Mega - Book - Collection - Digital - Version - Revvison (2023©greyfox Books) PDF

NOT FOR RESALE OR PHYSICAL REPRODUCTION
Digital published edition 2023 by Greyfox Books
First published in 2023 by Greyfox Books

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Copyright © Greyfox Books 2023
Written and created by Darren Doyle and the amazing Sega fans whom contributed to the book (listed elsewhere in the book)
The Author and Publisher have used their very best endeavours to obtain express permission for the reproduction in this book of
all third-party copyright material. If you can show that you own the copyright in any material reproduced in this book and that we
have not obtained permission from you for its inclusion, please get in touch with us.
The right of Darren Doyle to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Ireland Copyright,
Designs and Patents Act 2000 sections 17 and 18. The views and opinions expressed in this book are those of the contributors and
do not necessarily reflect the views of Greyfox Books and affiliates that contributed to this publication
All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means or stored in any
retrieval system of any nature, without prior written permission, except for permitted fair dealing under the Copyright, Designs and
Patents Act 1988 (as amended) or other applicable law. Application for permission should be made to the publisher. The arcade
manufacturers names and logos are the property of their respected holdings and trademarks.. All other trademarks are the
property of their respective owners.
All third-party games and artwork featured are the property of their copyright owners. Their images have been used respectfully
purely for review purposes for this publication. Greyfox Books is a “Visual Publisher with you in mind” is the works of Irish graphic
designer and author “Darren Doyle” with the goal of setting out to create very unique and highly polished video game
publications. The aim is to cover a majority of content that was not truly been recognized in a published format. With 20+ years of
experience in graphic design, the aim is to present our works to the general public and evolve with many areas of publishing.
We wish to thank you for purchasing this product, this allows us to further our vision and bring you many great publications in
the future. If you need to contact for what ever reason, please visit our website over at www.greyfoxbooks.com. The “Mega Book
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retail store please contact our sales team at sales@greyfoxbooks.com.
All acknowledgements to Sega and its third party vendors featured in the Mega Book Collection Publication are recognized and
their games featured in this publication have been written about under fair usage and through investigative journalism of that of
the author of this publication Darren Doyle and contributing writers.
I, Darren Doyle would like to thank the following people that made this book happen, Richard Byles for his invaluable talents
in the proofreading of the Mega Book Collection book. Jamie Battison for his assistance and advice and his amazing Street
of Rage feature. All the wonderful contributors to the Mega Book Collection without them this book would not
be a reality, so a “Big Thank You” My wonderful Wife Anne for her understanding and immense support
of the project during my journey with this book and finally my two daughters, Kitana and Dara for their
encouragement during production of the book.

A n d r e w F is h e r h a s b e e n a The mega drive to me Video games have been
f r e e l a n c e w r it e r f o r 3 0 has to be one of those a massive part of my
years, specialising in retro magical golden moments life since dad bought
games and the Commodore in video gaming history me a Master System in
64. As Darren's sidekick, he where you could actually the Christmas of 1990.
helped proofread and check experience proper arcade I started a small blog
C o in - O p : T h e A r c a d e G u id e , style gamings in the home site called Arcade
and he has contributed to unlike what we got on Attack in 2014 which
many other retro books and the home computer scene has now evolved into a
magazines - including Retro we all enjoyed for years. relatively popular retro
Gamer, Wireframe, gaming podcast.
But when i'd seen sega's
the revived ZZAP! 64 and new hardware I just Writing is a passion of
Fusion. Currently writing knew this was going mine and I wanted to
new books of his own for to be something very contribute to this book
publicatio n in 2021-2022 special and after years to pay homage to those
through www.c64books.co.uk and years, I am finally games that essentially
reliving those sega mega brought me up. And also
SPECIAL MOVE: spotting a drive fantasies once because Darren is a
typo or incorrect fact. more and one of many the great guy and treasure
reason why I have created of the community. I've
HEIGHT: 5' 10" this amazing sega book chosen Larsen as my
for all you sega fans avatar as we sadly
WEIGHT: 12 stone around the world. lost Eternal Champions
creator and friend of
Welcome to the next the show Michael Latham
level. Enjoy! in 2021. RIP my friend.
E u g e n io h a s b e e n a n I've always had a H e l l o a l l , J a m ie h e r e ,

a v id v id e o g a m e r s in c e soft spot for SEGA I am a content creator
h e w a s in t r o d u c e d t o stuff. My dad owned based in the UK, my
t h e A t a r i 2 6 0 0 b a c k in a Megadrive and I g a m in g p a s s io n s t a r t e d
t h e e a r l y 8 0's . S in c e remember playing a a t t h e v e r y b e g in n in g ,
then, he has amassed b o a t l o a d o f S o nic . I y e p r ig h t b a c k a t a tim e
a c o l l e c t io n of 23 was l u c k y e n o u g h t o w h e n 8 - b it computers
systems and handhelds g e t m y o w n M e g a d r iv e r u l e d the world.
w it h o v e r 2 0 0 0 g a m e s .H e a s a g if t a n d it r e a l l y
a c tiv e l y p a r tic ip a t e s in s p i r e d m e t o g e t in t o My p a s s io n for
in v a r io u s r e t r o g a m in g the retro s c e n e and g a m in g is s t il l very
forums, where he g a m in g in g e n e r a l . s t r o n g today, often
s h a r e s h is l o v e f o r It ' s a p a s s io n t h a t I a m w r it in g r e v ie w s
v i d e o g a m e s ,a n d w h e r e I v a l u e , w h ic h l e d t o for v a r io u s g a m in g
he is known as "the m e g e t t in g a d e g r e e p l a t f o r m s o n l in e ,
legendary" TrekMD. in Game D e s ig n and c o v e r in g e v e r y t h in g
a v i d e o g a m e a d d ic t io n r e t r o g a m in g r e l a t e d
He has c o n t r ib u t e d that hasn't been from books t o n e w
retro game and system s a tia t e d y e t . homebrew games. I
a r t ic l e s to Retro s til l o w n m a n y o f t h e
Vid e o G a m e r f o r u m ,T h e It ' s been great to systems I purchased back
Retro G a m in g T im e s , share my p a s s io n in t h e d a y a n d if I w a s
Vectorbolt M a g a z in e , for the c l a s s ic s . to p ic k a f a v o u r it e ,
and Homebrew Heroes These a r e a m a z in g it w o u l d b e t h e S e g a
M a g a z in e . O h , a n d h e's games, and hopefully M e g a d r iv e , s h h h h h d o n't
a l s o a n a v id S t a r T r e k e v e r y o n e c a n see what t e l l a n y o n e . J u s t in c a s e
fan. m a k e s t h e m s p e c ia l ! I d o n't g e t a n y m o r e g ig s .
00 MEGA BOOK COLLECTION

02
Growing up, the arcade was
B e in g a l it t l e b u t I grew up in the 90's
my gaming haven and the
younger,Iunfortunately on a diet of comics,
prospect of so many titles
missed t he early days video games and
from Sega's rich arcade
of gaming. This however, wrestling. Fortunately
history being available
meant that the mega for me, my dad was also
on a home console was a
d r iv e w a s m y e a r l ie s t in t e r e s t e d i n g a m in g
huge draw for me. The Mega
home console, and I've and I had his guiding
Drive was essentially
been playing it since I hand to all of the good
a cut down version of
was old enough to hold a stuff. Playing Toejam
Sega's arcade tech at the
controller. It persisted and Earl and Ecco the
time and its ability to
for so many years in my Dolphin started our
handle fast paced, action
house, and when I started mega drive odyssey and
orientated titles was the
working I was still from there I invested
main factor in my purchase
b u y in g g a m e s f o r it , heavily in all things
way back in the early
d e s p it e m o r e p o w e r f u l Sonic and Streets of
nineties.
and modern consoles Rage.
emerging at the time.
I've since gone on to
collect everything and In t e r e s t s b r a n c h e d
The mega d r iv e was outwards to other
anything Mega Drive
in s t r u m e n t a l t o t h e platforms and genre's
related as the console
in d u s t r y a n d g iv e s m e but it always came back
continues to play a
warm, fond memories of t o t h e s e t w o s e r ie s .
significant part of my
l o n g g a m in g s e s s io n s , For this book, I have
gaming habit. The fact
a n d t o t h is d a y I'l l revisited many classics
that there are still
dust off the console on and I hope reading it
Mega Drive titles being
occasion to relive my encourages you to do
developed today is a
glory days. the same.
testament to its legacy.
I started my retro gaming Hi there! I'm Pixie, a It w a s C h r i s t m a s Win g S e e Li is a f o r m e r

j o u r n e y w it h a n A m s tr a d freelance writer, performer 1 9 9 1 t h a t R ic h a r d f a n fic tio n w rit e r a n d
CPC464, then a Commodore and content creator r e c e iv e d h is M e g a now a freelance
64 before moving on to the hailing from a small town D r i v e , a n d h is l o v e j o u r n a lis t wit h 1 6 3
16-bit wonder Sega Mega in Lancashire. From the of gaming was born. a r tic l e s ( a n d c o u n tin g ) .
Drive. My favourite genre moment I laid my hands on T h e Streets of Rage and She freelanced as a
is sport and strategy, a Sega Game Gear at age Golden A x e s e r ie s w e r e j o u r n a l is t f o r 6 y ea r s
but I won't say no to 5, I was hooked. Gaming a m o n g s t h is f a v o u r it e s , s o f a r . H e r b y line s a r e
RPGs, adventures or was an experience unlike although there are so M e tr o U K ( G a m e C e n t r a l ) ,
platformers. any other and I was eager m a n y g r e a t games it's P l a y S ta tio n U n i v e r s e ,
to experience and soak up hard to narrow it d o w n . G a m e s M a s te r M a g a zin e ,
M y l o v e f o r r e t r o g a m in g every last drop of it. T h a t C h r is t m a s was Fil m S t o rie s m a g a zin e ,
h a s l e d m e t o v a r io u s also the birth of his T h e C a t M a g a z in e
projects, including At age 30, I finally enduring loyalty to SEGA: ( p u b lis h e d b y C a t s
Amstrad A c t i o n T r i b u t e combined this passion with if they released a new P r o t e c tio n ) , N a tio n a l
M a g a z in e , Retroaction my love of writing and console t o m o r r o w , h e A u tis tic S o cie t y ,
magazine, Out-of-Print ventured into the world of w o u l d b e a t the head of T h e M ig r a in e T r u s t ,
Archive, Amstrad CPC: gaming journalism. But even the queue! C h a r it y S A N E , C o t s w o ld
The Games Companion, after 25 years of evolving Lif e m a g a zin e a n d m o r e .
and more. Some obsession, I still revere H e s t il l h a r b o u r s h is
f a v o u r it e M e g a D r i v e the consoles and games of c h il d h o o d a m b it io n o f When she's not
g a m e s a r e N H L Hockey yesteryear and given half a o n e d a y m a k in g a v id e o o c c u pie d with f r e e l a n c e
'94, Shining Force, B u c k chance, I can talk for days game, b u t f o r t h e j o u r n a l is m , s h e p l a y s
R o g e r s : C o u n t d o w n to about them. t im e b e in g consoles v id e o g a m e s a n d lis t e n s
Doomsday, Speedball 2, himself by working in t o h e r f a v o u r it e m u s ic
Sensible Soccer, PGA It was an honour to be part m o t o r s p o r t , h is o t h e r a n d s o n g s in h e r s p a r e
Tour Golf II, Decap of this project celebrating m a in p a s s io n in l if e . tim e . F a v g a m e : R is ta r .
Attack, Flashback, these amazing games.
Strider, Ghouls 'n Long may it continue!
Ghosts.
00
03MEGA
MEGABOOK
BOOKCOLLECTION
COLLECTION
H ello everyone, firstly, I wish to thank all of you for downloading the “Mega Collection
Book” without the continued support from our customers this simply would not exist. I
am Darren Doyle the author of the Mega Book Collection and wanted to share something
about me before you move on to the amazing content that awaits you.
Before creating the Mega Collection Book, I established the Greyfox Books brand in 2019
with my very book covering the Atari 8-bit home computers called “Atari: a Visual History”
followed in 2020 with the immensely popular “Coin-Op: The Arcade Guide” both meeting
great success via Kickstarter and continued support through our website Greyfox Books.
For as long as I can remember I have always wanted to create books in a fashion that mirrored the
content I wanted to write about in both in the asthenics of the hardware and software that gave them their
identity by design and the Sega Mega Drive was no exception. My very first experience with the Sega Mega
Drive happened all the way back in December 1989 while still getting to grips with my brand new awesome
Commodore Amiga 500, I received a call from an acquaintance of mine who had just imported the Japanese
variant of the Sega Megadrive with two titles “Rambo III” and “Super Shinobi aka Revenge of Shinobi” and at the
time had no clue to what he was talking about? And when he arrived he was extremely protective and cloak
and dagger of his new toy and could see why considering how much he had paid for it at the time. My Poor
“Miggy” never got a look that evening.
I knew nothing of this machines existence up until then and when that power on button was switched on
and that iconic Sega logo flashed on and appeared for the first time all I had was a flashback of my arcade
experiences of the Sega of coin-op arcade days and exposed to the intro of this dark mysterious ninja deflecting
those “Shurikens”, I was in awe, no loading times, not waiting, only instance gratification, “What was this?”. Don’t
ask me how I managed to convince the guy to loan me this incredible piece of kit for the weekend as you’d
expect, not without some form of insurances I wouldn’t let anything happen to his Sega baby. I could not get
over how fast the games ran and played as I didn’t know what the difference was between 50hz and 60hz
refresh rates back then, the games just played like a dream, nothing else compared to what I was used to at the
time and that music from Yuzo Koshiro was out of this world. WOW!
I had just received a glimpse of this mind blowing world of the 16-bit generation and knew I had to have one of
these machines for myself and eventually got one when they were released in Europe a year later and bagged
the machine and a copy of Revenge of Shinobi as I loved the arcade original and truly enjoy this next chapter
in the franchise and regret horribly selling it on to fund the Super Nintendo Entertainment system’s arrival in 1993,
but in saying that I got some great memories of the Sega Mega Drive from the very small collection of games I
had at the time and always admired this great console from afar during my Snes days with a little envy to what
was exclusively been released on the mega drive at the time. I really should have gotten back into the platform,
but alas, I knew I would be revisiting this amazing machine at some stage later in my life.
Well, this time is now and with the help of the incredible contributions from the fantastic Sega fans you can read
about on the previous page, this book would simply not have been created without their phenomenal help
and input to the book and wanted to allow the book to have that expansive take on these amazing games and
experiences people had with the Sega Mega drive and hope you feel that this is portrayed in the book as you
go through it. So I hope you enjoy what we have put together here for you and everyone that loves the Sega 16-
bit platform. I hope we have managed to coin that killer slogan Sega of America deemed “Genesis Does What
Nintendo Don’t”. ■
Darren Doyle
Greyfox Books

102 MICKEY MANIA 202 FINAL FIGHT CD
104 OUTRUN 204 MISADVENTURES OF FLINK
02 CONTRIBUTOR PROFILES 106 PETE SAMPRAS TENNIS 206 JAGUAR XJ220
06.. FOREWORD -WITH DAVE PERRY 108 PHANTASY STAR II 208 KEIO FLYING SQUADRON
110 PIER SOLAR AND THE GREAT ARCHITECTS 210 LUNAR: THE SILVER STAR
112 PREDATOR 2 212 LORDS OF THUNDER
114 PROBOTECTOR 214 POPFUL MAIL (JAPAN VARIANT)
116 QUACKSHOT S - TARRING DONALD DUCK 216 ROBO ALESTE
- MEGADRIVE COLLECTION - 118 RAMBO III 218 SILPHEED
120 RANGER X 220 SHINING FORCE CD
08 MEGA DRIVE 122 REVENGE OF SHINOBI 222 SNATCHER
THE ULTIMATE COMPUTER GAME CONSOLE 124 RISTAR 224 SOL-- F EACE
126 ROAD BLASTERS 226 SONIC CD
12 ADVENTURES OF BATMAN & ROBIN 128 ROAD RASH 228 SOULSTAR
14 AFTER BURNER II 130 RED ZONE 230 SPIDERMAN VS. KINGPIN
16 ALADDIN 132 ROBOCOP VERUS TERMINATOR 232 THE TERMINATOR
18 ALEX KIDD IN THE ENCHANTED CASTLE 134 ROCKET KNIGHT ADVENTURES 234 THUNDER HAWK
20 ALIEN 3 136 ROLLING THUNDER 2 236 WONDER DOG
22 ANIMANIACS 138 CORE DESIGN UNVEILED
24 ALIEN SOLDIER 144 SONIC THE HEDGEHOG
28 ALISIA DRAGOON 146 SHADOW DANCER
30 BATMAN - THE VIDEO GAME 148 SPLATTERHOUSE 2
32 BLADES OF VENGEANCE 150 STREETS OF RAGE - 32 X COLLECTION -
34 BUCK ROGERS: COUNTDOWN TO DOOMSDAY 152. . . S ONIC THE HEDGEHOG 2
36 CHIKI CHIKI BOY 154 STRIDER 238 THE ULTIMATE ADD- O N THAT
38 CHUCK ROCK 156 STREET OF RAGE 2 PROMISED NEXT GEN GAMING
40 COMIX ZONE 158 SHINOBI III: RETURN OF THE NINJA MASTER
44 CASTLEVANIA: THE NEW GENERATION 160 SPEEDBALL 2 242 AFTER BURNER COMPLETE
46 CASTLE OF ILLUSION 162 SUPER STREET FIGHTER: THE NEW CHALLENGERS 244 BC RACERS
48 DYNAMITE HEADDY 164 THE STORY OF THOR 246 BLACKTHORNE
50 DEMOLITI ON MAN 166 THE OOZE 248 COSMIC CARNAGE
52 DESERT STRIKE 168 TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES 250 DARXIDE
54 DICK TRACY -THE HYPERSTONE HEIST 252 DOOM
56 DRAGONS FURY 170 TOEJAM & EARL 254 FIFA SOCCER ‘ 9 6
58 EARTHWORM JIM 2 172 TRUXTON, 256 GOLF MAGAZINE:
60 EL VIENTO 174 THUNDER FORCE IV 36 GREAT HOLES STARRING FRED COUPLES
62 ETERNAL CHAMPIONS 176 WORLD OF ILLUSION. 258 KOLIBRI
64 FLASHBACK 178 VECTOR MAN 2 260 KNUCKLES’ CHAOTIX
66 GAUNTLET IV 180 ZOMBIES ATE MY NEIGHBORS 262 METAL HEAD
68 GHOULS ‘N’ GHOSTS 182 XENO CRISIS 264 MOTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP
70 STREETS OF RAGE SERIES 266 MORTAL KOMBAT II
76 GOLDEN AXE 268 NBA JAM TOURNAMENT EDITION
78 GOLDEN AXE II, 270 PRIMAL RAGE
80 GUNSTAR HEROES - MEGA CD COLLECTION - 272 SPACE HARRIER
82 GYNOUG 274 STAR WARS ARCADE
84 HAUNTING STARRING POLTERGUY 184 THE FUTURE OF VIDEO GAMING 276 STAR TREK
86 JAMES BOND 007 - THE DUEL STARFLEET ACADEMY - STARSHIP BRIDGE SIMULATOR
88 JOE & MAC 188 BATMAN RETURNS 278 SHADOW SQUADRON

90 JURASSIC PARK 190 BLOOD SHOT 280 T- M EK
92 KID CHAMELEON 192 BATTLE CORPS 282 TEMPO
94 LANDSTALKER: TREASURE OF KING NOLE 194 CHUCK ROCK 2 : SON OF CHUCK 284 VIRTUA FIGHTER
96 MEGA TURRICAN 196 DUNE 286 VIRTUA RACING DELUXE
98 MEGAMAN- : THE WILY WARS 198 DUNGEON EXPLORER 288 WWF WRESTLEMANIA: THE ARCADE GAME
100 MORTAL KOMBAT 200 ECCO: TIDES OF TIME 290 ZAXXON’ S MOTHERBASE 2000
NOT FOR RESALE OR PHYSICAL REPRODUCTION 05 MEGA BOOK COLLECTION

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e “G a m es a l” Perry
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T h e M eg a D ri ve fir s t p u sh e d its wa y in t o
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a n d s u b se q u e n t l y, a s a co m p e t i t i ve p l a ye r,
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of a n Ac h i l l e s h e e l fo r m e, b u t i t wa s n eve r a
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i n te r n a ti o n al yo u th p h e no m e no n th a t g ra b b e d
t h e a t te n ti o n an d i m a g i n a ti o n of th e wo r l d ,
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eve r yo n e wa s e s pe c i a ll y ex c it e d a bo u t th e S e g a Pro, M e g a Powe r, S a t u r n Pl u s , a n d m u l t i - wa s cal l e d th e G e ne si s .
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a n d C6 4, an d l a te r t h e ST a n d A5 0 0 . C o n so l e s h e l p e d o p e n t h e e ye s a n d m i n d s of p l a ye r s l i ke l eve l . As a co m p e ti ti ve p l a y e r an d hi g hl y
l i ke th e M a s te r S ys te m a n d N E S see m ed like m yse l f to s p o r t s we h a d b a re l y eve n co n s i d e re d re co gni se d g ami ng ce l e b r i t y , I wo ul d take
m e re toys by co m pa r iso n , so m et h in g fo r b efo re. Fo r exa m p l e, I l e a r n e d t h e r u l e s of p a r t i n c h al l e ng e s al l ove r th e co un try o n
yo ung e r ki ds , b u t a c h a n g e wa s c o min g , a n d A m e r i ca n Fo o t b a l l f ro m t h e a we so m e J o h n m o s t we e ke n d s o n g am e s l i ke M o r tal Ko mb a t
no ne of u s we re reall y p re p a red fo r t h e k in d of M a d d e n se r i e s , a n d t h e n a m e s of B a s ke t b a l l ’ s a n d N BA J am , an d m u c h l a te r o n th e ki ng of
se i s mi c affec t th a t t h e a r r i va l of t h e M eg a D r i ve gre a te s t p l a ye r s f ro m p l a yi n g t i t l e s l i ke B u l l s a l l fi gh ti ng g am e s , S tre e t Fi g h te r 2, al th o u g h
wo ul d h a ve u po n o u r fa vo u r ite p a s t im e. Ve r s u s La ke r s a n d N BA Li ve 9 5 . S N E S p l a y e r s g o t th a t o ne l o ng b efo re we d i d ,
a n d I know th a t a s soo n a s I f i ni sh w r i ti ng thi s
Wh e n I beg an wo r ki n g o n t h e c rea t i o n of t h e A n d , a s i f a l l of t h i s wa s n ’ t e n o u gh to ke e p fo rewo rd , to ns of o th e r g re a t g am e s are g o i ng
G a m e sM a s te r T V sh ow fo r C h a n n e l 4 , t h is n ew u s b u sy o u t t h e re i n m a g a z i n e a n d t v l a n d , to fo rce th e i r wa y b a c k i n to my mi n d an d I’l l
16 b it co nso l e wa s in it s in fa n c y , b u t we s t ill S e g a t h e n d e ci d e d to ‘ Fra n ke n s te i n ’ t h e h e l l k i c k m yse l f fo r no t m e n ti o ni ng th e m .
m a n a g e d to g et ear l y g a m e s like S o n i c t h e o u t of t h e M e g a D r i ve w i t h a d d - o n e s l i ke t h e
H ed g e h og an d Roa d Ra s h o n to so m e of t h e f ir s t M e g a C D a n d t h e 3 2 X , a n d va r i a t i o n s l i ke t h e Th e re i s no d o u b ti ng th a t th e ar r i val of th e S e g a
s h ows , th anks to th e ir u n d e n i a b l e q u a lit y a n d Wo n d e r m e g a a n d t h e M e g a PC a s t h e fo r m a t M e g a D r i ve i n th e UK ce r tai nl y ki c k s tar te d
p l a y a b ilit y. B u t, it wo u l d a c t u a ll y b e in my n ex t co n t i n u e d to a t te m p t grow a n d m e ta m o r p h o s i se w h a t wo ul d b e co m e know n m any y e ar s l a te r a s
j o b th a t my life l o ng c o n n ec t i o n to t h is i c o n i c b e yo n d t h e co n s t ra i n t s of t h e o r i gi n a l co n so l e. ‘ t h e g o l d e n a g e of g ami ng ’. N eve r b efo re h a d
m a c hine wo ul d be g a l va n ised fo reve r. I t re a l l y d i d se e m a ro u n d t h i s t i m e, t h a t t h e s u c h a va s t l i b rary of hi g h q u al i t y ti tl e s b e e n
M e g a D r i ve wa s u n s to p p a b l e. S e g a eve n h a d so re a d i l y a vai l a b l e to a m ai ns tre am a u d i e nce.
In 19 92 I m oved to T row b r i d g e a n d j o in ed t h e i r ow n s p o n so re d Fo r m u l a 1 ca r. M o s t i m p o r tan tl y , no knowl e d g e of co m p u ti ng
Pa ra g o n Pu b lishing to wo r k o n t h e ir n ew t it l e, wa s re q ui re d to e nj oy thi s new m a c hi ne,
S eg a P ro M a g azine. An d so b eg a n my l o n g Fo r m e t h i s s m a l l , l i gh t we i gh t, so m ew h a t s p a ce - co n s u m e r s j u s t tur ne d i t o n an d p u sh e d th e
running a s soci a ti o n w it h t h e M eg a D r i ve in a g e l o o k i n g b l a c k m a c h i n e m a r ke d t h e t u r n i n g ca r t r i d g e i n to th e sl o t to b e g i n p l a y i ng . It wa s
bo t h my p rofe s si o n al a n d my p e r so n a l life. Yo u p o i n t fo r t h e g a m e s i n d u s t r y a n d h e l p e d to d ra g re l a t i ve l y i nex p e nsi ve an d f u s s f re e, an d wa s
see, ba c k in th o se d a ys t h e re wa s t ra d it i o n a ll y i t k i c k i n g a n d scre a m i n g o u t of t h e b e d ro o m s e a s i l y se t u p o n th e m ai n te l ev i si o n i n th e f ro n t
a l wa ys a t wo m a c hin e b a t t l e fo r s u p re m a c y a n d m a i l o rd e r c l u b s of t h e l a te 8 0 s a n d o n to ro o m o r b e d roo m . Su d d e nl y , th e wh o l e wo r l d
i n th e g am e s m ar ke t. . . a n d fo r a l o n g t im e t h e h i gh s t re e t s a n d i n to t h e f ro n t ro o m s of co u l d g am e, an d o nce th e y ex p e r i e nce d th e
th e co m pe titi o n in t h e c o n so l e wa r s b et wee n t h e e a r l y 9 0 s . Wi t h S e g a ’ s M e g a D r i ve a t t h e f u n a n d c h al l e ng e s of fe re d b y th e wo n d e r f ul
S eg a an d N in te n d o wo u l d b e ex t re m e l y f i e rc e va n gu a rd of t h e H e fa s t grow i n g v i d e o g a m e s n ew wo r l d of 16 b i t g ami ng th e re wo ul d b e no
i n d eed. Pe r so n all y, I a lwa ys c h o se S eg a m ove m e n t, w h a t h a d o n ce b e e n a n i c h e s t o p p i n g the m.

