Tendo City

SNES vs. Genesis: A Pocketful of Mega Men

The SNES actually had a grand total of FIVE Mega Man games. Most of them follow the same basic formula of run through various levels until you get to the end where you have to fight a boss. For the most part, shooting can be done left or right, but not up or down or anything other direction. There are some powerups to be found, such as health upgrades, a powered up shot, and dash ability. All five of the SNES games look really good and have decent music.

Mega Man VII

Sequel to the NES’s Mega Man VI, picks up the story where the first left off. Dr. Wily has finally been capture, but he’s got a plan to escape. With the aid of four new robots, he does just that and Mega Man is forced to go after him with the help of his trusty robot mutt Rush to stop his robots and bring the evil doctor back. To complicate matters, a new robot named Bass is also after Dr. Whily he’s not too keen on Mega Man getting in the way. There are eight robots to fight, each with their own level, an intermission stage at the Robot Musuem, and then the final four levels of Dr. Whily’s fortress. Released in March 1995 by Capcom.

Mega Man X

Released December 1993. The X series is set farther into the future, after Dr. Light’s death. X, a prototype robot, is found by Dr. Cain and used as a prototype to develop a series of thinking robots, which eventually go berserk and become known as Mavericks.

Mega Man X2

Released December 1994.

Mega Man X3

Last of the X series released on the SNES, X3 came out December 1995. This time around, Zero, a robot who helps Mega Man X fight against the Mavericks, is also playable in addition to X himself. Feature some vector graphics and transparency courtesy of the SNES’s Cx4 Chip.

Mega Man and Bass [aka Rockman and Forte]

Play as either Mega Man or Bass, each with their own different style of play. Bass can fire seven different directions, has rapid fire, and can slide across the ground for extra speed. Mega Man can only fire left or right and can only fire one shot at a time, but makes up for this by having a charged shot which is more suited to fighting against the bosses. Released April 1998. The SNES version never made it out of Japan, but a GBA version was eventually released in the US in 2003.

http://greatrumbler.wordpress.com/2010/0...-mega-men/

SNES vs. Genesis: Landstalker and the Shinobi Series

Landstalker

Definitely one of the better Zelda clones on the two systems, Landstalker was developed by Climax [which also developed two sequels: Lady Stalker for the SNES and Dark Savior for the Saturn, but only the latter has been released in English] and released in October 1992. Unlike many of the Zelda clones on the market, which featured a sort of top-down perspective, Landstalker had an isometric camera tilted to one side that gave everything a quasi-3D look, which also allowed it to have some platforming. As with the other games, however, it featured real-time combat against a host of enemies, a large world to explore, and extra health to gain. Unlike the other two Zelda clones that have been looked at so far, Landstalker deals more heavily in puzzles, many doors are locked and require you to find keys while other areas are inaccessible unless you find a switch. The story revolves around Nigel, a bounty hunter, and faerie named Friday who knows the secret location of King Nole’s treasure. Of course, it’s not quite as easy as just going to where the treasure is and taking it, there’s a lot of wild situations along the way that you’ll have to get Nigel through. The graphics, while a bit dated, have a lot of detail packed into them and the quasi-3D look is actually pretty cool.

Shadow Dancer

Developed by Sega and released November 1989 for arcade and 1991 for the Genesis. Shadow Dancer is a side-scrolling action game that pit you, the shinobi, against hordes of various ninjas and samurai. Your main attack is to throw a small knife, but you can also slash at nearby opponents with your sword and use various magical attacks that have different effects. There’s also boxes scattered around that you can break open to find powerups, health, additional knives, and other cool things to use. While Shadow Dancer is technically the earliest Shinobi game on the Genesis, it wasn’t actually ported until nearly two years after Revenge of Shinobi, the third game in the series. Unlike the other two games, Shinobi doesn’t have a health bar and dies in one hit, making it the most difficult of the three. This game also features hostages that you can save for extra points, a feature not in the other two games.

Revenge of Shinobi

Developed by Sega and released on the Genesis in December 1989. As this was the first Shinobi released on the Genesis, it shows its age. The gameplay is fairly slow and the graphics are not nearly as detailed and vibrant as the other two games. It does, however, have a health bar, unlike Shadow Dancer, so that’s something.

Shinobi III

Developed by Sega and released on the Genesis in July 1993. The last of the Shinobi series on the Genesis and easily the best-looking, thanks to some detailed backgrounds, transparency, and some neat animated effects. It also feature the fastest pace, since Shinobi can actually run this time around instead of merely walking, and has a health bar that’s longer than in the first game. Shinobi can leap from one wall to the next, reaching higher places than in the previous games, launch into a run that you can end by having Shinobi slash his sword, and perform a midair dash-kick. Shinobi III is easily the best of the three Genesis titles.

http://greatrumbler.wordpress.com/2010/0...bi-series/

Are we going to touch upon the fact that Kid Chameleon is the best 2D platformer of all-time?

That's what I'm waiting for, to be honest.

We may when the platforming genre comes up next!

It's WILY GR! There's no H in it!

Dark Jaguar Wrote:It's WILY GR! There's no H in it!

SNES vs. Genesis: Mech Action

Target Earth

The first entry in the five-game Assault Suits series by NCS Corp was released March 1990 for the Genesis by DreamWorks [not to be confused with the movie company]. Due to its age, Target Earth is fairly dated compared to the other three titles. The mechs are small and simple, the backgrounds are more sparse and undetailed. It’s a bit harder than the other games, except for the shmup levels in Cybernator, although it does feature selectable weapons before each mission. It’s a decent action game, but far surpassed by its successors on the SNES.

Cybernator

Second in the Assault Suits series, Cybernator put you in control of Jake, a mech pilot fighting against a hostile nation in the far future. It was released for the SNES on December 1993. The first level is ground-based and has you going through a space station to find and destroy its power core. The second level is a bit different in that the first part is more like a shmup, in that the mech is using boosters to fly on rails and various enemies appear and shoot at you. This is where the game gets suddenly very difficult. Your mech is quite large and it moves very fast, so there’s little room to maneuver away from incoming missles and laser, by the time you get through this segment a good portion of your health will have been drained away. The second half is a bit more freeform, although you can actually fly, since you’re in space, so it’s a bit disorienting given the way the mech controls. The boss at the end of this level is crazy hard, because you have to try to shoot it while avoiding a barrage of lasers, missles, and asteroids.

Front Mission: Gun Hazard

Developed by the team behind the Assault Suits series, Gun Hazard was released in February 1996 for the SNES by Squaresoft. Much like the ASV series, it puts you in control of a mech that can suit in more or less all direction because of the rotating gun or punch things with its metal fist. The game features a heavier emphasis on characters and story than the first two ASV games and completing levels and shooting down enemies provides you with money that you can use between missions to spruce up and outfit your mech with new weapons and such. It also have an overworld map that provides you with some freedom in where you want to go next. Of all the four titles, Gun Hazard is the most appealing because of its emphasis on story, detailed graphics, well-made cutscenes, and deep customization. It also featured an all-star lineup of Square composers with Nobuo Uematsu, Yasunori Mitsuda, Junya Nakano, and Masashi Hamauzu all contributing to the soundtrack. Also of note: Yoshitaka Amano did the character designs and Hironobu Sakaguchi supervised the development. Only released in Japan, but an English language patch is available online.

Metal Warriors

Although not connected in any way to the previous three titles, Metal Warriors, developed by LucasArts and released by Konami for the SNES in April 1995, features many thematic and gameplay similarities with the other titles. You control a mech that can fire in virtually every direction or slash enemies with a beamsword as you fight your way through various space colonies and other scifi settings. Despite this close similarity, Metal Warriors has a faster pace and focuses less on realism and more on action. One interesting element is the ability to jettison from one mech and take over another that’s currently unoccupied. Another interesting feature is the ability to pick up more powerful weapons like grenade and rocket launchers and use them in conjunction with the regular laser gun. The levels in this game are much more complex and maze-like than the levels in the AS series, but the game has a map that will help keep you from getting lost. Metal Warriors also has surprisingly detailed cutscenes between missions that help set up the next level and why it’s important to the game’s story, they look much better than most I’ve seen on the SNES. One more thing to note: the game doesn’t feature of HUD, damage to your mech is displayed visually by the mech beginning to decay as various parts explode and fall off, eventually leaving you completely helpless [this is where the eject feature comes in handy].

http://greatrumbler.wordpress.com/2010/0...ch-action/

Oh I delt with it, I called you out on it didn't I?

Is this a big thing in your world?

First -- Yeah, fix that spelling error, "Whily" is a pretty obvious and big mistake.

Second, Front Mission: Gun Hazard was actually released in February 1996, not in 1993.

Of the Genesis Shinobi games, I like Shadow Dancer far more than Revenge of Shinobi or Shinobi III. The latter two are perhaps more popular, but I just like Shadow Dancer's gameplay a whole lot better. Revenge of Shinobi and Shinobi III somehow just don't hold my interest, I get bored and quit a couple of levels in with both games... with Shadow Dancer though, while I've never beaten it (it's quite challenging), I have gotten to the last level and have played the game a lot. It's strategic, memorization-heavy, and incredibly fun... it's one of my favorite Genesis sidescrollers, no question.

Also, as I said, Landstalker is definitely one of the best Zelda clones ever. I got it last year not having spent much time with it before, but I was really, really impressed... it's a huge, deep, complex and yet simple, and extremely well made game. Interesting characters, good graphics and sound, a pretty well done story, great gameplay, good controls (isometric movement can be tricky, but it works here), great level designs, some good writing... there's really not much of anything bad I can s ay about it, except that it's too bad that none of the sequels play like it.

