Tendo City

Beyond Oasis

This Zelda-clone, developed by Ancient and published by Sega for the Genesis in December 1994, is one of the better action-adventure games on the Genesis. On top of looking really good and having some really nice graphics, both of which are probably among the best the system has to offer, it also has some really good gameplay. To explain, the gameplay appears very Zelda-like at first, with it’s isometric view and large overworld and dungeons to explore. But, looking closer, Beyond Oasis has gameplay that makes it almost like beat ‘em up. Combat is very fast paced and Ali, the main character, can perform attacks in a series very quickly. He can also jump and perform a jump kick. It’s also got some nice boss battles and weapons that you can find and then use for a limited number of times.. The only real downside is that it’s more combat oriented than some of the other games in its genre, rather than emphasizing puzzles or platforming. That’s just a small complaint though and doesn’t stop the game from being one of the better Genesis offerings in this round.

Dungeon Explorer

Developed by Atlus and published by Hudson Soft for the Sega CD March 1989. It’s a bit like the Gauntlet games in that you wander through level after level of an ancient dungeon killing monsters and collecting loot. One of the main differences is that you can actually leave and purchase new weapons and armor with the gold you find. It also features experience points for level up your character to get more health and better stats. It’s much more fun than Gauntlet IV on the Genesis and much deeper experience. Thanks to the CD format it also features some really nice music, definitely a standout in that category. It’s a bit unforgiving though, so be prepared to get some game overs from time to time.

Blades of Vengeance

Developed by Beam Software and published by Electronic Arts for the Genesis in 1993. Here’s a nice little sidescrolling hack-and-slash title. You choose from one of the three hero classes and then do battles against the evil Dark Lady, who wants to take over the world. It’s pretty standard stuff for the genre, nothing that’s really going to surprise or delight, but it’s not a bad game or anything. You fight monsters with your weapon of choice, jump across lava pools, and locate treasure chests for extra points. The graphics are okay and the music’s fine. Overall, a decent game to waste a bit of time with.

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

>It’s hardly a bad game, but aside from the funky soundtrack and sense of humor, it’s just not really all that fun.

Words fail me.

That was one of my favorite Genesis games.

I just can't get into it. I tried the sequel and though it was a bit better, but still not really anything that I'd care to play much. Maybe if I was in the mood for something slowly-paced that I could just relax while playing, I might give it higher marks, but I can't really think of any other reason that I might.

Having said that, I'm not really that big on Rogue-likes anyway.

Quote: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.

Shock Troopers 1 and 2 each have similar gameplay, but the graphics are quite different -- the second one was completely redone with prerendered sprites, and the characters are all different too. I think that the first game is a bit more popular, and probably is a little better, but both are fantastic games. It's kind of funny that you like that but not Mercs so much though, I think of them as pretty similar games... I mean, yeah, Shock Troopers does it better, but Mercs doesn't do it badly, either. Oh well, whatever, at least you do like Shock Troopers. :)

Quote:Blades of Vengeance

Developed by Beam Software and published by Electronic Arts for the Genesis in 1993. Here’s a nice little sidescrolling hack-and-slash title. You choose from one of the three hero classes and then do battles against the evil Dark Lady, who wants to take over the world. It’s pretty standard stuff for the genre, nothing that’s really going to surprise or delight, but it’s not a bad game or anything. You fight monsters with your weapon of choice, jump across lava pools, and locate treasure chests for extra points. The graphics are okay and the music’s fine. Overall, a decent game to waste a bit of time with.

This is a deeply disingenuous review, people will think that the game is light and easy or something like that, while the truth is quite the opposite....

I mean, did you even finish the first level? The lava area is just the first level. The majority of the game is spent in the castle, which is where the game really starts to get hard...

and also, it's not like other side-scrolling action games, either. It has some important unique features. It's not just hack and slash. You need to use patience and timing to not get killed. It's a very difficult game -- there are eight levels, each with three parts, with a boss after the last one. The game's difficulty ramps up multiple times over the course of the game, and you have only a few lives and, unless you get them ingame, no continues. The key to the game is that by holding down, you block against anyone attacking you from the front. Enemies can still hit you from behind while you are blocking, though, so you're not invulnerable -- and the game LOVES to throw enemies at you from both directions. It's a tricky game, and very, VERY memorization heavy. You will need to memorize everything -- when to duck, when to jump, when to attack... you need to memorize all of that in order to not in short order.

Of the three characters, there's a scantily clad female barbarian (the default, and best, character, she is fast and powerful enough, with a high jump and later on ranged attacks too), a scantily clad male barbarian (short range, low jump... sure he has power, but it's not worth it!), and a old male mage (the expert-class character, the only one with ranged attacks from the start, but very weak and squishy).

The game has two player simultaneous as well, which is awesome. The graphics are fantastic, one of the better efforts in the genre on the Genesis without question, and the music is just as great.

Quote:Dungeon Explorer

Developed by Atlus and published by Hudson Soft for the Sega CD March 1989. It’s a bit like the Gauntlet games in that you wander through level after level of an ancient dungeon killing monsters and collecting loot. One of the main differences is that you can actually leave and purchase new weapons and armor with the gold you find. It also features experience points for level up your character to get more health and better stats. It’s much more fun than Gauntlet IV on the Genesis and much deeper experience. Thanks to the CD format it also features some really nice music, definitely a standout in that category. It’s a bit unforgiving though, so be prepared to get some game overs from time to time.

Once again, I really recommend playing the TurboGrafx games instead. The first one is a HuCard game, it'd be easy to find in emulation sites (for emulators use Ootake, it's fantastic and very frequently updated). The TG16 games are simpler, but better. You level up by beating the level; there's no experience or anything. It makes things simplistic, but keeps the game moving... the Sega CD one was the first attempt with an experience system, and they sort of messed it up. The Sega CD game does have four player, which is nice (though of course on TG16 the games had five player support), and the graphics are pretty good, the game just isn't nearly as fun. Gautnlet games all have good experience systems, but Sega CD Dungeon Explorer somehow just doesn't. Oh, and the game has a lot fewer characters to choose from than either TG16 game, either -- there are only six characters here, versus nine or more in the TG16 games. They're also all male, while the TG16 games had several female characters in the lineup.

I mean, the game can be fun, and as a Gauntlet fan I do like it, but there is better out there.

Quote:Vectorman 1 and 2

Amazing games... the only thing I can say against them is that they're really hard. You need to memorize everything in order to make any progress, and I get the feeling that the only way to really progress is to either memorize it all or memorize how to get a 1up with some huge bonus multiplier... I've never finished either game. I've gotten farther in the first game than the second one (I'd say that the second game is the harder one, I think, as far as I've gotten at least), but I've never finished either one despite finding them really good, really fun games. Releasing in 1995 and 1996, they were some of the last great Genesis games, and did a little to help keep the Genesis going at a time when Sega was mostly busy destroying itself and its business.

Oh, the second game starts out somewhat drab, with like four levels in a swamp... it gets more visually interesting once you get to the second world/

Quote:Toe Jam & Earl

I never played much of this game, I don't know, I know it was extremely popular, but it just never grabbed me... I guess we agree, then, but I do have to say it provisionally because I've never spent a lot of time with it. I just haven't found it interesting enough to play very long at all in emulation, and don't have the cart (it's one of the pricier US Genesis releases!).

