''Fun 'n Games'' (Sometimes spelled ''Fun 'N' Games'') is a compilation

video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

developed by

Leland Interactive Media The Leland Corporation was an American video game company formed on June 5, 1987, from the assets of Cinematronics. It was a subsidiary of arcade and home game producer Tradewest, which acquired those assets out of the former company’s bankrup ...

and released for the

Mega Drive/Genesis The Sega Genesis, known as the outside North America, is a 16-bit Fourth generation of video game consoles, fourth generation home video game console developed and sold by Sega. It was Sega's third console and the successor to the Master Sys ...

and

Super NES The Super Nintendo Entertainment System, commonly shortened to Super Nintendo, Super NES or SNES, is a 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan, 1991 in North America, 1992 in Europe and Oceania a ...

platforms in 1993 and 1994 respectively. In 1995, an updated, redeveloped version of the game was released on the

3DO Interactive Multiplayer 3DO is a video gaming hardware format developed by The 3DO Company and conceived by Electronic Arts founder Trip Hawkins. The specifications were originally designed by Dave Needle and RJ Mical of New Technology Group, and were licensed by third ...

and

MS-DOS MS-DOS ( ; acronym for Microsoft Disk Operating System, also known as Microsoft DOS) is an operating system for x86-based personal computers mostly developed by Microsoft. Collectively, MS-DOS, its rebranding as IBM PC DOS, and a few op ...

by Williams Entertainment Inc. The North American Super NES version of the game is considered to be one of the more rare games released for the console.

Gameplay

''Fun 'n Games'' is a compilation of puzzles,

arcade game An arcade game or coin-op game is a coin-operated entertainment machine typically installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are presented as primarily game of skill, games of skill and in ...

s, a

music composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and defi ...

and a

paint program A raster graphics editor (also called bitmap graphics editor) is a computer program that allows users to Computer graphics, create and image editing, edit images interactively on the computer screen and save them in one of many raster graphics I ...

in one video game. The game is arranged into four different types of activities, or categories: ''Paint'', ''Games'', ''Music'' and ''Style''. There is virtually no difference in gameplay between the Super NES and Mega Drive/Genesis versions. However, the North American Genesis version has an extra game in the ''Games'' section that's not in the European Mega Drive version. Parts of the game is controlled in a

computer mouse A computer mouse (plural mice; also mouses) is a hand-held pointing device that detects Plane (mathematics), two-dimensional motion relative to a surface. This motion is typically translated into the motion of the Cursor (user interface)#Po ...

-like fashion. The Super NES version is compatible with the

Super NES Mouse The Super NES Mouse, sold as the in Japan, is a peripheral created by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It was released in 1992, on July 14 in Japan, in August in North America, and on December 10 in Europe. Originally design ...

in addition to the standard controller. Similarly, the Mega Drive/Genesis version is compatible with the Mega Mouse.

Paint

In the ''Paint'' activity the player can draw on a

canvas Canvas is an extremely durable Plain weave, plain-woven Cloth, fabric used for making sails, tents, Tent#Marquees and larger tents, marquees, backpacks, Shelter (building), shelters, as a Support (art), support for oil painting and for other ite ...

, but also in a

coloring book A coloring book (British English: colouring-in book, colouring book, or colouring page) is a type of book containing line art to which people are intended to add color using crayons, colored pencils, marker pens, paint or other artistic media. ...

if desired. Different artistic tools, for example a pencil, pre-made backgrounds, paint bucket, patterns, stamps and different colors are supported. Previously created figures from the activities ''Stylin' Stuff'' and ''Mix and Match'' can be imported to the drawing.

Games

The ''Games'' activity consists of three different

minigame A minigame (also spelled mini game and mini-game, sometimes called a subgame or microgame) is a short game often contained within another video game. A minigame contains different gameplay elements and is often smaller or more simplistic than th ...

s: ''Mouse Maze'', ''Spaze Lazer'' and ''Whack a Clown''. ''Mouse Maze'' is a

Pac-Man ''Pac-Man,'' originally called in Japan, is a 1980 maze video game developed and published by Namco for arcades. In North America, the game was released by Midway Manufacturing as part of its licensing agreement with Namco America. The pla ...

style game where the player takes control of a mouse in a maze. The mouse must collect all the cheese in the maze to be able to advance to the next

level Level or levels may refer to: Engineering *Level (optical instrument), a device used to measure true horizontal or relative heights * Spirit level or bubble level, an instrument designed to indicate whether a surface is horizontal or vertical *C ...

