Smash T.V.

The sheer number of enemies on screen at one time is just jaw-dropping, and the frenetic gameplay just keeps you coming back for more. OK, the graphics and sound aren't exactly great, but who gives a toss about that when the gameplay's as good as this! Top stuff and highly recommended!

Smash TV is a real laugh in the arcades and this Nintendo conversion is simply fantastic. Of course, the graphics and sound aren't half as stunning as the original Williams coin-op, but what it has got is the sheer excitement factor that the arcade machine delivered. The enclosed screen is very claustrophobic, making the urge to blast the sheer amount of enemy sprites on-screen even stronger. Making the action even more exciting are the superb weapons, blowing up legions of marauding sprites with a scatter grenade launcher has never been so much fun! With all of the different options and the two-player mode, Smash TV is simply a superlative purchase for any NES owner that enjoys shooting everywhere.

Violence has never been so much fun. Who needs a reason? Just plug in a joystick and a murdering we go.

A perfect example of how right many classic arcade games are, Smash TV is a great accompaniment to any big budget next gen game on the 360. Its arcade roots make it a perfect addition to Xbox Live, and this flawless port only make it an easier purchase. This is a classic on nearly every console that featured a port, and this no exception.

Eventually, you'll get the hang of the controls, with the lure of easy money, fantastic sound effects, and fast-moving (does that mean no slowdown? Yes!) enemies homing in on your contestant. I'm pretty sure all of the elements from the arcade version are here, although I've yet to meet "The Host with the Most" in the arcade version. Arcade fans will not be disappointed, although a joystick would help immensely!

The lure of big money prizes is enough to get most contestants to risk their lives in Smash T.V., but wait, there's more! With the home version of Smash T.V. you can double your excitement and fun by using two controllers simultaneously! One controls your movement, the other your weaponry. Any pair of controllers will work! So if you have a pair of NES Advantages, for example, you can simulate the arcade feel (just make sure you tape down the two controllers so they don't slip around and don't forget to rotate your Advantages 90 degrees clockwise). With a NES Satellite or NES Four Score, two players can play with two controllers each.

It's a great time to be a fan of dual-joystick, Robotron-style action games. The release of the Xbox 360, with built-in support for downloadable games via Xbox Live Arcade, has opened up a world of opportunity for all sorts of games that might not fly in a $50 retail package but are great pickups for $5 or $10. And it just so happens that there are already three games on the service that deliver that Robotron-style action. The latest, Smash TV, is a sort of spiritual successor to Robotron: 2084, which Midway originally released in arcades back in 1990. Smash TV took the "left stick moves, right stick shoots" concept to the far-flung future of 1999, where game shows have become violent competitions where the winner gets fabulous prizes...and the loser dies. So, yeah, it's Robotron meets The Running Man, and with its Xbox Live support for cooperative play and scoreboards, it has probably never been better.

Zum schnellen Abreagieren ist die erstklassige Super-NES-Fassung des Automatenhits Smash TV genau das richtige. Mir mangelt es allerdings langfristig an Abwechslung: Sicherlich kommt in jeder neuen Arena eine weitere Gegnersorte hinzu; der einzige Unterschied zum Vorgänger besteht aber lediglich darin, daß das Wesen mehr Treffer verträgt. Etwas witziger sind dagegen die Obermotze. Riesige Sprites, die nur mit der richtigen Taktik klein beigeben, rollen durch die Arena. Aprospos Technik: Trotz Unmengen von Sprites wird das rasante Spielgeschehen nicht eine Sekunde langsamer. Für zerstörungswütige Actionfans ein Mordsspaß.

The closest thing to a game adaptation of Schwarzenegger's classic The Running Man that you'll ever play. Smash TV puts you in the middle of a chaotic and violent game show that throws hundreds of enemies at you from every direction. Single-player is worth at least one playthrough, but any replay value will come from co-op.

I have played Smash TV several times before in the arcade and Midway’s compilation packs, and one thing that always had me about the title is that it is a lot like the movie The Running Man where Arnold Schwarzenegger has to run through all these obstacles and kill people for the pleasure of television viewers. This one uses the simple controls of the left stick controls your person and the right shoots. You run over upgrades and you get grenade launchers and guns that spray fire in three different directions. You also run over cash and prizes the get your score up even better. What makes this the best version of the game yet though is the fact that you can play online through co-op and see your score on Xbox Live scoreboard.

This one's pretty open-and-shut. If you enjoyed Smash T.V. in the arcades, then this was the king of the 90s home ports. It's the best choice if you have no way to play the original. If you simply like the sound of the idea, then it's probably not worth tracking down. Every room is essentially the same, every level is essentially the same, every moment - while sometimes chaotic and fun - is essentially the same. Gets old too quick for a serious investment of time or money.