Quote:Heimdall

I mean to try this sometime, but haven't yet. It's another port of a European Amiga game, and European RPGs from that era can sometimes be playable and other times be unapproachably complex and archaic by modern standards (or even by the standards of the time, sometimes), but hopefully this one's better. Sounds decent. :)

Quote:Pirates! Gold

I got this one last month of course. It's a good game, but it gets repetitive after a while... the 2004 game was better on that, but still I did find myself getting bored after a while. Oh, and strategy? Sort of, there is a very basic trading model, but it's more a variety game, a minigame collection if you will, just like the newer title. There are strategy aspects (attacking towns), trading sim aspects (buying and selling goods), action game aspects (swordfights, ship battles), etc. Good but not outstanding graphics and music. There's a lot here for people who like it, and I do like it, but the existence of the newer one does make me say "maybe play that one instead, it might be better"...

Quote:Beyond Oasis

This Zelda-clone, developed by Ancient and published by Sega for the Genesis in December 1994, is one of the better action-adventure games on the Genesis. On top of looking really good and having some really nice graphics, both of which are probably among the best the system has to offer, it also has some really good gameplay. To explain, the gameplay appears very Zelda-like at first, with it’s isometric view and large overworld and dungeons to explore. But, looking closer, Beyond Oasis has gameplay that makes it almost like beat ‘em up. Combat is very fast paced and Ali, the main character, can perform attacks in a series very quickly. He can also jump and perform a jump kick. It’s also got some nice boss battles and weapons that you can find and then use for a limited number of times.. The only real downside is that it’s more combat oriented than some of the other games in its genre, rather than emphasizing puzzles or platforming. That’s just a small complaint though and doesn’t stop the game from being one of the better Genesis offerings in this round.

Well, for once we pretty much entirely agree. Yes, Beyond Oasis is really good, with fantastic graphics, great animation, fun combat, and more. It's easily the second best Zelda style game on the system after Landstalker. :)


The two X-Men games -- Never really played these, but I know that they're considered good games. I've heard a lot about that infamous level in the first one where you have to reset your Genesis to proceed...

Quote:I mean to try this sometime, but haven't yet. It's another port of a European Amiga game, and European RPGs from that era can sometimes be playable and other times be unapproachably complex and archaic by modern standards (or even by the standards of the time, sometimes), but hopefully this one's better. Sounds decent.

The main problem with Heimdall is that it's a bit directionless. You're just put out in this big world and it's up to you to figure out where to go and what to do.

Quote:and don't have the cart (it's one of the pricier US Genesis releases!).

I used to have a copy of it, but I can't find the cartridge anymore and the instruction manual looks like someone soaked it in water at one point.

Chakan: The Forever Man

Well, what can we say about this one? It’s an action game developed and published by Sega in June 1992, based on a comic by Robert A. Kraus. It’s notable for it’s dark theme and unrelenting difficulty. Chakan must fight his way through various levels filled with monster in order to become human again. It’s actually nearly impossible to get a real ending to the game, because of how difficult the final boss is [and the fact that you only get one try]. And the “real ending” is just an hourglass background with no text because it was never actually implemented. Joy! So, I suppose if you like to punish yourself, this is the game to play. It’s slow, incredibly hard, and doesn’t actually feature the real ending.

Red Zone

This little top-down shooter from Zyrinx, and published by Time Warner for the Genesis in November 1994. In the game, you pilot a helicopter through various missions designed to prevent nuclear war. Failure results in a little video of nukes being set off and the remainder of the world being taken over by communism. This is a scene that you will become very familiar with because the game can be very unforgiving. It’s hard, really hard. There are enemies that you can wipe out your helicopter in a matter of seconds and you can run up on them before you even realize what’s going on. You’ve got to be incredibly careful at all times, especially since get killed means an instant game over. It’s kind of cool, especially because of the neat graphics effects that it employs [and which very few other Genesis games did], but it’s just so hard and unforgiving that it’s difficult to really enjoy it.

Holy Umbrella

This action game, developed by Naxat Soft and released by Earthly Soft for the SNES in September 1995, most of the action takes place as a sidescroller, although towns are presented in RPG-style isometric view. It’s a colorful game and pretty kid-friendly, but difficult enough that someone more experienced with games won’t be immediately bored. Having said that, it’s a bit too slowly paced to be all that much fun, but it does make up for that slightly by having all sort of different abilities that have to find in order to progress, mostly relating to the main character’s umbrella. It’s also possible to switch characters mid-level to gain access to areas that the main character might not be able to. Overall, it’s a decent little game, but a bit too slowly paced for its own good. The game was only ever released in Japan, but a translation is available online.

http://greatrumbler.wordpress.com/2010/0...-red-zone/

Well, Part 1 is now in the books and I barreled my way through about fifty games over the past ten days. Honestly, I wish I hadn’t started this because I’ve become completely obsessed with the idea and can’t get anything else done until I finish. The main problem with that is that there are probably about a thousand games between the two systems that I might reasonably be expected to play. At a rate of fifty games per ten days, it would take me about half a year to finish. I don’t like that at all. But, I digress, let’s recap Part 1 and get it over with.

Top Five Genesis Games:

1. Gunstar Heroes

2. Contra: Hard Corps

3. Landstalker

4. Beyond Oasis

5. Popful Mail

Honorable Mentions: Strider 1, Crusaders of Centy, Mega Turican, Alien Soldier, James Bond 007, and Shinobi III.

Top Five SNES Games:

1. Super Metroid

2. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

3. Front Mission: Gun Hazard

3. The Firemen

4. Super Turrican 2

Honorable Mentions: Demon’s Crest, Vectorman, Wild Guns, Contra III, Metal Warriors, EVO: The Search for Eden, Mega Man series, Pocky and Rocky 2, Super Castlevania IV, and Gunman’s Proof.

With the top ten out of the way, it’s now time for some point allocations. The points are based on the number of titles in the genre, my personal enthusiasm for said genre [yeah, it's subjective, but that's just how it is], and the quality of the titles from each console in said genre. The winner of this round will get a hundred, the loser will get slightly less. That’s an arbitrary number, but numbers from the next parts will be based on how they compare with this part’s genre offering, so all other numbers won’t be arbitrary like the first one. All the points for each console will be added up at the end and a proper winner will be determined. Explanations aside, here’s the winner and the loser of Part 1:

SNES - 100

Genesis - 80

Top Developer: Capcom, for developing Demon's Crest, Super Ghouls & Ghost, the Mega Man series, Strider, and Magic Sword

Runner Up: Konami, for developing Castlevania: Bloodlines, Super Castlevania, Contra III, Contra: Hard Corps, and Legend of the Mystical Ninja.

Final Thoughts: Although the Genesis had some strong showings in its top five, which even rivaled some of their SNES counterparts, once the top five was out of the way the quality dropped steadily. On the other hand, the SNES had a very strong showing it its top five, along with some all-time classics and best game ever contenders, and kept going all the way past the top twelve. SNES wins this round by a nice margin, but there are still many more genres to take a look at, including a few that the Genesis has some very, very strong contenders in, so don’t think this battle’s already over.

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

Coming up soon in Part 2: Platformers!

Here's my preliminary list for platformers:

Genesis

Sonic the Hedehog 1-3 and Sonic & Knuckles, Rocket Knight Adventures, Dynamite Heady, Ecco the Dolphin, Ristar, Toe Jam and & in Panic on Funkotron, Castle of Illusion starring Mickey Mouse, Pulseman, Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle, El Viento,

SNES

Super Mario World, Yoshi's Island, Donkey Kong Country 1-3, King Arthur's World, Lost Vikings 2, Prince of Persia 2, DoReMiFantasy, Kirby Super Star, Kirby's Dreamland, Miracle Girls, Super Bonk, Super Adventure Island, Pop'n Twinbee, Violinist of Hamlin,

Where do you get those lists, randomly select some games from the genres in question? Because it's obvious that there are ... a few ... more good platformers on both systems than that, given that side-scrolling platform and platform-action games are the most common genres on both the SNES and Genesis. :)

Oh, and , King Arthur's World is a Lemmings-style game really, not a platformer. It's best played with the SNES mouse. Good game, but not a platformer.


