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Super Smash TV |
Super NES |
||
Review by Joe Santulli |
Acclaim |
Arcade |
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Graphics: 7 |
Sound: 8 |
Gameplay: 9 |
Overall: 9 |
| If you've seen the Schwarzenegger movie "The Running
Man", and played the Williams' classic Robotron
2084, you've already had a taste of Super Smash TV. In a
dark and distant future (1999), the violent nature of man has prevailed,
and the most popular game show on television is "Smash TV",
where contestants compete for cash and prizes by blowing everything to
smithereens.
This game features non-stop action that can't be beat. The only time you'll get a breather is when the host pops up onscreen every so often to offer his two cents. By the way, he's also the last boss. Beat him, and you beat the game (well, sort of - there are multiple endings). Unless you have thumbs of steel, you'll probably have to pause the game at some point or suffer finger cramps! Because of the nature of the game, where you'll need to move in one direction and fire in another (like the aforementioned Robotron 2084), the four buttons on the SNES controller are used to control the direction of the firing. That means, in a nutshell, your thumbs are all over the place. Diagonal shots require simultaneous pressure on two buttons. Even a contortionist would grimace at this control setup. You (and a friend, if two players are available) move from room to room, wiping out the host's legions with automatic rifles, spread cannons, grenade launchers, and more, as you close in on each of the four bosses at the end of the level. These bosses are your greatest challenge - it takes hundreds of shots to put them away! You'll really want a friend to come along for this trip. Eventually, you'll get the hang of the controls, with the lure of easy money, fantastic sound effects, and fast-moving (does that mean no slowdown? Yes!) enemies homing in on your contestant. I'm pretty sure all of the elements from the arcade version are here, although I've yet to meet "The Host with the Most" in the arcade version. Arcade fans will not be disappointed, although a joystick would help immensely! To quote a popular television personality of the future: Super Smash TV is "TOTAL CARNAGE! I LOVE IT!". By the way, if you can beat my score of 39,829,320 points, my hat's off to you. TIP: For up to seven lives and seven credits per game, move the selector to "two player game", hold the L and R buttons down and press UP. TIP: There is a secret room on each level which can be found by going to the bottom-most, right-most room in the level and going out the right-side door (even though no "exit" light appears there). Secret rooms allow you to clean up on points and get a short-cut to the boss. |