Super Nintendo Gems

[T]

I enjoyed reading about genesis gems here

http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?166028-Genesis-Gems


I wondered if anyone have an recommendations about SNES games

Just like the Genesis thread... I am interested in something unique, something not many have heard about but that I could find fairly easily.

[recorderdude]

Cheapest gems I can think of:

The Lawnmower Man - I picked mine up for $3 from a retail store. REALLY interesting gameplay soup of a run-n gun, first person flying, first person shooting, and hyperzone-esque spaceship shooting. Pretty solid, too.

DinoCity - Yes, I know JonTron reviewed it so it's not exactly obscure anymore. Still, really fun game that most still haven't heard of. Only ran me $6 in-store, but watch out as people have started to charge more for it ever since the JonTron episode became popular.

TinStar - Probably the best lightgun game on the SNES that doesn't require a lightgun. Sort of a parody of a sphagetti western with robot cowboys with many different styles of gameplay. My copy only ran me $4.

Bonkers - Why does everyone forget this game? It's a capcom disney game like tons of others and, imo, one of the best. It averages around $8-10 (I still need to nab a copy), and it's pretty short, but it's really quite a ride. The music is GODLY, by the way. Especially the "Luxurious Yacht" theme that I ended up turning into an entire lyricized song a while back.

Inspector Gadget - Ghosts N Goblins made love to Castlevania. Convinced yet? Averages around $7-8.

Those are the best cheap titles I can think of at the moment. There's plenty more that's good, but you did mention you want easy-to-find and obscure titles, and that usually overlaps with price.

[Drixxel]

There are lots of interesting and lower profile commons on the SNES. A few that spring to mind:

Operation Logic Bomb - A sequel to the Game Boy smash hit Fortified Zone !! Quite an enjoyable overhead run 'n gun / exploration thing in a sci-fi setting.
Plok - An enormously colourful and energetic platformer that offers quite a wicked challenge. This one appears to have gotten a bit more attention in recent years.
Super Baseball Simulator 1.000 - The best and most interesting baseball game in the SNES library, I'd say, and as dirt cheap as you'd expect a sports title to be. Tons of fun to be had with the Ultra League teams and all their zany pitching & batting specials.
Wild Snake - It's an interesting take on the falling block puzzler. Not the most refined or engaging puzzle game, but unique.

[Doonzmore]

I'll second Tin Star. I picked up a complete copy for 6 back in Dec and found it to be refreshingly original.

Lawnmower Man? Eh, I don't have a very fond recollection of playing that game back when I was younger. We purchased it from a video store and ended up returning it. I was around 7 years old at the time and the box art creeped the hell out of me.

My nominees:

Sky Blazer
X-Men Mutant Apocalypse
Cold Shadow - One of the last great Disney games from that era. The animation is exquisite and the music is fantastic. I remember playing the Flying Duckman stage with the surround sound in the dead of the night and feeling absolutely haunted by the music.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ojeb8d0NQbc

[recorderdude]

I'll admit that lawnmower man isn't perfect, and way too hard, but I found it way more enjoyable now that I'm older and can stand the challenge. If the 3D stages are too hard, try the genesis port. It has more difficulty settings and lets you take hits in the normal flying stages instead of just the ones where you have to shoot things too.

(by the way, you can actually charge a shot ala megaman with either the A or shoulder buttons. I've known about the game for about 3 years and I only discovered that now.)

As for Cold Shadow, there's really two different versions of it: PC/Genesis and SNES. The PC one is a bit slower-paced and harder, and sounds a bit better overall. I'd reccomend that one more, but the SNES port isn't bad, even if it really takes liberties with the game's speed and level design.

[Steven]

Demon's Crest, Twisted Tales of Spike McFang, Prehistorik Man, B.O.B., etc.

There's so much more to life on the SNES than Super Mario World and Super Metroid...

If you explore the Japanese SFC scene as well as the repro scene... man, there are just too many gems out there... from "Secret of Mana 2" to "DoReMi Fantasy" to "Terranigma" to... the list just goes on and on. <3 this system...

[FrankSerpico]

Saturday Night SlamMasters can usually be had for 15 bucks or less and it's one of the better two player games on the console. Robotrek is a fun little rpg from Enix that is just about the cheapest rpg other than Lagoon that you can score for the SNES. If you like D fighters, I'd also recommend the SNES ports of Power Instinct and World Heroes 2

[Atarileaf]

If you like shmups, try Space Megaforce, a kind of pseudo-sequel to Blazing Lazers by Compile.