t the time of the North American Video system, the Famicom. In 1987, they managed advanced features allowing some impressive
A Games Crash, Sega had been in the
arcade business for several years but was still
to find some footing in Europe for their first
Western console, the Sega Master System,
arcade conversions. This further solidified
Sega’s motives to go big, and they turned to
keen to stay ahead of the technological curve. and the sales looked good in the region if a the most obvious place: their System 16 arcade
Sega Enterprises in Japan had just released little sparse in the rest of the world. But it was hardware.
the Sega System 1. This was an adaptable enough to solidify Sega’s belief that home
hardware board used to power various hardware was the future. Sega had sunk their “This was the Genesis of the
arcade cabinets between 1983 and 1987, claws into Europe and Australia. Even with their
including Choplifter, Flicky, and Pitfall II: The superior 8-bit hardware, however, they were Mega Drive” The new system’s board
Lost Caverns. In 1985, the board was updated too late to rival Nintendo in Japan and North would be built around the Motorola 68000 CPU
to the Sega System 2 allowing more flexibility America. The obvious strategy was to head clocked at 7.6mhz like the System 16 board. It
than its predecessor. Both of these boards were onwards and upwards. They needed to go all was decided a Zilog Z80 should take control of
based on the 8-bit Zilog Z80, the same CPU out, and this time be the first to grace the world the sound provided by the six channel Yamaha
used to power their Master System. However, with a revolutionary console and blow the YM2612 FM synthesiser and the four channel
the arcade boards had one dedicated to entertainment system clean out of the water. Texas SN76489 PSG chip. This combination also
graphics, one to sound and various custom Nintendo could keep their eight little bits; Sega allowed backwards compatibility with Master
chips including the Sega 3155011 GPU, strike were about to double it. System titles. 72 kilobytes of RAM was provided
generator and tilemap chips. The hardware alongside 64 kilobytes of video RAM. The
YM2612 based video processor is an evolution
allowed Sega to release some pretty significant “The only problem was Sega of the Sega Master System VDP. It allowed the
machines. Back in the 80s the arcades were
a source of cutting-edge technology, but it needed some killer titles palette for 512 9-bit RGB colours, allowing a
didn’t take long for home equipment to start to convince the public to standard 64 on screen. This could be tripled
catching up. Sega’s cutting-edge solution was through shadow and highlight use and even
the Sega System 16 board released in late 1985, upgrade.” further with clever direct memory palette
making use of a Motorola 68000 CPU, along swaps. The hardware can accommodate a
with an Intel i8751 microcontroller and a Z80 Sega was not a company to pause having maximum of 320 by 480 interlaced pixels in
clone for sound working alongside a Yamaha launched the SG 1000, SG 1000 II, Mark 3 and PAL Mode with a total overscan of 423 x 624.
YM2151 sound chip. Master system in quick succession. Work had Multiple multi-direction scrolling routines were
already begun on the next generation of made available, as well as semi transparency
This new hardware powered experiences console instigated by Hayao Nakayama and and a total of 80 on screen sprites. Very early
such as Altered Beast, Dynamite Dux, Shinobi led by Masami Ishikawa with Hideki Sato as models had a nine-pin DIN AV out, though it
and Golden Axe. Although Sega had sold the main designer. In October 1987 NEC, in was quickly replaced by a mono eight-pin DIN
North American arcade distribution collaboration with Hudson Soft, released the allowing stereo sound, via the front audio jack.
rights to Bally Midway in 1983, PC Engine to a great fanfare, the same time Like the Master System an edge connector
arcade machine manufacturer Sega’s Master System was failing on their own was provided allowing bus expansion and the
was still their backbone in Japan shores. The PC Engine’s technical ability over
leading the surge in technology. even the Master System was impressive and
But as we know Sega weren’t blind although the PC Engine’s Hudson Soft HuC6280
to the home gaming industry, which CPU was technically an 8-bit processor, it
was witnessing a resurgence had a 16-bit graphics processor and many
with Nintendo’s entertainment

whole system could be adapted back to an arcade format released president of Sega America. The TurboGrafx-16
fed from the as the Sega Seaboard. But thankfully this was would launch around the same time on the
same power never really about Japan, a bigger market was 29th of August 1989. Things were going to be
supply as the waiting and if Sega moved quickly, they could close. In fact, Nintendo’s president Hiroshi
8-bit line. get ahead of the curve. As 1989 came around, Yamauchi dismissed Sega being only a mere
NEC was set to launch a PC Engine in North $700 million dollar company and was far
As for the control America as the remodelled TurboGrafx-16 more concerned with NEC’s offering. He was
pads, well they’re drawing attention to its semi-16-bit architecture. investing a hefty amount into marketing, and
three (plus one) buttons of absolute This pushed Sega to announce an initial had a whopping $3.7 billion R&D budget,
glory. The design allows for some release date of 9th of January 1989, merely more than Nintendo’s annual sales. However,
impressive system 16-bit abilities in months after the Japanese launch. Originally, neither of them fully accounted for Sega’s
a much more affordable package. Initially Sega tried to convince Atari to licence their arcade experience, which was present from
named the Mark V, the initial prototypes machine. With the Master System still in the the get-go. Sega had learned from their
were ready in early 1988, and first appeared hands of distributor Tonka toys, Sega didn’t Master System years about game bundling
in the June 1988 edition of Beep! magazine. really have an appropriate networking facility and included Altered Beast as the pack in
However, the Mark V name lacked the grunt in America at the time. David Rosen, who was game, a worthy conversion of their new coin-
to convey the impressive abilities of this 16-bit vice president of Sega Enterprises, visited Atari’s op. Nintendo’s 8-bit console was still selling
beast. Sega finally settled on Mega Drive to try video game president Michael Katz, who was well, especially with Mario 3 on the loose.
and best the already grand sounding Master interested in the deal, but negotiations broke But an ever increasing thirst for an extended
System, launching on the 29th of October down over money with Jack Tramiel more arcade quality experience in the home was
1988. In Japan, the date could hardly have interested in pushing the Atari ST. However, this becoming ever more present. Machines like
been worse. Nintendo had launched Super negotiation was not fruitless as it brought about the Amiga and Atari ST models could come
Mario Brothers 3 just one week prior and most a brainstorm of names for the Sega machine close, but at a high outlay for the consumer.
magazine front covers were awash with Mario in the US. This was required as the Mega Drive At $189 the Genesis was affordable being
rather than Sega’s new system. However, name was already being used by Mega Drive only twice the price at the NES. Yes, and it
the coverage the Mega Drive received was Systems Inc, a producer of digital storage had true 16-bit power. The only problem was
positive none the less. Sega’s plan of releasing devices. Sega needed some killer titles to convince
arcade follow-ups to a new home platform the public to upgrade. Sega of Japan had
seemed a solid one, allowing a natural flow “Slotting and writing with made the pretty unpopular call to integrate
from the arcade into the home with titles such region lockout to circumnavigate different
as Space Harrier 2 and Super Thunder Blade Sega’s continued advertising, release dates and prevent game importing.
available from the go, alongside Altered Beast pitching their machine as cool” However, alongside Altered Beast, a number
and Nonsense Theatre. Compared to the of reasonable titles and arcade conversions
Famicom and PC Engine however, choice was The name chosen would be one of Atari’s were made available throughout 1989 with
somewhat lacking, and, despite its impressive suggestions: Genesis. This was appropriate the console itself in full distribution before
capabilities, the Mega Drive would sell a given the largely Christian nature of the the year was out. Nintendo still had quite a
moderate 400,000 units in its first year on home population and connotations to starting tight grip on the market, and their restrictive
territory. something new. Sega would launch the licencing deals were preventing some third-
console via its reduced Sega of America party publishers from joining the 16-bit show,
Various bizarre and somewhat nice subsidiary, at $189 with a revised and limited causing continued issues for both Sega and
peripherals were also introduced as push launch occurring on the 14th of August 1989 In NEC.
revenues, including the Sega Mega Answer, New York and Los Angeles.
a complete online banking package created
for Nagoya Bank, and the hardware was even ega of America’s
S staff members
were quickly ramped up
from a small team of 50
and Michael Katz was
poached from Atari
to come on board as

However, like Nintendo, Sega had adopted the
licence the marketing model, meaning developers This mid 1990s invigoration would come in the
had to pay a royalty to publish on their machine. form of Tom Kalinske fresh out of Mattel, Tom realised
Some might describe this as ensuring only quality there was still a large hill to climb against Nintendo’s
software houses published, others might call it just entertainment system and had observed that
included a design by Naoto Ohshima called
shameless money making which actually limited software support wasn’t an essential part of it. After
“Mr Needle Mouse” sporting red sneakers and
the amount of software for machines. Thankfully for settling in, the first move was to lower the price to
accompanied by an anime inspired egg. A tech
Sega, $149. The console was also revised about this time,
demonstration was created by Yuji Naka, showing
one of many cost cutting occasions where Sega
a fast-moving ball careering through a winding
Trip Hawkins, founder of EA, had raised his revised the hardware, including the removal of the
tube, and when combined with Mr Needle Mouse,
head when the Mega Drive landed in Japan and rear serial port used in Japan for modem devices,
Sonic the astonishingly fast hedgehog was born.
imported one to EA labs. Their plan was to reverse which could make use of Meganet and online
His colouring was changed the match the Sega
engineer the hardware and work out a way of multiplayer service offering downloadable titles.
logo and his shoes were matched to something
circumventing Sega’s licencing costs. The Genesis Various PCB iterations were also rolled out. Have you
Michael Jackson had worn around his waist. .
software collection was starting to look substantial, ever noticed that the first Genesis and Mega Drive
Kalinske pushed Nakayama to have Sonic as a
and NEC’s TurboGrafx-16 was trailing behind, models have “High Definition Graphics” around
pack in title, upsetting the Japanese board, who
partly due to the Japanese-oriented nature of its the rim near the cartridge slot? Later models
felt their most impressive title should be
software library and further exacerbated by the removed this and some of these suffered
making money rather than given away
rather obscure omission of a second controller port from sound degradation in titles on the
for free, but Tom was given free rein to
out of the box. Combined with the Genesis sound Mega Drive.
do as he pleased. Sonic was launched
and graphics, the remaining console scene was
on 23rd June 1991, as both a pack in game
starting to resemble children’s toys, and the 16-bit As well as reducing the system price,
and a standalone cartridge. This was a good
console would rack up almost 500,000 sales in just he also removed the Altered Beast
thing because whilst this was going on, two
over six months. But Sega wanted something big; packet, which didn’t really fit with the
things happened.
Nakayama had set a goal of 1 million units before godly Genesis image and opted
the year was out. Michael Katz had held the reins for a certain character. Sega had
The first was that the Sega Mega Drive
well, even with the “Genesis does what Nintendon’t” learned about company mascots the
would launch globally in 1990, landing in
advertising, which proved somewhat controversial hard way, with Mario bolstering NES sales
areas where the Master System had fared
to the company’s Japanese board, as aggressive since 1985. Although Alex Kidd helped the
well, such as Australia distributed by Ozisoft, and
marketing was not part of the culture there. But Master System’s cause, Sega of Japan felt the
Brazil in the hands of Tech Toys, as well as in the key
still Sega of Japan wanted something fresh and need for something new and fresh, something that
area of Europe on the 30th of November 1990. Here
invigorating to allowing Sega of America to have a would epitomise the speed of their new hardware.
it was distributed by Virgin Mastertronic, who had
very strong foothold. A company-wide contest was launched which
successfully trumped NES with their Master System
marketing. Perhaps more importantly than this,
the Super Famicom had launched on the 21st of
November 1990, but only in Japan at this point, and
was poised to compete not only with the Mega
Drive & PC Engine, but also Nintendo’s existing 8-bit
Famicom console.
However, unlike the Mega Drive, loyal Famicom

owners were overwhelmingly keen to get hold of
the new hardware with the next instalment of Mario
and its initial shipment of 300,000 units sold within
hours, leaving the Japanese government asking
video game manufacturers to schedule future
console releases at weekends to avoid disruption.
As you can imagine, this sent shockwaves through
the bones of Sega, who couldn’t rival Nintendo

the graphics processor at

high speed and would
put some impressive
despite their two year head start. But back visuals on screen
in Europe and the States, things were still including 256 colour
looking rosy, news of the Super Famicom had static images.
travelled fast, but not as fast as Sonic was With 1992 drawing
powering across screens. Slotting and writing to a close and Blast
even further. The
with Sega’s continued advertising, pitching Processing soon to be
Mega Drive had sold some 30 million consoles
their machine as cool, even paying for late firmly cemented into playground banter, Sega
worldwide at this point and given that Sega
night advertising aimed at adults compared could claim to hold an impressive 55% of
already dominated across most of Europe,
to Nintendo’s almost childlike appeal. A Sony the active video game market and for every
our region hadn’t seen the aggressive Sega
focus group found teenage boys would not Nintendo game in total, 1.4 Genesis titles were
marketing against Nintendo, and so the Super
admit to owning a Super NES over a Genesis. being sold. Sega were again eager to get one
NES with its vast colour palette was turning heads
The Genesis continued to outsell the Super up on Nintendo, fearing their dominance may
at an ever increasing rate. The Super Nintendo
NES at a ratio of two to one. Christmas 1991 not last for long. But rather than a new console
would outsell the Mega Drive in most regions
saw Sega outsell Nintendo for the first of four that fear would be realised in the form of the
from 1995 through to 1997, with the Mega Drive
Christmas seasons in a row, holding a much Sega Mega-CD. The main problem was the
officially discontinued worldwide in 1997.
larger library of games than the SNES and expensive price tag which many gamers just
infinitely cooler than the NES. Sega would buy couldn’t afford, or even justify based on the
The Super Nintendo would hang on a little
out Virgin Mastertronic this year, forming Sega’s games available. Technology was starting to
longer selling 49 million consoles worldwide,
European presence for the first time. However, get cheaper and rather than spending more,
while the Mega Drive still stands at almost 40
this would also be the year that the Super NES many budget gamers were starting to enter
million which is a pretty impressive figure in itself.
began to fight back. the 16-bit market.
Now one thing that Mega Drive touched on
before most other consoles was online gaming.
Arcade classics like Capcom’s Final Fight By 1993, Sega of America had 700 staff
We briefly mentioned the Japanese Meganet
were released for it and was a somewhat cut with $3.6 billion in gross salaries compared
which would also appear in Brazil in 1995. But
down version of the game, but not before to just 35 staff and gross salaries of $813
North America also witnessed its own Sega
Sega had already launched the arguably million in 1989. Sega had come a long way,
Channel, launching in December 1994 and
better Streets of Rage. Blast Processing was the but also had a longer distance to fall. 1993
offering downloadable games amongst news
ingenious result of Sega’s technical director was also the year the Mega CD made it
and cheat codes for its users and lasted until July
Marty Franz discovering that you could pull to Europe, but due to strange timing, was
1998. However, while it was quite expense, it was
some nifty tricks with scanline interrupts timings. also the year a flatter, cheaper Mega CD 2
a clear forerunner for many services we take for
Senior producer Scott Bayless mentioned this arrived, This led to a strange situation where
granted nowadays. But Sega had unfortunately
to the PR team, that you could just blast data the Mega-CD hardware was price reduced
overreached themselves and just couldn’t
into the DAC’s, a reference to having a direct quite rapidly within a few months, denting
support their own products with the Sega Saturn,
memory controller that could push data into consumer confidence somewhat. The UK
CDX/Multi-Mega, Sega CD, 32X, Genesis, Game
especially was the region where the Amiga
Gear and another handheld the Sega Nomad
CD32 was selling reasonably well and
at the same time, and many of these products
offering direct competition to the Mega-
Mega D
were frowned upon by Sega of Japan, who

CD’s market slowed Sega’s penetration
preferred to concentrate on their main product.
rive Eu
The Mega Drive, the Genesis, whatever you want

to call it, is considered one of the best and most
ro
pean P
inspiring consoles ever produced. Its hardware

and the games which ran on it stimulated a
ackagin
plethora of developers who would go on to great

g
things for rival machines and future hardware

right up to this very day. ■
Mega Drive European & Japanese game box art 11 MEGA BOOK COLLECTION

Adventures of
Batman & Robin -
B atman: The Animated Series was an awesome cartoon show

and it was only a matter of time before it would arrive to the
home on your favourite Sega machine. The Adventures of Batman
& Robin is one of them and the Super Nintendo version is very
different than the versions for the Sega systems, which I think
was a good choice as variety is the spice of life after all. So, what
is the Adventures of Batman all about? You must stop four major
villains – the Joker, Two-Face, Mad Hatter, and Mr. Freeze.
You can play as either Batman or Robin and the game plays
out in levels with multiple stages or areas per level. Each level
focuses on a specific villain and each stage ends with a boss
battle. The plot is essentially inconsequential, and the game
can be very difficult at times, although it is quite long which
is always a good thing. I would recommend you pick it up but
only if you’re a masochist and enjoy run ‘n’ gun shooters and
shmups. You need to enjoy dying repeatedly and replaying
through many of the same stages over and over again. It’s not
really a bad game but it’s not for everybody. In fact, you will
feel like an actual hard-arse Batman after you’ve completed it
and Gotham is safe once more.■
Title:
Adventures of Batman & Robin, The
Genre:
Side Scrolling Super Hero Beat’em up
Developer:
Clockwork Tortoise Inc.
Year Released:
1995
Publisher:
SEGA Inc.
`13 MEGA BOOK COLLECTION
NOT FOR
Afterburner 2 -
F lying a plane is pretty cool but piloting a fighter jet is even
better. Following the success of the original After Burner,
SEGA knew that they had a solid template. It could be improved,
and the sequel did exactly that. Designed by Yu Suzuki after his
work on Outrun, this title aimed to deliver players a greater sense
of control over an F-14 Tomcat Fighter Jet. Unlike the first game,
players could have full control over the throttle, speeding up and
slowing the action on whim. The game also included synthesized
speech to heighten the realism. The pilot yells “Fire!” before
launching missiles.
Its 3D visuals were cutting edge for the time and being able to
perform 360-degree rolls while still maintaining some convincing
depth perception was amazing. Players must engage with
numerous enemies over sea, sand and military bases. Combining
fine-tuned throttle control and nimble movement allows incoming
fire to be avoided letting players counter attack with lock-on
missiles. Chaining together multiple hits on enemies boosts the
score exponentially. It felt good in the arcades and it was just as
good on the Megadrive. The sounds, sights and barrel-rolls all
work together to make After Burner 2 a certified classic. ■
Title:
After Burner 2
Genre:
Arcade Air Combat Shoot’em Up
Developer:
SEGA Enterprises Ltd.
Year Released:
1990
Publisher:
FOR RESALE OR PHYSICAL REPRODUCTION SEGA of America, Inc.

Aladdin -
16 -bit games took a little imagination to look good.
Not all sprite work is created equal, and it was hard
for licensed games to adapt the source material. Virgin
Interactive’s Aladdin is a complete rejection of this idea
though. They worked hand in hand with Disney animators to
create a game with a visual fidelity that made the characters
instantly recognizable. The soundtrack was brilliant too;
players who like the movie will find the music to be a
catchy approximation of the its tunes.
Aladdin is a platformer and plays through the same

scenarios as shown in the movie. It takes a few liberties for
the sake of gameplay, for example giving Aladdin a sword,
but it works well. Getting to jump around the bombastic
dreamlike dance number when the Genie is introduced is a
stroke of genius! Of course, some of the game can be quite
challenging. The flying carpet escape sequence is thrilling but
hard to nail first try. Even with the difficulty spikes, Aladdin is
consistently fun, and the presentation on display is more than
good enough to persuade multiple playthroughs. The game is
like lightning in a bottle, or more accurately, a genie in a lamp.
Title:
Aladdin
Genre:
Arcade Action Platform Title
Developer:
Virgin Games, Inc.
Year Released:
1993
Publisher:
SEGA of America, Inc.
18 MEGA BOOK COLLECTION NOT FOR
Alex Kidd -
In The Enchanted Castle
T his would end up being Alex Kidd’s only foray into the Mega
drive. Remembered for his near mascot status on the Master
System, he was quickly overshadowed by Sonic. In the Enchanted
Castle, Alex plays similar to his other games in which you kick,
punch and dodge enemies to collect coins as you traverse through
levels playing rock-paper-scissors in exchange for items to use
for help. This is an early entry in the Mega Drive library but
even at that point, the graphics and soundtrack are sub-par. The
level design is rather unpolished and the enemies lack any kind
distinction. You’re fighting wizards, cars, eagles and aeroplanes
and they all feel somewhat out of place for a game claiming to be
about an Enchanted Castle.
Alex has a very short attack range and can easily miss
enemies. The punishment for this is instant death as Alex cannot
take any damage without dying. Some of the areas in the game
are quite densely populated, making the game quite punishing.
This is a piece of history as it was released by Sega themselves,
and Alex himself was a staple of the Master System but this is
a title that slides right into the middle of the action-platformer
genre. ■
Title:
Alex Kidd: In the Enchanted Castle
Genre:
Classic Arcade Side Scrolling Platformer
Developer:
Year Released:
1989
Publisher:
Sega
FOR RESALE OR PHYSICAL REPRODUCTION 19 MEGA BOOK COLLECTION

Alien 3 -
I n 1992, the third instalment in the Aliens saga was released
and, with it, came games derived from the film. The Genesis/
Mega Drive, of course, got its own version of the game. Ripley
sets out to stop “The Company” from gaining access to the alien
life forms, and have now begun growing in numbers and taking
captives. It is up to Ripley to rescue the captives and destroy the
aliens.
As the player you take on the role of Ripley and you must
traverse various platforms as you search for captives while killing
every alien that gets in your way. You have four weapons you
can use: machine gun, flame thrower, grenade launcher, and hand
grenades. All of these are in limited supply so you must be sure to
collect ammunition as you travel about. Time is of the essence and
you must focus on finding the captives so you can make it to the
exit before the clock reaches zero. Aliens 3 has colourful graphics
with well animated characters and good sound effects. The music
is pretty upbeat and gives the game more of an arcade feel than
anything else. The game can be challenging as the aliens do move
about rather quickly, but it is still a fun game, one that should be
enjoyed by lovers of running shooters and Alien fans alike. ■
Title:
Alien 3
Genre:
Action Gun’n’Run Movie-Tie-in Title
Developer:
Probe Software
Year Released:
1992
Publisher:
Arena Entertainment

Animaniacs -
A nimaniacs was a TV show developed by collaboration
between Warner Bros. and Amblin Entertainments (Steven
Spielberg) that first aired in 1993. The show had a cast of
wacky characters and it was considered a variety show that did
anything from education to satire. The show’s success led to the
development of video games for various systems, including the
Genesis/MD. This version of the game has Yakko, Wakko, and Dot
(the Warner Siblings) opening up a hip pop culture shop so they
can meet some of their favourite stars.
The Siblings travel through the different movie sets at Warner

Brothers to pick up movie memorabilia but find themselves having
to deal with Pinky and the Brain who want to use the items for
their world domination plans. In the game, the player controls
the Siblings as they travel through four different areas in the lot.
Though all the characters move together, the player can only use
one at a time for any particular action. Each Sibling has its own
skillset: Yakko uses a paddleball to stun enemies and he has the
ability to push/pull objects, Wakko has a mallet that can be used to
break stuff or turn switches, and Dot blows kisses. Animaniacs is
a nice mix of puzzle and platformer gaming that boasts colourful
graphics and fun game play. ■
Title:
Animaniacs
Genre:
Iconic Cartoon Action Platformer
Developer:
Konami.
Year Released:
1994
Publisher:
Konami
24 MEGA BOOK COLLECTION NOT FOR RESALE OR PHYSICAL REPRODUCTION
Alien Soldier -
T he planet Sierra, once peaceful, is now under attack by
the terrorist group known as Scarlet. Scarlet only has one
purpose, the destruction of the planet’s human population and
the total takeover of the world. After an assassination attempt
on Epsilon-Eagle, Scarlet’s former leader, Epsilon was badly
injured and hurled into the space-time continuum where he has
been hiding in the body of a boy. In the meantime, Scarlet is now
under control of the feral Xi-Tiger, a leader so vicious that even
Scarlet’s members fear him making them seek out Epsilon.
Alien Soldier is a side scrolling shooter that has the unique

honour of holding the Guinness World Record as the game with
the most boss battles for a game of its kind. Each level of play is
rather short and is followed by a boss fight with the game having
a total of 31 bosses in 25 levels of play. There are two skill levels
of play to choose from, Easy and Hard where the difference is that
you have no saves (passwords) in the hard level. Alien Soldier
is a rather good shooter for the Genesis/MD. The game has large
character sprites, cool music, and nice sound effects. The bosses
are announced with an alarm and these come in all shapes and
forms. Though not an easy game to find, it is one I recommend
you add to your library. ■
Title:
Alien Soldier
Genre:
Run ‘n’ Gun Shooter
Developer:
Treasure
Year Released:
1995
Publisher:
Sega

Alisia Dragoon -
A lisia Dragoon is a fantasy action game with RPG elements
released exclusively for the SEGA Megadrive in 1992. It
bucked the trend of rescuing damsels in distress and instead had
players assuming the role of Alisia. She is a powerful sorceress
on a quest to avenge her late father and save the world. It’s
very gripping stuff. Players don’t just have access to Alisia’s
destructive magic. They are accompanied by four loyal beasts,
each with different abilities, to assist in combat throughout the
journey. These creatures can be selected at any time, changing
the flow of the action whenever the player chooses. The more
a creature is used, the more it levels up, making the player’s
favoured approach even more powerful.
While enemies are frequent, the game encourages players

to remain patient when fighting them. A bar at the top of the
screen shows how powerful Alisia’s lightning attacks are, and
they decrease in power the more they are used. This makes
players wait to deal extended damage, and synergy with the
select companion creature is made all the more important. The
tactical action combined with a fully realized story leads Alisia
Dragoon to be a very compelling experience. ■
Title:
Alisia Dragoon
Genre:
Arcade Action RPG Platform Title
Developer:
Game Arts Co., Ltd.
Year Released:
1992
Publisher:

Batman: The Video Game -
B atman for the Mega Drive, created by Sunsoft, is a
fantastic title. When you first play Batman, you can
tell it’s an early title for the machine as it has all the usual
gaming flaws: it’s fairly easy, short and somewhat shallow
in game play, and has what could be considered impressive
graphics at the time. However, it also has unforgettable
and excellent music. The game is more or less a straight up
adaptation of the movie into late 80s/very early 90s game
form. The only level that doesn’t really follow the movie
is the first level where you start out on the streets, and you
fight assailants in the rain.
This game is an action platformer: you punch guys,

you jump, you can use your grappling hook and throw
batarangs. Gameplay is broken up by two vehicular levels:
one with the Bat Mobile, the other the Bat Wing. The music
in this game is actually some of the best 16-bit music I’ve
ever heard from a Mega Drive. The game comes up short in
the replay department for me, but if you are a Batman fan
then this will be right up your alley, especially if you’re a
fan of Tim Burton’s movie. Some great graphics and music
but let down due to gameplay simplicity. ■
Title:
Batman: The Video Game
Genre:
Movie-Tie-In Action Platform Title
Developer:
Sunsoft
Year Released:
1990
Publisher:
SEGA Inc.

Blades of Vegeance -
Y ou have to wonder sometimes where the inspiration for games
comes from. In Blades of Vengeance, you can pay as either a
Wizard, Huntress (read Valkyrie), or Barbarian (read Warrior). Sound
familiar? Only the Elf is missing. Despite having characters similar to
those from Gauntlet, Blades is a totally different game. The Kingdom
has been conquered by Mannax the Dark Lady and The Master
has summoned three distinct adventurers to defeat Mannax and her
cronies. Navigating through eight levels full of wonders, treasures,
monsters, and magic, you guide one of these characters on their
mission.
At the start of every mission, The Master will give you some
clues as to what to expect but that’s all the help you’ll get from him.
Complete a level to be confronted by one of the Dark Lady’s master
creatures. Blades of Vengeance is a superb game, the graphics are
beautiful with large character sprites that are nicely animated and
well detailed and there are plenty of evil characters to fight against,
including werewolves, gargoyles, skeletons, vampires, and fire
creatures. The game has a “shop” where you can buy power ups for
your character using the silver you collect through the levels. The
game has fantastic music and even includes a two-player cooperative
mode. This game is a winner and a must-have! ■
Title:
Blades of Vegeance
Genre:
Action Adventure Hack’n’Slash Title
Developer:
Beam Software
Year Released:
1993
Publisher:
Electronic Arts, Inc.

Buck Rogers:
Countdown to Doomsday-
A ffter centuries of war against RAM (Russo-American

Mercantile) the NEO (New Earth Organization), with the help
of Buck Rogers himself, have taken control of Earth and restored
some peace to the war-torn civilization. However, RAM has not
taken defeat well and are desperate to take back control of Earth.
With a carefully chosen small crew of varied skills, the player is
thrown in at the deep end to face combat missions, explore strange
new planets and destroy the ultimate Doomsday weapon.
While the original PC version of this strategy RPG may be a bit

heavy on the details, the Mega Drive port is refreshingly streamlined
and includes an introduction tutorial level to get the player up to
speed on the game’s plot and gameplay. The game transitions from
the main space map viewpoint to the many planet or space station
based missions and quests. The player will take part in space ship
dogfights and planet based battles that are executed in turn based
tactical gameplay. This is an epic strategy role-playing game based
on the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons games. Due to importing the
original game, visuals may not be as impressive as they could have
been, but it is the involving plot and gameplay that shines here. ■
Title:
Buck Rogers: Countdown to Doomsday
Genre:
Sci-Fi Role-Playing (RPG)
Developer:
Strategic Simulations, Inc.
Year Released:
1991
Publisher:
Electronic Arts, Inc.

Chiki Chiki Boys -
T he Mega Drive had a stellar line-up in 1993 and I’m sure most
would have rather played the like of Streets of Rage 2, Shinobi
III, Rocket Knight Adventures or Gunstar Heroes than a no name
sensation. Never judge a book by its cover. A chance rental changed
my mind about Chiki Chiki Boys completely. Often underrated and
with a low profile, Chiki Chiki Boys is a hidden gem in the Mega
Drive library like Blades of Vengeance. Don’t pass this one up. The
peaceful land of Alurea is attacked by monsters and its population
decimated. The only survivors are the twin sons of the King who
grow up ignorant of their homeland. When they are finally told of
what happened to their kingdom the brothers set out to rid Alurea
of evil. Released in the arcade under the name Mega Twins this was
not one of Capcom’s higher profile releases at the time.
The range of colours has taken a hit, but the biggest change
comes in the backgrounds and a large portion of the environmental
detail has either been cut or made smaller. But I can say that
Chiki Chiki Boys on the Mega Drive is a great arcade port and
an excellent action game. Sega have done a great job porting the
arcade game and while it is often forgotten that doesn’t make it
any less great. This is the definition of a hidden gem and with its
price is worth tracking down. ■
Title:
Chiki Chiki Boys a.k.a. Mega Twins
Genre:
Arcade Fantasy Platform Title
Developer:
Capcom
Year Released:
1992
Publisher:
Sega
Chuck Rock -
C huck Rock was first released by Core Design in 1991 to
home computers, with the folks at Virgin creating the
Genesis/Mega Drive version. The game is set in a prehistoric
Earth similar to that of the Flintstones and our unlikely hero is a
fat, square-jawed man with a beer belly. This is Chuck Rock, who
also has his own catch phrase, Unga Bunga! Chuck is married
to Ophelia but Ophelia always had an admirer in the evil Gary
Gritter. While Ophelia was hanging the laundry (with Chuck
watching TV and drinking beer), Gary uses his club to knock out
Ophelia and take her away.
It is up to Chuck to save his wife from this evil dude. With his
clothes dirty, Chuck runs behind a bush and creates a leaf and twig set
of pants and he sets off to the rescue. Chuck must cross five different
areas in order to reach the dinosaur graveyard where Gary is holding
Ophelia hostage. Chuck uses his belly to do a belly-butt but he is
pretty good at jumping and throwing rocks at his enemies. The game
has some really nice cartoon-like graphics and a catchy tune. To keep
Chuck going (be sure to watch the heart meter), you need to find
dinosaur steaks through the levels for him to eat and there are some
puzzles you need to solve to advance through certain levels. This is a
really nice title you should not miss! ■
Title:
Chuck Rock
Genre:
Classic Caveman Action Platform title
Developer:
Core Design
Year Released:
1992
Publisher:
Virgin Media Interactive
NOT FOR RESALE OR PHYSICAL REPRODUCTION 39 MEGA BOOK COLLECTION

Comix Zone -
D esigner Peter Morawiec created a 1992 Amiga demo that
blended comic book and game, and Sega turned it into
stylish reality. Artist Sketch Turner was living peacefully with
pet rat Roadkill, when a lightning strike brought his mutant
villain Mortus to life! Mortus traps Sketch in the pages of his
own comic, fighting the radioactive Kreeps with punches and
kicks. Sketch can carry three items, including Roadkill; the rat
can be sent into dangerous areas to retrieve items. Picking up
a fist icon turns him into the powerful Super Sketch for a short
time, or he can rip off part of the background to throw as a
paper plane and damage enemies (at the cost of energy).
There are rudimentary puzzles to overcome, involving

switches and blocked exits. Sketch swings and jumps
between the panels, with captions and sound bubbles
appearing in bright comic-book colours. Although the story
is mostly linear, there are secret rooms and alternate routes
to discover - and two possible endings. The late release date
means it is highly sought after by collectors. Comix Zone
would be ported to Windows 95 and appear on several Sega
compilations, as well as the Mega Drive Mini, iOS and
Android. ■
Title:
Comix Zone
Genre:
Arcade Comic Book Beatem’up
Developer:
Sega Technical Institute
Year Released:
1995
Publisher:
Sega


Castlevania:The New Generation -
T he house of Dracula has risen again and extended its reach
to the Sega Mega Drive! Creatures of the night walk abroad
once more and there’s only one family who can send them back
to the void. Join two Belmont descendants as they journey
across the world to stop a global war and put an end to the
vampire menace in Castlevania: The New Generation. The only
Castlevania title on the system, Generation follows John Morris,
son of Dracula’s killer Quincy Morris, and best friend Eric
Lecarde in supernatural side-scrolling action fans of the series
know and love.
Both characters have their own signature weapons — the

famous Vampire Killer whip and the Alucard Spear — which
can be upgraded and perform special moves. They can also
wield a variety of sub-weapons and items to put an end to the
slew of monsters in their path. In a Castlevania first, levels break
away from Castle Dracula and take place all over the world
from the Leaning Tower of Pisa to the Palace of Versailles, all
oozing gothic atmosphere. Combined with unique visual effects
and a punchy soundtrack, Castlevania: New Generations brings
vampiric magic to the Mega Drive, mixing the classic monster-
slaying and plat-forming action with new and exciting elements.
Title:
Castlevania: The New Generation
Genre:
Arcade Action Adventure Title
Developer:
Konami
Year Released:
1994
Publisher:
Konami