Oh, in your list of its "sequels" you forgot one, TimeStalkers for the Dreamcast. But as I said none play like LandStalker. LadyStalker is an RPG with random battles. Dark Savior is the most like Landstalker and has very similar isometric platform jumping, but has fighting game ish combat fights that take a while but are spread out, instead of the Zeldaish combat of Landstalker. It's also got multiple routes through the game, etc. TimeStalkers is a dungeon crawling RPG with a pretty simple and fun for the genre grid based battle system (it's not a separate battle mode, you fight in the dungeon), and also is sort of a "reunion" game or something like that, because the main characters of LandStalker and LadyStalker, one of the characters from Shining in the Darkness (their first game), and more are all playable. :)

Yeah, Time Stalker isn't really part of the Stalker series, they just brought over some characters from their others games and put them in it as playable characters.

Dark Savior is pretty awesome, I probably played it for the first time nearly a decade ago.

SNES vs. Genesis: Super Star Wars

In the early 90’s, LucasArts teamed up with Utah developer Sculpture Software to recreate the Star Wars Trilogy as a series of games for the SNES. Each installment in the series is an action game with a heavy emphasis on run-and-gun gameplay [although sometimes you'll be using a lightsaber instead of a gun] and fast-paced alien killing. There are also basic cutscenes which recreate scenes from the movie, although they’ve been altered slightly in keeping with the game’s focus on action, midi recreations of each movie’s most famous songs, and Mode 7 levels where you control various speederbikes, ships, and landspeeders. They’re also fairly hard, and unforgiving, and each includes a password save system. Unlike some games of this type, most enemies drop extra health to keep your health bar from running out, a feature which allows the game to throw many more enemies at you, both from the ground and the air, than it might normally. Some levels also allow you to select which character you want to play as and each level features some monster or character from the game for you to fight against.

Super Star Wars

Released June 1992 by JVC, and then later rereleased by Nintendo

Super Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back

Released June 1993 by JVC, and then later rereleased by THQ.

Super Star Wars: Return of the Jedi

Released June 1994 by JVC, and then later rereleased by THQ.

All three are fun games that move at a fast pace, but do suffer a bit from high difficult. There are better run-and-gun action games out there, but for fans of Star Wars these are three games that shouldn’t be missed.

http://greatrumbler.wordpress.com/2010/0...star-wars/

I love that the first one is just Super Star Wars, not Super Star Wars A New Hope.

It was a remake of the NES game "Star Wars", so they just slapped a "Super" in front of it and called it a day. They couldn't really do the same thing with the next two games though, so they both got subtitled.

Just a little note here: I'm taking Popful Mail off the Genesis list because there was actually a SNES version as well. It remains untranslated of course, but so it goes.

Then leave it on. These games really only count if they actually were something we could have expected to play and understand as kids. It'd be like adding in FF5 or Seiken Densetsu 3 or (for the NES) Mother 1 or Lagrange Point. Sure they're supposed to be great but if the question is who had it better back then, it doesn't count if we couldn't get it. Heck even now you're only going to play ANY of those if you import, and you wouldn't be able to play any wordy RPGs when you can't understand anything. There's unofficial translations, but if you're trying to stay legal, that's a lot of hoops to jump through.

This is about what's out there now, not what it was like 15 years ago. Unofficial translations make the cut, that's how Gun Hazard and Gunman's Proof made it on the list after all. And I'm looking at the games in terms of how fun they are to play TODAY not whether people back when they were first released thought they were great. Nostalgia does play a part of course, since I've owned and played many of these games in the past, but it's not the number one issue.

This is also about exclusivity and Popful Mail was on the Genesis and the SNES. So ultimately it's a wash.

SNES vs. Genesis: Rise From Your Grave!

Altered Beast

Developed by Sega in 1988 and then subsequently released on nearly every system and PC platform currently on the market. It’s even made its way to the Dreamcast, PS2, PSP, Xbox360, and PS3 as part of an anthology of Sega games. The action takes place across a 2D plane where various monsters came at you from the ground and the sky. You can collect powerups that make your attacks more powerful and, if you collect enough, your character turns into one of several powerful monsters such as a werewolf or a a dragon. The action moves at a steady pace, as the viewing area moves automatically. It’s mildly fun game, but very archaic due to its age. The graphics have aged poorly and their simply isn’t much to keep an avid gamer interested for more than ten or fifteen minutes except nostalgia.

Gauntlet IV

This dungeon-crawler, developed by Atari and published under the Tengen label for the Genesis in 1993, lets you choose from one of four characters classes and then venture into a near-endless dungeon filled with all sorts of monsters. It’s also a mutiplayer titles, with each player picking one of the four classes. It’s got a top-down perspective and attacks are either ranged or melee, depending on whether you press the button to attack or merely walk up to a monster and keep walking towards it. There are potions and keys to be found, along with food, which is used to increase health, and treasure chests which increase your score. The graphics and music aren’t really much to write home about, except that the game allows dozens of monsters onscreen with minimal slowdown. Having said all that, there’s nothing to this game. There’s no story or characters or cutscenes or missions whatsoever, it’s all about fighting monsters in a dungeon. Personally, I’m not too big on it, it just feels too shallow and too archaic.

http://greatrumbler.wordpress.com/2010/0...our-grave/

I'm going to do R2 and Turrican games next. Maybe tonight if I have the time, so far though I like Super Turrican 1 the best of the four games and R2 the least.

So you don't believe in fixing obvious factual errors that have been pointed out to you, GR? Why not?

Great Rumbler Wrote:Just a little note here: I'm taking Popful Mail off the Genesis list because there was actually a SNES version as well. It remains untranslated of course, but so it goes.

What do you mean, removing it from the list? You're not going to discuss multiplatform games in this thread? That makes no sense to me...

But even beyond that, effectually they really are not the same game at all.

Here's the article explaining it all:
http://www.hg101.kontek.net/popfulmail/popfulmail.htm

The game was originally for Japanese computers. The first console version was on the Turbo CD, Japan only of course. The Sega CD version is an upgraded and enhanced version of this game; it has changed, but I played a bit of the Turbo CD version, and the level designs at least are similar. The graphics are hugely improved though, it's a total overhaul -- see the article for details.

The SNES version, released a bit later, has completely different levels. The story is a different version of the same thing I think, but the levels and some of the gameplay are completely different. You can't consider it the same game. It's a little like the various NES, SNES, Genesis, and Sega CD Terminator and T2 games -- despite very similar themes, every single platform version of each title is actually a completely different game. (In that series, by the way, the best 16-bit one is The Terminator for Sega CD. Great platform/action game!)

Oh, and HG101 said that they thought the best version of Popful Mail was the Sega CD version, even beyond that it's the only one in English. But even if there was a translated version of the SNES game, it'd still be a different game because it's not the same.

The Sega CD game is the same as the older Turbo CD and computer games, just completely graphically overhauled and improved in many ways, but still... if you remove every port, enhanced title, etc, what's the point of the list? You'd be removing a whole bunch of great games.

For instance, Mega Turrican and Super Turrican were developed pretty much simultaneously. You can tell this when you play them, they have a lot of stuff in common. Each one is a completely different game though, with mostly different levels, some different weapons (the rope vs. the ice beam), etc.

Quote:What do you mean, removing it from the list? You're not going to discuss multiplatform games in this thread? That makes no sense to me...

Didn't we go over this earlier in the thread? Multiplatform games are a wash since they're virtually similar. I don't want to get into some big discussion about which version of the game is better or whether one has slightly better graphics or sound than the other. The sole purpose of this exercise is to look at the exclusives of each system and make some kind of determination on which is the better of the two.

Once I finish playing all the games from this genre that I want to, I'm going to give each system a number grade [probably the best of the two will get a 100 and the other will get some lower number, just to get a benchmark]. Each system will get a score for each genre based on how good the games are and how many of them there are and some subjective bit based on how much I enjoy the genre. At the end, I'll make a tally of all the numbers and come up with a winner.

The problem with Popful Mail is that in order to appreciate the differences between the two titles, I really need an English patch for the SNES version. But that doesn't exist. I tried playing it without one, but I didn't make it very far because I came across an instance where there was something I needed to do, but I couldn't figure out what [since it was all in Japanese].

Quote:So you don't believe in fixing obvious factual errors that have been pointed out to you, GR? Why not?

I fixed it right after DJ pointed it out. And I fixed the Gun Hazard release date too. Not that either of you two would know that since you never click on my links!

Fuck, Rumbler, get it right the first time. This shit is serious.

Weltall Wrote:Fuck, Rumbler, get it right the first time. This shit is serious.

:bummed:

Eh I'm finally figuring out this is GR's personal comparison thread more than anything, so let it be as it is. We'll disagree on our own terms.

There is a good point that games with the same name but vastly different in most other respects shouldn't be counted as "multi-console" though. Whatever though, I never played Popful Mail. All I know about it is the name is bizarre.

Not as bizzare as Kickle Cubockle though... Is that how you spell it? Does that even matter?

Great Rumbler Wrote:Didn't we go over this earlier in the thread?

Did we? Not really I think...

Quote: Multiplatform games are a wash since they're virtually similar.

I disagree, looking at multiplatform titles is a pretty good way of seeing the comparitive abilities of each system. For instance, Ys III was released on the SNES, Genesis, and Turbo CD; all three versions are the same game, but each differs slightly. There are various comparison pages on the web comparing the three versions. There aren't as many of those for games not in English, of course, but really, leaving out games that are playable just because other related games aren't makes no sense.

I mean, you're already doing that in a big way by not doing the TG16/CD, the #2 system that generation in Japan... you can't cover every single game unless you know Japanese. Just do the best you can. Ignoring one of the best side-scrolling action-RPGs ever, Popful Mail, just because it had another remake later on on the SNES that you can't play just doesn't make sense, I think. There are other similar cases, for instance how could you have reviewed LandStalker without playing LadyStalker? I know it's somewhat different, but it is sort of a sequel, and it's not in English...

Quote: I don't want to get into some big discussion about which version of the game is better or whether one has slightly better graphics or sound than the other. The sole purpose of this exercise is to look at the exclusives of each system and make some kind of determination on which is the better of the two.

