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Chohmakaimura
超魔界村
(1991) |
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Back
in the early days of the Super
Famicom, all eyes were turned onto Nintendo's new
wonderconsole. So when a third all-new chapter in the
Makaimura
series was announced as a Super Famicom exclusive, the
hype reached boiling point.
Unsurprising really, given the sheer brilliance of the
previous two installments: Makaimura
(1985) (and its Famicom port) had become a worldwide
favourite, while Daimakaimura
(1988) was starting to do some serious rounds on both
the Sega Mega Drive (Aug 89) and PC Engine Supergrafx
(July 90). The series was at the peak its popularity,
so Capcom did choose the right time to strike.
Throughout most of 1991, wave upon wave of Chohmakaimura
preview shots showed the game to be shaping up great,
with elegant and colourful backdrops framing Arthur's
iconic actions. Everything was going fine -the game
looked like it was going to top them all, and be king
of kings.
Surely enough, when the game finally appeared in October
'91 it delivered on everything that was initially expected:
the visuals were bright, detailed and colourful, while
the Super Famicom's superior musical capabilities churned
out the main theme with lavish strings and clarinet
samples.
But then came the horror. After about 15 minutes or
so, Chohmakaimura turns out to be a decent
platform game by most standards, but as a game in the
Makaimura
lineage, it is a failure of unprecedented proportions.
Gone is the speed, structure, polish and perfect balance
of the previous two chapters - all there is left is
a slow, irritating and overlong console platformer.
It is really worth specifying that when considered as
a stand-alone game, Chohmakaimura is a perfectly
decent effort - in fact it might even be an excellent
one. The tragedy is that compared it to its two predecessors
it comes in a VERY distant third - and that alone should
justify it being the eternal recipient of hair-raising
spite and vitriol. |
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The
problems are many. First off, Arthur can no longer shoot
up or down - instead he can now 'double jump', an absurd
and nonsensical change in the gameplay that serves little
purpose besides making the eccentric new backgrounds
more manageable.
The pace has been halved: the layout and gameplay require
a slower and more tactical approach, with a lot of waiting.
Gone are the days of the cut-throat speed runs of Daimakaimura
(1988) - pinpointing enemies above, next and below you
before you've even landed from a single jump.
There is an interesting new 'bronze' armour on offer
though, and a few extra weapons. This does present a
little variety - but most weapons are completely useless,
and bear meager distraction through the game's ridiculously
dragged-out stages.
All 7 levels take about an hour to clear - so the game
often takes well over two hours to finish (like its
predecessors it has to be cleared twice). Sometimes
your mind wanders off and away - mostly while you wait
for the screen to finish swaying and/or rotating. |
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Fuck
Mode 7. It is a dumb and pointless thing, especially
in this kind of game. The entirety of Stage 4 is wasted
on this kind of shallow and pathetic artifice - it immediately
destroys any kind of rhythm, tension or flow that may
have been built up prior.
When it boils down to it, Chohmakaimura is
a class-A platformer, easily one of the best of the
period on Super Famicom. But when compared to the sheer
genius of its predecessors, it is nothing but a slow,
inept, and poorly thought out effort.
The newcomers to the series loved it, but in the same
vein as the SFC
Akumajo Dracula (1991) its designers seemed to have
lost focus, turning to technological trickery for kicks
- forgetting in the process that all that was required
of them was to make the game tight.
At least the
Akumajo Dracula series survived the fall, and lived
on. This piece of shit caused the very heart of the
Makaimura
series to falter and die. |
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Chohmakaimura
R
[GBA]
In the grand tradition of hastily recycling Super
Famicom classics onto the Game Boy Advance, the
SFC Chohmakaimura got itself a new lease of
life in July 2002, in the form of Chohmakaimura
R.
Capcom had already indulged in the process with near-identical
ports of old SFC hits like Final
Fight (1989) and Breath
of Fire (1993) for the GBA - and surely enough,
Chohmakaimura R remains faithful to the SFC
original: it is just as slow and sluggish.