Castle of Illusion -
Starring Mickey Mouse
M ickey Mouse’s second ever video game in the western world
kicks off a series of charming and magical adventures in the
realm of Illusion. Castle of Illusion sees Minnie captured by the
evil witch Mizrabel for her youth and beauty. To rescue his love,
Mickey travels to her castle and must retrieve the Seven Gems of
the Rainbow by defeating Mizrabel’s ‘Masters of Illusion’. Each
door of the castle leads to a pocket realm with a signature theme
and enemies such as the Enchanted Forest with rampaging trees and
Toyland with nutcracker soldiers.
The Mega Drive brings these areas to life with smooth animations
and vibrant colours; Mickey has never looked so good! The soundtrack
is a perfect match with bouncy, whimsical tracks punctuating Mickey’s
journey through the castle. Fittingly, Mickey can use his Bounce
attack to dispatch the denizens or collect projectiles like apples and
pearls to throw their way and the levels’ difficulty is well balanced
for both adults and younger players. A platforming classic that not
only spawned a series but shaped the future of Disney video games in
general, this is a Mega Drive must-have and still continues to delight
and entertain more than 30 years later after its release. ■
Title:
Castle of Illusion : Starring Mickey Mouse
Genre:
Disney Action Adventure Title
Developer:
Year Released:
1990
Publisher:
Sega

Dynamite Headdy -
T reasure was always passionate about pushing hardware to
the limits, so what would happen if they decided to make
a platformer? Dynamite Headdy. It’s packed with vibrant
colours, powerful power-ups and a character that throws his
head to attack, navigate and push things. It’s very versatile.
The player controls Headdy, a bright and explosive puppet
who must travel through huge stages and swap his head to
save hi s puppet friends. Changing heads grants various
abilities, such as shooting projectiles from Headdy’s nose,
increasing his attack power or completely stopping time. The
constant head swapping forces players to adapt constantly. He
can even use his head as method of climbing. Throwing his
head allows the player to bite a platform and pull Headdy’s
body up. The sheer creativity here is brilliant!
One of the more unique things about this game is

that every stage is literally a dressed set. The sprite
work is detailed to an obsessive degree, showing the
imperfections of the stage backgrounds and props. For
example, the sky is bolted together and is scrolled along
the top of the screen while platforms are suspended
using fraying rope. Treasure created a challenging and
charming title that is absolute dynamite. ■
Title:
Dynamite Headdy
Genre:
2D Arcade Side Scrolling Action Title
Developer:
Treasure Co., Ltd.
Year Released:
1994
Publisher:

Demolition Man -
D emolition Man was the action blockbuster of 1994, and it
was not surprising that a game of it arrived on the Mega
Drive. With such an awesome premise that seems tailor made
for a video game this should have been an easy slam dunk.
Yet somehow Demolition Man isn’t as great as it could have
been. While the action is solid it is let down by confusing level
design and frustrating mechanics. Thankfully this 16-bit version
of the game is not a cut down version of its 32-bit cousin.
The Alexandria Incorporated version of Demolition Man is a
separate adventure that will actually remind you of Acclaim’s
Judge Dredd, released the following year.
Demolition Man uses two viewpoints. The primary is a side-

scrolling action game along the lines of Contra. For the most
part the levels follow the flow of the movie leading up to the
final confrontation with Simon Phoenix. John Spartan has access
to a variety of weapons. One aspect you’ll have to live with are
your bullets; they are practically invisible and so aiming relies
on gauging enemy reactions. Demolition Man clearly has some
flaws, yet I found it to be a solid action title. It’s a good game
but you’ll have to accept some of its janks here and there to
appreciate its good points. But is well worth a go. ■
Title:
Demolition Man
Genre:
Action Gun’n’Run Movie-Tie-In Title
Developer:
Alexandria Incorporated
Year Released:
1995
Publisher:
Acclaim Entertainment

Desert Strike -
T he real-life invasion of Iraq in 1991 was the
background to Mike Poeshn’s development of a
game featuring the Apache AH-64 helicopter. Mike’s love
of Matchbox toys saw him create a deep and strategic
game featuring four long missions, each one broken into
smaller objectives. Rescuing downed pilots, shutting
down a nuclear plant and stopping the launch of missiles
is all achieved while managing the fuel and ammunition.
A detailed in-game map shows the next target and enemy
defences.
Choosing the right co-pilot (or rescuing a better one)

improves accuracy with the chain gun, rockets and missiles,
or speeds up the winch used to pick up supplies. Armour
is depleted by damage until the helicopter explodes, but
returning hostages to a landing point gives bonus armour.
The delightful 3D models and smooth handling make it a
joy to play, while a password system lets you save your
progress. There is often more than one way to achieve an
objective, but mess up and you get a SNAFU forcing a
restart. High magazine ratings at the time led to a series of
sequels, but the original remains the most fun. ■
Title:
Desert Strike
Genre:
Isometric Action Shooter
Developer:
Electronic Arts
Year Released:
1992
Publisher:
Electronic Arts
Dick Tracy -
C alling Dick Tracy! Calling Dick Tracy! Every thug, gangster and
hood is out in the streets! The quintessential police detective raises
his arm and talks into his two-way wrist radio: Tracy here, I’m armed and
ready! Growing up, I remember reading comic strips about Dick Tracy
and watching cartoons about this famous fictional detective. When I
learned there was a Genesis/Mega Drive game based on this hero, I knew
I had to get it. I didn’t care whether the game was good or bad, I just
wanted to get it.
Thankfully, the game turned out to be pretty good. In the game you
play as Dick Tracy as you go through various parts of the city (for a total
of six stages) with the goal of bringing down Big Boy. You can jump,
duck, shoot with your gun, or even use a Tommy (machine) gun to hit
gangsters that shoot at you from the other side of the street. Of course,
your machine gun does cause damage to anything it hits, so you’ll see
windows, fire hydrants, and street lights blow up when they get hit. Each
of the stages has a boss at the end that you must deal with and these are
known characters from the comic strip such as The Brow, Pruneface,
and Flattop. The game was actually inspired by the movie, so there are
aspects of the game that play on that. Dick Tracy has bright and colourful
graphics, excellent sound effects and music, and enjoyable gameplay.
This is one worth having! ■
Title:
Dick Tracy
Genre:
Action Gun’n’Run Movie-Tie-In Title
Developer:
Touchstone
Year Released:
1990
Publisher:
Sega

Dragon’s Fury -
I f you are looking for a fantastic game of pinball, look no further
than Dragon’s Fury. The game is a remake of Devil’s Crush, a
game that had been released for the PC Engine/Tubrografx but one
that takes the original formula up a few notches. The table is huge
with three levels of flippers, tons of targets (including many moving
targets), and six different bonus mini tables. The table combines
elements of fantasy with horror as there are medieval devices,
sorcerers, skeletons, skulls, monsters and even dragons (hence the
name) in the game. Never mind the flying creatures that you can
smack with the ball for bonus points.
Many of these also help move the ball around the table. One of
the coolest things to see is the head of the warrior princess gradually
transform into a dragon so you can then push the ball through the
dragon’s mouth and into a bonus stage. These are single screen
tables but they each have different themes and different targets that
must be achieved to rack up the points. One interesting aspect of
Dragon’s Fury is that it uses a password system to choose starting
point level, turning the music on or off, and running a time-limited
trial. The graphics of Dragon’s Fury are just fantastic, the physics are
as true as they can be, and the music is superb. This is a masterpiece
for the Genesis/Mega Drive! ■
Title:
Dragon’s Fury
Genre:
Arcade Gothic Pinball title
Developer:
Naxat Soft
Year Released:
1992
Publisher:
Tengen

Earhworm Jim 2 -
T he last time I played a hard-as-nails platform-shooter is
Jak II: Renegade. What this and Earthworm Jim 2 had
in common aside from the insanely challenging difficulty,
cartoony animation and sound effects and providing me a
tendency to cause me to give up whenever I come across a
roadblock is the small number of checkpoints. There’s no
denying the music track of the “Anything But Tangerines”
level from the PlayStation 1/PC Earthworm Jim 2 port is the
best version. Compared to the PC version, the Mega Drive
version didn’t have the option to switch between weapons.
Considering how useless the Bubble Gun is in combat, it
shouldn’t be in Jim’s arsenal to take up space.
The levels differ from each other, coupled with

various game-play differences. One minute I’m floating
around as a blind salamander, the next minute I’m flying
on a giant missile while guiding a hot air balloon carrying
a bomb. It’s hard to control Snott like a grappling hook.
According to Earthworm Jim lore, he is Jim’s partner who
lives inside the backpack of Jim’s Super Suit. Unless I
use cheats, it’s impossible to advance further. It’s sad to
say but it’s fun while it lasts. ■
Title:
Earthworm Jim 2
Genre:
Action Gun’n’Run Platform Title
Developer:
Shiny Entertainment, Inc.
Year Released:
1995
Publisher:
Playmates Interactive Entertainment, Inc.

El Viento -
T he setting for El Viento is pretty unique: set in 1920s
America, a religious cult led by Vincente Demarcoto
(Al Capone in Japan!) plans to resurrect the god Hastur.
Annet, a sorceress and descendent of Hastur, plans to stop
him with a little help from fellow adventurer Earnest Evans.
Sounds great? El Viento is the second game in a loose
trilogy of titles that include Earnest Evans. Only showing
up in one cutscene here to give you a pat on the head and
likewise heroine Annet is present in one level of his game.
El Viento turns out to be a far better game when I first
played it.
El Viento means Wind in Spanish and the game is

extremely fast. Annet moves quickly and her boomerangs
have heat seeking properties. She can also perform a
peculiar crouching run that is actually useful despite how
ridiculous it may look. There are no items aside from health,
but you do have access to magic. You begin with a simple
fireball spell but earn new spells at set points, eventually up
to six. El Viento is one of the better action games from early
in the Sega Genesis’ life. But it is also rough around the
edges and unpolished. El Viento is still worth checking out
after better titles and if you’ve never encountered it before
just make sure not to be overly excited. ■
Title:
El Viento
Genre:
Action Adventure Platform Title
Developer:
Wolf Team
Year Released:
1991
Publisher:
Renovation

Eternal Champions -
S treet Fighter and Mortal Kombat proved a market was
there for fighting games. However, these games were
ports from the arcade to consoles. Sega decided why not make
our franchise adding the need for gamers to utilise the six-
button controller in the process and thus Eternal Champions
was born. On first appearances, the game appeared to borrow
heavily from others already on the market. Yet those that
played it knew that there was more to this experience. There
were nine fighters from across time such as the futuristic
cyborg R.A.X, modern-day vampire Midknight and the pre-
historic hunter Slash. Even though common today, this game
introduced the revolutionary concept that interacting with the
stage environment in the right way at the right time caused
devastating finishes to your opponents.
The games also started up a franchise for Sega with

sequels and spin-off games on the Saturn and Game Gear
systems. Fans in the UK also had a bonus that no one else in
the world could claim: Sonic the Comic. Not only did Eternal
champions appear in two serials but they also had their own
one-shot non-sonic comic book providing story and character
backgrounds with insider tips. ■
Title:
Eternal Champions
Genre:
Original 1 Vs 1 Fighting Title
Developer:
SEGA Interactive Development Division
Year Released:
1994
Publisher:
Sega

Flashback -
I ’ve been waxing lyrical about Flashback ever since I first
played it in 1993. Truth be told, I fell in love with the Amiga
version but the Mega Drive version loses absolutely nothing.
On the face of it, you could say it’s a simple screen-by-screen
platformer (akin to something like Pitfall!) with a plot ripped
off the John Carpenter movie They Live. But it’s so much
more than that. Conrad Hart stumbles upon a way to detect
aliens living among humans which immediately lands him
in hot water. He’s kidnapped, (presumably) tortured, given a
healthy dose of amnesia and discarded on a very leafy-looking
planet. All he has is a “holocube” which contains a recording of
himself saying he has to visit his friend Ian and off you go. Just
like that.
The whole premise of being this person who hasn’t a clue

what’s going on, to re-establishing your memory, to grinding
your way back to Earth is almost the perfect sci-fi plot.
Flashback was commended for its rotoscoped animation and
lush graphics but the gameplay is perfectly balanced also. The
platforming sections require a bit of thought and the gun action
really gets the heart pounding. It’s on every platform imaginable
so you’ve really no reason not to own a copy. ■
Title:
Flashback
Genre:
Slick Sci-Fi Action Adventure Title
Developer:
Delphine Software
Year Released:
1993
Publisher:
US Gold

Gauntlet IV -
W hen it comes to fantasy games there is one game that will always
come to mind: Gauntlet. The first Gauntlet game was launched
by Atari to the arcades in 1985. The game allowed for up to four players
to participate simultaneously by playing as either a Warrior, a Wizard, a
Valkyrie, or an Elf. The goal was to travel through mazes, using a top view, to
gather treasure and find an exit while destroying and/or avoiding a variety of
monsters ranging from ghosts to demons to sorcerers. The original game was
very successful and it inspired sequels in the arcades and various home ports.
The Genesis/MD version of the game was released as Gauntlet IV in Western
markets with the game offering four different modes: Arcade, Quest, Battle,
and Record. Arcade mode plays just like in the arcade. Quest mode works like
an RPG where the player must defeat four towers and solve the mystery of an
ancient castle. Battle mode has the players fight each other to the death. Record
mode is for only one player and it allows passwords to be used.
Gauntlet IV does allow for up to four players to enjoy the game by

means of the Sega Team Player or the 4-Way Play multitaps. Visually the
game is an accurate representation of the arcade, even in how the screen is
split to show the score for each player. Sound effects are also reproduced
from the arcade. Where the game is different from the arcade, and this in a
very positive way, is in the addition of an in-game musical score. Gauntlet
IV is an excellent title that should be part of your game library. ■
Title:
Gauntlet IV
Genre:
Arcade Action Dungeon Crawler Hit
Developer:
Tengen
Year Released:
1993
Publisher:
Tengen
Ghouls ‘n’ Ghosts -
W hile SEGA focused a lot of their efforts on bringing
home their arcade hits, they also sought to bring
games from other developers at the time. One of them
was Capcom. Capcom hadn’t planned on porting Ghouls’n
Ghosts to the Megadrive, but SEGA reached a deal to
develop the port in-house (Yuji Naka who would later
program Sonic the Hedgehog took the reins on this one).
The goal of the game is to rescue a Princess from the

Devil himself by overcoming hordes of monsters with
increasingly challenging attack patterns. After each
section, players are given a map to gauge their progress,
always challenging them to improve on their last run.
Ghouls’n Ghosts is also quite humorous. When damaged,
players will lose their armour and continue in their
underwear. There’s something goofy about being damaged
so hard that you lose your clothes.
This game was one of the earliest must have titles for
the Megadrive, and its success was responsible for the
arrival of other Capcom titles on the system. ■
Title:
Ghouls ‘n’ Ghosts
Genre:
Developer:
Capcom Co., Ltd.
Year Released:
1989
Publisher:

STREETS OF RAGE
SEGA’S CLASSIC SCROLLING BEAT’ EM UP OPUS
ega’s Streets of Rage was perhaps it was a runaway success, a huge reason
the biggest franchise on the SEGA for this success could be put down to the
Genesis /Megadrive, it was certainly addition of a 2-player co-op mode which
the best trilogy to grace the console. Streets the design team thought would be a huge
of Rage or Bare Knuckle as it is known in selling point, that was a master stroke
Japan was release way back in 1991, the because for all the comparisons with Final
very same year as that really fast Hedgehog. Fight, like the games mechanics, oh and the
It’s fair to say that SEGA was looking at roasted meat concealed in trashcans and oil
what Nintendo was doing and they had to drums. Having said that the team did expand
make sure they could compete, with Capcom on the game heavily to try and give it
releasing a port of Final Fight exclusively for independence from the obvious comparisons
the Super Nintendo, Sega had to react, and people will make with the aforementioned
react they did. game such as adding more abilities when it
came to grapples and even featured counter
Noriyoshi Ohba was selected by Sega grapple moves for each character, and that
to direct the new game, still relatively Special A button move to call the cops,
inexperienced started with Sega working on literally and rocket launching police car
Wonderboy as a planner and then Revenge simply wipes all the enemies out.
of Shinobi / Super Shinobi it was this game
that gave the powers at Sega the belief Maybe the best part of the game was its
that Ohba could create a game to not only style, it expanded on games like Golden
match Capcom’s Final Fight, but defeat it. Axe – a modified version of this games
Development started on July 16, 1990 with engine was used to create Streets of Rage,
notable developers like Hiroaki Chino & the soundtrack by Yuzo Koshiro was a joy to
Atsushi Seimiya who both behold, Koshiro stated
worked on E-SWAT the he was never given any
initial instruction on what type
hope was of music to create so he
to have just created
the game something
completed he liked,
within a and he
6-month certainly
period. made the
That was a more or Yamaha YM2612 chip
less achieved as Sega inside the Sega Genesis/
release the game in Megadrive really sing.
early 1991 on the SEGA
Genesis/Mega Drive

Streets of Rage was a perfect start to walk about and punch all the bad guys. all the enemies fell over to give you a short
the series, it was not perfect by any Streets of Rage was a little slower paced breather. Another fun memory was how if you
means but they had certainly created than brawlers in the arcades. Making it tried to throw a large boss character it would
a hit game that many preferred over the much better suited to a console game. Other fall on your character due to its weight.
much loved Final Fight. Sega back then was features that really stood out was the plethora Making for some amusing co-op moments.
a company that reacted fast to what people of weapons you could pick up and bash
wanted and soon wanted to get out a sequel, over peoples heads. You could also grapple The original game has appeared on a few
step up Ancient, a Yuzo Koshiro company. enemies and perform cool moves. Lets also collections, like the Japanese version of
not forget when things got too tough you Sonic Gems Collection. Unfortunately, it
What stood out most to me was the striking could summon a police car for back up which was removed from the Western versions
art work on the box. Quite a hallmark of would take out most of the enemies on screen to maintain an E-rating for the collection.
90’s culture, and an ideal poster for most giving you a short breather. Then there’s However, all three games are available on
people’s bedrooms. Sadly I was unable to the boss fights: the music changes, and it Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection for the
get a poster, but I did get to rent the game becomes more dramatic before they suddenly PS3 and 360. On the PC side of things, it’s
and my brother and I were instantly drawn appear. The boss characters were giant and also been released for Steam. These are all
into the co-op play. A simple story, save the quite challenging to begin with. After years of mostly just the game running on an emulator,
city from Mr X, take out all the bad guys on playing I began to learn the patterns though. though.
the way. Basically this was the plot for all 3
games. Select one of three characters: Adam, Mr X, the final boss was a memorable The best way to play the original SoR has
Axel or Blaze. There is one thing I loved encounter as he would let the player decide to be the Sega Vintage Collection on XBLA,
about the first game that was never brought to join his game gang or not. If you did you which includes all three Streets of Rage
back in sequels: if you left the title screen were sent back to a earlier level and would games. These are more accurate emulations,
alone for a short period the game would cut have to go through the game all over again. come with some great extra features like
to bio descriptions of the characters. I was If you played co-op and you both made leaderboards, and online play. This version
immediately drawn to Axel because he liked different decisions you fought each other. includes a variety of display options, both the
martial arts and video games. Kinda like Double Dragon. Of course we English and Japanese versions of each game,
mostly refused and Mr X rudely pulled out a and three new music tracks used for the menu
My brother often opted to play as gun to fight with which seemed a little unfair. screens.
Adam since he was the stronger I always liked in these games how when
character. Gameplay was very simple: you lost a life you fell from the heavens and The working title for Streets of Rage was
DSWAT. This was to signify the idea that it
took place in the same universe as ESWAT,
an earlier Sega game. Observant players
may notice that the cop car from the ending
of ESWAT on the Genesis is the same as the
support car in Streets of Rage.

In the early 90s, gaming was already pleased with their quality work on Sonic for the being removed is a special attacks button
a billion dollar industry. But at the 8bit platforms. He entrusted them with a special was included, now you decide how to
same time production teams were still project, Nakayama encouraged ancient to make use your special attack, they did deplete
relatively small and thus even start-up companies the best fighting game on the Megadrive that some of your energy but it was a god
could work on high profile titles. Among them would match the success of Capcom’s mega hit. send when you got yourself backed into
was “Ancient”, founded by composer Yuzo This ambitious project would become Bare Knuckle a corner.
Koshiro. With Sega’s Revenge of Shinobi being 2 aka Streets of Rage 2 was released in Europe The characters changed too, Axel
a huge stepping stone for the composer to kick and Japan in January 1993, gamers in the US had replaced Adam from the first game, then
off his freelance career, the game was very well the privilege of playing the game earlier as it was you had Blaze, Sammy and Max, each had
received, especially its cutting edge soundtrack. released in the US in December 1992. Ancient was their own subtle characteristics, you had
Convincing high profile companies like Konami giving a huge task, every conceivable part of the to decide which one suited your playing
and Capcom to develop for their Mega Drive was game was to be improved upon over the original. style, whether the all-round ability of
still one of the biggest challenges Sega faced. The sprites were better, being increased in size Alex, the speed of Blaze and Sammy or
Capcom’s Street Fighter 2 was a smash hit in the and giving the characters and identity and power the slow powerful wrestler that was Max.
arcade, and it would only be a matter of time bars, the improvements did not end there, they
before a port would appear on either Nintendo implemented better controls, and one area that Koshiro’s soundtrack expanding on the
or Sega’s consoles. Sega’s President Hayao really shone for me was the vastly improved detail original, there was a wider vibe to the
Nakayama had been desperately attempting to of the environments. music, from techno, to funk and a mix of
convince Capcom to port Street Fighter two over hip-hop too, it really did set the bench
to the Megadrive after its release, initially to no There was a downside to these improvements, mark for others to follow, perhaps the
success. clearly as part of them, parts of the original game best in game soundtrack ever made, huge
that people had fond memories of, yep, I am statement, but I’ll let you decide.
At the start of 1992, Capcom had started talking about the Police Backup scene, well sadly Streets of Rage II was aw huge hit, Sega
development for the competing platform the Super that was removed since diagonal scrolling was had something others consoles at the
Nintendo, Nakayama knew that Street Fighter being used in the sequel. In exchange for that time did not have and therefore everyone wanted
2 would be a bombshell for Nintendo and saw a Megadrive/Genesis, the console wars played out
the urge to hit back. During an annual party at for those lucky enough to be apart of it and Streets
their Tokyo headquarters, he personally invited of Rage II was certainly instrumental in Sega’s
the Ancient crew to his private room. Being successes through this period.

Streets of Rage 3, was this time the game’s “good” ending. System” to produce a fast beat techno like jungle
developed in house at Sega, the lead incorporating heavily randomised sequences
designer was once again Noriyoshi Facts about the often polarising Streets of from which Koshiro states “it is music that you
Ohba, Ohba and the team made lots of changes Rage 3 regarding international versions of the ordinarily never could imagine on your own”. This
this time around. A huge expanded story with game featured extensive changes from the method was very rare at the time but would later
alternate paths for you to choose, there was new Japanese original which was known as Bare become popular among techno and trance music
dash moves added for all of the characters and Knuckle 3. This includes the main characters, producers.
Max was replaced by a new character called clothing, colours, difficulty settings, and the game
Dr. Zan a cyborg who is not strong as Axel, but story. In fact, a lot of censorship was included in The Japanese version is reported to be slightly
is slightly faster. Sadly, all these changes were the Western version too, including character’s easier than that of the one we had in the western
probably too much, people wanted more of the clothing being made less revealing and the world, perhaps if we had that version then
Streets of Rage 2 feel and this went way above removal of “Ash” as a playable character due to perhaps this would not have been the black sheep
that. After being defeated twice, Syndicate crime him being considered a negative stereotype of of the trilogy. Streets of Rage 3 is not a bad game,
boss Mr. X has started a research company to act a homosexual man. Yuzo Koshiro, often heavily please don’t think that’s what I am saying, it
as a cover for his illegal activities. The world’s criticised for the music in the just fell foul of its prequels successes and
best roboticist, Dr. Dahm (Dr. Zero in Japan), has game was influenced by the need to keep
been brought in to help him create an army of Detroit’s hard techno scene, improving, when
realistic robots to replace important officials which was popular in Tokyo sometimes you
from the city. With the replacements in place, Mr. nightclubs at the time, but just do what
X plans to run the city using a remote because Koshiro would works, like
control device. His criminal organization, create the composition Streets of
The Syndicate, has strategically placed using a method called Rage II
bombs around the city to distract the “The Automated Composing
police while the city officials are dealt
with.
Three of the playable characters from
former games return in the sequel: Axel
Stone, Blaze Fielding, and Eddie “Skate”
Hunter. Dr. Zan replaces Max, Adam from
the first game makes a story cameo, and
Max only makes a cameo appearance in

Sta ge One
Sta ge three
Sta ge two


Golden Axe -
U nleash your inner Conan the Barbarian as the popular
medieval fantasy beat-em-up makes it way to home
consoles! Golden Axe sets the scene of the land of Yuria, a
kingdom under the tyrannical rule of Death Adder, wielder of
the ‘Golden Axe’. Play as one of three warriors who have lost
loved ones to the evil ruler and put an end to his reign of terror.
Each of the three protagonists, a dwarf warrior, barbarian and
Amazon fighter, have their own signature weapons and are able
to cast powerful elemental magic to dispatch Death Adder’s
henchmen, skeleton warriors and knights.
Collecting potions from kicking sprites will enhance

your magical power, making you a force to be reckoned
with on the battlefield. And as well as your own fighting
strength, you can acquire a creature known as a ‘Bizarrian’ as
a steed, ranging from the basic Cockatrice which can tail-
whip enemies to a powerful dragon which can either shoot
fireballs or breath fire. Golden Axe faithfully recreates the
excitement of the arcade version wonderfully, spawning a
decade-spanning franchise and shaping many beat-em-ups
that followed it. It’s sure to get your adrenaline pumping and
fuel your appetite for sword and sorcery! ■
Title:
Golden Axe
Genre:
Classic Arcade Action Slashem’up
Developer:
Sega (AM7 Team)
Year Released:
1989
Publisher:
Sega
Golden Axe II -
G olden Axe II was released for the Megadrive in December
of 1991 and the story takes place after the events of the first
game. Death Adder has been slain but a new evil emerges. Dark
Guld also known as the Lord of Darkness who was sealed away
a long time ago escapes his imprisonment, obtains the powerful
Golden Axe, and wants to bring the world to chaos. Gilius
Thunderhead, Ax Battler, and Tyris Flare – the three heroes from
the first game – return and set out to stop Dark Guld and reclaim the
Golden Axe. The three playable characters have their own strengths
and weaknesses but can perform the same basic functions. They can
each walk, dash, jump, perform attacks, grab and throw enemies,
and cast their own unique magic spells as in the first game.
The single player Duel mode can actually be a good way

to practice against enemies but the mode itself didn’t hold our
interest for long in terms of fun factor. The real meat of the
game is the Arcade mode. Ultimately, I would recommend
Golden Axe II to fans of beat ’em ups, It does kind of feel like
a rehash. The changes to magic and refinements to the combat
make it more enjoyable but it still feels like a product of its
time. It’s a classic albeit stiff beat ’em up that will kick your ass
and make you earn success. ■
Title:
Golden Axe II
Genre:
Classic Arcade Action Slashem’up
Developer:
Sega
Year Released:
1991
Publisher:
Sega

Gunstar Heroes -
G unstar Heroes is an absolute gem of a game. It’s
a classic that serves as a real showpiece for the
Megadrive. Developed by Treasure, this run and gunner
makes use of a variety of different graphical techniques.
Sprite scaling and rotation create huge bosses on a scale few
games have managed to match. The animation is fluid and has
a bright and cartoony aesthetic with characters that burst with
charm. It has multiplayer too!
Gunstar Heroes excels at giving players the freedom to

play in a style that suits them and gives them the opportunity
to dictate how the game will play right from the start. There
are two control systems to choose from: Free Shot and Fixed
Shot. Free Shot allows players to move freely while shooting,
while fixed shot locks players in place when they pull the
trigger. The benefit to staying still is that you can shoot in
8 directions with superior accuracy, but positioning is more
important to prevent being hit. On top of this, the game also
lets players choose their starting weapon, giving each play
through a different flavour. This is a very ambitious game,
and its dedication to player decision is incredible. ■
Title:
Gunstar Heroes
Genre:
Action Run & Gun Platformer
Developer:
Treasure Ltd.
Year Released:
1993
Publisher:
Sega

Gynoug -
G ynoug is a side scrolling shooting game, with a mythical theme,
released in 1991. It was named “Wings of Wor” in the US. You
assume the role of the winged hero, Wor, a Battle Master of the planet
Iccus and, in typical fashion, you’re the only badass that has a chance
of single-handedly saving the planet from the invasion of the Mutants
of Iccus, led by the evil Destroyer. This is a daunting task, however,
as the game’s six levels are littered with all kinds of enemies and two
bosses per level! Luckily, you’re provided plenty of opportunity to
power up your weapons, magic and speed by collecting various items.
The pace of Gynoug is fast and frenetic, especially when Wor

is fully tooled up and flying around at full speed. This can make the
controls a little twitchy and quick response is required to keep our hero
alive. If you do get tagged by a mutant, you instantly lose a life but
you’re immediately thrown right back into the action and with only
a minor hit to your weapon power. The gameplay is complemented
by a fantastic musical score that is in keeping with the quick tempo
on screen and helps to distil an energetic atmosphere. Overall, there
is enough variety to keep fans of the genre returning in an attempt to
beat it, and you’re going to need a lot of skill to reach the end boss
who does not appear in the manual but is listed with the provocative
statement, “PREPARE FOR THE WORST!”. Good luck! ■
Title:
Gynoug a.k.a. Wings of Wor
Genre:
Horizontal Scrolling Shoot’em up
Developer:
Nippon Computer System (NCS)
Year Released:
1991
Publisher:
Sega

Haunting Starring Polterguy -
Y ou are one rebellious teenager who just enjoys skateboarding no matter
what. Unfortunately, your love for skateboards ends up costing you your
life since the board you got from Vito Sardini’s company was defective and
caused a deadly accident. You have now come back as a ghost, as a Polterguy,
to terrorize the Sardini family so you can have your revenge! As Polterguy
you will chase the Sardini family into four different homes and you will do
whatever it takes to scare them until they run away.
In order to possess and control objects, though, you must have ectoplasm.
If you run out, you will be taken to the Underworld so you can collect falling
ectoplasm. Unfortunately, the Underworld is not very friendly as zombie arms,
bats, and other creatures try to harm Polterguy and stop him from collecting
the ectoplasm. Haunting is a surprisingly fun game because you get to play a
“bad guy” that scares off a family. Chasing each of the characters out of the
house is quite amusing, particularly when you see their different reactions to
what is happening. Your “possession” of objects also provides for situations
that are funny, gory, gruesome, or just plain absurd. Objects will have
“Fright’ems” or glowing stars that let you know what object you can possess.
Gameplay in the houses is enjoyable but the Underworld can get repetitive. It
is also the only part of the game where Polterguy can be hurt and where the
game may end. If you want to enjoy a comedy/horror game, look no further!
Title:
Haunting Starring Polterguy
Genre:
A Haunting Action & Strategy Simulator
Developer:
Electronic Arts
Year Released:
1993
Publisher:
Electronic Arts
James Bond 007: The Duel -

T he James Bond license was incredibly hot for nearly two
decades during the 1990s. Even now fans still clamour for a
new Bond title. But there was a time when such games were rare
and James Bond 007: The Duel is one of the forgotten games in
the series and I can kind of see why. Although it certainly tries
to be compelling, it is let down by certain issues making it an
ultimately frustrating experience. The Duel is significant in that it
is one of the few Bond games to feature an original story. A mad
scientist has taken over an island in the Caribbean and erected
a fortress to conduct experiments. These experiments involve
cloning some of 007’s worst villains such as Oddjob and Jaws to
help him take over the world.
The Duel marks the first time Bond starred in a side scrolling
action title on the Mega Drive. But while it has a few good points
The Duel is let down by sluggish controls and a high difficulty
curve. The goal in the game is the same. Rescue a certain number
of hostages, locate the bomb, and reach the exit before the bomb
goes off. In some ways The Duel’s pacing and mechanics are like
Rolling Thunder and, if this rocks your boat, then James Bond:
The Duel is worth checking out for yourself. ■
Title:
James Bond 007: The Duel
Genre:
Classic Action Platform Title
Developer:
The Kremlin
Year Released:
1991
Publisher:
Domark

Joe & Mac -
B onk’s Adventure, Chuck Rock, Prehistorik Man, the Humans,
we loved all of them. But Mega Drive version of Joe &
Mac was an almost completely different game compared to other
versions of it on existing 16-bit consoles at the time and is good
when judged on its own merits but took some strange liberties in
terms of what was cut and changed in this version. Released two
years later in 1994, it is a faithful adaptation with all the arcade’s
content and game play. It is brutally difficult which is unfortunate
but overall is still a great platformer for fans of the series. One detail
that was changed from the arcade is your life bar: in the arcade
version it is continuously trickling down as in the Adventure Island
and Wonder Boy series and taking hits removed large chunks rather
than instant death, but here it actually functions like a health meter
plus with the abundance of food dropped is a remnant of its former
status and in my opinion, it works better this way.
Joe & Mac was a graphical show piece in the arcade and Data
East have managed to recreate most of what made the game look
so great here. It stumbles a bit in a few areas but on the whole Joe
& Mac is a great game. The humour and art direction give it a
unique identity and while the journey is a bit short it is enjoyable
from beginning to end. Don’t pass this up. ■
Title:
Joe & Mac
Genre:
Classic Arcade Action Platform Title
Developer:
Data East
Year Released:
1994
Publisher:
Takara

Jurassic Park -
J urassic Park played a big part in my life, I even had
the theme played at the church for my wedding. Now
the game for the Mega Drive was different to the Mega
CD version. That one had its fans as the superior game
but it was really hard. If you were eight years old, loved
platformers and thought Alan Grant was the coolest then this
was your jam.. It followed the narrative of the film (minus
Tim and Lex) with a race down the island dodging dinosaurs
(with a tranquiliser gun) across a range of levels. However,
remember the scene in Jurassic Park III where they are going
down the rapids attacked by pterodactyls? That is in this
game, as it was in the original story from the novel.
What’s more, this is one of those rare exceptions where

the ‘water level’ is actually the best part of the game for
changing the technique midway through and the graphics
of the waterfalls were amazing. Overall, the atmosphere is
what keep you on edge the whole time. It generates right
from the start menu with the T-Rex animation and the
eerie soundtrack and sound effects capture that cinematic
experience throughout. ■
Title:
Jurassic Park
Genre:
Developer:
Bluesky Software
Year Released:
1993
Publisher:
SEGA Inc.