Once I finish playing all the games from this genre that I want to, I'm going to give each system a number grade [probably the best of the two will get a 100 and the other will get some lower number, just to get a benchmark]. Each system will get a score for each genre based on how good the games are and how many of them there are and some subjective bit based on how much I enjoy the genre. At the end, I'll make a tally of all the numbers and come up with a winner.

The problem with Popful Mail is that in order to appreciate the differences between the two titles, I really need an English patch for the SNES version. But that doesn't exist. I tried playing it without one, but I didn't make it very far because I came across an instance where there was something I needed to do, but I couldn't figure out what [since it was all in Japanese].

So you shouldn't even start this thread, you can't do a perfect list until every single game on the SNES and Genesis are available in English... I mean, you're missing some important titles, how can you do a fair comparison with some games missing?

But oh come on, while true, logically that's a ridiculous argument. You can't expect every game to be in English.

Quote:I fixed it right after DJ pointed it out. And I fixed the Gun Hazard release date too. Not that either of you two would know that since you never click on my links!

I'm talking about your posts, not your links or whatever. You didn't fix the posts.

Dark Jaguar Wrote:There is a good point that games with the same name but vastly different in most other respects shouldn't be counted as "multi-console" though.

Of course they shouldn't. It's completely bizarre that some people do things like calling Bionic Commando for the NES and Game Boy the same game, they're completely different! Names are not always an indicator of whether a game is similar or different.

Here's an example... the Wonder Boy series! Each of the first five games in the Wonder Boy series had at least two completely different versions, and some have a great deal of different names... here are the names that just the first one is known as. Note that yes, these are all the exact same game, just with graphical alterations depending on platform. The levels are the same everywhere. I did this list a while ago, so I'll just paste it in. :)

http://hg101.classicgaming.gamespy.com/w...derboy.htm

http://www.sega-16.com/feature_page.php?...y%20Series

HG101 is more comprehensive, of course, but the other article is good too. For some reason I decided to make a complete list of the console versions...

Edit: This site is also great for names.
http://myrsten.nu/spel/wonderboy/

There are six Wonder Boy/Monster World games. Console releases:

(Bolded titles are out now on VC.)

#1: "Wonder Boy 1", released on: Arcade, Sega Master System, NES, Game Gear. Genre: Platform/Action
Arcade title: Wonder Boy
SMS title, US/Europe: Wonder Boy (announced for VC)
SMS title, Japan: Super Wonder Boy (announced for VC)
NES title, US: Adventure Island (with some altered graphics for rebranding for NES ver.)
NES title, Japan: Master Takahashi's Adventure Island (with same altered graphics for rebranding for NES ver.)
GG title, US: Revenge of Drancon
GG title, JP/EU: Wonder Boy

Also on: MSX (as Adventure Island), Sega SG-1000, Amiga, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum (as Wonder Boy on all four)

#2: "Wonder Boy 2", "Monster World 1", released on: Arcade, SMS, Turbografx-16. Genre: SSARPG
Arcade title: Wonder Boy: Monster Land (unsure about if that is the exact title)
SMS title, US/EU: Wonder Boy in Monster Land (probable for VC)
SMS title, Japan: Super Wonder Boy: Monster World (probable for VC)
SMS title, Brazil: Turma da Monica no Castelo do Dragao (with altered graphics for rebranding (Monica franchise) for Brazilian SMS release)
Turbografx-16 title, Japan: Bikkuriman World (with altered graphics for rebranding (Bikkuriman franchise) for Turbografx-16 release)

Also on: Amiga (as Wonder Boy in Monster Land), Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC (as Super Wonder Boy in Monster Land on both)

#3: "Wonder Boy 3", released on: Arcade, Genesis, Turbo CD. Genre: Platform-Shooter
Arcade title: Wonder Boy III: Monster Lair
Genesis title, Japan: Wonder Boy III: Monster Lair
Genesis title, Europe: Monster Lair
Turbo CD title, Japan: Wonder Boy III: Monster Lair
Turbo CD title, US: Monster Lair

#4: "Wonder Boy 4", "Monster World 2", released on: SMS, Game Gear, Turbografx-16. Genre: SSARPG
SMS title, US/EU: Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap (titled "III" because the actual Wonder Boy III wasn't out yet here at the time; note the Japanese version does not use that number)
SMS title, Brazil: Turma da Monica em O Resgate (with altered graphics for rebranding (Monica franchise) for Brazilian SMS release)
Game Gear title, Japan: Monster World II: Dragon's Curse
Game Gear title, Europe: Wonder Boy (III) : The Dragon's Trap
Turbografx-16 title, US: Dragon's Curse (with altered graphics for TG-16 release)
Turbografx-16 title, Japan: Adventure Island (with same altered graphics for TG-16 release)

#5: "Wonder Boy 5", "Monster World 3", released on: Genesis, Turbo CD, SMS. Genre: SSARPG
Genesis title, US: Wonder Boy in Monster World
Genesis title, Japan: Wonder Boy V: Monster World III
Turbo CD title, US: The Dynastic Hero (with altered graphics for TG-CD release)
Turbo CD title, Japan: Chou Eiyuu Densetsu: Dynastic Hero (unsure about if that is the exact title) (with same altered graphics for TG-CD release)
SMS title, Europe: Wonder Boy in Monster World
SMS title, Brazil: Turma da Monica na Terra dos Monstros (with altered graphics for rebranding (Monica franchise) for Brazilian SMS release)

#6: "Monster World 4", released on: Genesis. Genre: SSAPRG
Genesis title, Japan: Monster World IV (starring a female character, so it is not "Wonder Boy", obviously -- though Wonder Boy III: Monster Lair had both a male and female playable character and that one was called "Wonder Boy", so they could have anyway I guess. They just didn't.)

Quote: Whatever though, I never played Popful Mail. All I know about it is the name is bizarre.

You should (if you have a Sega CD that is), it's one of the system's best games. Great side-scrolling action-RPG with an amusing comedy fantasy anime theme. The US version was made harder than the Japanese version is, as usual with Working Designs games, but it's still a lot of fun... nice graphics, good gameplay, a reasonably long quest, three playable characters... :)

Quote:I'm talking about your posts, not your links or whatever. You didn't fix the posts.

There, the posts are fixed. Now stop bringing it up.

And, since it's such a big deal to everyone, I'll put Popful Mail back in. But now that I know there's a SNES version out there, it's impact on the overall ranking is going to be less than it would have been otherwise.

Quote:So you shouldn't even start this thread, you can't do a perfect list until every single game on the SNES and Genesis are available in English... I mean, you're missing some important titles, how can you do a fair comparison with some games missing?

But oh come on, while true, logically that's a ridiculous argument. You can't expect every game to be in English.

List some of these important, untranslated games and I'll try to play them.

SNES vs. Genesis: Turrican Showdown

Mega Turrican

A run-and-gun shooter developed by Factor 5 in 1993 and published for the Genesis in 1994 by Data East. The graphics here are the most dated of the four games, unfortunately, although it does have a nice bit of complexity to the backgrounds that ST1 seemingly doesn’t have, but it does feature the massive levels seen in Super Turrican 1 and the grappling hook from Super Turrican 2. It’s not quite as fast-paced as later installments, but it moves quickly enough and the size of the levels makes things more interesting. MT also features, in addition to the main weapon, a freeze ray that can stop enemies in their tracks and make them easier to pick off and, as with all the other Turrican games, a morphball mode where you can access narrow passages and drop mines. Overall, it’s a fun game and more interesting to play than many of the action games that have been reviewed thus far.

Super Turrican 1

Developed by Factor 5 and released by Kemco in September 1993 for the SNES. The levels are very large and allow for a bit of roaming as your work your way from one end to the other. There are tons of powerups to acquire and various types of weapons, culminating in shots that will up nearly half the screen. The sprites are larger than in Mega Turrican, but the backgrounds feel kind of plain.

Super Turrican 2

Developed by Factor 5 and released by Ocean Software in 1994. Unlike the other two Turrican games, Super Turrican 2 is a bit more streamlined in that the levels are smaller and it’s more focused on fast-paced action and shooting lots and lots robots and aliens in a short span of time. As with the other games in the series, there’s lot of powerups and other things to be found. The grappling hook makes a return this time around and it means more platforming than ever, with vertical walls to be scaled and horizontal spans to be grappled across, serving to make the game a bit more interesting than it might, but drops the freezeray. It’s also the best looking of the three Turrican games and has some really neat effects like animated backgrounds [the first level shows a ruined city in the distance that shimmers from waves of heat]. ST2 has some pretty big bosses to fight and vehicles to run around in from time to time. The game is a bit on the difficult side, but you can gain new lives by finding gems scattered around the levels. All things considered, I think this one might be my favorite of the three Turrican games.

R2: Rendering Ranger

Developed by Rainbow Arts [designed by Turrican's Manfred Trenz] and released by Virgin Interactive in Japan in November 1995. Only 10,00o copies were ever produced and it was only ever released in Japan, making it one of the more rare commercially released SNES games. It plays a lot like Super Turrican 2, in that the levels are fairly small and straight-forward and his a bigger emphasis on quick action. The game is notable for its visuals, which are quite impressive, although it’s a bit stiff since most of the enemies don’t actually animated like they do in the other Turrican games. The game does feature some shmup levels to give it a bit more variety, but overall I just don’t find it to be as fun or engaging as the Turrican series.

http://greatrumbler.wordpress.com/2010/0...-showdown/

Popful Mail

Originally developed in 1991 by Falcom for the NEC computer, Popful Mail was eventually given an overhaul and ported to the Sega CD in 1994 by Sega-Falcom and then published in the US by Working Designs. The titular Popful Mail is bounty hunter tasked with tracking down various baddies in the forest outside of a peaceful village. She is aided by Tatt, a sorcerer's apprentice, and Gaw a purple bat-like creature. Thanks to the Sega CD's extra power and increased storage space, the game has a vibrant look and all of the cutscenes have voice acting. It's not the best voice acting ever, but it does add a bit to the experience. The music is pretty good as well. The action is spread across a number of large levels filled with various creatures and monsters that want to prevent you from getting to the end. Popful's main weapon is a sword, although she can acquire several others throughout the course of the game. At one point, the Sega CD port was going to be called Sonic Sisters and feature characters from Sonic the Hedgehog in the main roles, but the outcry from Popful Mail fans curtailed this idea. Popful Mail is a very fun game with a quick pace and not much to interrupt the action but some dialog and cutscenes inserted here and there. It's relative difficulty is negated by a save-anywhere system, which is much appreciated.

