Superman NES No english, or, things that don't make sense VG

[spoon]

I happen to be playing Super-Man for the NES at the moment, (Good thing I have had a few drinks), one character told me in english "I do not understand english". Wtf?

Why are there such silly things in games? More or less the older ones to be exact. I have a few reasons why, want input.

Someone here can def. read more into what I mean. Spoon=No good typing at the moment. Barf!

I am sure I will edit this later so the typung mistakes are gone.

[Querjek]

It's because Iron Monkey was hired to do the translating.

[Cav]

Superman for the NES has got to be one of the most quirkiest games I've ever played. It's so bizarre that it has inspired me to give it some coverage in an upcoming issue of Classic Gamer Magazine.

Playing it was such a surreal experience that I couldn't put the controller down just so I could see what weirdness they were going to throw in next. How funny is it that Superman has to take the subway to get around town? And the citizens of Metropolis just spew out phrases that make little to no sense.

I love that game like I love a really bad movie.

-Cav

[Algol]

Not to mention the fact that everybody looks like a bunch of little kids.

[ManekiNeko]

Well, how about Monster Party on the NES? When you enter a room to do battle with a boss in the first stage, he quickly informs you, "Sorry, I'm already dead." Uh, how does THAT work? Stranger still is that you fight a bunch of fried foods in a later round. The shrimp on a skewer is most definitely dead, yet it somehow manages to put up one heck of a fight.

JR

[Wavelflack]

How about "I AM ERROR" from Adventure of Link? I'm fairly curious as to the origin and purpose of that guy. Was he a blank of sorts, or could they not translate his part in time for the US release? If he was an error, why didn't they delete him from the room and have another empty house?

Didn't you ever wonder about this?

[Graham Mitchell]

Playing it was such a surreal experience that I couldn't put the controller down just so I could see what weirdness they were going to throw in next. How funny is it that Superman has to take the subway to get around town? And the citizens of Metropolis just spew out phrases that make little to no sense.


I'm glad someone else feels the way I do. Superman for the NES is a mindf$*k. I have been somewhat intrigued by that game since I first played it 15 or 16 years ago.

If it wasn't based on Superman, I think more people would actually love this game, because it's not that bad at its core. It's fairly ambitious for an NES game (the world is huge).

I think a lot of the rediculous things that appear in that game are there because the text was probably translated from Japanese.

It's not just the dialogue or the fact that, on the subway, Superman is about 3 feet shorter than everybody else. Other factors make it, er, "special". The whole layout seems way too complicated for it to be originally concieved as an NES game. It feels, to me, like it may have been a Commodore 64 game in its original inception. It was programmed by First Star Software, the same people who wrote Spy Vs. Spy (an Apple II and C64 hit long before it ever showed up on Sega and Nintendo consoles.)

And the music...it sounds like some really intense 4ad band or something. I actually really like it, but I'm into that stuff. What made Kemco think that would be appropriate for a game about Superman? Who knows.

An intriguing game, definitely. A lot of people probably don't like it at all--just try to not focus on the fact that it's supposed to be a Superman game and you'll enjoy it a lot more. Also, does anybody else feel that this was maybe the best Superman game around? All the others throughout the years have been Gawdawful.

[Sotenga]

Engrish is delicious. It doesn't make sense, and yet, it cracks us up. And now, I shall list a few examples of said Engrish.

I'M GIVE UP!
YOUR APPELATIONS
TECHNICAL MONKEY

That's the message you get if you beat Gradius III for the SNES on Arcade difficulty. LOL

And now, Battle Rangers!

http://www.81x.com/Authors/sotenga/batt0008.png

And what's with that little... thing following around Mina in Samurai Shodown V? I don't get it. Speaking of SS, that game's Engrish is horrendous. It defined a new level of nonsense known as "SNKglish."

"I thought I was dead. But I think I'm Cleopatra, too." Wan-Fu, SS1

"I said you before, didn't I? Pass away!" Genjuro, SS2

"Let's do the death dance!" Basara, SS3

"I think I'm turning Japanese!" Galford, SS4, and yes, this is an actual quote. :eek 2:

I could go on and on. But I don't think anything's supposed to make sense in games. They're all about escape from reality, and the more abstract it seems, the less real it becomes, and in most cases, the more fun it is. :)

[TheRedEye]

I AM THE COPY CHIEF.