Lost Vikings 1 is better than Lost Vikings 2, but of course the first one is on SNES and Genesis (and PC and Amiga), while the second is on SNES, PC, PSX, and Saturn. The first one was one of my favorite games in the early '90s, but the second really isn't nearly as good... they make it worse by adding too many functions to each character. The first game was great because each character had specific things they could do, but in the second game you have characters who can both jump and attack, etc. It significantly dilutes the point of the game, really.

Oh, and as for the first game, the Genesis version has far worse graphics than the SNES, PC, or Amiga versions, but it has four exclusive levels that only are on the Genesis (no other version has exclusive levels), and it's the only version with full three player support (it's 2 player on SNES and Amiga, 1 player on PC).

That's why it's called a "preliminary" list. As in, I'm not done with it yet.

Good! That way, your omission of the greatest 2D platforming game of all time can be rectified!

It should have been there to begin with, not just because it is the greatest 2D platforming game of all time, but because I already asked you about it. ;)

Kid Chameleon will make it on the list, Weltall, don't worry!

Here's the updated list:

Genesis

Sonic the Hedehog 1-3 and Sonic & Knuckles, Rocket Knight Adventures, Dynamite Heady, Ecco the Dolphin, Ristar, Toe Jam and & in Panic on Funkotron, Castle of Illusion starring Mickey Mouse, Pulseman, Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle, El Viento, Kid Chameleon, Comix Zone, Disney's Alladin, Bonanza Brothers, Wiz 'N Liz, Wonder Boy, Quackshot starring Donald Duck, Puggsy, Taz-Mania, Marvel Land, Tempo, World of Illusion,

SNES

Super Mario World, Yoshi's Island, Donkey Kong Country 1-3, King Arthur's World, Lost Vikings 2, Prince of Persia 2, DoReMiFantasy, Kirby Super Star, Kirby's Dream Land 3, Miracle Girls, Super Bonk, Super Adventure Island, Pop'n Twinbee: Rainbow Bell Adventures, Violinist of Hamlin, Disney's Alladin, Super Mario All-Stars, Plok, Magical Pop'n, Ganbare Daiku no Gensan, Go! Go! Ackman, Joe & Mac, Tiny Toons Adventure: Buster Busts Loose, Umihara Kawase, Power Lode Runner, Lode Runner Twin, Claymates, Bugs Bunny Rabbit Rampage, Disney's Magical Quest,

Oh shit, I love Quackshot.

Also, World of Illusion starring Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck is a platformer that has some excellent aesthetics.

They really used to know how to make awesome Disney games back in the day.

If anyone's got some more suggestions for platformers, let me know really soon because I'm going to officially post Part 2 either this evening or tomorrow.

(First: Super Adventure Island 2 is an action-adventure game pretty much, more like the Monster World series. Not sure where you should put that. If you're counting WOnder Boy in Moster World for Genesis as a platformer count it, but both really are more in the category as Ys III and Zelda II than other platformers, though platform action certainly is the key gameplay element.)

Ignore any I list that you've already covered, I can't remember all of them. :)

Some of these you'd probably consider "action", but didn't cover, I'm pretty sure, in your first batch of those. Do with them what you will.

Play on both and compare: The Lost Vikings, Cool Spot, Earthworm Jim 2, James Pond II: Operation RoboCod / Super James Pond, Joe & Mac, Mr. Nutz (Genesis version was Europe only), The Great Circus Mystery (Magical Quest 2 Starring Mickey and Minnie), Out Of This World (if you count it as a platformer), Flashback (if you count it as a platformer; perhaps just play on Sega CD and SNES), Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure (was on SNES, Genesis, 32X, Sega CD, and more (Jaguar and PC too). Take your pick.), Aero the Acro-Bat, Aero the Acro-Bat 2, Zero the Kamikaze Squirrel, Shadow of the Beast (SNES, Genesis, Turbo CD), Shadow of the Beast 2 (Genesis, Sega CD), Prince of Persia (Genesis, Sega CD, SNES), Maui Mallard, Marko/Soccer Kid, Monster World IV (JP only but has a translation patch), Wonder Boy in Monster World (I'd call Wonder Boy 3 a shmup really)

Genesis: Mick & Mack the Global Gladiators, James Pond: Underwater Agent, James Pond III, Jurassic Park, Jurassic Park: Rampage Edition, Rocket Knight Adventures, Sparkster: Rocket Knight Adventures 2, Wardner, Tinhead, Turrican, Universal Soldier, Valis, Valis III, Syd of Valis, Mystic Defender (the sequel to Spellcaster on the Master System), Mamono Hunter Yohko (Japan only release), Dynamite Headdy, DecapAttack, Galahad, The Killing Game Show

Sega CD: Flink, Earthworm Jim CD, Ecco the Dolphin CD, Ecco 2: The Tides of Time CD, The Terminator, Wolfchild, Wild Woody, Sonic CD, Mickey Mania

Wolfchild, Ecco, Ecco 2, Earthworm Jim, and Mickey Mania are all also available on the Genesis, and Mickey Mania and Earthworm Jim on the SNES too, but the Sega CD versions are better. Flink has a Europe-only (and also inferior) Genesis version as well.

32X: Knuckles Chaotix, Tempo, Spider-Man: Web of Fire

Blackthorne is on 32X and SNES. The 32X version has improved, redone graphics, but both are great.


SNES: Super Bonk 2 (Japan only release) Plok, Smartball, Mohawk & Headphone Jack (one of the most insane games ever made), Out to Lunch, Prehistorik Man, Joe & Mac 2, Power Piggs of the Dark Age, Kendo Rage, The Magical Quest Starring Mickey Mouse, Mickey to Donald Magical Adventure 3 (Japan only until the GBA port), Sparkster (NOT the same as the Genesis game!), Sink Or Swim, Zool, Prince of Persia 2, Indiana Jones' Greatest Adventures, Super Star Wars trilogy, Castlevania Dracula X (NOT the same as the TCD game!)

There's also some more action-platform games like RunSaber (SNES), Realm (SNES), Strider (Genesis and Turbo CD), etc. that I don't know where you want to put. Same for Mega Man X1-X3 and Wily Wars, etc.

Also there are some more platform-puzzlers other than The Lost Vikings, such as The Humans, Sutte Hakkun (SNES, JP only), The Lemmings, Lemmings 2, etc.

There are lots more beyond that of course, I wasn't trying to list most of the licensed platformers, etc... and I'm sure I missed good ones too.

Quote:Play on both and compare:

Unless the versions are different games [like Disney's Alladin], then I'm not going to get bogged down in this kind of discussion. Invariable, I'll be getting into which version looks slightly better, which version sounds slightly better, and which version runs slightly better and I just don't want to do that.