[WCP]

Plok! - Amazing color, difficult platformer

Skulljagger - not that bad of a platformer, interesting pirate theme

[IHatedSega]

Theres a version of Popful Mail on the SFC.
The Great Circus Mystery starring Micky and Minnie is very fun.

[sloan]

Michael Jordan - Chaos in the Windy City. Only released on SNES and quite a gem at that.

[Tron 2.0]

Wildguns
Magical Pop'n
Sunset Riders

[Masamune]

I have a few recommendations myself:

Tetris Attack (http://playingwithsuperpower.com/tertris-attack-review/)

Clock Tower (http://playingwithsuperpower.com/clock-tower-review/)

Buster Busts Loose (http://playingwithsuperpower.com/tiny-toon-adventures-buster-busts-loose-review/)

Kendo Rage (http://playingwithsuperpower.com/kendo-rage-review/)

Super Tennis (http://playingwithsuperpower.com/super-tennis-review/)

[starsoldier1]

I been playing a few Snes games as of late and these are a few good ones I really liked despite being more uncommon titles:
Legend of the Mystical Ninja http://youtu.be/IsbcjTYQO_U

Metal Combat http://youtu.be/HWpU7ArVVIc

Sparkster http://youtu.be/U7zVhpjqMhE

UN Squadron http://youtu.be/oA-NKGQMvSw

Wild Guns http://youtu.be/T8G99L76B20

[WCP]

I been playing a few Snes games as of late and these are a few good ones I really liked despite being more uncommon titles:
Legend of the Mystical Ninja http://youtu.be/IsbcjTYQO_U

Metal Combat http://youtu.be/HWpU7ArVVIc

Sparkster http://youtu.be/U7zVhpjqMhE

UN Squadron http://youtu.be/oA-NKGQMvSw

Wild Guns http://youtu.be/T8G99L76B20


I almost listed UN Squadron above in my post, but felt like it maybe it's already pretty well known among gamers. But yeah, no question UN Squadron is awesome. It's pretty damn hard, but awesome.

[starsoldier1]

Yeah, I originally thought UN Squadron was pretty popular enough to not be considered obscure but then I remembered there was never really a sequel either. I also rarely see this game around my retro stores like it use to be.

[Namakubi]

I'm going to recommend games that are under the radar - so no Nintendo franchises or Square RPG's - but I'm also going to recommend games that aren't going to cost you an arm and a leg to own (so titles like Hagane, Wild Guns or Demon's Crest aren't going to pop up in my list) the SNES after-market has exploded in the last year or two, so these will all be games that are easily obtainable for under $20 each.

6266

Super Adventure Island - One of my favorite platformers on the system. Large sprites and colorful graphics, lots of level variety, a good difficulty balance (not nearly as hard as the NES original) and of course, Yuzo Koshiro's outstanding house / hip-hop / chill wave influenced soundtrack. It's worth checking out just for the music alone. It's currently available on Amazon used for less than ten bucks.

6267

B.O.B. - This is a neat little platform shooter starring a goofy looking teenage robot. If I had to compare it to anything, it plays similarly to the Turrican series crossed with Mega Man. Nice shaded style sprites give it something of an Amiga look. Lots of fun gadgets and different types of weapons to use on the adventure. It can be found used on Amazon right now for less than $5.

6268

Joe & Mac - I used to rent this game all the time from the local mom 'n pop video store in my neighborhood.A cartoony Contra-style run and gun starring two "cave dudes" who go around whacking dinosaurs and neanderthals to get their cave cuties back. Short, but fun the entire time, definitely worth playing two player with this one. Can be had used from Amazon for less than $15.

6269

Congo's Caper - pseudo prequel / spiritual successor to Joe & Mac. play as a little monkey kid who has to save his girlfriend. Super bright, colorful graphics and large areas to explore. Definitely worth the pick up on Amazon marketplace for six bucks.

6270

Magic Sword - Faithful arcade port from Capcom. Play as a loinclothed warrior working his way up the tower of an evil sorcerer, and find allies of different fantasy role playing class-types to team up with that accompany you on the quest. While not a long game, it can be quite challenging. Worth it at less than ten bucks used.

I also echo the recommendations for Inspector Gadget and Skyblazer. Will return with more suggestions later!