But it does throw in 4 original stages as a part of
an interesting new 'Arrange' game. Each stage is a direct
tribute to Makaimura
(1985) and Daimakaimura
(1988) originals (see screenshots) with a few nice little
touches thrown in.
To be fair, these bonus stages go down quite nicely.
They provide a minimum amount of originality in what
would have ultimately been a very pointless and shallow
re-release. Maybe that's where the 'R' of the title
comes from: Revisited? Renewal? Rebirth? Recycled?
Still, there isn't enought 'new' here to save the medium
and long-term gameplay from tedium. So be warned: this
one is worth a look only if you are a hardened Arthur
aficionado, looking for a quick taste of something new. |
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Chohmakaimura
超魔界村
SUPER FAMICOM |
DETAILS
| Format |
Super
Famicom |
| Released |
18
Oct 1991 |
| Publisher |
Capcom |
| Product
ID |
SHVC-CM |
| Size
(cm) |
19
x 10.5 x 3 |
| Weight
(kg) |
0.16 |
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Closure
for the original Makaimura
trilogy; and the end of an
era.
A good game, just nowhere
near as good as its predecessors.
SFC cardboard packaging, 8Mbit
cartridge, 32-page colour
booklet. |
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Chohmakaimura
Kōryaku Guide Book
超魔界村
攻略ガイドブック
GUIDE BOOK |
DETAILS
| Format |
Magazine
Pull-out |
| Released |
18
Oct 1991 |
| Publisher |
Tokumashoten |
| Product
ID |
no
ISBN# |
| Size
(cm) |
25.7
x 21 x 0.2 |
| Weight
(kg) |
0.06 |
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Promotional
pull-out 'Capture Guide Book'
included with the 18 / Oct
/ 1991 issue of 'The Family
Computer' magazine.
Features detailed and illustrated
coverage of every stage except
the last.
28 pages, full colour, Japanese. |
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Chohmakaimura
Kanzen Kōryaku Hon
超魔界村
完全攻略本
TOKUMA INTERMEDIA MOOK KANZEN KŌRYAKU
HON SERIES |
DETAILS
| Format |
Guide
Book |
| Released |
Nov
1991 |
| Publisher |
Tokumashoten |
| Product
ID |
ISBN4-198211116 |
| Size
(cm) |
21
x 14.8 x 1 (A5) |
| Weight
(kg) |
0.23 |
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'Complete
Capture Book' release from
Tokumashoten, featuring in-depth
sections on the entire game.
87 pages, Japanese. |
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Capcom
Generation Dai 2 Shū Makai to Kishi
カプコンジェネレーション
第2集 魔界と騎士
SEGA SATURN |
DETAILS
| Format |
Sega
Saturn |
| Released |
15
Oct 1998 |
| Publisher |
Capcom |
| Product
ID |
T-1233G |
| Size
(cm) |
14.2
x 12.4 x 1 |
| Weight
(kg) |
0.10 |
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The
second Capcom
Generation pack contains
perfect replicas of the 3
main instalments of the Makaimura
series:
-
Makaimura (1985)
- Daimakaimura
(1988)
- Chohmakaimura
(1991)
Each title is presented with
interactive art galleries,
sound tests, hints, trivia,
and more.
CD
case, Sega Saturn CD-ROM disc,
colour manual, spine card. |
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Capcom
Generation Dai 2 Shū Makai to Kishi
カプコンジェネレーション
第2集 魔界と騎士
PLAYSTATION |
DETAILS
| Format |
PlayStation |
| Released |
23
Sep 1998 |
| Publisher |
Capcom |
| Product
ID |
SLPS-01585 |
| Size
(cm) |
14.2
x 12.4 x 1 |
| Weight
(kg) |
0.10 |
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Capcom
Generation Dai 2 Shū Makai to Kishi
[Capcore]
カプコンジェネレーション
第2集 魔界と騎士 [カプコレ]
PLAYSTATION |
DETAILS
| Format |
PlayStation |
| Released |
15
Mar 2001 |
| Publisher |
Capcom |
| Product
ID |
SLPM-86778 |
| Size
(cm) |
14.2
x 12.4 x 1 |
| Weight
(kg) |
0.10 |
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Capcom
Retro Game Collection Vol.2
カプコン
レトロゲーム コレクション Vol.2
PLAYSTATION |
DETAILS
| Format |
PlayStation |
| Released |
30
Mar 2005 |
| Publisher |
Capcom |
| Product
ID |
SLPM-87360 |
| Size
(cm) |
21
x 15 x 1 |
| Weight
(kg) |
0.18 |
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Chohmakaimura
R
超魔界村R
GAME BOY ADVANCE |
DETAILS
| Format |
Game
Boy Advance |
| Released |
19
Jul 2002 |
| Publisher |
Capcom |
| Product
ID |
AGB-ACJJ-JPN |
| Size
(cm) |
13.5
x 8.5 x 2 |
| Weight
(kg) |
0.06 |
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Another
run-of-the-mill GBA re-release
of a Super Famicom title.