Kid Chameleon -
K id Chameleon is one of those games you assume
was one of the first on the Mega Drive/Genesis, but
it was actually released post-Sonic in 1992. Don’t let the
comparatively simplistic graphics fool you, there’s a complex
beast beneath. There’s a new VR game at the arcade (I wish)
and it’s consuming anyone who plays it (I don’t wish).
Step forward possibly the only protagonist by the name of
Casey you’ll ever see in a video game to bust everyone outta
there. It’s a neat premise that leads to all kinds of VR-esque
shenanigans. Like ESWAT, Kid Chameleon is a bit of a slow
burner. The platform action is acceptable but consists of
bouncing around a lot. As soon as Casey grabs a mask and
morphs into whatever it represents, all hell breaks loose.
Use a helmet with horns to smash through enemies or

another to morph into a cyclone: all nine masks add variety
and fun to the levels. I’m probably not alone when I say
Casey’s ice hockey mask outfit is my favourite and he
thankfully doesn’t go full Jason/Rick from Splatterhouse
on us. This is a humungous game with no battery-backup or
password feature. I never got close to completing it back in
the day, but it was a fun ride nevertheless. ■
Title:
Kid Chameleon a.k.a Chameleon Kid
Genre:
Developer:
Sega
Year Released:
1992
Publisher:
Sega

Landstalker: Treasure of King Nole -
T he SEGA Mega Drive may not be the first console that comes to mind
when you think of RPGs, but it was home to quite a few outside of
just the Phantasy Star Series, with Landstalker being just one example. An
isometric action-adventure RPG platformer is certainly not something you see
every day, especially back in those days. But simply being unique will only
carry a game so far, so let’s see how it holds up to some scrutiny, shall we? The
protagonist Nigel is a seasoned thief, although he prefers the term “treasure
hunter”, that has just finished his most recent endeavour to amass riches. But
before he can even take a break, a fairy by the name of Friday bumps into
him and desperately requests help in escaping some thieves that are hot on
her trail. These thieves are chasing her because they believe that she knows
the whereabouts of King Nole’s treasure, a trove of legendary proportions. Of
course, being the treasure hunter he is, Nigel doesn’t hesitate in helping her
make an escape so that he just might find the treasure himself. And thus, the
adventure begins…
Landstalker is much more approachable but is still full of dangers

and frustration to those who are up for the challenge. These challenges are
primarily due to technical limitations and a lack of handholding on the game’s
part. Admittedly, the light use of RPG mechanics and emphasis on Zelda-like
gameplay have never been my most favourite kind of game to play, but I will
always appreciate Landstalker for its unique take on the genre. ■
Title:
Landstalker: Treasure of King Nole
Genre:
Classic RPG Adventure Title
Developer:
Climax Entertainment
Year Released:
1993
Publisher:
SEGA

Mega Turrican -
T he Machine (from Turrican II) has returned to enslave
several planets, and Bren McGuire must once more
don the Turrican suit to defeat it. His main fire power
can be Multiple (spread), Laser or Rebound, upgraded
by picking up coloured orbs; many of these can be found
in hidden power blocks. Entering the invincible wheel
mode, Bren can drop mines and roll around faster for a
limited time (shown by an energy bar). New to this game
(replacing the lightning beam) is a grappling hook similar
to Bionic Commando, allowing Bren to swing between
platforms and climb walls. Hidden sprites of a frozen Sonic
and Mario can be found in the video memory of the first
level but are never used.
Converted to Amiga and released as Turrican III, this

game is separate and distinct from the SNES and NES
Super Turrican games. It was later released on the Wii
Virtual Console (removing references to Data East), and
as part of 2020’s Turrican Flashback compilation on PS4
and Switch. With high magazine rankings and rock-hard
blasting gameplay it’s worth checking out. ■
Title:
Mega Turrican
Genre:
Multi-Platform Gun’n’Run Shooter
Developer:
Factor 5 GmbH
Year Released:
1994
Publisher:
Data East USA, Inc.

MegaMan: The Wily Wars -
I t’s no secret that Mega Man games were among the best of the
NES library, and SEGA owners never had the chance to play the
games without buying Nintendo Hardware. But this game changed
that. Capcom delivered the first 3 Mega Man games to the SEGA
Megadrive in a glorious new art style that took advantage of the new
16-bit hardware. The tunes now had the bassy punch that only SEGA’s
hardware could deliver and best of all, they came on a single cartridge.
When comparing Wily Wars to the original Mega Man games, there
are some differences. Aside from the audio and visual upgrades,
players could now save their game. This means that Mega Man 2 and
3 lost their password systems. This remastered compilation removed
some bugs too , providing players with more consistent gameplay. It
even featured a brand-new mode complete with exclusive bosses.
This remastered compilation also removed some bugs too,

providing players with more consistent game play. It even featured a
brand-new mode complete with exclusive bosses. The retail release
of this game was strange at the time. It was released on a physical
cartridge in Japan and Europe, the US version of the game was
only available as a downloadable title from the SEGA Channel.
Despite the method of release, Capcom had gifted us Mega Man in
unprecedented quality. ■
Title:
MegaMan: The Wily Wars
Genre:
Action Gun’n’Run Platform Title
Developer:
Capcom
Year Released:
1997
Publisher:

Mortal Kombat -
E ver wondered why games have age ratings? You probably
haven’t seen the fountains of gore in Mortal Kombat. This
was arguably the most controversial game of the 16-bit era and
the Megadrive version brought Mortal Kombat home with the
blood intact – something that Nintendo couldn’t stomach until
the sequel! Graphically advanced at the time, the game used
sprites captured from live actor footage and allowed players
to viciously murder their opponents with secret fatalities. The
actual gameplay was really solid, with extremely detailed
special moves and a more mature feel that Street Fighter
wished it could emulate. This game included a ton of playable
characters and had playgrounds around the country (maybe even
the world!) bursting with rumours of secret finishing moves and
different coloured ninjas.
Some of the coolest moves in videogame history started

here. Throwing ice balls that freeze opponents solid was pretty
neat. If it hits, the player can walk up menacingly and deliver
a devastating uppercut and it feels so satisfying. Ed Boon and
the publishers at midway created an iconic fighter that still has
sequels being played today. Beating your friends at videogames
never felt so painfully good. ■
Title:
Mortal Kombat
Genre:
1 Vs. 1 Gorefest Fighting Classic
Developer:
Midway Manufacturing Company
Year Released:
1993
Publisher:
Acclaim Entertainment, Inc.

Mickey Mania -
T he world’s most famous mouse has had some wonderful
animated outings over the years and this title celebrates his
early greats. Mickey Mania: The Timeless Adventures of Mickey
Mouse plays out some of Mickey’s most recognisable cartoons
from his early days right up to the most recent animated feature
at the time in video game form. Mickey must journey through
6 of his classic cartoon escapades from his first appearance in
‘Steamboat Willie’ to ‘The Prince and the Pauper’, each section
split into various plat-forming stages. Like the Illusion series,
he can bounce on enemies or collect gold marbles to use as
projectiles. The exceptional visuals look almost as if taken straight
out of a golden age Disney movie and some levels experiment
with effects like vignettes and pseudo-3D chase sequences.
While much easier in difficulty than other Mickey Mouse

titles, it seamlessly blends the past and present, complete with
voice samples of Mickey and sidekick Pluto punctuating various
moments. For many players, Mickey Mania is their introduction
to Mickey’s first cinematic adventures and combines their simple
charms with modern technology. And while the experience as a
whole is shorter than its Illusion predecessors, it ensures these
origins are always remembered. ■
Title:
Mickey Mania
Genre:
Developer:
Traveller’s Tales (UK) Ltd.
Year Released:
1994
Publisher:
Sony Electronic Publishing Ltd.

Out Run -
I n 1986, SEGA released one of the most influential
driving games ever created. Following the success of
other motorcycle racing games, legendary game designer
Yu Suzuki created a new kind of driving game. Out Run
was a game that featured incredible 3D graphics, non-linear
game-play and selectable music, which was unheard of
at the time. It made a splash in the arcade scene, and was
SEGA’s most successful arcade machine of the 1980’s. It
was faithfully ported to the Master System, Megadrive and
Game Gear.
No matter the platform, Out Run is special, because

players aren’t driving to beat other racers. Instead, they aim
to compete with the clock. Players drive a Ferrari Testarossa
from the starting point to one of five locations, with the
game rewarding player agency by allowing them to freely
choose which location to drive to. This freedom promotes a
ton of replay-ability without stereotypical arcade difficulty.
After a completed run, an overhead map retraces the
player’s path, and rewards them with a score based on their
driving. Having the opportunity to see alternative branching
roads, gorgeous new environments and better scores, it’s no
wonder that this is one of the greats. ■
Title:
OutRun
Genre:
Cross Country Driving Title
Developer:
AM R&D Dept. #2
Year Released:
1991
Publisher:

Pete Sampras Tennis -
I n the early ‘90s I was obsessed with Wimbledon on
the Master System, I thought it was the perfect Tennis
simulation. Until this. Pete Sampras Tennis was my
mainstay Blockbuster rental for at least two months. Every
weekend I’d venture down there and pray no one else had
nabbed it. Bar one weekend where I had to rent California
Games instead it was two months of bliss. The graphics
and sound design are top-notch but the reason this game
was received so well back in the day is how playable it is.
It punishes poor timing like pretty much every other tennis
game but it’s so easy to get to grips with.
It also has an ace (see what I did there) tutorial mode,

so no need for the manual. You can tackle the ‘World Tour’
with a rookie to experience the three different surface
types as well as standard exhibition and tournament
modes. But the cherry on top is the J-Cart. Codemasters’
innovative way of delivering 4-player action without the
need for a Multi-Tap really brings the best out of this
game. Just be wary of asking your neighbours if they
fancy some ‘doubles action’. ■
Title:
Pete Sampras Tennis
Genre:
Celebrity Tennis Simulator
Developer:
Codemasters
Year Released:
1994
Publisher:
Codemasters

Phantasy Star II -
I f you are like me it would take you decades to get around
to playing this game as you think ‘oh it is a sequel’ I
should play the original first after all it is an RPG. Well, you
would be wrong and denying yourself a great opportunity as
a time-line wise there are about a 1000 years between the two
games. The mechanics of the perfect RPG are all in this game,
the decisions you make, the companions and equipment you
choose for the journey. It is futuristic and yet finds a balance
to be a mythical quest. If you ever want to demonstrate to
a friend or family member how retro gaming can be just as
rewarding as anything new today this is the game you should
encourage them to play.
We won’t give too much of the plot away here but the
mechanics work in a way that is very recognisable today in
games such as Pokemon (but don’t let that put you off). The
best news is that its legacy has endured and if this is new to
you it has been ported to many modern consoles so go check it
out and you won’t be disappointed. Phantasy Star II is a very
special part of the Megadrive / Genesis collection and is very
much held in high regard by fans. ■
Title:
Phantasy Star II
Genre:
Futuristic RPG of a Classic Series
Developer:
Sega
Year Released:
1989
Publisher:
Sega

Pier Solar -
and the Great Architects
H oston wakes up to find his father ill in bed. Only a special herb
that grows deep in the forest nearby can cure him but there are
dangers in the forest. Despite being warned, Hoston with his friends
Alina and Edessot, head into the forest to find the herb. Reaching a
weird garden, the herb is found and the town’s captain reaches them
to take the herb to Rudy, Hoston’s father. Rudy gets well in a day
but then they discover that Alina has run away. Hoston, Edessot,
and Rudy must find her. When they do, the run into a Goaman (a
centaur) and an armored warrior named Ironhart. This is when the
group learns of Pier Solar and the Architects and this is where the
adventure starts.
Pier Solar is an extensive RPG game for the Genesis/MD that fans of
RPG’s are sure to enjoy. The game allows the player to use a “gather” system
in which skills and magic can be shared between characters. This is something
that makes the game a bit easier and will be helpful to those not used to this
type of game. Pier Solar has some really beautiful graphics and some good
music but the latter gets even better if you own a Sega/Mega CD and you
have the enhanced soundtrack to play along with your Pier Solar cartridge.
The score is just beautiful and there are even some additional sound effects
included with the CD. Pier Solar is very well done and an excellent RPG for
the Genesis/MD. Fans of the genre should definitely enjoy this game. ■
Title:
Pier Solar and the Great Architects
Genre:
Fantasy Action RPG Title
Developer:
Watermelon
Year Released:
2010
Publisher:
Watermelon

Predator 2 -
P redator 2 was interesting for a number of reasons. After the
testosterone filled jungle adventure of the first movie the setting
was changed to the streets of Los Angeles. The “Urban Jungle” if you
will, yet there was less of the Predator stalking and killing its victims
and more of people sweating profusely as they tried to track it down.
But one could always hope the game would turn out better, right? Yet
somehow with a ton of action it is overall a mediocre affair. Predator
2 was exclusive to the Mega Drive on the 16-bit battle ground for the
time and is a top-down shooter. For the most part the controls are
simple and responsive. You can move in eight directions as well as
lock your fire to strafe enemies. There are a few secondary weapons
such as a shotgun, machine gun, and bombs.
The object of each stage is to rescue a set number of hostages and

find the exit. Arrows will guide you to the nearest person that needs
help, but you have to be quick. If you wander aimlessly or take too
long the Predator will target the closest hostage. Depending on the
difficulty level you can only afford so many before it is an automatic
game over. There are occasional boss battles to break things up but
saving hostages is the main focus. Predator 2 came close to being
a good game. But the lack of polish that came from the game’s
development made it for the fan base rather than the average gamer.
Title:
Predator 2
Genre:
Isometric Arcade Action Title
Developer:
Perfect Entertainment
Year Released:
1993
Publisher:
Arena Entertainment

Probotector -
C ontra is a series with historical roots in the arcade and while
various sequels had made their way onto other systems
after the coin-op release, it wasn’t until 1994 that we saw a game
from the franchise on a Sega console. With the Mega Drive’s
Probotector, Konami added a colourful cast of playable characters,
each with their own set of weapons and unique attributes. Playing
Probotector for the first time was quite an experience, even for
seasoned Contra heads. Each stage presented its own challenge,
almost entirely different to the previous, meaning you were
forced to adjust your approach on the fly in order to react to a
mechanic change, new enemy type or environmental hazard. The
introduction of branching paths alongside the roster additions
increased the games replay value significantly with players keen to
experience the stages they had skipped on previous runs.
Contra is a series synonymous with its difficulty and all

versions of the game stay true to these values. The Japanese
version provides a 3 level health bar making things less stressful
while presenting a more balanced challenge than the western
releases, which are, maybe, a little too unforgiving. Whichever
version you play, Probotector sits high in the list of ‘best ever’
Contra titles and is one of the Mega Drive’s greatest action games.
Title:
Probotector A.K.A. Contra: Hard Corps
Genre:
Classic Alien Action Gun’n’Run
Developer:
Konami
Year Released:
1994
Publisher:
Konami

QuackShot -
Starring Donald Duck
Q uackshot is another Disney adventure. Featuring Donald

Duck, he finds a treasure map and basically decides
that he’s Indiana Jones and sets out to find the treasure of
King Garuzia, only for Big Bad Pete to interfere and fill
the levels with his minions. The game is not too difficult
overall but it is prone to several problems. There are several
impossible jumps that will damage you, and lots of enemies
have a tendency to materialise in the space you’re occupying,
immediately damaging you, and some sections will leave
you praying that the next enemy you encounter will drop a
chicken for you to devour.
The main weapon is a plunger gun which can’t kill

enemies, merely stunning them allowing you to pass, at least
until you acquire some popcorn or gum, which has limited
uses. The soundtrack is quite catchy, with some of the sound
effects lifted directly from Castle of Illusion, which is good
as you’ll find yourself backtracking through levels quite a bit,
having Donald’s nephews whisk him between levels to collect
key items to progress further into the game. This is a good
example of Disney; they really produced quality content for
the Mega Drive and Quackshot is a stand-out example. ■
Title:
QuackShot - Starrinf Donald Duck
Genre:
Developer:
Year Released:
1991
Publisher:
Sega

Rambo III -
C olonel Trautman has a new mission in Afghanistan, helping the
Mujahedeen freedom fighters against a repressive Russian invasion.
He aims to assemble an elite team to accompany him, and John Rambo is
top of the list. The mission soon turns to disaster as Trautman is captured
by the Russians, led by Colonel Zaysen. The action in Rambo III loosely
follows the film plot. It starts with an attempt to infiltrate the Russian fort
then on to destroying artillery units and weapon caches before reaching
the 6th and final level and rescuing Trautman. Boss battles occur at the
end of levels 1, 3, 5 and 6 and take on a different viewpoint.
Rambo is equipped with a knife, a machine gun with unlimited

ammo, explosive arrows and time bombs. Each of these are particularly
useful at various stages. A useful trait when using the machine gun is that,
when stood still, Rambo will spray his bullets slightly. The perspective
throughout the game is kind of half way between top down and side on,
a bit like Mercs or Ikari Warriors, and manages to fit a lot of action on the
screen. The graphics are ok but the fact that the game is set in the sparse
landscape of Afghanistan means the developers have had to be a little
more imaginative in other areas. It is fun to keep trying though and enemy
positions can be memorised. There is a rewarding longevity in short bursts
with Rambo III as it’s a good dose of hectic action. I’d recommend it if
you’re a fan of the genre. ■
Title:
Rambo III
Genre:
Isometric Arcade Movie-Tie-In Action Title
Developer:
Sega
Year Released:
1989
Publisher:
Sega

Ranger X -
I wasn’t massively into ‘run and gun’ games growing up. My
Master System library was full of platformers and average
sport sims: I’d never even heard of Contra. And then I got my
Mega Drive. Included in the bundle was Ranger X. A game
I’d read about but never had the chance to play. I played it and
never looked back. Ranger X has all the ingredients necessary:
lots of guns; lots of enemies; bosses that take up multiple
screens; but it also has a pace and variety I haven’t seen in any
other run and gunner.
The game flits effortlessly between all-out carnage and

slower exploration. Special weapons need to be recharged in
bright light, so you must use them wisely especially in the
underground levels. In the more open levels, you can use your
motorbike to unleash hell on the forces of Rahuna. If you’ve
got a 6-button joypad the bike can be moved independently
to attack ground targets while you fly around the screen
obliterating everything else. The soundtrack is one of the
best on the 16-bit and the boss music still gives me heart
palpitations. Ranger X is a very special game that didn’t get
the recognition it deserved when it was released. Give it a go,
especially if you enjoy a challenge. ■
Title:
Ranger X
Genre:
Arcade Action Shoot’em Up
Developer:
Gau Entertainment
Year Released:
1993
Publisher:
Sega

The Revenge of Shinobi -
T hinking back, I honestly can’t remember how I got to own
my original The Revenge of Shinobi cartridge. I’ve since
replaced it with a Japanese version, but I don’t actually recall
buying my PAL copy, yet somehow the game found its way into
my collection and became a backdrop to my glorious memories
of summer 1991. The appeal of Revenge was that it resembled an
Arcade game. Its large sprites and gritty aesthetic wouldn’t have
looked out of place alongside some of the best coin-ops of the era.
To accompany the game’s arcade quality visuals, Yuzo Koshiro
delivered one of the defining soundtracks of the era. Themes like
“The Shinobi” and “China Town” were comparable to some of
the best mainstream dance anthems of the time - a remarkable feat
given the technology.
Before Revenge’s release, I often wondered why Sega hadn’t

ported the original Shinobi coin-op to its flagship console. Little
did I know that they were aiming for something that exceeded
those heights and elevated the bar in terms of 16-bit game design
and presentation. Alongside stellar ports of Strider and Ghouls
‘n Ghosts, The Revenge of Shinobi was one of the Mega Drive
titles that helped to convey the message that Sega were, indeed,
bringing the arcade home. ■
Title:
The Revenge of Shinobi
Genre:
Classic Arcade Ninja Action Title
Developer:
Year Released:
1989
Publisher:
Sega

Ristar: The Shooting Star -
R istar, a character we haven’t seen since this game and
I’ve no idea why. In all honesty, I only played this
game for the first time about five years ago. Being one of
the later Mega Drive titles it passed a lot of us by. On the
face of it it’s just another 16-bit platformer in the same
mould as Sonic the Hedgehog – it’s quick (but not super-
fast), colourful and the protagonist has a touch of arrogance
about him. But the platforming action is definitely more
hands on. Our Ristar loves headbutting bad guys.
The son of the world’s hero (as the plot loosely goes)
is here to save the world. And he’s an anthropomorphic
star. His penchant for grabbing means he can grab ladders,
ledges, weird spinning things, odd gadgets that make
people happy, the world’s his oyster. Talking of oysters,
Ristar has the best underwater levels I’ve ever played.
Why? The fact he has no lungs (being a star an all) means
there’s no annoying air countdown and the sheer panic it
brings. Excellent level design, interesting bosses, a great
soundtrack and a fair challenge makes this the perfect
platformer. ■
Title:
Ristar: The Shooting Star
Genre:
Hand-grabbing Action Platform Title
Developer:
Year Released:
1995
Publisher:
SEGA Inc.

RoadBlasters -
W hat makes a driving game fun to play yet includes a great sense
of speed and variety creating the perfect elements of arcade game
play? This is a question I’m sure many game developers came across,
but with RoadBlasters all the perfect ingredients and foundation had
already been laid some five years previously. So, factor in the difficulty of
supporting your car with enough fuel to make it past both the checkpoint
and Rally Point, and you have a game that’s extremely easy to get into
the moment you switch on your Mega Drive. This is not without caveats:
the Mega Drive Version of the game doesn’t have the speech found in
the Arcade original and nothing new has been added to offer something
different (like support for two players). Regardless, RoadBlasters is an
excellent conversion that will satisfy anyone’s need to travel 200+ m.p.h.
on a futuristic highway.
The controls in RoadBlasters are pretty simple, which is part of what

makes the game so much fun. You just use the d-pad to move your car,
and a face button to shoot at your enemies. You can do a number of things
with this limited control scheme: you can shoot your machine gun or use
a weapon power-up, and you can also race all around the level at ungodly
speeds. The look and feel of this game is straight from the arcades. The
first-person graphics do display some rough edges, but the action and
play are captured well. You need this in your collection today. ■
Title:
RoadBlasters
Genre:
Arcade Action Driving Title
Developer:
Tengen
Year Released:
1992
Publisher:
Tengen

Road Rash -
S o I have a confession to make. This was not the first
version of the game I played. First came the Game
Gear version which was great, then the Game Boy version
and the less said about that the better. Then came this
version. Wow. The sound and the graphics were one
thing, but that speed you felt you were going on those
bikes was something else. The Mega Drive version of this
game was truly the most superior version out there.
What made this game so appealing was obviously not

the racing it was the fighting…whilst racing. We have
all played that racing game where no matter what you
do the game has that second place racer right up your
exhaust. Well in this game you had permission to kick
the **** out of them. It was made all the sweeter when
you took that club off them that they were trying to wrap
around your helmet. Though there was a price to this
satisfaction in the shape of your stamina bar, which was
an early example of everything in moderation. Lose it and
you come off that bike. Then it became a mini-game of
dodge-ball with moving traffic. ■
Title:
Road Rash
Genre:
Bike Action Mayhem Racing Title
Developer:
Electronic Arts
Year Released:
1991
Publisher:
Electronic Arts

Red Zone -
A country called Zyristan has fallen victim to a military takeover lead
by former colonel Ivan Retovitz, who as rumor has it, possesses huge
nuclear weapons depots. The news agencies catch wind of this, and soon the
UN gathers to discuss what should be done. Then, without warning, Zyristan
invades a small country nearby, bombing villages without mercy and killing
thousands of civilians. And so, the UN’s best military commanders decide
to send in a single helicopter with one of three skilled pilots on what is called
Operation Red Zone . The team behind Red Zone “Zyrinx” were a collective
of Commodore Amiga demo scene creators that could really knew how to get
incredible and technician feats out of the Sega Mega Drive.
Red Zone boasted rotating textured backgrounds, full motion video,

polygons, real-time zooming, and vector graphics. Zyrinx even spent the
first screen of the gaming boasting that these impressive visual feats were all
running without the use of additional hardware. Zyrinx also found ways to
push the Mega Drive’s audio capabilities. The music in ‘Red Zone’ plays at a
crystal clear 44khz quality instead of the standard compressed 11khz. It was
wonderful way to show off the eerie soulful electronic music composed by
Jesper Kyd. Red Zone is great in that it makes you step outside your comfort
zone and play games you would normally ignore. ‘Red Zone’ was to be
Zyrinx’s final Mega Drive game. Once it was released the team focused their
attentions toward Sega’s Mega Drive successor; the Saturn. ■
Title:
Red Zone
Genre:
Aerial Combat & Pseudo 3D Action Title
Developer:
Zyrinx
Year Released:
1994
Publisher:
Scavenger, Time Warner Interactive

Robocop Vs. Terminator -
R obocop vs Terminator is quite simply one of the finest
games to have ever graced the Mega Drive/Genesis.
Back in 1994 I bought a mate’s Mega Drive off him and
this was one of the titles that was included – Sunset Riders,
Ranger X, Sonic 3 being three of the others – and I barely
played anything else. The look of the game captures the
dystopian feel of the stories of Robocop and The Terminator
perfectly. Sure, Murphy isn’t the most graceful protagonist
you’ll ever see in a platformer/run and gun game, but you’ll
be mowing down bad guys with panache in next to no time.
It’s one of the goriest 16-bit games you’ll ever see but it’s all
well placed.
Levels ranging from the battlegrounds of the future to the

OCP offices will have you gripped. Murphy has several high-
powered weapons at his disposal when tackling all manner
of Terminator, but make sure not to die when you’re holding
your favourite – you have been warned! Throw in a pumping
soundtrack, some epic boss fights and many, many references
to all the good Robocop and Terminator movies and you’ve
got something very special indeed. Less said about the SNES
version though, eh. ■
Title:
Robocop Vs. Terminator
Genre:
Iconic Movie Tie-in Arcade Action Title
Developer:
Virgin Games, Inc.
Year Released:
1994
Publisher:
Virgin Interactive

Rocket Knight Adventures -
R ocket Knight Adventures is a 3-D action platformer
released by Konami. The game features Sparkster, the
titular Rocket Knight, on his journey to rescue the princess
from the evil pigs. The levels are typical for a platformer
of the era: start on the left and finish on the right. Along
the way, Sparkster can make use of several skills. His main
weapon is a sword that throws sparks, as well as his jetpack
that can engage a spin attack or dash attack. He can also
swim and fly (when necessary) and, thanks to this, levels vary
from land, sea, and air, with a lava level tossed in for good
measure.
The music takes full advantage of the Mega Drive sound

processor producing a very catchy soundtrack with lots of fun
sound effects, really leaving the player feeling like they’ve
defeated an enemy. Difficulty can vary greatly, especially
later in the game. After you make it to space, Sparkster has to
deal with invincible enemies and environmental hazards that
deliver one hit kills, really frustrating an unprepared player.
The plot is shown in cutscenes between levels. This is an
excellent addition to the Mega Drive library and should be
included in everyone’s collection. ■
Title:
Rocket Knight Adventures
Genre:
Arcade Action Hero Platform Title
Developer:
Konami Co., Ltd.
Year Released:
1993
Publisher:
Konami

