21 public reviews
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It's pretty odd that this game even exists for the stock MD. Success, a game company that never made anything for the console prior to this (though I think some devs come from Compile), decides to turn Cotton into a Space Harrier-like shooter, make it one of the most technically impressive efforts for the system, then release a limited amount of copies exclusively for the Japanese market as late as mid-1994. Well…
Sega really did a geat job with these Disney licenses at the time. Not only do they look great, but gameplay is usually on par with if not better than Capcom's work from around the same time and a couple of years earlier (when Disney shows were arguably reaching their peak). Similar to DuckTales 2 and Land of Illusion this is a MV-lite game with a hub map, where you travel the world and gain tools and weapons used…
This MV-lite style sequel is better in every way besides the music, which still is pretty solid. Expect better controls, fun abilities and good progression curve, interesting levels that reward exploration and decent bosses. There's also an alternate final level and ending if you collect all the hidden map pieces, and some differences on GB making both vesions worth checking out. If I have to complain about…
I liked the direction the series was going here; collecting made rewarding via detour challenges, decent sequence breaking opportunities, travel made easy by running and jumping over regular enemies, a changing world with new enemies appearing when revisiting previous areas, fewer near useless skills and items, and an interesting if flawed card system were all good additions to the SOTN formula. This game also has…
Similar to Quackshot or DuckTales 2 this is one of those MV-lite games with a hub map where you gain tools and abilities to progress and explore further into previous levels to upgrade your char. This is a nice showcase title along with games like Aladdin as the visuals are near early 16-bit quality, and for whatever reason Sega put more effort into the mechanics of these 8-bit Mickey games than they did the 16-bit…
Growing up we used to play the 3-player fighting game International Karate+ on a buddy's Amiga a lot, and we loved the sheer chaos of it. So in the '00s when I discovered that this game had the same feature but with yet another player added, I had to play it. And (spoiler) Treasure did it once again, it's a great fighting game in the vein of Fatal Fury 2, with some nice visuals and music too. Matches might not be as…
Landstalker is... quite a bit like Zelda 3 if it was an isometric view game, but with an actually interesting story (not the usual damsel in distress and save the world thing with a silent protag), a less formulaic structure, lots of platforming and more challenging puzzles. The lack of a shadow when jumping and some other control quirks were only a minor annoyance for me, since I used save states hehe.
Honestly, there's not that much to say about Micro Machines except that it's an excellent multiplayer game which is easy to get into for anyone. Start up a race, try to outrun the others and rack up the points until you win, then do it again on new courses and sometimes with new vehicles. This iteration let you build your own courses and had more modes than the previous games, which makes it the best. As with MM2 no…
A late release for the system that most people (including me, at the time) missed out on. Ristar seems like a slower, more kiddy version of Sonic at first, and it kind of is but it's also a high quality platformer with a fun to use grab/climb/headbutt ability as its main gimmick, interesting and vaired levels with hidden bonus levels, and some of the best sounding music on the system. The flow of the game is closer…
If I was god, the levels in this game would be about 20% longer, and the egg-shaped crawling robot segment would be removed from most paths. It would be the perfect run 'n gun game. Contra: HC is worth playing simply for the fact that it's an experimental entry in a very conservative series - they actually let you dodge attacks without that awkward jump here, and in the JP version you can take more than one hit…
This takes hacks/mods into account however it's still a top 10 SMS (and 8-bit gen) game without them. The first Alex Kidd was an ambitious platformer for its time with an inventory system, shops, dungeon levels with switch puzzles, optional side quests and unique quirks like how you remove the ghost enemies by destroying blocks that make it still stand out today. It's disappointing how even Sega fans in the US…
There's a bunch of great shoot 'em ups for the MD and this is the best horizontal one overall, as well as one of the best period. It's a pretty big leap from the prequel in several ways - The developers had really mastered the MD hardware at this point and their talent and attention to detail is visible throughout every aspect of the game, from the big, tough and intimidating bosses to the varied and detailed levels…
Read the full review Lightening Force: Quest for the Darkstar
Very impressed with this game. Itoi's writing is in a league of its own and it's both more mature and better translated here than in the prequel; witty, funny, quirky and sometimes quite touching. While the prequel also had good writing (and overall worldbuilding), here the gameplay is also good with a fun rhythm gimmick to battles and while it's mostly linear, it works better for the story and pacing I think.…
When it comes to SRPGs I think this is as good as it gets for the MD and the 16-bit gen, and the game easily outshines its prequel (Warsong) with its improved character customization, balancing, AI and variety. Langrisser 2 offers a very challenging game (dead characters stay dead), huge battles, cool classes like Summoner and Dragon Knight, a decent story with a lot of humour and twists, and excellent music. Still…
My fave 8-bit game after SMB 3 and still one of the best MV/Platform Adventure games if we include later versions and fan remakes (talking about the 2008 Dragon's Curse remake for PC here). The game has excellent presentation that surpasses even some 16-bit games, the forms are distinct and fun to use, the pacing is great, and there are cool secrets like being able to switch or create platforms anywhere. There's…
This game is a smörgåsbord of all things I love about Konami during this era: fast and tight movement, great variety with a couple of shoot 'em up levels mixed in as well as a boxing duel between two giant robots, great bosses that sometimes have multiple forms or phases, great audiovisuals with some humorous touches, and near technical mastery of the system all in one package. The jetpack, while implemented…
It's pretty amazing what Nintendo eventually managed to pull off with the original GB hardware after much simpler earlier titles like Tetris and SML. Case in point, Link's Awakening which translated the gameplay, mechanics and overall look of the SNES game near perfectly given the limitations, while also adding to the experience with stronger worldbuilding and major additions like platforming in two perspectives, as…
This is the one that made me love the Metroid games after being more ambivalent about them previously, thanks to various quality of life improvements, improved and evolved controls (8-way aiming! Toggleable equipment! Wall jumps!), a great map system but also all the other things fleshing out the experience in a more subtle and refined way like the environmental storytelling focus and improved sense of place. Plus…
This game and to a lesser extent its expansion basically ate up most of my free time for at least a year after getting it back in 1998 and were one of the first games to introduce me to the rush of online multiplayer gaming and to the concept of sticking with a game as its community grew and the gameplay changed a bit with each released patch. While I had played several RTS games prior such as Dune 2, C&C: Red Alert…
At the time I only tried this game for a bit at a relative's house, but it did intrigue me. I've since beaten it via emulation and with a hack that fixes some bugs, and I think it's a decent sidescrolling Action RPG. It's got an unusual setting, some good music, good enemy variety and some neat touches like gear showing on your avatar and dialogue portraits. It is kind of cryptic though and it's possible to get…
When I'm not in a Thunder Force 3 or TF4 mood, this is usually my next go to game in the genre for MD. It's one of the better 16-bit shooters I've played, with great variation, rocking music, fun bosses, cool weapons and all of that. It's also not that hard compared to most shoot 'em ups, though still provides more of a challenge than the prequel. To be honest the endearingly silly anime setting is also a big reason…
