eidolon, Atari 8-Bit
Using an enhanced version of the fractal engine created for Rescue On Fractalus, The Eidolon is a first-person action game – developed by Lucasfilm Games and published by Epyx in North America in 1985 and Activision in Europe in 1986 – that divided critics when it was first released. While Zzap!64 magazine gave it 97% and a gold medal; raved about the game, and said that it was “not to be missed“, the reviewers of Computer Gaming World disliked it, describing it as “one of the worst games of 1986“… There’s no accounting for taste…
10 Best Marble Madness Conversions
Atari Games‘ classic Marble Madness has been converted to pretty much every home system known to man (apart from those that it hasn’t been ported to, but then again: what have the Romans ever given us?), and here’s our list of the best…
Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest, NES/Famicom
The second game in the Castlevania series, Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest, was originally released in Japan (as “Dracula II – Noroi no Fuuin“) for the Famicom Disk System in 1987, and in North America for the NES in 1988. Europe had to wait until 1990 for a release of the game.
Castlevania, NES/Famicom
The first Castlevania game was initially released in Japan, by Konami, under the title of “Akumajō Dracula” in 1986. Versions for the MSX2 and Famicom Disk System were developed simultaneously, with the Famicom version coming out on 26th September, and the MSX version a month later, on 30th October. That same game was later released in Europe on 30th October 1987 – translated into English – under the title of “Vampire Killer“.
When it came time to convert the game to the Nintendo Entertainment System for a North American release it was decided to re-title the game as “Castlevania“*. This turned out to be a significant decision as it became a big hit and grew to become a popular and well-known series of video games. The name “Castlevania” entered into the lexicon of classic, instantly-recognisable game titles, later becoming a portmanteau of “Metroid” and “Castlevania” (“Metroidvania“) to describe an entire sub-genre of action/platform games that all share similar gameplay features.
*= Although it’s not clear who actually came up with the name “Castlevania” it has been reported that the change was due to Konami of America senior vice president Emil Heidkamp‘s discomfort with the religious connotations of the title “Akumajō Dracula“, which he believed translated as “Dracula Satanic Castle” (although some argue that it translates as “Demon Castle Dracula“).
Doom, Sega 32X
The Sega 32X port of id Software‘s Doom was developed and published by Sega of America in 1994. While the game doesn’t run in a full window (there’s a permanent border around the screen, probably to keep the frame rate up, which is unfortunate), it is an otherwise very good conversion, with smooth movement and decent controls.
The King of Grabs 