, which is another maze. Mouse traps that appear randomly in the maze makes the mouse freeze for a couple of seconds if the mouse collides with any of them. In the meantime, cats wander in the maze and try to eat the mouse. The player loses a

life Life, also known as biota, refers to matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes. It is defined descriptively by the capacity for homeostasis, Structure#Biological, organisation, met ...

if the mouse is eaten by a cat, and if all three lives are lost, the game is over. To protect itself, the mouse can collect bones scattered in the maze to transform into a dog for a period of time, and the dog is able to eat the cats. In ''Spaze Lazer'', a spaceship is controlled by the player in

first-person view First-person view may refer to: * First-person view (radio control) * First-person view (video games) * First-person view (storytelling) * First-person view (film) See also

* First person (disambiguation) {{disambiguation ...

and needs to defend itself by aiming and firing the spaceship guns at enemy spaceships. A radar on the screen helps the player locate the enemy spaceships. When all of the enemy spaceships are destroyed, the player faces a boss monster. When the boss is defeated, the player advances to the next level where the spaceship must be defended against even tougher enemies. The player's spaceship starts with 99 in energy, and the energy decreases when the spaceship is hit by enemy fire. If the energy reaches 0, the game is over. The ''Whack a Clown'' game is a variant of

Whac-A-Mole ''Whac-A-Mole'' is a Japanese arcade game that was created in 1975 by the amusements manufacturer TOGO in Japan, where it was originally known as or . A typical ''Whac-A-Mole'' machine consists of a waist-level cabinet with a play area and dis ...

, and is exclusive to the Sega Genesis version of the game. There are nine holes from which both clowns and seals pop up randomly, only to disappear later. A hammer is controlled by the player which is used to hit the clowns in the head. Every time a clown is hit by the hammer, the player is awarded with one point. If a seal is hit with the hammer, the player loses a life. When the game timer runs out or all lives are lost, the game ends. Originally, a fourth minigame was planned for at least the Sega Genesis version of the game. It was called ''Basketball Jones'', and the goal was to practice free-throws in

Basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

. Nevertheless, it was removed from the game during development.

Music

The ''Music'' activity allows the player to compose music by placing

note Note, notes, or NOTE may refer to: Music and entertainment * Musical note, a pitched sound (or a symbol for a sound) in music * ''Notes'' (album), a 1987 album by Paul Bley and Paul Motian * ''Notes'', a common (yet unofficial) shortened versi ...

s on an on-screen

stave Stave may refer to: Music * Stave (music), used in musical notation * Stanza * The Staves, an English folk rock trio People * Bruce M. Stave (1937–2017), American historian * Joel Stave (born 1992), American football quarterback Place ...

. By pressing the play button, the tune composed by the player can be listened to. An in-game piano can as well be used to place notes on the stave. 15 different types of instruments and 15 different types of sound effects are supported in addition to different

paces A pace is a unit of length consisting either of one normal walking step (approximately ), or of a double step, returning to the same foot (approximately ). The normal pace length decreases with age and some health conditions. The word "pace" is al ...

and

half-note In music, a half note (American) or minim (British) is a note played for half the duration of a whole note (or semibreve) and twice the duration of a quarter note (or crotchet). It was given its Latin name (''minima'', meaning "least or smalles ...

s. Moreover, pre-made songs can be opened, listened to and modified.

Style

The ''Style'' activity consists itself of two different activities: ''Stylin' Stuff'' and ''Mix and Match''. In ''Stylin' Stuff'' the player selects the looks of a woman paperdoll. Hair, hat, shirt, pants, shoes and purse are all selectable by clicking on buttons. The objective of the ''Mix and Match'' activity is similar to ''Stylin' Stuff'', but now the player instead selects the top, middle and bottom thirds of a creature.

Reception

The Super NES version of ''Fun 'n Games'' was reviewed in 1994 in both ''

Nintendo Power ''Nintendo Power'' was a video game news and strategy magazine from Nintendo of America, first published in July/August 1988 as Nintendo's official print magazine for North America. The magazine's publication was initially done monthly by Ninte ...

'' and ''

GamePro ''GamePro'' was an American multiplatform video game magazine media company that published online and print content covering the video game industry, video game hardware and video game software. The magazine featured content on various video ...

''. It was praised for its variety, creativity, music and graphics, but the activities were considered simple and too restricting for more advanced and/or older players. Regarding the arcade-style games the reviewers found them too shallow and not challenging enough to entertain players for any longer amount of time. Also, the ''Nintendo Power'' reviewer argued that the

SNES Mouse The Super NES Mouse, sold as the in Japan, is a peripheral created by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It was released in 1992, on July 14 in Japan, in August in North America, and on December 10 in Europe. Originally design ...

was a better alternative for playing the game than the Super NES controller. Both reviewers argued that the player would have more fun playing Mario Paint. Reviewing the Genesis version, Mike Weigand of ''

Electronic Gaming Monthly ''Electronic Gaming Monthly'' (''EGM'') is a monthly American video game magazine. It offers video game news, coverage of industry events, interviews with gaming figures, editorial content and product reviews. History The magazine was fou ...