There's also a SNES version that was developed in 1994 by Falcom, independently of the overhauled port on the Sega CD. It mixed up the levels and even added a few segments to the game, such as a town where Popful begins her journey from. It was only ever released in Japan and no translation exists.

http://greatrumbler.wordpress.com/wp-adm...&message=6

Super Ghouls 'n Ghost

Developed and published by Capcom in October 1991 for the SNES. SGnG is side-scrolling action game where a knight named Arthur fights through the hordes of the damned to rescue his beloved Prin Prin. The graphics are pretty and so is the music, but the game itself is hard and very unforgiving. You can get hit twice [the first hit knocks off all your armor] and each time you die you have to start over at the beginning of the level, you've got three lives in total before the Game Over screen hits. The game plays a bit more slowly than other sidescrolling actions games and, although Arthur has a double jump, he's none to sprightly. Once you've begun jumping in one direction, you can't change directions except right as you make the second jump. So no mid-air corrections after the second jump to keep from running headlong into a zombie or other menacing monster. Arthur's main weapon is a lance that he throws. Well, it's hard to call SGnG a fun game, due to its cranked up difficulty, but it's worth playing if you've got the patience to stick with it.

Alcahest

This SNES title developed by Hal Laboratories [the team behind the Kirby series and the Super Smash Bros. series] and released by Square in Japan in December 1993, is an action game with minor RPG elements. It's a bit like Diablo, in that you are constantly fighting swarms of monsters [they constantly respawn of screen] and it's even got a isometric view reminiscent of that other series. However, there's not much in the way of loot, although you can acquire new weapons and other items at times, and leveling up takes a very long time. Aside from fighting swarms of enemies, you must also navigate through various dungeons which have differing environmental effects, such as one area that's dark [you need a torch to see] and another area that's filled with toxic gas [you need an item to keep from suffocating]. In this way, it adds some depth to the gameplay. You can also pick up various companions along the way who have their own unique attacks. The graphics and music are both really well-done and the game features some nice boss battles to break the monotony of the hordes of easier enemies. Although only released in Japan, a translation exists online.

http://greatrumbler.wordpress.com/2010/0...alchahest/

Demon’s Crest

In a departure from the norm, the star of this game that Capcom developed/published in 1994 for the SNES, is actually a evil demon named Firebrand who appeared previously in the Ghost n’ Ghouls series. The world that he inhabits in one filled with demons and which, at one point, used to be home to humans as well. As with the Ghost ‘n Ghouls series, Demon’s Crest is a platformer and features lots of sidescrolling action, but it has some features of its own that make it noteworthy. One aspect that sets it apart is the crest system, wherein you find different crests throughout the various levels of the game which allow you to transform into other types of demons each with their own particular skills. The regular mode that Firebrand starts in is a demon who can hover in the air [and fly left and right], a fireball attack, and an attack that can break statues and other things in the background. Another form has a rush attack and has great speed. Another feature that I really like is an a mode-7 overworld that Firebrand can travel across, going to various dungeons and even some towns where you can talk to other creatures and look for items and other pickups. Also of note are the graphics, which look quite good for the SNES. The levels in the game can be replayed as many times as you want and this is often necessary to discover hidden areas accessible only with certain crests.

King of Demons

This run-and-gun action title developed by KSS and released on the SNES in August 1995 is certainly an interesting one. You are put in control of a man named Abel who is looking for his wife and daughter who were kidnapped by a demon to be used to resurrect the king of demons. Like most games in the genre, the character moves from one side of the level to the other shooting a variety of baddies and stopping from time to time to face off against a boss, this game is no different in that respect, but it’s the mixture of scifi and horror that make this a game to check out. The monsters and the things you see in the various levels are pretty gruesome, with great mounds of pulsing flesh or tortured souls left dangling in the wind. Every monster you kill explodes in a shower of blood. It’s a bit slowly paced compared to other games in the genre, but it’s still a fun game though I suppose that will depend on your threshold for gore. The game was only ever released in Japan, but an English translation exists online.

http://greatrumbler.wordpress.com/2010/0...of-demons/

Demon's Crest is a fun game.

Yeah, it's pretty good. Way better than Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts, that's for sure.

General Chaos

Developed by Game Refused and published by Electronic Arts for the Genesis in 1994. Unlike many of the other games talked about so far, General Chaos has more of a strategy bent to it. You have a squad of soldiers and you face off against other enemy soldiers. Actions are handled through a series of various orders that you can give your troops, although you can take more direct control by sending out a two-man commando unit against the enemy. The main problem is that the game is kind of slow, both your troops and the enemy troops have a high amount of health, which mean long, drawn out battles as you reposition your troops to either press your advantage or to counteract enemy troop movements. It doesn’t really particularly well either, seeming to run at a clunky framerate, which only exacerbates the slowness issue. There’s nothing really special here in the graphics or music department either. The game is not without it’s value, but seems a bit pointless compared to other, superior tactical action games from the same period like Battle Bugs or Cannon Fodder.

Mercs

Mercs is another top-down run-and-gun action game, developed and published by Capcom for the Genesis in September 1991. There are two problems with this game. The first is that the player characters moves fairly slowly, meaning that it’s often difficult to keep enemies from running directly into you and causing damager or to avoid enemy fire. The second is that the player character can only shoot in four direction, meaning you’ve got to line him up just right to get off a killing shot. On the other hand, the enemies are not burdened by this limitation and can shoot at you from every direction. The graphics are okay, nothing special, and the same goes for the music. It can be fun, but the two issues mentioned really bring it down and make it frustrating to play for an extended period of time.

http://greatrumbler.wordpress.com/2010/0...and-mercs/

Rolling Thunder 2 and 3

Both developed and published by Namco for the Genesis in November 1991 and May 1993, respectively. Both of these titles feature you as an Interpol agent tracking down and killing members of an organization known as Gedra. As interesting as it sounds, the gameplay is very slow and the player character can only shoot on shot at a time with his main weapon and has a limited number of shots. The graphics in RT2 are very dated, RT3 has better graphics but they’re still nothing all that great. The same goes for the music. Overall, they both feel way to slow to be fun and just don’t offer much to overcome that feeling, although RT3 does introduce a few vehicle stages and selectable special weapons at the start of each mission.

ESWAT

Developed and published by Sega for the Genesis in June 1990. ESWAT is a sidescrolling run-and-gun action game set in the near future. Plays similarly to the Rolling Thunder titles, although with a somewhat faster pace and unlimited ammo. The graphics are a tad better than Rolling Thunder 2, but doesn’t really anything particularly great. However, it does feature a powered suit later in the game that gives you more powerful weapons and limited flight capabilities. Even so, it’s just not all that interesting.

http://greatrumbler.wordpress.com/2010/0...and-eswat/

Quote:A run-and-gun shooter developed by Factor 5 in 1993 and published for the Genesis in 1994 by Data East. The graphics here are the most dated of the four games, unfortunately, although it does have a nice bit of complexity to the backgrounds that ST1 seemingly doesn’t have, but it does feature the massive levels seen in Super Turrican 1 and the grappling hook from Super Turrican 2. It’s not quite as fast-paced as later installments, but it moves quickly enough and the size of the levels makes things more interesting. MT also features, in addition to the main weapon, a freeze ray that can stop enemies in their tracks and make them easier to pick off and, as with all the other Turrican games, a morphball mode where you can access narrow passages and drop mines. Overall, it’s a fun game and more interesting to play than many of the action games that have been reviewed thus far.

Just a quick correction, Mega Turrican doesn't have the freeze ray. It has the "rope", the series' first attempt at a grappling hook. It's a somewhat clumsy item that definitely takes some time to get used to, in my opinion, and I think the Super Turrican 2 grappling hook was a massive improvement. Super Turrican 1 is the one with the freeze ray. Super Turrican 2 has both a ray and a hook. The ray is the traditional Turrican aiming weapon, and was in the series from the first game in various forms. In the older games you use it by holding down the attack button; on the SNES it actually gets its own button. The Genesis one is the only Turrican game with no ray, though in Turricans 1 and 2 the ray is just an attack, not a freezing weapon. The rope replaced the ray for that game, and then in the final Turrican game (Super Turrican 2) they put in both.

Oh, and you say that Mega Turrican has worse graphics than the Super Turrican games, but it's a Genesis game so of course it does. Compared to other Genesis games, though, it looks outstanding... and the music, while again not quite as good as the SNES music, is some of my favorite music in any Genesis games. I, at least, think it deserves a lot of credit, as of course do both Super Turrican games.

Quote:Super Turrican 2

Developed by Factor 5 and released by Ocean Software in 1994. Unlike the other two Turrican games, Super Turrican 2 is a bit more streamlined in that the levels are smaller and it’s more focused on fast-paced action and shooting lots and lots robots and aliens in a short span of time. As with the other games in the series, there’s lot of powerups and other things to be found. The grappling hook makes a return this time around and it means more platforming than ever, with vertical walls to be scaled and horizontal spans to be grappled across, serving to make the game a bit more interesting than it might, but drops the freezeray. It’s also the best looking of the three Turrican games and has some really neat effects like animated backgrounds [the first level shows a ruined city in the distance that shimmers from waves of heat]. ST2 has some pretty big bosses to fight and vehicles to run around in from time to time. The game is a bit on the difficult side, but you can gain new lives by finding gems scattered around the levels. All things considered, I think this one might be my favorite of the three Turrican games.

As I just said, incorrect about the freeze ray. In Super Turrican 2, the freeze ray is on the L button.