Here's the updated list:

Genesis

Sonic the Hedehog 1-3, Sonic & Knuckles, Sonic CD, Knuckles Chaotix, Rocket Knight Adventures, Dynamite Heady, Ecco the Dolphin, Ristar, Toe Jam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron, Castle of Illusion starring Mickey Mouse, Pulseman, Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle, El Viento, Kid Chameleon, Comix Zone, Disney's Alladin, Bonanza Brothers, Wiz 'N Liz, Wonder Boy, Quackshot starring Donald Duck, Puggsy, Taz-Mania, Marvel Land, Tempo, World of Illusion, Sparkster: Rocket Knight Adventures 2, Flink, Global Gladiators, Wardner, Tinhead, Devil Hunter Yohko, Wild Woody, Turrican II,

SNES

Super Mario World, Yoshi's Island, Donkey Kong Country 1-3, King Arthur's World, Lost Vikings 2, Prince of Persia 2, DoReMiFantasy, Kirby Super Star, Kirby's Dream Land 3, Miracle Girls, Super Bonk, Super Adventure Island, Pop'n Twinbee: Rainbow Bell Adventures, Ardy Lightfoot, Violinist of Hamlin, Disney's Alladin, Super Mario All-Stars, Plok, Magical Pop'n, Ganbare Daiku no Gensan, Go! Go! Ackman, Joe & Mac, Tiny Toons Adventure: Buster Busts Loose, Umihara Kawase, Power Lode Runner, Lode Runner Twin, Claymates, Bugs Bunny Rabbit Rampage, Disney's Magical Quest, Daffy Duck: The Marvin Missions, Skyblazer, Sparkster, Super Back to the Future II, Jurassic Park, Smartball, Mohawk & Headphone Jack, Out to Lunch, Sink of Swim, Realm,

First -- I realized, if you're playing Buster Busts Loose, you should play Buster's Hidden Treasure on the Genesis too. It's a much simpler game, and probably isn't quite as good, but it's there and is also a Tiny Toons game, so it'd be a decent thing for comparison.

Also, with some you say you're going to play all the games in a series, but with others, such as Super Bonk, Disney's Magical Quest, and Ecco, you seem to choose only the first one, but not the second (or in Magical Quest's case the third, if you drop the second one for being on both systems). Any reason for that?

Rocket Knight Adventures 1 on Genesis and Sparkster on SNES play similarly, but Rocket Knight Adventures 2 on Genesis has a completely different rocket pack system. Play all three really... oh, and the first one (for the Genesis) is also by far the hardest, thanks to not having passwords like both later titles do, and a very high difficulty level. I haven't finished it, but it's fantastic. As for the Sparkster games, I think I like the SNES Sparkster better than the Genesis one because of the more familiar controls...

Quote:Unless the versions are different games [like Disney's Alladin], then I'm not going to get bogged down in this kind of discussion. Invariable, I'll be getting into which version looks slightly better, which version sounds slightly better, and which version runs slightly better and I just don't want to do that.

Sure, which is why I recommended the Sega CD versions of the games I listed in that category, because those versions are better.

Oh, Ecco 1 on Sega CD is just the Genesis game with awesome CD audio, but Ecco 2 actually ads a new (scaling sprites) level, and has some very cool prerendered CG FMV cutscenes that tell the story of Ecco 1, too, as well as more amazing music. Good stuff, in both cases... I really love the soundtracks of the CD versions!

Generally of course, SNES versions are a bit better due to the better graphics, but sometimes SNES games are zoomed in more because the SNES has a lower normal resolution than the Genesis, which can have an effect (look at Mickey Mania on SNES and then Genesis or Sega CD, I think it looks better on the latter really), and of course the Genesis is faster so anything with speed issues will be much better there.

Most of those games I put in "play and compare" are pretty much the same on all platforms, aside from the above differences, but some are more different, such as Shadow of the Beast II and Prince of Persia. Sure, in both cases all consoles have ports of the original computer games, but different companies made each port, so they're not the same. Prince of Persia for SNES, Genesis, and Sega CD may have the same levels, but the graphics, cutscenes, etc. all change from version to version.

Quote:Wonder Boy,

Once again, which one are you talking about? There are three Genesis "Wonder Boy" games, Monster Lair (JP/EU only), which is an autoscrolling platform/shooter, Wonder Boy in Monster World, the third Monster World game and a great action-platformer-RPG, and Monster World IV, the last Monster World game and another fantastic action-platformer-RPG. Wonder Boy itself was for the Sega Master System, as were versions of the second and fourth games as well (yes, there's a European SMS version of Wonder Boy in Monster World).

Quote:Any reason for that?

Sometimes I list all the games in the series, sometimes I don't. I'll play whichever ones apply regardless.

Platformers, known for their fast-pace gameplay and emphasis on precision jumping and enemy evasion, rather than on weapons and killing, thrived on both systems and saw the main, public battle between Nintendo and Sega in the form of Sonic the Hedgehog and Mario the Plumber. Did Nintendo’s veteran franchise ultimately win the day? Or did Sega’s new-kid-on-the-block Sonic, with his hip coolness, steal the show? There’s only one way to find out for sure, and that’s to go back and play the games all over again!

Genesis

Sonic the Hedehog 1-3, Sonic & Knuckles, Sonic CD, Knuckles Chaotix, Rocket Knight Adventures, Dynamite Heady, Ecco the Dolphin, Ristar, Toe Jam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron, Castle of Illusion starring Mickey Mouse, Pulseman, Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle, El Viento, Kid Chameleon, Comix Zone, Disney’s Alladin, Bonanza Brothers, Wiz ‘N Liz, Wonder Boy, Quackshot starring Donald Duck, Puggsy, Taz-Mania, Marvel Land, Tempo, World of Illusion, Sparkster: Rocket Knight Adventures 2, Flink, Global Gladiators, Wardner, Tinhead, Devil Hunter Yohko, Wild Woody, and Turrican II.

SNES

Super Mario World, Yoshi’s Island, Donkey Kong Country 1-3, King Arthur’s World, Lost Vikings 2, Prince of Persia 2, DoReMiFantasy, Kirby Super Star, Kirby’s Dream Land 3, Miracle Girls, Super Bonk, Super Adventure Island, Pop’n Twinbee: Rainbow Bell Adventures, Ardy Lightfoot, Violinist of Hamlin, Disney’s Alladin, Super Mario All-Stars, Plok, Magical Pop’n, Ganbare Daiku no Gensan, Go! Go! Ackman, Joe & Mac, Tiny Toons Adventure: Buster Busts Loose, Umihara Kawase, Power Lode Runner, Lode Runner Twin, Claymates, Bugs Bunny Rabbit Rampage, Disney’s Magical Quest, Daffy Duck: The Marvin Missions, Skyblazer, Sparkster, Super Back to the Future II, Jurassic Park, Smartball, Mohawk & Headphone Jack, Out to Lunch, Sink of Swim, and Realm.

Taking a lesson from Part 1, I’m going to take longer to go through Part 2. I’ll probably only do two games a day at most and I’ll try to give each game a bit more playtime than I did before. Basically, it gives me more time per game to figure out what makes it work or what doesn’t work and I don’t have to run myself ragged trying to comment on so many games in such a short amount of time. It’s going to take probably three weeks at that right, but you’re patient, right?

