Sega Mega Drive: Space Harrier II

Year: 1988
Genre: Action
Players: 1
Our Rating: 7/10

Mini Review

You have to go back all the way to 1988 to remember when it was popular to play Space Harrier II. It was just that though, the game was very much standard in the arcades in the late ‘80s. Now it is regarded as a retro gaming jewel. It was a game that was so distinctively Sega. Since that time it’s been packaged and re-packaged in numerous Sega collections. The game is fast and frantic and isn’t a let down in terms of speed or action. When you consider that this was one of the first major launches for the Sega mega Drive/Genesis the title really does show the calibre of Segas gaming legacy of the 1980s. The game is difficult though.

Your red jump suit man is flying seemingly never-ending towards the horizon whilst being attacked by numerous enemies and bosses. The boss battles in Space Harrier II are particularly worth while and without a doubt Starwing for the Super Nintendo must have been greatly influenced by this game. The graphics are pleasing for one of the Mega Drives older titles, the Fake 3D effect works surprisingly well although the colour schemes will give you that dizzy feeling after a while. Armed with only one simple laser canon the game gets very challenging as there are often multiple enemies attacking simultaneously. It’s usually luck if you can escape a level unharmed. This is a game that I can recommend based on what it is rather than how it plays tough. Space Harrier II represents a time when Sega really had it all with their legendary 16-Bit black box of pixelated magic.

Space Harrier II Video Introduction and Level 1.

Sega Mega Drive: Paperboy

Year: 1991
Genre: Action
Players: 2 (alternating)
Our Rating: 6/10

Mini Review

Paperboy is a game that many of us will remember from our childhoods and has a firm place as a classic retro game. For many this will be one of the first video games that they ever played. Although relatively late to reach the Mega Drive/Genesis this version is true to the earlier editions of the game. You are a young Paperboy given the task of delivering your round of the local streets. You can choose from Easy Street, Middle Road or Hard Way to start your career. Even on Easy Street though, the task seems anything but easy.

Delivering papers to the houses as you pedal only takes a little co-ordination and you will have this skill in no time. The real trick though is to avoid all of the other hazards that come your way. There’s every kind of hazard imaginable from people fighting, skateboarders, cars, soap box racers etc. These cause a significant challenge to the game and in some cases seem to make levels impassable (or it might be that I’m just not very good at playing this game). Whilst Paperboy isn’t the most playable of the classics it is still a classic. The idea is so simple and still stands out as a unique game amounts the library of multiple gaming formats. I would recommend this game in terms of nostalgia but newcomers to the game may not get as hooked as we once did when we young.

Sega Mega Drive: Primal Rage

Year: 1995
Genre: Beat 'em Up
Players: 1
Our Rating: 5/10

Mini Review

Primal Rage, it’s a game that exists on the basis that any game can exist. Fighting games were nothing new back in 1995, in fact they make up a significant proportion of retro games. We had already been introduced to some of the gaming worlds great successes including the Mortal Kombat, King of Fighters and the Street Fighter Series. The market was getting a little crowded for conventional arcade style fighting games. However, Primal Rage was one of the break out titles in the arcades. Primal Rage looked and sounded great there. However the game fared less successfully in the home market. Due to the technical limitations the overall result comes off as a little second class compared to it’s competitors of the time.

Primal rage is in essence a 2 player beat ‘em up frenzy of dinosaur action. For some reason there’s also two playable King Kong style characters (Chaos and Blizzard) and cavemanesque characters as background interest. It’s about as chronologically confused a game as you will find. In adition to the giant apes you have the choice of playing Sauron, Talon, Armadon, Vertigo, Diablo which represent the more traditional dinosaurs. The smart option seems to be Talon as his speed seems the greatest and also inflicts good amounts of damage if you can pull off the combos. Primal Rage isn’t a bad game, it’s simply a game that took a look at the animation and sound design of Mortal Kombat and said “We won’t get sued if we make the characters dinosaurs”. All children will have some memory of this game if the passed an arcade in the mid 90’s. It’s worth a look but greatly overshadowed by it’s retro competitors.

Sega Mega Drive: Mystic Defender

Year: 1989
Genre: Action
Players: 1
Our Rating: 7/10

Mini Review

Mystic Defender is a surprisingly good game for its time and stands out against many other retro games. The themes are very much Japanese throughout. “Zareth, a henchman of the evil king Zao has abducted Alexandra, the daughter of the supreme deity. Imprisoning his hostage deep in the Azuchi castle in Japan. He plans to use the fair maiden’s spirit to revive his evil master. Joe Yamato, a veteran fighter who is an expert in magic, single-handedly proceeds to the castle in order to put a stop to Zareth’s fiendish ambition, and to save Alexandra”.

