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          M    O    D    E         S    E    V    E    N  
 
Ŀ
                 THE MAGAZINE FOR SUPER NINTENDO OWNERS                  
                      RELEASED 24th DEcEMBER 1993                  
                             ISSUE FOUR!                          JS/DiE

               Thanx to jS of DiE for this wicked ascii header!

Copyright notice: All of the information appearing in this magazine may 
not be sold, altered, copied or information distributed separately without 
prior consent from the editor (Gordon Craick). To do so is a breach of the
copyright act, 1968.
                   IT MUST BE DISTRIBUTED IN ITS ENTIRETY!

                           TABLE OF CONTENTS
                            ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Welcome to Issue #4 ................................................. 2
The new Mode7: Feedback from *you* wanted ........................... 3

SNES releases ....................................................... 3
Release predictions ................................................. 4

News: Violent Crimes - the new Mode7 WHQ! ........................... 5
News: New Video/Computer Game censorship ............................ 5
News: Super Nintendo Portable?! ..................................... 7
News: New FX chip released to all game publishers ................... 8
News: CD addon for SNES cancelled! .................................. 9

Review: Street Fighter 2 Turbo ......................................10
Review: Mortal Kombat ...............................................13
Review: James Pond Jr ...............................................14
Review: SNES Game Genie hardware addon ..............................15
Review: Kawasaki Challenge ..........................................16  
Review: TwinBee .....................................................17  
Review: Hat-Trick Hero ..............................................19
Review: Raiden ......................................................21

General: Confusion over new protection on games .....................23
General: More on Wolfenstein ........................................25
General: The Victorian Street Fighter 2 Championships ...............26
General: The legality of cartridge/game copiers .....................28

The Cheater's Den ...................................................31

Updates .............................................................32
How to Contact the editor ...........................................32
Credits .............................................................32

    -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-



                                                                        Page 1 
WELCOME TO ISSUE #4!
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
UNFORTUNATELY it has been quite a while since issue 4, mainly due to the 
end of year school rush, which lots of others have joyously experienced 
at some time i'm sure 8). Everything always gets busy during the end of 
the year, so that is the main reason for the 3 month interval
since issue three. During the time though, i've had plenty of time to 
check out some new games for review, which as you can see are a few more 
than usual. In fact, this issue of Mode7 could almost be considered a 
double issue.
   Issue 4 yet again signifies more change/improvements for Mode7, with
some support from DiE (Demented Images of Euphoria), a cool 
ANSi/VGA/Productions group based right in Australia. This will hopefully 
mean greater distribution and some wicked artwork due to their efforts. 
The Australian/WHQ of Mode7 has been transferred to Violent Crimes, due 
to a greater support there than Extreme (now called Ancient Future). 
Ancient Future and Intoxication are still distribution sites, which will 
mean that the latest issue(s) of Mode7 will be online the same day I 
release them. Violent Crimes is also a cool board for lots of different 
PD files, so give it a call sometime on 562-1008. More information is
available in the news section.
   I have also been pondering the future of Mode7, not in a 
negative sense, but have been having a think about how the mag could be 
greatly improved and become more widely known. At present you can 
probably tell that Mode7 only covers the SNES and basically the 
Australian scene which is a little limiting. There are thousands of 
others elsewhere around the world who are as equally keen on
consoles as probably you are and would probably be just as interested in 
Mode7 as us down here. If Mode7 goes worldwide which looks likely now, 
there would likely be lots of new writers and people willing to share 
the latest news. Down here in Australia, we are often a little behind in 
the latest news, mainly due to the fact that Australia is simply a 
relatively small market for consoles compared to some others. Those who 
have information closer to the source are more likely to get interesting 
news before it reaches Australia. When we do go worldwide, that will 
mean that the magazine will probably have to include support for *every* 
console or handheld. I was never really against this idea, as long as 
lots of people from around the world are willing to contribute (which 
they surely will). Also, recently I have obtained an account on Zikzak 
(a board which offers axs to the internet), which offers me full access 
to the internet, allowing FTP, telnet, full news, etc. Before I only 
really had a mailing account, so this new account should help Mode7 
greatly. Posting in many of the newsgroups (such as rec.games.video) 
would surely increase the distribution and popularity of Mode7, meaning 
that everybody around the world would know about Mode7. Also, the mag 
could be distributed to FTP sites, which would greatly increase 
distribution everywhere. Really it all comes down to whether people on 
the internet are willing to accept Mode7 with a few changes, and willing 
to carry the mag on internet sites, etc. My feeling is that they will, 
but I can never be too sure until I/we actually try. I am thinking of 
releasing Mode7 issue 5 as the first worldwide issue, but this is still 
a bit undecided, probably, but maybe not. It will mean a lot more
effort on my part at first, but it will slowly mean a lesser load on me 
in the future. Leave me some feedback on whether you think a worldwide 
Mode7 (which will unfortunately probably mean a lesser coverage of 
Australia due to interest factors) is a good idea, or a bad one!
   The Super Nintendo looks as though its dominance of the worldwide
console scene will decrease due to a fair degree to new consoles such as 
the 64 bit Atari Jaguar (which will be priced at $300 AUS!), the 3DO, 
and maybe even Sega with their 32 bit Sega 'Saturn' all coming onto the 
market in the United States recently/soon. We'll probably see the 
Australian releases of these consoles by about mid 1994. I have seen all 
of these consoles in action, and i hate to admit it, but they are vastly 
superior to any console out now in Australia (including the SNES). But 
still, the SNES is still the most popular games console in the world, 
and will remain so probably for the next two years or more. The SNES is 
out there are played by probably millions, and already has the support 
(software, industry acceptance) there, these new consoles yet do.

                                                                         Page 2
   Since this is probably going to be the last issue of Mode7 as you
have known it, i'd like to say thank you to all those dudes who have 
helped out since issue #1 in its present form, and at least got me into 
starting this magazine, and what will follow will be a result of that. 
The new 'Mode7' (which will probably require a new name) will be much 
than ever i can assure you! There will be support from right across the 
world, from news to reviews to articles. It will still maintain the same 
basic form, and a lot of what transpired in these first 4 issues will 
carry over into the new mag. All consoles will be covered, so everybody 
who has a console can get something out of the new magazine. I am hoping 
for feedback when requested from some of the companies concerned with 
console development also. Electronic Arts, ID software, Sierra, 
Lucasarts, Maxis Microprose and others are all available only an 
internet message away. There is not much more I can really say about 
this new magazine, other than to check it out when it comes along! I'm 
sure you won't be disappointed in the direction that Mode7 has taken, 
and the new look magazine can even start to compete with those 
off-the-shelf magazines. Stay tuned...
Oh by the way - Merry Christmas and all that..

THE NEW 'MODE7' - FEEDBACK FROM *YOU* WANTED!
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
IF you think you have any worthwhile comments or suggestions that you 
would like to see in this new console magazine (a new name for a 
start!), leave me a message. Any material for the new magazine is 
greatly welcomed too, although a lot of it will come from the internet 
I'm sure. The new magazine will cover all consoles, so any material or 
news for any console will be welcomed. I'll also including a new 
approach with various sub 'co-ordinators' whose job will be to gather 
all of the information together for a specific area, and pass it on to 
me (where i can make additions if necessary). For example I would have a 
cheat/hints co-ordinator, news co-ordinator, distribution co-ordinator, 
etc. This will make it more interesting for those of you who wish to be 
involved in the production of the magazine. Let me know if you would be 
interested in obtaining one of these positions, but it would be 
preferable if you have axs to the internet - above all you must have 
commitment and not just slack off because you feel like it. Keep up the 
support, Mode7 is definitely *not* dying but simply being reborn!


