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April 1994


Activision - For SNES
X-Kaliber 2097
Brawler | 16 MB
Release: Mar 1994
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In a surreal world fraught with killer aliens, mutants, and robots, it's up to you to save the world. Grab X-Kaliber, a sword of mystical powers, and take down the notorious Raptor and his evil henchmen. This science fiction title created by Activision has all the marks of a competent scrolling-brawler. Programmers on this cart skillfully brought to life this idea of a tarnished future with foreground and background graphics stylistically akin to those of Strider. Pull your buddy into the fray with X-Kaliber's cooperative mode for double trouble! A sharp title with an edge that's worth an honest look.

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Capcom - For SNES
King of Dragons
Brawler | 16 MB
Release: Apr 1994
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Capcom's The King of Dragons, one of our favorites at the neighborhood arcade, has made its way to Super NES consoles starting in April. Explore sixteen challenging levels and conquer a large array of baddies on your way to bring down the mighty red dragon: Gildiss. Players will choose from five toughened warriors, each with their own sizes, speeds, and attach ranges. Gain levels as your game progresses to grow more powerful! The inclusion of a two-player mode doubles the fun (and the chaos!). This is a faithful translation, but if brawlers aren't your thing, do yourself a favor and skip it.

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Data East - For SNES
Joe & Mac 2
Action-Adventure | 8 MB
Release: Mar 1994
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Those crazy cavemen are back and sillier than ever in Joe & Mac 2: Lost in the Tropics. Talk about an upgrade! Joe & Mac was a fairly decent SNES title from awhile back in the system's life, but it suffered from a lack of features and more-than-occasional slowdown. J&M2 expands the world of the original from its addition of villages, new attack combinations, vehicle gameplay, and, thankfully, a save feature. In confining itself to 8 MEGS, Data East under-delivered on its graphically-creative capabilities. Still, we've concluded J&M2 is a grand ol' time for everybody from Old Ugg to Baby Pebbles.

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Tengen - For GENESIS
Grind Stormer
Shooter | 8 MB
Release: Apr 1994
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With the onset of the fighting game revolution, PPM has noticed a stark lack of premier-league shooters on the super systems. Tengen and Toaplan's Grind Stormer seeks to answer that call! This vertically oriented shooting title puts the player in the seat of a Terran Defense Force pilot tasked with repelling an evil alien invasion. Not the most original plotline, but GS offers a tremendous amount of challenge in its gameplay. Toaplan, the makers of Truxton, programmed an ultra-tough game! Otherwise, a run-of-the-mill blaster. Fair for experienced players and shooter fans, awful for newbies.

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Data East - For GENESIS
Mega Turrican
Action-Platformer | 8 MB
Release: Mar 1994
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"Another Turrican?" Oh, Heck yes! Mega Turrican, on store shelves now for Genesis consoles, is not merely a lazy redressing of last year's Super Turrican. Mega offers a ton of new features exclusive to this version, including a tricky plasma rope for ledge-scaling and wall-climbing, a shuffled mix of power-ups and level layouts, and a secret stage or two. The graphics here are not the best and may appear blurry or repetitive. Excellent play control, fun gameplay, and rockin' sound keeps this from becoming a sour experience. It's mega-action with Mega Turrican on the Mega Drive.

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BlueSky - For GENESIS
Shadowrun
Role-Playing | 8 MB
Release: Mar 1994
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Genesis players better brace themselves. If you have not yet tried out Shadowrun, you are in for a treat! Maniacal corporations have taken over the planet (This is meant to be fiction? -Jet) and Shadowrunners prowl the dilapidated streets of Seattle. Shadowrun is a top-down role-playing game far removed from its beloved SNES counterpart. Unlike that point-and-click entry, this new cart is action-oriented with a touch more grit, violence, and open-endedness. Don't forget the hard-hitting soundtrack! Certainly, several weeks worth of inspired enjoyment for RPG lovers.

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GameArts - For SEGA-CD
Rise of the Dragon
Adventure | CD
Release: Mar 1994
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You've heard of interactive movies on the SEGA CD. How about an interactive comic book? Rise of the Dragon from GameArts is exactly that. Private Eye Blade Hunter must work to his wit's end to track down the expel a legendary dragon from the city of Los Angeles, circa 2053. This point-and-click adventure game is an action-filled detective, and one filled to the brim with mature themes and violent overtones. For college-aged players and above, Rise may be right up your alley, especially due to the wonderful CD-quality score. We must ask where that SEGA mouse is, already! A major oversight.

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JVC - For SEGA-CD
Rebel Assault
FMV-Action | CD
Release: Mar 1994
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Rebel Assault is a Star Wars story developed by JVC and LucasArts for release on SEGA CD. This disc comes straight from the same-named PC title, though it was not immune to a plethora of downgrades. Regardless of our appreciation for Star Wars, the fact of the matter is this disc is impossible to play through. The graphics in Rebel Assault are nearly unrecognizable to the titular film, and the controls made us hurl! It's not easy to enjoy a preliminary run through Tatooine gunning down drones when it's crash, after crash, after crash. Skip it and play some Super Star Wars instead!

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CD - For 3DO
The Horde
Act-Strategy | CD
Release: Apr 1994
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From the makers of Total Eclipse and Crash 'n' Burn is a whole new strategic adventure with a loony type of humor. The Horde opens with an FMV sequence to establish the light-hearted Medieval setting just before tossing you to the Shimto Plains. Build-up a feudal township and establish various defenses before the game suddenly shifts to the attack of the Horde! Now the player character appears on-screen, and you fight off the Horde on your own! Holy Whiplash! Once you get used to its oddity, The Horde is very enjoyable and rather addictive. CD does it again, and very much so in spades.

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Atari - For JAGUAR
Tempest 2000
Shooter | 16 MB
Release: Mar 1994
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For players waiting for a solid reason to pick up a new Atari Jaguar, this is it. Tempest 2000 is a superb shooter. It may be the best 3-D game out so far! Atari has nabbed a dusty arcade title from over a decade ago and rejuvenated it with the power of 64-Bit. The vector graphics and smooth animations are stunning, the techno music kicks butt, and Tempest has tons of options and modes to keep players entertained. Our only complaint is the lack of a classic paddle controller for fine-tuned controls. Aside from that, we're confident Tempest 2000 will prove a system seller for the Jag.

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Nintendo - For Game Boy
Wario Land
Platformer | 4 MB
Release: Apr 1994
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Mario is Missing? "Good!" boasts the mischievous Wario. "Time for my turn in the spotlight!" Super Mario Land 3: Wario Land is the long-awaited sequel to Six Golden Coins. Wario takes center stage in this platforming adventure, and he is determined to grab as much treasure as he possibly can. Unlike his nemesis, Wario does not lazily jump on his foes. He charges forward and pummels them! By donning various power-up hats, he can also learn to fly and breathe fire. Wario Land shines as a worthy successor with great music and original gameplay for Nintendo's portable system.

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Acclaim - For Game Gear
NBA Jam
Sports | 4 MB
Release: Mar 1994
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PPM reviewed the ginormous hit, NBA Jam, in last month's issue, but we figured it was apt to specifically give kudos to the team over at Acclaim for delivering a well-done version for the Game Gear. It may be shrunken down too small to fit the iconic announcer or the splendid 16-Bit graphics, but the grab-and-go nature of NBA Jam on Game Gear means none of that matters. The core gameplay of the Super NES and Genesis titles are here, as well as every NBA team! Arcade fans will love this bit-sized version to get their fix on the road. PPM recommends this for all Game Gear owners.

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