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

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...

developed by

Leland Interactive Media The Leland Corporation was a manufacturer of several arcade video games in the 1980s and early 1990s. The company was formed when Tradewest purchased the ailing Cinematronics in 1987. Notable among these were Quarterback (1987) and John Elway's ...

and released for the

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

and

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 Syst ...

platforms in 1993 and 1994. A game with the same name was released in 1995 for the

3DO Interactive Multiplayer The 3DO Interactive Multiplayer, also referred to as simply 3DO, is a home video game console developed by The 3DO Company. Conceived by entrepreneur and Electronic Arts founder Trip Hawkins, the 3DO was not a console manufactured by the company ...

, but it differs slightly in gameplay and was developed 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 games of skill and include arcade v ...

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 is a computer program that allows users to create and edit images interactively on the computer screen and save them in one of many raster graphics file formats (also known as bitmap images) such as JPEG, PNG, and GIF ...

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, sometimes mouses) is a hand-held pointing device that detects two-dimensional motion relative to a surface. This motion is typically translated into the motion of a pointer on a display, which allows a smooth c ...

-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 first released on July 14, 1992, in Japan, in August 1992 in North America, and on December 10, 1992, in Europe. O ...

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-woven fabric used for making sails, tents, marquees, backpacks, shelters, as a support for oil painting and for other items for which sturdiness is required, as well as in such fashion objects as handbags ...

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

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 (instrument), a device used to measure true horizontal or relative heights *Spirit level, an instrument designed to indicate whether a surface is horizontal or vertical *Canal pound or level *Regr ...

, 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 is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for growth, reaction to stimuli, metabolism, energ ...

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 (FPV), also known as remote-person view (RPV), or simply video piloting, is a method used to control a radio-controlled vehicle from the driver or pilot's view point. Most commonly it is used to pilot a radio-controlled aircra ...

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 an arcade game, originally known as or in Japan. A typical Whac-A-Mole machine consists of a waist-level cabinet with a play area and display screen, and a large, soft, black mallet. Five holes in the play area top are filled wit ...

, 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 (appr ...

. 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 version ...

s on an on-screen

stave Stave may refer to: Places * Stave (Krupanj), a village in Serbia * Stave Hill, in London * Stave Lake, in British Columbia, Canada * Stave River, in British Columbia, Canada * Stave Run, a river in Virginia, United States Other uses * Stave ...

. 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-notes. 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 Ninten ...

'' and ''

GamePro Gamepro.com is an international multiplatform video game magazine media company that covers the video game industry, video game hardware and video game software in countries such as Germany and France. The publication, GamePro, was originally la ...

''. 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 first released on July 14, 1992, in Japan, in August 1992 in North America, and on December 10, 1992, in Europ ...

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'' (often abbreviated to ''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 m ...

'' 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 website that hosts FAQs and walkthroughs for video games. It was created in November 1995 by Jeff Veasey and was bought by CNET Networks in May 2003. It is currently owned by Fandom, Inc. since October 2022. The site has a databa ...

, url=http://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, Japan. It develops video games and video game consoles. Nintendo was founded in 1889 as by craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi and originally produced handmade playing cards. ...

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

, url=http://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. First founded in 1927 by William Bernard Ziff Sr. and Bernard George Davis, the company primarily owns technology-oriented media websites, online shopping-related services, an ...

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

, issue=60 , page=100 , publisher=

IDG International Data Group (IDG, Inc.) is a market intelligence and demand generation company focused on the technology industry. IDG, Inc.’s mission is centered around supporting the technology industry through research, data, marketing technol ...

{{cite web , title=Fun 'N Games for SNES (1994) , publisher=

MobyGames MobyGames is a commercial website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes nearly 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms. The site is supported by banner ads and a small ...

, url=http://www.mobygames.com/game/snes/fun-n-games , accessdate=January 13, 2013 {{cite web , title=Fun N Games , publisher=Gamesniped , url=http://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 ''Sega Visions'' was a Video game journalism, video game magazine running from 1990 to 1995 that focused on games made for Sega video game consoles such as Master System, Sega Game Gear, Game Gear, Sega Mega Drive, Genesis, and Sega CD. Histo ...

, issue=15 , pages=123–124 , publisher=The Communique Group {{cite magazine , date=June 1994 , title=News: Fun 'N' Games , magazine=

Mean Machines Sega ''Mean Machines'' was a multi-format video game magazine published between 1990 and 1992 in the United Kingdom. Origins In the late 1980s ''Computer and Video Games'' (''CVG'') was largely covering the outgoing generation of 8-bit computers li ...

, issue=20 , page=12 , publisher=

Emap International Limited Ascential plc, formerly EMAP, is a British business-to-business media business specialising in exhibitions & festivals and information services. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index. History Ric ...

{{cite magazine , date=June 1994 , title=MegaDrive Review: Fun 'n Games , magazine=

, issue=24 , page=94 , publisher=

{{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, home consoles and arcades. It was published by LFP, Inc. from the late 1980s until the mid-1990s. Offe ...

, 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 Single-player video games 1993 video games 1994 video games Super Nintendo Entertainment System games Sega Genesis games Tradewest games Video games developed in the United States Drawing video games