Predictable stuff then, but
it does include an original
'Arrange Mode' with 4 original
stages.
Standard GBA packaging, 32Mbit
cartridge, colour manual. |
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Chohmakaimura
R Kanzen Kōryaku Guide
超魔界村R
完全攻略ガイド
CAPCOM KANPEKI KŌRYAKU SERIES 18 |
DETAILS
| Format |
Guide
Book |
| Released |
Nov
1991 |
| Publisher |
Tokumashoten |
| Product
ID |
ISBN4-198211116 |
| Size
(cm) |
21
x 14.8 x 1 (A5) |
| Weight
(kg) |
0.23 |
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Official
Capcom 'Complete Capture Book'
to the GBA update of Chohmakaimura.
Features detailed breakdowns
of every stages, including
the GBA-exclusives.
111 pages, Japanese. |
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Capcom
Classics Collection
カプコン
クラシックス コレクション
PLAYSTATION 2 |
DETAILS
| Format |
PlayStation
2 |
| Released |
2
Mar 2006 |
| Publisher |
Capcom |
| Product
ID |
SLPM-66317 |
| Size
(cm) |
19
x 13.5 x 1.4 |
| Weight
(kg) |
0.18 |
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Capcom
Classics Collection
カプコン
クラシックス コレクション
PSP |
DETAILS
| Format |
PSP |
| Released |
7
Sep 2006 |
| Publisher |
Capcom |
| Product
ID |
ULJM-05104 |
| Size
(cm) |
17.7
x 10.5 x 1.5 |
| Weight
(kg) |
0.08 |
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Capcom
Classics Collection [Best Price]
カプコン
クラシックス コレクション [ベストプライス]
PSP |
DETAILS
| Format |
PSP |
| Released |
13
Sep 2007 |
| Publisher |
Capcom |
| Product
ID |
ULJM-05280 |
| Size
(cm) |
17.7
x 10.5 x 1.5 |
| Weight
(kg) |
0.08 |
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Capcom
Classics Collection [Best Price]
カプコン
クラシックス コレクション [ベストプライス]
PLAYSTATION 2 |
DETAILS
| Format |
PlayStation
2 |
| Released |
11
Oct 2007 |
| Publisher |
Capcom |
| Product
ID |
SLPM-66852 |
| Size
(cm) |
19
x 13.5 x 1.4 |
| Weight
(kg) |
0.18 |
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Screenshot
Gallery
Super Famicom
Game Boy Advance |
Game
Boy Advance
Alt. Stage 2 |
Game
Boy Advance
Alt. Stage 3 |
Game
Boy Advance
Alt. Stage 4 |
Game
Boy Advance
Alt. Stage 5 |
'Chohmakaimura',
'Makaimura' and 'Capcom' are registered trademarks of Capcom Co.,
Ltd.
'Super Famicom', 'Game Boy Advance' and 'Nintendo' are registered
trademarks of Nintendo Co., Ltd.
'Sega Saturn' and 'Sega' are registered trademarks of Sega Corporation
'PlayStation' and 'Sony' are registered trademarks of Sony Corporation
Chohmakaimura TM & © 1991 Capcom All Rights Reserved
Page content, design & layout © 2008 www.Jap-Sai.com |
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