Genesis Gems

[digitalpress]

All this talk about the Sega Genesis is giving me goosebumps!

In an IM with ChristianScott (at this very moment in fact), he mentioned that most people who have Genesis own Sonic and 3 sports games. I'm thinking: what a shame - so many great titles that will never be played or noticed.

So let's start noticing the less obvious ones. I'll start.

Splatterhouse 3: My God. I liked Splatterhouse on the TurboGrafx-16 and was a little less impressed with the "sequel", which was remarkably like the original, when it appeared on the Genesis. Then they turned around and created a brand new experience in Splatterhouse 3. Not only are you up against an odd assortment of mutants but you've ALSO got the clock working against you! The gameplay style is much better as well, adding a map of the building that you can navigate differently each time you play. Add to this the fact that you're now playing "Streets of Rage" style instead of just a simple punch, kick, or weapon and you've got one HELL of a game. Literally. Splatterhouse 3 was a Genesis exclusive. If you have a Genny, go check this one out.

Who''s next?

[christianscott27]

biohazard battle- meets that r-type craving with some really nice graphics and challenging gameplay. i'm sure it gets better if i could get to the higher levels.
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GIRLFRIEND PIC

[buttasuperb]

Kid Chameleon, innovative and fun as hell.

General Chaos, one of my favorite games of all time. I've always wished for an updated version.

[dsullo]

Dungeons & Dragons Warriors of the Eternal Sun. Impressive RPG with all the D&D elements. Pretty underappreciated in my opinion. Great Story and Great Graphics. I finished it twice.

[Tritoch]

King's Bounty! Featuring improved graphics over the DOS version, catchy music, and strategic gameplay this was easily one of my favorite games as a kid. For it's time it was very innovative (a precursor to the Heroes series), and the Genny controller was able to handle the game very competently (unusual in a PC port). That's in addition to the hilarious enemy names, tons of usable unit types, and everyone's favorite - dragons! Even today, I often find myself going back to it instead of pulling out newer PC strategy games like Kohan and Age of Wonders.

[klimatron8]

ToeJam and Earl #2 -Panic on Planet Funkatron --- even better than the original -great fun -yet you only ever hear the first game mentioned. Also sorry but I gotta stump again for a massively overlooked sports game----LaRussa Baseball95 (not tonylarussa 1) this sequel was way ahead of it's time -pitchers warming up in the pen, A batter and a pitcher view, lots of sim stuff --vastly ovelooked gem of a baseball game.

[portnoyd]

Landstalker: A more common game for people to have, but it needs addressing. This IS the Genesis's answer to Zelda. More or less, Zelda plus the isometric land/puzzle system of the NES's Solstice. A fantastic game. It doesn't feature the true freedom of Zelda, but the linear nature gives it more of a story. The right amount of challenge, good graphics, good music, great control. IMO, the best game on the system.

I second General Chaos. That is a HELL of a game. Offers an experience that is hard to find in any other game on any other system from the time, IMO.

King's Bounty and Might & Magic: Thankfully, the Might & Magic and Heroes of Might & Magic series made it to the Genesis in some form. M&M being, in my opinion, the best M&M period, (#2), and King's Bounty being (I believe) the first Heroes. Both excellent, LONG, FULL, CHALLENGING games.

dave

[ManekiNeko]

Here's a no-brainer... Gunstar Heroes. It takes all the frustration out of Contra and adds more complex gameplay, plus the charm that its testosterone-soaked counterpart was missing. The weapon system (allowing you to mix and match different types of artillary) was brilliant, the graphics gorgeous, and the music intense. For fans of fast-paced arcade games, it just doesn't get any better than Gunstar Heroes. Even Treasure has had a difficult time topping their work in this game... only the prequel Guardian Heroes and the fantastic Saturn shooter Radiant Silvergun stand on the same level.

JR

[ManekiNeko]

I'd also like to add Space Invaders '91 to the list. It was one of the best updates to the Space Invaders series ever made, featuring logical new additions to the gameplay that kept it faithful to the original, yet a lot less monotonous. The graphics, consisting largely of picturesque planetscapes, were quite good, the new invader types were very imaginative, and the music, composed by that daring team of video game musicians Zuntata, added a lot of atmosphere to the game. If it's not THE best version of Space Invaders available, it's pretty close.
Joe, I hope you'll forgive me if this is an inappropriate question, but I just have to know. I remember that Kevin Oleniacz was constantly on the lookout for this game. Did he ever get it?

