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January 1994


Konami - For SNES
TMNT Fighters
1vs1 Fighting | 16 MB
Release: Dec 1993
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Your very own heroes in a half shell give their own spin on the tried-and-true fighting game formula in Tournament Fighters available on both SNES and Genesis. The player may choose from any of the four turtles or six additional characters and engage in thrilling matches 'til the sun comes up. Every fighter has its own flare and fun combos to pull off, which in our view makes this title every bit as good as a Street Fighter game-alike can hope to be. Graphics are brilliant on both systems, but the Genesis cart is plagued by poor sound and controls so do avoid that version if you can.

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Capcom - For SNES
Mega Man X
Action-Platformer | 12 MB
Release: Jan 1994
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Mega Man is at last upgraded to 16-bit! With better graphics, superb gameplay, extra-refined controls, hidden surprises, and a greater range of platforming techniques than ever before, it's safe to say we've reached pinnacle MM. Capcom's base formula remains intact, giving players a complex run-and-gun action game capped off with an intriguing robot master (and a reward power-up). Seeing as this title takes place a century after the now-bygone 8-bit iterations, Mega Man has evolved past the need for disappearing platforms! The difficulty varies, so don't get too comfortable.

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SoftCreations - For SNES
Empire Strikes Back
Action-Platformer | 16 MB
Release: Nov 1993
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Star Wars returns to the Super NES with a second movie adaptation: Super Empire Strikes Back. Once again, we have here an engaging platformer based on George Lucas' famous space opera franchise. Empire, like the film, drastically improves upon its predecessor. Combat is tight, music is incredible, and Luke's newfound force powers bring a new element to the gameplay. Vader is here too, intimidating as ever! Players may find themselves flustered by precarious platforming segments, notably right off the bat on the Hoth level, but overcoming the difficulty is part of the fun - right?

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SEGA - For GENESIS
Eternal Champions
1vs1 Fighting | 24 MB
Release: Dec 1993
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With every last combat game and its sister claiming to be the natural successor to SF2, its surely been proven that such a mantle is hard to attain. Eternal Champions overpromises and underdelivers dramatically. Movesets are basic, characters are unbalanced, the music is horrid, and glitches are running rampant! Now, onto the graphics. We admit the animations are quite good. But for a 24MB cart with this much hype, it falls short. Here's the skinny: EC is an all-around OK fighting game that in '92 may have blown audiences away. But these days, go for the real deal and stick with Capcom.

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GAU - For GENESIS
Ranger X
Action-Shooter | 8 MB
Release: Oct 1993
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Also known by its Japanese title "Ex-Ranza," Ranger X from GAU Entertainment and published by Sega is yet another fantastic action-shooter available now on Genesis. For a paltry 8 MB cart, its effects astounded us. The character sprites are well-textured and defined, the enemy types are varied, and the backgrounds are as detailed as a Picasso painting. Ranger X's color palette proves how the Genesis can easily match the SNES despite hardware limitations. Its controls are a bit unorthodox, and your tactics will need honing, but the chaotic carnage of this title is pure Sega fun.

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SEGA - For GENESIS
Mean Bean Machine
Puzzle | 8 MB
Release: Nov 1993
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Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine is a Sonic-themed puzzle game available now on Genesis. Memories of Tetris and Columns flooded the heads of our reviewers the minute this cart sprang into action, and could you blame us? We know full well these types of one-screen puzzle games have their audience, but our team wasn't overjoyed this time. The player drops multi-colored beans in the right order to make them vanish, and in turn drop colorless beans onto your opponent's screen. The loser is whomever suffers from a bean overdose, or in our case, from boredom playing this slow cart.

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Konami - For SEGA-CD
Lethal Enforcers
Light Gun | CD
Release: Nov 1993
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See life through the eyes of an officer in the Chicago P.D. as a major crime group seeks to take power in the city in this faithful recreation of the arcade shooter. Lethal Enforcer from Konami pulls the graphics and gameplay right from the arcade cabinet, and thanks to the included "Konami Justifier" light gun, this version will surely save you tons of quarters. Shoot your way through the criminal gangsters with a variety of handguns and automatic weaponry, making sure to avoid striking down the innocents! If gallery-style shooting is up your alley, you'll have an absolute blast.

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WD - For SEGA-CD
Lunar
Role-Playing Game | CD
Release: Jan 1994
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The RPG masterminds over at Working Designs have released an all-new adventure on the Sega CD entitled Lunar: The Silver Star. This is WD's very first Sega CD title after years of developing exclusively for Turbo. Lunar is a massive game, spanning entire continents and beyond in a journey to become a Dragonmaster. With over 4MB of text alone (superbly translated for English-speaking players), animations, digitized voices, and a fleshed-out soundtrack, this one is a surefire gem. Think Final Fantasy II levels of hot, but turned up to 11 thanks to the power of CD.