Rolling Thunder 2 -
D espite its 90’s setting, Rolling Thunder 2 nailed the 60’s spy
aesthetic perfectly. There had been games before it that aimed
for something similar, but its stylised art backed by a smooth, jazzy
soundtrack combined to create the game’s aesthetic and complement
the on-screen action so perfectly. In a genre where solo play was
often the norm, the inclusion of a 2-Player mode enhanced the
experience significantly. When playing alongside a friend (in my
case, my brother) you really do feel like one half of a sleek, crime
fighting, cop show duo. The game’s gorgeous cut scenes, delivered
with a captivating anime visual style, helped to create an atmosphere
where you find yourself taking cover from enemy fire, entering
rooms not only to evade foes, but to stock up on weaponry and
ammunition.
Rolling Thunder 2’s narrative-led presentation was something

particularly unique for the time and for the genre. Not many arcade
games featured the level of detail seen here, interspersed between
all of the action. Thankfully, these scenes were included in the Mega
Drive port, with some extra segments added before each stage that
weren’t even present in the Arcade original. Quite the achievement,
Rolling Thunder 2 was a striking example of how to deliver a home
port without having to sacrifice the core elements of the original. ■
Title:
Rolling Thunder 2
Genre:
Classic Arcade Spy Agent Sequel
Developer:
Namco
Year Released:
1991
Publisher:
Sega
From humble beginning of former Gremlin Graphics employees brought forth a power house developer
to arrive within the 16-bit home computer and console market place, Core Design was born and would
go on to create a selection of memorable titles for the Sega Megadrive and Mega CD machines.
B
ack in the first half 1988, a brand-new and found itself doing better in the magazine From 1988 to 1990, Core Design would
software house was founded under the reviews at the time. The Commodore Amiga continue to support all the major home
fascinating name of “Megabrite”, but and Atari ST versions of the game include an computer formats with their own original
before the year was out had reinvented and alternate, intentionally offensive version of the IPs as well as other commissioned works for
renamed itself to “Core Design”, the name by opening cutscene and officially isn’t playable other software distributors. And what better
which we all remember it today. This wonderful out of the box but can be found and accessed way to bring one of their popular 16-bit IPs
new enterprise was formed from the ashes of by editing game data with a hex editor. to the Sega machine (in 1991 for the Mega
Gremlin Graphics. Chris Shrigley, Andy Green, Drive* and 1993 for the Mega-CD*) than with
Rob Toone, Terry Lloyd, Simon Phipps, Dave Core Design would break the mould their witty stone age platform title “Chuck
Pridmore, Jeremy Heath-Smith, Kevin Norburn with the introduction of a new video Rock”. This performed fairly well as their first
and Greg Holmes were the driving force game character: a mini pixelated release on the Mega Drive and although
behind Core Design, who went on to create cross between “Indiana Jones” and many in the know normally compare Chuck
some of the best titles to appear on the home “Allan Quatermain” going by the awesome Rock as a generic cash-in platform title, I
computer market. The likes of the Atari ST and name of “Rick Dangerous”. This was the think the game’s themes is enough to set it
Commodore Amiga were early beneficiaries creation of Simon Phipps and was a apart based on other games of its type. It
of Core Design titles before they moved on lightning caught in a bottle moment for performed even better on its 1993 debut on
to creating titles for the Sega Mega Drive video games at the time. This game the Mega-CD with a humorous full cartoon
and Mega-CD. They would eventually go on combined 16-bit tomb raiding action style opening introduction setting the premise
to create a very famous female video game platforming brilliance and devilish pit-traps for the game paired with CD audio quality
action-adventure protagonist: Lara Croft. and marked Core Design as a newcomer to music and sounds enhancing the overall
watch. Rick Dangerous was converted to experience.
As a newly formed software developer many platforms and spurred a sequel in
they would oversee two Sega arcade home 1990 under the title of “Rick Dangerous 2”, Core Design would find themselves
computer conversions for popular computers continuing on the action from the first title. venturing into other circles with commissioned
at the time. Their first was Sega’s 1986 Spy The Sega Mega Drive never saw an official works for various clients and one such was
Hunter style title “Action Fighter” and was met release of any of the Rick Dangerous titles with the “Sony Image Works” gaming brand.
with a moderate audience and was enough to until 2018 when homebrew coder They took the opportunity and were tasked
prove that Core Design had the talent and skill “Alekmaul” took the task of porting the with producing the Mega Drive and the Mega-
to produce decent arcade conversions. Their excellence “Rick Dangerous 2” to the Sega CD versions of 1993’s “Hook” featuring 11 levels
second release would be the cute arcade Mega Drive and is great fun and an on the cartridge version and 12 levels on the
scrolling beat’em up “Dynamite Düx” in 1989 amazing conversion of this classic title. Mega-CD version. The film’s musical score was

Home of Core Design, Derby
adapted for use in the Mega-CD version, and to their new games and began considering Sega CD/Mega-CD. They both delivered a
also includes digitized graphical sequences which direction to take, whether to support the fantastic gaming experience, and one was
from the film along with voice acting. The Mega Drive or push more towards the Mega- only available on a Sega console. They are
Mega-CD version includes a computer- CD platform. one of the main reasons why I felt I had to write
generated scan of Captain Hook’s ship which this Core design feature. Soulstar received very
1993
is featured during the game’s introduction. through 1994 Core would high praise for its technical achievement on the
go on to produce three hardware, it’s great soundtrack and multiple
1992
would see Core Design exclusive Sega console titles, play styles. Although this was essentially a
be at its busiest time, with of which one would appear on the Sega’s rail-shooter, it gave Sega players a fun space
many Sega releases of semi-successful add-on the “32X”. That title shooter with some fantastic scaling scenes and
popular home computer ports making their was “B.C. Racers”, a Mario Kart clone set in sprites and has some great “Space Harrier”
way across to the Mega Drive and Mega-CD the Chuck Rock universe and featuring that influenced moments I personally loved. It really
platforms. There were a varied number of character and his son alongside a whole new is very much worth its weight in gold as a title to
releases, covering lots of different genre: the cast of characters created exclusively for the own for the Sega CD/Mega-CD.
sequel to Chuck Rock, “Son of Chuck”; 3D game. It was released in 1994 for the Sega
helicopter combat simulator “ThunderHawk”; CD and 1995 for the 32X. The game was one Battlecorps was a first-person shooter
wolf-transforming action-adventure title, of few to utilize the Mega-CD’s onboard 3D played over 13 relatively short levels. The aim
“WolfChild”; Amiga original licensed driving scaling routines to generate that perspective of the game is to navigate each of the levels,
title, “Jaguar XJ220”; and fast-paced cute scrolling. This was rarely implemented, and completing objectives along the way, until you
puppy title, “Wonder Dog”, a title mainly made the title was one of the few appearances of reach the final encounter with MOSES. But with
for, and taking full advantage of, the Sega the technique on the Mega-CD. This was a Core Design adding a challenging experience
Mega-CD, in particular the audio and storage huge shame as this had the potential to truly for gamers, don’t expect this to be a walk in the
capabilities afforded by the CD format. The change the dynamic of what the Mega-CD park. Again, they brought their scaling routines
original Mega Drive platform also received could achieve. Core Design were one of very to this game, and it was done with great effect:
a number of releases, prominent among few software developers that tapped into this Battlecorps was a polished and nuanced game.
these being Chuck Rock 2, Hook, Wolfchlid, hardware technique. Rounded off with a fully Near the end of 1994, we would see only two
and Asterix and the Great Rescue. The future animated opening sequence, this delivered a titles appear on a 16-bit Sega console: “Bubba
looked bright for Core Design, despite time truly professional Sega title. ‘n’ Stix” and “Skeleton Krew”. These were ported
moving on and development and production Soulstar and Battlecorps were two highly from the Commodore Amiga and featured only
costs increasing. Core Design were tasked with prolific titles to emerge from the Core Design minor enhancements. These titles signified the
bringing more of its own unique style and spin stable and were exclusively released on the end of Core’s contribution to the 16-bit era.

C
ore Design witnessed the beginning of on the Sega Saturn before being ported to the PlayStation 2 and Xbox published by
the Sony Playstation and Sega Saturn the Sony Playstation and MS-DOS. In 1997, Capcom. Circle Studio transitioned to
era, and they would play a significant Sony signed a lucrative deal with Eidos developing and publishing licensed DVD
and successful role during this period. Interactive which would keep any future games with distribution handled by Pinnacle
However, 1996 would see Core Design go Lara Croft outings exclusively on their Vision. But things did not fair well for Circle
through a transitional phase, with a change platform. This removed any competition Studio despite having secured a seven-
of company ownership. The studio was part which might have been offered by the Sega figure investment from the Royal Bank of
of distribution company “CentreGold” when Saturn and gave the Playstation a keen Scotland in May 2006. In the February of the
it was acquired by Eidos Interactive in 1996. edge over its rival. I believe this was a big following year, the company was liquidated.
Eidos subsequently sold most of CentreGold, mistake by Eidos Interactive as the Sega
B
but retained U.S. Gold, the owners of Core Saturn was more than capable of handling ut for those of you that remember
Design at the time. This acquisition was the Tomb Raider engine, but as they say: Core Design and their games, there
regarded as a relief by Jeremy Heath- “Money talks and bulls**t walks”. is no denying that they created some
Smith, who commented, “The funding of great game. Some of you reading this may
development is so expensive that I doubt we As Core Design continued to work not agree, but Core Design have a special
could have continued to fund ourselves as on this series, it appeared from the next place in video gaming history and went
an independent company.” iterations of Tomb Raider games that the on to create excellent games for the Sega
series was starting to lose its lustre. After the Mega Drive and the Sega Mega-CD. Their
With Eidos Interactive now the bosses critical failure of Tomb Raider: The Angel clever innovation of style and graphics
of Core Design, they wanted the company of Darkness in 2003, parent company Eidos made their games unique, especially if you
to move into the direction of 32-bit gaming charged Crystal Dynamics, another Eidos- remember their days on the Commodore
via Sony’s and Sega’s new machines. They owned studio, with the development of Amiga and Atari ST. They had some great
would find two very talented designers and the Tomb Raider franchise. This led to key ideas and concepts and deserve to be
creators amongst the Core Design staff: Toby members of the Core Design management covered in this feature. It is not often
Gard, who worked as lead artist and creator team and development staff to leave the you hear of an English game developer
of Lara Croft, and Paul Douglas. These company and establish a new one called expanding and releasing their games both
were the talents behind the very first Tomb Circle Studio. This company was formed and in Europe and internationally.
Raider titles. This franchise which would staffed in October 2003, only a short time
find itself in ruins within a few short years of after the future of Lara Croft had been taken Core Design where a great
its first outing, but that’s another story. The away from Core Design. bunch of talented artists, coders
success of the first Tomb Raider has been and musicians and with excellent
credited with making Eidos Interactive In 2005, Circle Studio finished working management made them a
a major force in the industry. The on a title called “Without Warning”, great part of the Sega Mega
game was initially released a third-person shooter for Drive universe. ■

A founding member of Core Design, co-founder of Eurocomm. Chris worked at
Gremlin Graphics in the early years where he programmed lots of games on the
Commodore 64, Sinclair Spectrum and the MSX. Chris was also apart of the development of
titles for the Megadrive - Genesis and MegadCD - SegaCD released by Core Design
Can you talk us through your career, where Action Fighter, and Saint and Greavsie. I interesting ones over the years. Here’s a
you started right up till now and what games left Core to set up another company called random one.. There was a time, back at Core
you worked on? Eurocom, with my friend Mat Sneap, focused Design, when we dismantled the manager’s
Phew! A big, open question to start. Well, on NES console development. office chair to its individual, constituent parts,
let me see. My actual career started when and hid them all over the office. We taped
I joined Gremlin Graphics in 1986. I never Was working in the gaming scene back then pieces to the ceiling and under his desk, and
really considered it a career until much later as rock n roll as we all imagined it to be? even placed a critical bolt in the company
though. Before that, I was just some kid, Oh yes, it was very rock and roll. Apart from post box, which he didn’t find for about a
playing coin-op games and messing around the fame and the fortune part. Still, plenty of week. He was really pissed with us and walked
on my Commodore 64 in my bedroom. The drinking was done and it was basically just out after our little prank, and didn’t come back
first game I programmed and got published a bunch of lads having a laugh and making for a couple of days. There was a lot of those
was a text adventure game called Pub cool toys for people to play with at the end of sort of shenanigans, for sure.
Quest, programmed in BASIC. I was 16. It the day. There was a lot going on back then;
taught me a lot about game logic, structure, new ideas, independence, money, hubris.. A Looking back, which one of the software
and programming in general. I naturally potent mix when you add youth and boundless companies you worked for did you enjoy the
progressed to assembly language, and energy. I was very naïve though, and in most and why?
collaborated with some friends (Rob Toone retrospect got taken advantage of a fair bit. They’ve all had their high spots, but my favorite
and Andy Green), to make something more There were a lot of young, energetic people was Gremlin Derby / Core Design because
ambitious and closer to what we were playing doing massive amounts of work for we were all mates before we even worked
in the arcades. We made Bounder over the peanuts (at least at the start), and there, and we got on like a house
summer of 1985, and sent it off to Gremlin our energy and enthusiasm was on fire. There were so
towards Christmas. They liked it, and offered exploited to a certain degree. many shenanigans
us all jobs, working full time up in Sheffield. We Exploitation is something that it wasn’t even funny.
started in early 1986 and started work on our only got worse as the money We would make so
second game Future Knight. got more serious and the much racket that
businessmen realized the real the adjoining and
The industry went through a bad patch, and potency of games. But that’s a surrounding businesses
around 1988, Gremlin decided to close the whole other discussion. would literally shout at
Derby office and make us all redundant. us and complain to the
Jeremy Smith and Kevin Norburn took the office Do you have any anecdotes building management.
over and relaunched the team as Core Design. you can share from those It got so bad we were
I worked at Core for just over a year, and days? given an official notice
programmed a couple of games, including I’ve shared most of the by the landlords to shut

through the workday. The office was a long sit quietly with headphones on while my body
box with windows down one entire wall and a extracted energy and nutrients from my meal.
small, doored-off office at one end where Jez After a couple hours, someone would usually
up or get out. We shut up, mostly. We had a and Kev would hide. I sat at the far end from wander over and sit down for a chat, or I’d go
particularly dangerous game we would play the office, like the naughty kid at school sitting and bug Rob or Andy about a bug I couldn’t
based around rounders (or baseball), where at the back. I had a corner to myself and my figure out. We’d often talk each other through
the batter would use a length of hoover piping desk looked out the window onto a carpark. our bugs and have those aha! Moments of
for a bat, and various, random office items
enlightenment when we realize what plonkers
were thrown at them. A few times things would I had a PC and a C64 set up with joysticks we were being. The afternoon, although quite
end up embedded in the walls. Rob, Andy, and floppy drives and lots of paper and productive, would be heavily punctuated with
Terry, Dave, Simes, Stu, all of them were such a books strewn around. A typical day would go snacks and pop and the occasional shop
great bunch. something like this; Sit down and chat with Terry run to buy more. People would start packing
and Rob for half an hour, work for an hour or up and leaving around 6 in the evening, but
How many of you was there at the beginning so, have a break and mess around and have often there would be people hanging out in
of Core Design, and how did the company get a laugh for half an hour, do a bit more work, the office working or playing until late into the
started? go for a wander and a wee, eat a snack and evening.
Core was born out of the death of Gremlin drink some pop, mess around while waiting
Derby. The industry was in dire straights, and for the sandwich man to come– The sandwich Quite a few times, I’d go to the office late
Gremlin couldn’t afford to keep the Derby man was named “Normal Norman”, which at night, 10pm or later, either on the way back
office going or pay our wages. We heard wasn’t his real name, obviously, but he was from the pub or sometimes just to have some
rumbling from Sheffield that something bad a very strange chap and he’d hang around peace and quiet, or fix something I’d randomly
was going down, and we were inevitably talking about games, giving us the willies, so figured out how to fix, and there would be
summoned up to Sheffield to face the music. we called him “Normal Norman”, as you do. other people there, hanging out. At the end of
I can remember sitting in Ian Stewart’s office After procuring lunch, which was usually a tuna projects, I’d essentially live at the office and
being told we were being made redundant. salad cob and a bag of Seabrooks crisps, I’d people would drop in at all hours to give me
We were pretty shocked. Kev Norburn was settle into a bit more work. Lunch varied and gifts of food.
there, and in the next breath, he turned round depended on how bored or how nice the
and said he and Jeremy were starting a new weather was outside. How long did you stay with Core Design
company, and offered us all jobs. A few Most of the time I’d eat I was there for about a year. Why did I
weeks later, Jeremy Smith, Kevin Norburn, Greg at my desk and chat leave? The short answer is, that I left to start
Holmes, Rob Toone, Andy Green, Terry Lloyd, while I worked, but a Eurocom with my friend Mat Sneap, making
Simon Phipps, Dave Pridmore and Myself, were couple time a week games for NES. The long answer is a bit more
in business as Core Design. we’d usually end up complicated and involves secret meetings and
walking into town for a angry, shouty people. I’ve said this before in
What was your day to day like at Core Design pint and a chip butty. another interview, but I’ll reiterate it here. When
like?
Core was started, we were all promised a share
Core was pretty relaxed. I’d usually roll into the After lunch I’d of the company. It was apparent, very quickly
office around 10 in the morning. My commute usually get quite a lot that this was not going to happen. I was, and
was a 40 minute walk, populated with a couple of work done, happy to still am, a bit of a rabble rouser, especially
of stops to buy snacks and pop to sustain me

in the face of injustice, so I called a secret Mouse. When I made Masters of The Universe, I got
meeting at my house with the others to discuss to go down to London to watch a private
things. There was a lot of fist shaking and Are you still in contact with anyone from those screening of the movie before it was
angry muttering, along with lots of pizza eating, days? (to Sega CD era) released. That was a great experience.
but not much else. Someone told Jeremy I am with quite a few of them. Rob Toone lives Do you have a favourite console you prefer
about the meeting, and I was summoned to his about a mile away from me, and Andy Green to work on? Which did you find more
office for a bollocking (and probably worse). lives in Illinois. Terry Lloyd and Simon Phipps challenging to develop for?
I sat down and Jeremy was very pissed with are back in England doing their own thing and My favourite console was the Sega Genesis,
me. I spoke my mind and we shouted at each kicking butt. I keep in touch with a bunch of mainly because it was the last piece of
other a bit, and he fired me. I told him he old timers through Facebook or The Chaos hardware I was able to spend any length
couldn’t fire me because I already quit, so it’s Engine. Only a few of them have dropped of time getting intimate with. By the time
a coin toss over whether I was fired or I quit. I’d out of the games business, which is quite I finished Gargoyles, I knew the hardware
been working with Mat for a couple of months, surprising. like the back of my hand, and felt very
getting ready to set Eurocom up, so I was comfortable with it. After the Genesis, it got
ready to bail anyway. I moved on. Have you ever gone through you old files and harder to become an expert, as hardware
found incomplete games that you may release lifecycles got shorter, and teams got bigger,
Gargoyles is a great game on the Genesis, to the retro scene? and you were mostly responsible for a part
How much assistance did you get from Disney I’m a source code hoarder, and have of a game, rather than the whole thing.
as far as the license goes and were you managed to save some source code over Getting down and dirty with the hardware,
allowed to make the game your way or did the years. I lost a few of my older archives and poking at the metal got harder, as it
they specify what kind of a game it had to be? unfortunately, but I did release a game called was abstracted away from the programmer.
That game was really hard, so I’m impressed Hero Quest I made for NES, just before I came Unless you were an engine guy, you never
you finished it. We got a lot of assistance out to the States, on Lost Levels a few years really dealt with the hardware directly. It was
making the game. We had access to back. I have an old source code archive always through a library or and SDK.
everything from the cartoon series, and access on my website (shrigley.com), with a few
to all history and backstory to the characters. complete games for NES and Sega Genesis for You coded both Batman Returns and
The animation for Goliath was done by the educational purposes. I don’t have any C64 Cliffhanger on the Sega CD/Mega CD why
same people who animated the cartoon, and stuff though, at least not here in the USA. I still do you feel this add-on ultimately failed?
we had writers and concept artists from the TV have some boxes stored at my Mums house Lack of developer support eventually.
show involved too. Even the music was written which may have some treasure in. Game systems are only as good as
by Michael Giaccino, who went on to score the games on them and they need a
games like Call of Duty, and TV shows and You’ve worked on games from various steady supply of tasty new games to
movies like Lost, Alias, The Incredibles, UP, Star entertainment franchises (Batman, Masters keep the punters happy. It’s a bit of
Trek, and Mission Impossible. It was a great of the Universe, Star Trek, James Bond, a chicken and egg thing I suppose.
project to work on, and had a number of really Gargoyles). Were you a fan of any of these Consumers were wary and maybe
cool firsts for me, working for a big when working on the games? a little confused about what it was
company like Disney, with Yes, absolutely. I’m a card carrying nerd, and why it was better than a Genesis,
all their resources and I’m afraid. Particularly love Star and so sales were sluggish and didn’t
money. Actually Trek (although Deep Space 9 was really motivate studios to make games
working for Disney never my cup of tea). I used to for it. Vicious cycle ensues and the
was a real thrill own a comic shop when I lived platform dies. Ultimately the failure lies
too. Growing in England, many years ago at Sega’s feet because it’s their job to
up in England, (around the time I was working make everyone happy, consumers and
I never dreamed for Gremlin / Core), so I was also developers, which they didn’t do.
I’d end up working for The a bit of a comic nut, and collector.


Sonic the Hedgehog -
S EGA of the 90s hit a homerun with this one. This was a
platformer with gorgeous visuals and gameplay so fast
it felt like greased lightning. Sonic was the poster child for
the Megadrive’s ‘Blast Processing’, and it proved to be a
wildly successful start to one of SEGA’s most cherished
franchises.
Unlike most platformers that had come before, this one had
gamers utilizing their momentum to reach blinding speeds
and make huge jumps. After playing through the game a
few times, it rewarded those who memorized the layout of
the levels, allowing for some incredibly fast action. Players
take the role of Sonic, a blue hedgehog with fast moves and
an attitude, as they play through a variety of levels to save
animals who have been turned into robots.
This game became the pack-in title for the Megadrive,

so this was many peoples’ first impression if they bought
a console after 1991. Sonic is one of those special games
that leave a lasting impression, and its bouncy soundtrack,
vibrant sprite work and fluid gameplay have really stood
the test of time. If ever you needed a reason to own a
Megadrive in the 90s, Sonic was persuasion at its strongest.
Title:
Sonic The Hedgehog
Genre:
Sonic Action Platform Title
Developer:
Sonic Team
Year Released:
1991
Publisher:

Shadow Dancer -
T he second Shinobi game on the Mega Drive/Genesis
is by far my favourite. Not a port of the arcade game
like the Amiga or Master System versions, this is a highly
playable console game in its own right. Joe Musashi and
his faithful dog companion Yamato are here to save New
York City from Union Lizard, a bunch of nasty ninjas who
will try and slash you, shoot you, and even throw their
oversized shields at you!. One thing I love about most ninja
games is the traditional Japanese setting, but taking the
action to the West gives Shadow Dancer an eerie feeling.
You’ll be putting Union Lizard (and some pretty hefty

bosses) to the sword on New York’s burning streets,
bridges, warehouses and ascending the Statue of Liberty is
about as epic as 16-bit action gets. The game benefits from
immense playability, varied attacks (magic, melee combat
and who can forget Yamato’s bite) and a superb soundtrack.
Is the game too short? Possibly. But crank it up to max
difficulty and you won’t be saying that. It may not be as
technically advanced as Shinobi 3 but it’s a lot more fun in
my eyes, and definitely worthy of being in your collection.
Title:
Shadow Dancer
Genre:
Ninja Action Scrolling Platform Title
Developer:
Sega R&D 2
Year Released:
1990
Publisher:
Sega

Splatter House 2 -
S platterhouse was originally released on the Turbografx-16/PC Engine
but it saw its sequel released exclusively to the Genesis/Mega Drive in
1992 in all its colourful gore. It is clear that this game series was inspired
by the many horror movies of its time (like Friday the 13th and Halloween)
when you look at the characters, visuals, and setup for the game’s story.
Splatterhouse 2 is set three months after the events of the original game.
The Terror Mask reappears to tempt Rick, the main character in the game,
to go back to the house where it all started to rescue Jennifer.
The player controls Rick, the mask wearing hero, through eight
different stages as he faces monsters of all colours and shapes. Rick
can punch, kick, jump kick, and slide kick all the enemies but he is
also able to use various weapons that he finds as he advances through
the game. Things start outside the mansion and move inside as the
stages advance. Each stage has a boss at the end, each boss looking
like a very grotesque figure, each with different types of attack. You
can enjoy killing monsters of all kinds and see the great animation
as you split them in half with your fists, clobber them with dinosaur
bones, or cut them with a chainsaw. One cool feature is that monsters
show damage as you hit them until they finally explode in a mess of
green goo. The game music and sounds do the job just fine but they
are not spectacular. Overall a great game for Halloween! ■
Title:
Splatter House 2
Genre:
Side Scrolling Gorefest Beat’em Up
Developer:
Namco
Year Released:
1992
Publisher:
SEGA

Street of Rage -
S treets of Rage wasn’t the first beat ‘em up on the
market but it was by far one of the most polished
when it was released. While other games like Final Fight
and Double Dragon were birthed in the arcade, Streets of
Rage was a Megadrive exclusive. Sega was really firing
on all cylinders with this one. Again, this was a game
designed by Yu Suzuki and his small team at SEGA. The
90s were full of buddy cop movies and arcades were
bustling with fighting games, so Streets of Rage is the
perfect blend of these two elements.
Streets of Rage had players delivering street justice as

undercover cops, laying down the law with punches, kicks
and lead pipes. This was a brilliant game, and it had co-op
mode, so players could team up with a friend or sibling.
The soundtrack was phenomenal with thumping bass-
lines inspired by popular club music at the time. Punching
outlandish goons was a blast here, and if things ever got a
little overwhelming, the player is armed with a powerful
screen clearing attack. You know that these police officers
weren’t messing around when their back up were armed
with rocket launchers. ■
Title:
Streets of Rage
Genre:
Side Scrolling Beat’em Up
Developer:
Year Released:
1991
Publisher:

Sonic The Hedgehog 2 -
T he blue blur is back! Teaming up with new sidekick
Miles “Tails” Prower, Sonic the Hedgehog is once again
out to stop the evil Dr. Robotnik, this time trying to steal
Chaos Emeralds to power his space station, the Death Egg.
Widely regarded as one of the greatest games of all time, this
is an adrenaline-fuelled adventure not to be missed! Players
can choose to play as Sonic, Tails or both with Tails running
alongside Sonic and the option for 2 player co-op play. Lots
of new, vibrant levels await the twosome, each with their
own unique quirks like Emerald Hill’s corkscrew loops and
Chemical Plant’s boost pads.
Composer Masato Nakamura returns with a bold and catchy

soundtrack, complimenting each stage’s look and atmosphere.
And upon collecting 50 or more rings, a special stage dips its
toes into the world of 3D in a psychedelic half-pipe course
with the possibility of winning a Chaos Emerald. Collect them
all and Sonic can become ‘Super Sonic’ with greater attack
and jumping abilities and invincible to attacks at the cost of
depleting rings. A fast-paced thrill ride for original fans and
series newbies alike, this is the Sonic title that will sweep you
off your feet! ■
Title:
Sonic The Hedgehog 2
Genre:
Sonic Arcade Action Platform Title
Developer:
Sega Technical Institute, Sonic Team
Year Released:
1992
Publisher:
Sega

Strider -
I n the distant future, Earth is overrun by an ever growing and
powerful horde of creatures and robots. It soon transpires
that the mastermind behind the devastating attacks is Meio, a
Grand Master who has been planning to rule over Earth from his
space station in orbit. The secret Strider training facility assign
their last hope, Hiryu, to defeat Grand Master Meio and restore
peace on Earth. A conversion of Capcom’s original 1989 hack
and slash arcade hit, the game tasks the player with travelling
across the five varied levels, taking out all enemies and boss
guardians on the way to face the Grand Master himself.
As a trained Strider, Hiryu has many moves available as he

takes on the enemy, including a cartwheel jump, sliding attack,
and the powerful plasma sword slash, as well as the use of his
Sickle to help climb walls or hang from pipes. Item containers
such as sword power-ups, extra life, invincibility and health
restores appear to help Hiryu in his mission. Strider was an
early release for the Mega Drive and showcased what the 16-
bit was capable of with an almost perfect arcade conversion.
While the gameplay is spot on, it’s the visuals and audio that
are particularly impressive with stunning level design, unique
graphics, and an atmospheric soundtrack. ■
Title:
Strider
Genre:
Arcade Slash’n’Dice Action Title
Developer:
Capcom
Year Released:
1990
Publisher:
Sega

Street of Rage 2 -
S treets of Rage 2 is everything a sequel should be:
recognisable as being related to its predecessor, but also
more refined, taking what was good and improving upon it
while removing any deficiencies. Set a year after the events
of the first game, Mr. X and The Syndicate have returned,
kidnapping Adam and once again threatening the city. Axel and
Blaze are determined to restore order and rescue their friend,
assisted by Adam’s brother, Skate, and Max.
With this sequel, Sega created a fantastic side-scrolling

beat-em-up, amongst the best ever made. The two new
characters offered a much greater depth to the game, being
significantly different to play compared to the two returning
characters, and offered a much different dynamic when playing
with a second player. The graphics are bigger and brighter,
while Yuzo Koshiro crafted a masterpiece of a soundtrack
perfectly complementing the on-screen action. Perhaps the
biggest change was to the special button. Rather than calling
in a support strike from fellow officers, each character now
executed a variety of special moves at the cost of a small
amount of health, giving a great risk/reward dynamic to their
use. Overall, one of the greatest Mega Drive games ever made.
Title:
Streets of Rage 2
Genre:
Side Scrolling Beat’em Up
Developer:
Sega (AM7)
Year Released:
1992 - 1993
Publisher:
Sega

Shinobi III -
Return of the Ninja Master
T he Shadow Dancer is back! During his third Mega
Drive entry, Joe Musashi is once again slashing and
tossing shuriken through Zeed’s forces, thought defeated
forever in Revenge of Shinobi. This entry continues the
steep difficulty trend noted in previous entries, with some
parts of the game being almost unfair, but it is still a fun
experience. Although Joe has a few more abilities to help
him with as he can run and wall kick his way to a speedy
victory. Most abilities from the previous games return as we
can still double jump, multi-shuriken and sword slice our
way to victory.
Ninjutsu is the same as the last entry, giving an extra edge

for difficult moments in the game and if you’re lucky, you
can find an additional spell in a box. Levels vary wildly from
forests to machine factories with a large variety of enemy to
slay, from ninja to soldiers. And while there are not too many
levels they are broken into sections that offer a lot of variety.
Bosses are fun and challenging, and even feature Mecha-
Godzilla! All in all this is a good addition to the library and
an excellent sequel to an already classic series. ■
Title:
Shinobi III
Genre:
Side Scrolling Arcade Action Ninja Sequal
Developer:
Megasoft
Year Released:
1993
Publisher:
Sega

Speedball 2 -
W ho can forget that title music? Speedball 2: Brutal
Deluxe hits hard from the minute you plug in the cart.
The original Speedball failed to inspire the masses. Its take on
the 1975 sci-fi film Rollerball (about a violent sport played on
a roller rink with a metal ball) was well-received on the Amiga,
Master System and C64 by critics but sales were few. Speedball
2 took everything that was good about its predecessor and
added recognizable teams (including, of course, Brutal
Deluxe), varied modes, upgradeable players and a strategy
element courtesy of power-ups and means of charging the ball.
Score a “goal” with a charged ball and you’ll get more points.
The Mega Drive/Genesis version is almost a direct port of

the Amiga version. The only thing that suffers is the music,
which is still great. Progress through the tournaments and
you’ll need to upgrade your team. A quick fix is to upgrade
your whole team but you’ll soon run out of credit. Beef up
your defence or inject some speed into the attack, the choice is
yours. Speedball 2 is a whole lot of fun. Grab a mate, throw the
ball at his goalie, then take out said goalie and ball altogether
for a glorious goal. Fun. ■
Title:
SpeedBall 2 - Brutal Deluxe
Genre:
Futuristic Combat Sports Title
Developer:
The Bitmap Brothers
Year Released:
1992
Publisher:
Virgin Interactive

Super Street Fighter 2:
The New Challengers -
T he significance of this version of the game is given away in
the title. Of the original twelve fighters, everyone already
had a favourite, but then T.Hawk, Dee Jay, Cammy and Fei-Long
were added to the mix. What made them immensely cool was that
they were not new skins to sprites based on existing characters but
were developed and handled in their own way. Oh, and Cammy
came from our boring grey shores which was an instant plus.
New characters also brought with them their own stages

matching national stereotypes. However, Cammy’s English manor
looked more like the set of Outlander along with the northern
lights. Existing characters got new pallets to their costumes and
the tournament was upped to sixteen characters on the Mega
Drive, unlike its Arcade counterpart that remained at twelve. The
Mega Drive cartridge also boosted the system to 40-bit capacity
to allow for more of the iconic catchphrases and an amazing
soundtrack to match the arcade version. Outside the game
experience, the new character content was incorporated into Street
Fighter II: the animated movie (and that other movie) providing
the stepping stones to begin the momentum of an amazing
franchise beyond the game experience. ■
Title:
Super Street Fighter 2
Genre:
Arcade 1 Vs 1 Fighting Title
Developer:
Capcom Co., Ltd.
Year Released:
1994
Publisher:
Capcom U.S.A., Inc.

