Retro Gaming Australia

E.V.O.: Search for Eden is one of the most unique games on the SNES – a platformer/role playing game where your creature evolves to cope with changes to the environment. The game takes place over the course of a billion years, with the player starting out as just a fish. The unique concept of the game combined with a relatively small print run has made it into one of the most sought after SNES games.

ActRaiser 2 is the somewhat maligned follow up to the popular early SNES god game/platformer hybrid. The reason why it’s maligned is because it got rid of the whole god game part of the gameplay – the thing that made the original unique. It’s also really difficult.

Mischief Makers was a rare example of a 2D platformer on the Nintendo 64. Developed by Treasure and published by Enix (Japan) and Nintendo (rest of the world), the game puts you in control of Marina, a robotic made on a quest to save her creator from his estranged twin brother, who just happens to be the head of an evil empire.

Tactics Ogre is a remake of the first game in the series, Ogre Battle: March of the Black Queen, originally released for the Super Nintendo in 1993. Some may get confused by the series naming, which seems to shift between Ogre Battle and Tactics Ogre with each release – made more annoying in this case, where the game has been released under both names.

ROM hacking/translation group Dynamic Designs has released their latest English translation patch. This one is for the Japan only Super Famicom RPG Nekketsu Tairiku: Burning Heroes, released by Enix in 1995.

Nekketsu Tairiku: Burning Heroes appears to be a very traditional 16-bit turn based J-RPG, which should please those looking for a fresh yet distinctly old-school RPG.

Or Dragon Quest II, if you prefer.

Dragon Warrior II is set about 100 years after the first game, with the player taking control of a prince who happens to be a descendent of Loto/Erdrick, who is on a quest to defeat the evil wizard Hargon. It was one of the first games to utilise the concept of your party growing as your quest is played out. The game has been re-released twice: one on the SNES (Japan only) and on a combo cartridge with the first game.

Be glad Enix got over the whole CG thing. Ghastly box art.

Dragon Warrior I & II is another remake of…you guessed it. Of course, if you actually want to play this remake, you’d better start saving your pennies, because complete copies don’t come cheap.