Alright kiddos, gather round. Before the actual post, here is the promised update. Here is the deal. As I mentioned in my update post, this blog has been a source of consternation for me really since it started. I love this blog, but I feel I never had an idea of what I wanted this blog to be. Is it a chronogaming blog? Is it a rehash of research and wikipedia posts? Is it a early 30 something trying to cope with grief and an inability to sleep? Right now, mostly the latter. One thing I no for certain is that I was not really ever happy with what I was putting out. I was daunted by the "classics" of gaming, fearing that I had nothing unique to say about some timeless titles. I was crippled by the, often, lack of an audience, which filled me with doubt. I had fun when I was discovering something new, or went onto a weird research tangent about some kernel of trivia (I mean, "Jumbo" Ozaki? Love that guy). I really liked when I didn't get stuck in a SNES rut and branched out to some Switch games, and "Capcom: A to Z" has been a blast.
So here is what I am proposing. I need to get my 16bit Chronicles house in order first, or I will never be happy with this blog. I am going to slowly update my old posts, and bring them up to what I consider something worth attaching my name on. This format is going to use what I have learned so far making this blog, and it is going to mix it all into a delightful blog gumbo (hopefully). First, the format is going to be freeform but it is going to be a format still. I am going to be more conversational in my tone, but still informative. My issues with my early blogs is that there was no real format. It was just my thoughts on a game on a page. My issues with my later posts is that the format was so rigid that it beat all the interesting points out of the blog (herego the feeling like a wikipedia post). There has to be a happy middle ground. I feel this blog is not only informing my audience about some hidden gems in the Super Famicom/SNES catalog, but also delving into the minutia and experiences of playing through these old games as a seasoned gaming enthusiast in 2020.
This hopefully will lead to some new series and collections. My blog itself has been updated as far as aesthetics, and my next goal is to organize each "series" into something easier to follow and access. So here is the official lineup for this blog for 2020. If I stick to this I will be amazed but it is a good plan...
- 16bit Chronicles is now officially titled "Super FamiComplete." I am going to focus on editing and restructuring posts to fit a new format. This might be minor, in some cases, or could be a complete rewrite. This is my main priority. As I update old posts, the original post will be deleted.
- Capcom A to Z will continue and hopefully make it out of A soon. Alien v Predator for the Arcade is next, but after that is another Ace Attorney game, which will take some time to digest.
- A look at Mascot games. I don't have a clever name for it yet.
- Konami Z to A will be starting soon as a counter to my Capcom series.
- I am also going to start looking at old DOS and Flash games available on InternetArchive/Flash Project.
- Most likely another Chronogaming blog of another system too, because I hate myself.
So without further ado, here is the first updated post of the newly minted Super FamiComplete: a look at the library of the SNES and Super Famicom in chronological order by release date...What is the Super Famicom/SNES you ask? WELL.
The Machine behind the Premise behind the Blog
The Super Famicom (an abbreviation for Family Computer), as it was known in Japan, was released in Japan on November 21st, 1990, and on August 21st, 1991 as the Super Nintendo or Super NES in North America. The system itself was designed by Masayuki Uemura, who designed the original Famicom/NES system. The design of this little machine is Spartan in its appearance, and it is very light for a console. These appearances, though, are quite deceiving: the amount of processing power for this time period was quite impressive. On a personal note, these things were built to last. I still have my original from launch SNES, and this thing is a powerful little brick. With age, these things do tend to yellow, but their chassis is really quite sturdy. These systems can survive being dropped off buildings, being kicked around, and can even function underwater (DON'T TEST IT). Pictured on the left, below, is the Japanese version of the console, the Super Famicom; on the right is the Super Nintendo, its North American counterpart. The Super Famicom bit more colorful, especially on the controller, but both machines have the same specifications when it comes to functionality.
Now, the region lock itself was functionally simple. To prevent American gamers from getting their hands and playing with a Japanese console, Nintendo built the region lock into their system. Here is quick show and tell. Here is a comparison of the cartridges (the items the software of the games were stored on) for the Super Famicom (bottom cart) and the SNES (top cart).
What was gaming like in 1990?
