Supervision: handheld of the less fortunate

[CMA Death Adder]

Holy schnikes! I was finally able to make high-quality scans of all the Supervision cartridge label variations that I own. Are you ready for a heaping helping of bad artwork? Then you've come to the right place.

Special thanks to Frank Cifaldi for suggesting an effective way to scan the uniquely shaped (inconveniently humped!) cartridges: by laying them over the edge of an 0.93 inch sheet of acrylic. I had to use a Canon 5600F scanner to get sharp, clear images, as my Epson Perfection V39 has a severe case of nearsightedness.

[CMA Death Adder]

Bought a blister pack version of the QuickShot Supervision online, kindly asked the seller to please protect the cardstock insert against potential shipping damage. So of course, the guy crams the thing into a box an inch too short, and the insert gets bent. Well, whatever. I could still get a scan. And now, that scan is online. I also updated the grey box scans to include the Block Buster & Cross High 2-in-1. Enjoy!

[CMA Death Adder]

All righty then! The page for the single-game cartridge version of Cross High actually has some content on it now, but don't get excited 'cuz it's just some screenshots and a note about the (non-)ending.

While preparing this stuff, I've been listening to the soundtrack of the far superior Motocross Maniacs for the Game Boy: the game Cross High poorly ripped off. Irony? Or just common sense? Maybe a little bit of both.

[Rickstilwell1]

I had a hinged version from 2009-2012 that I bought just to try out and had 3 games. I looked at it as kind of like Game Boy but the games less memorable. You can emulate Supervision in MESS but last time I tried I had an old computer and it didn't run very well. I don't really get the new version of MAME and how it's supposed to be integrated with MESS so I just use old versions of MESS for the odd systems that don't have their own good emulator.

[drludos]

I had a hinged version from 2009-2012 that I bought just to try out and had 3 games. I looked at it as kind of like Game Boy but the games less memorable. You can emulate Supervision in MESS but last time I tried I had an old computer and it didn't run very well. I don't really get the new version of MAME and how it's supposed to be integrated with MESS so I just use old versions of MESS for the odd systems that don't have their own good emulator.

I recommend Wataroo, the best SuperVision emulator around:
http://www.tailchao.com/Wataroo/index.php

If you'd like to play Supervision on a portable machine, Potator on PSP is cool too! (at the least, the screen is way superior than an actual Supervision )

[Gameguy]

I'm surprised it's already been over a year since I replied in this thread. I still have the same two boxed games and haven't had anyone interested in them. lol

[CMA Death Adder]

Recent site updates...

• November 30, 2019:
The game instructions archive on the scans page was updated to include Italian language instructions for 2-in-1: Block Buster / Cross High, Delta Hero, Space Fighter, and Super Block. Not exciting enough for ya? Well, keep your eyes peeled 'cuz I've got a few blister pack insert scans coming along shortly.

• December 5, 2019:
Surprise!! I'm back with more blister pack inserts, as promised. So... it's not really a surprise. Anyway! You get 2-in-1: Block Buster / Cross High, and Soccer Champion. Soccer Champion's instructions have also been added, in English and Italian. Urr�! Soccer Champion had proven a tough one to find complete. And 2-in-1: Block Buster / Cross High, I noticed, was imported by a firm named Cammarota S.R.L., instead of the more familiar Watary Italia. Curious!

[Steve W]

The day before Thanksgiving I'm at a GameXchange store in Fort Worth, TX and was blown away to see they had a shrinkwrapped Supervision in their case! I might have leaped on it if it was at a better price, but they wanted $99.95 for it. I have three games for it (one is the standard pack-in so I'd have one duplicate) and none of them are interesting enough to splurge a hundred bucks for. If I had a dozen games I might have spent the money but the cost to entertainment balance makes it not worth it.

[CMA Death Adder]

Today's update...

Merry 2020, guys 'n' gals! Our first update of the year is, like the two updates that preceded it, all about scans. For one, I busted Block Buster out of its tight, repressive blister pack to get scans of the insert + English & Italian language instructions. And, two-hoo! There's scans of the Golden Free Trade Supervision box and instructions, from down Mexico way. Fab stuff, amirite?

[CMA Death Adder]

Today's update...

The other night I thought to myself, “I should get pictures of all the Crystball levels.” Then I laughed. Then I paused for a moment, raising an eyebrow. Then, I actually went and got all the pictures!! What is wrong with me?! (Wait, don't answer that.) Playing through Crystball again after all these years... sucked. But, I was able to notice and document some quirky details about the game's behavior. These stunning revelations are now available for you to overlook.