Story of Thor, The -
A lthough the Mega Drive lagged it had its fair share of
awesome RPGs. Sadly, many of these titles went unnoticed,
not that Sega didn’t have a hand in that. One such title was The
Story of Thor (Beyond Oasis in the United States) from legendary
composer Yuzo Koshiro and Streets of Rage developer Ancient
and was a first attempt at an action RPG. Story of Thor is
surprisingly good: it does have some flaws but remains well worth
seeking out. Prince Ali of the Oasis Kingdom spends his days
treasure hunting. On one such hunt he finds a mysterious golden
armlet. This artefact once belonged to an ancient wizard who used
it to protect the world from the owner of the silver armlet and with
both armlets reawakened it and is only a matter of time before the
two will engage in conflict once again.
The only real flaw if you can call it that is the game’s length.
The Story of Thor is extremely short in comparison with others of
its genre, but with its satisfying combat and very high production
values, The Story of Thor is a fantastic game. Action RPGs
weren’t exactly plentiful on the Mega Drive at the time, so any
game of this calibre was a cause for celebration. Final thought on
this would be, with a little more content and a little more longevity
it could have been an even bigger classic than it is. ■
Title:
Story of Thor, The a.k.a Beyond Oasis
Genre:
Action Adventure RPG Title
Developer:
Ancient
Year Released:
1995
Publisher:
Sega

The Ooze -
T he Ooze is certainly an interesting game, at least on a
conceptual level. The story of the game is that you play as a
scientist who is turned into ooze by the evil corporation he works
for, and he is on a mission of revenge to take down their toxic
organization and regain his humanity. The interesting concept
comes from HOW you play as this ooze, as you take the form of
essentially a giant moving puddle with a skull at the centre. As
The Ooze, you move through various grimy and toxic locales on
your trip to take down your boss, only able to attack by way of
extending your form in a sort of punch or spitting a glob of goo at
an enemy from afar. You can pick up ooze to grow bigger as you
play, but you can lose it to various hazards and enemy attacks, so
you’re always shifting in size as you progress.
Although at times The Ooze might be so bad it would earn itself a

drop into the nearest bin, it is redeemed somewhat by its later levels.
These appear to have been a desperate saving throw by the game to
avoid an Atrocious rating, as they helped show that for all its faults,
it’s a functional game that can have a few moments where you feel
like you’re manoeuvring the Ooze in an interesting way. Because of
this, The Ooze does not stand amongst the worst of the worst and is an
oddity every Mega Drive collector should have in their collection. ■
Title:
The Ooze
Genre:
Puddle of Slime Revenge Action Title
Developer:
Year Released:
1995
Publisher:
Sega

TMHT: The Hyperstone Heist -
H ere we have the first game based on the TMNT to enter the Genesis/
Mega Drive library, The Hyperstone Heist. This game is inspired by
the Turtle’s second arcade title, Turtles in Time but it is not a direct port of
that title. This title has fewer levels than the arcade game, though the levels
have been made longer to compensate for this. The story has April O’Neil
reporting from Ellis Island when there is a sudden flash of light. Much to her
surprise (and that of her audience), Manhattan Island starts shrinking! It is
at this point that Shredder takes control of the airwaves to announce to the
world that he has obtained a treasure from Dimension X, the Hyperstone.
Of course, the TMNT will not let Shredder get away with this
plan. The Turtles have to survive five different stages in order to reach
Shredder: New York City, A Mysterious Ghost Ship, Shredder’s Hideout,
The Gauntlet, and The Final Shell Shock. Through these levels the
Turtles will fight all sorts of ninjas until they reach the final boss. The
bosses are characters from the TV show who work with Shredder such as
“Rocksteady” and “Baxter Stockman”. Eliminating these guys is not an
easy task! Hyperstone can be played by one or two players simultaneously
and you’re allowed to choose which Turtle you want to be. The game
graphics are good as is the music but the voice samples sound garbled.
Nonetheless, this is a fun side-scrolling beat ‘em up that fans of the
TMNT will enjoy. Kawabonga! ■
Title:
Teenage Mutant Hero Turtle: The Hyperstone Heist
Genre:
Arcade Action TV Show Tie-in Title
Developer:
Konami Co., Ltd.
Year Released:
1992
Publisher:
Konami

ToeJam & Earl -
T This is one of the wackiest rogue-like games to ever
be made. Toejam and Earl are two fashion conscious
aliens with the speech patterns of stereotypical surfers.
They crash land on planet Earth and it’s up to the player
to guide them through procedurally generated islands
to retrieve their spaceship components. When all the
parts are gathered, they’ll be able to return to their home
world aptly named ‘Funkotron’.
While the random level layouts challenge the players

navigation skills, the Earth’s inhabitants act as enemies
and will hinder Toejam & Earl at every opportunity. The
game is full of humour and the humans here are blatant
caricatures of suburban culture. Obviously this isn’t
cool for Toejam & Earl, so it makes sense to avoid the
people as much as possible. The game’s soundtrack is a
mix of hip hop and jazz style tunes, which really sells
the attitude of the main characters. Characterization of
the aliens is integral to the game. When playing with
a friend, Toejam & Earl will quip one-liners to each
other. All of this worked to cement the game as a cult
classic, and it’s one of the more unique titles published
by SEGA. ■
Title:
ToeJam & Earl: Panic on Funkotron
Genre:
Side Scrolling Action Adventure Title
Developer:
Johnson Voorsanger Productions
Year Released:
1991
Publisher:
Truxton -
A fter garnering success in the arcades a year prior, Truxton
was ported to the SEGA Megadrive in 1989. While it
wasn’t a commercial success in the west, it has secured cult
classic status and is still a blast to play today. It’s a vertical
scrolling shoot ‘em up with five different levels, each with its
own boss battle and distinctive environment. Game producer
and composer Masahiro Yuge wanted to make a game that
became easier as players memorized it. Truxton achieves this
by using a checkpoint system, so player deaths allow them to
replay from a recent position. This wasn’t very common in the
genre, and by placing secret power-ups through each section,
players who could remember their locations were granted a
superior experience.
Those with strong memorization are rewarded with an

appealing power fantasy, unlike other popular shooters. By
gathering these power-ups, the ship gathers different weapons,
faster movement speed and allow players a higher chance of
success in the boss battles. To balance this, the player dies upon
being hit and sacrifices all upgrades and must replay from the
closest checkpoint. Practice makes perfect and Truxton really
rewards players who take this notion to heart. ■
Title:
Truxton
Genre:
Vertical Arcade Shoot’em up
Developer:
Toaplan Co., Ltd.
Year Released:
1989
Publisher:

Thunder Force IV-
T he fourth title of an already popular series, Thunder
Force IV has a lot of pressure to be good. Fortunately,
it soars past good and lands itself firmly in the shoot ‘em up
hall of fame. Fans will also recognize the series’ traditional
side-scrolling gameplay. The most striking thing about
this game is its presentation. This is a game with beautiful
sprite work and top tier parallax scrolling. The environment
impacts the look of the game, with day and night transitions
and distortion when plunging into the underwater sections.
The visuals are ambitious, but they are achieved to a very
high standard.
Like the prior game in the series, the starting levels

can be tackled in any order. Initially four are available but
upon their completion, the game becomes a linear affair,
until all ten stages are completed. Multiple playthroughs
allow players to learn the attack patterns of the enemies, and
those with a deft aim and precise movement can quickly cut
through the multi-stage boss battles. Grabbing power-ups
increases the player’s fire power exponentially, but the game
maintains its difficulty by instantly destroying the player if
hit. It’s a fair trade-off that pushes players to be their best. ■
Title:
Thunder Force IV
Genre:
Horizontal Scrolling Shoot’em Up
Developer:
Technosoft Co., Ltd.
Year Released:
1992
Publisher:

World of Illusion -
I t’s time to return to the realm of Illusion with our favourite
mouse. This time Mickey Mouse teams up with good pal
Donald Duck for a magical adventure in World of Illusion.
Practising a magic act, Mickey and Donald discover a magical box
which unbeknownst to them belongs to an evil magician. The pair
are transported to a faraway world and must work together to find
a way home.
Similar to Sonic 2, World of Illusion allows you to play

solo as either Mickey or Donald or 2 player co-op play with
both characters. They can run, jump and attack enemies with a
trusty swish of their capes and depending on which character
you choose, gameplay elements will change. After defeating an
end-of-level boss, Mickey and Donald will learn a new spell such
as flying on a magic carpet or floating in a bubble to help them
progress to the next area.
The impressive visuals and animation take inspiration from
classic Disney movies like Alice in Wonderland and The Little
Mermaid and, like Castle of Illusion before it, the soundtrack is
chock full of whimsy and charm. In short, World of Illusion is a
charming platformer that perfectly captures that Disney magic and
well worth adding to the collection. ■
Title:
World of Illusion: Starring Mickey Mouse & Donald Duck
Genre:
Arcade Action Adventure Platform Title
Developer:
Year Released:
1992
Publisher:
Sega

Vectorman 2 -
S ome heroes just don’t get a break! Immediately after saving Earth
and defeating Warhead, VectorMan is once more on a routine
barge excursion. Routine until a mysterious missile hits VectorMan’s
ship and critically damages it forcing him to freefall back to Earth.
Once on the surface, VectorMan finds himself on the outskirts of
what appears to be an abandoned Research Facility. Except, it is not
abandoned! Hordes of mutant insects are flourishing in this facility
and they appear to be under the control of some unknown intelligence
that is using these mutant insects to damage the planet.
It falls to VectorMan to save the Earth once more. If you

enjoyed the first VectorMan title, you are sure to enjoy this
second outing. As in the first game, VectorMan can change shapes
but in this game the ”morphs” are level specific (except the
Tornado morph). The morphs include the following: helicopter,
skates, tornado, and tank. In addition to these, he can assimilate
characteristics of his enemies if he picks up the assimilation icons
released when these are destroyed. This means that VectorMan
can use a shield, gain a stinger like a scorpion, charge like a rhino
beetle, punch like a tick, or use a fireball like a fire ant. VectorMan
2 has beautiful graphics, great sound effects and a nice musical
score. Overall this is a very good follow up to the original. ■
Title:
Vectorman 2
Genre:
Developer:
BlueSky Software, Inc.
Year Released:
1996
Publisher:

Zombies Ate My Neighbors -
Z eke and Julie have to save their neighbors from a wide
range of horror movie monsters across the 48 massive
scrolling levels in this hilarious cult classic. The top down
view takes in backyards, shopping malls, an Egyptian tomb
and a software company office (featuring a cameo from
George Lucas). The game underwent censorship in Europe and
Australia, changing the name to Zombies and blood becoming
purple gore. Useful items are lying around: keys to open doors,
health packs restore health, potions give temporary boosts and
many weapons to use beyond the basic “squirt gun” with its
infinite ammo. The Uzi, weed whacker, exploding soda cans and
bazooka all kill in different ways.
Neighbors are killed on contact with the enemy, a life is lost

if all the neighbors are killed and reaching certain points in the
game awards an extra neighbor. Seven hidden bonus levels can
be found, including one based on the LucasArts game Day of
the Tentacle. A password system allows you to save progress,
taking account of the number of neighbors saved (but not items
carried). Critical acclaim sadly did not mean high sales, and the
sequel Ghoul Patrol was not as well received. ■
Title:
Zombies Ate My Neighbors
Genre:
Arcade Action Gun ‘n’ Run Co-Op Title
Developer:
LucasArts
Year Released:
1993
Publisher:
Konami

Xeno Crisis -
P ossibly the newest Mega Drive game available at
the time of writing, Xeno Crisis is a fun game and a
wonderful homage to Smash TV. Available on a number
of formats including PS4 and Dreamcast, it’s on the 16-bit
that it’s most at home. Smash TV failed to land a punch
on the Mega Drive. It was clunky, blurry, and difficult
to control in comparison to its rival port on the SNES.
Xeno Crisis is none of those things. Bitmap Bureau have
created a game which has the same premise (travel from
room to room annihilating foes while picking up power-
ups and goodies) but everything looks and sounds better.
It’s a tough game made tougher by finite ammo and

unrelenting bosses. The creators were clearly fans of
the Alien movies (which is no bad thing) and the Mega
Drive’s limited colour palette helps give the game a
moody/almost gloomy look. Local co-op is a joy and
almost a necessity to get anywhere. Xeno Crisis is one
of those games which will melt your brain if you play
it all day. Take it in small doses, keep upgrading those
marines, and you might just make it to level two. Good
luck! ■
Title:
Xeno Crisis
Genre:
Arcade Action Arena Gun ‘n’ Run Title
Developer:
Bitmap Bureau
Year Released:
2019
Publisher:
Strictly Limited Games
THE FUTURE OF VIDEO GAMING MULTI-MEDIA HAS ARRIVED.
T he Mega-CD originally launched in

Japan in late 1991. It would make its
way West with a North American release
had infrared wireless controllers and was
much cheaper.
put together all
the elements
of its hardware,
in late 1992, where it would be known as The RG-M2 would make its way to Japan it could be
the Sega CD, before reaching Europe and and North America in 1994, although it something truly
Brazil during the first half of 1993. There would lose the wireless controllers, the spectacular.
are two distinct mainline models of this S-video port and be renamed the JVC However, the
console. The first is often referred to as the X’Eye. There was a revision to this design quality and
Model 1 and sat underneath the Genesis/ shortly after that removed the nine pin diversity of the
Mega Drive, while the second release was AV port breaking 32X compatibility in the library of the
designed to be cheaper and sat beside process. In 1993, Pioneer would release the Mega-CD/Sega Victor Wonder-Mega RG-M1 Console
it. Outside of these releases, there was LaserActive LaserDisc player. This behemoth CD is often
also a standalone unit known as the Sega had the ability to be upgraded with add- overshadowed
CDX, a portable design that had both the on modules, one of which supported by the poor
Genesis and Sega CD built together and the Genesis/Mega Drive and Mega-CD performance
released in 1994 in North America and 1995 software. It also allowed the use of Mega LD of its hardware
in Europe. It would be renamed the Multi- software or games that would play on the sales. Many
Mega in Europe, before being renamed LaserDisc format. This thing was extremely will say Sega
again (as the Multi-Mega CDX) for its expensive when it launched going for didn’t support
release in Brazil. Other companies would nearly $1,000/€689/£586 for the base unit. the add-on,
also get into releasing Sega CD hardware: leading to
we’d see Victor’s Wondermega (ワンダーメ The weird and wonderful versions of the lower consumer
ガ) combo unit, which itself would see a few Sega CD didn’t stop at the LaserActive. confidence in Multi-Mega CDX (European Version)
variations. There’s 1992’s RG-M1, which was In 1994 Aiwa would release the CSD- this new media.
loaded with karaoke functionality and had G1M, more commonly referred to as the We don’t agree
built-in S-video output. This unit retailed Aiwa Mega-CD. This strange design was with this as the
at an astonishing 83,000 yen, a price that a portable stereo, which could dock Mega-CD/Sega
would be well over $700/€637.60/£542.14 with a specially designed add-on that CD would see
by today’s exchange rates. A follow-up, the provided Sega Mega Drive and Mega-CD over 200 games
RG-M2, was released a year later and was compatibility. The unit itself is very rare released in just
a complete redesign. This unit was smaller, and was only released in Japan, and when under its four
one does pop up for sale, it often goes for years’ lifespan.
a high asking price. The hardware of the
Mega-CD was designed to complement This add-on
the Genesis/Mega Drive. It adds another, had dozens
Victor Wonder-Mega RG-M2 Console
faster Motorola 68000 CPU to assist the of games
one already in the Mega Drive. It also that were worth experiencing and owning,
adds sprite and background scaling and and many more that were the best
rotation effects, something that Mega versions of multi-platform games. While
Drive could not do by itself. The Mega- its library was nowhere near the size of
CD/Sega CD also added additional a standalone console, its games were
sound channels and, of course, CD- meant to complement the Mega Drive’s
quality music. library and cover games and features the
Genesis/Mega Drive simply wasn’t capable
JVC X-EYE Console
When a Mega-CD/Sega CD game of pulling off on its own. But Sega was to

best on the Mega-CD/Sega CD at the time.
Everything from Traveller’s Tales’ Mickey Not all full-motion video games for the
Mania, with its expanded soundtrack Mega-CD/Sega CD were terrible: Road
and voice work; Capcom’s Final Avenger had a style and presentation you
Fight CD, with its two-player Co- couldn’t help but love, with you assuming
Op and arcade faithful content; the role of a widow hell-bent on avenging
Earthworm Jim Special Edition, with its the loss and murder of his wife. It was driven
added level, weapons, animation, and by an excellent soundtrack and was one of
absolutely incredible music; to Malibu the better playing full-motion video games
Interactive’s Batman Returns, with its at its release. We’d even go so far as to say
technically breath-taking driving stages and it’s probably the best version of this game
blame movie-quality soundtrack. Where the Mega- available. Dragons Lair
for the CD/Sega CD truly shone was, of course, was also released on the
overall negative when a game was designed for it from the Mega-CD and was one
public perception of ground up. These games took the form of of the very first times it was
the Mega-CD/Sega CD software that would either take advantage published
in the West. The entire advertising campaign of the system sprite and background fully
was based around FMV (Full-Motion Video) hardware or it would use the relatively huge featured
games. While these games had an exciting storage size of the CD format to expand on CD ROM format.
appeal of being new, they were never the experience well beyond a cartridge’s Even with the downgrade
accepted by the mainstream audience and, capability. in colour, it was still
coupled with the incredibly high pricing awesome to see the
of the hardware, simply weren’t enough The RPG genre was well represented on arcade original on a home
to draw consumers in. Worse, the Mega- the system, most notably with two Lunar console. You also had Time Gal,
CD’s incredible sprite and background games: Lunar: The Silver Star and Lunar: a great looking game featuring time
manipulation hardware was hardly ever Eternal Blue. Both these games have travel with you chasing a criminal hell-bent
used by Sega themselves. Even when a excellent soundtracks, tonnes of voice work, on changing the future. It was one of the
game was released that had these features, great cinematics, and link the adventures better-looking FMV games at the time and
it was never shown off by Sega. Digging a to keep you busy. You couldn’t play these did the arcade source material proud.
little deeper, another problem Sega had titles on another console at the time, While many of the full-motion video games
was the fact that many of the Mega Drive’s making their Mega-CD appearance an on the Mega-CD/Sega CD eventually
staple franchises never made their way onto awesome addition to the library. Adventure received better-looking versions elsewhere,
the Mega-CD/Sega CD as unique releases: games would also make a big splash on seeing these games run on a home console
we’d see no Mega-CD exclusive Streets the console, and none more important than in the early 1990s was truly impressive. The
of Rage or Shinobi title, to name just two Konami’s Snatcher, the brainchild of famed shoot ‘em up genre is actually rock solid
popular series of the time. game designer Hideo Kojima. This title was on the Mega-CD with many games you
loaded with voicework and set in 2047, a can’t play a physical version of anywhere
Sega never even ported over any of futuristic world where a new threat called else. One of the best examples is Keio
its exclusive Super Scaler arcade games Snatchers are killing people and assuming Flying Squadron, a colourful shooter with
for the console: where was Outrunners, their identity. Often referred to as a graphic great graphics and sound that looks like
Galaxy Force 2 or even an enhanced adventure game, this is the only version of nothing else on the system. Even its cutesy
version of their great Jurassic Park title? Snatcher to see an official Western release presentation couldn’t turn us off this great
These games visually would have stood for any system. There was nothing like it at playing experience.
head and shoulders above the software the time, giving you a depth of story and
that was offered by the Mega Drive and adult theme well beyond anything else on Another great shoot ‘em up was
Super Nintendo at the time. The library the market. Robo Aleste (Dennin Aleste in Japan),
wasn’t as completely with incredible music which drove solid
underrated as some gameplay across very well-designed stages
would have you and enemies. It doesn’t get the credit it
believe, however. deserves but was definitely a boon to the
There were tonnes of Mega-CD/Sega CD library in 1993. You
multi-platform games can’t forget Silpheed either, one of the most
that were at their graphically impressive games on the system
back then. It overlaid polygonal ships on full-
A selection of the amazing releases that appeared on the MegaCD and SegaCD 185 MEGA BOOK COLLECTION
motion video backdrops, creating Sega would they possessed. That would be realised with
the illusion of some truly outstanding add new moves, characters, 1993’s Thunderhawk, a helicopter combat
rendering. The soundtrack wasn’t finishing moves, and even new simulator using the Mega-CD’s hardware
bad either. We also loved Android Cinekills, a brutally difficult kill, scaling for the entire presentation of the
Assault, a great plane game, and where you would get to see game. It was an excellent showpiece and
another shoot ‘em up that doesn’t your opponent meet their a harbinger of what this machine add-on was
get the respect it deserves. Some demise at the hands of their really capable of doing. Then In 1994 Core
developers wouldn’t simply port worst fear. It’s a deep and Design would again wow Mega-CD owners
over their cartridge releases to the underrated fighting game with Soulstar, a shoot ‘em up that would
Mega-CD/Sega CD instead opting to that the mainstream knows little about. Sega incorporate on rails and free-roaming stage
completely redesign their games. would also have the wherewithal to bring design. This is one of the Mega-CD’s most
A great example of this is 1993’s Spider-Man versus the Kingpin to the Mega-CD impressive technical showings and proves
The Terminator, the Mega-CD in 1993, a greatly enhanced port of their prior beyond a shadow of a doubt in our mind that
version of which was a near- Mega Drive effort. This one gets better stage if more games had looked and played like
complete overhaul with new graphics, stage design, improved graphics and a much better this, the Mega-CD library would have driven
design, weapons, cinematics, and music from selection of music. The ability to free roam more sales of the hardware. Core Design
Tommy Tallarico. This side-scrolling run’n’gun the game map and choose your levels was a would also show up strong with Battle Core,
was another excellent addition to the library great change and was yet another example a mission-based free roaming mech shooter,
and proof original software of existing IP could of how simple little touches taking advantage that again relied on heavy use of the Mega-
coexist on both the Mega Drive and Mega-CD of the Mega-CD could add a tonne to an CD’s specialised hardware for scaling sprites,
existing experience. It may surprise some of which in turn created another unique looking
you, but the Japanese market was Sega’s and playing experience.
weakest in terms of overall sales of the Mega-
CD. Their final release for the Sega CD would
land in 1994. A spinoff from the Chuck Rock
Many games that were released in the series, BC Racers used a similar graphic style
successfully. West never saw a Japanese version, and to Nintendo’s Super Mario Kart. This combat
Even Sega was smart enough to realise strong Japanese exclusives were few and racer was exactly the type of software that
that their new mascot shouldn’t simply be far between. One example is Devastator, a should have existed for the Mega-CD from
dumped on their add-on with improved mech platformer, run’n’gun shoot ‘em up the outset: natural extensions of existing
music and, in 1993, the Mega-CD would get a hybrid that was fast and quite visually striking properties that would use the specialised
completely original entry, Sonic CD. Adding at the time. It’s based on the enemy of the hardware in ways the base Mega Drive/
in a new dash mechanic, new time-travelling same name and is one we recommend if you Genesis unit could never duplicate. All in all,
stages, and truly memorable music, this was have a Mega-CD or the means to play import Core Design’s contributions to the Mega-CD
our favourite 16-bit Sonic game. Each stage software on your Sega CD. When it came to library are undeniably some of its most unique
was crafted to be explored instead of just the technically impressive stuff, the use of and playable experiences. If you haven’t
blasted through at top speed. In fact, you hardware sprite scaling and rotation, the UK- played these games, you’re missing a huge
missed the entire point of the time-travelling based software company piece of what Mega-CD ownership was all
additions by not exploring the game’s levels Core Design made the about. Despite the success of the Genesis/
fully. It also added bonus stages that use Mega-CD sing like no Mega Drive platform, Mega-CD/Sega CD
the Mega-CD scaling technologies, giving other. would only see about 2 million units sold
it a high class feeling above the other 16-bit worldwide in its entire lifetime and is often
entries. Another Sega property that would They started with some tame software by cited as Sega’s first big misstep in the West. It
be overhauled for the porting stuff like Chuck Rock, but also had an gets lumped in with the 32X as an
Mega-CD was Eternal early attempt at doing something different example of how and why
Champions. This would with the hardware in 1992’s Jaguar XJ220. Not Sega burned away all its
receive a tonne of the most
additional content to impressive
the original release, driving
to the point where it game out
felt like a completely there, but
different game, and was you could
titled Challenge from see the
the Dark Side. ambition
The Pal Add-on MegaCD Front View
obstacle to overcome. Sega also
poured nearly all its marketing money
behind full-motion video games. While
these captured the imagination
of potential buyers in the first few
months, magazine reviews and
word of mouth quickly cut short this
momentum, often revealing these
games to be short-lived experiences
that were all over the place in terms
of quality. Despite the undeniable
problems Sega faced with the Mega-
CD/Sega CD, we feel that the system
was a great part of our 16-bit
experience. It had a relatively large
library of games available, some
of which could easily be argued as
milestones. There is a popular narrative
among the uninitiated video gamer
out there that Sega didn’t support
it properly, which simply isn’t true.
Sega released a fair number of
games for the Mega-CD/Sega
CD. And if Sega is to be accused
of anything, it’s simply that they
didn’t release the right kinds of
games for the machine.
We, like many, wanted to see

the Mega-CD do Super Scaler ports
consumer confidence. stripping away key points that could have of Sega’s popular arcade games like
only occurred during the actual life of the Outrunners. We wanted to see the Mega-CD
But is this perception of the Mega-CD device. We feel there is no doubt that Mega- do an exclusive entry to popular franchises
a fair one? Or is this a narrative driven by CD/Sega CD had their problems. The machine like Streets of Rage. We still consider the
people who never actually owned the system? was expensive in every region it was released Mega-CD to be an underappreciated
Hindsight has a way of removing the original in, especially Japan where it retailed for over device that had plenty of good games.
experience’s strongest elements, often $500/€325/£299. Even when Sega brought it It’s easy to fall in line with the narrative
West, Mega Drive and Genesis owners stared that it has nothing to play, but we would
at €325 or more as the barrier to entry, which completely disagree with this idea. That
means that in modern terms, the Mega-CD/ song is often sung by those who didn’t own
Sega CD would it. We would encourage
have been you to find one of the
hundreds of many emulators
pounds more that play Mega-
than even a CD software
PlayStation and give the
4 in today’s system a chance
money. to see what it
was all about. You
Even with a may discover that it
perfect library of gives you a lot more
games, this would than you ever thought
have been nearly possible. ■
an insurmountable
Sega MegaCD (PAL Packaging)


Batman Returns -
T he platformer section of this Batman game could be
found on the Mega Drive. As platformers go it was a
movie tie in and you played Batman so it was a good starting
point. This game however demonstrated why the Mega CD/
Sega CD was not just cash add on to an existing product.
When writing this review I had genuinely forgotten the
platform sections existed before going back to it.
This is not because they were bad, like I said you played
Batman. The reason I forgot was you played those levels to
get to the driving sections as they were unbelievably brilliant.
Whether racing the clock through snowy woods or Gotham
city. When you played a perfectly standard platformer as a
chore to get to the driving sections you knew you were on to
something special. With an amazing soundtrack, it felt like
you were a part of that movie experience. This was reinforced
by keeping the movie’s narrative in place with ominous
level designs working well in capturing Tim Burton’s style.
Batman Returns was not a perfect game by any stretch but it
certainly demonstrated the potential of how the Mega CD /
Sega CD gave a more in-depth gaming experience. ■
Title:
Batman Returns
Genre:
Action Adventure / 3D FPS Driving Title
Developer:
Malibu Interactive
Year Released:
1992-93
Publisher:
SEGA Inc.

