Smash TV
Reviewed by Pyroanoid@aol.com
Smash TV, baby! YEAH! OK, so I'm no Austin Powers, but
hey, even Austin probably would have thought that Smash TV
was a real (no pun intended) smash, even on NES, thanks
to it's control options and two player support.
Features
One or two players
Each player can use one or two joypads
High Points
Good graphics
Digitized voice-overs are a plus!
The ability to recreate the two-joystick feel is excellent!
Carnage on the NES! How can it be?!
Low Points
The difficulty is extremely high..What? NO CONTINUES?!
Have you got a 4 player adapter? Nope, me neither.
Review
Remember Robotron: 2084? That game where you used two
joysticks to move and shoot at the same time? That game
that had that control method implemented because the designer
had hurt his hand and couldn't use buttons but could use joysticks?
Of course you do! And you remember how they retooled it and made
it into Smash TV, don't you? WHAT? You don't remember? Here you go.
Smash TV was basically like Robotron: 2084, but with a lot
of enhancements added, like two pairs of joysticks so two
people could play at once, a more violent and futuristic
setting, and even some blood! Quite frankly, I don't see how
Nintendo even allowed this game onto the NES in the first place!
In the NES version, the premise is still the same. You still
run around the arenas, shooting everything that moves for
prize money (points in this case,) grabbing prizes, and taking
any power-ups you see. All the while, mercenaries armed with
clubs, guns, you name it, are trying to beat, shoot, clobber,
you-name-it the living daylights out of ya! Gee, I wonder if
this is how TV game shows are gonna be after Y2K?!!
The graphics lost little in their transition. Although they
aren't as detailed as the arcade, they still have their original
charm. If you look closely, you can still see the blood explosions
when you shoot one of those competitors! Thanks for the
oversight, Nintendo!
So this isn't one of those big hardware machines that you
find standing up in those dark rooms. Big deal, the music is
still done as original as possible, and there's still some
digitized speech effects from your M.C. like "Good luck, you'll
need it!"
The controls can be done in NES style, where A fires in whatever
direction you are moving, and B fires in the last direction you
shot, regardless of what direction you're moving. You can also
play with two joypads, where one controls you and the other
controls your gun. If two people want to play this way, you need
four controllers and a four-player adapter. Ugh.
I strongly recommend getting plenty of practice before you
seriously try to beat this game. It's extremely difficult and
there are no continues! Nope! None here! However, in every
arena, a one up will appear. Grab it, for if you don't, you will
not be able to get one again.
In summary, if you really want to have a smashing good time,
try Smash TV. If you have four controllers and a buddy, you'll
be able to recreate the arcade experience! Isn't it great what
technology can do?