Smash TV

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a game by Acclaim
Genres: Action, Fighting Games, Shooting Games
Platforms: Sega GenesisGenesis, SNESSNES, Arcade, NESNES
Editor Rating: 6.4/10, based on 17 reviews, 18 reviews are shown
User Rating: 7.2/10 - 5 votes
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See also: World Hardest Game, Super Smash Games

Big money! Big prizes!

It's the blood and guts game show of the future - Smash TV! The NES version of the coin-op of the year, Smash TV displays more enemies and action on the screen at one time - with no flicker - than any other NES game on the market!

You're the contestant in this "survival of the fittest" competition against an awesome array of mutant monsters! With weapon in hand, you must conquer a succession of arenas filled with more enemies than you can count on your way to the final confrontation with the Big Bosses (and we do mean BIG). Along the way you collect power-up enhancements that will increase the destructive ability of your weapons as well as special prizes like new cars, toasters, gold bars, and cold, hard, cash!

So enter the world of Smash TV! We guarantee you'll love it - if you get out alive!

Huge bosses!

  • Name: Mutoid Man
  • Model: Hyperdyne 211
  • Weight: 72 tons
  • Weak point: Use all of your resources on his soft belly.

Download Smash TV

Genesis

System requirements:

  • PC compatible
  • Operating systems: Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7/2000/Vista/WinXP
  • Game modes: Single game mode

Player controls:

  • Up, Down, Left, Right - Arrow keys
  • Start - Enter (Pause, Menu select, Skip intro, Inventory)
  • "A" Gamepad button - Ctrl (usually Jump or Change weapon)
  • "B" button - Space (Jump, Fire, Menu select)
  • "C" button - Left Shift (Item select)

Use the F12 key to toggle mouse capture / release when using the mouse as a controller.

SNES

System requirements:

  • PC compatible
  • Operating systems: Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7/2000/Vista/WinXP
  • Pentium II (or equivalent) 266MHz (500MHz recommended), RAM: 64MB (128MB recommended), DirectX v8.0a or later must be installed
Arcade

System requirements:

  • PC compatible
  • Operating systems: Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7/2000/Vista/WinXP
NES

System requirements:

  • PC compatible
  • Operating systems: Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7/2000/Vista/WinXP
  • P-200, 32 MB RAM

Game Reviews

Smash TV is an arcade game released in 1990 and later on published for various platforms. The game was very similar with Eugene Jarvis’ Robotron: 2084, an earlier game of the same developer. The player is controlled with a dual-joystick control and a single of screen areas. The main theme of the game involves a player competing in a game show, set in the future year of 1999.

Players have to move from one room to another within the arena and shoot down hordes of enemies as they advance from all sides. In the same time, they have to collect weapons, power-up items and bonus prizes until the final fight. The showdown will be against the show’s hosts, where the player finally gets his prizes, the promised life and freedom.

The game features an announcer as well, voiced by Paul Heitsch, the sound designer of the game. Jon Hey created the game’s script.

Later on the game was ported to many consoles, including the Nintendo Entertainment System, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, the Sega Game Gear, Sega Master System and Sega Mega Drive/Genesis. On the last platform and the SNES the game was called Super Smash TV.

On the home systems (such as the Nintendo Entertainment System), the player had the option to use the directional pad on the second controller. This way the player could have controlled the direction the character will shoot on-screen. This dual aspect of the game worked at its best on the SNES, with its four main buttons (A, B, X and Y) being positioned like a D-pad and enabling the player to shoot a way while running another.

Ocean, a well-known developer back in the 90s, developed version for home computers, such as the ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST and Commodore Amiga. All of them were published in 1992. Probably the best home computer version was the one for Amiga, which scored 895 out of a possible 1000 points in a UK magazine review. However, the versions for home computers were different than the original one, and this brought some criticism on board.

A version for the PlayStation was released as well in 1999, while versions for PC, Nintendo, GameCube, Xbox and PlayStation 2 were released several years later. The game was also available on Microsoft’s Xbox Live Arcade and costs 400 Microsoft Points to purchase. However, the game is not available anymore today.

8

As presented above, the game was released on many platforms and received good feedback for this. The SNES version was rated with 8.2 from both critics and players, while the Xbox version received a 7.6 from 1013 users and a 7.2 rating from 13 critics.

