Lupin Sansei - Densetsu no Hihou o Oe! (Super Famicom)

Don’t let the title and the intro fool you into thinking that this game requires you to understand Japanese - Lupin Sansei - Densetsu no Hihou o Oe! can be enjoyed by people who don’t speak a single word of Japanese. In fact, it can even be played by people who don’t speak a single word of any language. It’s an action platforming game akin to Rolling Thunder.

In Lupin Sansei - Densetsu no Hihou o Oe! you control the infamous thief and womanizer, Lupin. And while the story is lost on someone who can’t understand the pre-level cutscenes, the goal is still fairly obvious – either sneak or fight your way through a level using his ability to punch and kick, jump, crawl, and use a wide variety of tools that include a pistol, a flash bang, a whip, and probably more as the game progresses.

New Mobile Report Gundam Wing: Endless Duel (Super Famicom)

New Mobile Report: Gundam Wing: Endless Duel is a 1 on 1 Fighting Game based on the Mobile Suit Gundam Wing anime series. The game has never been released outside of Japan but it’s a fighting game so story isn’t really that important and the menus can be navigated easily. Endless Duel uses the same game engine as Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Fighting Edition, with a number of improvements that make it stand out as the significantly better game.

Gameplay

Basically, it’s the SNES’ version of Capcom’s Marvel Superheroes arcade fighter, with Mobile Suits as fighters instead of spandex-clad heroes; The stages are slightly narrower than your average fighting game, but the mobile suits can use their verniers to “fly” (basically a super jump) upward or dash forward.

The usage of the verniers are a big part of the game, because the suits – as expected of hulking pieces of metal – move a little bit slower compared to your average shotokan practitioner. The controls are responsive, mind you, there’s no lag or floatiness involved, but they walk and jump a little bit slow so if you want to get from one place to another, you use the vernier. Additionally, the ability to block while in the air makes the game more dynamic fast paced.

Kishin Douji Zenki: Batoru Raiden (Super Famicom)

Kishin Douji Zenki: Batoru Raiden (Demon Child Zenki: Battle Raiden) is a sidescrolling action platformer for the Super Famicom, based on the manga/anime series that ran from 1992 to 1996, which focuses on a demon guardian spirit who’s been sealed away by a powerful monk and later revived by the monk’s descendant in the form of a bratty demon child.

The game is in Japanese and there have been no English ports, but it’s hardly a point of contention because the game can be played without any need to understand the story - just go from point A to point B while killing every monster that blocks your path. But in case the story is important for you and you’re a big fan of the series, it is worth pointing out that the game diverts a lot from the source, presenting a simpler version of events (many important characters won’t be making an appearance, for instance.)

Dragon Ball Z: Super Saiya Densetsu (Super Famicom)

Dragon Ball Z: Super Saiya Densetsu (Legend of the Super Saiyan) is an RPG/Card Battling Game Hybrid that was originally released in 1992 for the Super Famicom. It is the first ever Dragon Ball game for the console, but is actually just a remake that combines two older Famicom games. Namely Dragon Ball Z: Kyoshu Saiyan and Dragon Ball Z II: Gekishin Freeza.

Besides the obvious visual and audio improvements that came from the move from 8-bit to 16-bit, Super Saiya Densetsu also added some characters from the movie and the anime fillers, making for a game that is better than the sum of its parts.

Dragon Ball Z: Super Saiya Densetsu tackles the story starting from Raditz’ arrival on Earth, all the way to Goku – as Super Saiyan – defeating Freeza during the twilight of Planet Namek.

The player will be taking control of various characters in the series, such as Goku, Piccolo, Gohan, Krillin, Yamcha, Tienshinhan, Chiaotzu, Dende, Vegeta, Nail, and some minor characters (two Namek warriors and Captain Ginyu). The player will have a little bit of freedom when it comes to choosing which characters to bring along, but the game will force the use of characters that are required for the story. For instance, you can’t use Goku to fight Dabura, because the former is currently traveling by the time Vegeta faced the latter. The game will take that character out of your options by default if needed. There are also times when you can’t allow specific characters to die, in order to be faithful to the source material.