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

Sonic the Hedgehog

Sega, fighting a grueling battle against gaming juggernaut Nintendo, had some success with its Master System, but the time was coming when they’d need a new console to fight the battle. That console, the Mega Drive/Genesis, arrived in Japan in October 1988, North American slightly less than a year later, and became a serious contender for Nintendo’s throne. But a console alone wasn’t enough, they needed a figure who could be pitted directly against Nintendo’s mascot king Mario. That figure, designed by Naoto Oshima, Yuji Naka, and Hirokazu Yasuhara, was Sonic the Hedgehog. Unlike the portly plumber, Sonic dripped attitude and cool. He could run at insane speeds and leap wide chasms with ease. Upon its release, it was an instant hit and even launched the Genesis past the SNES during the 1991 holiday season. Despite being released nearly seven months after Super Mario World in Japan, it actually slipped into North America a month and half before Nintendo’s latest entry in the Mario series. The title was developed by Sega’s Sonic Team, originally known as AM8 but renamed to mark their first release as a group. The game’s amazing soundtrack was handled by Masato Nakamura, who also returned to compose the sequel.

The basics of the gameplay in Sonic the Hedgehog are similar to those of other platformers. As Sonic, a speedy hedgehog out to save his animal friends from being turned into robots by the evil Dr. Robotnik [Eggman in the Japanese version], you must traverse from one side of a level to the other, jumping on the heads of enemies you might come across or simply avoiding all the while also avoiding various pits and other traps. Sonic, however, is not without it’s little quirks that set it apart. For one thing, Sonic is fast. Really fast. At times he’s little more than a blur on the screen. In giving this speed a good use, there are lots of loops, open spaces, and tunnels for Sonic to traverse. His speed, however, is not without its price. Enemies can appear very quickly, as can deadly obstacles like the dreaded spikes [some of which can hide in seemingly innocuous areas only to spring out as Sonic approaches]. It’s very important that player be aware at all times and not simply attempt to speed through a level as quickly as possible.

Also, rather than a health bar, Sonic must collect rings. As long as Sonic has a single ring, he can survive being hit [although any rings he has will instantly explode through the air, though they can be recollected after a second or two], except from being crushed or falling into a bottomless pit. These rings also give extra points at the end of each level.

The level set up is three levels based on a certain theme [Green Hill Zone, Marble Zone, and so on] with the end of the third level featuring a boss fight against one of Dr. Robotnik’s latest inventions, usually a modification of his personal airship. There are seven sets of levels in all, including the final zone. There are also special stages that can be accessed at the end of the first two levels of each zone by obtaining fifty rings and jumping through a giant ring at the end of the level. Each stage has at least one checkpoint that will act as a restarting point if Sonic dies elsewhere in the level.

As stated before, the soundtrack is one of the better 16-bit soundtracks out there, rivaling the best of Nintendo and Square. Maybe it’s the nostalgia talking, but I could listen to the soundtrack over and over and never get tired of it. Graphics-wise, it’s a very vibrant looking game with nicely detailed sprites that are just the right size for the game. Backgrounds feature scrolling elements and there’s even some trickery used to give the far background an element of depth that most games back then didn’t have.

There is one aspect of the game that I find a bit aggravating: you get three extra lives and then it’s game over. There’s no continues here, none at all. Giving the nature of the game, it means that you’ll more than likely get a few game overs before making it all the way to the end. It’s a bit unforgiving in that respect, but it’s certainly not a big enough issue to hurt the game all that much. It’s still a genuine classic and one of the greatest games ever made.

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

Super Mario World

Through much of the mid-80′s, Nintendo had a stranglehold on the videogame market. Atari was dead in the water and Sega’s Master System was little more than a blip on their radar. Everything was going great, but then Sega released it’s Genesis and a partnership between NEC and Hudson Soft produced the TurboGrafx-16, ushering in the 16-bit console generation and making Nintendo’s NES look practically archaic. It was time for Nintendo to step up and in November 1990, they finally did. The Super Nintendo Entertainment System [known as the Super Famicom in Japan] was finally released and coming with it was the latest entry in Nintendo’s ultra-popular Mario Bros. series. Known as Super Mario World, the game featured improved graphics, a ridable lizard named Yoshi, and a host of new powerups. It was directed by Takashi Tezuka and produced by Shigeru Miyamoto, both known for their extensive work on the series both in the past and up to the present. Upon its release, it proved to be just as successful, if not more so, than previous installments in the series.

Much like its predecessor’s, Super Mario World pits Mario against his nemesis Bowser who has once again kidnapped Princess Toadstool. As the story is familiar, so is the gameplay. You must traverse from one end of a level to another, jumping on enemies heads or avoiding them entirely, all the while collecting various powerups and leaping over bottomless chasms. The game does introduce some new elements of course, such as Yoshi, a giant, intelligent lizard who Mario can ride on. Yoshi’s special ability is that he can consume most enemies and even spit a few back out as projectiles. SMW also features an improved overworld that is more complex and smoothly flowing than the overworld in Super Mario Bros. 3, which also includes secret levels to find and some branching paths.

While Mario is by no means as fast as Sonic, he can still move very quickly. This isn’t the focus of the game however, it’s much more focused on precision jumping. Many of the levels are feature a lot of vertical elements, many of which are very narrow so precise jumping and momentum are very important, and there are also a great number of bottomless pits that will need to be navigated across to reach the end. To aid this end, the game feature checkpoints that will save Mario’s progress through the level and a save feature that comes up after Mario has defeated a boss or accomplish some other significant goal. There are also several ways in which extra lives can be obtained, many of which are fairly easy to accomplish. Overall, it makes the game much more about figuring your way through each level and focusing on trial-and-error rather than on perfect runs. That doesn’t mean that the game is easy though, some levels are still quite difficult even with the aid of extra lives and save points.

The music, done by Nintendo veteran Koji Kondo is cheerful and upbeat most of the time, although there are some toons that are more haunting and slow [such as the underground theme and the ghost house theme]. The soundtrack is well-done and highly memorable. The graphics, while colorful and vibrant, are much less detailed than many other platformers on the SNES and even some on the Genesis. It was one of the launch titles, however, so that likely played a part in this. Neverthless, the graphics are by no means bad and it runs very smoothly almost all of the time.

As with Sonic the Hedgehog, Super Mario World is a true classic in every sense of the word. It is a game that still remains as fun and as challenging as when it was first released. Here is one of the greatest games of all time, no question.

Quote:There is one aspect of the game that I find a bit aggravating: you get three extra lives and then it’s game over. There’s no continues here, none at all. Giving the nature of the game, it means that you’ll more than likely get a few game overs before making it all the way to the end. It’s a bit unforgiving in that respect, but it’s certainly not a big enough issue to hurt the game all that much. It’s still a genuine classic and one of the greatest games ever made.

You can get continues in the bonus stages, as with all Genesis Sonic games... but yes, you don't have any unless you win them. It's the same in many other games, such as Blades of Vengeance to give one of many examples. It does make games harder, but the Genesis always the more "hardcore" console compared to the SNES, SNES platformers and action games were on average easier and were much more likely to have saving.

I like saving, so that's a point for the SNES, in my opinion... and yes, it is frustrating. I've never finished the Genesis version of Sonic 1, though I have gotten to the final boss. But it's an approach, and it's one the system stuck with pretty much to the end (Comix Zone and The Ooze, two of Sega's later Genesis titles, have no continues at all, for instance).


I've always had trouble deciding between SMW and Sonic, both are such amazing games that deciding which one is better is really difficult...

Konami, long known for their action-packed titles such as the Contra series, Gradius, the Castlevania series, and much more, released a different sort of game in June 1993. The title Rocket Knight Adventures, seems to suggest some sort of scifi adventure with loads of action, but it’s actually a mascot platformer with bright, cheery colors and a smiling protagonist named Sparkster. Only, it’s set in the midst of a war between helpless opossum people and an army of pigs and robots. It seems an odd sort of combination, but the results speak for themselves. The game, designed by Nobuya Nakazato, known for his work on several Contra titles, is one of the more well-known Genesis platformers and mascot titles. In the game, Sparkster sets out on a quest to save the princess from a rocket knight turned rogue, as war rages between possums and pigs. Try saying that with a straight face.