'' called it "a good non-action game almost anyone can enjoy".

References

{{Reflist, 30em, refs= {{cite web , title=Fun 'N' Games Release Data, Super NES , publisher=

GameFAQs GameFAQs is a video gaming website that hosts guides and other resources, as well as an active Internet forum, message board forum. It was created in November 1995 by Jeff Veasey and has been owned by Fandom (website), Fandom, Inc. since October ...

, url=https://www.gamefaqs.com/snes/588349-fun-n-games/data , accessdate=January 13, 2013 {{cite journal , date=June 1994 , title=Fun 'n' Games , journal=Banzzaï (FR) , issue=23 , page=8 , publisher= Pressimage , language=French {{cite magazine , date=April 1994 , title=Now Playing: Fun 'n' Games , magazine=

, issue=59 , pages=105, 107 , publisher=

Nintendo of America is a Japanese multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto. It develops, publishes, and releases both video games and video game consoles. The history of Nintendo began when craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi founded the company to p ...

{{cite web , title=Fun 'n' Games Release Data, Genesis , publisher=

, url=https://www.gamefaqs.com/genesis/586195-fun-n-games/data , accessdate=January 13, 2013 {{cite magazine , date=January 1994 , title=Fun & Games: Tradewest / Genesis , magazine=

, issue=54 , page=48 , publisher=

Ziff Davis Ziff Davis, Inc. is an American digital media and internet company. Founded in 1927 by William Bernard Ziff Sr. and Bernard George Davis, the company primarily owns technology- and health-oriented media websites, online shopping-related servi ...

{{cite magazine , date=July 1994 , title=Super Nes: Fun 'n Games , magazine=

, issue=60 , page=100 , publisher= IDG {{cite web , title=Fun 'N Games for SNES (1994) , publisher=

MobyGames MobyGames is a commercial website that catalogs information on video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controlle ...

, url=http://www.mobygames.com/game/snes/fun-n-games , accessdate=January 13, 2013 {{cite web , title=Fun N Games , publisher=Gamesniped , url=https://www.gamesniped.com/featured-articles/super-nintendo-snes-rarity-price-guide/ , accessdate=February 6, 2013 {{cite web , title=Super Nintendo Entertainment System Rarity Guide , publisher=RarityGuide , url=http://www.rarityguide.com/snes_view.php?FirstRecord=203&recordsPerPage=1 , accessdate=February 6, 2013 {{cite web , title=Fun 'n' Games , publisher=SegaRetro , url=http://segaretro.org/Fun_'n'_Games , accessdate=January 13, 2013 {{cite magazine , date=October–November 1993 , title=VizKidz: Fun 'N' Games , magazine= Sega Visions , issue=15 , pages=123–124 , publisher=The Communique Group {{cite magazine , date=June 1994 , title=MegaDrive Review: Fun 'n Games , magazine=

Mean Machines Sega ''Mean Machines'' was a multi-format video game journalism, video game magazine published between 1990 and 1992 in the United Kingdom. History In the late 1980s ''Computer and Video Games'' (''CVG'') was largely covering the outgoing generatio ...

, issue=24 , page=94 , publisher=

Emap International Limited Ascential (formerly EMAP) was a British-headquartered global company, specialising in events, intelligence and advisory services for the marketing and financial technology industries. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange until it was acq ...

{{cite magazine , date=July 1995 , title=Capsule Reviews: Fun n' Games , magazine=

VideoGames & Computer Entertainment ''VideoGames & Computer Entertainment'' (abbreviated as ''VG&CE'') was an American magazine dedicated to covering video games on computers, Video game console, home consoles and Arcade game, arcades. It was published by Larry Flynt Publication ...

, issue=78 , page=71 , publisher= LFP, Inc. {{cite magazine , date=June 1995 , title=fun 'n Games , magazine=

, issue=71 , pages=132–133 , publisher=

{{cite web , url = https://www.nintendo.com/consumer/downloads/snes_games.pdf , title = Super NES Games , publisher =

, Web Archive , accessdate = January 20, 2013 , url-status = dead , archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20160303195606/http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/downloads/snes_games.pdf , archivedate = March 3, 2016 {{cite web , title=Fun Game , publisher= Fun Games Nation , url=http://www.fungamenation.com , accessdate=March 23, 2013 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140502085220/http://fungamenation.com/ , archive-date=May 2, 2014 , url-status=dead 1993 video games 1994 video games Drawing video games Leland Corporation games Sega Genesis games Single-player video games Super Nintendo Entertainment System games Tradewest games Video games developed in the United States