SNES RELEASeS
 ~~~~~~~~~~~
* = Looks pretty good from indications
** = Looks very good from indications
blank = unknown

Released recently (since last Mode7):
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Captain America           - Action/Platform
** Street Fighter 2 Turbo - Action/beat 'em up
* Jurassic Park           - Action/platform
** Super Mario All Stars  - Action/Platform
* Out of this World       - Strategy/platform
* Flashback               - Action/platform
BattleToads               - Beat em up
Alien vs Predator         - Action/beat 'em up
* Populous                - Strategy
Powermonger               - Strategy
** Parodius               - Shoot em up
Wing Commander            - Simulation/Shoot em up
Wing Commander Secret Missions - Shoot 'em up/simulation
Last Action Hero          - Action/arcade
Cliffhanger               - Action/arcade
* John Madden '94         - Sports/simulation
Final Fight 2             - Beat 'em up
* Tasmania                - Action/platform



                                                                         Page 3
Soon to be released:
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
   These titles are currently available either on import or have been recently
been released in another country (probably either Japan or the US) and 
should be available quite soon (in a few weeks or months)

** Mickey Mouse, World of Illusion - Platform
** Wolfenstein 3d                  - Action/Shoot 'em up
* Asterix                          - Action/platform
World Heroes                       - Beat 'em up

Will be released early 1994:
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
* The Art of Fighting - Beat 'em up
* Elite               - Arcade/Simulation (FX chip)
International Cricket - Sports/simulation
* Dungeon Master      - Action/role playing
Might and Magic 1     - Role Playing
* R-Type 3            - Action/Shoot 'em up
Fatal Fury            - Beat 'em up
SimEarth              - Strategy
Might and Magic       - Role Playing
Chessmaster           - Strategy
Chuck Rock            - Platform
Ys III                - Role Playing
Super BattleTank      - Arcade
* Toys                - ???
Rival Turf 2          - Beat 'em up

Will be released some time in the future
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
   The following games are due to land in Australia at no certain date yet 
(some are still in development or I'm not too sure about). Some are not 
definite so you'll just have to wait and see when they are to be released. 
Expect them sometime from March to July next year.

SimAnt                    - Strategy/simulation
* Eye of the Beholder 1   - Action/role playing
Might and Magic 2         - Role playing
* 32 bit FX racing game (probably like Virtua Racing) - Action/simulation
* FX TRAX                 - Action/simulation
Eek the Cat               - hell knows!
* Actraiser 2             - Action/strategy
Airborne Ranger           - Action/strategy
* ChopLifter 3            - Action/Shoot 'em up
Tiny Toons artwork        - Painting/animation/sound product
** Ultima Underworld      - Roleplaying
Dungeon Master            - Role Playing
Might and Magic 3         - Role Playing
* RoboCod                 - Platform
LawnMower man             - ???
Crash Dummies             - ???
Test Drive II             - Simulation
Super Star Raiders        - Shoot 'em up/simulation
Utopia                    - Strategy
** Populous 2             - Strategy
* F117a                   - Simulation
Pushover                  - Strategy
* Railway Tycoon          - Strategy
** Castlevania 5          - Action/platform
* Clay Fighter            - Beat 'em up


RELEASE PREDICTIONS
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This will be the last of the release predictions for Mode7 and just the 

                                                                         Page 4
SNES. The new look mode7 will have a similar section but will cover all 
consoles, which will be a lot more flexible. Often games mentioned here 
*will* be coming out on a console, though not necessarily the SNES (or 
just the SNES).

DOOM - Although ID has stated that DOOM on SNES *won't* be their first 
priority for the console market (rather on the Jaguar), in my opinion 
they will release a SNES version of DOOM eventually anyway (despite what 
they now say). Doom is one of the best games of the year on the PC, 
they can't really ignore that fact for thousands of SNES owners. Then 
again, it wouldn't be quite as fun with all the blood and gore taken 
out, as would be likely.

Super Street Fighter 2 - Considering the new arcade machine and Capcom's 
dedication to the home-console market, how can they *not* put out the 
new Super Street Fighter 2 on the SNES? Would definitely be a strong 
candidate for release some time late next year after the hype of the 
arcade machine has died down. Maybe a 24 or 32 megabit game to fit the 
new characters/backgrounds and endings in?

Mortal Kombat 2 - This would have to be a strong contender for a SNES 
game. Acclaim has made no formal statement about releasing MK2 on the 
SNES, but they probably will do soon. Would probably be out near the end 
of next year - to coincide with SSF2 just maybe :) ?


NEWS: VIOLENT CRIMES THE NEW WHQ!
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
With the support of Sudden Death and DiE in general, Mode7 has now moved its 
world HQ to Violent Crimes. Even though the magazine is likely to change soon 
and have FTP sites for issues, distribution sites will still basically stay the
same. Violent Crimes has a now decently active console chatter/mode 7 section, 
and you can also upload your articles privately to me in the special Mode7
conference. All issues of Mode 7 are also available for download. Violent 
Crimes is a PD board, but doesn't just except anyone. If you are going to
contribute you'll probably be let on, but if you are a typical leeching lamer,
forget about it! Give it a call if you need to contribute something to Mode7 
(or the new magazine) or *anything* to Mode7!. Also you'll probably find dudes
such as me :), Snoopy, The Joker, Sandman, Kewld00d and others to chat about
consoles - what can you loose? only your sanity..hehe 


NEWS: NEW VIDEO/COMPUTER GAME CENSORSHiP
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Now it has become official, all types of electronic games will now be 
officially rated by the Australian Classification Board. This includes 
*all* types of games such as console games, arcade machines and home 
PC's (that being IBM, Amiga, Mac, etc). The new classification system is 
designed to prevent obsessively violent games from entering the market, 
and to restrict the access of some of this material to persons of 
certain ages. After an investigation by a special government committee, 
they have come up with the following access restrictions regarding all 
new (and if possible, current) games:

<G> -  General. Available to persons all years of age. Contains no (or 
       if, very little) violence or sensitive themes. The lowest 
       possible rating.

<G8> - Slightly higher General rating. Available for persons over the 
       age of eight. Contains maybe some violent implied, but nothing 
       explicit. A general rating for those games that maybe don't quite 
       fit into the <G> category.

<M> -  For mature audiences. Available for persons aged over the age of 
       15. May contain some explicit violence and adult themes (whatever 
       that is :) ) but not to a great extent. Arcade machines (eg: 
       those you might play at TimeZone), will have to be classified at 
       this rating or below to be able to be accessed by the general 

                                                                         Page 5
       public (eg: kids playing them under this age). Around 90% of most
       games out today would fit under this category or below, even 
       those which may have violent themes.

<MA> - Restricted mature audiences. Available for persons aged *only* 
       over the age of 16. May contain pretty high levels of explicit 
       violence and adult themes. Arcade machines or other computer 
       games which would fit under this category would not (or should 
       not according to the restriction) be available to persons under 
       this age-group. Around 6% to 7% of games would fit into this
       category.

<R>  - Restricted audiences. Available to persons *only* over the age of 
       18. May contain high to very high levels of violence and adult 
       themes. Any 'pornographic' material (eg: sex related games) would 
       fit under this category. Only around 3% (or so) would probably be 
       classified under this rating.

<Refused> - Title refused. Contains material unsuitable for all 
       age groups. Titles that may be refused by the censorship committee 
       include games which may contain obsessive violence and/or 
       mutilation, sexual deviance, or themes involving rape, abuse or 
       torture (the fun stuff 8) ). Titles such as these will be refused 
       importation into the country and will be illegal to 
       sell/distribute.

Each classification will have its own colour-coding system, and where 
possible, be displayed upon commencement of the game. 

These classification systems are enforceable under government 
legislation and would be standard throughout all states of Australia and 
backed federally. Very similar to film/video classifications, persons 
found selling/distributing titles to person(s) underage may be liable
to fines and penalties. This applies specifically to the <R> category, 
although the <MA> classification may be enforced similarly. The 
legislation will apply to all electronic entertainment in the same 
universal manner as of officially this week. Full implementation will 
not be completed until soon next year.

!! I have played no part in this investigation and classification, I am 
just reporting it to everyone !!

Source: (The Age & The Australian newspaper)

If you were wondering, games that would fit into the <G> category would 
be games such as Super Mario, Sonic the Hedgehog, educational games, 
Trolls, Vikings, etc..Games that would fit into the <G8> category might 
be games such as Lemmings, Commanche, Kings Quest, Carmen Santiego, UN 
Squadron, Wing Commander (probably borderline between <G8> and <M>), 
etc. <M> games would likely be such games as Monkey Island, Quest for 
Glory, Street Fighter 2, Xwing, Halloween Harry, Prince of Persia, Red 
Baron, etc. <MA> would be games such as Mortal Kombat, Wolfenstein, 
DOOM, Syndicate, and similar titles. <R> would be for such games a Strip 
Poker 3, Larry 1, Elvira, Leather Goddess of Phobos, Sorcerers get all 
the Girls, etc. These are only personal opinions/analysis, and many I am 
not too sure about (eg: Wolfenstein, Sorcerers get all the girls). Some 
could probably fit into either of two categories. It all depends on how 
hard the board is going to classify things.

Personally I do *not* support these classifications, for many reasons 
which I won't go into *much* detail here. The main problem will be 
enforcing such a law. Most will just get brothers/sisters (even parents) 
to purchase the games for them if they are refused, how can they police 
that??. Another point is games that come into Australia via BBS not 
really officially being released here (and what is??), so how can that 
be checked on? A large amount of games being played by many are imported 
by pirate couriers from o/s anyway, they definitely don't give a damn 
about the ratings.

                                                                         Page 6
   The impact of this will probably be not that great amongst some of 
you (probably being over 18 anyway or can pass for 18), but it may have 
a reasonable effect on sales of computer games in the country. 
Considering this is an Australian only scheme, games coming into the 
country will very much stay the same anyway - just with a new rating 
stuck on the cover. Considering most games come from overseas from 
countries such as the United States, Britain, Europe, etc, the system 
will have very little impact on the production of games coming from 
there. They are hardly going to change their games just for the 
relatively small Australian market! Most will just have their games sent 
to the Australian Classification Board before official release, have a 
sticker stuck on it (must likely just an <M> one for the majority of 
games) and be available as per usual. I don't see how it is going to 
make a hellavalot of difference to most people.


NEWS: SUPER NINTENDO PORTABLE?!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Maybe one of the most exciting pieces of news this year - there are 
*reports* (that cannot yet be substantiated) that a company (not 
Nintendo - but authorised by them) is starting work on a special 
'portable' version of the most popular 16 bit console on earth. Exact 
details are not yet available, but from what I've heard and also from 
some educated guesses it looks quite interesting.
   The unit (yet nameless - maybe the Super Gameboy??) will be a bit
different to the standard 'handheld' units such as the Gamebody, Lynx, 
Gamegear and probably will be quite a bit larger than such machines. 
More likely it will be a unit roughly the size of a very small laptop 
computer (dimensions of about 25cmx15x5cm). It will feature a high
resolution colour dot matrix screen (will likely be active matrix as 
used in machines such as Toshiba laptops) plug in headphone/speaker 
socket, built in joypad and probably some other goodies all in the same 
compact and foldable package! There will probably be an video input 
socket (and maybe also output jack) for plugging in your video 
cameras/video players, etc which will also be an added bonus. Maybe the 
best thing about it is that it will take standard SNES cartridges 
without any ungainly converters - it will  not even have its own
cartridge format (it is won't be needed!). Imagine playing Street
Fighter 2 or Mario All Stars on your own 7" (inch) 256 colour screen and 
have the entire unit fit into the palm of your hand!! (well both of them 
anyway :) ). At present the Sega Gamegear is probably the most popular 
handheld (only 8 bit), though excellent portable units like this may 
change things in the future. Price will probably be the downer for this 
beast, all the features will probably push the price up around the 
$500-$700 mark - not cheap, but colour matrix screens, and the works are 
as yet much more expensive than their picture-tube equivalents. Release 
seems to be probable for mid 1994, though more than likely we will never 
see it in Australia - mainly due to costs.


NEWS: NEW FX CHIP RELEASED TO ALL GAME PUBLISHERS
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ONLY one release (Starfox) down the track from the new 'FX' chip (see 
issue #2) which allows polygon rotation, movement, shading and other 
special functions in SNES cartridges, Nintendo have released the second 
generation of the chip - dubbed the SFX (or Super FX chip). Starfox was 
only the first game of its type and already it has become one of the 
biggest ever selling Super Nintendo cartridges - the possibilities for 
this chip have only scratched the surface of what may come soon. One of 
the major differences between the new and the old chips is that the new 
chips specs have been sent out to game designers, also allowing them to 
add this chip to future games. Many have wondered whether this would 
happen, Nintendo has been holding onto the chip design for some time - 
probably for good reason in retrospect. Again, as with the first chip, 
details on its features and improvements over the first generation chip 
are hard to come by. Id software (authors of Wolfenstein) have received 
their SFX designs and even they are sworn to secrecy, so Nintendo does 
seem to be serious of keeping details hidden. It probably won't be until 

                                                                         Page 7
we see the first game to use this chip before we can all see its 
technical capabilities to the fullest. Considering that Id software is 
considering DOOM to be ported to the SNES in the future using this chip 
it gives a good base for speculation of what this chip can actually do. 
These are only some personal guesstimates (and a little inside 
information) by me on improvements that this chip will have:

* Full 256 colour polygons. Starfox and the first generation chip only 
  could display 16 colour only polygons, not too exciting for more 
  detailed objects. Full colour polygons will mean finer detail and make 
  the new SFX games generally better looking all-round.