  • Manufacturer: WILLIAMS ELECTRONIC

The year is 1999. The place is the set of Smash T.V., a great new action game from Williams. Smash T.V. is a futuristic game show with a twist. Imagine if you can a blend of the movie The Running Man and Williams' classic Robotron. Either one or two "contestants" compete in a mazelike studio for cash, merchandise and the most important prize, survival! Of course, with the opportunity to win toasters, VCRs, televisions, the occasional car, as well as oodles of cash, who wouldn't go up against mindless mutants, robots, drones and combustible, obese soldiers (known affectionately as "Mr. Shrapnel") for a piece of the action, right?

Man wasn't meant to kill with hands alone, so your game-show host has generously provided you with a variety of lethal devices to protect yourself as you travel through the various arenas. Grenades, missiles, lasers and the ever - present smart bomb are all at your disposal. Other defensive devices are also available, such as force fields and spinning shields, which help you stay alive long enough to win just one more toaster. Control of each player is by two eight-way joysticks, with one for movement and one for shooting. They are perfect for this type of game, as Robotron players will concur.

While the similarity to Robotron is obvious from first glance, there are many differences that make Smash T.V. a unique adventure. There is a map of sorts presented at the beginning of each area that shows the different ways you can travel through the arenas in order to reach the boss waiting within the last arena. Along the way, you must fight through a menagerie of robots and drones and avoid land mines, tanks and many other enemies too bizarre to describe.

Different weapon power-ups appear with regularity in random spots upon the playing field, along with small gift boxes. The latter, when grabbed, award anything from a 2600-inch television, to a luxurious vacation. Money also appears in large, scattered heaps consisting of gold and silver bars, along with the regular green stuff. The weapons and gifts both disappear from the screen after a few seconds, but the money will stay indefinitely. The weapons are immediately useful and last for a certain number of shots, indicated by a small bar graph near your score. When you run low, a warning tone lets you know without having to take a break from the action on-screen.

Bonus rooms packed with gifts are located in certain parts of each area, and when you enter one of these areas, a few seconds are allocated to allow you to grab as many goodies as possible before they all disappear, and the room is invaded by enemies.

The object is simple: grab as much money and as many prizes as possible, while surviving until the end of an area to collect your bonus money. As if making it to the end weren't challenge enough, a boss monster must be defeated as well. These guys don't lay down after a few shots, either; be prepared to lob a couple of hundred grenades, missiles and bombs, all while trying to avoid getting roasted yourself. If you succeed, you will be rewarded with a crisp, graphic bloodbath as the abomination finally bites the video dust.

Now that you have actually made it through alive - though perhaps short the few quarters if may have taken you to continue - it's time to be rewarded for your effort. Each player is shown on-screen before a podium as the various prize counts mount up, and the equivalent amount of money is added to your score. Don't rest too long; you're soon off to the next area, with new prizes and new challenges to conquer!

Smash T.V. is another game that is destined to join the ranks of previous Williams' classics. Graphically, nothing is missing, from the bloody chunks that fly skyward when a player dies (watch out for that flying eyeball) to the virtual geyser of blood that flies out when Mutoid Man at the end of the first area is dispatched. Of course, I couldn't forget to mention the well-endowed blonde ladies that rest upon each arm of your Smash T.V. host as he puts forth a comment at the beginning of each arena! The sound effects are equally excellent: The "Go, Go, Go!" starting each area and the pounding coupled with frustrated howls of rage from the boss monsters accent the action perfectly.

Although a continue option is available, don't be fooled. This game isn't another in the recent trend of quarter-eating machines that only allow you to advance anywhere in the game by satisfying their unending appetite for metal. While it may take a little time to figure out strategies, the game isn't impossible, and you should be able to advance quite far (especially with a teammate). If you haven't played this one yet, give it try, and see if you aren't hooked. I'll admit I am.

  • Manufacturer: Acclaim
  • Machine: Super NES

Super Sound Test - This is a method to get to the sound test of this intense game. First, go to the player/skill select screen and then press the two top buttons on the controller in this order: L, R, L, L, R. You will hear the voice say, "Bingo" and then you will be brought to a theme music and sound select screen!

