I have been reading Console Wars by Blake J. Harris recently. I have not finished it, but it's been a good read, and very insightful to the goings-on in the early 90's video game scene. The Sega Genesis has been one of my favorite consoles for a good long time now, and may just be my favorite console of all time. This website has already seen a top ten of Genesis games, but I have my own opinion, I swear!
1996 was an awkward time for video games. 3D was the huge new thing, and everyone had to adapt or die. Some franchises made the jump quite well (see: Mario), some didn't do so to well (see: Castlevania). Sure new IPs came along much well suited to this 3D thing, but we what we really wanted was our favorite characters to make the jump. In '96 Sonic made the 'jump' to 3D... on the Genesis. The problem with this is in order to be '3D' on the genesis, is it had to be in an isometric view and imply depth instead of actually have it. Sega used this technique back in the 80's with Zaxxon. Later on Sega ported this game to the saturn with enhanced graphics, and that version was ported to the PC. I'll mention the differences as they come.
Multiplatform releases were somewhat of a rarity back in the 16-bit days. Game consoles were just too different from each-other, so it wasn't an easy thing to do. Which brings me to another game from my childhood -- Pitfall the Mayan Adventure, which was on fucking everything. Sure you had the occasional game that came out on the Genesis and Super Nintendo ala Bubsy, but this game was on almost any machine you can name back on the day: SNES, Genesis, Sega CD, 32X, Atari Jaguar, PC, and even got a port later on for the Gameboy Advance. For the sake of this review I'll be focusing on the Genesis/Sega CD version (they're very similar minus a few differences, more on that later).
So it never occurred to me to do these in weekly installments.
Why? Dunno. Let's fix that.
Wowee zowee! A Sonic game that isn't in the top five!? I know, right? Anyone who's anyone who knows anything about anyone that knows me knows that I love me some fast gameplay. I think the Sonic games have those, right?
Well that's enough with the SNES.
Now to my favourite retro console! The good ol' Genesis.
Ahhh the grand concept of exploration! One of my favourite gameplay elements ever.
And why shouldn't it be? Since time immemorial we as humans have always been skirting the boundary of the known to worlds beyond! This drive has not been lost to us, despite having our own world nearly completely charted and figured out. The last frontier on our world would be that of the ocean deep, where the water pressure is so unforgiveably powerful that it takes the best of engineering and grit to delve to that depth. I'm still waiting on a game that fairly realistically involves exploring deep oceans.
Until then, I'll keep playing space exploration games.
So Michael Jackson.
Do you know about him? Heard his songs? Caught a mention of him in someone's conversation?
I feel like gushing on good writing.
I have a distant memory of my older brother and a cousin-of-similar-age-to-my-brother looking through a thick book. It said 'Rulebook' on the front, but had very interesting cover art. The two of them seemed to think it was the coolest thing ever. I asked if I could read it, but of course, being the little brother, I wasn't allowed to. I wasn't cool enough, apparently. (how can someone tell if someone else is cool enough? Is there a unit of measurement...?)
(This RotW was originally posted on EchoNET, as of this being posted, all previous EchoNET posts are now accounted for)
Where do you even start with Streets of Rage 2, where!? I guess I'll start at the most logical place: The story.
Basically, your friend Adam from the first game has been kidnapped by the crime lord (or whatever you'd call him) Mister X. You playing as Axel, a girl named Blaze, Adam's brother Skate, or Axel's wrestler friend Max, must re-defeat the crime syndicate lead by Mr. X that has returned and kidnapped Adam. It's a pretty basic plot, but c'mon, this is a Genesis/Mega Drive game from 1992. Imagine if Sonic 2 had a huge story! So basically... the story is not important. What is important is: you have an excuse for beating some ass.
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