* Improved Texture mapping. This will allow full 256 colour images to be 
  'projected' or mapped onto polygons, allowing for some exciting 
  possibilities. Walls and other objects could also be texture mapped or 
  even 'warped' (the image bent around a surface) to give a super 
  realism.

* Curved or non-angular objects. Instead of just having a polygon made 
  up of several different flat surfaces, curved objects (such as blobs, 
  spheres) may be possible. This will allow some quite interesting 
  games.

* Improved speed. Starfox was fast but the new generation chip is 
  supposed to be even faster. This will mean that the game can really 
  fly along - no matter how complicated it is. This will really benefit 
  in FX-Trax, an upcoming in-house racing game by Nintendo.

* More surfaces and polygons on screen. As a result of a faster speed 
  and larger graphical processing power in the SFX chip, more objects 
  and/or surfaces can be displayed on the screen at once. This will 
  allow more complicated games than Starfox. Instead of maybe ten 
  polygons on screen without it slowing down, the new chip will probably 
  allow thirty or maybe even more. 

As you can probably think of yourself, the possibilities are nearly 
endless and will allow some of the best console games on the SNES yet 
seen. 


NEWS: CD ADD-ON FOR SNES CANCELLED!
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
MUCH to everybodys disappointment, Nintendo have cancelled the 
production of any new CD add on (similar to the MegaCD) for the SNES :( 
Instead they are planning on concentrating efforts for their hot new 
'Project Reality' 64 bit console partnered by Silicon Graphics (for more 
details see issue 3). In my opinion, Nintendo should have released the 
add-on *anyway*, whether it was ground-shattering or not. They have 
poured probably millions into the 32 bit cd add-on, to give it a way 
during the final stages of completion is downright crazy. People have 
been waiting for a 'Super CD' add-on for their SNES right since the 
initial release of the base unit and now many (including me) are 
disappointed with Nintendo's announcement. Nintendo are now likely to 
lag behind many other console developers (eg: the 3dO, Jaguar, even 
the CD32) due to the fact that they have no CD-ROM unit available. It is 
going to cost them many millions in potential revenue lost and maybe 
even a loss of a major hold in the market. These developers who do have 
a CD unit ready have a big advantage over Nintendo already, their 
products are finished and on sale - Nintendo is still calling the shots 
from the sideline. Nintendo has acted a little angrily to less than 
receptive reports from the console media about the CD add-on's 
cancellation responding with claims that these other consoles will fail 
outright and that they have absolutely no chance of succeeding. The fact 
is though that they have a pretty *good* change of succeeding while 
Nintendo develops their new 64 bit console due for release in 1996 (two 
years away!). People are likely to go for what is there now, rather than 
wait for down the track.
   Nintendo has added a little sugar to the salt by saying that the new 

                                                                         Page 8
'Project Reality' console will be generations ahead of the new CD & 32 
bit+ consoles, and from the published specs looks like this is true. The 
question is: will everybody want to wait that long? In the next year we 
shall definitely see.


REVIEW: STREET FIGHTER 2 TURBO
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GAME TYPE: Arcade/Beat 'em up
DESIGNER : Capcom
PRICE    : $119-$140 (varies a lot, i got it for $120)
CARTRIDGE SIZE: 20 mbit!!

PLAYERS: 1 or 2 (vs mode)
LEVELS : 12 fighting fields. 12 opponents
CONTINUES: Unlimited
LIVES PER CONTINUE: Two
BUTTONS: 6

I'm all sure you've played Street Fighter 2 some time during the last 
few months, i mean it has been demoed at just video game store i have 
been too. Also, in many was Street Fighter 2 is quite similar to the 
standard SNES SF2 - so i'll keep things short and list the changes and 
the difference in play. Check out issue #1 for a general idea of what 
the game is about and how it plays.

Graphics and sound remain pretty much the same from the previous SNES 
SF2. Some of the backgrounds have been slightly redone and improved, but 
to the casual eye you probably wouldn't notice any differences. Ryu's 
stage is now set at twilight with the stupid 'break' poles removed. E. 
Honda's and Zangief's stages have been rearranged a little, but appear 
basically the same. Sound has been improved quite a bit, with the crowd 
raw, elephant trumpeting, and some of the characters effects slightly 
changed to be identical to the arcade. Bison's noise (which i still 
bloody can't work out!!) when he does his head-stomp still is absent, 
though i'm not sure why they missed it out again. The smashed faces of 
E.Honda and Blanka still haven't been modified to represent the arcade
turbo. I guess there are just picky things that most wouldn't even pick 
up, but if you've played the arcade a bit you tend to notice. Otherwise 
everything is *identical* in all regards to the arcade sound and 
graphics wise. Only problem is that you still have that ugly big black 
border (which you can reduce if you have a proper television monitor). 
Otherwise perfect, 'couldn't be improved' I thought in the first SF2, yet
they managed this version, onya Capcom!

Other enhancements are really to do with the playability and speed, 
since the fx was much the same as the arcade in the first SF2. All the 
characters are now able to be played, which includes the bosses - 12 
characters means that you are *never* going to get bored with this game, 
even months down the track. Vega is there with his Inza drop, Bison 
with his head stomp, Sagat with his deadly tiger uppercut (shit slow 
mover though), and Balrog with his two-hits and your dizzy punch. I never 
play the bosses for some reason, maybe because their endings are just 
text scrollies. All their moves are perfect though, and Capcom has at 
least taken trouble to make sure they haven't left out anything (well 
except some of the bosses' moves in the manual!), which might have 
happened. Speed is of course turbo and equal to the arcade (if not 
faster), selectable from SF2 standard speed to ten star (via the cheat 
mentioned in this issue) twice-as-fast-as-the-arcade (tm) mode. Try 
playing Vega vs Vega on ten stars and you'll soon get mighty sore 
fingers! If you like you can even play Champion mode, turning off the 
turbo moves and changing to Champion speed - identical to the arcade 
Champion SF2. The computer player has been made a little more 
intelligent in some regards, stupider in others. Half the time it has to 
revert to cheating to beat you on the harder levels. On the lower levels 
(there are eight difficulty levels to choose from) it is a little 
better, but not entirely fair. It isn't really that hard to finish on 
the standard level, but pump it up to eight stars and you are in 

                                                                         Page 9
trouble. There are strategies you can use to beat some of the bad guys 
every time (eg: Balrog and Sagat), but has been improved greatly since 
the first SF2 where the enemies could end up trapped in the corner until 
you slaughtered them.

Two player mode is as good as ever, and with selectable moves (which you 
can change via a cheat) you can choose to make things easier or harder 
for players of different ability. What annoys me most about this game is 
that my brother *always* seems to beat me with his last move when things 
are even :(. Other than the quality of your opponent you can end up 
playing for hours, ending up at 2am in the morning with battle 66 and 
painful cramp 8). Only a few weeks after i bought the game and i have 
calluses on my fingers! One of the best two player games ever, i don't
think there will ever be anything better. Doom on the PC might come 
close though....

Street Fighter 2 Turbo is one game you just MUST get, no excuses 
whatsoever. Simply the best fighting game that you have ever been able 
to play in your own home, everything is pixel-pixel, move-move to the 


arcade. Even if you manage to finish it with ever character on every 
level, there are always friends to play. Just coming back after a week 
of not playing will have you hooked. Nothing more can be said except i 
could mention Super SF2 - nah...

Final analysis
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
                                   GRAPH                           SCORE
Sound effects      |***************************************         98%
                   +___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I.
Music              |*************************************           92%
                   +___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I.
Sprites            |**************************************          95%
                   +___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I.
Background         |**************************************          94%
                   +___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I.
Playability        |**************************************          95%
                   +___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I.
IQ factor          |********                                        20%
                   +___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I.
Fun factor         |*************************************           91%
                   +___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I.
Overall graphics   |**************************************          95%
                   +___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I.
OVERALL            |***************************************         98%
                   +___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I.
      Percentage % 0  10  20  30  40  50  60  70  80  90  100

IMPRESSIONS : Totally awesome from the minute you put in the cart. The 
initial brilliance doesn't ware off for several weeks, even then it 
still is one excellent game to play.

CONVERSION : 120% - Identical to the arcade in everyway! More blood like 
the arcade (even though there never was too much). Even better than the 
arcade in many ways because you can turn off special moves, change the 
difficulty, change the speed to slower, equal to, or even faster than 
the arcade. Best of all you aren't paying a dollar each game.

INTEREST FACTOR : 3-4 months
DIFFICULTY : 1 week standard, two months hard (from people starting from 
             scratch
WOULD I BUY THE GAME : YESSS!!! Even though it is a bit expensive at 
$140 it is worth every dollar. Make sure you get it for around $120 from 
the less well known, better video/game shop.


REVIEW: MORTAL KOMBAT
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                                                                        Page 10
GAME TYPE : Arcade/beat 'em up
DESIGNER  : Acclaim
PRICE     : $110 - $130
CARTRIDGE SIZE: 16 mbit

PLAYERS : 1 or 2 (vs mode)
LEVELS : Around 12 LEVELS or playing fields. 10 opponents
CONTINUES : Unlimited
LIVES PER CONTINUE: 2
BUTTONS: 6

Mortal Kombat has been kicking around in the arcades for 9 months now 
here in Australia, and has become quite popular amongst the beat 'em
up crowd. It hasn't become as popular as Street Fighter 2, but what ever 
will? There were high expectations amongst many that MK would topple SF2 
from its crown on the SNES, but then came Turbo and things looked a 
little different. I must say that I was hoping for a good version on the 
SNES, but was pretty disappointed when I finally got to try it out for 
myself.

If you haven't ever seen/played Mortal Kombat, the synopsis of the game 
is that 9 fighters from around the world come together to challenge each 
other for supremacy of the world. You are also up against the supremely 
evil Goro and the mysterious ancient - Shang Tsung. For the uninitiated, 
Goro is a beast with 6 arms, and apparently hasn't been defeated for 
500 years (pah!). Your task is to defeat all opposition and become the 
true ruler of the world. The human player has eight players to choose 
from: Jonny Cage - the Bruce Lee lookalike, Sonya - the typical 
masculine female player, Scorpion - with the strike of a scorpion, Sub 
Zero with the power of ice, Raiden - the evil fighter with the power of 
thunder, Liu Kang - martial arts expert and Kano - with his great 
strength. Like the first SF2, the computer has control of Goro and Shang 
Tsung and also the reclusive Reptile (who you can only fight if you 
finish some of the levels with the appropriate move), which you can't 
play.

The first few rounds are relatively simple, having to defeat the first 6 
characters which you can play. Then you have to defeat your mirror image 
(which makes a bit more sense than fighting yourself in SF2 turbo!), 
playing off your own skills against yourself. After that you move to the 
double rounds where you must defeat TWO characters one after another, 
without time for recovery. Finally you move on to Goro and then Shang 
Tsung himself, who can change his form and moves to *any* of the games 
fighters!! That doesn't make him any harder unfortunately, and you can
beat him pretty easily - not really worth the trouble of getting to the 
end of the game for.

One of the main disappointments is that all of the horror and gore of 
the original arcade has been removed from the SNES version. It doesn't 
really add much to the game in gameplay terms I admit, but at least it 
gives you something to fight for. Sick I agree :) - but it is a lot more 
fun to rip the enemies spine out, rather than let them just fall to the 
ground or imitate some mockery of the original fatality (eg: Jonny 
Cage's leg appears to get 'stuck' in the opposition, rather than 
blasting through their stomach - rather sad). The Megadrive version has 
all of the gore accessed via secret codes, which makes me (and everybody 
else) wonder just why couldn't Acclaim have done this with the SNES
version? Apparently the first copy submitted to Nintendo was refused 
due to the excessive fatalities, couldn't they just have hidden them 
from them by using codes such as the Sega version? If Nintendo are going 
to keep this up, I would rather they just made the games R or MA rated 
so that all the gore would be included - then if you wanted it with all 
the blood, you could get it with all the blood, none of this weak crap.

The sampled speech of Mortal Kombat is _pretty_ good, though I seem to 
prefer the SF2 samples. Each of the players name's has been digitised so 
rather than "YOU WIN!" or "YOU LOSE!" (as with SF2 turbo), you get "KANO 
WINS", "SONYA WINS", etc which is a nice touch. There is the usual 

                                                                        Page 11
assortments of bash and punch samples, plus the ever present "FINISH 
HIM!". AS a first (and probably also a last for Mode7), I've recorded 
some of the samples (.VOC) straight from the SNES version for you to 
use!! Hope you like 'em, maybe you could use them in Windows or 
something :) . If you don't have an IBM, you'll have to convert them to 
the RAW or IFF format if you wish to play them on your machine. MK's 
music is pretty pathetic and not really up to the standard of the rest 
of the game. The main problem is that lacks any conviction in any of the 
soundtrack, mostly being soft oriental/fighting type music. Compared to 
the SF2 turbo soundtrack, it sounds pretty pathetic in all honesty. You 
might like that type of thing, but I know that I prefer music that fits 
in with the mood of the game (as with SF2) and *adds* to the game, 
rather than just some wimpy 'elevator' music.

Graphics have been taken straight from the arcade machine, and as a 
result, there is very little difference graphically on the SNES. It 
appears as if a little of the animation has been taken out, but it is 
hardly noticeable while fighting. All the characters and backgrounds have 
been digitised from real actors/people and models/scenery and looks all 
very clear. It adds a touch of realism to the game, but what fighting 
game *does* appear true to life anyway? It isn't as if you go and fight 
a 6 armed beast to take over the world every day now is it? 8). Some 
people might prefer this, but I feel that cartoon-type images (as used 
in SF2) are a lot more fun. The backgrounds are interesting, though 
aren't attention grabbing and often a little boring, ranging from being 
in front of a monastery to being in the inside of a dungeon.

