Game of the Day 2/16/2016: Global Defense

[celerystalker]

Global Defense for Sega Master System is a port of one of their classic arcade titles, SDI, which is included in the Japanese PS2 Sega Ages 2500 series accompanying Quartet (God, I love Quartet... but that's not what I'm here to go on aboit today). It is a combination of a horizontal shooter and Missile Command, where you control both your defensive satellite's movement and a cursor, dodging with one while shooting down bases and missiles with the other.

Each stage is split into an offensive half, during which you orbit the planet/area you are defending, attempting to destroy all of the enemy firepower before it exits the screen. Kill 100%, and you move on to the next offensive stage. Let anything by, though, and it's off to the defensive half. These are played almost purely like Missile Command, and you must prevent missiles from touching ground. Too many missiles pass, you die, and it's game over, regardless of your number of lives left.

Global Defense is tough. You have a fire button and a move button. Normally, the D-pad just moves your cursor, but holding the move button allows you to move your satellite instead. On PS2, you use twin stick control to move both simultaneously, and it also supports USB mouse control for the cursor, which really helps as things get crazy. The Sega Direct version came with a sweet mouse, of which Koa Zo was nice enough to post a picture here:

http://forum.digitpress.com/forum/sh...=1#post2026828

Apparently the arcade used a trackball for similar effect, but I personally haven't had the pleasure of playing on a real cabinet.

The graphics are nice, with beautiful planetscapes and stars worth defending and well-drawn sprites. The music is solid, and even better on PS2... (plus that version comes with Quar... nevermind). It is pretty tough, but more in the classic arcade sense as opposed to being unfair.

Played this one? Had a chance to play it on a real cabinet? PS2?

[celerystalker]

Hmm... not a lot of interest in this one, it would seem. If anybody has any feedback for how these posts can improve other than adding video, because I just don't have the time or equipment to do that, let me know, so I can make it as much fun for everyone as possible. I've (mostly) tried to stick with stuff that's fun to play and still available at decent prices, but I don't mean it to turn into a "hidden gems" type thing.

Brief anecdote on Global Defense; I picked it up in a big lot of Master System games I bought on Super Bowl Sunday in 2000, and didn't really think much about it at the time. It was when I played the PS2 release, which I'd bought to play arcade Quartet, that I realized that I had already played it before, which piqued my interest, and so I spent more time with both as a result.

[Emperor Megas]

Man, I freaking LOVED Global Defense! I was one of the 10 Americans who preferred the SEGA Master System over the NES. I owned both, and enjoyed both, but I was just WAY more into the SMS. Anyway, this is one of the games I REALLY enjoyed. It was such a mellow time killer. There were a lot of titles like that on the Master System (Penguin Land was another). The music, the mood, getting the little dancing bird to show up when you did well between stages. Wait, that WAS in Global Defense, right?

This game/topic makes me think about how much I love the Master System sound chip.

It's funny; I was JUST handling an extra sealed copy I own of this title while cleaning before checking to see what the Game of the Day was. That's a pretty amazing coincidence.

[Tanooki]

I had it, didn't play it much as I couldn't get into it. Actually as I don't think it's super popular, and it's cheap, both times I had a SMS it was thrown in as a cib game with the purchase along with a few other things too. I like the idea, but being stuck having to move it as you did on a SmS pad did it no favors.

[celerystalker]

Man, I freaking LOVED Global Defense! I was one of the 10 Americans who preferred the SEGA Master System over the NES. I owned both, and enjoyed both, but I was just WAY more into the SMS. Anyway, this is one of the games I REALLY enjoyed. It was such a mellow time killer. There were a lot of titles like that on the Master System (Penguin Land was another). The music, the mood, getting the little dancing bird to show up when you did well between stages. Wait, that WAS in Global Defense, right?

This game/topic makes me think about how much I love the Master System sound chip.

It's funny; I was JUST handling an extra sealed copy I own of this title while cleaning before checking to see what the Game of the Day was. That's a pretty amazing coincidence.

The Master System sound chip is super distinctive, and it's just unmistakable when you hear a chiptune with that sound.

I agree on Penguin Land. The day I got my Master System, that was the game I've played the most, and I picked it up two more times on Saturn and PS2. Love that game.

[Emperor Megas]

Those 'tings' and 'pings' and high pitched notes. Man, I love SMS chip music.

[Dire 51]

I was never a huge fan of Global Defense, but I do like it enough to own a copy.

[Alianger]

Might have to play the PS2 version then, couldn't get into the SMS one. I like the arcade soundtrack.