  • Manufacturer: Acclaim
  • Machine: NES

Smash TV for NES

Vanna White and "Wheel of Fortune" are old hat in the future. Instead, the highest-rated TV game show is something a bit more thrilling - Smash TV. Acclaim's newest NES title is a translation of the popular arcade game.

As a contestant on Smash TV, you compete for large amounts of cash and the grand prize - your life. Acclaim says Smash TV will offer two unique features: more on-screen enemies than any other Nintendo game, and the ability to use both controllers at once. One controller lets you move your contestant, and the other lets you direct your firepower. By using the NES Satellite, two people can play.

  • Difficulty: Hard
  • Available: August 1992
  • No. of Levels: 3
  • Theme: Action

"Total carnage! I love it"

You heard it right, folks! The famous arcade game that combined winning prizes and slaughtering thousands of creatures is about to make it's way to the homes of all Genesis owners! It is far into the future, and the most popular form of entertainment is the game show Smash TV, where the contestants win incredible prizes or lose their lives.

Similar to the NES version, you may fashion the controls so that you can have two controllers for multi-directional firing and running, or modify the buttons to have a form of combo attack. All of the classic voices are here from the arcade, from the announcer to the painful sounds caused by the exploding mines! Good luck, You'll need it!

  • Manufacturer: Acclaim
  • Machine: Nintendo
  • Type: Action
  • Release: July 1991
  • Difficulty: Average

Translated directly from the spectacular coin-op, Smash TV offered a new kind of survival game, one of reflexes, nerves, strength, and cunning. Only the best of the best will survive the hair-raising rounds of action as muggers and booby-trapped robots attempt to blow you from the face of the universe!! Fight back with the multitude of weapons and basic survival gear available to the hardy contestant.

People say:

6

The quarter-muncher is great, but this version just doesn't do it justice. The graphics are poor and microscopic! It's not bad, but it's not that good, either. The game plays better with two controllers, on four in the two player game

6

Even though there were some compromises from the arcade game, Smash TV is a game that requires great control to progress far enough into the game. As a two-player game with four controllers, Smash is a blast. To me that is the only way to play it as it's too hard alone.

4

Smash TV is a pretty good translation of the arcade hit. My main complaint is that the graphics seem like they've been shrunk down to microscopic size. The game play is almost intact, using 2 pads gives it better control. A good 2 player game, if you have 4 controllers.

5

Get out the magnifying glass! I can hardly see those characters and items! If Smash TV weren't so scrunched on the small screen, it has the play control of a seven. Alas, tiny it was born, and tiny it shall live. The translation might look better on the Genesis or SFX. How 'bout it guys??

In order for this trick to work, you must first enter the Circuit Select code (at the option screen, press RIGHT, RIGHT, UP, DOWN, R button, L button). After you enter this code and choose where you want to start, go into the game, but before you enter the door into the next room, press and hold the SELECT button. Once you enter the room, there won't be any enemies to face. After a few seconds, a voice will say, "Let's go," and it will show you which exits are open. Before you go to the next screen, hold SELECT again, and the same thing will happen! Repeat this through the whole game and you will beat it in no time!

Acclaim is bring the nonstop action of the arcade smash to the Super NES. The game is a carbon copy of the coin-op, the graphics and sounds are virtually identical. Great futuristic fun for two players.

Acclaim's NES version of the smash coin-op is nearing completion. Dual controllers (or the 4 score for 2 player simultaneous game play) will be needed to handle all the action!

Hard-core arcade gamers from the first boom will most likely remember a Williams coin-op that proved to be both revolutionary and a lot of fun to play. The game was called Robotron, and not only did it introduce gamers to some of the most intense action you could buy for a quarter, it also used a unique control assembly that allowed you to move and shoot independently of each other!

While a little-seen first-person shooter titled Blaster claimed to be the sequel to Robotron, a new Williams' game, SMASH TV, promises to bring die-hard fans of the original the first true update of the robot-blasting classic.