...okay, Perry.

[ManekiNeko]

No, Superman really WAS that bad. I appreciate what they were trying to do with the game but it came together so very poorly. As I said before in one of my old print fanzines, it's one of those NES games that makes less and less sense the more you play it.

JR

[Graham Mitchell]

Posted: Wed 05 May, 2004 7:50 pm Post subject:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

No, Superman really WAS that bad. I appreciate what they were trying to do with the game but it came together so very poorly. As I said before in one of my old print fanzines, it's one of those NES games that makes less and less sense the more you play it.



You know, I don't think I would say Superman was a GOOD game by conventional standards. I have the same opinion about, say, Deadly Towers, or Mystery Quest. Most people loathe these games. I'm a wierdo, however, and I really appreciate that games like these tried to do something unconventional.

There's quite a few NES games that have this quality--they're executed rather poorly. Compare them to Kid Icarus side by side and most people will be opting for the winged archery...but if you really give the games a chance and get over the crummy interfaces and quesionable graphics, they can be somewhat fascinating. Maybe it's just because of how bizarre they are in comparison to everything that was coming out.

This is one of the reasons I think the 8-bit era was such an exciting time in gaming, because really stringent standards on what works (ie, sells) and what doesn't. It kind of seems that people were a little more adventurous when designing games. They didn't just say 'I'm going to make a shooter/fighting game/platform game/first person shooter', because the follow-the-leader mentality maybe hadn't arrived on the scene yet. Who knows. But it looks like they built the concepts for some of these games from the ground up. It's kind of rare to see a truly unique game released today, but back then they seemed to slip onto the market all the time.

Legacy of the Wizard is another example. It doesn't work 100%, but there's some really unique stuff going on there if you get around the rough edges.

[Aussie2B]

Speaking of SS, that game's Engrish is horrendous. It defined a new level of nonsense known as "SNKglish."

SNK are definitely the masters of Engrish.

Wubba wubba, I'm in the pink today!

[Graham Mitchell]

This is one of the reasons I think the 8-bit era was such an exciting time in gaming, because really stringent standards on what works (ie, sells) and what doesn't

...hadn't been established yet. Hell, all this Engrish is rubbing off on me! LOL

[ManekiNeko]

You know, I don't think I would say Superman was a GOOD game by conventional standards. I have the same opinion about, say, Deadly Towers, or Mystery Quest. Most people loathe these games. I'm a wierdo, however, and I really appreciate that games like these tried to do something unconventional.

There's quite a few NES games that have this quality--they're executed rather poorly. Compare them to Kid Icarus side by side and most people will be opting for the winged archery...but if you really give the games a chance and get over the crummy interfaces and quesionable graphics, they can be somewhat fascinating. Maybe it's just because of how bizarre they are in comparison to everything that was coming out.


Yeah, I suppose that's a fair assessment. However, the promising concepts behind games like Mystery Quest and Deadly Towers is what made them even more disappointing. The designers had a solid foundation for these games, but the game engines they'd built over them were so very, very awful that it was extremely tough to enjoy the whole package.

Part of the reason for this is that a lot of these games were designed during that awkward transition between the technological limitations imposed on video games in the early 80's and the advances we typically expect from the NES. The fact is that not every NES game is going to meet the standards we've come to expect from the system. High-quality titles like Super Mario Bros. 3 and Kirby's Adventure were more the exception than the rule, using special memory chips to help them overcome the limitations of the NES. Without these enhancements, the technological gap between the Nintendo Entertainment System and older consoles like the ColecoVision isn't nearly as vast.

JR

[Graham Mitchell]

Part of the reason for this is that a lot of these games were designed during that awkward transition between the technological limitations imposed on video games in the early 80's and the advances we typically expect from the NES. The fact is that not every NES game is going to meet the standards we've come to expect from the system. High-quality titles like Super Mario Bros. 3 and Kirby's Adventure were more the exception than the rule, using special memory chips to help them overcome the limitations of the NES. Without these enhancements, the technological gap between the Nintendo Entertainment System and older consoles like the ColecoVision isn't nearly as vast.