Any game with a character called “Joe Yamato” must be good. The game follows the typical conventions of an action platform game. There are power ups, level bosses and a variety of different enemies and locations. I had never played this game when it was new so was pleased when I found it at my local collectors store. This is one that I can recommend as a good all-round action game.

Sega Mega Drive: 688 Attack Sub

Year: 1991
Genre: Strategy
Players: 1
Our Rating: 2/10

Mini Review

688 Attack Sub is arguably one of the most boring of all the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis games library. If you haven’t got a specific interest in submarines this game literally has nothing to offer you. In essence the game is a strategy based game in which you must complete various mission such as sinking other submarines. The problems with this game are never ending. Firstly the speed at which any “interesting” events happen are just too slow for words.

Even the opening mission statement will have you bored of the large amount of text which could have been summarised as “blow the red x up”. Secondly would be the actually game play itself. So little happens in the way of having to plan or reacting to events that you wonder if you’re winning or loosing, either way I found myself not caring too much. My final gripe with the game would be the control system. They went for the emulated mouse via the joy pad option, this is a complete disaster in terms of usability. A simple up and down tab system would have been much more appropriate. Since the joy pad is essentially digital you would expect the mouse pointer to move at a constant rate. However, the programmers tried to get clever and the pointer will speed up after about half a second of the direction pad being held down. You will have to keep this in mind as it becomes all to easy to overshoot the small on screen buttons that you are trying to push. Overall I would have to conclude that 688 Attack Sub is a fairly poor game and certainly not a retro classic to be relived.

Sega Mega Drive: Street Fighter 2 Special Champion Edition

Year: 1993
Genre: Beat 'em Up
Players: 2
Our Rating: 7/10

Mini Review

When it comes to the Street Fighter franchise the lists of retro games, series, editions, versions just goes on and on. Even the ones that most consider "Retro" have seemingly never-ending variations. One of the better know editions on the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis was “Street Fighter II: Special Championship Edition”. This version has all the original classic characters such as; Ryu, E. Honda, Blanka, Guile, Ken, Chun Li, Zangief and Dahlsim. Earlier non-playable character (from earlier editions) such as Balrog, Vega, Sagat and M. Bison are also now playable characters without having to use any codes of unlock features.

The general idea of any Street Fighter game is basic. Simply fight against your opponent in the best of three rounds. The first to be KO’d in two rounds loses. In the event that no KO takes place then the result is decided by the remaining health of each opponent at the end of the round. Compared to some of the slightly later editions this version seems a little bit slow. All the special moves are there and the graphics are not a disappointment. However, compared to the closest arcade versions of this game it is a bit of a let down. Characters such as Dahlsim seem particularly awkward to control and noticeably slower than in other versions. Although they make less damage per hit, the faster characters such as Guile, Ryu, Ken, Vega and Chun Li seem to always have the advantage. Whilst I have to admit that I’m not the biggest fan of the Street Fighter Series this is a classic game (or at least part of a larger series of good games). My recommendation to gamers looking for a good retro Street Fighter would be to track down a copy of the SNES Turbo editions rather than the Mega Drive version.

Sega Mega Drive: Comix Zone

Year: 1995
Genre: Beat 'em Up
Players: 1
Our Rating: 7/10

Mini Review

Comix Zone is a game with an original concept. You are trapped inside your very own living comic book. The theme of the game is very strong. There are lots of small effects such as paper ripping, pages turning and speech bubbles that all build up the effect. The game is essentially a beat ‘em up game not un similar to many others but the stylisation does set this title apart fro others in the genre.

Comix Zone being launched in 1995 was launched very much towards the end of the 16-bit era and benefits from the experience of the programmers. Some Mega Drive/Genesis editions come with a soundtrack CD and this has become a title that collectors look for. Although not exceptionally rare it is a game that is desirable. Personally I like this game as it’s not too difficult, not too serious but does require you to master it’s control system. Overall this game is one that I could recommend from the retro library.

Sega Mega Drive: American Gladiators

Year: 1992
Genre: Sports
Players: 1
Our Rating: 4/10

Mini Review

American Gladiators may have been a huge hit TV series back in the 1990s but the game certainly wasn’t. A you would expect the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis outing is based on the TV show of the same name. You will take part as a contestant in all of the main events from the show. Some events are better than others. However the quality of the games is relatively low. The in game graphics are acceptable but nothing special for the era.

I’ve played this game through a couple of times. Each time I come to the conclusion that the game is just too short and lacking in any real substance to consider it a classic retro game. The game is clearly a cash in title so we shouldn’t expect too much. If you were a big fan of the show this game might amuse you for a little while. Whilst it’s not the worth title in the Sega library, it certainly isn’t one that I would recommend revisiting.