Overall, I like Super Smash T.V. If you like it as I did, then you probably still play it once in a while, and that's something that gives this game a longer shelf life than most arcade ports of the era. This one also comes dirt cheap, so if you're interested to shooting a Sunday away, then buy it. I know I'D BUY THAT FOR A DOLLAR!

All in all, Smash TV. is a lot of fun to play and Acclaim deserves a great deal of credit for being faithful to the arcade version of the game. The NES version is so much like the arcade that gamers can opt to use two controllers - one to move and one to fire with - just like in the arcade. One hint before you play: remember your opponent's strength is in sheer numbers. Give Smash TV. a try, you won't be disappointed.

Every work of genius needs an underachieving clone, and in the case of Robotron it's, Smash TV. While not really a bad game, it just doesn't manage to reach the heights of its predecessor, mostly because of one small change to the gameplay.

It's a laugh for a while, but all the screens are alike, and the gameplay becomes monotonous quite soon.

Leider kommt das T.V.-Feeling in den wenig abwechslungsreichen Computer-Adaptionen nicht so gut rüber wie beim Automaten, bei dem man von oben - eben wie in eine Arena - auf den riesigen Bildschirm herabguckt. Obwohl auf dem Monitor einiges los ist (Anwärter auf den "Die-meisten-Sprites-auf-dem-Bildschirm"-Award), geht der Spielspaß relativ schnell flöten. Mit zunehmender Hektik, Schwierigkeit und Geschwindigkeit der Gegner verliert man die Lust am Abschlachten der amoklaufenden Baseball-Spieler. Grafisch ist ebenfalls nichts anspruchsvolles zu finden. Erstaunlicherweise wird Smash T.V. leicht mit den riesigen Sprite-Massen fertig: kein Ruckeln, minimaler Geschwindigkeitsverlust. Die beiden Versionen unterscheiden sich hauptsächlich in puncto Schwierigkeit; auf dem 64er kämpft man sich wesentlich leichter bis zur Bonusarena vor. Wer auf eine moderne Variante des Klassikers "Robotron 2084" steht, der darf sich bei Smash T.V. zuschalten.

Die Amiga-Version des Fernsehquizmassakers macht im Vergleich zu den ST- und C-64-Versionen am meisten Spaß. Nichts geändert hat sich an der reizvollen Zwei-Joystick-Steuerung, den popligen Soundeffekten und der fehlenden Hintergrundmusik.

Leider kommt das T.V.-Feeling in den wenig abwechslungsreichen Computer-Adaptionen nicht so gut rüber wie beim Automaten, bei dem man von oben - eben wie in eine Arena - auf den riesigen Bildschirm herabguckt. Obwohl auf dem Monitor einiges los ist (Anwärter auf den "Die-meisten-Sprites-auf-dem-Bildschirm"-Award), geht der Spielspaß relativ schnell flöten. Mit zunehmender Hektik, Schwierigkeit und Geschwindigkeit der Gegner verliert man die Lust am Abschlachten der amoklaufenden Baseball-Spieler. Grafisch ist ebenfalls nichts anspruchsvolles zu finden. Erstaunlicherweise wird Smash T.V. leicht mit den riesigen Sprite-Massen fertig: kein Ruckeln, minimaler Geschwindigkeitsverlust. Die beiden Versionen unterscheiden sich hauptsächlich in puncto Schwierigkeit; auf dem 64er kämpft man sich wesentlich leichter bis zur Bonusarena vor. Wer auf eine moderne Variante des Klassikers "Robotron 2084" steht, der darf sich bei Smash T.V. zuschalten.

Smash TV is a faithful reproduction of the arcade classic that is sure to tickle the fancy of fans of the title. However, that being said chances are high that you already own this on the Collection that was put out for all consoles last generation, so unless you got rid of the game is there a reason to get it again? Well, not really unless you really want to play the game on Live and compare your scores to people around the world. Whether or not you want to spend the 400 points to upgrade to an online enabled version really should be up to you, but my recommendation is to skip it.

Smash TV on the Master System is completely unnecessary. You know it's going to be bad just from the system's lack of buttons, so why even bother spending time with this game? These days you can find accurate versions of Smash TV on a number of game systems; by all means go and buy one of those before even looking at this Master System port. The writing is on the walls, Smash TV is not meant for 8-bit consoles!

The graphics are pretty good, and look similar to the arcade version. The quality of the voice samples is pretty lousy though - the announcer sounds raspy. The main problem with Smash TV is that it's meant to be played with two joysticks, not one control pad. Actually, the game DOES allow you to use two control pads in the one-player mode, but it's far too awkward. You can tweak the controls to determine if the shots should be fired away from where you're running, toward where you're running, or in a locked position. It's all just a big kludge though, because none of the settings really capture the feel of the arcade game. Unfortunately, without good control, this game isn't much fun.