Probably the greatest gripe about the game is how easy it is if you work 
out the computer's strategy. At least with SF2 the characters are a 
little unpredictable - here they use the same move(s) over and over 
again. After working out this strategy, I managed to finish the game on 
'extremely hard' in a matter of hours - not exactly value for money. 
Playing against a human player is a bit of a greater challenge, but soon 
becomes boring after as little as 20 games (i know I can challenge 
people for 50 games in SF2 in *one* session before getting bored!). One 
of the main reasons I think is that the moves are too hard to pull off 
while in battle. Pressing HARD, HARD, LEFT, LEFT is a lot more difficult 
to execute in the heat of battle than a diagonal quarter circle and then 
punch (as with SF2). You just end up not bothering to do any of the 
special moves, and sticking with the basic round-house, trip, hard-punch 
uppercut combination. Kinda negates the use of the special moves at all. 
The fatalities are similar, they are too hard to pull off and what is 
the real point anyway when you don't get to see any gore (just a stupid 
approximation). I tried for many days to execute some of the harder 
fatalities and just couldn't pull them off. In the end I only saw around 
3 of the 7 fatalities despite my constant attempts.

Despite many negative features, Mortal Kombat is not total crud, and at 
least Acclaim have managed to make a decent conversion in most 
departments. If the game had less bugs and was a bit more challenging 
and easy to play, Mortal Kombat would be an excellent rather than just a 
good game. It does make a pretty decent two player game, though many of 
the problems encountered in playing the computer still exist. I would 
definitely try before you buy and make sure you think carefully whether 
you won't get bored of it after a few days (which i did). It appears 
excellent on first appearances, but as you get into the game you realise 
things aren't so great after all. All up, it would have to be one of the 
*second* best SNES fighting games behind the obvious leader (of course 
we all know that there aren't that *many* good fighting games on the 
Super Nintendo), but I would recommend you consider it after you have 
tired of SF2. Street Fighter 2 Turbo after all is only around $15 more 
and 20% better...

The big news for MK or beat 'em up fans is that there is now a Mortal 
Kombat 2, just released the other week here in Australia. I've had a few 
games of MK2 and now maybe enjoy it as much, if not greater, than the 

                                                                        Page 12
arcade sf2 turbo. This could be just because I've played SF2 so much 
now, but it is a very close competitor for SF2 no matter which way you 
look at it. There are new fatalities, new moves, new characters, and the 
moves are much easier to pull off. Basically everything that the first 
arcade machine was missing! If Acclaim can make a good conversion for 
the SNES some time next year (and they have not really decided whether 
they *do* want to make a SNES version), I know it will be one of the 
games on my wish list of SNES games for 94!

AS a final footnote: MK2 *is* definitely coming out on the 3DO. This 
version, considering the power of the 3dO, would be a perfect conversion 
of the arcade MK2, if not better!! A version of Mortal Kombat (1) is 
also planned for the home-PC market soon.

Final analysis
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
                                   GRAPH                           SCORE
Sound effects      |**************************************          95%
                   +___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I.
Music              |****************************                    70%
                   +___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I.
Sprites            |**************************************          96%
                   +___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I.
Background         |********************************                80%
                   +___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I.
Playability        |****************************                    70%
                   +___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I.
IQ factor          |************                                    19%
                   +___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I.
Fun factor         |***************************                     69%
                   +___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I.
Overall graphics   |************************************            90%
                   +___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I.
OVERALL            |*******************************                 78%
                   +___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I.
      Percentage % 0  10  20  30  40  50  60  70  80  90  100

IMPRESSIONS : Very good to start off with, but just gets boring and more 
boring. The fatalities are uninteresting, and so are the moves really. 
Way too easy to finish for a game of this supposed calibre.

CONVERSION : 90% - Very Good and very close to the arcade. Would be 100%
if some bugs didn't make it into the game. Another 5% taken off because 
the fatalities were taken out.

INTEREST FACTOR : 1-2 weeks
DIFFICULTY : 1 day!! (for me anyway)
WOULD I BUY THE GAME : No. Maybe for $50 or so, but not for much more.


REVIEW: JAMES POND JR (2)
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GAME TYPE: Platform/action
DESIGNER:  Ocean
CONTINUES: 3
LIVES PER CONTINUE: 4

CARTRIDGE SIZE: 8 meg

ACCESSORIES: None
BUTTONS USED: 2
PRICE: $99.95

Take your common James Bond theme, make it very fishy and you have James 
Pond. This is really the second of the series (others versions being on 
the Amiga, and Megadrive), although the first for the SNES. You play the 
part as Robocod James Pond 007, a nice looking specimen of a fish in a 
tux. Your task is to rescue the world (yet again) from the evil 

                                                                        Page 13
Dr.Maybe, an evil professor who would like nothing better than to take 
over the planet. To achieve this he has taken Santa (ohhw, what a 
shame..hehe) captive and taken over his Northern Pole retreat. Planting 
bombs in penguin toys, Dr Maybe has threatened to destroy every child in 
the world unless the world will bow down before him. Of course you as 
supercod - spy 007, is ordered to take care of the situation by rescuing 
the penguins from and destroying Doc Maybe.

Other than the slightly offbeat theme, James Pond is your basic platform 
game, with many obstacles and bad-guys to prevent you from succeeding 
with your orders. Each level requires you to bounce around, bouncing on 
any of the bad guys while collecting objects along the way. After every 
few levels there is an end of level bad-dude to fight, ranging from 
teddy bears to Santa Claus. 007 also has an extendable body which can be 
useful for reaching up into those high places.

The overall appearance of James Pond is of overwhelming colour. All of 
the enemies are drawn with guadish colours, which can get a bit sore on 
the eyes after playing for a while. Backgrounds are probably the most 
disappointing aspect of the game, usually consisting of several 'tiles' 
of background put together to form an overall background. Not a bad idea 


as it saves on space, but makes the game a little disappointing in the 
overall graphics department. Also having random or rainbow coloured 
backgrounds can get a bit on your nerve after a while. All the sprites 
are drawn in cartoon like fashion which adds a little humour to the 
game, especially when *every* sprite in the game is 'alive', drawn with 
bubble eyes. From icecreams to cars, they all have their own eyeballs.

Sound is lively and pretty enjoyable, although is the type that can get 
repetitive and annoying after a while. Sound effects are interesting, 
but consist of basic boing and sproing noises. The sound basically adds 
more brightness to the game, and at least fits well into the mood with 
songs such as Jingle Bells, Santa Claus is coming (to town :) ), etc.

I found the game quite challenging as long as you don't cheat (which 
makes the game only last a few minutes - yawn), and will probably keep 
you going for quite a while. A good standard for a platform game, though 
not quite up to Mario and maybe behind Bubsy (i've been played it 
recently, but a review didn't make it into this issue). The game is not 
really hilarious during any instances, but there is enough variety to 
keep you going through the various levels. The brightness is probably 
one of the main aspects that keeps you playing, if it weren't for that 
you might get bored of the samish type gameplay. If you end up liking 
this game (which i pretty much did), you can look forward to another 
James Pond title in production for release soon on the SNES.

Final analysis
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
                                   GRAPH                           SCORE
Sound effects      |*********************************               72%
                   +___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I.
Music              |***********************************             87%
                   +___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I.
Sprites            |**********************************              86%
                   +___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I.
Background         |********************                            50%
                   +___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I.
Playability        |**********************************              85%
                   +___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I.
IQ factor          |****************                                40%
                   +___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I.
Fun factor         |*********************************               84%
                   +___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I.
Overall graphics   |********************************                80%
                   +___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I.
OVERALL            |**********************************              86%
                   +___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I.
                                                                        Page 14   
        Percentage % 0  10  20  30  40  50  60  70  80  90  100

IMPRESSIONS : A pretty decent platform game which should keep you going
for a fair while. Lots of different levels add extra variety to the 
game. Likely to get bored of it after a while - a bit too repetitive.

CONVERSION : n/a

INTEREST FACTOR : 1-2 weeks
DIFFICULTY : 1-2 weeks

WOULD I BUY THE GAME : Yes, but maybe not at the set price as it now 
stands.


REVIEW: SNES GAME GENIE HARDWARE ADDON
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
by Snoopy

TYPE: Hardware based cheat accessory
PRICE: Varies, should be about 90$ Aus

Yeah, you've seen the NES version, here comes its big brother. Like the 
NES, the SNES Game Genie allows you to 'reprogram' your games (or the 
rental store's games) and alter various features, eg. more lives, select 
any level, unlimited ammo. etc. Plug the cartridge into the machine, and 
then plug in the cartridge you wish to cheat and off you go.

This 're-programming' is done by the entry of various codes on your 
screen, which are then somehow passed onto the SNES and alters the 
gameplay. HOWEVER, the cartridge itself is NOT affected, just the game 
you are playing now. Some people have warned that it will eventually 
stuff up games if used very frequently, though that has yet to be 
substantiated by anybody.

The actual Game Genie sits between the SNES and the cartridge, which 
plugs in on top of it. Kinda looks like a foreign cartridge converter, 
which it also is. The Game Genie is not the only piece of hardware that 
allows you to 're-program' the game, there is also the Action Replay for 
about the same price. However, I haven't tried that, so no judgement for 
now. Maybe later. Anyway, a hands-on view of the Game Genie.

On powering up the SNES, I got a rather bland black screen with a coupla
lines of letters, underneath some dashed lines. I put a few codes in
(using the 'finger' pointer) on the dashed lines, and started the game
(which happened to be Actraiser). It wasn't too bad, I found that the
birds, gnomes(?), gorillas etc. didn't hurt me, neither did the
end-of-level boss. Unfortunately, this removed the need for skill that 
the normal game required. And I'm afraid that is the worst point of the 
Game Genie.

Unless you are a super-unco gamer, you wouldn't want to buy one of these
units. IMHO, when you've paid 80$+ for a game you DON'T want to finish
it in an hour with the Game Genie. However, if you're just renting a
game, or borrowing one, or found a game that is extra-frustrating, then
the Game Genie could be justified. Otherwise, the best thing about the 
use of the Game Genie is to _improve_ the game. You can make a completed 
game harder, add new moves, change sprites or improve 2 player games.

I borrowed the review Game Genie off a friend, and I've seen Action 
Replays (Predator - maybe better in my opinion) available at Virgin 
Megastore Melbourne. There are also versions for Megadrive, NES, 
Gamegear(!) and Gameboy(!!!!!)

FINAL COMMENT: Not a bad idea, but try not to finish all your games in 
one go. You'll only give yourself a false sense of game-playing ability 
(yeah, as with drugs...hehe).

WOULD I BUY ONE? Nope, but maybe if they were a _lot_ cheaper.
                                                                        Page 15

REVIEW: KAWASAKI CHALLENGE
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By Snoopy

TYPE OF GAME: Sports/Simulation
DESIGNER: Game Tek
PRICE: ???

CARTRIDGE SIZE: 12 Mbit
NUMBER OF LEVELS: ???
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 1
NO. OF CONTINUES: ???
NO. OF LIVES PER CONTINUE: ???
BUTTONS USED: Not many
HARDWARE ACCESSORIES USED: None

By now you're probably wondering why there are so many "???" in the 
intro. The reason is, this game is so crap I didn't bother playing for 
more than 5 minutes at most. Undoubtedly, this game has won my personal 
award of game least likely to appeal to anyone. This review is short 
because I don't want to waste too much time on it.

The opening screen is pleasant enough, with a motorbike at the top and 
jetski at the bottom, with "Kawasaki Motor Mad!" in between. However, 
even then I though they would have to do something pretty special to 
make a racing sim stand out among the crowd. Too bad they failed. 
Starting with the graphics. The gfx here vary, there are some nice 
digitised moments, a few EGA like screens and then come graphics looking 
like they came from a $20 Sega Master system title which unfortunately 
are the main game graphics. Big green splotches for trees, straight grey 
lines for a road and plain beige for dirt. And that's it. Apart from the 
green, grey and beige scenery, the jumbled mess of pixels that might 
resemble motorbikes if you are totally blind, there is no other use of 
the colour. And that's the motorbike part.  The jetski section is only 
partially better, because although the beige dirt and green trees are 
there, the water is a whole TWO COLOURS, blue and white! I really don't 
know how the programmers did it! (sarcastic like hell)

The sound is nothing fantastic, as usual turn rite off and put on some 
good thrash-an early Metallica or Pantera always helps me along...

OK, I know the graphics isn't everything, it's the gameplay that counts. 
I'm happy to say the gameplay sux too. It's not slow or anything, but 
the courses are boring, repetitive and not fun. There's kind of radar I 
think, but it's no use because the corners just jump at you with no 
warning and you go rite off, and the lousy control method doesn't help 
it any more. There's no difference between riding a bike or the jetski 
except for the (shit) graphics. We've seen this typical, overhead view 
racing game a thousand times before, and it's been done a thousand times 
better too, so when will programmers take the hint and write something 
original? 

And finally, although a two-player mode normally makes a game better, I'm 
glad this one has not got that option. Why make a friend suffer when you 
can't bear it yourself? This release isn't worth the silicon it came on. 
Throw it away or pass it on to someone you don't like and play SF2 normal or 