[Namakubi]

More cheap titles to check out!

6271

True Lies - surprisingly competent overhead shooter from, of all companies, LJN. Surprisingly faithful to the Arnold / Cameron flick. Hilariously bloody for such squat little sprite characters, a bit like Smash TV in that regard. Definitely worth the used price of under seven bucks on Amazon.

6272

Cybernator / Assault Suits Valken - This one I was on the fence about including as it's nearly a bona-fide classic, but considering it's under ten bucks used, it's absolutely worth purchasing if it's not already in your collection. Fantastic mech action, huge bosses, great explosion effects, fantastic music, it's all good. Also blisteringly difficult, so be ready.

6273

TMNT: Tournament Fighters - Yeah, it's a Street Fighter clone, but what a clone! Made by the same dev team at Konami that ported Turtles in Time to the SNES, it's got big, colorful Konami sprite work, and it's straight up great for some multiplayer fun with a few buddies, and some pizza and beer. Looks like it's just under $12 used on Amazon.

6274

Operation Logic Bomb - A pseudo-sequel to the game Fortified Zone on the Gameboy. Ball-bustingly hard top down action shooter with some minor stealth elements. Really good, overlooked little title. Also similar to The Ignition Factor, also from Jaleco. Can be own for around three to six dollars.

Hope these lists of overlooked / underrated and affordable SNES titles will tide some folks over.

[WCP]

6266

Super Adventure Island - One of my favorite platformers on the system. Large sprites and colorful graphics, lots of level variety, a good difficulty balance (not nearly as hard as the NES original) and of course, Yuzo Koshiro's outstanding house / hip-hop / chill wave influenced soundtrack. It's worth checking out just for the music alone. It's currently available on Amazon used for less than ten buck


Yeah, the music is really good, and probably the best stage in the game, musically, is the one where Master Higgins is swimming inside a whale. The music in that stage, reminds me of something....


http://img.snowrecords.com/cd/2/10807.jpg

[retroman]

Tecmo Super Bowl 3 Final Edition was the best football game on this system in my opinion. Thats my Gem.

[Steven]

There are lots of interesting and lower profile commons on the SNES. A few that spring to mind:

Operation Logic Bomb - A sequel to the Game Boy smash hit Fortified Zone !! Quite an enjoyable overhead run 'n gun / exploration thing in a sci-fi setting.
Plok - An enormously colourful and energetic platformer that offers quite a wicked challenge. This one appears to have gotten a bit more attention in recent years.
Super Baseball Simulator 1.000 - The best and most interesting baseball game in the SNES library, I'd say, and as dirt cheap as you'd expect a sports title to be. Tons of fun to be had with the Ultra League teams and all their zany pitching & batting specials.

Drixxel, I've seen you recommend these games over the years. Know what excites me? I bought those games waaay back in early 2006, always wanted to play them, but STILL HAVEN'T YET gotten around to. Whenever the day comes that these games reach the top of my queue, I sure will be amped. I could say that for 100 other SNES games at least :)



6267

B.O.B. - This is a neat little platform shooter starring a goofy looking teenage robot. If I had to compare it to anything, it plays similarly to the Turrican series crossed with Mega Man. Nice shaded style sprites give it something of an Amiga look. Lots of fun gadgets and different types of weapons to use on the adventure. It can be found used on Amazon right now for less than $5.

6268

Joe & Mac - I used to rent this game all the time from the local mom 'n pop video store in my neighborhood.A cartoony Contra-style run and gun starring two "cave dudes" who go around whacking dinosaurs and neanderthals to get their cave cuties back. Short, but fun the entire time, definitely worth playing two player with this one. Can be had used from Amazon for less than $15.

6269

Congo's Caper - pseudo prequel / spiritual successor to Joe & Mac. play as a little monkey kid who has to save his girlfriend. Super bright, colorful graphics and large areas to explore. Definitely worth the pick up on Amazon marketplace for six bucks.

Great list Namakubi! Very well done. B.O.B. is solid. A slow, methodical platform blaster, but oddly addicting IMHO and a true sleeper type game. Always have enjoyed J&M and CC as well.



More cheap titles to check out!

6271

True Lies - surprisingly competent overhead shooter from, of all companies, LJN. Surprisingly faithful to the Arnold / Cameron flick. Hilariously bloody for such squat little sprite characters, a bit like Smash TV in that regard. Definitely worth the used price of under seven bucks on Amazon.