Smash TV casts you or you and a friend simultaneously, in a futuristic television game show right out of "The Running Man". Armed with a rapid-fire assault cannon, you must wind your way through a labyrinth of rooms, each populated a bizarre cast of metal creations. Robots of all shapes and sizes will do everything they can to stop you from collecting the big prizes that are strewn across each playfield. If you do manage to make it to the goal of each level, you'll face an even more powerful Boss guardian who stands nearly as high as the screen!

Coupled with a wide range of power-ups, the graphics in Smash TV literally explode off of the screen, with animation and detail that is unequaled in any similar game. Combined with incredibly intense game play, Smash TV stands out as a great (although unreferenced) sequel that is has been long overdue!

Welcome, violent game show fans! We're coming to you live from inside your Genesis system, and it's time for another exciting broadcast filled with mass murder for fun and prizes. That's right, I'm talkin' Smash T.V. by those lethal reprogrammers at Flying Edge! So, grab yer gun and yer indestructible force field, and let the Sega games begin!

Two-Fisted Action

If you've played and died... and played and died on Smash TV. in the arcades, you'll be right at home on tonight's Genesis episode. This game's a fairly faithful translation of the coin-op shooting spree.

Arcadians who loved the coin-op's dual joystick firing system are in for good news and bad news. You can use both Genesis pads in tandem to replicate the effect, but this is a clumsy setup. Alternately, you can use only one controller. The three fire buttons shoot forward, backward, and lock-in one direction. This gets the job done. However, it's not as precise as the Super NES edition's eight-direction firing controls.

It's Total Carnage!

All you faithful Smash viewers will see that the Genesis version's exciting thrills and messy spills are close to the arcade original's gory standards. One or two oh-so-lucky contestants, the Red Guy and the Blue Guy, battle through four over- head-view studios jam-packed with senseless violence. Wave after wave of humanoids attempt to club, zap, and trample you to death. Every demise is bloody explosion.

Even when dozens of gang bangers pollute the screen, there's absolutely no slowdown! Unfortunately, the game does lose some color and background detail compared to the arcade and the SNES versions. The digitized voices sound sweet, but the music tracks don't pop your eardrums.

Run and Shoot Offense

The big and bad tools of the Smash T.V trade include laser pistols, missile launchers, photon guns, speed boosters, and mobile force fields, all of which appear randomly in the maze. Power-up items have a limited duration. You only get seven lives to live and one continue. Don't step into the Smash arena unless you're an ace of arcade aces.

ProTips:

  • Mr. Shrapnel and cyborg tanks are immune to your Discus Defense.
  • Just as your mobile force field expires, switch weapons and you'll regain limited invincibility.

Smash T.V. is a true prize fight. You'll rake in VCRs, new cars, cash, and home video games, but even an intact body is cause for celebration! The grand prize is a trip to the mysterious Pleasure Dome, where you'll chill with a bevy of beautiful co-hostesses.

  • Unlock the entrance to the Measure Dane with keys.

Smashing Success

Now a shoot-em-up classic in the annals of arcadedom, Smash T.V. has a reputation to uphold. The Genesis version comes close to the high standards set by the Super Nintendo and the coin-op versions, but graphics, sounds, and control fall a bit short. Still, the game brings home all the blasting action you care to handle. Smash T.V is right on target.

Good evening, and thanks for tuning in Smash T.V.! I'm The Game Show Host with the Most, and these are my beautiful co-hostesses, Trixie and Bubbles. Tonight's Super NES telecast by Acclaim is guaranteed to blow your picture tube out of the wall! So sit back, relax, and let the games begin!

Rules to Smash

As always on Smash T.V., you get to play as one or two of our contestants, the Red Guy and the Blue Guy. Working alone or together, you play the ultimate game show for the ultimate prize: your lives! (Heh heh, no wonder we get such high ratings.) Die-hard junkies of the arcade and NES broadcasts of Smash T.V. will recognize our version as a direct translation, but even new-comers, especially those who blazed through coin-op classics like Robotron, can learn our rules and regulations fast. You better learn or you're dead!

ProTip: When you clear a room, move out ASAP or a homing explosive device moves to the attack.

Firing up the Airwaves

As our lucky contestants, you get plenty of firepower to help you fight to the finish. You start with regular rapid-fire laser pistols, but they can scrounge up Grenade Launchers, Photon Guns, speed enhancers, and the ever-popular Mobile Forcefields. The Super NES pad provides pin-point accurate controls.