What truly sets this game apart from other platformers is Sparkster’s rocket pack. Not only does it allow him to shoot across the screen at speeds that would make Sonic jealous, it can also be used to turn Sparkster into a missile for attacking enemies and for reaching out of the way places and platforms that he wouldn’t otherwise be able to reach. Some levels the rocket pack gets a power boost that allows Sparkster some sustained flight through the entire level; these levels play out a lot like a sidescrolling shmup.

Aside from his rocket pack, Sparkster also has a sword which can be used to attack enemies up close or to through out a wave of energy perfect for attack enemies from a distance. These enemies include pig soldiers and their various robots. The emphasis on action also allows for some really cool boss battles, like a giant robot and a centipede that alternately crashes through the ceiling and walls to get at Sparkster.

It’s got a nice, fast pace to it, almost like a Sonic game in some respects and an emphasis on action while still retaining a lot of the hallmarks of the platformer genre [pits, spikes, collectables, and so on]. There’s a wide variety of levels, both platformer and sidescrolling shmup.

The soundtrack, composed by a team made up of Aki Hata, Michiru Yamane, Masanori Adachi, and Hiroshi Kobayashi, is really great. There are some many memorable tunes on the soundtrack and it’s very well made. On the other hand, the graphics, while featuring nicely detailed sprites and backgrounds, suffers from the Genesis’s limited on-screen color palette, giving it a slightly washed-out look. The graphics certainly aren’t bad, but there are better looking platformers on the Genesis.

All things considered this is a classic worth remembering. Okay, so maybe the graphics could be better, but is that really important? No, it isn’t, because the gameplay is so good and has so much variety that nothing else really matter.

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

You don't mention the difficulty level there, really? Sure RKA looks and sounds and plays great, but it's hard and has limited lives and continues... and I think that you need to play in Hard to get the real ending. Good luck there, it's extremely difficult even in Normal!

I didn't find it all that hard. I played through the first level and part of the second without getting killed a single time.

Green Hill Zone's easy, this Sonic thing's not so hard!

Game reviews need to be based on playing more than just a few levels.

Also, the stages are long, there are multiple minibosses in each one (the first stage goes all the way to the giant snake boss...), lots of different scenes, a wide variety of challenges for you to overcome... it makes the game great, but also increases the difficulty because you're always doing new things. The mirror-lava section in level 3 is particularly clever...

You really beat the whole first stage without dying? I just played the game again, died twice before I got to the snake. I'm sure if I play a few more times I'll get through level 1 without dying, but still, if you mess up it's easy to die, particularly after the first level. The boss of level 1 itself is pretty easy though, but that changes... the level 2 boss can be tough, and the mine-cart section before it is pretty unforgiving too.

Still, if that was all there was I wouldn't call it THAT hard, just unforgiving and quite reliant on memorization. But, the default difficulty is Easy. In Easy you get 3 lives per continue and 3 continues. However, as I said in my last post, you won't get the real ending that way. You need to play in Normal to do that -- and in Normal you only get 2 lives per continue and 1 continue. I don't even try to play the game in Normal, it's quite difficult enough in Easy...

Memorization does pay though, you do get farther each time as you learn the new challenges. And the outstanding graphics and sound, as well as the varied gameplay, really help keep interest up. It's a very fun and rewarding game to play... I just wish that it had the password system of the two Sparkster games. It is a challenge. I just don't like having to replay a game over from the beginning because I messed up in level three or something... why do I have to keep replaying the parts of the game I know better? It's frustrating, yet so many NES and Genesis platformers force you to do that.

That really is one reason I like the SNES, so many more platformers have saving...

Enix, a company almost synonymous with RPGs, had their own platformer for the SNES at the height of the craze during the 16-bit years. Released September 1995 in Japan, [/b]The Violinist of Hameln[/b], based on a manga of the same name by Michiaki Watanabe, followed the exploits of Hamel, a skilled violinist, in his quest to take down a group of demons that have been terrorizing a small village. Before he leaves, he takes a young girl named Flute with him.

Now, let’s get one thing out of the way right now: Violinist of Hameln is probably one of the most sexist platformers ever made. That’s no small accomplishment when most of them feature a heroic male character saving a helpless female character who has been kidnapped by the bad guys. But Hameln beat all those with ease. That’s based on the gameplay aspect that also makes Hameln unique among platformers. Flute, the village girl who helps Hamel, basically gets used and abused in every single level. This is through a variety of ways. For one thing, Hamel can pick her up and throw her like a projectile at enemies or headlong into breakable obstacles. There are also a variety of costumes that Hamel can find to make Flute use to get past various obstacles [one costume is an ostrich which can walk across spikes and another is a frog that leap high up in the air]. Hamel can also stand on Flute’s shoulders to reach higher locations than he might otherwise. Flute has a health bar but she can’t actually be killed, how much health she has left at the end of level determines bonus points. So…yeah. It’s really wrong, but also kind of funny. I guess that makes me bad person.

With that out of the way, Violinist of Hameln is a pretty basic platformer. There are various platforms, ladders, enemies, and spikes to be overcome along with other environmental traps to avoid. Hameln’s main weapon is a violin that can shoot out deadly musical notes, which actually work surprisingly well in fighting enemies. If not for the addition of Flute as a gameplay element, it really wouldn’t be all that special. So, I suppose that means that extreme sexism is this game’s claim to fame. That’s so horrible to say. Well, anyway, just don’t take it all that seriously and it shouldn’t be too hard to enjoy.

The game is a bit on the hard side, I got killed once just on the first level. It’s not among the hardest platformers out there, since you’ve got a health bar and several extra lives, but I’d put it above some of the other platformers on the SNES.

The music is the sort of upbeat tunes that you can expect to find in most mid-range platformers. It’s nothing really all that special, but it serves the game well enough. The graphics are nice and colorful, but, again, nothing that you couldn’t find in a number of other mid-range platformers. Both of these elements get the job done without really being all that memorable.

Overall, it’s a fun little game. The addition of Flute and her many costumes is interesting and adds some variety to the gameplay, but it’s still not an all time classic like the three other platformers discussed so far. Try it out, have a little fun, and then move on.

http://greatrumbler.wordpress.com/2010/0...f-hamelin/

Quote:All things considered this is a classic worth remembering. Okay, so maybe the graphics could be better, but is that really important? No, it isn’t, because the gameplay is so good and has so much variety that nothing else really matter.

Oh, I forgot to reply to this... the graphics could have been better? Really? Rocket Knight Adventures looks absolutely amazing for a Genesis game... aside from maybe Sonic or Vectorman or something, not many platformers look as good. It's got bright, beautiful graphics, pushing what the system can do and with a lot of variety too. Genesis games do not often look or sound this good. It's a really good game...

I mean, yes, of course it suffers from the limited palette. There I agree -- the limited palette is the Genesis' greatest drawback, no question. All Genesis and Sega CD games suffer from it. But some games do a better job of working with it than others, and I'd say that RKA is among the better ones.

They went for a slightly more detailed look and it made the graphics look washed out. In contrast Sonic the Hedgehog looks really vibrant and colorful. There is a difference there and it's noticeable.