6273

TMNT: Tournament Fighters - Yeah, it's a Street Fighter clone, but what a clone! Made by the same dev team at Konami that ported Turtles in Time to the SNES, it's got big, colorful Konami sprite work, and it's straight up great for some multiplayer fun with a few buddies, and some pizza and beer. Looks like it's just under $12 used on Amazon.

Excellent call on these games! TF rocks and TL is surprisingly rock solid and quite a blast, no pun intended. The cartoony blood is a humourous touch.

Good taste, man. I pretty much concur with you on all these games. Great titles to have to round out one's collection. Not necessarily "must-have" games, but "good-to-have" ones.

[goldenband]

Seconded on B.O.B., Do-Re-Mi Fantasy, Space Megaforce, and Skuljagger -- but be warned that you must have a manual if you play Skuljagger. Most of the manual is an illustrated short story, and there are tons of clues hidden inside that make a big difference to gameplay. In particular, the game's final boss is almost impossible to beat without the necessary clue.

A couple more I'd throw in:

Spider-Man/X-Men: Arcade's Revenge - Tough action-platformer that desperately needs continues or a password system (though there's a hidden spot that gives you tons of extra lives, which helps). But if you can forgive that, and the contrived situations into which the X-Men get placed, it's a very rewarding and challenging game with amazing music.

Drakkhen - Many people hate this quirky RPG ported from the Amiga, and it's certainly not for all tastes, but I found the weird atmosphere and moody, ambient music to be totally mesmerizing. One of my favorite things about the SNES is the "haunting" quality that some of its better RPGs and adventure games had, and this one has stuck with me more than most.

I'd also mention Lost Vikings, though that one's fairly well-known. Still a great puzzle/platformer, though, with wit and humor to spare. The SNES ports of Out of This World and Prince of Persia are also favorites of mine.

BTW I totally thought B.O.B. was an Amiga port when I first played it!

[Steven]

It warms my heart to see such support for SNES B.O.B. :)

Here's a review I wrote of it nearly six years ago (whoa)

B.O.B. <3 (http://www.rvgfanatic.com/7401/278701.html)

[IHatedSega]

I played and won 2nd place at Clay Fighter tournament, if you like weird games then you should get a bunch of friends and play this game. The funny moments, especially when you choose the Guitar/Elvis stage will be never ending. :S

Look at that background at 1:09!!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKwe-pIesHc

[Tron 2.0]

If you like shmups, try Space Megaforce, a kind of pseudo-sequel to Blazing Lazers by Compile.
2nd that ive played it off my flashcart and it's definitely a good one by compile.

[CastlevaniaDude]

Super Baseball 2020.

Not as good as the NeoGeo version, but seriously, I could spend hours playing it.

[Vkmies]

Carrier Aces is a very interesting WWII-era style plane sim thingamajig. Quite hard and slow, but it's really original and interesting.
Fairly sure it's pretty common and cheap as well. Give it a shot. Has a pretty cool split screen 2-player mode too!

[marlowe221]

Sorry for the (very) minor necro but I just saw this thread and wanted to participate.

Wing Commander/Secret Missions - Both ports turned out pretty good and make decent space sim-type games for a 16-bit system.

Batman Returns - Decent action platformer/beat em up. It's got pretty good graphics and controls well.

Knights of the Round/Other Capcom Beat em Ups - You don't hear much about this game (or it's bretheren) these days but they were all solid beat em up games with decent (or better) graphics and sound.

Sim City - Yeah not exactly obscure or anything but it seems to have been largely forgotten about these days. The SNES port is arguably the best version of the game.

Edit: I also quite enjoyed Star Trek: Starfleet Academy but that one's a bit more niche.

[Namakubi]

Batman Returns - Decent action platformer/beat em up. It's got pretty good graphics and controls well.

Knights of the Round/Other Capcom Beat em Ups - You don't hear much about this game (or it's bretheren) these days but they were all solid beat em up games with decent (or better) graphics and sound. Totally second these, however, the used prices of Knights of the Round and King of Dragons has steadily gone up in the last few years, presumably because they make a half-decent alternative to no practical home release of the Capcom Dungeons and Dragons brawlers. (yes, I know the import Saturn ports exist, I said practical.)

[spman]

Yeah, the music is really good, and probably the best stage in the game, musically, is the one where Master Higgins is swimming inside a whale. The music in that stage, reminds me of something....


