19: Super Smash TV (1992, Acclaim)
In the near future, people have come to demand more thrills and excitement from TV than ever before. Smash TV is a game show turned into a combination of The Running Man and American Gladiators where failure means death in front of millions of cheering viewers. Contestants are armed and have to survive arenas full of death-dealing robots while trying to collect every dollar and prize they can lay their hands on. The rewards are great, but does anyone really expect them to ever be claimed?
Based on the hit arcade game, Smash TV was a modernization of ‘twin-stick shooters’ like berserk from the 80’s. You use two joysticks to control your character, one moving you around the arena while the second aims and fires your weapons. The Super Nintendo pad simulated this by using the d-pad to move around while using the diamond layout of the A B X Y buttons as a makeshift substitute for a second directional control and it works very well.
With the chaos of killer robots, bullets, prizes, and power-ups everywhere, it’s amazing that the Super Nintendo can Keep up as well as it does. Bring a friend for some 2-player carnage and see if you can even reach the giant bosses at the end of each arena. Big money! Big Prizes! I love it!