Turbo. I mean, you HAVE to have one of those games, rite? You've heard 
it here - do not ever go near this cartridge. Doesn't it make you glad 
you can write stuff like this and not fear litigation? I mean, no-one 
can prosecute you for telling the truth (Predator - well that is the 
theory anyway...hehe).

Final analysis
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
                                   GRAPH                           SCORE
Sound effects      |********                                        20%
                   +___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I.
                                                                        Page 16

Music              |********                                        20%
                   +___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I.
Sprites            | nil!                                            0%
                   +___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I.
Background         |**************************************** (negative!)
                   +___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I.
Playability        | nil!                                            0%
                   +___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I.
IQ factor          | nil!                                            0%
                   +___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I.
Fun factor         |**************************************** (negative!)
                   +___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I.
Overall graphics   | nil!                                            0%
                   +___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I.
OVERALL            | no score at all but that is Snoopy for you #8)   0%
                   +___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I.
      Percentage % 0  10  20  30  40  50  60  70  80  90  100

General Comments
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
SOUND FX: 20%
MUSIC: 20%
SPRITES: 0%
BACKGROUNDS: -100% (Negative 100%, in case you missed the little line. 
             Set back games 10 years, this game does.
PLAYABILITY: 0% Who'd want to play it?
IQ. FACTOR: 0% Anyone with brains wouldn't play it - I found out the hard way.
FUN FACTOR: -100% Geez! I can't over-emphasise how bad it is.
OVERALL GFX: 0%
OVERALL: 0%

IMPRESSIONS: The opening screen had nice digitised graphics, and a 
couple of digitised photos looked OK. However, it didn't take long to 
realise this was a waste of time. Not original and not fun.

CONVERSION: N/A
INTEREST FACTOR: 0%
DIFFICULTY: 30% The control method is shot.
WOULD I BUY THE GAME: What do you think? Exactly.


REVIEW: TWINBEE <AKA Pop 'n Twin Bee>
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By Snoopy

TYPE OF GAME: Shoot 'em up
DESIGNER: Konami
PRICE: Not released in Australia I believe.

CARTRIDGE SIZE: 8 Mbit
NUMBER OF LEVELS: 7
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 1 or 2 <simultaneous>
NO. OF CONTINUES: Selectable
NO. OF LIVES PER CONTINUE: Selectable
BUTTONS USED: 2, as far as I know
HARDWARE ACCESSORIES USED: JB King joystick

There is a version of Twin Bee for the Nintendo, and I must say it was 
the cutest game I ever played. However, Twin Bee for the SNES has taken 
that position...it's just so sickeningly cute! This game oozes pastel 
colours, fluffy pinks and pretty blues seeming to dominate. There are 7 
difficulty levels to select from, so much variety there.

The game is vertically scrolling shoot 'em up. Either one or two player 
simultaneous, you fly your little... uh.... planes? They fly, they're 
very round and have legs. Anyway, your main sprite actually changes 
shape and colour when you pick up power-ups, and there are many kinds. 
When you shoot the clouds, sometimes a bell appears. Depending on how 

                                                                        Page 17
many time you shoot the bell, when you collect it you become faster, 
shoot faster, shoot more, get an extra life... there are many 
combinations.  You must keep in mind that no-one actually dies in this 
game... that's how cute it is. Your enemies just seems to drift off to 
sleep... Speaking of enemies, they're astounding. Imagine being attacked 
by flying teddy bears, pandas, and things that look like corkscrews with 
balls. They come at you in battalions, flapping their wings and making 
faces. When shot, they either pop and float away, make a noise and fall 
over... it's so funny! In particular the bosses impress, starting out 
what appears to be miles below on the ground, then flying slowly up to 
your level and throwing rocks at you. The bosses are all different, and 
take different shapes. You get giant green spiders with only 4 legs, a 
head with big red tentacles, an underwater beastie that looks like an 
upside-down teacup and many others <seven bosses in total>.

The overall graphics just have to be seen. Marvellous use of parallax 
scrolling <which gives the effect of depth, and is the technique of 
scrolling the different layers of backgrounds at different speeds>. In 
many ways it looks like Axelay, a pseudo-3D aspect. used throughout the 
game. The sound suits the game too, with a curious background melody and 
funny little noises associated with each of the sprites. The control 
method works fine, your main battle sprite being responsive to your 
control pad or joystick movements. This game is at its best when played 
with a friend, as in most games. There is always a battle to get the 
power-ups, and competition to see who can rack up the most points. Great 
fun.

I have got to say that this release is enjoyed by my whole family. My 
brother, and for once, my sister love playing this game, just to see the 
maddeningly cute background and characters. My friend and I enjoy it 
more for the challenge, and it has to be said that even though it looks 
like graphic programmers were wiped out on something nasty, the game 
programmers sure knew how to put a challenge in. Don't be put off by the 
amazing graphics, get this game! It's a marvellous display of the Super 
Nintendo's hardware.

Thanks to my brother's friend who lent me this game for review....I 
don't wanna give it back! (Predator - kill him then...8) )

Final analysis
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
                                   GRAPH                           SCORE
Sound effects      |**********************************              85%
                   +___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I.
Music              |******************************                  75%
                   +___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I.
Sprites            |***************************************         98%
                   +___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I.
Background         |**************************************          95%
                   +___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I.
Playability        |****************************************       100%
                   +___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I.
IQ factor          |************                                    30%
                   +___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I.
Fun factor         |**************************************          95%
                   +___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I.
Overall graphics   |**************************************          96%
                   +___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I.
OVERALL            |************************************            90%
                   +___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I.
      Percentage % 0  10  20  30  40  50  60  70  80  90  100

General Comments
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
SOUND FX: 85% Guh-reat! Really complements the game.
MUSIC: 75% Like always, gets annoying after the first day or so.

                                                                        Page 18
SPRITES: 98% Brilliant! See for yourself.
BACKGROUNDS: 95% Would be 100%, except in a few cases it don't look so good.
PLAYABILITY: 100% Perfect. Keeps you coming back with many skill levels.
IQ. FACTOR: 30% Who needs brains?
FUN FACTOR: 95% I've never had so much fun blowing up koalas before!
OVERALL GFX: 96% 
OVERALL: 90%. There is no slowdown whatsoever, despite the amazing amount of 
         colour, sprites etc. that are onscreen. This game has something in it 
         that keeps you at it for hours!

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: When I first saw the game, I though that gameplay had 
been set aside for cute graphics. After about 4 hours, I realised that 
every aspect of this game had indeed been considered, and optimised. 

CONVERSION: N/A

INTEREST FACTOR: 84% Just wait for the last two guardians!
DIFFICULTY: Selectable. But certainly not so easy it's completed in a 
            day, and not too hard it puts you off for good.
WOULD I BUY THE GAME: Yep!


REVIEW: HAT-TRICK HERO
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
by Snoopy

TYPE OF GAME: Sports/simulation (soccer)
DESIGNER: Taito
PRICE: Not available in Australia, available via import

CARTRIDGE SIZE: 8 megabit
PLAYERS: 1/2 simultaneous, co-operative & versus

CONTINUES: Unlimited
LIVES PER CONTINUE: One
LEVELS: 1 in solo/2 player versus, 7 in competition play
BUTTONS USED: 2 (A,B)

I'm a bit of a soccer fan (go QPR!) and I loved the arcade version of 
Hat Trick Hero (especially when you punched the opposition, got sent off 
and the crowd threw things at ya!) and so when I saw this at a Jap games 
shop I bought it, even though it was a bit expensive at ($Aus)$35. The 
manual was in Japanese (duh!), and I couldn't make much of it out (as is 
often the case with Asian overseas 'imports' you might get). It has nice
pictures though.

When I got home, threw it in the old SNES and turned it on I got a nice 
Japanese-type scream of HAT TRICK HEROOO!!!. Not bad, then I saw a team 
running happily along, a ball was kicked and then a nice demo of Mode 7 
where the ball passed through the screen and caught by the keeper. 
Anyway, onto the game.

There were plenty of options, 1 player against the computer, 1&2 player 
against the computer, 1&2 player against each other, and 1 player 
practice. The practice option was a bit dud, just goal practice, etc. To 
the game! I selected Argentina, then selected my player (a rather suave, 
dashing fellow I thought) and I was off to play Japan (incidentally, the 
Japanese team is the worst of the lot!).

I saw a side-on view of the pitch, with my team going left to right.
You can only kick straight ahead, or 45% to the top or bottom (when you
have the ball.) The A button gives you a long, low, fast kick, the B
button more of a high, slow, short kick. Without the ball, the A button
gives you a (mostly) legal sliding tackle, the B button is a less legal
straight jab. If you get caught by the ref it's a free indirect kick, or
if you're unlucky you get sent off. The sound in game is terrible: a 
kind of munching sound when you're running, and not much else. Surely 
better use could be made of the excellent sound chips... Graphics are 

                                                                        Page 20
OK, there are little pictures of the referees in the top corners that 
cry/laugh when a goal is scored, similar to the arcade. The crowd is drawn
badly though, a mess of brightly coloured blocks. Still, it's the 
gameplay that counts, and the game is pretty good in that regard. The 
ball control is a bit suss, the ball is glued to your feet unless you're 
tackled.

Unfortunately, the worst part of the game is the difficulty. The average 
game-player should suss out the trick moves that never fail, and there 
are about 5 moves that guarantee you never lose a game! The only 
difference in playing different teams is that the harder teams run 
faster, but are still easy to beat. If you liked the arcade check it 
out, otherwise rent b4 you buy as always.

Final analysis
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
                                   GRAPH                           SCORE
Sound effects      |********                                        20%
                   +___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I.
Music              |********************                            50%
                   +___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I.
Sprites            |****************************                    70%
                   +___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I.
Background         |****************************                    70%
                   +___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I.
Playability        |**********************************              85%
                   +___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I.
IQ factor          |**********                                      25%
                   +___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I.
Fun factor         |********************************                80%
                   +___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I.
Overall graphics   |**************************                      65%
                   +___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I.
OVERALL            |********************************                80%
                   +___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I.
      Percentage % 0  10  20  30  40  50  60  70  80  90  100

General comments
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Sound FX = 20% Absolute crap! Play Pantera, FNM or something!
Music    = 50% Ok at the start, but not much, if any, during the game.
Sprites  = 70% Nice men, a really fat ref, shame about the crowd.
Backgrounds = 70% Grass is green (sky is blue!).
Playability = 85% I like it, and it's great with a friend.
IQ factor = 25% You can play without a brain, but one would help.
Fun factor = 80% It's a laugh with a friend. You can tackle him, even if
                 he's on your side!
Overall graphics = 65% Fair graphics, could be better.

OVERALL!!! = 80% Yeah, I like it, but I'm a soccer fan. Try it.

CONVERSION: 55% - Seemed a lot like the arcade, but something was
           missing. Still, it's a good game in it's own right, but as I 
           have said about 5 times b4 I like all soccer games, so I'm 
           biased.

INTEREST FACTOR: 3 weeks, and every time your friend comes over!
DIFFICULTY: Take you about a week to suss it out.
WOULD I BUY THE GAME: I already have.


REVIEW: RAIDEN DENSETSU (AKA Raiden Trad)
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TYPE OF GAME: Vertically-scrolling shoot 'em up
DESIGNER: Toei Animation Co., Ltd
PRICE: In Japan, about $30Aus. Likely $80+ when released.

CARTRIDGE SIZE: Not sure, probably 4 or 8 meg.

                                                                        Page 21
NUMBER OF LEVELS: About 6, not counting bonus levels.
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 1-2 simultaneous
NO. OF CONTINUES: Selectable
NO. OF LIVES PER CONTINUE: Selectable
BUTTONS USED: 2
HARDWARE ACCESSORIES USED: None

Raiden Trad at the arcades was not a great hit, mainly because it
introduced nothing new. It was a stock-standard vertically scrolling
shoot em up. Either 1 or 2 players could be accommodated simultaneously,
controlling small planes that had the freedom of the screen to move
about in, not just stuck at the bottom. Firepower could be increased by
collecting various icons that are shown on the demise of an enemy, and
bombs could be activated, killing all the enemies on-screen.

On booting the cartridge, there are the options of choosing how many
players, and an options screen. This allows you to change the number of
lives per continue, number of bombs you have at the start and number of
continues. This is to alter the overall difficulty of the game.

If you start a one-player game, you have the red plane. The first levels
are fairly easy, enemies such as tanks and small planes that are
destroyed with one shot. Some leave behind medals that increase your
score when collected (by flying over them). Others leave behind icons
increasing the amount of bombs you have. Finally, and most
significantly, larger enemies give up icons that increase your
firepower. This is done in two ways. Firstly, you have the option of
going for a laser arsenal. The first laser icon you collect (a blue
square) gives you a single stream of lasers. The next gives you two