Although it's not as cheap, Adventure Island 2 is even better than the first, and more obscure. It's an action RPG of sorts, definitely under appreciated. Other inexpensive favorites of mine

Aladdin
Goof Troop
Magical Quest Starring Mickey Mouse
Sonic Blast Man
Zombies Ate My Neighbors
Pieces
Claymates
Rocky Rodent

[marlowe221]

Totally second these, however, the used prices of Knights of the Round and King of Dragons has steadily gone up in the last few years, presumably because they make a half-decent alternative to no practical home release of the Capcom Dungeons and Dragons brawlers. (yes, I know the import Saturn ports exist, I said practical.)

Yeah, the current prices on the Capcom beat em ups are unfortunate. I wish they would come down - I've played them but don't own them!

[QUOTE=spman;1953229]Although it's not as cheap, Adventure Island 2 is even better than the first, and more obscure. It's an action RPG of sorts, definitely under appreciated. Other inexpensive favorites of mine

Aladdin
....[QUOTE]

The SNES version of Aladdin get a lot of crap on the interwebs these days for being not-quite-as-cool as the Genesis version, a lot of undeserved crap IMHO. The SNES version of the game is still a great platformer with good graphics and catchy music. And it's cheap to own!

[Nesmaster]

I'm not big on sports games but I found Super Tennis and Super Soccer to be both very good titles that I had growing up.

Tin Star is a great game that utilizes the mouse. Never tried it with the Super Scope and although I have finished it with the controller it is annoyingly difficult near the end this way.

King of the Monsters 2 Two player co-op Arcade beat-em up, I've found myself going back with a buddy to play this at least annually since I've had it when the SNES was current.

Kirby's Dream Course is what happens when you take Kirby and turn him into a mini-golf kinda game. Highly recommended.

Cliffhanger A beat-em up based on a movie that isn't half bad. Had this one as a kid and while it is tough I found it to play pretty well.

Power Rangers Simple, short, easy. Enjoyable beat-em up.

Uniracers was like nothing else at the time, I don't think it's so special anymore but this may be worth a look.

Capcom kids titles you couldn't really lose. Mickey's Circus Mystery, Goof Troop, Aladdin.

I'll throw in my votes for Zombies ate my Neighbours, Actraiser (not so much 2), and The Flintstones: Treasure of Sierra Madrock.

EDIT: The Strike games are pretty good too. Desert Strike, Jungle Strike, and I won't speak for Urban Strike as I never got too far into this one.

[Drixxel]

Drixxel, I've seen you recommend these games over the years. Know what excites me? I bought those games waaay back in early 2006, always wanted to play them, but STILL HAVEN'T YET gotten around to. Whenever the day comes that these games reach the top of my queue, I sure will be amped. I could say that for 100 other SNES games at least :)

Haha, you know, there's something of a broken record-like feeling to making the same recommendations time and time again, but a game as worthy and with such a stupid title working against it as Super Baseball Simulator 1.000 deserves the attention. I'm sure you'll love Plok whenever you get around to it, Steven, it seems like a platformer that'd be totally up your alley. It's very... SNES, and I mean that in the best way!

[goatdan]

Haha, you know, there's something of a broken record-like feeling to making the same recommendations time and time again, but a game as worthy and with such a stupid title working against it as Super Baseball Simulator 1.000 deserves the attention. I'm sure you'll love Plok whenever you get around to it, Steven, it seems like a platformer that'd be totally up your alley. It's very... SNES, and I mean that in the best way!

I might be weird about this, as I tend to really dig platformers that others often don't, but I LOVE Tiny Toons: Buster Busts Loose on the SNES. I thought of it as a better-than-Sonic rip off by Konami. Loved the music and humor too. It can be found regularly for less than $10 shipped.

[recorderdude]

I might be weird about this, as I tend to really dig platformers that others often don't, but I LOVE Tiny Toons: Buster Busts Loose on the SNES. I thought of it as a better-than-Sonic rip off by Konami. Loved the music and humor too. It can be found regularly for less than $10 shipped.

The tiny toons game on genesis is WAY more of a sonic ripoff than Busts Loose, but I definitely enjoyed the SNES version too. Pretty much any Konami game for SNES is great stuff.

Except animaniacs. We don't talk about animaniacs.