Make the most of your lives 'cause you only get five of 'em to start (you can find more) and four continues.

Big Money! Big Prizes! I Love It!

Smash T.V.'s not just about risking it all for the thrill of total carnage. Not only will you live if you win, you'll retire from ultraviolent game shows in luxury with all the VCR's, cars, toasters, and cold, hard cash your fists can grab. Look sharp or the prizes will slip through your fingers fast!

  • Pay attention to the map and head to the "$" signs for mounds of bonus gifts and bucks. Watch out, sometimes prizes hide land mines!
  • Collect ten keys and you can access secret rooms. Press against locked exits and one's bound to open.

Meet Mr. Shrapnel!

Wait 'til you get a load of our mutant humanoid masses here at Smash T.V. Red Guy and Blue Guy get gooey with gang bangers like the Club Creeps, Satellite Orbs, Cyborg Tanks, and everybody's favorite explosive personality, Mr. Shrapnel. All are captured in crisp overhead-view, splatter-happy detail. Each of our four levels of stage frights concludes with one of my associate mass murderers, such as Scar Face and Cobra Head.

And to earn the Grand Champion trophy, you gotta dethrone me, the Host of Smash T.V. I'm waiiiitting!

To scrap Mutoid Man, snatch up any heavy-duty artillery you can get your hands on, then pound his body parts in this order, gunners, arms, treads, head. Also, watch out for Mutoid's eye beams, and take out Mr. Shrapnel when he arrives.

Get Smashed!

All right, we gotta admit our show isn't as graphically intense as some SNES broadcasts, but, hey, the digitized voices and stereo beats are 16-b'rt superb and the action's right on target with the arcade original. Come on down and take your best shot at Smash T.V!

In ancient Rome citizens entertained themselves with an afternoon of blood lust at the Colusseum. Time warp! Travel to the future -- 1999 to be exact -- and you'll discover that the ancient sport of fighting for the ultimate prize -- your life -- has once again become popular. This time around those with a craving for violence have only to hit the switch on their TV to tune into Smash TV, a top-rated game show that pits one or two contestants against human, humanoid, and inhuman opponents in the ultimate battle for survival.

If you like to do more than just watch, grab a controller and become a contestant yourself. The crowd's not on your side as you enter the closed arena. You'll have to use sophisticated weaponry and grab the right power-up in order to nail the likes of Mutoid Man, Scarface, and Cobra Head. If you win, you'll win big and earn cool game show prizes like VCR's and vacations. If you lose... well... let's just say you won't need a VCR or a vacation.

Tired of watching that mindless blonde spinning vowels and consonants? Looking for a TV game show with plenty of punch (along with flying shrapnel, cannons, landmines and lasers among other things?) Then you're ready for the ultimate in TV game shows -- SMASH T.V.!

Yes! It's SMASH T.V. where one or two lucky contestants race through a labyrinth of studio stages filled with cash and prizes! All each contestant has to do is to pick up the prizes, leave through the marked exits and it's theirs to keep forever! Oh, there might be a couple minor obstacles along the way -- nothing major, just mobs of baseball-bat-wielding maniacs, snipers, cyborg-driven-tanks and a 30-foot 1/2 man, 1/2 machine called Mutoid Man at the end of the bonus stage!

The contestants aren't exactly helpless though; they're each armed with an Uzi with unlimited firepower. There is also a vast arsenal of special weapons that pop up randomly from time to time, including: triple-barreled machine guns, cannons, forcefields, grenades and a Super Zapper that wipes out all the nasties on the screen!

Fans of the classic Williams game Robotron are going to love the return of their unique two-joystick controls. Light-speed action, crisp detailed graphics and a dynamite concept makes this one game you won't to miss!

Yes game show fans, Smash T.V. is on the air! Game shows have taken to the more violent side of man! Your human warrior has only his skill and vast amounts of firepower at his disposal! As you fight, you can collect big money and big prizes to increase your winnings! If the action gets too rough, bring in a friend for some awesome two player action! Then prepare to fight the bosses, if you can make it!