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CoreDes - For SEGA-CD
ThunderStrike
Helicopter Sim | CD
Release: Nov 1993
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For those who found themselves feeling left out in the cold by other Genesis helicopter simulation games like Jungle Strike and desire something a bit more realistic, AH-3 ThunderStrike may be the game you've been searching for. The player takes direct control of a heli pilot tasked with blowing up as many bad guys as you can (the game explains why, but who cares?). Choose from ten scenarios and fire at will! CoreDesign's heavy metal soundtrack and voice work is exhilarating due to the CD quality audio, so much so that you'd swear you were watching an episode of Airwolf.

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Interplay - For 3DO
BattleChess
Chess | CD
Release: Dec 1993
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Tired of watching lifeless, boring rounds of chess? Battlechess is a change of pace - well, more or less. This title has been a long-time favorite of computer players, and now you can check out an updated iteration of the game on 3DO consoles. Interplay's entry to the 32-Bitter brings top notch graphics, color and dramatic scenes, and a plethora of animations to the forefront. The fun of Battlechess boils down to observing the interactivity of the various pieces as they come in conflict with one another. It's a dazzling show accompanied by a tough-as-nails computer player. With all that said, the core game remains simple chess.

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AtD - For JAGUAR
Cybermorph
3-D Shooter | 24 MB
Release: Nov 1993
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The pack-in game for the brand-new Atari Jaguar is Cybermorph, a mission-based shooter title developed by ATD. Is the 64-Bit Revolution all its cracked up to be? Yes, ...and also no. While other mags may gush over this spaceship adventure, we at PPM try to present the full picture. There's lots to appreciate in Cybermorph: Above all its vivid graphics and seemingly unlimited, expansive levels. In some areas it excels, especially for a cart-based home console. We only hope that the true 64-Bit Revolution is a larger leap than this as we move into 1994. We explore this title more in-depth in our highlight Spotlight coverage (Coming Soon).

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Atari - For JAGUAR
Crescent Galaxy
Scrolling Shooter | 24 MB
Release: Nov 1993
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Corporal Trevor McFur of the Circle Reserve Core, with friend Cutter the Lynx, have returned from a reconnaissance mission only to find the galaxy in some desperate need of saving from a hive of ruthless critters! Spanning nine zany levels, the Jag unleashes lifelike 3-D rendering as the player module winds through imaginative planetary objects and shoots down the oddest of foes (Turbo rats!). Thankfully no slowdown in sight, but a stark lack of music and limited sound is off-putting. To our disappointment, Crescent's gameplay is subpar. Less so R-Type and Gradius than the simplicity of Defender.

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HAL - For Game Boy
Kirby's Pinball Land
Pinball | 8 MB
Release: Nov 1993
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What do you mean PPM is reviewing a Kirby pinball game before the markedly superior Sonic Spinball? Oh, the humanity! Yes, folks, Kirby is back on Game Boy with Kirby's Pinball Land, an adventure-style pinball game developed by HAL Studios. The little pink puffball makes for the perfect roller ball as this title carries over the basics of pinball alongside Dream Land's character sprites. Pinball Land is in our view more of a traditional, screen-by-screen pinball game than Spinball as well. Worth a shot if you're a newbie or a pinball wizard!

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SEGA - For Game Gear
Streets of Rage 2
Brawler | 8 MB
Release: Sept 1993
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The Sega brawler makes its way to the portal Game Gear for the second time with Streets of Rage 2. This outing is a very nice interpretation of the original 1992 Genesis cart that gives players a 16-bit-like package shrunk down to the size of a GG pak. At its bones, this game is the same type of beat-'em-up experience! The animations and play mechanics are somewhat dated, though no less fun. Though your assortment of pick-up items is limited and the graphics are toned down for the portable, all Game Gear owners should try out this cart for a real on-the-go treat.

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SEGA - For Game Gear
Sonic Chaos
Platformer | 8 MB
Release: Nov 1993
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Our spiny friend is back again with Sonic Chaos on Game Gear. Released in November on the 1-Year Anniversary of Sonic 2sDay, alongside Spinball, Chaos is an entirely new adventure featuring Sonic and Tails the Fox. Sega's newest portable offering is easier than most, showering rings onto the player and shoving power-ups in your face, but the true challenge here is tracking down the chaos emeralds before Robotnik gets his paws on 'em. Sonic also has a nifty pair of rocket shoes for some flying action! This one garners a strong recommendation.

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