What do you think of these late-1994 Nintendo Power ratings?

[Proclus]

As you know, Nintendo Power rates (or used to rate) games out of 5 in four different categories: graphics and sound (G), play control (P), challenge (C), theme and fun (T). I'd like to know your thoughts on the ratings they gave to the following late-1994 action games for the SNES. Did they under- or overrate some of these games in your opinion? Which of these games received the most unfair ratings according to you?

The Adventures of Batman & Robin: G3.7, P3.6, C3.6, T3.4
Demon's Crest: G3.9, P3.3, C3.8, T3.7
Earthworm Jim: G4.4, P3.3, C3.7, T3.9
Donkey Kong Country: G4.9, P4.1, C4.6, T4.4
The Lion King: G4.7, P3.7, C3.9, T3.8
Mickey Mania: G3.9, P3.5, C3.4, T3.9
Pitfall – The Mayan Adventure: G3.6, P3.3, C3.9, T3.8

Thanks in advance...

[Ed Oscuro]

Can't comment on The Lion King, but the Genesis version isn't anything special from what little I've played and is very generic.

Demon's Crest definitely got the shaft there. Some sections are much less detailed than others (the first part where you have to execute various cliff jumping puzzles, before boss fight A) but overall this game is pure gold. It's been years since I've played DK Country (got a copy a month or so back) so I can't say I like DC better than DKC, but they should definitely be closer.

[Proclus]

Demon's Crest definitely got the shaft there. Some sections are much less detailed than others (the first part where you have to execute various cliff jumping puzzles, before boss fight A) but overall this game is pure gold. It's been years since I've played DK Country (got a copy a month or so back) so I can't say I like DC better than DKC, but they should definitely be closer.

Interesting comment. My situation is the reverse of yours: it's been years since I've played Demon's Crest, but the ratings seem a bit harsh.

***

Also, I can't understand the 3.7 given to the graphics and sound of Konami's Adventures of Batman & Robin (all four of its ratings seem too low in my opinion). It has one of my favorite video game soundtracks, and the graphics have several striking effects/designs...

[Graham Mitchell]

How did Earthworm Jim only get a 3.9 for "Theme and Fun"? That game consists ENTIRELY of a fun theme.

NP reviews have always eluded me. A 1-5 scale is too limited to really infer anything from the review. Besides, I always felt that Nintendo had some kind of agenda with those things. I remember Bases Loaded 2 getting like a 2 or something for theme and fun, while Nintendo Baseball got a 4.9 in the same category. If you've played both those games, you'd know off the bat you were gonna get more mileage out of Bases Loaded, so something fishy was going on there...

[Jasoco]

I think the Lion King deserves its rating. The Genesis version looked like shit in comparison, so a 4.7 for Graphics on the SNES one is well deserved. The graphics and sound on the SNES one made the Genesis port look like an afterthought. Smooth gradients, better singing at the title screen, it was a masterpiece. I had a lot of fun with it in 1994 when I got it for Christmas. (And when I got a Genie, I had more fun.

[MegaDrive20XX]

Demon's Crest: G3.9, P3.3, C3.8, T3.7

Im sorry but that's a crock of shit!

Demon's Crest o3nz them all 4 Fr33 bitches!!

Demon's Crest was a masterpiece that was forgotten in the history of great games..

I remember picking this up for $16 at Wal-mart brand new back in 1995...I was blown away...

First off, the Graphics and Sound is superb..it's Capcom man...I wish I had that game on Soundtrack...had some superb BGM to even be compared to that of CastleVania even I think

Controls were pretty basic..why so low?

Challenge...apparently they haven't met the LAST hidden boss...

Theme and Fun....the Theme and the mood of the game was dark...I loved it to death...downright fun!

[The Manimal]

How did Earthworm Jim only get a 3.9 for "Theme and Fun"? That game consists ENTIRELY of a fun theme.

NP reviews have always eluded me. A 1-5 scale is too limited to really infer anything from the review. Besides, I always felt that Nintendo had some kind of agenda with those things. I remember Bases Loaded 2 getting like a 2 or something for theme and fun, while Nintendo Baseball got a 4.9 in the same category. If you've played both those games, you'd know off the bat you were gonna get more mileage out of Bases Loaded, so something fishy was going on there...

Those games came out several years apart.... They talked about this in one of the 1990 or 1991 issues. How Bases Loaded and Baseball Stars are the best baseball games on the system, but Baseball scored high because it was the only game out at the time to judge on.

[Proclus]

Besides, I always felt that Nintendo had some kind of agenda with those things.

Yes, they probably did. Sometimes, they dared to give bad ratings to Nintendo-published games, but it didn't happen often.