In a rather uncharacteristic move, Sega established a development team in the US known as Sega Technical Institute. On top of working on several Sonic games, the team also came up with several totally original titles of their own. One amongst that number was Kid Chameleon, a game about a virtual reality program that kidnaps anyone who can’t beat the game. Unfortunately for the kids who play it, that’s everyone who has ever played it so far. Enter Casey, a cool kid who think he’s got what it takes to the beat the final boss, Heady Metal, and free all the kids who have been kidnapped.

He’s nicknamed Kid Chameleon because of his ability to assume various personas by putting on different masks. One of those is a samurai who wields a sword, another is an armed knight, and another is rhinoceros sort of creature. There are more besides those three and each serves a different purpose in getting Kid from end of the level to the other. This adds variety to the gameplay and ensures that few levels repeat the same structure.

Setting the masks aside, the gameplay is similar to Super Mario Bros. There are various enemies that move back and forth across the screen and most of them can be killed by jumping on their heads, although this is not the case for all of them. There are also breakable blocks that hide collectible crystals and Kid’s various masks. Some of the forms have melee or even ranged weapons, further differing it from other platformers. Each section is usually split into two levels, although it doesn’t have boss battles. Each form also has at least one diamond power, which uses the diamond collected in the various to levels to perform different effects.

Kid Chameleon is slightly easier than other Genesis platformers. You start with three lives and three continues and it’s possible to get more over the course of the game. I died a few times, but that mainly as a result of simply getting used to the game. Also, each form has its own health bar and that, when emptied, causes Kid Chameleon to revert back to his regular form, which has two hit points. Obtaining a new mask, even the same as the one Kid already has, result in his health bar being refilled. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t some areas that can be really tricky, however.

On the technical front, the graphics aren’t too hot. I know I harped on Rocket Knight Adventure’s graphics a few days ago, but it looks much better than Kid Chameleon, which has a flat look to it. That doesn’t effect the gameplay of course, but I think it’s worth at least noting. In terms of music, I suppose it gets the job done, but there’s nothing there that I find to be particularly memorable.

Overall, it’s a fun game to play for a while, but I just don’t see putting it up with the best platformers on the SNES and Genesis.

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

Sorry, Weltall. :(

Akira Toriyama, known for his hyper-famous Dragon Ball series or maybe even Dr. Slump if you’re feeling really obscure, but he also had another series that ran from 1993 to 1994 called Go! Go! Ackman, which starred a demon child named Ackman who harvest souls to sell to the devil. He’s the “hero” of the story. As with any such series, it was inevitably turned into a series of licensed games, of which there were four [three on the SNES, one on the Gameboy] and all of them were developed and published by gaming house Banpresto.

In the game, Ackman fights against the angel army and collects the souls of the defeated enemies, which his demon companion, Godon, keeps in a jar. The gameplay is pretty standard action/platformers stuff. You have to jump over lots of bottomless pits, fight enemies, and gather powerups and such. Ackman has a four-bar health meter and several lives per continue, which, as far as I know, are unlimited. There are several different weapons that can be picked up and used, although you’ll mostly just have Ackman punch and kick his enemies. Don’t try to jump on enemies’ heads though, because most of the time that doesn’t work and results in Ackman losing health.

Graphics and music are both pretty good, nothing really all that special but it works and doesn’t get in the way. The only problem with the music is that most levels just loop the same bit of music over and over. I mean, I like the tune, but it gets old after a while.

I will mention this: the car driving level is brutally unforgiving. You’ve got to get it fully memorized in order to complete it and that will probably take you at least two continues. There’s a boss fight right after that and if you die during the boss fight you have to do the car driving level all over again. That was the part where I gave up.

There are also two sequels for the SNES and they all play pretty much the same. Only the first one’s been translated though.

http://greatrumbler.wordpress.com/2010/0...go-ackman/

Hot off the heals of their success with Rocket Knight Adventures, Konami made a sequel called Sparkster for the Genesis. They also made another game called Sparkster for the SNES. Aside from the names and having the same main character, they’re actually two completely different games, which is why I’m going to list both of them.

Both are similar in gameplay to the first game, although I feel that the some of changes made to the Genesis Sparkster push it a bit farther away from the spirit of the original title while the SNES Sparkster is a bit closer. Use of the jetpack is less strategic in the Genesis version, as it fills automatically and fairly quickly allowing the player to concentrate on other things. I’m not necessarily for or against it, either way has it perks and it downsides, so that’s kind of a wash for both versions I think.

Genesis Sparkster has some gameplay quirks that the SNES Sparkster doesn’t have, such a buttons that can be pressed using a burst from Sparkster’s rocket pack to access other areas of the level or unlock hidden items. On the other hand, the SNES Sparkster has a somewhat more complex and vertical level layout, it’s not a huge difference but Genesis version feels a bit more straightforward by contrast.

Graphically speaking, the both version feature slightly flatter looks than the original, which had a slightly tilted looked to the backgrounds with added a bit of depth. It’s not so much an issue with the SNES version because it has a level of vibrancy and background detail that it still looks very good, but the Genesis version has suffered just a bit and doesn’t hold up quite as well as its predecessor. Both a good looking titles that run very nicely, so that’s not necessarily a knock, just an observation. Akira Yamaoka, known for composing the Silent Hill games, contributed to the soundtrack on both Sparkster titles and, for the most part, did a pretty good job. I don’t think either soundtrack is quite as memorable as the Rocket Knight Adventure soundtrack, but that could just be nostalgia talking.

They’re also fairly hard, even harder than the original. Although the SNES version has five continues, compared to two in the Genesis version, it’s still pretty tough. Particularly in the second stage where there are these giant wheels that will squash you flat if you so much as touch them. It’s really unforgiving. Bosses in both version are hard as well. Overall, they’re just hard games and difficult in a way that I never thought the original was, although the original wasn’t necessarily easy or anything. The SNES version does have a password save system however.

I’d give a slight edge to the SNES version, but both a fine games and nice additions to the series.

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

Quote:They’re also fairly hard, even harder than the original. Although the SNES version has five continues, compared to two in the Genesis version, it’s still pretty tough. Particularly in the second stage where there are these giant wheels that will squash you flat if you so much as touch them. It’s really unforgiving. Bosses in both version are hard as well. Overall, they’re just hard games and difficult in a way that I never thought the original was, although the original wasn’t necessarily easy or anything. The SNES version does have a password save system however.

Genesis Sparkster also has passwords, not only the SNES game.

I agree, the SNES one is a bit better, and definitely much more faithful to the original game. Genesis RKA and SNES Sparkster are fantastic games, but Genesis Sparkster is a little less great thanks to the different, and not quite as good I think, design...

The first game might be the best of the series (really, play more of it, if you haven't gotten past level 2), but both of these are certainly fantastic as well. They're great platformers, it's awesome that Konami is bringing back the series. :)

A Black Falcon Wrote:The first game might be the best of the series (really, play more of it, if you haven't gotten past level 2), but both of these are certainly fantastic as well. They're great platformers, it's awesome that Konami is bringing back the series. :)

I've had Rocket Knight Adventures for ages, got pretty far in it a number of times though I can't remember if I actually beat it or not.

Cool. It is pretty hard, without passwords like the Sparkster games have... such a great game though.

Oh, both Sparkster games drop the shmup sections from the original, right? Do I remember that correctly?

Yeah, they're both straight platformers now.