[Steven]

Haha, you know, there's something of a broken record-like feeling to making the same recommendations time and time again, but a game as worthy and with such a stupid title working against it as Super Baseball Simulator 1.000 deserves the attention. I'm sure you'll love Plok whenever you get around to it, Steven, it seems like a platformer that'd be totally up your alley. It's very... SNES, and I mean that in the best way!

Haha for sure! I know what you mean regarding the broken record part. I feel the same way whenever I recommend games like BS Out of Bounds Golf (even though it never was officially released) ;)
I feel like my SNES collection is like having a "Netflix queue" of 300 games I want to watch, er, play. I dunno where Plok or SBS 1.000 sits currently on my queue, but depending on my mood I can always hit the "straight to the top" button :) It's one of the great luxuries of owning every game you ever wanted to play (but never did). Can't wait to play Plok in particular, as I was quite curious about it back in the day. I heard it's mighty tough, though. I wonder if it matches B.O.B. in terms of difficulty. Although B.O.B. was mostly about memorization, advance a bit more, die and repeat type trial and error. Once you played a level 6-8 times, then you knew what to do. Dunno if Plok's difficulty is like that or not...

[M.Buster2184]

Sorry for the (very) minor necro but I just saw this thread and wanted to participate.

Wing Commander/Secret Missions - Both ports turned out pretty good and make decent space sim-type games for a 16-bit system.

Batman Returns - Decent action platformer/beat em up. It's got pretty good graphics and controls well.

Knights of the Round/Other Capcom Beat em Ups - You don't hear much about this game (or it's bretheren) these days but they were all solid beat em up games with decent (or better) graphics and sound.

Sim City - Yeah not exactly obscure or anything but it seems to have been largely forgotten about these days. The SNES port is arguably the best version of the game.

Edit: I also quite enjoyed Star Trek: Starfleet Academy but that one's a bit more niche.

Ooh yeah. I use to love the SNES Wing Commander ports. Can I also recommend Zombies Ate My Neighbors? Nice original game, mashup of all the classic horror movies with some decent humor thrown in. Also, if you like fighting games, I remember renting Maximum Carnage when I was younger and playing with my friend. It was a good game if memory serves. Someone here might have a more recent opinion of the game. Also for puzzle games, I give an honorable mention to Kirby's Avalanche.

[Tanooki]

Carrier Aces is a very interesting WWII-era style plane sim thingamajig. Quite hard and slow, but it's really original and interesting.
Fairly sure it's pretty common and cheap as well. Give it a shot. Has a pretty cool split screen 2-player mode too!

I second this for what I could play of it. I couldn't make sense of some of the different scenarios as I never could find a faq or better yet a copy of the manual to get the controls and objectives down clearly. A very unique game and at least in the dog fighting parts very fun as you just don't see flight combat sims like that on the SNES at all. I'll put a 1/2 vote in for the Wing Commander games as it's amazing they got all that stuff into those carts, but they didn't bother I think to iron out the controls enough because it's very hard to get in on a target when it scrolls in like 1/4 inch 'ticks' spot to spot so it's very hard to line up a hit on a small fast moving target far more than it should be.

Star Trek StarFleet Academy is amazing too, a 3D game with no FX chip in sight and it plays smooth too. The main game is all about training to get into starfleet and it's bridge based with some classroom (mission objectives) stuff around it, but essentially it's a thinking game a bit in there, but primarily a combat shooter. The developers knew it too because there's also a second addon game in there of just a combat simulator where you can crank a lot of difficulty choices and set up many different types of ships from the federation, klingon, gorn, etc to go up against.

I got two other oddball suggestions, but one is clearly not a cheap game to buy -- EVO and DOOM. EVO is pricy, but it's entirely unique, a fun action game with RPG influences where you snack on other creatures to get evo points to in turn evolve in different epochs. Eventually you need to save that period in time from a problem beast by evolving to where you can drop a beating on them to then time skip further. You can totally get creative with how you design things and in the last era you can even end up as a human, mermaid, or some four legged creatures as it's just weird. And yeah I threw DOOM in, sure they cheaped out (midway, no surprise) on the cart size so they had to reduce the amount of angles enemies have(they all face forward only) and no battery which was just stupid as all get out, but beyond those it's a fun and totally functional version of DOOM worth giving a try to.

And you're right it's very common as far as the pricing goes. I see a lot of games, a good many boxes, but oddly the manual pops up the least.