Key

1992 [pt.2]


Kirby's Dream Land

Never thought I'd talk about this game again, but god damn I loved this game. I think I played through it at least 20 times. I loved the concept, the style of platforming it was going for, and just the design of Kirby was so captivating. It was definitely something that hadn't necessarily been done before. And for good reason of course. It cemented a place in history and continued to be featured in better and better games.


Sonic The Hedgehog 2

If i'm being honest, I don't remember a whole lot about this one. Played through it once as a kid, but never really dove into it more often than that. I do remember it being received rather well though and maintaining the overall atmosphere of the first game. I do also remember it being a lot of fun to play so I hope I don't seem like I'm discouraging you from playing it. From what I can tell, it was definitely well received during its initial release.

Key

Super Mario Kart



Man, when I think back to the days of when me and my brothers would sit in the basement with an SNES and a couple controllers, I instantly think of the times we spent playing Super Mario Kart. Other than some weird racing games here and there, there wasn't really a fun and easily accessible one for quite a while back then. Super Mario Kart came out at the perfect time I think because not only did it grab people's attention to this style of gameplay, but it also opened itself up for constant improvements and eventually leading up to where we are today. It's pretty fantastic to see how it improved throughout each game.

But we're talking about Super Mario Kart here, so let's talk about that.



While the entire game was absolutely amazing, and yes, that includes all the races, I do have to say that my favorite thing to do in this game was play the battle mode with friends. I remember this being a regular thing where my friends and I would have competitions by simply playing battle mode. We also did the races too obviously because why wouldn't we? I just remember battle mode being so much fun. And I would definitely play it again today.

Although battle mode is indeed fun, I do also want to point out one map that I have absolutely loved since the first time it ever was introduced in a Mario Kart game:



Yeah, you're goddamn right I'm talking about Rainbow Road. I've loved this level since this first version of it, all the way to the most recent versions. And all the ones in between. I think it's such a cool way to allow a certain type of level to be noticed in every single game. I honestly can't remember but I do think there is a Rainbow Road in every single Mario Kart game. Please feel free to correct me on that if I'm wrong. But anyway, definitely some of my all time favorite races have taken place on some version of Rainbow Road.

Anyway, yeah. Super Mario Kart was definitely a humongous part of my childhood, and I hold it dearly in my life. I'm sure a lot of people feel the same way. It's been fun to see this particular series evolve into what it is today.

Key

Rating Games & Systems From 1991-1992

There will be certain things that I do in between talking about the lists of games that I have presented in the OP. I've done Honorable Mentions and things of that nature, and I want to keep things exciting. So as I did with the list of games before I did this little project, I'm going to take some games from 1991 and 1992 and rate them as I see fit. Depending on how many games there are in a given year, it may change the way I rate them, but for now, this is how it sits:


Metroid II: Return of Samus

Going solely on word of mouth, I can't technically give this a game a rating since I've not played enough of it or any of it if I remember correctly, but I can safely say that from what I've heard and seen, it certainly holds a staple in history as one of the finer handheld games to date. Especially considering it was released on the original Game Boy, that's quite a big feat. I know the Metroid series is very beloved which is why I don't feel too comfortable giving it a number rating, but from what I can tell, the game is great, so whatever rating you want to consider that, by all means go ahead.

I mean c'mon, these graphics although simple looking, look awesome for a Game Boy:




Super Nintendo Game System

It may seem like a sort of cop out but c'mon, how am I expected to talk about games in this era without talking about the release of the Super Nintendo, or otherwise known as SNES. I remember getting an SNES back when I was a kid, and even today I still have one, on top of an NES and N64 which I'm sure i'll be discussing here at some point. I mean, this system not only brought some of my finest gaming memories, but also helped release amazing games like Killer Instinct, Batman Forever, and many other greats of course.

Definitely a 10/10 game system for its time, however put up against consoles today, it wouldn't stand a chance. But again, it birthed some true classics that we know and love today.

Another one I would love to talk about and one I've sort of been waiting to talk about it:


Virtua Racing

Technically released to console in 1994, the original arcade version of Virtua Racing was released back in 1992, so it counts. From the minute I saw a picture of the game, it reminded me of the times I played the Sega Genesis back in the day. While still managing to be not the most successful or fun to play console, the Sega Genesis definitely released some great games in its heyday, but I probably wouldn't buy a console like this anytime soon. Too many other great games to play. I'd give this a game a solid 7/10 for nostalgia sake specifically. The game is great though.

Key

So, you thought I was done? Nope. I've got some more games from 1991 and 1992 to talk about. Be it, again, not really as many as I'd like, but certain games do deserve some mention.


Zool

I have very non vivid memories of playing this game, but not only is the game title familiar, the pictures showing the game are also very familiar. Going based on that, I know for a fact that I have played this game before. Whether or not I liked it is not something I can remember vividly. But, evidently looking at the screenshots, I probably loved it. I was definitely big on platforms back in the day. Now, if you're wondering how I played this game, I honestly don't remember. It could have been a copy released seeing as versions were later released for other systems. If I were to say, I probably played it on the SNES. I'd probably play this again given the opportunity.



Of course, while these games are good, one notable thing to mention from these years would have to be the SNES release, but along with that, Sega, released the Mega-CD in Japan. I've actually seen this system in person and god damn, what an odd one:



If by looking at this image you remember this console, I feel bad. It wasn't necessarily the most successful and definitely brought some pretty bizarre releases. But, can't fault Sega for trying something different. It did get discontinued because of the much more slick looking Sega Saturn.

The Batlord

Nah it didn't. The SNES version turned the blood to lameass sweat. The Genesis version was superior.

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Key

I was going more on what I remembered but if that's the case, I plead ignorance then. The SNES version is the only one I played back then so I figured it was what to expect. Good to know tho.

The Batlord

I was like 6 or 7 back then so I remember the SNES vs. Genesis controversy and the superiority of blood vs. sweat between Genesis vs. SNES was a major victory for Sega.

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Key

Ah yeah I think I've actually read up on that somewhere but I didn't look too far into it. Interesting though to say the least. I imagine it had to be toned down especially if being shipped through Nintendo.

The Batlord

SNES vs. Genesis was the true console war. Everything after that was a less intense replay of that rivalry. Those two consoles were out for blood.

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Key

That's pretty dope tbh tho I imagine it has something to do with the fact that it was very rare to have a console war. Nowadays it happens all the time but back when gaming was starting to rise, the rivalries were much more severe. That I do remember. Though Nintendo had it in the bag for quite a while.