Bloodshot -
A s an Elite Trooper of the Earth Federation Starfleet
Command, your brain has been implanted with the “Battle
Frenzy” chip, which gives you “super strength, lightning
reflexes, and an insatiable desire to kill.” The briefing in
the instruction manual goes on to describe this condition as
“Bloodshot.” Your mission, as with many games of this type,
is to indiscriminately waste legions of alien robots on an alien
space ship. There is a nice opening sequence of quick cuts giving
the background to the game’s story and a textual outline of your
mission.
The controls are, for the most part, smooth and responsive.
You might occasionally get that glued-to-the-spot syndrome
when near a wall or other obstacle, but it’s rare, making it easy
to shoot robots or run back to the safe point. You only use three
buttons, which is good in the simplistic sense, but I feel a better
use for the other three would be for weapon selection. There
were precious few FPS games released for the Mega-CD, which
is a shame, as the black box was well known for its prowess
with shooters and most systems of today can boast some sort of
flagship FPS. Maybe the Mega-CD wasn’t best suited to this type
of genre, but I think it’s fair to say that Bloodshot disproves that.
Title:
Bloodshot a.k.a. (Blood Frenzy)
Genre:
Third Person Action Sci-Fi Shooter
Developer:
Domark Software Ltd.
Year Released:
1994
Publisher:
The Kremlin
Battlecorps -
T he year is 2085 and all is not well on the mining planet
Mandelbrot’s World. The artificial intelligence controlling
operations on the planet, MOSES, has been infected with a virus
causing machines to turn against humans and making the entire
planet a veritable fortress in the process. It’s your job, as a veteran
of the Battlecorps, to go planet-side and do a spot of IT support. The
Corps has equipped you with something a little more “proactive”
than a screwdriver set. You’ll get to pilot one of the Corps state-of-
the-art Armadillo-class Bipedal Attack Machines (BAM), a huge
battle-mech armed to the teeth with all sorts of weaponry.
Battlecorps is a 3D first-person shooter played over 13

relatively short levels. The aim of the game is to navigate each of
the levels, completing objectives along the way, until you reach the
final encounter with MOSES. But don’t expect this to be a walk
in the park as Battlecorps packs quite a challenge. Battlecorps is
a polished and nuanced game. It has all the hallmarks of a game
that should have had a few sequels, but for whatever reason that
never happened. I have played a number of mech-based games
since Battlecorps and none of them have so convincingly made me
believe I was in control of a giant mech than this. You need to hop
into the pilot seat as soon as possible. A classic Mega-CD title. ■
Title:
Battlecorps
Genre:
3D Action Futuristic Tank Shoot’em Up
Developer:
Core Design
Year Released:
1994
Publisher:
Core Design
Chuck Rock 2 Son of Chuck -
C huck Rock II: Son of Chuck takes place sometime after
the end of the first one. Chuck Sr. opens the first auto
manufacturer and gets rich but trouble is in the midst. The
Evil Brick Jagger isn’t as good as Chuck at manufacturing
automobiles so he kidnaps Chuck and holds him for ransom
and takes over his plant. Chuck Jr. sets out with his trusty club
to rescue his father because after all, “he is a chip off the old
block!” The game plays a bit different than the first one. Chuck
Jr., who seems to be a bit more intelligent than his father even
at a young age, attacks with a club instead of simply bumping
enemies with his beer gut like his dumb father did, making it
much harder to attack enemies in the first game. Junior can
balance on his club to avoid enemies by pressing A.
He can also bat rocks around to create platforms to reach

high up areas. Junior can also ride on a variety of animal friends
now too, all of which help in different ways. The Mega-CD’s
added extras are enough of a boost to make this game a lot of fun
to play. If you own the cartridge already, then I wouldn’t go out
of your way to buy this one. However, if you are thinking about
buying this game and have a Mega-CD, then get this version first
because the intro is top notch. ■
Title:
Chuck Rock 2: Son of Chuck
Genre:
Arcade Action Platform Adventure Title
Developer:
Core Design Ltd.
Year Released:
1993
Publisher:
Core Design Ltd.

Dune -
T he name Dune evokes among all science fiction enthusiasts
the excellent work of Frank Herbert, which was successively
adapted to both cinema and television. The world of video games
has not escaped it for our gaming pleasure. Arriving on the Sega
Mega-CD. Dune has a mix of gameplay styles: adventure, point
& click, management and strategy. This title has lots of facets and
each is more interesting than the last. You play as Paul Atreides
and you have the heavy load of managing Arrakis, in particular
through its main resource, its atypical inhabitants the Fremen, and
of course its enemies. It all starts nicely with a cutscene direct
from David Lynch’s film, where the charming princess Iluhan
presents this enchanting planet to you.
Dune remains a monument of video games. It makes good

use of the technology, has a well-crafted scenario and very well-
designed gameplay making it a title that is always very pleasant
to discover or rediscover. We quickly forget the faults associated
with games of this time: Dune offers an amazing experience and
is a beautifully designed piece of software for your Mega-CD.
If you have never experienced Dune, then you owe it to yourself
to dive in and mine the spice. Even if this isn’t your cup of tea, I
guarantee you will be hooked from beginning to end. ■
Title:
The Terminator
Genre:
Movie Adventure, Strategy & Tactics Title
Developer:
Cryo Interactive Entertainment
Year Released:
1993
Publisher:
Virgin Games, Inc.
Dungeon Explorer -
D ungeon Explorer is a multiplayer Action/RPG where up to
4 players can play at the same time. The Mega-CD version
differs from the TurboGrafx-16 original in look and gameplay but
the central theme (different classes, dungeons to go through) are
intact, It was developed by Westone, the same company behind
Sega’s Wonder Boy games, and, like Hudson’s other Mega-CD
release, Lords of Thunder, was only released in North America
and Europe. There are six classes in this version: Knight, Ninja,
Beast, Elf, Monk and Wizard. Multiplayer is also limited to four
players. After choosing your character, you’re sent to a small
screen called Freedom Hill, which essentially acts as the hub for
each of the six main dungeons. You can theoretically tackle them
in an order during your quest.
Dungeon Explorer can take a while to complete, and since

you only have a single life, it can be frustrating to restart an
entire dungeon because you made a single incorrect move. Your
saving grace is in knowing that the password system has been
dumped in favour of a save game system. The Mega-CD version
is a different take on the mainline series, and while it’s actually
pretty great in multiplayer it isn’t the easiest of titles to master
but one worth experiencing if you love your RPG’s. ■
Title:
Dungeon Explorer
Genre:
RPG Adventure Title
Developer:
Westone Bit Entertainment
Year Released:
1995
Publisher:
Hudson Soft Company, Ltd.

Ecco : Tides of Time -
T he star-speckled dolphin hero Ecco returns to save the ocean
world once again in Ecco: The Tides of Time. A sequel to
Ecco the Dolphin, Ecco’s peaceful pod life is disturbed when he
discovers that the Vortex Queen survived and the timeline has
been split in two. He must once again travel through time to regain
his powers and repair the fracture in time. Like the original, Ecco
can use his sonar to communicate with other ocean creatures and
activate glyphs, enemies are dispatched by ramming into them with
his nose and he must surface at intervals for air. But new power-
ups are introduced such as the Pulsar and Metasphere, the latter
allowing Ecco to transform into different animals such as a seagull
or jellyfish.
Tides of Time also showcases the Sega CD’s visual prowess

with smooth and improved graphics and impressive FMV
sequences shown between levels and through ‘History Glyphs’
unique to the Sega CD version. The music too is beautiful: a blend
of mystical ambience and eighties-style synthesisers reflecting
the ever-changing sea. A fine example of a sequel surpassing the
original, Ecco: The Tides of Time takes the best qualities of its
predecessor and polishes them to a shine, resulting in a thoroughly
enchanting oceanic adventure. ■
Title:
Ecco: Tides of Time
Genre:
Dolphin Ambient Simulator Adventure Title
Developer:
Novotrade Software Kft.
Year Released:
1994
Publisher:
SEGA Inc.
Final Fight CD -
T his was not the first time that a Final Fight game had
appeared on a home console but the Mega CD / Sega
CD version was still a welcome edition. Character designs
and a whole level having previously been removed from
other versions returned with alterations. The premise of the
game focused around three lead characters waging war in
the fictional Metro City overrun by a gang known as the
Mad Gears. Haggar had an unusual background of being
the mayor (with pro-wrestling experience) forced to clean
up his own streets after the kidnapping of his daughter.
This version of the game is fondly remembered

for having the capacity to include voice acting in the
introduction and ending animations. There was also a
new bonus time attack round included to make it stand
out from the other ports and the extraordinary CD quality
soundtrack. However, its Capcom style of bold colours,
clean animation and less crowded screen made it far more
accessible experience for new players to the genre. Fans of
the Street Fighter series may also recognise our leads from
their humble beginnings here. ■
Title:
Final Fight CD
Genre:
Arcade Side Scrolling Beat’em Up
Developer:
Capcom
Year Released:
1993
Publisher:
Capcom

Flink -
R eleased in 1994 by Psygnosis (SCE Studio Liverpool),
Flink was brought to us by the same team that
developed the cult hit platformers Wiz ‘n’ Liz and Lionheart
and the influence shows. While the Mega-CD version was
released worldwide, it certainly isn’t the easiest game
to find. The game introduces you to the vibrant world
of Imagica, where apparently four wizards have been
kidnapped and have been trapped inside crystals strewn
across the land. You are a young understudy who has spent
most of his life exclusively poring through magic books and
not seeing much of the world. Flink has a bit of a wide-eyed
charm to him. The premise is simple enough: release your
masters from the crystals and the door to Wainwright’s lair
opens for a final showdown with evil.
If you’re a gamer who can appreciate every colour of

the rainbow and thought put into Flink this is a magnificent
title deserving of a lot more praise and recognition than it
got back when it was released. An innovative magic system,
some of the best graphics of any 16-bit game and a mix of
re-playability and challenge that will keep you coming back
for more, this is one of the Mega-CD’s premium titles. ■
Title:
The Misadventures of Flink
Genre:
A Visual Rich Action Adventure Title
Developer:
Psygnosis
Year Released:
1994
Publisher:
Sega

Jaguar XJ220 -
W hen it was released, the Jaguar XJ220 was the
fastest and most expensive production car in the
world, making it the perfect vehicle for a racing game. Core
Design’s game was well-suited to such an exceptional car.
It is an arcade-style game that possesses all the expected
modes: Grand Prix, World Tour, and Free Practice, as well as
a two-player option. The aim is to amass the most points to
win the championship. One of the best features is the Track
Editor, allowing players to create, and then race on, tracks
they have designed. By modern standards this is incredibly
clunky, but at the time was a very novel feature and is still a
lot of fun.
Between races the player has to spend their winnings

fixing the car (as well as paying to go to the next choice
of country in World Tour) and it is here we see one of the
lovely touches of the game: the jaguar from the car’s logo
walking back and forth as you scroll through the various
engineering options. Another great feature is the ability
to pick one of the game’s music tracks from a car stereo
graphic before each race. A great Mega-CD racer. ■
Title:
Jaguar XJ220
Genre:
Cross Country Arcade Driving Title
Developer:
Core Design Ltd.
Year Released:
1993
Publisher:
JVC Musical Industries, Inc.

Keio Flying Squadron -
K eio Flying Squadron (KFS) also known as Keio Yuugekitai is a
wacky shooter that was released for the Mega-CD/Sega CD in 1995
published by JVC. It was one of the last games to be released for the dying
platform and is somewhat rare, particularly in PAL format, fetching very
high prices. Considering the conditions of the time with how the Mega-CD
was performing, it was odd that such a game even got a translation for the
West. It is 17th century feudal Japan, in Edo the capital city. Rami, by all
outward appearances is a typical 20-year-old Japanese girl but has been the
keeper to the Secret Treasure. Rami is actually the descendant of aliens who
came to Earth in ancient times. The Secret Treasure is locked by a key and
Rami does not know the secret inside.
Overall, the game is a pretty good horizontal shooter of Japanese anime

style. You play as both Rami, a scantily clad bunny girl, and Spot, her
dragon companion of 11 years of age. You essentially shoot down anything
that appears on the screen. Graphics are pretty good but it is somewhat
obvious they suffer from the limitations of the hardware specifically the
number of available colours. The sound capabilities of the system are put
to good use. It is now generally regarded as one of the better games on the
system scoring respectably high review scores and potentially had been
a glimpse into what improved games were heading to the system had it
survived another year. This game was not the typical FMV title. ■
Title:
Keio Flying Squadron
Genre:
Awesome Side Scrolling Shoot’em up
Developer:
Victor Entertainment Inc.
Year Released:
1994
Publisher:
JVC Musical Industries, Inc.
Lunar The Silver Star -
R eleased for the Sega CD in 1992, Lunar: The Silver Star was
Game Arts’ first RPG title (and its best) and was one of the most
successful RPGs for the system, despite sparse sales of the Sega CD.
Lunar starts off on a traditional note. In this medieval fantasy world
you play as a boy named Alex who lives in the small town of Burg.
Unhappy with his simple life he dreams of having grand adventures
like his hero Dyne who harnessed the power of the Dragonmaster
years ago to save the world. He also just so happens to be from the
same village. The adventure starts as Alex is tempted into his first
adventure by his best friend Ramus.
In terms of graphics Lunar looks very much like a Sega

Genesis game. The developers didn’t take advantage of the
capabilities of the add-on hardware on a large scale here, but that’s
not a problem. Everything looks fine by 16-bit standards, but
there isn’t a lot of colour depth and some character sprites don’t
match their appearance in the anime sequences. Speaking of which
these are extremely basic, featuring minimal animation, but are
still charming. The music is amazing. All tracks are charming and
memorable and are all red book as per the CD storage format. The
voice overs are great by early video game standards, and everything
is clear and easy to understand. Worthy of your collection. ■
Title:
Lunar: The Sliver Star
Genre:
Classic RPG Adventure
Developer:
Game Arts Co., Ltd., Studio Alex, Ltd.
Year Released:
1993
Publisher:
Working Designs

Lords of Thunder -
L ords of Thunder is a shoot ’em up by Hudson Soft and Red
Company, released for the TurboDuo in 1993. It was ported
to the Mega-CD in 1995. It is the unofficial follow-up to Gate
of Thunder and features a heavy metal soundtrack. The game
is centred around the world Mistral’s confrontation with the
re-awakened evil god Deoric and his dark generals who have
torn the world asunder. With the armour of his ancestor Drac,
the legendary knight Duran sets off to defeat Deoric’s army in 7
different stages, the first six of which can be selected in a manner
similar to Thunder Force III. Once the stage is selected, the player
selects one of four armours (based on the four classical elements)
to use, affecting his shots and bombs.
Lords of Thunder on the Mega-CD received a mixture

of opinions from critics. Electronic Gaming Monthly‘s four
reviewers described it as dramatically inferior to the TurboDuo
version. The Mega-CD version is nonetheless “a fairly close port”
and helped fill a niche genre on a system with very few traditional
shooters. Lords of Thunder may not set the world on fire but I felt
it was worthy enough to be included in the Mega Collection book
and if you get a chance to judge this title on its own merits, you
might just be as surprised as I was when I played for the first time.
Title:
Lords of Thunder
Genre:
Horizontal Scrolling Shoot’em Up
Developer:
Hudson Soft
Year Released:
1995
Publisher:
Virgin Interactive

Popful Mail -
P opful Mail: Magical Fantasy Adventure is a 2D action RPG
platformer created by Nihon Falcom and was originally made
for the NEC PC-8801 in 1991 and PC-9801 in 1992. The game
was later ported to various consoles including the PC Engine CD,
Super Famicom and Sega CD in 1994. Working Designs localized
and published the Sega CD game in North America in 1995 and
is the only port of the game with official English localization. The
game features a colourful cast of lively characters and their over
the top personalities set in a fantasy story filled with elves, dwarfs,
magicians and other fantasy characterizations.
The game features some quirky characters along the way

with companions to play as, and others who will help you or get
in your way and cause problems. All of this is done with their
own unique personalities. Each version of the game has some
noticeable differences, but the story remains the same as well as
the gameplay: all of them are a 2D side scrolling platformer game
with RPG content or simply “Action/RPG”. Popful Mail is a rare
treat for the Mega-CD, and you really should see it if you can. I
think it’s a great game collaboration and better that more people
outside Japan got to play it than never being able to at all. An
excellent title to own in your Mega-CD collection. ■
Title:
Popful Mail
Genre:
Developer:
Working Designs
Year Released:
1994
Publisher:
Sega of Japan
Robo Aleste -
R obo Aleste is so different in the most fantastic way imaginable.
Not only does it use the Mega-CD’s awesome untapped
technology to give the player cinematic visuals with voice acting,
but it also tells a story of epic proportion and so farfetched out there
that we could only wish more developers had both the creativity and
ability to put in such efforts For a video game. Set in feudal Japan,
a land where warlords raised armies to fight other warlords in an
attempt to reign supreme, men such as Oda Nobunaga, a renowned
leader from the 1500s, would mass-produce robot ninjas to serve as
their shock troops, filling the air with lasers and unlimited rapid-fire
ninja stars as they obliterated rival robot armies. Unfortunately for
Kage, one of Nobunaga’s top robot-fliers, the complete forces of
Japan’s other warlords, backed by a powerful leader from another
dimension, all banded together to obliterate the rest of Oda’s army.
Now, you must take control of Kage on a mission of vengeance, justice

and blowing up really big mechs. Robo Aleste differs from the pack in that it
is one that should be experienced instead of read about, as words simply do
not do it justice. If I were to attempt to single out a couple of flaws, I guess I
could mention how difficult the bosses are later on in the game, or how it was
a little bit unsatisfactory to have the final boss fight be followed by a pretty big
plot twist. But with all of that aside this is an incredible shooter. ■
Title:
Robo Aleste
Genre:
Vertical Scrolling Shoot’em Up
Developer:
Compile
Year Released:
1993
Publisher:
Sega

Silpheed -
I ’m pretty new to Mega CD/Sega CD ownership having
only bought one about five years ago, but a game I was
desperate to play (even in the ‘90s when I’d read about the CD
games) was Silpheed. The game received phenomenal scores
in gaming magazines and it’s easy to see why. Silpheed is
about as simple as a shoot ‘em up gets. One button to shoot,
D-Pad to move around. That’s it. And the plot is simple: save
the Earth from some bad guy before you get blasted into
smithereens.
So why is it so good? The Mega CD/Sega CD version

places the action against a pre-rendered, animated background.
The result is stunning. Your eyes want to focus on the mini
enemy polygons and power ups but they’re drawn to the
periphery. None of it has anything to do with your health
gauge but it creates atmosphere I’ve only ever seen before in
the Thunderforce games. It’s borderline 32-bit quality. It’s an
easy game, and unserviced Mega CD and Sega CD players will
struggle with it (as the CD is continually being accessed) but
it’s definitely one to own and won’t cost you much. Silpheed
remains one of the best examples of what 16-bit gaming can
achieve. ■
Title:
SilpHeed
Genre:
Awesome Side Scrolling Shoot’em up
Developer:
Game Arts
Year Released:
1993
Publisher:
Sega
Shining Force CD -
F ollowing the defeat of Dark Dragon by the hands of the
original Shining Force, peace returned to the land of Rune.
Decades had passed since those dark days and the heroes of the
Shining Force eventually went their separate ways. However,
a grand wizard by the name of Iom has harnessed a mass of
evil forces and war has returned to the land once more. A new
Shining Force team steps up to defend their land against the new
evil. If Mega Drive fans were left disappointed when Game Gear
owners got two Shining Force games for themselves, then things
were made right when Sega compiled both Shining Force Gaiden
and Shining Force II: The Sword of Hajya in one Mega CD
package. Fans of the original games will feel right at home here:
tactical role-playing with plenty of adventure, exploring towns
and land, turn-based battles, gathering team members, acquiring
weapons, promoting and upgrading members.
This isn’t just a straight conversion from the Game Gear to

Mega CD either. Content wise, there is an additional chapter
as well as a challenge scenario not seen before. The aesthetics
have also been spruced up from the original version with the
graphics greatly improved on and an CD quality soundtrack
added. ■
Title:
Shining Force CD
Genre:
Fantasy RPG Title
Developer:
Sonic Software Planning
Year Released:
1995
Publisher:
Sega

Snatcher -
H e might be most well-known for the Metal Gear series,
but Snatcher is the game that solidified Hideo Kojima’s
reputation as an expert storyteller. The foundations of the game’s
plot match Blade Runner’s almost exactly and less said about
‘The Catastrophe’ the better! Snatcher has two gameplay elements
– the major one is exploration of areas, puzzle solving and
interacting with the game’s many characters via a simple menu
system. The other is a selection of simple shooter sections where
various robotic bugs or other creatures of the night can attack you.
Thankfully there’s not too many of those.
You end up feeling really sorry for your ‘Junker’ Gillian

(pronounced with a solid ‘G’) as he discovers body after body
(even though this version is censored compared to the original
PC one). He also has to put up with his sidekick ‘Metal Gear’
explaining absolutely everything every five seconds and making
you feel guilty for not calling your wife. It does allow you to save
though. In typical Kojima fashion, you end up watching more than
playing. Yes, you can eliminate most menu items fairly quickly
and it’s a shame the voice acting is threadbare (you’ll do a lot of
reading) but the graphics, superb soundtrack and compelling plot
makes this one of the best experiences on the Mega-CD/Sega CD.
Title:
Snatcher
Genre:
Cyberpunk Novella Adventure Title
Developer:
Konami Co., Ltd.
Year Released:
1994
Publisher:
Konami

Sol-Feace -
S ol Feace leads with a dark narrative, detailing a future
where an oppressive machine called the GCS-WT has
taken over 300 solar systems. After humans try to overthrow
it, the GCS-WT begins the systematic annihilation of
humanity. Luckily, a scientist figures out how to hack the
machine and manages to deactivate it for 300 hours. With
little time to spare, the game begins and it’s up to the
player to pilot Sol Feace in a final desperate effort to save
humanity. The game-play is delivered in the form of a side
scrolling shoot ‘em up, with multiple levels leading to the
final encounter with the evil GCS-WT on Earth. Between
levels, a short scene shows the Sol Feace travelling to a new
destination, providing some context for the new areas while
giving a strong sense of progression. Players can shoot
forwards and collect power-ups to expand their fire power.
Additional guns are added to cover greater range.

With the addition of lasers and the like, players can
develop strong offensive capabilities, but will lose it all
when damaged. The voice overs, various cut scenes and
challenging game-play all blend brilliantly to make Sol
Feace a must have title for the SEGA CD. ■
Title:
Sol-Fence
Genre:
Classic Shoot’em Up Title
Developer:
Wolf Team
Year Released:
1992
Publisher:
SEGA Inc.

Sonic CD -
T he previous game that caused me to pull an all-nighter
is Sackboy: A Big Adventure but this doesn’t mean all
games that resulted in pulling an all-nighter are addictive
and enjoyable. Sonic CD doesn’t hold up compared to when
I played it during my childhood. If I could go back in time,
I’ll tell little me not to play this game again when I’m older.
Speaking of time travel, you’re tasked with finding the Time
Stones instead of the Chaos Emeralds. It’s funny that the
music track of the bad future version of the Quartz Quadrant
level from the UK/European/Japanese soundtrack shares the
same music sample with Captain Qwark’s headquarters at
Planet Umbris from the first Ratchet & Clank game. It’s just
a food for thought.
The levels contained too many colours for my liking.

Not to mention, the levels are too busy/messy and the enemy
placements are positioned without rhyme or reason. Overall,
the game is convoluted in terms of how much you have to
do to save Little Planet. The saving grace is obviously the
soundtrack. I prefer the UK/Europe/Japan soundtrack than
the US soundtrack. The bangers make me not want to save
the planet. ■
Title:
Sonic CD
Genre:
Sonic Action Adventure Platform Title
Developer:
Year Released:
1993
Publisher:

Soulstar -
R eleased on the SEGA CD in 1994, SoulStar makes
full use of the hardware available to produce the
most convincing 3D piloting experience available on the
system. While it doesn’t use polygons, the use of smooth
sprite scaling is convincing, and the CD audio is used
to offer a fully narrated story with in-game dialogue to
guide the player. SoulStar is special because its levels are
split into two distinct sections. The first half is an on-
rails shooter, where players must fly their ship towards a
gigantic enemy base, and battle imposing enemies to gain
access. Once the players have weaved all the way to the
end of the first section, they are able to enter the giant
structures to begin part two.
The interior fully encloses a battleground where

players are given a full 360 degrees of movement. Players
must destroy various components of the base, before
sirens wail and flashing red lights bathe the area. It’s then
time to reach a designated location where they will be
fired through a wormhole to safety. It captures a similar
tension made popular in the famous Star Wars trench
run, and it really sells the high pressure of the in-game
scenario. ■
Title:
Soulstar
Genre:
3D Perspective Action Shoot’em Up
Developer:
Core Design Ltd.
Year Released:
1994
Publisher:
Core Design Ltd.

The Amazing
Spider-Man vs. Kingpin -
E nter a vicious web of danger and disaster! The Kingpin of
Crime frames Spider-Man for planting a bomb in New York and
Spidey’s only hope is to find the keys to the bomb’s location before
it explodes. You must help Spider-Man stick it to the Kingpin and his
horde of vicious assassins along the way. Enter hand-to-hand combat
with Dr Octopus! Put the Sandman to sleep! Use dazzling acrobatics
to take on the Lizard, Hobgoblin and Venom! Dodge Electro’s
amped-up charge! Don’t be fooled by the new trickery of Mysterio
and the villainy of the Vulture! Take aim with Spidey’s gadgets.
Shoot webs! Stick to walls and ceilings! Swing from skyscrapers!
The game has a lot of animated cutscenes throughout, is

animated fairly well and succeeds very nicely on a Mega-CD
level. It’s also important to note that the soundtrack to this game
is phenomenal, written by Spencer Nilsson who also did the Sonic
CD soundtrack. The Amazing Spider-Man for Mega-CD is a solid
title that respects the source material. They even got talent from the
80s Turtle cartoon to voice some of the characters most notably the
voice of Splinter (Peter Renaday) as Kingpin. The graphics are very
colourful and has a comic book feel. It’s a pretty long game backed
by a password system in case it gets too tedious to play through. ■
Title:
The Amazing Spider-Man vs. The Kingpin
Genre:
Marvel Super Hero Scrolling Beat’em up
Developer:
Sega Enterprises, Ltd.
Year Released:
1993
Publisher:
Sega
The Terminator -
I n the future, a resistance of humans fights a war against the
machines. One of the machines’ ground soldiers, known
as a terminator, is sent back in time to the present day to kill
the mother of the future resistance leader. To counter this
move, the resistance also send one of their soldiers back in
time to hunt down and destroy the terminator. Based on The
Terminator film from 1984, this run and gun game puts the
player in Kyle Reese’s shoes with the task of traversing the
many hazardous levels. In the future, Kyle will need to deal
with various machines such as terminator models, while in the
present, there are plenty of street punks and bikers to overcome
on the way to hunting down the time-travelling terminator.
Thankfully, Kyle has many weapons at his disposal to

take out the machines, including various rifles, bombs and
grenades. Power ups can also be picked up which can restore
health or upgrade the weapon. The Mega Drive version of The
Terminator is a decent enough game in its own right, but the
action is over fairly quickly. The Mega CD version, however,
is entirely revamped, with new level design, new gameplay
mechanics, new enemies, new and improved visuals and an
impressive soundtrack. ■
Title:
The Terminator
Genre:
Arcade Action Movie-Tie-Title
Developer:
Virgin Games, Inc.
Year Released:
1993
Publisher:
Virgin Games, Inc.

Thunder Hawk -
S trap into your AH-3 Thunderstrike and fly that sacred bird straight
into the jaws of terror. Cruise into Panama and rain on a guerrilla
parade with deadly whistler rockets... Tour the South Seas and test out
your AFG Autocannon on a fleet of pirate gunboats... Eradicate terrorist
strongholds with your GR-3’s... With a little luck, you just might last
long enough to run a second mission. Core Design had blossomed
into the most prominent Mega-CD developer within a year. After
commissioned work for Sony and JVC, the small software company
from Derby now wanted to show what the hardware of the Mega-CD
was capable of and presented Thunderhawk, which only has the name
in common with Core’s original for the Commodore Amiga computer.
With the combat helicopter Thunderhawk you take up the fight

against the worldwide evil. You can select a total of ten missions,
which are again divided into several individual missions. Before each
start you will receive a detailed briefing from the commander who
explains the mission and objectives using a map. The technology
used by programmer Mark Avory is impressive and innovative. The
floor consists of a patchwork of dots that are individually zoomed and
rotated depending on the direction of flight. This was an exceptional
title for the Mega-CD and proved yet again what the system was
capable of, especially when Core Design were involved. ■
Title:
Thunder Hawk
Genre:
First Person Action Flight Simulator
Developer:
Core Design Ltd.
Year Released:
1993
Publisher:
Sega
Wonder Dog -
S ometimes a hidden gem doesn’t always mean the same thing. For
a few people it stands for the very best of something on a console
or computer, others see it as a game that nobody has heard about.
The problem with both of these definitions is that what’s good for
one person isn’t always the same for another. This fortunately isn’t
the case with Core Design’s little classic Wonder Dog. So named
because it was designed to be a description of the central character,
a dog, and the console it was made for, the WonderMega. It’s one of
those games that has a massively important role in a specific period
of the games industry.
Now the power of the CD format allowed Core to tell the story
in animation of how an alien dog lands on planet Earth in a massive
‘bone’ shaped spaceship and how he finds a new friend and how it’s all
taken away from him. Like Earthworm Jim he grabs a trusty powered
space suit and sets off to save his new friend and the planet K-9 from
a combination of bad humans but mostly creatures from the evil Pit
Bully’s army. It’s all superbly tied in under the whole canine theme
and works a treat story wise. The graphics are clearly Core Design
through and through and look so much like ‘Chuck Rock’ meets
‘Wolfchild’. This is a little gem of a title and again another one
not to be missed in your Mega-CD collection. Woof woof. ■
Title:
Wonder Dog
Genre:
Side Scrolling Action Platformer
Developer:
Core Design Ltd.
Year Released:
1992
Publisher:
Sega
1994 meeting during the winter
Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
Executives from Sega of America met in
a hotel room and conferenced in Sega
CEO Hayao Nakayama, Nakayama
wanted a 32-bit cartridge-based system
THE ULTIMATE ADD-ON THAT PROMISED NEXT GEN GAMING
I
out in time for the 1994 holiday season in
n the early 90s, the video game as the scrappy, edgy competitor to order to keep Sega ahead of the curve
industry was obsessed with bits. The Nintendo, they had to be cutting edge. and help bridge the gap between the
average consumer didn’t understand But Sega of Japan and Sega of America Mega Drive and future consoles. His
what a bit actually was. But they did had very different ideas on what their suggestion was essentially a 32-bit Sega
know one thing: the more bits, the next move should be. Success played a Genesis. Tom Kalinske didn’t like the
better. Video game companies used big role in their divergent strategies. The idea.
this to their advantage with marketing. Sega Genesis, known as the Mega Drive
Sega and Nintendo battled for the outside of North America, debuted in As far as he was concerned, the
top spot in the market with their 16-bit 1988 in Japan and didn’t make a huge Genesis was still selling well and there
consoles, the Sega Mega Drive and the splash. was no gap that needed to be bridged.
Super Nintendo. But with success came Sega of America’s head of research
and development Joe Miller was also
pressure to stay ahead of the curve: they “Even the die-hard Sega fans
needed to come up with the next big resistant. According to former Sega of
thing. This pressure built in 1993 when
were starting to ask what the America producer Michael Latham,
Atari released their 64-bit console, the heck we were thinking? “ Miller said, “Oh, that’s just a horrible
Jaguar. In their advertisements, Atari idea. If all you’re going to do is enhance
challenged customers to do the math. By 1994 the Mega Drive felt like old the system, you should make it an add
It was an enticement to consumers in news: Sega of Japan was ready to move on. If it’s a new system with legitimate
a dig at their competition. This system on. But in America, the Genesis was in new software? Great!, but if the only
ultimately didn’t sell well, but in terms the midst of a rebirth. In the early 90s, a thing it does is double the colours”.
of sheer power, Atari’s 64-bit system newly hired Sega of America president, Miller doesn’t recall being quite that
had both Sega’s and Nintendo’s 16- Tom Kalinske, gave Nintendo a run blunt. After some debate, they agreed
bit systems beat. Atari’s powerful new for its money: he ran an aggressive to make it an add-on with Sega of
console sent a strong message, but anti-Nintendo marketing campaign, America leading development and
they weren’t the only company making slashed the price of the Genesis, and Sega of Japan providing any additional
waves. packaged the console with Sonic the resources needed. This add-on would
The 3DO was a 32-bit console released Hedgehog. The 16-bit Genesis wasn’t have to be ready by the 1994 holiday
in late 1993 and was even named Time exactly cutting-edge technology, but season, giving Sega less than a year.
magazine’s 1993 Product of it was fun, and it gave Nintendo some It was a tall order, but not entirely out
the Year. As 1994 wore serious competition. Sega’s competing of the box. After all, Sega already had
on, there was a strategies came to clash at a January experience building add-ons for the
lot of buzz about
Sony’s upcoming
console. Sega
in particular
felt the heat:
they knew that
to maintain their
hard-fought spot
238 MEGA BOOK COLLECTION Front View - Sega 32x American box release Rear View - Sega 32x American box release
Sega 32x Add-on Device (Sega Mushroom) NOT FOR RESALE OR PHYSICAL REPRODUCTION
For the Sega Genesis
system. In 1989 they called it the Genesis Super Drive. For a little while the 32X looked like
debuted the Power 32X and eventually it might just beat the odds as adverts and
Base Converter, shortened it to 32X. media coverage generated a lot of buzz.
which allowed By the summer of But then a bombshell: Sega of Japan
players to play 1994, Sega was announced that their new console, the
Master System games ready and showed Sega Saturn, would launch in Japan in
on the Genesis. A few years off the 32X’s near November 1994. The exact same
later, in 1992, they put out the final prototype at time as the 32X launch. All the
Mega-CD, which was an expensive the Summer Consumer burgeoning momentum for the
but technologically advanced add-on Electronics Show in Chicago 32X came to a screeching
that allowed users to play CD-based where it went over fairly well. Sega halt. With the Saturn
games. It was a difficult process: the pitched it as an inexpensive way for launching in Japan,
team had just months to complete players to enjoy 32-bit technology while it would surely reach
the product, which was codenamed also being able to play the enormous the rest of the world
Project Mars. backlog of Genesis/Mega Drive titles. soon. Which begs the
They also promised a slew of new 32-bit question: what was
Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Sega games that would be available when the point of this 32-bit
of America, Sega of Japan was quietly the 32X launched that November. They add on? A few critics
developing their own 32-bit system, also mentioned a few dozen companies speculated that the
which would eventually become the who planned to develop games for 32X was a waste of
Sega Saturn. According to Joe Miller, the 32X. It was a who’s who of video money, a mere stopgap between the
Project Mars had three initial prototypes. game makers: Acclaim, Activision, Mega Drive and the Saturn. Trip Hawkins,
The first two were not much of an Capcom, Konami and more. Sega the founder of Electronic Arts, famously
improvement over the Genesis, but the finalised the design that fall. The end called it “a band aid”. It didn’t help
third prototype suggested by Sega of result of months of hard work was an matters when Sega threw a massive party
Japan contained two Hitachi SH-2 32-bit add-on that inserted into the Genesis/ for journalists that went horribly wrong.
processors, the same processors that Mega Drive cartridge slot, transforming They flew reporters in from all over the
would be used in the Saturn. It was a the 16-bit system into a 32-bit one. Some country, put them up in a hotel in San
bit more complex than the Mega Drive developers jokingly called it the Sega Francisco and threw a party where a
hardware, but there was a strategy Mushroom. rapper took the stage to praise the 32X.
behind it. Sega of Japan argued that “Many of the developers had But the music was too loud. And the few
developers could learn to work with 32X games that were on display looked
these new chips in preparation for
been planning games for the so unimpressive that very few journalists
Project Saturn, which was slowly coming 32x went in a new direction.” actually played them.
to fruition. Sega’s new plan was that the
Saturn would be their next big console, Sega launched a $10 million ad Despite these obstacles, Sega of
while Project Mars would be a cheaper campaign to promote the 32X. They America continued to market the system
alternative for consumers who weren’t were known for edgy in your face ads, hard. In Sega Visions Magazine, they
quite ready to take the leap. Along with but these push the envelope even made their case: there are high end
new processors came a more powerful further by being surprisingly sexual. They platforms that haven’t been released
VDP with more than 32,000 on screen highlighted the 32X’s
colours, 3D graphics support, enhanced power and speed
sprite scaling and rotation, and two and poked fun
more digital sound channels. On paper, at how the add-
it was quite an upgrade for the Sega on mounts the
Genesis / Mega Drive. The team initially Genesis/Mega