streams of lasers, the next gives you three and the fourth one allows
you to shoot a huge, wide stream of laser energy....very impressive!
Alternatively you can increase your standard shooting ability. The first
icon you collect (a red square) doubles your stream of bullets, the
second gives you three streams that spread out and the third gives four
streams of bullets. I'm not sure what the fifth red square gives you, as
I prefer the lasers. Note: The boxes change colour, and move around the
screen. After defeating a larger enemy, the box is released, and changes
colour every 5 seconds or so. You should collect the colour of the
weapon you have, eg. collect the box when it's blue if you want lasers.
If you collect it at the wrong colour you go right back to the weakest
weapon.

I found this to be an extremely easy game, even with all the options set
at minimum. My brother likes the game, but it's the right difficulty for
him (He's 7.) As a two player game it improves slightly, as the
competition for power-ups and medals can get physical! If playing solo
the game gets very boring, very quickly. The graphics are very ordinary,
at times as bad as Sega Megadrive/Genesis (if that's possible :):):).
Occasionally there will be split-level graphics, (eg you fly through a
wrecked bridge) but they're very rare and really not that impressive.
Buy this if you're a rabid fan of the arcade or if you're young and like
to play games with other people...

Final Analysis
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
                                   GRAPH                           SCORE
Sound effects      |********************                            50%
                   +___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I.
Music              |************                                    30%
                   +___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I.
Sprites            |****************************                    40%
                   +___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I.
Background         |********************                            50%
                   +___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I.
Playability        |************** (average)                        37%
                   +___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I.

                                                                        Page 22
IQ factor          |****                                            10%
                   +___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I.
Fun factor         |********************  (average)                 45%
                   +___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I.
Overall graphics   |************                                    30%
                   +___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I.
OVERALL            |***************  (average)                       37%
                   +___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I___I.
      Percentage % 0  10  20  30  40  50  60  70  80  90  100

General comments
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
SOUND FX:    50%   Very ordinary.
MUSIC:       30%   Uninspiring. Play "Blitzkrieg" by Metallica instead.
SPRITES:     40%   Boring. Sometimes look 8-bit.
BACKGROUNDS: 50%   Functional graphics here.
PLAYABILITY:       1 player:13% Too easy and repetitive.
                   2 player: 60% Good competition.
IQ. FACTOR:  10%   No comment needed.
FUN FACTOR:        1 player:20% OK if you need a confidence booster.
                   2 player:70% Fun!
OVERALL GFX: 30%   Bland....
OVERALL:           1 player: 25% 2 player: 50%

IMPRESSIONS: At first it looked fun, but then I realised I had played 
this type of game a thousand times before, and it had been done better 
too.

CONVERSION: 20% The arcade game wasn't too good, and this is a bad 
            conversion of a bad game.

INTEREST FACTOR:  5% Uuurgh! I'm sure everyone has at least one game
                  that's better.
DIFFICULTY: 12%  My brother can complete this game on medium.

WOULD I BUY THE GAME: No! I have, but I shouldn't have. Get UN Squadron, 
much better! If you must have a vertically-scrolling game have a look at 
Axelay, which at least is available here.


GENERAL: CONFUSION OVER NEW PROTECTION ON GAMES
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
IN issue three, i mentioned that Nintendo (and other SNES game 
publishers) were putting security into their new cartridges. Nintendo 
did make a big deal out of what now seems to be relatively nothing, but 
as i mentioned - I wasn't really too sure whether they were going to 
take this whole-heartedly or in the way it looks as if they have. It is 
*true* that Mario All-Stars *does* include this protection scheme, which 
prevents you from copying the protected cartridge onto disk without it 
locking up. If you hire a game from a shop and try to run it in your 
cartridge copier you won't be able to copy it, so in a way the 
protection does work. I have heard that the newer Wildcards (2.7 or 
later) automatically by-pass this protection anyway, though i have yet 
to be able to completely confirm this. The good news though is that 
crackers amongst the pirate console world can pretty easily 
circumnavigate the protection via similar methods used in copy-protected 
PC games. So if you get most of your stuff from pirate boards (which i 
am sure many of you do), you won't have to worry, Mario All Stars, etc 
all have been fixed so that it will copy on any cartridge copier (even 
some of the older ones). Other cartridges released after All Stars 
appear to not have the protection, namely because it means an extra chip 
in a cart (which costs more). Future Nintendo cartridges will probably 
include this chip as standard, but since we don't see much in the way of 
games from Nintendo itself, that shouldn't be too much of a problem. So 
it all appears that this crap about the new 'unbeatable' protection was 
a pretty much a farse, Pirates 100, Nintendo still 0.

                                                                        Page 24

People have also been claiming that Street Fighter 2 Turbo was also a 
protected cart because the game locked up after a few minutes of play,  
this is crap. Because the cart is the first ever 20 meg cart and has 
more pins than a standard cart, new models of popular converters have to 
be brought out to take this into account. You should see some of these 
new model converters in the shops soon.


GENERAL: MORE ON WOLFENSTEIN!
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
RECENTLY I contacted ID software, and asked them a few questions about 
the game and here is what they replied with. Hope you find it 
interesting as this is the *first* ever interview (not really official) 
with a console developer for Mode7. Expect more of this type of thing in 
the 'new' Mode7 when it is released next year. You may also want to 
refer back to issue 3 of Mode7 which gives some more details on 
Wolfenstein and what the game will be like.

ME> I was wondering if you could answer a few questions and provide some
ME> information on the Super Nintendo version of Wolfenstein (for an
ME> Independent Australian Super Nintendo magazine).

ID> Love to!

ME> 1/ Are you doing the developing of the game yourself, or has another
ME> company taken care of that side themselves? (such as designing the
ME> code for the SNES and you are providing the levels, idea, layout,
ME> etc?)

ID> We did it all ourselves.

ME> 2/ Is it a challenge to program/code on the Super Nintendo or not as 
ME> hard as other development platforms such as the IBM?

ID> John Carmack, the idster responsible for the high-end technical
ID> advances at id Software, is a old Apple II hack.  We used the Apple
ID> IIgs as a development platform for the SNES so it was not all that
ID> hard.  The SNES presented a few challenges, but it was not hard.

ME> 3/ How close will it be to the IBM PC version, pretty similar or
ME> quite different? I've heard that most of the gore and guts :( and 
ME> Nazi references has been taken out, any other major 
ME> differences/improvements?

ID> All political and religious references are gone.
ID> We added a flame-thrower, missile launcher and backpack (allows you
ID> to double the amount of ammo you can carry) and automap.

ID> All blood is gone, but the bad guys still twitch in pain as you shoot
ID> them.

ID> In the SNES version of WOLF3D the President sends BJ (you) out on
ID> increasingly difficult missions against the bad guys.

ME> 4/ Can you provide some technical information on the size of the
ME> cartridge (number of megabit), SNES features used (eg: Mode 7
ME> scrolling, sprite enlargement), approx. number of samples, number of
ME> levels, etc and an approximate release date?

ID> 8 megabit All the visual tricks are done in software 30 levels split
ID> between 6 missions Approx. Release 1-1-94

ME> 5/ Will the level layout, bad guys and end of level bad guys be any
ME> different? Any additional levels?

ID> All new levels.

ME> 6/ Will Wolf for the SNES have a save/restore function using the

                                                                        Page 25
ME> Battery backup features available for cartridges

ID> No save/restore, but we do have a password feature to get you back to
ID> the last level you visited.

ME> 7/ Will you be planning any other games for the Super Nintendo? Maybe
ME> DOOM in the future or even Commander Keen?

ID> We are planning on porting DOOM to the SNES.  We just got our SFX
ID> chip docs and are excited about doing the port.

ID> At this time we have no plans to bring Commander Keen to the SNES.

ME> 8/ Very little has been said about the specs. of the new SFX chip, can
ME> you reveal any details or are you sworn to secrecy?? Will it allow you
ME> to add most of the functions in the PC version such as curved walls,
ME> textured mapped surfaces and other such wonders?

ID> If I talk I have to commit ritual suicide.  Sorry.

-------
That is all from Mode7's interview with ID software on Wolfenstein. 
Since this interview, ID software has stated that their next development
on a console will be DOOM for the Atari Jaguar. This means that the SNES 
version of DOOM that was promised may not actually eventuate at all. 
Then again, it may well appear soon after the Jaguar version! Thanx 


greatly to ID software for responding to the message, they do a great 
job replying to *any* mail sent to them - other companies should try and 
follow their example.


GENERAL: THE VICTORIAN STREET FIGHTER ][ COMPETITION
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THE Victorian Street Fighter 2 tournament - held from Friday the 5th to 
Sunday the 7th, attracted hundreds of competitors (if not thousands) and 
many more thousands of spectators. Being the first of its type here and 
not really knowing quite what to expect, I decided to check it out - 
rocking up to the glasshouse on the Sunday of the tournament. I 
definitely wasn't disappointed!!! 30+ exhibitors all had there own 
displays there, including the central highlight - the championships 
themselves. The whole floor of the main arena had been decked out with 
an impressive line-up of products, demonstrations and best of all, 
plenty of SNES and Megadrive consoles to play! The centre of the area 
had been set up with a large stage area, complete with 20 (yes, 20!) 
televisions and SNES/SF2 Turbo units, five massive cinema size (well 
around half) view-screens towered overhead, ready to view the action 
from any part of the area. Thundering stereo SF2 echoed across the 
arena, the sound of the live cometary/video boomed, and the 
ever-present puff of artificial smoke from the Zone 3 laser-games 
display. I wasn't expecting quite so impressive, but I don't think I've 
witnessed anything so awesome! - it simply was a console phreaks 
paradise. There were many stands from people such as Game Express, Sega, 
Nintendo, Atari, the 3DO (one of my favourites!), Amiga, computer games 
manufacturers/sellers, and heaps more. Plus there was enough paper 
being distributed to probably build an origami forest - I gladly partook 
of!!. Very Interesting material/specifications/advertising all were 
there to be devoured. The most exciting in my opinion, info on the 3DO, 
Atari Jaguar and CD32.
   Probably the highlight of the show was the Panasonic 3DO system (one 
of the only ones currently in Australia) being demoed by Electronic 
Arts. When I saw it really blew my mind - THIS IS ONE DAMN HOT 
DEVELOPMENT!!! The 3DO display, nondescript in appearance - all it 
needed was its showpiece, the 3DO system itself. I was even lucky enough 
to be maybe one of the first few hundred in Australia to play the 3DO 
itself and the only game being demoed, Crash 'n Burn. To get an idea of 
what Crash 'n Burn is like, imagine texture mapping in such a games such 

                                                                        Page 26
as Ultima Underworld, add it to the scenery of a car racing game, 
multiply the speed to around 30 frames a second and you might just have 
an idea of what Crash 'n Burn (and of course the 3DO) is capable of. If 
you have ever played Virtua(l) Racing at the arcades, Crash 'n Burn 
compares very favourably to it in regards to speed and graphics. Even 
just this first release shows that arcade games such as Virtual Racing 
could be handled with absolute ease, and not have any features chopped 
out, which is sometimes the case with arcade -> 16 bit consoles (yes: 
even the SNES). A promotional video was being shown on the 3DO between 
displays of the unit, detailing announcements by Trip Hawkins (head 
developer), and tapings of some of the games coming out for it soon. 
Over 200!!! software developers have supposedly (according to Trip) put 
their names behind the 3DO and is definitely one unit that will not fail 
in the future (unlike maybe some others). Companies such as Dynamix, 
Sierra, Origin, Electronic Arts (of course), Bullfrog, and lots more all 
have games lined up for it. Some of these include: Wing Commander Pro 
(thrash the hell out of the IBM original), Syndicate!! (re-done & 
improved just for the 3DO!), Microcosm, Mad Dog McCree, Red Baron, Aces 
over Europe, John Madden football, Powermonger, and many more will all 
be coming to the 3DO in the next 6 months. This is going to be one hell 
of a competitor, and Nintendo/Silicon Graphics are going to have to work 
hard on their 64 bit system to budge it from the market it is likely to 
establish.
   Atari had a rather unimpressive stand, but was interesting to some 
like me. Besides the usual of the Lynx, Portfolio, and personal 
computers, they even had the tenacity to have on display the Atari 2600 
and 2800 for people to play!! I'm not sure whether this was meant to be 
a bad joke, but it was the only console product(s) that Atari had there. 
I can kinda see why they are forking out lots of cash to develop their 
new console. The main attraction was a rather poor quality tape (due 
from a less than professional conversion from NTSC -> PAL ) of the 
newest in Atari's arsenal - the 64 bit Jaguar console. There were many 
screen shots from the game, though from indications it didn't appear as 
though too many games had yet been completed (if any). The video was 
basically an in-house production video, but did contain a fair sampling 
of a space shoot/em-up type game and a Wolfenstein type game (makes the 
Wolfenstein graphics, shading and rotation like a pre-school picnic). The 
Jaguar seemed interesting, quite technically powerful and impressive, 
though I'm not too sure how far it will actually go in Australia (or the 
rest of the world) compared to some of the other upcoming consoles.
   The typical display from Amiga was there, with the standard 
techo/acid demo running on a A600, plus the main attraction - the Amiga 
CD32. The recently released 32 bit console looked good from some 
indications, though only having a rather blase' pinball game running at 
the time I was there (really nothing you couldn't get on the standard 
Amiga) was a little disappointing. The specs are quite good (though not 
quite up to the 3DO or Jaguar), and the support also seems reasonable. 
Not really having a game to exploit its abilities probably meant that 
they sold little of the many boxes of CD32s ready for sale.
   Sega had an attention grabbing display, with several TV screens 
blaring out American rabble about the new(ish) MegaCD and around 3-4 
Megadrives to play. Not surprisingly enough, the MegaCD seemed to prove 
less popular than just the Megadrive units available. I played a few 