Sega Mega Drive: Alisia Dragoon

Year: 1992
Genre: Run 'n Gun
Players: 1
Our Rating: 7/10

Mini Review

Alisia Dragoon can be described best as a fairy tale run and gun game. The basic story line is that Alisia must defeat the main boss in order to retrieve the silver star. The game play is rather good for one of the earlier Mega Drive titles. Your main weapon is lightning which emanates from Alisias hands. This can be charged up for larger attacks. You cannot aim specifically at your enemies.

The tactic is to aim in their general direction and let the lightning fill the screen. In addition to this lightning attack you have your own personal Dragon/Dragoon to assist you. The dragon can be upgraded and will fight along side you throughout the beautifully rendered levels. During boss fights however the dragon will not be able to assist you. Overall this is a solid title for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis. It’s a game that adds a little more than most to this rather overstocked genre of retro gaming.

Alisia Dragoon Video Introduction and Level 1.

Sega Mega Drive: Prince of Persia

Year: 1993
Genre: Platform
Players: 1
Our Rating: 8/10

Mini Review

Prince of Persia for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis is one of the better outings of the series. This edition has been made far more graphically pleasing than previous editions. The game begins with the back story of the troubles in an excellent introductory animation (some of the best to date for the Mega Drive). Our hero begins his quest in the dungeons of the palace and must work his way through the game to rescue the princess. You must jump chasms, sword fight with guards and find potions.

The real issue here though is the time limit. You will have just 60 minutes to complete the game. A counter will helpfully put the pressure on you at the bottom of the screen. Without doubt Prince of Persia is a game worth playing. Whilst the Mega Drive version is not the original it has recreated the earlier versions with much care and similar level layout. It’s just a case of fancier graphics that have been added to keep players entertained. I can highly recommend this title for all ages and all levels of game experience.

Sega Mega Drive: Atomic Runner

Year: 1992
Genre: Run 'n Gun
Players: 1
Our Rating: 6/10

Mini Review

Atomic Runner is a good example of how a great idea can fail because of the execution. The idea is a simple run and gun affair. You must blast your way through numerous enemies and jump various pitfalls. In essence this is a great idea and not an unfamiliar theme of retro games of the '90s. However the controls let the game play down a little. Since your character is either constantly running to the right or standing still, there is no easy way to shoot enemies coming from behind.

This can quickly lead to all sorts of frustrations. The weapon upgrades are a nice touch and some of the levels have a good level of detail for the day. The title screen leads you to believe that this game will be so much more than it is. I still don’t hate this game, the disappointment for me is that the game could have been so much more. For example, comparable games such as Apidya or Forgotten Worlds seemed to have this genre perfected in the same time era. Overall I’d say give this one a go as it’s not at all a terrible game. It’s just not the game we hoped for.

Sega Mega Drive: Strider

Year: 1990
Genre: Run 'n Gun
Players: 1
Our Rating: 7/10

Mini Review

It is the year 2048 and the “Grand Master” has become an all powerful dictator of the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic. A secret agent, a “Strider” has been sent to assassinate him. You are that Strider. The game was reprogrammed from the arcade hit. The graphics and sound took some small downgrades but the overall feel is fairly similar. You will find yourself dashing and sliding in to the futuristic Soviet troops with your incredibly sharp blade.

The effects are excellent. Most of the enemies will go down with one hit and explode with great colour and velocity which is very satisfying. In essence this game uses the run and gun approach to game play. The boss fights though usually just descend in to a button mashing contest. The game has some classic enemies such as the Soviet government turning in to a huge centipede and also later a large robotic ape. Strider was great in it’s time and is still widely remembered today. Personally I like this game a lot. My preference would clearly be for the arcade or Amiga versions but the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis version is also still great fun.

Sega Mega Drive: Columns

Year: 1990
Genre: Puzzle
Players: 2
Our Rating: 5/10

Mini Review

Columns is regarded as one of the most identifiable games of the Sega Mega Drive. Nintendo had Tetris, Sega had Columns. Everything about the game seems to be plagiarised from other puzzle games. The general idea is to match sets of three gems in to a column to make them dissapear. This can be made either horizontally, vertically or diagonally. There’s not too much to complain about in the area of game play. The rules are simple and the game does speed up to add greater difficultly.

The problem lies in its unoriginality. Stacking the gems seems more like a chore than a game. After a while it doesn’t even seem like a game. Right from the get go is obvious that this game wants to be Tetris but can’t get closer without infringing copyrights. I think that I never really had a love of this game when I was younger so I lack the nostalgia factor of it now. If you liked this game in the 1990’s there’s a good chance that you might like to revisit it. However, I don’t feel that you would be missing much if you missed this one. Games like Columns are a dime a dozen these days.