Quote:Developed by Rainbow Arts [designed by Turrican's Manfred Trenz] and released by Virgin Interactive in Japan in November 1995. Only 10,00o copies were ever produced and it was only ever released in Japan, making it one of the more rare commercially released SNES games. It plays a lot like Super Turrican 2, in that the levels are fairly small and straight-forward and his a bigger emphasis on quick action. The game is notable for its visuals, which are quite impressive, although it’s a bit stiff since most of the enemies don’t actually animated like they do in the other Turrican games. The game does feature some shmup levels to give it a bit more variety, but overall I just don’t find it to be as fun or engaging as the Turrican series.

You haven't actually played any of Trenz's Turrican games yet, have you... :)

If you ever do, just remember that they're VERY different from the later titles. They've got almost none of the linearity; Super Turrican looks quite straightforward and linear in comparison to either of them. You have a healthbar but no hitflash, so you can be killed very quickly. The graphics are also nowhere near the spectacles of the later games, though the music is still good. Beyond that though, their history.

Trenz made the original Commodore 64 versions of Turricans 1 and 2 himself. Then Factor 5 made the Amiga ports of both games, putting in the unbelievable soundtracks that helped make the series so memorable. Accolade then made the console ports, on Sega Genesis, TurboGrafx-16 (HuCard), and Game Boy for the first game. The Genesis version is by far the best -- the TG16 and Game Boy versions are both missing some of the levels, while the Genesis version is ocmplete. Most Genesis fans seem to hate the game; part of that is that the Amiga/C64 originals are better, but part is just that it's so open and different from waht consoel gamers expect that I think a huge part of the problem is just that it's a PC game designed for PC gamers, while console gamers have different (simpler, more straightforward) expectations.

In addition to C64 (Trenz/Rainbow Arts) and Amiga (Factor 5), the second game was then ported by Accolade to the Genesis, Game Boy, and SNES (though the SNES version was cancelled and never released, a nearly complete rom is out there). Unfortunately, late in development Accolade decided to retitle the game "Universal Soldier" to fit with the movie license they had just bought; the game is still Turrican 2, though, just with some graphical alterations, and the removal of the C64 and Amiga version's shmup levels in favor of several more platformer stages. Universal Soldier is the only Turrican game with a save system, passwords. It is also the only one with infinite continues instead of limited. That doesn't mean it's easy though, it's still 8-bit style Turrican, so it's very difficult...

After this, Factor 5 got control of the main series, and went on to develop Mega Turrican and Super Turrican. Both were developed before either was released, I believe. Mega Turrican was also released on Amiga as Turrican 3. The Amiga version actually came out before the Genesis version, but it was developed on Genesis first. The game just took a while to get released.

Anyway, meanwhile, after Turricans 1 and 2, Manfred Trenz next made Super Turrican for the NES (despite the title, it's nothing like the SNES games). The game was a late NES title and was only released in Europe, so in emulation run it in PAL mode or it will run too fast. It is not really a new game, though; instead, it's a compilation of some levels from each of the first two Turrican games combined onto one cartridge. This game was made 100% by Manfred Trenz alone, he is the only person in the credits. It's kind of cool, though Turrican 2 is probably the best of the early Turricans.

After that I think Trenz started on R2, which I'm pretty sure I've read took years to develop.

Here's a video of the Amiga version of Turrican 2's intro. Incredible music, huh?
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Quote:Just a quick correction, Mega Turrican doesn't have the freeze ray. It has the "rope", the series' first attempt at a grappling hook. It's a somewhat clumsy item that definitely takes some time to get used to, in my opinion, and I think the Super Turrican 2 grappling hook was a massive improvement. Super Turrican 1 is the one with the freeze ray. Super Turrican 2 has both a ray and a hook.

And I knew that too, somehow it got switched around as I was writing. Oh well.

Quote:Oh, and you say that Mega Turrican has worse graphics than the Super Turrican games, but it's a Genesis game so of course it does.

Well, it's the truth. Mega Turrican doesn't look as good as the other two Turrican games.

Great Rumbler Wrote:And I knew that too, somehow it got switched around as I was writing. Oh well.

I thought it was something like that, for Super/Mega Turrican... how did you miss Super Turrican 2's freeze ray, though? I mean, you say it doesn't have one when it does. Unless you meant Mega Turrican there and had the three of them all confused?

Quote:Well, it's the truth. Mega Turrican doesn't look as good as the other two Turrican games.

But it's Genesis game, not a SNES game. Of course it can't look that good, the Genesis can't do 256 color graphics, etc! You can't act like platform doesn't matter. For a Genesis game it looks and sounds very, very good. I mean, you're right that the SNES ones look better, but you really should take platform into account too!

http://tcforums.com/forums/showthread.ph...t=turrican
... So you bought Mega Turrican on VC several years ago, but didn't play it or something?

I also did a Turrican series overview here http://tcforums.com/forums/showthread.ph...t=turrican and posted it at GAF later too, though I'm not going to look up the link right now (stupid lack of search...).

Anyway, hopefully sometime you try Turricans 1 and 2 and NES Super Turrican, though given what you've said here and such I wouldn't expect you to love them. They definitely are a lot more dated than the Factor 5 games, and more confusing and frustrating as well. Good games when you get used to them, potentially, but they definitely seem to be a love-or-hate kind of thing.

Anyway though, it's nice to see that you do like the Super And Mega Turrican games. :)


Anyway, now to discuss the games you've reviewed. :)

Quote:Popful Mail

I've said it already, but it's such a great game... and yes, the save-anywhere system is VERY much appreciated. The only negative I can really think of is that sometimes you do need money, so occasionally you'll have to grind some cash, then backtrack to a past level, replay it, and go to a shop to buy things -- because shops are not helpfully located on the map, but instead are in the middles of stages. It gets to be something of a pain eventually. Other than that though, awesome game.

Quote:Super Ghouls 'n Ghost

Potentially amazing, but so insanely hard that I can't find it much of any fun. As I said I've never beaten level two on the SNES. It's too crazily hard to be worth the massive frustration. And of course, you need to beat it twice to actually see the ending, as with all games in the main series... yeah right, like I'll ever do that.

Quote:Alcahest

Hmm, intresting... never played this one, but it sounds potentially good. Maybe I'll check it out. :)

Quote:Demon’s Crest

I think I might actually like the first Gargoyle's Quest best... it's probably the cheapest game in the series too (Demon's Crest is a bit pricer). It's a very good game though, with RPG-style topdown town and world map exploration, random (or in set tiles perhaps?) battles on the worldmap, items, etc. Gargoyle's Quest II simplified things by removing the overworld map battles, and zooms out too so you can see a lot more of the screen but everything is much smaller. It also had a Game Boy version that was only released in Japan, but I can't even find the rom of this; it's not in any Game Boy romset I've seen. Screenshots prove its existence, but I'd be interested to play it... evidently it's harder because it is zoomed in like the first game, so you can't see some things coming at you, but still, it'd be cool to compare. Oh well.

Demon's Crest is even more different than either previous game, with even less RPG elements than the last one -- the topdown towns are entirely gone this time for instance. The graphics are amazing, and the multiple forms you get for Firebrand are pretty cool, but somehow I just think that the first game got it right and is better than the sequels. Gargoyle's Quest is just such a great game...

Quote:King of Demons

Agreed, that's a really good, and quite interesting, game. A highly recommended translated rom! The main guy is kind of weak, but the other forms you can transform into are pretty cool... somewhat small graphics if I remember, but it works and looks pretty good.

Quote:Mercs

Mercs is a pretty good game... it's actually Commandos 2, the sequel to the arcade and NES classic. The later '90s Neo-Geo Shock Troopers games play very much like Commandos as well, and those were amazing games. Mercs isn't quite up to the level of Shock Troopers, but considering the platform, it does a pretty good job of coming close.

Yes, Mercs is hard, but it's really well made... play it more and you do eventually get better at figuring out how to not get hit. This is important, because you get very limited continues in this version... you'd better get better if you want to make any progress. :) Also, while the Genesis version has no multiplayer, while the arcade game had 3 player support, it does have an entire new mode, Original mode, which is a longer, deeper game only available in the Genesis version. Here the levels are longer (and are entirely new, not just rehashes of the arcade mode levels), and you only start with one character; you get more by getting far enough to have them join your team. You get no extra lives or continues in this mode, die and it's over. You get money as you do, and can use it at shops periodically spread across the game to buy items, health, etc. Original mode is extremely difficult, but a fantastic addition that ads a lot of playtime to an otherwise short game.

Quote:Rolling Thunder 2 and 3

I'm a big fan of Rolling Thunder 1 (NES/Arcade) and 2 (Genesis/Arcade), but don't like the third one (Genesis exclusive) nearly as much. It just doesn't play like Rolling Thunder anymore, and that is very much to its detriment. Rolling Thunder was a game I played in the arcades in the late '80s or early '90s, and loved then despite always finding it incredibly hard and never getting very far. It's still every bit as great now as it was then, and every bit as hard too. It is a slow-paced and deliberate game, but that is how it's supposed to be, and that is what makes it great. It's not just another run and gun game, but one where you have to stop, think, and memorize. Going into doors and ducking to avoid fire (remember, one bullet kills you) are key gameplay mechanics. Be conservative with your ammo, it is limited and you really don't want to run out. It's hard but so, so much fun...

Rolling Thunder 2 is basically like the first game, but with much more variety of level settings and two player simultaneous play. The Genesis version maintains the 2-player mode from the arcade, impressively. That was pretty cool to have. Rolling Thunder 2 is also quite challenging, but it's a fantastic game just like the first one and has the same slow, deliberate pace as the first game.

Rolling Thunder 3, though, tries to action-ize the series, and fails as a result of it. First, the multiplayer mode is gone; this is a single player only affair. You can only play as the male agent (who has to rescue the female agent again, as in the first game but unlike the second where they worked together through the game as the two playable characters) until you beat the game, when you get a password to play as her instead if you wish. The game is much faster paced and has a lot more shooting action than the first two. You have a whole bunch of different weapons to choose from before each level, and get passwords to save your progress. They were obviously trying to make it something more like what console gamers would expect from an action game, but I think they strayed too far from what made Rolling Thunder great, and as a result it's my least favorite of the three by far.