minutes at CD Silpheed, got bored (StarFox is a lot better and that is a 
cartridge!), and then moved on to play some more SF2. Megadrive Street 
Fighter 2 was there and played extensively (a bit by me to just check it 
out), though compares a fair way behind the SNES version, especially on 
a 3 button controller!. There was an hot game of Aladdin which I hate to 
admit, almost has SNES quality graphics, animation and colour. Not to 
worry though, a SNES version is also planned for release soon! Sega 
probably had a slight advantage over Nintendo, Nintendo not even having 
a formal stand (though plenty of advertising) but most seemed to prefer 
the SNES (who wouldn't?).
   Other than just the console companies, there were several 
displays/sales areas for IBM software, coin operated machines (including 
the new Super Street Fighter 2 arcade machine titled: The new challenge), 

                                                                        Page 27
Zone 3 games, board games, books/comic books/magazines, SF2 merchandise 
(T-shirts, figurines, stickers, etc, etc), and even a Barbie display 
(shit yeah - wow). All in all, a big range of products to look at, and 
purchase, often with a special show discount (and maybe some more if you 
were willing to bargain).
   Finally onto the reason for the event itself, the SF2 Championships 
which pitched contestant against contestant via SNES SF2 Turbo (playing 
on 4 stars). Competition was hot and it seemed that the younger people 
seemed to be the most toughest competitors (there were around 3 out of 
the last 6 competitors that looked under about 13!). After the 3 day 
process of elimination and constant play-offs, only 2 competitors 
remained for the Sunday 6pm final tournament. Predicably, most players 
were playing as Ken/Ryu combination, though to a lesser extent there was 
also Guile, Chunli and Sagat still in the action. The fireball 
bombarding seemed most popular and successful, though Chunli's speed and 
Guile's Sonic Boom all provided pretty equal matching. Definitely some 
ass kicking combinations, while not maybe the best in the state (of 
course there wasn't *every* SF2 expert there), I would say quite a few 
of the best. I missed the final round(s), though it was definitely close 
between Ken and Ryu. Even for those not involved in the tournament 
itself, there were plenty of opponents to practise against off-stage. 
Actually managing to beat some other people made me feel a bit better 
about my SF2 skills compared to those of others!!
   Well that was about it from the show from this year. It was an pretty 
wicked event, maybe on the small size with regards to console producers 
- but overall worth the day's trip. Hopefully next year the event will 
continue, possibly not as the SF2 Championships (most next year will 
probably have tired of SF2 by then) but as a general home entertainment 
exhibition. It definitely wasn't the CES, but it was as close to it as 
probably possible without leaving Australia. If you missed it this year, 
make sure you get along next year!! By then I maybe even good enough to 
actually give everybody a *real* challenge....smack, crash, bash, 
HYU-DU-KEN!! hehehe


GENERAL: THE LEGALITY OF CARTRIDGE COPIERS, TRAINERS, ETC
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THE legality of console copiers and other devices for your Super 
Nintendo remain uncertain for many people. Most of you don't care - and 
neither do I really, but it is sometimes useful to know what your legal 
rights are and what you can legally do in case it does come to the 
crunch. Several years ago (in the early 80's for instance) there were no 
specific rules drafted for the use of computer's and software. Back then 
you could probably get away with anything - not so now. In the past five 
years there have been many laws that have been finalised covering computers,
consoles, and other such technologies. What you can and can't do is
now more firmly planted. All I can do is tell you what *I* know from 
talking to various people. I am not a lawyer or anything like that but 
there is plenty of information on the topic for those willing to 
investigate (me!). Hopefully some of this information can help YOU and 
its probably a good idea to pass any of it on to others. Also I cannot 
guarantee the accuracy of this information either, it is up to you, see 
specifically rule 1.

THINGS TO BE AWARE OF:

Rule 1 - Ignorance of something is never going to get you out of trouble 
with the law. Just by claiming "I didn't know" will not get you off 
anything. Most likely it will be greeted with "Then bad luck" and you 
will be treated no differently.

Rule 2 - Age can be a big advantage. If you are under the legal age of 
18, you cannot be charged or put in jail or anything as serious as that. 
Even a repeat offence will probably mean nothing (though maybe 
confiscation of illegal games/equipment, etc). Think yourself lucky - 
being under 18 is the best time to commit a crime :). Lets face it - the 

                                                                        Page 28
stealing of computer software is no where close to things such as 
burglary, murder or even just shoplifting. 

Rule 3 - Most likely than not (90% chance), if you are caught doing 
something illegal you will not be in big trouble your first time. You 
will probably be warned to desist the illegal activity and destroy any 
results of this activity. With regard to console copiers it will 
probably mean that your collection of pirated cartridges on disk will be 
destroyed. Depending on the extent, it may be within the law for 
authorities to confiscate your backup unit and/or modem (if it can be 
proved that this was used for the activity - pretty hard to do). You 
will then probably be on probation for a year or so - meaning that you 
are to be monitored (probably quite lightly) for any repeat of the 
activity. Thank yourself lucky for this opportunity and STOP this 
activity and lay low (change your alias or whatever) for the probation 
period if you have half a brain. If you do continue and are caught doing 
the activity again the authorities *will not* take to it too kindly. Then
you may be in some real trouble. Fortunately, the worst thing that can
happen is a fine or a nice little stay in a low-security prison (with 
TV's and stuff :) ) depending on which way authorities view the 
situation. Don't take it lightly though, *any* criminal record can 
prevent you from obtaining (some) employment which is the very last 
thing you want in this (so-called) recession.

LAWS CONCERNING CONSOLE BACK-UP UNITS:

Rule 4 - Purchasing a DBU (or backup unit) in itself is NOT illegal at
*all*. You are not breaking any law by going out and getting one - so you
are safe if you own one, no matter which type.

Rule 5 - It is NOT ILLEGAL for you to make a copy of a game YOU yourself
own and have bought. That is how cartridge copiers continue to trade 
legally - they claim that all you are doing is 'backing' up the 
cartridge in case something goes wrong with it (VERY rare). As long as 
you continue to own the cartridge you can play it off the copied disk. 
Of course that is not how everybody uses it - but that is the law. It is 
similar to the law for computer programs and the copying of video/audio 
tapes and comes under the copyright act (which you can research pretty 
easily) under a specific sub-section which I'm not exactly sure of.

Rule 6 - It IS ILLEGAL to sell or distribute a copy of a cartridge that
you don't own (physically possess). This means that giving (this means 
for free OR for money) a 'backed up' copy of a game to somebody who 
doesn't own the original cartridge is against the law. This 
'distribution' also applies to pirate bulletin boards - it is illegal 
for them to have on disk and make available for download any cartridge. 
Supposedly if the sysop of a BBS owned every cartridge on his/her BBS, 
backed it up to the hard disk and then made it available for download, 
only the user (or downloader) would be breaking the law - not the sysop. 
As you can guess, this is never the case. BTW: All of those people in 
the trading post selling their DBU with game disks included are breaking 
the law and can be prosecuted.

Rule 7 - If you ARE going to sell a backup unit with some games, don't 
advertise the fact. If somebody asks or you are sure they *know* the 
laws and are *willing* to break them when they turn up to buy the unit - 
then by all means. But if they not aware of the laws, they may end up 
turning you in (and them also ) unintentionally when they find
out. The best bet is to just sell the unit without any games, even 
though this might mean a cheaper price if you planned on 'selling' 
the games with the copier (charging extra than just the price of the DBU) .

TRAINERS/CHEATS AND CRACKS:

Rule 8 - This is the area of console copiers that is quite varied, 
depending on the form of these things. Any TSR (memory resident) 
programs that don't physically change any part of the original file are 
okay. This includes action replay cartridges and 'built-in' cheats (ie: 

                                                                        Page 29
a key-pad combination). Anything that alters bytes in the copyrighted 
file (eg: a SNES backed up game) to train or otherwise crack or hack the 
program *IS* illegal. The only legal use of a hack or patch is to fix 
any bug in the game to get it run in a "a reasonable and satisfactory 
way". Now this is a loop-hole that can be exploited. You *could* claim 
that an imported game HAD to be hacked to get it to work on your machine 
- but of course you would have to own the original cartridge in the 
first place. This might include such things as data stripping (to make 
the game smaller), or modifying a game with protection from another 
country for it to work AS LONG as you owned the original - again 
unlikely considering the cartridge copying situation.

IMPORTED GAMES:

Rule 9 - It IS LEGAL to purchase, sell or use an imported (that being a 
cartridge from another country) on your SNES. You may also use any form 
of converter because they don't physically modify the program. There are 
no other laws regarding this believe it or not!

DISTRIBUTING OF ILLEGAL (OR LEGAL) SNES INFORMATION/PROGRAMS:

Rule 10 - Under the freedom of information act, the distribution of 
information (that applying to text and programs) anything that is not 
copyrighted by the author (that being a commercial SNES game) IS 
allowed. This applies to cracks, hacks, trainers, technical information, 
illegal information, hardware modifications, etc. You are free to write, 
distribute (but in most cases not sell or publish for profit without 
permission), download or read this information freely. Using them is 
another matter - see 'TRAINERS/CHEATS AND CRACKS'. You can download a 
crack but to actually use it to then modify your software is still 
illegal. Also putting into practice any illegal information (eg: how to 
hack a bulletin board, making a bomb, etc) is also illegal.


Rule 11 - I am not too sure about this one, so to be safe I wouldn't 
recommend using it as a firm rule. The basis for this comes from the 
copying of printed material (eg: photocopying) but seems to apply 
similarly. I *believe* that it is NOT illegal to distribute less than 
10% of the copyrightable work (game, etc) for personal analysis and 
information. What this means is that you MAY distribute sound effects, 
screen shots, documentation as long as it does not exceed 10% of the 
final work (or game).

OTHER:

Rule 12 - When calling any pirate BBS (SNES or otherwise) - DON'T leave 
your real name or address on there. If the sysop is a sensible one they 
will realise that they do not *need* to know that information for you to 
be a valued and trusted user. The only thing that this can do is get you 
into trouble if authorities raid the BBS and confiscate any user lists. 
Have a talk to your pi sysop about this - it doesn't seem to be the case 
most of time.

Rule 13 - When distributing documentation for a game follow rule 11 and 
do not exceed 10% of the original wording. A sensible thing to do is 
copy out the introduction or any valuable passages and then just put the 
rest into your own words.

Rule 14 - It is not illegal to physically modify your SNES unit, backup 
unit or anything else related. You may also build and attach any other 
hardware device (even custom built attachments) to your console. Doing 
so though may void your warrantee (I think that it is a lifetime one 
with the main unit of the SNES).

That's hopefully it - I may add some more topics or expand some of them 
sometime in the future. Feel free to ask me any specific questions you 
might have and hopefully I can answer them for you (or at least try and 
find out).

                                                                        Page 30
THE CHEATER'S DEN
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Not too many cheats in this issue, the 'new-look' mode7 will have heaps 
more i promise. I think i've done too much writing already to bore you
to death...hehe

HINTS:

Mortal Kombat - This is one of the major bugs (or stupidities) in the 
game. To defeat *anyone* in the game, just duck and do a high kick. If 
you can time it properly, your opponent should just walk towards you 
again, allowing you to kick them again, and again, and again!. 
   You can continue doing this until your opponent lies on the ground 
unconscious (really dead but taken out of the SNES version :) ). Using 
this strategy the game becomes simple - even on the very hard level, 
they are still just as stupid (as with the programmers) and fall for the 
same trick. Even Tsung Shang will fall for it, being a mixture of all 
the other characters!
   For Goro, you will need to modify your strategy some what, otherwise 
he will just ham you across the screen. Instead, you can just run back,
wait until he comes near you (around 3cm away), jump up as he walks 
forward and hit him with a jump kick. If you time it properly, he should 
walk forward again, allowing you to the same move over and over again.

CHEATS:

Street Fighter 2 Turbo - To be able to select up to TEN (yes ten!) speed 
stars, press: DOWN, R, UP, L, Y, B in sequence on the second controller 
(and as quickly as possible). Do this when the Street Fighter 2 logo 
appears in the background, and then TURBO scrolls across the screen. If 
it doesn't work, try doing it again (usually i have to do it twice to 
get it working). You should here a chime which indicates you have 
successfully done it. Now crank up the stars to ten and have some fun 
playing the game at TWICE the normal turbo speed. If you enter this 
cheat during the Capcom logo (on either controller), you will turn off 
*all* of your special moves. A nice side effect of this is that if you 
finish the game only on THREE difficulty stars (with no special moves), 
you get the poster you usually only get playing on 8 difficulty stars.
   Yet another cheat I have discovered is that if you press 
L+R+START+SELECT together while you are playing either a solo or battle 
mode, you will be able to re-configure your moves. You must do this 
while not actively fighting (eg: on the map, losing/winning screen or on  
the stage select screen in battle mode). This is especially useful if 
somebody joins in mid-game and needs to adjust their buttons to their 
personal preference.

Some from Snoopy:

Ranma Nibunnoichi 1/2 (AKA Ranma 1/2) - In 1 player mode, select any of 
the 8 characters by holding L+R top buttons, keep them pressed and move 
left or right to select your character.

Super Off Road - For INFINITE continues, start a 2 player game but don't 
use the other player...simple really.

Contra Spirits (AKA Contra 4) - For 30(!!) lives in this EXCELLENT 
platform game, press DOWN, DOWN-RIGHT and DOWN really quickly at the 
title screen. If ya select 2 player A or 2 player B you both get 30 
lives. (Remember that cheating can shorten your enjoyment of a game 
severely!!)

Top Gear (AKA Top Racer)
Here are the list of codes for both versions.
TOP GEAR: AMATEUR: HORIZONS
        PROFESSIONAL: SEASONAL
        CHAMPIONSHIP: KEELSON
TOP RACER: AMATEUR: HORIZONS
        PROFESSIONAL: SEASONAL
        CHAMPIONSHIP: VALHALLA
                                                                        Page 31
 Sandman: Combat tribes (jap)
                 0917
                 1180
                 5093
                 4949
                 9027

UPDATES
 ~~~~~
I don't think there is anything that needs to be corrected from the last 
issue (three). There was the confusion over the new protection methods 
but read the article in this issue which attempts to sort things out.