JR

[digitalpress]

Joe, I hope you'll forgive me if this is an inappropriate question, but I just have to know. I remember that Kevin Oleniacz was constantly on the lookout for this game. Did he ever get it?

Yup.

[Arcade Antics]

*Echoes sentiment for Splatterhouse 3 and Space Invaders '91.*

I also like Ultimate Qix, but you might have to experiment with different controllers to find one that works best for you. Just try and fill in *100%* of the screen.

Pac-Mania is a fab translation of the coin-op.

Phelios, Truxton, and Grind Stormer are oft overlooked shoot 'em up gems.

Dragon's Fury and Dragon's Revenge: fanTAStic pinball sims.

Gauntlet IV: "Treasure: 100 points." Near perfect coin-op port.

And possibly the most underrated Genesis game ever:

Flicky. Another fine coin-op translation that literally flew in under the radar. Easy to learn, cute, and the later levels throw lots of extra difficulty at you.

[Bratwurst]

Rocket Knight Adventures was a polished, pleasant romp. The way you had to hop around and rebound off of walls with the jetpack reminds me very much of the NES Bionic Commando.

[ManekiNeko]

How about the sequel, Sparkster? I didn't care for Rocket Knight Adventures but I think Konami did a pretty good job with Sparkster. I especially liked the sword torpedo attack where Sparkster would fly toward the enemy, spinning wildly and with his sword outstretched. You could actually remove giant screws from a menacing machine with this attack... ingenious!

JR

[congobongo]

Finally got it this week: Ghouls N Ghosts. What a great arcade port! Also, Combat Cars is a suprisingly fun little game.

[Bighab]

The Genesis is my all-time favourite system. Some great games were mentioned above,Landstalker and D&D Warriors of the eternal sun to name a few. Here are some no one mentioned.
Starflight: Very cool space exploration/mystery RPG. I loved finding new planets to mine and hunt for new specimens. The space combat was fun. I had a blast with it.
Centurion Defender of Rome: Fantastic strategy game. I love the Legion Battles. Those dam Parthians and their all Cavalry units were a pain in the butt

[ManekiNeko]

"Finally got it this week: Ghouls N Ghosts. What a great arcade port!"

Yeah, it really was. I remember that EGM took every available opportunity to refer to the game as "cheesy" when other versions came out. Those other versions may have been prettier than the Genesis game, but they sure weren't better. Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts played a lot more like Ghosts 'n Goblins than the second game, lacking its gentle charm and the ability to fire both upward and downward. It was also far too difficult... I can get through a few rounds of Ghouls 'n Ghosts with persistence, but never got past the second round of "Super" Ghouls 'n Ghosts.
That also reminds me... EGM can bite me.

JR

[Keir]

I have to say I agree with a lot of the posts here. The others I simply haven't tried yet! I was going to post Rocket Knight Adventures, a game I just recently discovered, Bratwurst beat me to it. And now I hear there's a sequel? Yay!

Shove It! The Warehouse Game: An addictive puzzle game with a really stupid premise. You're working overtime moving boxes at a warehouse to make money to buy a fancy car to impress the girl of your dreams. Basically it's one of those games where you slide blocks around to get them into the right places. Simple concept, even simpler graphics and sound, but once you start playing you won't be able to put your controller down!

[Bratwurst]

I have to say I agree with a lot of the posts here. The others I simply haven't tried yet! I was going to post Rocket Knight Adventures, a game I just recently discovered, Bratwurst beat me to it. And now I hear there's a sequel? Yay!

I got that game, pristine and complete, years ago in a pawn shop of all things. I believe the sequel was for the SNES only, and they drastically changed the character appearance.

Anyways, I really liked Cyborg Justice, too. I need to get that one sometime.

[Raccoon Lad]

Bleh, I didn't really like Pac-Mania on the Genesis. I actually think the NES version is better.

[kainemaxwell]

Herzog Zwei and Ranger X belong on that list too.