Quote:ESWAT

Here I more agree with you, though. ESWAT is a perfectly decent game, but it's not great. Ive owned the game for quite a while but never got up the interest to get more than a few levels into it... the second level is something of a maze and thus kind of annoying, and I don't usually get much past that. It is slow paced, but it doesn't keep things always moving forward and interesting like Rolling Thunder. Instead you're doing more backtracking, killing the same respawning enemies over and over, with your very slow moving guy. That does get dull. Also the graphicsa re early Genesis stuff, reminiscent of, say, El Viento or something; they look okay, but not great. So yeah, okay game, but nothing really special, though if you play it for a while it can get a bit addictive; I can see someone liking this game, with time, if they don't mind the pace and repetition. I just don't find it interesting enough to really hold my interest.

Quote:General Chaos

Pretty popular game I think, and not one of hte cheaper US Genesis games... and it is pretty cool, with 4-player action, some strategy, and more. Fun little game. :)

On that note, EA released a lot of Genesis games. Many are ports of PC or Amiga games; very few of these games also came out on SNES, and none from EA itself. While the original PC or Amiga versions were often better than the Genesis ports, as far as console games go, this left the Genesis with a lot of exclusives from EA...

My favorite EA Genesis game is Blades of Vengeance, the fantastic fantasy action-platformer. That's a really good game, with fantastic graphics, good music for the Genesis, two player simultaneous, and more. Play it if you haven't! Oh, and it's a Genesis exclusive, not available on any other system.



... The rest of this is a probably useless list of 16-bit EA games. Feel free to ignore it. :)

Other lesser-known EA Genesis games of note include The Haunting Starring Polterguy (unique and innovative Genesis exclusive haunting game that ultimately becomes repetitive) and Galahad (Amiga port I believe, and a pretty good side-scrolling fantasy action-platform game. Not quite as good as Blades of Vengeance, but pretty good.).

Lesser would be Risky Woods (another Amiga port, and this one not as good in my opinion. You need to memorize what the many item drops do, some are bad and others good...) and Battle Squadron (Amiga port shmup. Overly difficult and frustrating; two player simultaneous doesn't save it.). Then on the "they're awful" category would go Sword of Sodan (horrible game, perhaps slightly less abysmal in its original Amiga/PC release?), Shaq-Fu for Genesis and SNES, and probably the Genesis version of Dark Castle. Dark Castle was popular on the Mac, but ... not so much... on the Genesis...

(Oh, and it's not an EA game, but Taito's Rastan Saga II (aka Nastar Warrior is a horrible game... I have it for Genesis, but it was also in the arcades and on TG16 in Japan. It's awful on all platforms, in my opinion. Slow paced, boring, dull, walking speed like you're in molasses... it's just not fun.)

Oh, they also did some others, such as some Carmen Sandiego games, the Amiga port RPG The Faery Tale Adventure which might be fun if not for the 30-40 character passwords that make me not want to even start playing, and some other RPGs as well (Buck Rogers, for instance, which I believe runs on the SSI Gold Box engine). EA also had some sims (F-22, 688i Attack Sub, etc), racing games other than Road Rash (Lotus Turbo Challenge), Power Monger (on both Genesis and Sega CD), and more; many are PC or Amiga ports as usual.

There's also a few other platformers, including Rolo to the Rescue, a Genesis exclusive, and the three James Pond games. All three are originally for the Amiga, and have Genesis ports as well. The second (called "Super James Pond" on the SNES) and third also were on teh SNES, though EA did not publish those versions and James Pond 3 for SNES was Europe only. I have James Ponds 1 and 3 for Genesis, both are pretty fun. EA also published the quite mediocre Genesis version of Shadow of the Beast (the game was on many systems). Shadow of the Beast II's port was better, though; the game was on both Genesis and Sega CD, and each version is slightly different. Shadow of the Beast III was Amiga only.

Of all of EA's Geneiss games, only the sports games, the Strike trilogy, James Pond 2/Super James Pond, B.O.B. (a decent platformer), Wing Commander (released on PC, Sega CD, and SNES. The game had two expansion on the PC. The first was released on SNES on its own cart. The second was PC only. Then they did an overhauled version called Super Wing Commander, for Mac and 3DO. Finally there was a Windows 95 redone version which included the original and both expansions, and Wing Commander 2 and perhaps 3 as well.), Shaq-Fu (though the two versions are not identical; the SNES version is generally regarded as even worse than the Genesis one, I think), and Syndicate (strategy game, simplified port of the classic PC title) also came out on SNES. All the rest were console exclusive on the Genesis. The only SNES exclusive game from EA is the platformer Michael Jordan in Chaos in the Windy City.

Quote:But it's Genesis game, not a SNES game. Of course it can't look that good, the Genesis can't do 256 color graphics, etc! You can't act like platform doesn't matter. For a Genesis game it looks and sounds very, very good. I mean, you're right that the SNES ones look better, but you really should take platform into account too!

If I showed someone all three games, they'd probably pick the Super Turrican games as the better looking of the three. That's just how it is. This is a comparison of the two systems and their games.

Quote: So you bought Mega Turrican on VC several years ago, but didn't play it or something?

I'm pretty sure I played it, but I can't remember a thing about it from back then.

Quote:Hmm, intresting... never played this one, but it sounds potentially good. Maybe I'll check it out.

It's a bit shallow at times, but it's got some pretty cool aspects as well. Not the best of the lot, but certainly not bad.

Quote:somewhat small graphics if I remember

Yeah, the sprites are pretty small, kind of makes it look like a Genesis game in that regard.

Quote:Yes, Mercs is hard, but it's really well made... play it more and you do eventually get better at figuring out how to not get hit.

I want to like it, but the lack of diagonal shooting and slow pace just kill it for me.

Quote:It's not just another run and gun game, but one where you have to stop, think, and memorize. Going into doors and ducking to avoid fire (remember, one bullet kills you) are key gameplay mechanics. Be conservative with your ammo, it is limited and you really don't want to run out. It's hard but so, so much fun..

It's just too slow, I can't get into it at all.

Great Rumbler Wrote:If I showed someone all three games, they'd probably pick the Super Turrican games as the better looking of the three. That's just how it is. This is a comparison of the two systems and their games.

I really can't even begin to understand why you evidently are refusing to take platform differences into consideration when you talk about games... I mean, what next, criticize Super Mario Bros. 3 for not having graphics as good as Yoshi's Island? It does the best it can on its system, that's all anyone can ask for!

Quote:I'm pretty sure I played it, but I can't remember a thing about it from back then.

Huh.

Quote:Yeah, the sprites are pretty small, kind of makes it look like a Genesis game in that regard.

True, apart from the number of colors it uses that is. :)

(Oh, as far as translated SNES platfomers go, you probably know of Violinist of Hamelin, but heard of Miracle Girls? It's a very simple, short game, but somewhat entertaining.)

Quote:I want to like it, but the lack of diagonal shooting and slow pace just kill it for me.

Um... I have to question you again. Mercs does have diagonal shooting. You said the same thing about Contra: Hard Corps, claiming that the game didn't have diagonal shooting when it fact it does... is your Genesis controller broken or something? :)

(After you said that, both times I checked myself by playing my actual cart copies of the games. Both absolutely have diagonal shooting.)

Quote:It's just too slow, I can't get into it at all.

Too bad... they're great games, in my opinion. Rolling Thunder 1 is a true arcade classic. Of course not everyone is going to like everything, but can you at least see why people would like them?

This thread is like the manga where the guy with the huge dick puts the boy's little dick in to his dick and they fuck each other's dicks.

With quote tags.

Quote:I really can't even begin to understand why you evidently are refusing to take platform differences into consideration when you talk about games... I mean, what next, criticize Super Mario Bros. 3 for not having graphics as good as Yoshi's Island? It does the best it can on its system, that's all anyone can ask for!

If I were doing some kind of SNES vs. NES comparison, then yes I would make the note that Yoshi's Island looks better than SMB3 because such a statement is RELEVANT to the discussion.

Quote:Um... I have to question you again. Mercs does have diagonal shooting. You said the same thing about Contra: Hard Corps, claiming that the game didn't have diagonal shooting when it fact it does... is your Genesis controller broken or something?

I'm not using a Genesis controller, I'm using an Xbox360 controller. But apparently none of the emulators I have are properly set up to use a controller like that and so they ignore diagonals.

Edit: Okay, I found one that works right.

Quote:Of course not everyone is going to like everything, but can you at least see why people would like them?

Sorry, but I just don't see the appeal.

Pocky and Rocky 1 and 2

The two Pocky and Rocky games are top-down shooters developed and distributed by Natsume in December 1992 and June 1994, respectively, for the SNES. They almost make the shmup genre, because of the way the game plays, but slides into the action genre because the rate of advance through the game is completely controlled by the player. However, it still has the same kind of fast-paced shooting that shmups are known for and lots of powerups and other items scattered around for the player to find. In the game, you can play as either Pocky, and shrine maiden, or Rocky, a raccoon. The sequel is the more fun of the two, as it has an even greater focus on action and large, free-roaming levels to play with. The sequel as lets you choose from one of three characters to accompany you through each level and provide additional attacks or you can just grab your companion and throw them at th enemies for massive damage. Either way works just fine. Both of the game are fun, breezy titles with colorful graphics.

The Firemen

The Firemen is an action game developed and published by Human Entertainment for the SNES in 1994. I read one review that describes it as “Die Hard with fire instead of terrorists and a water cannon instead of a gun” and this is a view that proves largely true. As a fireman, it’s your job to work your way through various flame-engulfed buildings as you look for the source of the fire and rescue any survivors along the way. It has boss battles, like a giant ball of fire that actively attacks you. You have two main attacks, a stead stream of water used for fighting fires that are moving around and a downward blast that’s good for fire on the ground of fore close-range combat and you’ve got a companion who uses his fire ax to extinguish fires. It’s a pretty intense game, though not overly hard. It’s unfortunate that this was only released in Europe and Japan and never got a proper American release because it’s really, really good, easily one of the best I’ve played so far.