[Graham Mitchell]

Besides, I always felt that Nintendo had some kind of agenda with those things.

Yes, they probably did. Sometimes, they dared to give bad ratings to Nintendo-published games, but it didn't happen often.

Somebody should investigate what they gave Barker Bill's Trick Shooting.

I play tested that game for Nintendo when I was a kid (they had a thing called the Evaluation Center in Redmond. If you were a Nintendo Power subscriber fortunate enough to live nearby, they'd write you and invite you to test stuff out.) That game was the laughing stock of entire staff there (though I kind of liked it. )

[Proclus]

I play tested that game for Nintendo when I was a kid (they had a thing called the Evaluation Center in Redmond. If you were a Nintendo Power subscriber fortunate enough to live nearby, they'd write you and invite you to test stuff out.)

Very interesting!

Did they give you a "Power Meter" form to complete (i.e. ratings on graphics, sound, control, challenge, etc.)?

[Graham Mitchell]

I play tested that game for Nintendo when I was a kid (they had a thing called the Evaluation Center in Redmond. If you were a Nintendo Power subscriber fortunate enough to live nearby, they'd write you and invite you to test stuff out.)

Very interesting!

Did they give you a "Power Meter" form to complete (i.e. ratings on graphics, sound, control, challenge, etc.)?

Yeah, something like that. There was a form sheet where we were to give the games a score in each category (similar to the ones in NP, but they had different names) and they wanted you to write a comment about it. I went for years and years, and as games evolved, so did the critical apparatus to review them. By the end we were talking about defining the difference between a "graphic adventure" and an "epic quest", while we all started out playing simple NES games. It was really interesting.

I got to play many awesome games before they were released. Street Fighter II for the SNES was one of them (the EPROM in it was so big that they had to pull the Super Famicoms out of their little locked cases just to fit it in there! The first 16-meg game ever, you know.) I also saw Super Metroid before I even knew one was in the works.

The only game I played there that was never released was Sim City for the NES. The NES processor was really slow, so the game time dragged really badly. Plus, the sizes of all the zones were wrong...all the RCI zones were 2X2 instead of 3X3 like in all the other versions, but all the other zones (power plants, gifts, etc.) were the same size as in the PC and SNES versions. This meant that you couldn't make donut blocks and put other things in the center of them, so the game was essentially flawed. They must have decided to scrap the idea after we tested it; I killed it in review because of the size issues.

[Ed Oscuro]

Very good stuff Mr. Mitchell, but what about the "locked cases" for Super Famicoms? I'd like to know more about this.

[Jasoco]

The only game I played there that was never released was Sim City for the NES. The NES processor was really slow, so the game time dragged really badly. Plus, the sizes of all the zones were wrong...all the RCI zones were 2X2 instead of 3X3 like in all the other versions, but all the other zones (power plants, gifts, etc.) were the same size as in the PC and SNES versions. This meant that you couldn't make donut blocks and put other things in the center of them, so the game was essentially flawed. They must have decided to scrap the idea after we tested it; I killed it in review because of the size issues.

I would kill for a prototype of that. I loved the SNES one. I'd even settle for a ROM!

Was the music kinda like the SNES one? Was it supposed to come out at the same time? I wish I knew more.

[Graham Mitchell]

Very good stuff Mr. Mitchell, but what about the "locked cases" for Super Famicoms? I'd like to know more about this.

The locked cases were simple homemade things made of desk parts with a hole drilled in them to get the cords out, and holes to access the power and reset switches. After awhile, when we switched over to SNES (we always tested SNES games on a Super Famicom...most people testing there weren't as into video games as me, and I commonly had to explain what the hell that was) the cart sizes got so big (40 megs for Super Metroid) that they just said "fuck it" and yanked them out and had them sitting on the table. (believe me, the thought crossed my mind to take it and run.)

I would kill for a prototype of that. I loved the SNES one. I'd even settle for a ROM!

Was the music kinda like the SNES one? Was it supposed to come out at the same time? I wish I knew more.

The game was pretty much finished; it ran seemlessly and was fully translated(the game just sucked). So, there's probably a prototype out there somewhere (unless they destroyed the eproms), and if there is, you'll be able to read it!

As for the music, I still remember it clearly, and it was all totally different from the SNES version. It was kind of intense to highlight the "passage of time" type feel the game has as the years progress. Dr. Wright was also in the NES version (he was even on the title screen). I don't think this version had the "scenarios" of the SNES version either, but all the disaster icons were still there. It looked really good on the NES too; very colorful.

[Jasoco]

I hope they didn't. I would love to see that.

[Graham Mitchell]

Yeah, well, let me know if you do ever find it; I'd like to see it again too!

You know, it could have been legitimately released in Japan...? I should look into that.