HOW TO CONTACT THE EDITOR
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Electronic Mail:
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
INTERNET: pred@zikzak.apana.org.au (NEW!)

BBS: I regularly log onto the following so send any mail privately to me.
These boards should also carry issues of Mode 7. Those marked with an
asterisk mean to send to my alias name (PREDATOR), those without, send to my
real name: GORDON CRAICK

Support sites:
     Violent Crimes                  - +61 (03) 562-1008 (*) 14.4k
     Rebellion                       - +61 (07) 532-6461 (*) 14.4k
     Intoxication                    - +61 (03) KIS-THIS (*) 14.4k
     Ancient Future                  - +61 (03) 791-7281 (*) 2400
                The NUP for Violent Crimes is Bodycount

Other boards i also call:
     The Communications Barrier      - +61 (03) 585-1112 (*) 14.4k
     Audiophiles Paradise            - +61 (03) 587-5804     14.4k 
     Audiophiles Paradise line 2     - +61 (03) 587-1478     14.4k
     Cloud Nine                      - +61 (03) 803-6954     14.4k 
     Custom Programming (less often) - +61 (03) 848-3331     14.4k    

Note: The +61 is just the Australian country code, so if you are in 
Australia, you can just ignore that. All of these BBS require no money  to
require pretty good access, but donations are encouraged and I encourage you
to donate too if you are going to be a regular user!

ECHO MAIL: I can be reached on the following message echoes. Posting in the
general miscellaneous area or games message area would probably be the best
(it would be great if there was a console message network going but
unfortunately there isn't YET). SBCnet, DiEnet Fidonet, and probably more.

Post   '\@_....
-==-
Removed for security reasons

Phone       o-o
-=-=-       /*\
As above, leave me some mail if you want to chat voice

     -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

CREDITS
 ~~~~~
Again thanx all and keep up your support! This includes Zem Amako, 
Sudden Death, Snoopy, The Joker, Sandman, Kuwld00d, and others. I'm
getting a little bored with all these credits, since the same ppl always
             put in the same cool support every issue :)...

                           -=<> Predator <>=-


                                                                        Page 32
----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
 End of Issue 4
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Legal information: 

.:. This magazine is neither supporter/endorsed (nor probably even known of!) 
    by the Nintendo or Sega corporations. All articles remain (c) copyright   
    1993 for their respective writers. The readers and contributors of this   
    magazine cannot be held accountable for any misinformation, or loss of    
    income as a result thereof. All licences and trademarks are owned by      
    their respective companies.