The console "wars" between the Sega and Nintendo were in full swing. The Genesis had already been released in Japan on October 28th, 1988, and on August 14th, 1989 in North America, and it had taken both countries by storm. Before, Nintendo had enjoyed a complete hegemony over the console market with its highly popular 8 bit system, the Famicom/NES. Now, Sega had entered the market in a big way. Sega's first console, the "Master System," was considered a less than par console, but the Genesis was a huge technological boost up: it had a dual 8/16 bit processor, which allowed for boosted graphics, better sound, and a larger array of colors (it is worth mentioning that NEC'S Turbografx 16 was released around this time as well, but by the time of the SNES being released in North America, it had, for all intents and purposes, been relegated to the background of popular discussion). The processor on the Genesis was, for the time, a beast, which is why games like Sonic, released in June of 1991 (months before the North American SNES launch) were a huge hit. The Genesis allowed for breakneck speed in its games, as it could generate assets, backgrounds, and textures very quickly, something that not even the SNES would not have the power to accomplish without some technological workarounds.
Sonic the Hedgehog became a cultural counterpoint to Mario. Mario suddenly became the mascot for "kids" games while Sonic nabbed the teen demographic with his slightly edgy appeal (On a side note, I know this may seem funny since Sonic, as a character AND franchise has turfed so hard that he is a parody of himself, fanboyism, and gaming culture, but trust me he was the bee's knees back then).
This meant there was monumental pressure on Nintendo to put out a quality and revolutionary console with the Super Famicom and SNES. Sega had a very well established catalog of games by the time of the Super Famicom's launch due to many 3rd party developers jumping from Nintendo over to Sega. Nintendo had garnered a good bit of ill will from developers due to its controlling and limiting standards. To publish a game with Nintendo, it had to a) be up to code with its family friendly image (no nudity or violence, or religious imagery), b) be of the quality to receive that Nintendo Seal of Quality, and c) Nintendo was allowed to control and dictate the number of games developed, as they also made the cartridges for all the games (it didn't matter how much money that a developer would throw at Nintendo, they got the say in the market that game would receive). Sega, on the other hand, was much more lax in their standards and the actual content of the games. They were looking to topple Nintendo, and were willing to try whatever Nintendo was not doing to get that result.
Well the Super Famicom did release to a pretty sizable audience. Its initial order of 300,000 units ran out almost immediately, and the launch day in Tokyo was so disruptive to the local traffic that the Japanese government asked Nintendo to save future launch days for the weekends. The critical reception, as well, was great: while the Super Famicom released with only two games, the technological capabilities of the system were quite amazing. The first of the two launch games, F-Zero, showcased the design capabilities of the new system and specifically, Mode 7 graphics.
What is MODE 7?
What is Mode 7?!? Wellllll the main gimmick of the SNES was that it had 8 different graphical settings from Mode 0 on up to Mode 7, specifically in regards to the background rendering effects of the SNES. Each Mode from 0-6 was a setting for the different number of layers the background could have, the relative size of each layer of the background, and the number of colors available on the palette for those layers. Mode 7 was something a little different. Mode 7 allowed for the background to be scaled and rotated, which allowed for a faux-3D effect to be created. Early SNES games, such as F-Zero and Pilotwings were specifically created as tech demos for this feature. Perhaps a better way to explain it would be through visuals. Here are some popular uses of Mode 7.
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| This boss is actually a background layer, hence why it really isn't animated. |
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Mode 7 allows for the background to scroll. |
This was considered a pretty dramatic graphical achievement for the era of video games, and made the leap from 8 bit consoles to 16 bit much more dramatic. Suddenly games were much more colorful, dynamic, and "popping" visually.
What's my history with the SNES?
Well the SNES was the first video game system that I got invested in when I was a kid. I started my journey with video games by watching my brother. He had an NES, and when I was a toddler, I would sit and watch my brother play video games, utterly enraptured. Suddenly, when I was four, this machine arrived from "Santa" on Christmas, with Super Mario World and Street Fighter II. It was with these two games that I started to play myself. I would still have my brother fight boss characters for me, because they were a-scary, but I slowly grew more and more confident as I grew older.
This is my favorite console of all time, yet one it seems that I have less and less time for nowadays. I rarely play it in favor of my PS4 or my Switch, and with the SNES classic and SNES Online, there just feels like less reason to hook the old machine up. Perhaps that's the reason I do enjoy this blog. It forces me to play with my favorite toy, and enjoy the labors of artists from my childhood. It is like reading through old Calvin and Hobbes, or eating comfort food from my childhood.
Anywho, I am excited to jump into this project again and revamp it further. Of course, next time we will look at F-Zero once more.
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