On the scanning front, Mark Canon (aka “stupus”) was kind enough to send in the following: blue boxes for 14 games, Galaxy Fighter and Journey to the West cartridge labels, and the official Goldnation price list and order form. W0w! Thanks, Mark!

Finally! Two more pages of Dixons ads were added to the existing PDF. Apparently the updated file had been sitting here for quite some time, waiting to be uploaded. Sorry, eh!

[CMA Death Adder]

Today's update:

A rather interesting update around here, for a change: I've acquired and scanned sets of instructions for Crystball and Hero Kid from the Travellmate era, aka the earliest known issue of what soon became (unfortunately) known as the Supervision.

The Crystball set is especially interesting as it includes text in the game description that doesn't seem to appear in any of the later prints. Specifically, this gem of a line appears: “The animals may disturb you in the game, you can kill them with Crystball ans you will be scored, too.” (Terrible English and misspelling of the word “and” are faithfully reproduced from the source material.) Delightful. So make a beeline for the scans page and have a laugh.

https://www.diskman.com/presents/supervision/scans.htm

[CMA Death Adder]

Howdy! Here's the first update for 2021, and boy is it a doozy! New content has been piling up for nearly a year now, but somehow I kept letting everything (and anything) get in the way of properly processing it all. Imagine that!! *wink*

Anyway! Let's itemize all the rad new scans that were added today:

- An Eagle Plan cartridge label variant.
- A better quality TV-Link Adaptor cartridge label.
- A complete TV-Link (NTSC) product set.
- An update to the TV-Link (PAL-B) product set.
- Chinese language instructions for 2-in-1 - Hash Block & Eagle Plan.
- English and Chinese language instructions for Treasure Hunter.
- English and Spanish language instructions for Crystball.
- A “new game cartridges” catalog from AudioSonic France (courtesy of Morgane Dumont).

Now if you'll excuse me, all this Supervision overindulgence has left me exhausted. I'd better go lie down.

[CMA Death Adder]

Did somebody say Tiger? Oh yeah!! The primary focus of today's update is the “Taike Boy” from Taiwan, a Supervision variant I have been on the lookout for since the dawn of the millennium. Naturally, I am pleased as Christmas punch to now have high-quality scans of its box, instructions, and game cartridge order form. And if you mosey on over to the scans page, you can have 'em, too!

Of hilarious note is the fact that both Street Fighter II and “Mortal Komba” are advertised on the front of the box, suggesting that these two high-profile game titles were on their way to the Supervision. Hogwash! Utter tripe! They were never on their way to the Supervision. (But then again maybe they were, it's difficult to say.) What a shameless way to try'n sell a doomed game system.

Also featured on the box is everyone's (other) favorite Supervision vaporware title, Devil Paradise. Good show, gentlemen: 3 out of 5 (or 60%) of the games shown on your packaging DON'T EXIST!

But, wait! There's more. I've also added:

- A set of Soccer Champion instructions in English, Dutch, and French.
- Scans of some French language product attention & warning labels.
- A better quality scan of the Sonny sticker.

[WelcomeToTheNextLevel]

I remember seeing some source (I think it was Wikipedia, probably 10 years ago) that said that the Supervision was released on December 30th, 1992. I think the actual release date is November/early December, Wiki nowadays says it was released before Christmas, but the December 30th date would have been when I was five days old.
I hope a December release date is correct, because it would have been released the month I was born

[CMA Death Adder]

Today I endured the drudgery of scanning a Supervision advertisement from our good ol' bosom chums at Goldnation, as well as, of all things, an official Supervision™ “Authorized Dealer” decal: unused, of course, because who would've cursed their business by actually displaying one of these in their shop window?!

Also, please note that the acronym for Supervision Authorized Dealer is, very appropriately, SAD.

Noticing the trademark symbol on the decal, I wondered, “Did they even file a trademark, or was that just another bunch of BS?” Well, slogging through the United States Patent and Trademark database, I discovered that yes! Indeed, the trademark was legitimately registered. The filing document downloaded from said database has also been added to the scans page.

Lastly for today: Do you remember all the way back to 2009 when I used the Super Fighter Team website design as a template for... this? No, you don't. Regardless, there's irony here! Because just last month, I redesigned the Super Fighter Team website using – wait for it – this website's design to inspire me. I've come full circle, and I am finally home.

