"Now you're playing with power...Super Power!"

[img width=700 height=525]https://i.imgur.com/hNekVU1.jpg[/img]

Anyone who grew up in the Super Nintendo era remembers that slogan, a spin on Nintendos highly effective marketing campaign for their 1st system, the NES.  And while the NES is littered with titles that would set the standard for what video games could potentially be, the Super NES showed us what the pinnacle of 2D gaming could be, with games like Zelda: Link to the Past and Super Metroid often considered among the greatest games ever. Of course, like its predecessor, it had its share of clunkers as well.

In 2016, Pat Contri, with the help of others, produced a reference guide that looked at each game in the vast NES library. Each review had an overview, screenshots, developer and publisher info, a grade from 0 to 5 stars, as well as random and often comical thoughts the reviewer associated with the particular title being reviewed.

Fast forward to 2019, Contri took on the Super NES library in similar fashion, looking at each game individually. After enjoying my copy of the "Ultimate Guide to the NES" I had little doubt I would enjoy the Super NES iteration, and eagerly awaited its arrival. But I wondered what differences I would find, what improvements had been made, and what, if any, changes were made in the way its writers approached their reviews.

I'll get this out of the way right off the bat. While expensive ($60 plus tax/shipping), if you enjoy the Super NES and want brief info on the hundreds of titles for it, this book will fulfill your needs and then some. Most of the reviews run from about 250-350 words. Like the NES book, the reviews are meant as short overviews of the games features, not necessarily deep, comprehensive looks. Because of this, many of reviews can be a little dry at times, and the reader may find themselves looking at the Reflections section first, then the actual review.

This is also where I noticed the first subtle change from the NES guide. Each reviewer in the book has their own distinctive writing style, and conforms those to the books needs. But Ian Ferguson, a heavy contributor to the NES guide, is missed. While he has publicly stated his indifference to the Super NES, his writing seemed to strike the perfect balance between charm and information, the way a friend might describe the game over a beverage of choice. While all are skilled, none of the current set of writers quite hits that note of charm. Though to be fair, all demonstrate solid writing ability and appreciation for games they review. Its more of a "seems to be missing the cherry on top" feeling with Ferguson not present.

However, there are several subtle changes in the Super NES book that when taken in as a whole add so much to the book's quality. One nice addition is the inclusion of all PAL released games having full reviews. As someone who admittedly is not that knowledgeable of the PAL exclusive titles, I was able to find several games that fit my gaming interests, many of which I would have had no idea existed without the book.

[img width=700 height=525]https://i.imgur.com/KgerYcl.jpg[/img]

One less obvious but terrific change was one to the layout of the pages. The reviews in this book just look sharp. This is due some small but extremely effective changes. One of these is a different placement of screenshots. The first book included four with each review, set on a 2x2 grid at the bottom of the page. While it worked, the end result made the pages a little clunky, with the pics feeling more like an add-on than a cohesive part of the review. Here, 2 shots are placed directly under the cartridge pic and info, and 2 more are placed between the review and reflections section. This makes for better page organization and more emphasis on the pics. The other change to the layout was to make the cartridge pic a close up of the label, set at a dynamic angle, and placed on a background of either the primary or secondary color from the label. And boy does that little detail make the pages pop.

The book also does a good job of covering the accessories of the system, and contains several articles about relevant issues associated with the Super NES at the time.

Like many who will pick up the book for the first time, I found myself looking up several games I was familiar with, to see if the star rating matched my rating. Where I give the book a lot of credit is that the reviewers were critics, not cynics. They would approach each title wanting to like it, but not afraid to point out the flaws. For me personally, I wanted to see how F1 ROC II rated, because its a game in which my personal opinion differs from the limited reviews I have seen that have covered it. Without giving away too much information, I have a lot of respect for reviewer Jim Evans' thoughts and approach on that particular title.

So what's missing? That depends on what you are looking for. What this book provides is a great introductory look at every game in the Super NES library, giving you both a sense of each games merits as well as covering the lesser known titles most casual gamers have never heard of. Want an in depth look at the history behind some of your favorite games? That's not the vision behind this book. But like the NES book, it is a great reference book for those who may not know the systems library of games inside and out, and still worthwhile for those who do.

[img width=700 height=933]https://i.imgur.com/p40Hwcb.jpg[/img]

One last note: the few complaints I have with the book are of a nitpicky variety, with one glaring exception. The binding of both books does not hold up well to the weight of the pages, which are of nice, heavy gloss-type paper. Unfortunately, if storing the book standing up, on a bookshelf for instance, eventually the binding will begin to fail. This hamstrings the storage options for the book, for to keep it in good condition means always having it sitting flat.

With that said, I have been very pleased overall with both books, and am looking forward to whatever the next addition to the Ultimate Guides is.

Permalink | Comments [0] | Digg This Article | Tweet