Developer: Beam Software Publisher: Acclaim Release: 09/91 Genre: Action
Smash T.V. is up there as one of the arcade games I spent the most money on. As a dumb 10-year old I was too stupid to realize it was near impossible to beat that game with two quarters. But that did not stop me from trying day after day. When the home ports were announced the SNES version was the clear favorite as it had the highest production values and was also able to mimic the arcade controls extremely well with its four face buttons. The Nintendo version of Smash T.V. is a solid conversion considering the constraints they were up against. But it is a hard sell with so many better versions out there.
In the dystopian year 1999 the number one show on television is Smash T.V. In it contestants roam through multiple arenas in a studio set to claim prizes such as cash, VCRs, toasters, and even a year’s supply of beef. But standing in their way are legions of thugs and automatons whose only job is to bash their brains in for the audience entertainment. The prizes are many but only if you survive…..
Smash T.V. hit nearly every successful platform on the market at the time, from the Genesis to the Game Gear. While it was not a technical juggernaut the game still throws a ton of sprites around both big and small. In addition the dual joystick controls would also prove to be a challenge when bringing the game home. All systems handled this to varying degrees of success. Generally speaking Acclaim and their partners did a pretty good job with each version outside of the atrocious Game Gear/Sega Master System games. The NES was spared their fate even though it is uglier. Were it not for the SNES version I would have appreciated this edition more.
Next to the action and pacing the toughest aspect of porting Smash T.V. is the controls. The arcade game uses dual joysticks to control moving and attacking. With its two buttons the NES has to offer alternatives that are not as effective. By default the A button allows you to attack and move freely. Using B locks your fire and allows strafing. It is not ideal of course; I guarantee you will die a few times switching between the two but it works. You can also use two controllers with the d-pads simulating the joysticks. It is odd but surprisingly works. And if you play coop and have a four score both players can use this setup. I would love to see that just for the sheer absurdity of it. Kudos to Acclaim for including this option; considering how few owned the four score it was a bold move.
To compensate for the NES’ limitations there are a few changes. There are less enemies in each wave so the system does not explode. The game still manages to throw a good number of sprites on screen to keep the action high and it never slows down which is impressive. But it also means this version has a different pacing to the arcade. Because there are fewer enemies it also means that there are more waves to compensate. The levels tend to drag on as a result. As much as I like Smash T.V. it does get repetitive and this one even more so because of its pace. The steps the designers took to alleviate this by theming each arena and varying enemy combinations goes to waste when each level makes you look at your watch. It hurts the game but not so much that it makes it unplayable however.
In the arcade Smash T.V. was unrelenting in its difficulty. It was the epitome of a quarter muncher. By virtue of technical constraints the developers had to work around the NES game is easier although that is not saying much. There are fewer enemies attacking simultaneously which makes it simpler to create space to maneuver and collect power-ups. But the arenas are also smaller which means it is easy to make simple mistakes and die. As someone who is used to the arcade game’s hectic pace I found it easier to survive for longer periods. Which is good as there are no continues in this version which is rough. As a whole however I would say Smash T.V. is no more challenging than Heavy Barrel which is to say its totally doable with practice.
In Closing
I loved Smash T.V. in the arcade and I also love it at home. While the NES version of Smash T.V. is solid I would still recommend other top down shooters like Guerilla War and Jackal first. The presence of better home ports makes this one a hard sell no matter how much I like the game.