[CMA Death Adder]

I've been putting off an update because I didn't wanna do it, but by now y'all should know that's kinda par for the course with this website. *yawn*

So what super-de-duper stuffs were added this time round? An alternate set of Treasure Hunter instructions, for one. Those instructions, by the way, accompanied a cartridge that held an alternate version of the game. (Joy!!) It boots with the same energetic female voice crying out, “Shupavishun!” as featured in Classic Casino. It also displays a different copyright year (1993) on the title screen. Furthermore, the music is different. What (sadly) hasn't changed, however, is the fact that the game is still unwinnable: level 6 appears to be impossible to complete, and hacking the game to progress to level 7 instead gives you a glitchy mess. Excellent job as always, Bon Treasure (should be bon voyage). I've added a pic of said mess to the Treasure Hunter page, for your bewilderment.

As was already stated on the Hero Kid page, this game is also unwinnable. Though a congratulations graphic is printed on the game's instruction page, the game crashes after a certain amount of levels are played. Thus the player never sees this graphic in all its “glory.” But, never fear! The infamous congratulations graphic is indeed stored in the game binary and I've plucked it out, adding it to the website.

Ooh!! I hope you're ready for this last one, 'cuz you'll be pounding your chest in primal excitement over it for sure: a crinkled, full color advertisement... showcasing SONNY X'PRESS! Hooray!!

[Steve W]

The Sonny X'Press link doesn't work.

[CMA Death Adder]

Assuming you are referring to the recently added advert scan, the link does indeed work. I tested it on four different browsers the day I did the update -- I'm quite thorough, I assure you -- and just verified it works from my mobile phone.

If for some reason it's not working on your end from the scans page, here's a direct link to the PDF itself...

https://www.diskman.com/presents/sup...'Press.pdf

[CMA Death Adder]

Whoa, Nelly! With the selfless assistance of Dante López, I've recently acquired a crapload of previously unpreserved Supervision stuffs. This was especially helpful as I grow tired of seeking out all this junk on my own. (Hint, hint.)

So without further a-doo-doo, let's break down what's been added to the website...

* New box scans:

- Small boxes for Block Buster, Brain Power, Chimera, Final Combat, Hero Kid, Penguin Hideout, Super Block.
- Small box top featuring an early, “Game & Watch-esque” Travellmate screen simulation.
- Game Prince Supervision protective case
- Vini-Spil Supervision box and instructions, direct from Denmark! Det er fedt!
- Vini-Spil game boxes for Happy Race, John Adventure, Juggler, Pacboy & Mouse, Penguin Hideout.

The protective case is from Taiwan. The traditional Chinese reads “Game Prince,” despite the fact that even a beggar prince would turn up his nose at the Supervision.

* New cartridge label scans:

- Alien (alternate artwork)
- 4-in-1: Happy Race, Jacky Lucky, Space Fighter, Majong
- Hash Blocks (earliest known label)

Weirdly, the 4-in-1 cart's label doesn't come close to accurately reflecting which games are actually included. This may have been a generic design created for use with a variety of different game compilations. Who knows?

The Hash Blocks label is the one depicted on the Travellmate box. It features an enthusiastic little fellow who reminds me of Krillin from Dragon Ball Z. I've been after this label for A LONG TIME, and am very relieved to have finally found it.

* Improved cartridge label scans:

- Crystball (earliest known label)

The Crystball cartridge contained an alternate game binary with an early Travellmate logo, and pathetic attempt at an accompanying beep sound. Naturally, the binary has been properly archived, and an update has been made to the Crystball game page.

* New instructions scans:

- Brain Power, Chimera, Final Combat, Pacboy & Mouse, Penguin Hideout, Sssnake (Spanish)
- Happy Race, Juggler, Pacboy & Mouse, Penguin Hideout (English, Danish)
- Hero Kid (English, Dutch, French, German)

In addition, I also got my mitts on the earliest known model of the Travellmate, whose outer casing is a total ripoff of the original (DMG) Game Boy. And, much to my surprise (and confusion!), the previous owner installed a backlight in it. Seems he doesn't value his spare time. But who am I to talk?

Whew, what a whale of an update! And what a wail I let out whilst preparing it!

https://www.diskman.com/presents/supervision/scans.htm

[The S]

Bless you always, Brandon.