Legend of the Mystical Ninja

Developed and published by Konami in July 1991 for the SNES, Legend of the Mystical Ninja is an action game that has both platforming and Zelda-like isometric areas. The town you start out in has an isometric perspective and is filled with various village people who try to run int you and cause you damage, so it’s perfectly okay to beat them mercilessly with your pipe. There are different houses and stores you can visit to get information about where you supposed to go or purchase items. The actual levels themselves are sidescrolling. The graphics are okay, with some nice animation in the background, but overall it’s nothing all that special. The game can be a bit challenging at times, but it’s not overly hard and you’ve got unlimited continues to work with. There are three other Goemon games on the SNES, but only the first was released in English.

http://greatrumbler.wordpress.com/2010/0...cal-ninja/

E.V.O. : The Search for Eden

Developed by Almanic and published by Enix for the SNES in December 1992, EVO is an action game with RPG elements that follows the evolution of your fishy creature from the sea to the land. By eating other animals you gain evolution points that you can use to upgrade the various parts of your body to defeat even more powerful creatures and gain access to new areas. It’s not a difficult game, since there are unlimited continues [you just lose half of your evolution points when you die], and it’s a pretty fun game too. The graphics are pretty good, but there’s quite a bit of slowdown when a lot of other creatures appear on screen, so that can be a bit annoying. Overall, it’s a really fun, unique game and an excellent addition to the SNES’s lineup.

Wild Guns

Developed and published by Natsume for the SNES in August 1994, Wild Guns is a third-person action game set in world that is a mixture of the old West and science fiction. The view is set behind the back of the player character and the action takes place in the area immediately in front of the player character, a bit like a shooting gallery. The d-pad controls the characters and the aiming reticule, while shooting the player character stands still. To avoid incoming shots, the player can jump up in the air or dive to one side. It’s a pretty fast paced game and a really fun one. Some of the bosses are normal-sized enemies, while others take up nearly half of the screen. Both the music and the graphics are really good, this one’s a definite top-tier action game.

Magic Sword

Originally an arcade titles, this Capcom developed/publishes action game was released on the SNES in 1992. The game is a sidescroller that’s very straigh-forward in its level design, there’s really not anything here that’s going to surprise you and make you think. Having said that, it’s still surprisingly fun. It’s got a nice fast pace and lots of enemies to cut your way through, while not being overly difficult. Along the way to the top of a tower filled with monster, you’ll find a variety of keys [which open door leading to higher levels or free imprisoned warriors who will go with you in your quest] and different weapons and armor. The graphics and music are okay, nothing particularly special here, but it gets the job done. Overall, it’s a game that I expected not to like that much based on some screenshots, but found to actually be quite a fun time-waster.

http://greatrumbler.wordpress.com/2010/0...gic-sword/

Great Rumbler Wrote:If I were doing some kind of SNES vs. NES comparison, then yes I would make the note that Yoshi's Island looks better than SMB3 because such a statement is RELEVANT to the discussion.

This gets back to what you were saying on page one, doesn't it... and my response is the same, you're looking at classic games in the wrong light, I think. What you're doing, somehow saying that platform is irrelevant, is stupid. Platform is relevant and central.

I mean, yes, of course you can say that the SNES games have better graphics, they do. But there should at least be something about how that's just because the system is more powerful.

Quote:I'm not using a Genesis controller, I'm using an Xbox360 controller. But apparently none of the emulators I have are properly set up to use a controller like that and so they ignore diagonals.

Edit: Okay, I found one that works right.

Good... and it makes those games more fun, doesn't it? Does it increase your opinions of either Hard Corps or Mercs?

Also, Xbox 360 controllers almost all have terrible d-pads... it's one of the worst controllers imaginable for 2d games...

Quote:Sorry, but I just don't see the appeal.

Really? You know, it wasn't just me who loved Rolling Thunder. The first game was a popular arcade game with a lot of fans in the late '80s... and for good reason, the graphics were good, with good use of color. The gameplay is also unique, sort of like Elevator Action perhaps, but massively improved in every way. The somewhat "stealthy", slower-paced game where you have to carefully make each move correctly, be in the right place, and check all the doors is interesting, and the fact that you died from one bullet made it tougher and really made you want to learn the levels. Each kind of enemy has a specific weapon type and can to some degree be predicted when seen. It's a memorization game, like many shmups. :) Memorize which doors have hidden guns behind them, memorize which ones will have enemies come out of them, etc... describing it like that it also reminds me of Shinobi 1 (Arcade/NES/SMS) and Shadow Dancer (Genesis), which also have a lot of those qualities and I also love.

The second game is basically the first one, but with better graphics, more variety of level settings, and two player simultaneous. I don't know if I like it better than the first one, the first one's the classic while the second is just an improvement on it, but it's certainly a great game for anyone who likes Rolling Thunder. Obviously people who didn't like the first game won't like it at all, though, it's very similar.

Quote:Pocky and Rocky 1 and 2

Great games, among the better almost-shmups around.

Have you played the other Kiki Kaikai/Pocky & Rocky games? First there's the arcade game, which was released in Japan on the arcades, Famicom Disk System, and TurboGrafx (PC Engine) on HuCard, and finally in the US in Taito Legends 2 for the PS2 (and Xbox, if you import that version from Europe). Graphically it looks nowhere near as good as the SNES games, and it's hard, but it's pretty fun, and it's interesting to see the origin of the series. It has multiplayer, but alternating only even in the arcades.

Next after that were the two SNES games. Both are of course great. Then the series went dormant, only returning once, for Pocky & Rocky With Becky for the Game Boy Advance. It's decent, but not as good as the SNES games I think. It has no multiplayer though, I think, though you do have a companion if I remember right.

Finally, there was going to be another game, but it was cancelled around the time that Square bought Taito, I believe. The developers ended up releasing the game on their own with a color palette (and sometimes even graphical) change to make the characters and backgrounds look "different" as Heavenly Guardian for the PS2 and Wii. It's a fun game, a bit better on Wii because of the precise aiming controls, but the evil save system really brings the game down. You can't save your progress, you see -- you have to play the whole extremely difficult game through in one sitting. Once you do THAT though, THEN you unlock the level select... jerks! As if many people are going to do that, with how hard the game is... the levels are huge, there are lots of enemies, and the bosses are very difficult... I've had it for PS2 for some time, and have only gotten to the boss of level 2. You do unlock bosses in boss-attack mode after beating them, but that's it.

Oh, there is a 2 player simultaneous mode, but the "save" system is the same as in the one player game, and the level select options are separate for each so beating it with two people won't unlock the 1p level select for you. Awesome.

The 2d graphics are nice, but the difficulty, frustration, and lack of real saving really do hurt it.

Quote:Legend of the Mystical Ninja

The N64 Goemon games are both fantastic, but this first SNES title is pretty good too (there had been NES games of course, but only in Japan; those are now translated. Theo there SNES games, however, are not -- there are three more that hopefully will eventually get translations!)... everything about it except for the 32-character passwords is great.

Oh yeah, did I mention that I think the other three SNES Goemon games all have battery save? Awesome that we only saw the one crippled with an awful save system... play it in emulation (as you did) where that problem can be avoided. :)

Quote:Magic Sword

I just got this game a few weeks ago, and it is indeed pretty good. It's not great, the gameplay is pretty simple, but it's fun and challenging, and I do like it. The various helpers are interesting, the graphics are pretty good, and gameplay is fun. There is slowdown though of course, as usual on the SNES. Also it doesn't have a two player mode like the original arcade version does. Still, pretty good game.

Quote:Wild Guns

Agreed, this is an amazing game... it's really, really good! Great graphics, good music, great shooting gameplay, and more. It's like something like Cabal, perhaps, but better. It's really too bad that the game is SNES exclusive and fairly expensive (Look it up on EBay... this game isn't cheap.), because it's something a lot more people should play.

The Firemen and E.V.O. are games I haven't played more than a few minutes of and really can't say anything about.

Quote:I mean, yes, of course you can say that the SNES games have better graphics, they do. But there should at least be something about how that's just because the system is more powerful.

Reality is what it is.

Quote:Good... and it makes those games more fun, doesn't it? Does it increase your opinions of either Hard Corps or Mercs?

Also, Xbox 360 controllers almost all have terrible d-pads... it's one of the worst controllers imaginable for 2d games...

My opinion of Mercs was only somewhat based on the lack of diagonal aiming and I'd already altered my opinion of Hard Corps before changing emulators. Hard Corps is a fun game it does some pretty cool stuff, Mercs...eh, I could've skipped it and not feel as though I've missed anything.

And, yes, the Xbox360 d-pad is pretty lame. But it's better than the keyboard, which is the only other alternative at the moment.

Quote:The Firemen and E.V.O. are games I haven't played more than a few minutes of and really can't say anything about.

The Firemen is Europe/Japan only, so ROM is probably the only way to go. It's a really fun game though, you should check it out sometime.

EVO's not quite as fun, but it's really interesting. A bit like Spore's early levels, only with more of an RPG bent to it. Probably more better too, overall.

Great Rumbler Wrote:Reality is what it is.

Indeed. System power determines what kind of games you can get. One of the major reasons for playing classic games is to see what can be done on limited systems. And even beyond that, that you are somehow denying that the differences between systems matters is so utterly bizarre I can't even begin to understand it...

Quote:My opinion of Mercs was only somewhat based on the lack of diagonal aiming and I'd already altered my opinion of Hard Corps before changing emulators. Hard Corps is a fun game it does some pretty cool stuff, Mercs...eh, I could've skipped it and not feel as though I've missed anything.

