Game: Rockman & Forte (J) (Capcom, Super NES)

Compiler: Geminiman

For this month's "Maps Of The Month" featurette, I wish to draw your attention to Geminiman's Rockman & Forte (J) (Super NES) maps.

Mega Man and Bass are the titular heroes in Rockman & Forte, a Japanese Super Famicom exclusive, before getting a worldwide release on the GBA a few years later.  According to producer Keiji Inafune, after the release of Mega Man 8 on the PlayStation and Saturn, Capcom felt there was still interest for a new Mega Man game among younger players who couldn't afford current-gen consoles.  Despite this skew towards younger players, it is still a challenging game, even by "Mega Man" standards!

It doesn't stray far from the usual Mega Man gameplay formula, and its most unique feature is in the title itself - being able to play as Bass, who has different abilities than Mega Man, as well as a different story.  Whoever you play as, you'll still be up against eight Robot Masters, though two of them - Astro Man and Tengu Man - are strangely reused from Mega Man 8, though with different weapons.  The other six - Dynamo Man, Cold Man, Burner Man, Pirate Man, Ground Man, and Magic Man - use similar weapons and have the same weakness order as the original six Robot Masters from the first game - Elec Man, Ice Man, Fire Man, Bomb Man, Guts Man and Cut Man - so there's some interesting trivia, especially if it was, indeed, intentional!  And it does reference past games, with the legacy of characters featured in the Data Base that you have to find CDs for - a whole 100 of them, scattered across the game.

Despite being a solid Mega Man game, it doesn't have a number in its title, and is omitted from Mega Man: Anniversary Collection (2004) and Mega Man: Legacy Collection 2 (2017).  This team-up is often considered a spin-off (like the Fast & Furious film, Hobbs & Shaw, which also comes between the eighth and ninth installment of the main series), but that undersells it.  If it must be considered a spin-off, then it's the best Mega Man spin-off there is.  It's certainly worthy of more attention than it gets.

So to recognize the effort put into mapping this underrated Mega Man gem, Geminiman's Rockman & Forte (J) (Super NES) maps will be known as VGMaps.com's Maps Of The Month for December 2023.
 

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Game: Shinobi III: Return Of The Ninja Master (Sega, Genesis)

Compiler: John Brain

For this month's "Maps Of The Month" featurette, I wish to draw your attention to John Brain's Shinobi III: Return Of The Ninja Master (Genesis) maps.

The Shadow Master has brought back the evil crime syndicate, Neo Zeed.  The heroic ninja, Joe Musashi, sets out to vanquish them (again) so that they will stop threatening the world.  What challenges will this shinobi face this time?

Shinobi III: Return Of The Ninja Master is a solid, action-packed ninja platformer, the kind that comes to mind when you think of Sega Genesis classics.  With all of Joe's ninja moves and abilities, you lay waste to baddies as you guide him through seven varied Rounds, ranging from forest caves to massively tall cliffsides to some facility with some kind of biological horror growing underneath it.  There are also chases on horseback and a surfboard.  All of this is mapped by a Genesis fan known here as John Brain.

So to recognize the effort put into mapping all of this 16-bit ninja action, John Brain's Shinobi III: Return Of The Ninja Master (Genesis) maps will be known as VGMaps.com's Maps Of The Month for November 2023.
 

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Game: Metal Warriors (LucasArts, Super NES)

Compiler: Spanettone

For this month's "Maps Of The Month" featurette, I wish to draw your attention to Spanettone's Metal Warriors (Super NES) maps.

It's the year 2102.  The Dark Axis, led by the evil dictator, Venkar Amon, seeks to dominate the galaxy.  Planet Earth is in their sights.  But as a "Metal Warrior", capable of piloting a battledroid, you're certainly not going to let them enslave the inhabitants of planet Earth without a fight!

The premise may be your usual sci-fi narrative setup, as seen in any space action game, but the game is more remarkable, even if underrated.  This late-era Super NES game features impressive graphics (the animated mission intros were nothing short of amazing at the time) and the animation and gameplay are both quite smooth, even with all the action.  The "Head To Head" mode allows for some two-player competitive play, where you and a friend can test your mettle against each other by piloting mechs with cool names (like "Havoc", "Ballistic", and "Drache") and hot weapons.  Spanettone has fully mapped the story missions and all the "Head To Head" areas, as well as the secret "?????" mode.  Lesser-known games seem to be of interest to Spanettone as if to shine a light on these hidden gems, and this is certainly a Super NES game that could use some more attention.

So to recognize the effort put into mapping this underappreciated 16-bit mech adventure, Spanettone's Metal Warriors (Super NES) maps will be known as VGMaps.com's Maps Of The Month for September 2023.
 

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Game: Mission: Impossible (Ultra Games, NES)

Compiler: mechaskrom

For this month's "Maps Of The Month" featurette, I wish to draw your attention to mechaskrom's Mission: Impossible (NES) maps.

