Episode 398: The Super NES launch (Patreon)
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We try to cover the full span of video game history as much as we can on this show, but we're not ashamed to admit that sometimes we play favorites. And so, an episode on the Super NES's early days, tied to the system's 30th anniversary. Have we talked about the NES before? Yes. Will we talk about it again? Hell yes. And it'll rule, just like it does here.
Bob, Kohler, and Stephan of The Art of Nintendo Power convene this episode to revisit the debut of the Super NES and the good (and bad!) of its early days. Exploratory Mario adventures and groundbreaking RPGs and symphonic soundtracks! As well as trite licensed games and weird graphical experimentation and horrible slowdown! Truly, the Super NES contained multitudes. Please enjoy as we touch upon as many of them as we can.
Art (including a rare Paul Rudd cameo) by Greg Melo; edits by Greg Leahy. Music selections:
- 05:26 - Super Mario World: Overworld (Yoshi percussion)
- 18:39 - Street Fighter II: Blanka's Ending
- 27:24 - Gradius III: Departure for Space
- 36:34 - Bill Laimbeer's Combat Basketball: Title Theme
- 46:06 - Pilotwings: Light Plane
- 56:35 - Drakkhen: Earth Area (Night)
- 1:08:34 - ActRaiser: Opening
- 1:19:06 - ActRaiser: Sacrifices / Final Fantasy II/IV: Within the Giant
- 1:31:13 - SimCity: Megalopolis
- Closing - F-Zero: Results/Ending
On a personal note, I've kinda gone overboard on Super NES launch stuff this past week, to honest. In addition to last week's video retrospective (which I wrote with the mindset of treating as a companion piece to this episode), I've also published the first volume of the Super NES Works book series, along with a nearly-sold-out collector's edition that, I'll be honest, mainly exists as an excuse to get some Bill Mudron artwork onto my books again.