The Bonk series, beginning on various systems back in 1990, was a mainstay of the Turbo-Grafx, it was published by Hudson Soft after all, system for a number of years. Finally, in 1994, after seven entries, the franchise finally landed on the SNES. It also proved to be the last entry in the series as, for reasons unknown, it more or less died out after that. There was a compilation or two and a collection of minigames features Bonk, but nothing like what it once had been. There is, however, a move to resurrect the series with a downloadable title in the works for the three major systems. All that aside, let’s focus on A.I Company’s last, major effort on the series: Super Bonk.

At first the gameplay in Super Bonk seems very familiar. Like any good platformer, you move from one side of the level to the other while fighting or avoiding bad guys and picking items and other trinkets along the way. Super Bonk is no different in this regard, but it does have three different forms for the main protagonist, Bonk, and three different sizes that he can grow or shrink to depending in which type of candy he eats. These forms and sizes have different functions and serve to make the game more interesting. Just in terms of gameplay, this is about all the Super Bonk offers in terms of being unique from other platformers. However, that’s not the end of the story. The way the levels are made and how unique and wild they are is pretty impressive. Each one seems to flow into the next and there are often a number of different way to finish each level, including entirely different paths. There are also a number of special stages scattered around, which are accessed by finding an item that looks like a flower. The special stages are fairly short, but mix things up by offering something different from just the usual platforming. It’s easy to dismiss Super Bonk after a few minutes as just another derivative platformer, but if you spend enough time with it you’ll find yourself playing more and more. It’s very deceptive like that.

The graphics are decent enough, but lack the color and detail of many other SNES platformers. It’s not a huge concern, but it’s something worth noting. The music is likewise decent, but nothing that really stands out.

Difficult is fairly low, even for a SNES platformer. In all the time spent playing I died just once, during a boss fight, and I was able to pick up an extra life along the way to replace it around the same time. It’s a bit on the easy side, but still quite fun. Although I wouldn’t call this an all-time classic, it’s a platformer that has stood the test of time and remains a fun diversion.

http://greatrumbler.wordpress.com/2010/0...uper-bonk/

Super Bonk isn't the last major title in the series, its Japan-only sequel Super Bonk 2 is.

If you thought Super Bonk was weird... well, the second one is even stranger. Fantastic platfomer though, just like all of the Bonk games.

As for Super Bonk itself, I got that game last year, and did a thread at NeoGAF about it... Very fun game. Simple, but very fun. It's got so much odd stuff in it too... :)

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=374100

Oh, If you don't think Super Bonk was odd, well, you just didn't play it enough. It starts out seeming normal enough, but it gets progressively stranger the farther you get... and this is particularly true if you've played the TG16 games and think you know what Bonk games are "supposed" to be like. In themes, Super Bonk is very different from the cavemen-and-dinosaurs theme of all three TG16 games, with all the time travel and flying through space weirdness and such. It's kind of cool, but strange. :)

Quote:It’s easy to dismiss Super Bonk after a few minutes as just another derivative platformer, but if you spend enough time with it you’ll find yourself playing more and more. It’s very deceptive like that.

This is very true. Super Bonk has very long levels with many, sometimes branching, parts, and there are multiple routes through some levels. The first level is by far the most conventional, and the least fun; for anyone playing the game and bored in level one, stick with it! Things start getting more interesting, and weirder, from the second level on. By the end I thought it was a very good game, though in the first level I definitely wasn't thinking that way (It seemed more average at that point).

Quote:Difficult is fairly low, even for a SNES platformer. In all the time spent playing I died just once, during a boss fight, and I was able to pick up an extra life along the way to replace it around the same time. It’s a bit on the easy side, but still quite fun. Although I wouldn’t call this an all-time classic, it’s a platformer that has stood the test of time and remains a fun diversion.

It's not a very difficult game, but it does get harder near the end. The last world is definitely more challenging. Still, all Bonk games were supposed to be accessible, and aren't THAT hard. They're supposed to be just challenging enough to be fun, while not frustrating people too much, I think. I think they mostly succeed at that. :)

Hot of the heels of their roaring success with platformer Sonic the Hedgehog, Sega needed a follow-up that captured the appeal of the original but expanded upon the formula enough that it could still be just as fresh. This time around, members of Sonic Team [such as Yuji Naka and Hirokazu Yasuhara] traveled to the United States to work with a newly-formed development team known as Sega Technical Institute. The product of their labor, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, went on to sale six million copies and helped the Genesis catch up to the SNES in market share. It’s also been branded as one of the greatest videogames of all time, certainly no mean feat.

This time around, Sonic is joined by his pal Miles “Tails” Prower, a fox with two tails [hence the nickname], who aids Sonic by, mostly, providing moral support. However, Tails can, at times, accidentally attack the enemy. Usually he falls into a pit or walks directly into an enemy and dies, only to reappear a few moments later. He does prove his worth near the end, however, so I suppose he’s not entirely useless. Clever players will discover that Tails can be directly controller during singe player with the second player’s controller. There’s also a two-player race mode where Sonic and Tails race through various levels to see who can be the fastest, but everything gets really squashed during this mode and there’s a lot of slowdown, so I wouldn’t really recommend it.

This time around, the gameplay has been streamlined a bit and made a bit easier. Sonic can run much faster than before and there are various things that have been implemented to take advantage of this, such as more loops and twirls for Sonic to run through and less strategically placed enemies. In the first game, it was hard to get up a lot of sustained momentum because there was usually and enemy or a spike trap waiting just ahead, so you had to be very careful about how you used Sonic’s speed. That’s not the case with Sonic 2. But, that doesn’t mean that Sonic is just about running fast from one side of the level to the other, there’s still a great deal of platforming and quick-reflexes required. This is especially evident in levels like Oil Ocean Zone and Chemical Plant Zone which have large, sprawling levels and, in the case of the later, a number of insta-death pits places in the final third. Another addition is the ability to rev Sonic up by crouching and pressing the A button, allowing him to build up speed for a sudden burst. This is very useful for getting up steep inclines or powering through enemies. Much of the rest of the gameplay is very similar to the first title, you collect a lot of rings, jump on enemies, run really fast, and fight Dr. Robotnik at the end of every zone. That’s not a downside, of course, as the gameplay standard set by the original is one of the best in 2D platformers.

Both the graphics and the music have seen a considerable update for this sequel. The backgrounds and the foregrounds popout with detail, depth, and a vibrancy that many Genesis titles sorely lack. It wouldn’t be a stretch at all to say that this is one of the best looking Genesis games. As I stated before, Sonic moves even faster than before. For the most part, the Genesis has no trouble keeping up, although sometimes Sonic can get moving so fast that he actually starts to move ahead of the camera. This is usually the case most often when Sonic is going through a series of loops and doesn’t affect normal gameplay. The music, done again by Masato Nakamura, is absolutely one of best soundtracks ever made. Nearly every track is an all-time classic and each is highly memorable. On the technical front, it’s an absolute gem.

On a special note, one of the zones where the graphics, music, and gameplay gel the most is the Casino Night Zone. The two levels that comprise this zone is are just so absolutely brilliant. The way the skycrapers in the background shimmer in the night, the stars that pass by up in the sky, the sprawling, complex levels filled with bumpers, flippers, slot machines, and more. I don’t think it would be much of a stretch to say that the Casino Night Zone is one of my favorite levels in any platformer ever. Everything about it is just so good.

As I stated earlier, Sonic 2 is a bit easier than the original. It's possible to store up a bevy of extra lives and extra continues without much effort at all, although it's still very possible to lose all of them fighting the final boss. I certainly have on more than one occasion, but getting that far is not the Herculean effort that it is in many other Genesis platformers.

Bottom line: Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is an all-time classic in every way and one of the greatest games ever made.

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