PixlBit

Playing God never felt this ethical.

By the time the Super Nintendo was introduced, games that combined multiple genres were nothing new. Games like The Legend of Zelda, Crystalis, and The Guardian Legend were outstanding pioneers of the action/adventure variety. But developer Quintet partnered with Enix to publish ActRaiser in 1991 on the Super NES. Released just 3 months after the new home console, it was one of the earliest post-launch SNES games. Particularly outstanding is that it combines side-scrolling action with building simulation gameplay elements. Usually, building simulations send me running for the hills because I'm terrible at them. But after spending a little time with the game, I was able to put my fears aside.

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Get ready to earn your wings.

In the early ‘90s, a new video game console was only as strong as its launch titles.  When we look back at a console’s history and wonder what attracted us to it, often it’s those first games that we think of and say, "that’s why I fell in love with that system."  Nintendo understood this concept when they released the Super Nintendo. Included among a shortlist of launch games was the flight simulation, Pilotwings. Beginning as an early tech demo in 1988 to show off the Mode 7 graphical capabilities of the 16-bit system, Pilotwings was developed into a full-fledged game that allowed us to take to the skies in a way never before possible on a home console.

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Without Sega's competing BLAST PROCESSING, it's just not the same.

If you were paying attention yesterday during Nintendo’s "Nintendo Direct" address, you might’ve noticed a common theme undercutting the entire broadcast. Let’s take a look at some of the biggest properties put on display: Yoshi’s Island 3, Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D, The Legend of Zelda (A Link to the Past 2), Earthbound, and Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, which saw a change in visuals/perspective that makes it even closer in style to its spiritual predecessor, Super Mario RPG . Maybe it’s just me, but this line-up is conjuring up some strong memories of the SNES.

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Welcome Home.

I was a Nintendo fanboy as a kid, but then again, what child of the 80’s wasn’t? I obsessed over the secrets of Mario’s games, fought against the forces of evil with Mega Man, and had my first addicting RPG experience with the original Final Fantasy. I devoured each issue of Nintendo Power when it arrived at my house, and had a complete freak out when we got a Super Nintendo for Christmas one year. I fought with my cousin (who probably couldn’t care less) about why the SNES was superior to his Genesis, and had my mind blown by games like The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Final Fantasy III, Super Metroid, Super Mario World, and Donkey Kong Country.

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Before there was Star Fox 64, Fox and company went on a second quest to save Corneria... but chances are, you didn't get to play it.

Shigeru Miyamoto has become quite well known for his outstanding games and their absolutely unique designs. He has led countless projects and played a major role in the runaway success of Nintendo since the introduction of the NES. However, he's also the reason Star Fox 2, a fully completed game, has never seen the light of day.

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