"Your mission, Jim, should you choose to accept it, is to save the American scientist, Dr. O.  He has been kidnapped by 'The Sinister Seven', due to his role in developing a military defense system for the United States.  As you know, our newest team member, Shannon Reed, has been posing as Dr. O's secretary in her assignment to protect him, but she has been taken, as well.  She managed to inform us of their whereabouts, so you should begin your search in Moscow.  As always, should you or any of your IM Force be caught or killed, the Secretary will disavow any knowledge of your actions.  This tape will self-destruct in five seconds.  Good luck, Jim."

You select your usual team of IMF agents - Max Harte (the tough guy), Grant Collier (the tech guy), and Nicholas Black (the master of disguise) - and send them across Europe.  Though the mission begins in Moscow, they will travel to Venice and the Swiss Alps, before ending up in Cyprus.  The Sinister Seven intends to start World War III, so stop their nefarious plans and rescue the good doctor, wherever he may be!

The intel you may need includes mechaskrom's maps of this brutally difficult NES game.  This top-down adventure is about more than just action - you may need help just finding your way.  The manual even calls these areas "murderous mazes"...  mechaskrom's attention to detail means these maps are marked with morsels of information, like what non-player characters say and what switches control.  The mission may be difficult, but at least if you have these maps, it's a little less impossible.

So to recognize the effort put into mapping this nearly-impossible game, mechaskrom's Mission: Impossible (NES) maps will be known as VGMaps.com's Maps Of The Month for July 2023.
 

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Game: Batman (Sunsoft, NES)

Compiler: Chiasm

For this month's "Maps Of The Month" featurette, I wish to draw your attention to Chiasm's Batman (NES) maps.

With Michael Keaton returning to playing Bruce Wayne/Batman in The Flash movie opening this month, why not revisit the NES game "based" on the 1989 Batman film?

Though, when saying Batman (or "Batman: The Video Game") on the NES is "based" on Tim Burton's cinematic take on The Caped Crusader, it is only very loosely.  It does share character designs with it, and the Batmobile looks like it should (in the cutscenes and sadly not playable), and the Joker is naturally the final boss, but there's not much else that is similar.  Whereas the film is dark - both thematically and visually - this game has rockin' tunes and a colourful palette.  Rather than just gothic architecture, jump (and wall-jump) through areas you might expect in a sci-fi adventure, like The Underground Conduit (Stage 3) and The Laboratory Ruins (Stage 4).  In addition to the Joker, Batman will face lesser-known villains, consisting of Killer Moth, the Electrocutioner, and Firebug.

Despite the incongruity to the source material, this licensed game is actually very good, in the sense that it is quite a solid gameplay experience.  Like Sunsoft's other film adaptation, Gremlins 2: The New Batch, it forgoes faithfulness to the film in favour of fun (when not frustrating) 8-bit action.  Sunsoft did incredibly well with the music and graphics in their NES games at this time; see also Blaster Master!  Thankfully, Chiasm has mapped out all of Batman, so we can appreciate these fine graphics anytime here on VGMaps.com.

So to recognize the effort put into mapping this good-looking and legitimately good licensed game, Chiasm's Batman (NES) maps will be known as VGMaps.com's Maps Of The Month for June 2023.
 

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Game: Zelda: The Wand Of Gamelon (Philips, CD-i)

Compiler: Jackster

For this month's "Maps Of The Month" featurette, I wish to draw your attention to Jackster's Zelda: The Wand Of Gamelon (CD-i) maps.

When the land of Gamelon was attacked by Ganon's forces, King Harkinian of Hyrule travelled there to help his ally, Duke Onkled.  But a month passed without hearing from the King, so Princess Zelda sent the hero, Link, to find him, but he also went missing.  So, with Impa's accompaniment, Zelda ventures off to Gamelon to find them both, in her first (though non-canonical) leading role in the series that bears her name.

As discussed when Jackster received the Maps Of The Month honour back in December 2020, the CD-i was released at an interesting time in video gaming when optical disc technology was transforming digital media.  The massive increase in storage capacity meant so much more could be done with games, and that usually meant voice acting and full-motion video.  A licensing deal between Nintendo and Philips resulted in some interesting (and infamous) games on the CD-i, which showcase these new features.  Two of them, Link: The Faces Of Evil and Zelda: The Wand Of Gamelon, came out on the same day, and we've already recognized one of them here, so it's time to honour more of Jackster's work.

Much has been said about how bad these games are, so kudos to Jackster for pushing through to bring us these maps, both unmarked and marked.  With the unmarked maps, we can appreciate the graphics of these colourful backgrounds that resemble paintings, rather than tiles bound to grids.  They really are gorgeous in their own way.  And with the marked maps, we can figure out how to get through these games, if we ever dare to see what the fuss is about.  The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom is great, but a truly hardcore Zelda fan can say they managed to save the land of Gamelon.