People say:

8.0

This is without a doubt the best arcade to home translation I've ever played on a video game system. The graphics, sound effects and especially the bosses are all there! Sure, there are some changes, but the overall look, feel and control of the game is top notch! A winning effort that fans of the coin-op should not miss!

9.0

Wow! Great job Acclaim! This is the best game you have ever done! Everything about this game says perfect - graphics, sound, game play! Why don't you tell the whole S-NES industry how you beat the flicker and slow-down problem? While as hard as the arcade version, this still is the best production cart on the S-NES yet!

8.0

Smash TV is one of the best arcade to home translations that I've ever seen. The graphics are almost pixel for pixel and the sounds are digitized straight out of the coin-op. The music is all new with some of the original tunes still in tact and the game play is super intense and nonstop. Awesome arcade action!!!

9.0

This is definitely one of the most impressive Super NES games available! As a near carbon copy of the coin-op, Smash TV has all of the flair and action of a platinum game. The only thing I miss is the gore from the coin-op. Stepping on a mine just isn't as fun! Never mind, this is a must for fans of the arcade smash!

The decline of Western civilization is complete. The year is 1999 and television has adapted to the more violent nature of man. The most popular form of television is still the game show though. One show in particular has dominated the ratings, and it is called Smash TV. On this show, two lucky contestants compete for cash and prizes. They are equipped with an assortment of high power weapons and placed into a closed arena where they must blast and brawl their way to victory.

This is the most realistic arcade translation for the Super Nintendo yet, and Acclaim can definitely be proud of this title. Since the arcade game used two joysticks the Super NES version lets you control your character with the pad and the eight direction shooting with the A, B, X and Y buttons. The action is nonstop, and even when there are more than 20 or 30 sprites on the screen, there is no trace of slow down! The graphics and sounds are virtually identical to the coin-op and they have even kept in the digitized voices from the host of the show! The most impressive things in the game are the boss characters. They literally fill the entire screen and pose quite a challenge for even the most experienced game player. Each boss goes through many different forms, until it is finally defeated.

Smash TV is without a doubt one of the best arcade translations to be released for the Super Nintendo and proves that with a little effort, the S-NES can play arcade quality titles without slow down problems.

Meanwhile, back on Earth, something has to take our minds off the never-ending alien invasions — something like Smash T.V. from Williams Electronic Games.

The year is 1999, and the setting is a game show with a live audience in which contestants compete not only for cash and prizes, but also for their lives. It's a tough game, and it's a good idea to play Smash T.V. with a friend. You'll need the additional firepower to battle the club-wielding mutants and drones who try to distract you (terminally) from the cash and prizes.

You control your contestant with a pair of joysticks. The left stick controls the direction to move, and the right stick controls the direction to fire (just like Williams's 1982 classic, Robotron 2084).

While you blast away the mutants, the screen announces your prizes: A Brand-New VCR! A Luxury Vacation! A 2600-Inch TV! As you fight your way through more than 100 arenas, you'll encounter flying orbs that can laserslice you from across the room, and you'll meet Mr. Shrapnel, who explodes and spews razor-sharp metal that turns you into a prize for somebody else — A Year's Supply of Good Meat!

All of this carnage is cheerfully presented by your crazed robotic host, Evil MC. He occasionally appears on the monitors with two lovely showgirls, encouraging you with phrases like "Big money! Big prizes! I love it!"

The four bosses are incredibly powerful monsters. Mutoid Man is half-giant, half-battletank. You must destroy his twin turrets, both of his arms, his torso, and then his head. Scarf ace is a sinister abomination with no less than 16 outer sections to destroy before you can even begin to tackle his ugly face and withered skull. The Die Cobras are two of the biggest snakes you've ever seen in one small room. All it takes to kill them is about a zillion shots to their heads and necks.

Finally, you have to face Evil MC himself, now in the form of a Mutoid Tank-Man. He shoots flaming eyeballs at you while trying to run you down. Blasting off both of his arms reveals his polka-dotted underwear.

As Evil MC would say, "Bingo! I'd buy that for a dollar!"

Snapshots and Media

Arcade Screenshots

Sega Genesis/Mega Drive Screenshots

SNES/Super Nintendo/Super Famicom Screenshots

NES/Famicom/Dendy Screenshots

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