I like you! :D
I've noticed this a lot too with these games. I always said these games were just "too big for their britches". The early progression of games on the NES in particular always seemed to promise great things--like how we go from Ice Climber and Clu Clu Land to suddenly hitting the Legend of Zelda. In a way the NES was sort of the testing ground for ideas that were really solidified in the 16-bit generation, I think. The NES really was capable of doing more than many consoles before it--it just took all that memory boosting to make it do these things in a stylish and unclunky fashion. Some games were successful without these enhancements, however. I don't think I was cognigitively aware of how advanced Metroid really was compared to its competition until I was much older. The Guardian Legend is another great example.

I think Sega's Master System really had a handle on this concept. Games like Zillion and Compile's Golvellius were among the first slew of carts to hit the US. By the end they had Phantasy Star and Spellcaster, among other things, which really broke the mold genre-wise, and outperformed anything else before them. Then when Genesis came out all the SMS games got horrible, but that's just how it goes. :o

[Push Upstairs]

And now, Battle Rangers!

http://www.81x.com/Authors/sotenga/batt0008.png


My head blew up just trying to figure out what he was SUPPOSED to be saying.

"A Winner is You" is engrish. That above is...i dunno what the hell that is.




"I think I'm turning Japanese!" Galford, SS4, and yes, this is an actual quote. :eek 2:

Galford is just a huge fan of 80's music.

[ArnoldRimmer83]

How about "I AM ERROR" from Adventure of Link? I'm fairly curious as to the origin and purpose of that guy. Was he a blank of sorts, or could they not translate his part in time for the US release? If he was an error, why didn't they delete him from the room and have another empty house?

Didn't you ever wonder about this?

In the town of Mido by the dock where you use the raft, a guy will tell you to ask Error about the third palace. When you talk to Error again, he tells you about the hidden tunnel south of Kings tomb that leads you to the third palace. So he does serve a purpose.

[QBert]

Did anyone finish Superman?
I recall coming close but now I cant remember if I did finish it or not.

Agreed, a very interesting but different game.


Qbert

[Cav]

Did anyone finish Superman?
I recall coming close but now I cant remember if I did finish it or not.

Agreed, a very interesting but different game.


Qbert

I did when it first came out. I don't remember the specific ending, but I think you have to defeat the gang that's inside the Statue of Liberty. In fact, doesn't Superman have a full blown conversation with that statue at some point during the game? Or during the intro? It just gets stranger.

I forgot about Perry White's limited banter and how you are only as tall as everyone's kneecaps in the subway LOL

I really dig the music and weird sound effects in it though.

[spoon]

Yes, the Statue of Liberty and Superman have a conversation during the intro. I am going to finish this game and post a follow up. As there must be even more greatness futher in the game. I also like how this topic has made a split. Interesting read.

[rbudrick]

Legacy of the Wizard is another example. It doesn't work 100%, but there's some really unique stuff going on there if you get around the rough edges.

Graham Mitchell, you rock. LotW Is an absolutley incredible game that most overlook because they can't even find the first crown, and untila couple years ago, there was never a map on the interent for it. The game is HUGE. That game used to boggle my mind. It was one of the few games I rented over and over even though I coudn't figure out what the hell I was doing. Finally, when I found out which character is supposed to go in what direction, the whole game opened up.


You know, I don't think I would say Superman was a GOOD game by conventional standards. I have the same opinion about, say, Deadly Towers, or Mystery Quest. Most people loathe these games. I'm a wierdo, however, and I really appreciate that games like these tried to do something unconventional.

Ahh, Deadly Towers, the game everyone hates because they think it's cool to hate it, and because it is human nature to mock what you don't understand. The game is VERY good, if you can get past the dungeons. Mapping them is a bitch, but those are online now. PM me if ya need em and can't find em (well, search first, man! heh heh). The music is actually really good (title screen/intro still creeps me out), and the music at the bell towers is pretty cool. I heard there was a part 2 in store that never came to light....anyone got info on this? Originally the game was called Hell's Bells...yep, Nintendo didn't like that at all.

This game used to frustrate the piss out of me. I just couldn't get anywhere in it but I kept trying for years as a kid I'd get real far and DIE. What seemed like years later, the trick in Nintendo Power to change the 1st 2 letters of you password to EF really made the game fun, as you could avoid the dungeons and start with the best armor and weapons. Try this, and I bet you will like the game a lot, since it's a lot easier to experience the whole thing then.

I really oughta map that game someday.


Does ANYONE else like this game?

-Rob