So to recognize even more effort of enduring the infamous CD-i Zelda games, Jackster's Zelda: The Wand Of Gamelon (CD-i) maps will be known as VGMaps.com's Maps Of The Month for May 2023.
 

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Game: World Of Illusion: Starring Mickey Mouse & Donald Duck (Sega, Genesis)

Compiler: John Brain

For this month's "Maps Of The Month" featurette, I wish to draw your attention to John Brain's World Of Illusion: Starring Mickey Mouse & Donald Duck (Genesis) maps.

While Mickey and Donald prepare for a magic act, Donald stumbles and clumsily discovers a strange box.  Thinking it could be useful in their show, Donald steps inside, but disappears, as does Mickey when he investigates.  The two of them are taken to another world within the box, and a shadowy figure tells them they can only escape if they find and defeat him.  '90s licensed character platforming ensues...

John Brain's maps of "World Of Illusion" include the different paths that Mickey and Donald each take.  For some inexplicable reason, they part ways and then reunite in each of the game's five stages.  In the fifth stage, for example, Donald explores an area inspired by the Queen of Hearts' garden from Alice In Wonderland (1951), while Mickey enters a mirror, perhaps inspired by the Mickey Mouse short, "Thru The Mirror" (1936).  There are also areas seen only in a two-player game.  So this whole game, however you play it, is fully mapped for you to enjoy.

With the Walt Disney Company celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, plus Walt Disney World ending its 50th-anniversary celebrations this month, what better time to celebrate the world of Disney games?  The series of "Illusion" games by Sega includes this adventure, originally available on only the Genesis, but now also on the Genesis Mini.

So to recognize the effort put into mapping this Disney classic, John Brain's World Of Illusion: Starring Mickey Mouse & Donald Duck (Genesis) maps will be known as VGMaps.com's Maps Of The Month for March 2023.
 

Discuss the Maps Of The Month here!

Game: Kirby's Return To Dream Land (Nintendo, Wii)

Compiler: G.E.R.

For this month's "Maps Of The Month" featurette, I wish to draw your attention to G.E.R.'s Kirby's Return To Dream Land (Wii) maps.

Planet Popstar seems to have its fair share of visitors.  This time, it's Magalor, an alien whose dimension-hopping spaceship has crash-landed.  Kirby offers to help fix Magalor's ship, so along with King Dedede, Meta Knight, and Waddle Dee, they set off to recover all of the parts and energy spheres that are now scattered across the planet.

This adventure takes Kirby and his friends across Popstar and then Halcandra, through seven worlds named with alliterative titles (where the first letters appear to spell out a word).  Besides 38 stages of platforming fun, there are also seven challenges based around specific Copy Abilities, the boss rush area known as "The Arena", and a couple of mini-games.  It definitely follows the classic formula for a Kirby platforming adventure - but that's not a bad thing.  It plays great and looks just as good.

Though for something different, Kirby's Epic Yarn was released a year earlier on the Wii, and G.E.R. has recently mapped all of that, as well.  G.E.R. has actually mapped numerous Kirby games, and we appreciate that this love for the series brings us so many beautiful and colourful Kirby game maps, including these ones!

So to recognize the effort put into mapping a gorgeous Kirby adventure worth revisiting, G.E.R.'s Kirby's Return To Dream Land (Wii) maps will be known as VGMaps.com's Maps Of The Month for February 2023.
 

Discuss the Maps Of The Month here!

Game: Willow (Capcom, NES)

Compiler: KingKuros

For this month's "Maps Of The Month" featurette, I wish to draw your attention to KingKuros's Willow (NES) maps.

Queen Bavmorda of Nockmaar is an evil sorceress who intends to rule the world.  Though she wields powerful magic and commands a vast army, a prophecy predicts her downfall.  One of those who could bring an end to her reign is Willow Ufgood, a farmer of the tribe of Nelwyns.  So Willow leaves his family and friends - but meets new companions like the Daikini warrior, Madmartigan, and the tiny Brownies, Franjean and Rool - as he ventures off on this perilous journey to save the world from Bavmorda's tyranny.

Unlike the film that this game is loosely based on, Willow's companions show up only briefly.  Willow usually travels alone in this adventure in the vein of The Legend Of Zelda.  In this vast world - with many similar-looking areas - he could certainly use the help of someone like KingKuros, who has mapped out the world in its entirety.  From the village of Nelwyn to Tir Asleen and Nockmaar Castle and, yes, even the many vast caves in between, Willow might just succeed, or at least not get lost.

So to recognize the effort put into mapping this classic fantasy world, KingKuros's Willow (NES) maps will be known as VGMaps.com's Maps Of The Month for January 2023.
 

Discuss the Maps Of The Month here!