Have you ever played any of hte other games like it? The best ones definitely are the Shock Troopers games on Neo-Geo, buth tere are others as well. Of course though, I'd call Mercs a pretty good game in the genre. Really the only fault (for its genre) of the Genesis version beyond its sometimes high difficulty is that it doesn't have multiplayer. Other that it's great. Evidently you just don't like that kind of game...

Quote:And, yes, the Xbox360 d-pad is pretty lame. But it's better than the keyboard, which is the only other alternative at the moment.

You need a better PC gamepad then... :)

Quote:Indeed. System power determines what kind of games you can get. One of the major reasons for playing classic games is to see what can be done on limited systems. And even beyond that, that you are somehow denying that the differences between systems matters is so utterly bizarre I can't even begin to understand it...

Well, if it makes you feel any better, your stance is just as hard for me to understand. See, for me, whether it's a lazy team or difficult hardware or less powerful hardware, it doesn't change the fact that in a head-to-head challenge Mega Turrican comes out on the bottom in terms of graphics. That's just the reality of the situation here. Mentioning that it's because the Genesis isn't as powerful as the SNES has no bearing whatsoever on whether or not it looks as good comparatively to the other games.

If I were I doing a "Which Genesis game looks the best?" then we'd be talking about something different. But that isn't the purpose of this little exercise.

Quote:You need a better PC gamepad then...

There are a lot of things I need, but a better PC gamepad is pretty low on that list however.

Quote:Have you ever played any of hte other games like it? The best ones definitely are the Shock Troopers games on Neo-Geo, buth tere are others as well. Of course though, I'd call Mercs a pretty good game in the genre. Really the only fault (for its genre) of the Genesis version beyond its sometimes high difficulty is that it doesn't have multiplayer. Other that it's great. Evidently you just don't like that kind of game...

It's not like I think it's some horrible game or something, but it just doesn't do much for me. And the tanks in the second stage are stupid.

I played some Shock Trooper 2 today and I really like it, definitely more fun and intense than Mercs. Some really nice graphics help too, of course, but that's certainly not the only thing I like more about it.

Splatterhouse 3

Published and developed by Namco for the Genesis in March 1993, Splatterhouse is an action game with a horror bent. In this game, rather than running from a masked freak with an axe, you ARE the maxed freak with the axe. Although you’re actually after your kidnapped wife and kid, rather than trying to hunt down a group of nubile teens. The action takes place in a huge mansion filled with all sort of monsters who you must take down before advancing to the next room. When you gather some power orbs, your character can transform into a bulked up version of himself for a few moments of monster-pounding. There are also a few items scattered around in some rooms that can be used to bash opponents. Overall, it’s a kind of fun game, but a bit on the slow side and repetitive. Nothing really amazing here.

Neugier

Here’s another Zelda clone developed by Wolf Team [now Namco Tales Studio] and published by Telenet Japan for the SNES in March 1993. It was to be released in North American by Renovation Products, but the project was eventually cancelled. As with Zelda, you move along a isometric world and use a sword a various other weapons to fight enemies as Duke tries to figure out the mystery behind a series of ships being lost near his homeland, Neugier. The graphics aren’t anything all that great, although there are some interesting things with the music [even if it isn't really that special overall either]. The game feels really floaty and attack an armed enemy from the front is a very frustrating affair, more than half the time you’ll end up getting hit as well. Your character has a decent amount of health and enemies do drop health items occasionally, but it’s still really hard, even in the introductory level. Overall, it’s just not that fun and I can’t really recommend it for anyone but someone who’s played every Zelda clone and wants one more.

Equinox

Now here is an interesting action/adventure game, developed by Software Creations and published by Sony Imagesoft for the SNES in 1994. While at first glance it might appear to be yet another Zelda clone, it actually has more in common with Genesis classic Landstalker. It has a similar view and a similar emphasis on puzzles and platforming. The sprites in this game are large and colorful, almost looking like a cartoon, and it’s got some decent music to go along with it. Aside from puzzling and platforming there are all sort of traps and monsters to avoid or, in the case of the latter, fight. It’s not the great game ever made, but it’s a pretty fun game that does some things that not many others of its genre do, so for that alone it’s worth checking out. Equinox is the sequel to Solstice on the NES.

http://greatrumbler.wordpress.com/2010/0...d-equinox/

Strider and Strider Returns

The first Strider, developed by Capcom and published by Sega for the Genesis in September 1990, follows the exploits of the titular character as he venture through various locations in a futuristic Soviet Union. The one thing you need to know above all else about Strider is that he is exceedingly agile, leaping through the air and performing flips and other feats with ease. His main weapons is his sword, which he uses against all sorts of robots and other enemies that get in his way. There are a number of boss battles scattered around, none of them are particularly wild, but they break the monotony of fighting average enemies all the time. The game is a bit on the hard side, but the main issue is figuring out what works against the boss characters and exploiting their weaknesses, although it does have a tendency to a be a bit cheap at times [especially by surprising you with enemies where you might not expect one, or not in the way that you expect]. So, again, memorizing what happens when and where it the key to success. Unlike many other run-and-gun, and run-and-slash, titles, Strider has a bit more platforming than most, with the levels have vertical elevation and Strider being able to leap quite high and even hang from ledges. It’s a bit dated, and the Genesis port isn’t perfect, but it’s fun enough in its own right and a nice little piece of Capcom history.

There’s a sequel, developed by Tiertex [the team behind the Master System port of the original Strider] and published by US Gold, but it’s really not very good. The controls feel floaty and slow. Best to just ignore this one ever existed and play the REAL Strider 2 [developed by Capcom and available on arcade or PS1].

http://greatrumbler.wordpress.com/2010/0...r-returns/

Vectorman 1 and 2

These two run-and-gun platform action games, were developed by Blue Sky Software and published by Sega for the Genesis in October 1995 and November 1996, respectively. Vectorman must fight his way through numerous levels in his quest to stop an evil robot from using the Earth as a weapon against human who are returning from space following a program to use robots to clean up the Earth in their absence. His main weapon is a single-shot gun that shoots orbs of energy, although there are several powerups available. He can also change his form to which are used to battle the various bosses; this was changed in Vectorman 2 to allow the transformations to be used throughout the entire level except for the boss battles. The graphics have a crisp, prerendered look to them and everything animated very fluidly, especially Vectorman himself. The gameplay moves at a decent speed and most of the levels are fairly complex in their layout. This does lead to one problem, however, in that sometime it can be a bit difficult to determine exactly where you’re going, which slows the game down considerably as you backtrack and look for the right direction you’re supposed to go. It’s not a terrible problem, but it does exist. Another issue is that the game is very difficult and, at times unforgiving. Vectorman has a life guage and some enemies do drop extra health, but death sends Vectorman back to the first of the level or the last checkpoint [the first game seems to have less checkpoints than the sequel]. The first game is probably the harder of the two, so keep that in mind. Overall, they’re two fun games that have a few issues to be aware of, but don’t let them stop you from checking them out.

http://greatrumbler.wordpress.com/2010/0...n-1-and-2/

Toe Jam & Earl

Developed by Johnson Voorsanger Production and published by Sega for the Genesis in 1991. This action titles follows alien friends Toe Jam and Earl as they race through space and then crash on a strange world. From there, they must locate the missing parts of their damaged craft. The gameplay takes place across a series of interconnect overworlds with lots of items littering the ground for you to use and enemies to avoid. It’s actually fairly light on action and heavy on exploration. The only item the player can actually use to attack is a tomato, which first has to be found. It’s hardly a bad game, but aside from the funky soundtrack and sense of humor, it’s just not really all that fun. I’m not sure who I’d really recommend this too, but I suppose if you just want something slowly paced and not too difficult, you could do worse than Toe Jam & Earl. A sequel, Panic on Funkotron, was actually a platformer. There’s also a second sequel that appeared on the original Xbox.

Heimdall

Developed by The Eighth Day and published by Core Designs for the Sega CD in 1992. Much like Landstalker, the action takes place in isometric location, although battles take place in semi-realtime battles, ala PC RPGs of the same time period. The extra space on the CD allows for a lot of colorful cutscenes to introduce the game. There are lots of puzzles to solve, islands to visit, and items to find. The game world is actually fairly large, so it’s a game that’s going to stick around for a while before you get to the end. One of the big issues is that the inventory is pretty small, only three characters can leave the ship and each one can only carry six items at a time. It’s an interesting game, but a bit slowly paced compared to other action-adventure titles.

X-Men

Developed by Western Technologies and published by Sega for the Genesis in 1993. You can play as one of four of the most famous X-Men as they wander through various levels, such as a jungle, while some of the other X-Men can be called in for momentary support. It’s a bit platformy, in that the levels are pretty large and sprawling and require a high degree of jumping. Overall, the game’s just not very fun. The levels are huge and repetitive and mutant powers are limited by a power bar that very slowly refills once depleted. The music is interesting, but that’s about it.

X-Men 2: Clone Wars

Developed by Headgames and published by Sega for the Genesis in 1995. Better than the first game, and with much better graphics, but ultimately retains the expansive, repetitive levels and gameplay. At least this time around, the mutant powers had no power bar limitations, that’s something at least.

Pirates! Gold

Developed and published by MicroProse for the Genesis in 1993 and is remake of the 1987 release of Sid Meier’s Pirates!. In this title, you play the captain of a ship, a pirate ship to be exact, and it’s your purpose to sail the Caribbean and fight other ships for gold. Ship-to-ship battles take place in an overhead perspective with the two ships squaring off. You’ve got to time your shots just right so that they hit the enemy ship full-on for maximum damage. Eventually the ship will surrender and then you can plunder it and keep the ship or sink it. Ship “health” is in the form of sailor on board. Sometimes the ship captain won’t surrender and so you’ll have to board the ship and take him on in single combat, as seen during the opening scene of a new game. To keep your men happy, you have to split the plunder with them from time to time. You’ll also need to keep a well-stocked supply of food, rum, and cannons. What I like about this game is it’s free-roaming nature and strategy stylings. It’s not the best game on the system, but strategy fans are sure to love it.

http://greatrumbler.wordpress.com/2010/0...ates-gold/