Title: Super Smash TV (NA) Smash T.V. (JP)
Release Date: February 1992
Developer: Beam Software
Publisher: Acclaim
Background
This game was created by Eugene Jarvis, one of the premier Western developers of the 80s and 90s, most known for creating the Cruisin' series and Robotron:2084, and is considered one of the fathers of the twin-stick shooter genre in general. Even his most recent creation, Nex Machina, is considered the purest form of the twin-stick shooter for the PS4.
The original arcade game of Smash TV was developed by Williams, and grew so popular that it was ported to most everything, from the Commodore 64 to the ZX Spectrum. With its arcade roots, the game was never really a narrative based game. The narrative, as mentioned before, was based on the movie The Running Man (which itself is based on a novel by Stephen King, written under the name Richard Bachman). This purely 80s movie, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, is about a dystopian future where the chief form of entertainment is a gameshow called Running Man. The point of the show, which is hosted by Damon Killian (who is played by the actual legendary game show host Richard Dawson), is that convicts are put into a course, and chased by Stalkers, expert killers who each have their own gimmick and theme (my favorite is Sub-Zero, who is an evil hockey player with a bladed hockey stick). The Stalkers are, of course, allowed to eliminate the runners with extreme prejudice; if the convicts are able to escape, though, then they are granted their freedom and get to live the rest of their life in a tropical paradise (Spoiler: the game is rigged). The movie is pretty good 80s action brain candy, with a muscle-bound Arnold wreaking havoc, killing almost every Stalker himself, destroying Running Man, and even getting the girl at the end. It is cheesy, decadent, and filled with stupid one-liners (the best is "I hope you've left enough room for my fist, because I'm going to ram it into your stomach"). It's a fun romp with a not so veiled critique of entertainment/television/game show culture that was relevant in the days of excess that were the 80s.
Gameplay
Now the game follows a similar concept to the movie: the players enter a violent gameshow run by a malevolently cheerful host, and must destroy all opposition to win prizes. The more the player kills, the more prizes and power-ups he gets, and the more the host will praise the character for the carnage he wreaks. The game seems to be a send-up of a lot of 80s movies, as the host even quotes lines from other 80s movies like "I'd buy that for a dollar" from Robocop. The gameplay is pure twinstick: enemies mob you from all sides, the D-pad controls your movement, and the buttons determine where you are shooting. The goal is to quickly determine the most pressing threats, eliminate them, pick up power-ups and prizes, all while gracefully weaving your way through the crowds of enemies.
At the beginning of each of the four levels of the game, the player is shown a map of how to proceed through the level. From there, they can choose what rooms they want to advance to in the game. Some rooms are trap rooms with extra enemies, others are filled with prizes, but every stage ends with a boss battle.
Finally the game runs on a lives and continues system, and also does the Doom "play on harder difficulties if you want to see more levels" gimmick if you are playing on Easy and beat the first level.
Now the game follows a similar concept to the movie: the players enter a violent gameshow run by a malevolently cheerful host, and must destroy all opposition to win prizes. The more the player kills, the more prizes and power-ups he gets, and the more the host will praise the character for the carnage he wreaks. The game seems to be a send-up of a lot of 80s movies, as the host even quotes lines from other 80s movies like "I'd buy that for a dollar" from Robocop. The gameplay is pure twinstick: enemies mob you from all sides, the D-pad controls your movement, and the buttons determine where you are shooting. The goal is to quickly determine the most pressing threats, eliminate them, pick up power-ups and prizes, all while gracefully weaving your way through the crowds of enemies.
At the beginning of each of the four levels of the game, the player is shown a map of how to proceed through the level. From there, they can choose what rooms they want to advance to in the game. Some rooms are trap rooms with extra enemies, others are filled with prizes, but every stage ends with a boss battle.
Finally the game runs on a lives and continues system, and also does the Doom "play on harder difficulties if you want to see more levels" gimmick if you are playing on Easy and beat the first level.
The run-n-gun action arcade action holds up remarkably well even today. The game is hellaciously fast paced, and the amount of sprites and enemies on screen really is quite impressive for an SNES game. The game never really chugs or slows down from all the action, and the screen really does get filled with projectiles, enemies, and bonuses before too long.
This game is also a super fun couch co-op game. I played through it with my best friend in one of my rare trips up to Boston, and it was keeping both of us alternating between laughing and on the edge of our seats. I think if there was a Wild Guns style re-release of this SNES port for Super Smash TV for modern consoles, I think that it would be wildly popular.
The aesthetic design is also really fun. It is a nice send-up of the 80s/early 90s obsession with violence and commercialism. The game really does bank on that cheesy gameshow aesthetic, and the host really is quite charming (plus clear voice samples on an SNES? That is something special).
The game's difficulty is really balanced and fair, all the way up until you challenge a boss. The bosses are bullet sponges how have almost unavoidable attacks. Take the first boss, the Mutoid Man (and also the last boss who is just a sprite rip of the first boss): the mutoid man is a large bald man who rides on tank treads. He has two little turrets on the front, and shoots lasers from his eyes; if you touch him it is an instant death. He tends to move erratically around the arena, shrapnel men spawn continuously throughout the fight (walking grenades who shoot shrapnel in 8 directions at once), and his laser beams seem to have the preternatural ability to hit you even when you feel like they shouldn't. This guy also has SEVEN FORMS: his base form, his turretless forms, losing one arm, then both arms, then his chest, then his head, and finally his head riding on the treads of his tank. As he moves through his forms, he gets more and more aggressive and erratic in behavior. OH! and he is only able to be damaged by special weapons, which don't always spawn quickly. When playing with my friend, we could not conquer him on normal, but I could beat him by myself on easy (though he still ate through 2 continues). Still, he is the first boss, and the ones after him get more and more challenging.
Music
You bet your bippy the music is pretty darn good!
Ads, Art, Commercials
Final Verdict
This is the type of game that you enjoy banging your head against. It is frustrating at times, but the core gameplay loop is really satisfying. I wouldn't mind playing the first level over and over to see how high my score can improve. A worthy addition to any collection.
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