yet, like Sega Saturn, so you could user had a Genesis/Mega drive Model
just wait. Or you can have it all now. 2 the spacer had to be attached to the
The full tilt, top of the line, true 32-bit bottom. Without it the 32X can wobble.
arcade experience, way better than the Although honestly the 32X works fine
competition, for a phenomenal price of without either of these attachments.
less than $150. The connector cable goes from the
AV out on the Genesis/Mega Drive
On 21 November to the AV in on the 32X, then the AV
1994, the 32X cable goes from the 32X AV out to the
launched in North television. The Genesis/Mega Drive and
America and the 32X each require their own power,
sold fairly well. meaning there’s a lot of plugs. Sega actually missing levels. Finally, there is Star
According to some actually came out with their own power Wars Arcade. Despite receiving mediocre
reports demand strip specifically designed to house all of scores from critics for repetitive gameplay,
outran the supply these AC adapters. The 32X was designed Star Wars Arcade was the best-selling 32X
of the 600,000 units to be a permanent addition to the Genesis/ launch title. People just loved Star Wars so
available at launch. Mega Drive, so players could plug the the game was a system seller. Slowly more
It debuted at a price 32X in play either a Genesis/Mega Drive games trickled in. Many of them were
of $159.99. This was game or a 32X game. There was plenty rushed through production, and it showed.
slightly more expensive of buzz around the 32X when it debuted, The production time-lines were too tight for
than promised, but less but that fizzled fast, mainly because of the some of the titles which led to last minute
than half of what the games. When they showed the add-on scrambles and headaches for Sega, and
Sega Saturn would cost. A month later, the at the Consumer Electronics Show that disappointment for players. Those that did
32X launched in Europe and Japan. By summer, Sega had said that the 32X would make it to market in time didn’t take full
this time, the Saturn had already launched have an extensive library of games, but advantage of the 32X’s capabilities.
in Japan which gave Japanese gamers only three titles were available when the
little incentive to buy a 32X. The 32X came system launched: Virtua Racing Deluxe, Cosmic Carnage was so bad that Sega
with an AC adapter, AV cables, connector Doom and Star Wars Arcade. Virtua Racing didn’t even want to ship it out. And fans
cables, electromagnetic shield plates, is considered the best of the three launch were particularly disappointed that a 3D
and a spacer. It was compatible with the titles. It was previously released on the Sonic game which had been teased at the
Genesis Model 1, Model 2 and the CDX. Genesis/Mega Drive, but the 32X version is Consumer Electronics Show was nowhere
Hooking up the 32X is interesting. According much improved as well as containing two to be found. In fact, the 32X would never
to the manual, the electromagnetic shield new tracks and two new vehicles. It’s close get a Sonic game. The closest that came
plates need to be inserted into the Genesis/ to the original arcade version and is a solid was Knuckles Chaotix, a spinoff of the Sonic
Mega Drive. port. series that featured an interesting tether
This was to prevent RF signal interference “Sega sunk $10 million into gameplay mechanic, with characters
and to comply with FCC regulations. If the connected via a rubber band. The 1994
advertising and publicly said
holiday season was rough on Sega but the
they were going to 32X was only part of the problem because
support the system.“ while their hot new
add-on crashed and
Doom is a classic first- burned their
Sega 32x PAL / US game releases
person shooter and was

really big at the time, but the
32X version was rushed to
meet deadlines. It definitely competition ed
raked in bin
shows, the music isn’t very Co
m
pleasant, and this version is the cash. On ga

32
x
Se
&
is
nes
Ge
240 MEGA BOOK COLLECTION Se
ga
Rear View - Sega 32x European box release
months later in North America. While critics
argue that the 32X was just a placeholder,
Sega of America didn’t feel the same way.
They sunk $10 million into advertising and
publicly said they were going to support
the system.
But poor sales ended that promise.

Scott Bayless, a senior producer at Sega
of America said, “I’m Joe gamer, and I
decided to take the plunge and buy 32X
Front View - Sega 32x European box release
now about 10 minutes later, you guys tell
the same day the 32X was released than $200, but as the 32X crashed and me I need to dump my 32X? And buy a
Nintendo released Donkey Kong Country. burned, and the date for the Saturn’s Saturn, but now I’m broke!”. The system was
The game sold like crazy and would North American launch grew closer, also a body blow to Sega’s credibility. The
go on to become the third best-selling Sega scrapped the Neptune. During 1995 first punch was Mega-CD and then along
Super Nintendo game of all time, just the price of the 32X dropped: from $160 comes 32X: another rushed launch with a
behind Super Mario World and Super to $99, before finally hitting a clearance weak starting line-up. At that point, even
Mario All Stars. The game was a smash price of $19.95. The 32X library eventually the diehard Sega fans were starting to ask
hit both with critics and players, but it was grew to include 40 titles, a handful of what the heck we were thinking?
also a smack in the face to Nintendo’s which you had to have the 32X and the
competition. Mega-CD/Sega CD to play, but none The 32X is an impressive piece of
of the games were big enough to draw engineering considering the constraints
When Atari, Sega and 3DO zigged… consumers to the system. Only months of the project. But the truth is, Sega should
Nintendo zagged… Atari’s Jaguar, after the 32X debuted, it was forgotten. have scrapped the 32X before they
Sega’s 32X and the 3DO chased In October 1995, Sega CEO Hayao brought it to market. The 32X damaged
power. Nintendo, on the other hand, Nakayama cancelled all Sega consoles Sega’s relationship with customers, game
created a really fun game that pushed except the Saturn. It was a move to focus developers and game critics and did
hardware limits for their 16-bit system. the company’s resources on the latest lasting damage to the company itself. They
For Sega especially, it was a bitter pill console war, thus officially ending the spent the early 90s threatening Nintendo’s
to swallow. Sales of the 32X dropped off short life of the 32X. All of this left a bad dominance of the video game industry.
sharply after the holiday season. Word taste in the mouths of fans. They believed After the 32X, Sega lost its edge. Bayless
was out, and critics and fans finally the Sega hype and they got burned for it. recalled, “Frankly, it made us look greedy
agreed the 32X was a mere stopgap. and dumb to consumers. Something that
Many of the developers who had been 32X games didn’t live up to a year earlier I couldn’t have imagined
planning games for the 32X went in a expectations, and neither did people thinking about us.
new direction. Some abandoned their the add0on itself. There were We were the cool kids.”
projects entirely, while others reworked other smaller annoyances,
them for the Sega Saturn. But Sega too. People didn’t like that
wasn’t ready to give up on the 32X the 32x needed its own AC
just yet. They went back adapter. The Genesis/Mega
to their original idea for Drive already required one
a 32-bit Genesis and and so did the Mega-CD/
announced the Sega Sega CD. Taken as a
Neptune. The Neptune whole, the system was
would be a standalone bulky from the front
console that could and a mess of cords
play 32X and Genesis/ in the back. But that was Com
plete
Suite
CD
Mega Drive games. It nothing compared to how is / 3
2x / Sega
enes
was slated to launch by 32X owners felt when the Sega
G
Sega
the end of the year for less Saturn came out roughly six
Knuckles from Knuckles’ Chaotix (Sega ©1995) 241 MEGA BOOK COLLECTION

After Burner Complete -
I n 1987, Sega introduced the world to their version of a combat
flight simulator with the arcade game After Burner. The game
was highly successful and it spawned sequels as well as a number
of ports to home systems. With the release of the 32X, Sega
saw the opportunity to port the original title to the system. And
just how good of a port is it? Let’s find out. In After Burner the
player controls an SSF-14 fighter armed with Vulcan guns, guided
missiles, and afterburners with the goal of destroying two enemy
microwave communication booster stations and crippling their
global communications network. The game starts with your fighter
taking off from the deck of the Sega Enterprise and the rest is
history.
The action in After Burner is frenetic, non-stop, and exhilarating.

The visuals of the game are beautiful, the animation is smooth, and
the level of detail is excellent. The many landscapes keep things
interesting, and it is always fun to see where you next end up when a
level is finished. You enemies range from slick fighter jets to attack
choppers and you better pay attention to their missiles because they’ll
track you and destroy you. It’ll take some advanced manoeuvring to
avoid them. Something that is very important in this type of game is
the scaling of the enemy craft (particularly since they come at you at
high speed) and, I must say, the 32X handles this very well. Anyone
who enjoys the arcade version will have no issue enjoying this
32X version. So, be ready to become Top Gun! ■
Title:
After Burner -Complete-
Genre:
Arcade Action Flight Shoot’em Up
Developer:
Year Released:
1994
Publisher:
Sega of America, Ltd.

BC Racers -
B C Racers is a classic spin-off of the Chuck Rock series of
platform games. When you realize that the protagonists
(Chuck Rock and his son) have been traded for the stereotype
of saving the “pretty slim blonde” with a “badboy pumped with
glasses,” hip appearance, you discover that the Core Design were
trying to sell the game by its cover. This normally ends up as a
disaster, but the result with BC Racers may not be so bad as one
would think. Joining Chuck and son in this outing are other pairs
of early humans inspired by modern musicians, with names like
Brick Jagger, Bob Hardly, Jimi Handtrix, Granite Jackstone, and
Sid Viscous. This seems to imply that the game places a firm
emphasis on its musical elements, but you couldn’t be more
wrong.
As with any racing game, the stats vary for each couple,
theoretically providing you with an assortment of personalities who
possess distinct playing styles, advantages, and weaknesses. This
makes for a nice variation of the Mario Kart style racers that didn’t
appear the 32X, although Street Racer comes to mind. The tracks
increase in size and completely change layout, even gaining shortcuts,
which can bring good weeks of playing. BC Racers should get some
attention as it is the best Mario Kart clone you can play on the 32X. ■
Title:
BC Racers
Genre:
A Stone Age Go-Kart Racer
Developer:
Core Design
Year Released:
1995
Publisher:
Front Street Publishing (U.S. Gold)
Black Thorne -
W elcome to the world of Tuul. Once a peaceful world, Tuul
is a world in pain and chaos. When Thoros, the last King
of Tuul died, his body was transformed into two stones of power:
the Lightstone and the Darkstone. The stones were inherited by
his twin sons who divided Tuul into Androth and Ka’dra’suul.
Androth revered the Lightstone and prospered. Ka’dra’suul buried
the Darkstone and was drained of its resources while its people
were transformed into hideous creatures. Jealous of the Androthi,
Ka’dra’suul invaded Androth and enslaved its people turning the
Xandralite mines into prisons.
Blackthorne is an adventure platformer that can only be

described as a gem for the 32X. The game is best enjoyed using
the 6-Button controller, though it can certainly be played with the
standard controller. The visuals of Blackthorne are detailed and
colourful and the characters are well animated. The Ka’dra’suul
creatures look amazing and they certainly have character. They
laugh at you and goad you as you travel through the mines in order
to rescue prisoners. Your main weapon is a shotgun (that you can
use or holster) but there are special weapons that can be found and
used such as mines. A password feature lets you start where you left
off. If you have a 32X, you must have this game. If you don’t have
a 32X for your Genesis/MD, get one so you can play this game. ■
Title:
Black Thorne
Genre:
Action Gun’n’Run Adventure Game
Developer:
Blizzard Entertainment
Year Released:
1995
Publisher:
Interplay

Cosmic Carnage -
T his was always going to be a controversial game to include in
this book and one many will ask; why is this here? I felt this
needed to be included on its technical merits and presentation and
although seen to be a very weak element in the 32X catalogue,
I decided to give it some love. Cosmic Carnage is an original
fighter for the SEGA 32X, designed to take advantage of the extra
power provided to the Mega Drive by this add-on. The cast of
alien convicts is perhaps the most interesting thing about the entire
production. You have a colourful motley crew that includes a space
samurai, an alien gorilla-bot, a mantis, and a half-woman/half-robo-
snake that will likely remind you of Golobulus from G.I. Joe: The
Movie. Before each round, you can make slight adjustments to your
fighter by adding armour, but the more you add, the slower your
warrior. It’s actually kind of cool to have customization in a fighter.
Cosmic Carnage may be a 32X exclusive, but it does very little

to take advantage of the power of the add-on which was a crying
shame. There are worse fighting games out there than Cosmic
Carnage, but without it being a part of the 32X collection you would
have missed a contributing factor to what was being attempted with
the add-on at the time. This ultimately led to the dysfunctional use
of the add-on but is relevant as a part of the 32X history none the
less.
Title:
Cosmic Carnage
Genre:
An Intergalactic 1 vs.1 Fighter
Developer:
Givro / ALU
Year Released:
1994
Publisher:
Sega
DarXide -
R eleased only in Europe, Darxide is a shoot-em-up consisting
of ten levels, each featuring a four-minute time limit. Your
mission is to stop the alien attack force from destroying the Darxide
star system. Buttons A and C control your throttle, B fires your laser,
and Z launches a bomb (from Level 5 onwards) on your six button
controller. The first thing to note is the excellent texture mapping and
shadow effects that could easily be mistaken for an early PlayStation
One title! Shooting down large boulders that break off into smaller
pieces resembles that of Asteroids, some missions have a hint of
Defender where you are tasked with saving miners and was great
fun multitasking and taking the decision to either destroy a firing
alien craft, hunt down stray boulders, or save a suffocating miner,
something which is strategically enjoyable.
Darxide shows all the makings of a second-generation Sega 32X

title but wasn’t without its flaws. The strict time limit is the main
offender and without real difficulty options you’re left to slog through
the same levels over and over, but in saying all of that this was a great
showpiece for what the 32X was capable of, and fans of this style of
game will find themselves at home here. This is one most definitely
worth having in your Sega 32X collection. The game was also good
enough to have a reworked version, called Darxide EMP, for Pocket
PC and Nokia Series 60 phones back in 2003. ■
Title:
DarXide
Genre:
Awesome 3D Polygon Shoot’em Up
Developer:
Frontier Developments
Year Released:
1995
Publisher:
Sega

Doom -
B ack in the ’90s if you were a console gamer you
always had at least one: the PC gamer friend.
You wouldn’t get how they could play a game with a
keyboard and they would always harp on about one
game that was better than anything else you suggested:
Doom. It would drive you up the wall as their answer
to everything. Today it is hard to comprehend how FPS
games were really seen as an exclusive product to the
PC.
Sega was one of the first to say ‘hold my beer’ and

in 1994 Doom came to the 32X. Now the graphics may
not have been as sharp and it may have had a weird box
frame to the first-person display screen, but as soon as
that tune hit with the whoosh of the first door opening,
console gamers were on a level playing field with their
PC pals. Reviewers and gamers alike loved it as it
demonstrated the true potential of the 32X and also, you
know, it was Doom. It handled well with a controller
and was a fast-paced violent ride that demonstrated that
this genre need not stay in the confines of the PC realm.
Title:
Doom
Genre:
First Person Interplanetary Bloodbath
Developer:
id Software
Year Released:
1994
Publisher:
id Software

FIFA Soccer 96 -
N ext generation soccer is here! Well, not exactly. This was
the press release of features of FIFA ‘96 including: Silicon
Graphics modelled players utilizing motion design animation
technology; new moves including 1-2 passing, fast dribble,
volleys, dummies, fakes, and nutmegs; over 3,500 real players
with accurate strengths and weaknesses; transfer real and custom
players to create your dream team; and 12 international leagues
including English, Scottish, Italian, German and French. It could
be argued that no game sums up the sorrowful saga that was the
ill-fated 32X as well as FIFA ‘96 does. Both game and console
were sandwiched mercilessly between two generations that were
each effortlessly more relevant.
Brave decisions and ambition can only get you so far: any
lingering admiration we may all register towards Probe Software’s
efforts to strive for more than base obligation are mercilessly crushed
beneath the heavy tread of the reality of expectation of a great football
title, supposedly taking the advantage of the 32X hardware, only to
discover that wasn’t the case with FIFA ‘96. It’s a little heart breaking
in a way, because this was not the best of FIFA games to play and like
Cosmic Carnage has a big failing in its game play which should have
been massively successful to all football fans. This is included here
out of a sense of completeness of the system’s history. ■
Title:
FIFA Soccer 96
Genre:
Football Sports Simulator
Developer:
Probe Software
Year Released:
1995
Publisher:
Electronic Arts
Golf Magazine: 36 Great Holes -
T he Golf Magazine 32X title was a selection of 36 U.S. course
holes digitized for spectacular detail and allowing you to pay
as Fred Couples himself or take him on in a round of golf. The
32X technology brought you a great variety within the game: total
shot control; ultra-realistic gameplay; seven ways to play including
Tournament, Skins Game and Scramble; thousands of course
combinations and a battery back-up to save your vital stats. It was
essentially a golfer’s wet dream of a video game. It’s one of the best
32X games in the library and a game any sports fan should readily try.
The only caveat was the steep learning curve that almost all
of them have, especially if you don’t have a manual by your side
during play. Sega made this about as simple to learn as it can
get. The programmers followed a common contemporary control
layout that is very similar to Electronic Arts PGA series but with
exceptional polish and refinement making Golf Magazine: 36
Great Holes a solid attempt at using the capabilities of the 32X
hardware. The visuals are definitely an improvement over what the
Mega Drive could do, everything has a higher resolution and just
looks nicer. Hills and sand traps have height to them here and look
more realistic all adding to the appeal of this great game. Fred
gives a nice vocalized intro to the game when you first start and he
sounds crystal clear. ■
Title:
Golf Magazine: 36 Great Holes Starring Fred Couples
Genre:
Classic Golfing Simulator
Developer:
Flashpoint Productions
Year Released:
1995
Publisher:
Sega

Kolibri -
T he story of Kolibri finds Earth damaged by a dark crystal.
You see, twin crystals were flung into space when their
planet of origin exploded. The light crystal made it to Earth first,
burying itself deep into the planet, and helped nature evolve into a
beautiful world. Unfortunately, the dark crystal has found its way
to Earth and, upon crashing on the planet, has changed the beauty
of the planet into a cancerous disease. The light crystal has felt the
effects of its evil twin on the planet and it has infused Kolibri, the
hummingbird, with its power so it can act as an antibody capable
of combatting the evil that affects the world. Kolibri must fly
through different parts of the world eliminating dangerous insects,
collecting rings, and bursting bubbles with power ups.
The bubbles come from destroyed enemies and the rings

can be used as shields (they can only take one hit). Kolibri has
beautiful and nicely coloured graphics but the gameplay can
be confusing. It’s hard to tell what kind of weapon you’ll find
in the bubbles and, even if you get these special weapons, they
don’t appear to be very powerful. The screen lacks any score,
life energy, or weapon select indicators which is not helpful.
Sadly, despite the beautiful graphics, this is not a strong title
for the system. ■
Title:
Kolibri
Genre:
Hummingbird Side Scrolling Shoot’em Up
Developer:
Novotrade
Year Released:
1995
Publisher:
SEGA

Knuckles’ Chaotix -
E xclusive to the Sega 32X, Knuckles’ Chaotix is an innovative
title for the system. The game features five worlds (each
containing five acts) covering 25 levels to play through. Your mission
is to try and stop Dr Robotnik from ruining the opening of Carnival
Island’s amusement park. The game play mechanics are unusual here
and involve two characters being permanently connected to each
other by a rubber band, which forces them to work together in order
to progress through each level: you can either pick up your partner
and throw them or hold them in one position while you stretch out for
a slingshot effect that zooms you both up ramps.
As long as you aren’t assuming or expecting a typical Sonic

the Hedgehog experience in gameplay, you’ll find that there’s a fun
and unique platforming experience here. The controls take a while
to get used to but it’s thrilling when you manage to string together
a series of complicated moves to reach higher platforms! The level
design has many clever moments, such as in Botanic Base where
both characters need to stand on separate platforms to open locked
doors. The platforming can be a little uninspired at times, but the
puzzle-like element of solving navigational problems to progress
through levels is a fantastic idea making Knuckles’ Chaotix very
different from other titles of the genre. Those who give it a chance
will discover a worthy spin-off with high amounts of re-playability.
Title:
Knuckles’ Chaotix
Genre:
A Vibrant Action Platform Title
Developer:
Sega AM7 (CS2)
Year Released:
1995
Publisher:
Sega

Metal Head -
T he 32X games library seems to be a forgotten system with a
limited library, including a collection of awful full-motion video
games from Digital Pictures. This 32X exclusive was massively
ambitious, a full-on 3D gaming experience to the player. Metal
Head is a mission-based mech shooter that secretly wants to be a
first-person shooter. These mechs, or ‘Metal Heads,’ were developed
by the world government to put a stop to numerous civil conflicts
that threatened to blossom into a new world war and represented a
sufficient threat to keep everyone in line. You spend most of your
time inside your giant robot performing various missions for the
military forces you belong to and assigned to carry out.
While the game isn’t without its own issues, what’s most
surprising is how well it all still manages to hold up despite visual
and draw distance issues. But I think that’s what you can expect from
antiquated titles from this time. That sense of clumsiness seems to
be a symptom of the mech genre, rather than unique to Metal Head,
and alleviated by using the six-button pad instead of the standard
three. Trying to control your robot with just the three buttons quickly
becomes a nightmare, since you have to hit keys and directions
simultaneously to trigger pedestrian actions such as run or strafe.
Metal Head is a unique and excellent gaming experience on the 32X,
and you should try it out. ■
Title:
Metal Head
Genre:
A 3D Polygon Mech Action Title
Developer:
Year Released:
1994
Publisher:
Sega
Motocross Championship -
M otocross Championship is the only dirt-bike racing game for the
32X. The action takes place from a behind-the-bike perspective,
and makes use of the 32X’s hardware bitmap scaling to present a 3D
graphical effect. Like the title suggests, the main game mode is a points-
based championship. You can compete in one of 3 motorcycle classes
over 12 indoor and outdoor tracks. There’s also a two-player split-
screen mode so you can share off-road fun with a friend. It seems like
it wants to be taken seriously as a dirtbike racer: it has three different
engine classes ranging from 125cc to Superbike races, which in all
honesty provide noticeably different top speeds during races. There are
twelve available tracks to race on as mentioned, all providing big
jumps, sharp corners, and all manner of things to wipe out on.
Motocross wants you to race them seriously; there’s no elastic

band progression where you’re never too far in front of the pack
to cruise to victory, nor too far behind it to rule yourself out of
a placement. You win and lose on your own racing merit. The
upshot is that if you do manage to get ahead, they will struggle to
ever catch you. Racing among them is certainly not recommended.
Motocross is far from perfect and with bulky graphics, many
frowned upon this title when released and although not the greatest
bike game on the 32X it has some fun in there if your prepared to
put its failings aside. ■
Title:
Motocross Championship
Genre:
A 3D Polygon Motocross Racer
Developer:
Artech Digital Entertainment, Ltd.
Year Released:
1994
Publisher:
Sega

Mortal Kombat II -
T he result of putting Mortal Kombat onto home consoles
meant that parents could see exactly what a violent game
their kids had been playing at the arcade. Parent groups went
onto the news crying out “think of the children” and Midway
did exactly that and released the more bloody and violent Mortal
Kombat II. Though it was a more polished and improved sequel.
The fatalities became even more elaborate and gruesome to the
point where even fighters like Lui Kang wasn’t very monk-like
anymore. Whilst other familiar favourites returned including Sub
Zero and Scorpion. It was a pleasure to have Reptile right from the
start this time as well. They ditched Sonia and Kano with probably
no one missing the latter and made way for new characters such as
Mileena and Kung Lao (my favourite).
Oh, and in a sly way, they even acknowledged those

concerned parents by including the ‘friendship’ finisher so those
Midway folks couldn’t have been all that bad. Though this
didn’t stop the game from being banned in Germany and heavily
censored in Japan, yes that’s right a western game was censored
in Japan. It also got the snazzy subtitle ‘Ultimate Godly Fist’,
whatever that means. ■
Title:
Mortal Kombat 2
Genre:
Arcade Gorefest Beat’em Up
Developer:
Midway / Probe Entertainment
Year Released:
1994
Publisher:
Midway / Acclaim Entertainment

NBA JAM: Tournament Edition -
N BA Jam is one of my favourite sports games of all
time and I don’t even like basketball! I might not have
many nice things to say about its predecessor Arch Rivals
but respect is due for laying the foundations for one of the
most successful arcade/video games ever made. The two-
on-two dynamic works exceptionally well. In the console
versions you can choose to take control of one player
throughout the matchup or switch between the two. Each
team has three players to choose from in this “tournament”
update.
I use the speech marks as there’s still no knockout or

play-off mode available. Beating each team in succession is
still pretty fun and serving a boomshakalaka or two never
gets dull. Whether you opt for dunk specialists or 3-point
masters, or a combination of the two, NBA Jam keeps you
on your toes throughout. And you can switch your team
after each quarter if you like.
The 32X version is nearer the arcade “big head”
game with improved graphics and sound over its 16-bit
counterparts. If you had the Mega Drive/Genesis version,
would you need the 32X one? Probably not. If you had a
32X but no NBA Jam then you might as well get this one.■
Title:
NBA JAM: Tournament Edition
Genre:
Classic Arcade Basket Ball Title
Developer:
Midway
Year Released:
1995
Publisher:
Acclaim Entertainment
Primal Rage -
S ometime in the future Earth has been hit by a meteor and human
civilization collapsed. The Earth itself has changed and the
continents have once again merged into a large super-continent
(shaped like a T-Rex skull) that is covered by a primitive rainforest.
In this world humans have regressed and they now refer to their
planet as Urth. In this environment, gigantic creatures that look
like the ancient dinosaurs but that have intelligence have emerged.
In fact, they are divided into what are deemed Virtuous gods and
Destructive gods, gods of peace and gods of war. These creatures
have formed clans and humans serve in these but life is not at peace
as the gods fight for control of Urth.
Primal Rage is a fighting game where the player controls

dinosaurs or large simians instead of humans. The player can select
from a number of creatures to fight, each with different skills and
special moves. This 32X version has more colours and greater
detail for the creatures and the backgrounds. The fights have plenty
of blood as the creatures hurt each other and things move at a very
fast pace. It is funny to see the humans adoring the monsters as
they fight each other. This game is best enjoyed using the 6-Button
controller and it is best enjoyed with a second player. Overall, this
is a good version of the game that fans of the title will enjoy. After
all, who doesn’t like to see dinosaurs fighting? ■
Title:
Primal Rage
Genre:
Atari’s Hit Arcade 1 Vs. 1 Dino Fighter
Developer:
Atari Games
Year Released:
1995
Publisher:
Time Warner Interactive

Space Harrier -
R eleased in 1985 to the arcades, Space Harrier was a unique
third-person shooter made by Sega. The game was a hit and
quite popular and it spawned a number of sequels as well as ports
to several home consoles. Until the 32X version, however, none
of the home ports had quite replicated the arcade experience well
enough. In Space Harrier you play the role of Harri, the last of the
Sentinels in charge of protecting Dragonland. Unfortunately, the
evil forces of Velda had invaded Dragonland and eliminated all the
Sentinels. Harri, as the last Sentinel, is the last hope Dragonland
has to be free once again and must travel through the various
provinces of Dragonland to reach the capital city and defeat Velda.
As he travels through the provinces, Harri will have to face

many dangers, dangers that get worse as he nears the capital. This
port of Space Harrier really captures the action from the arcade
and is able to replicate the scaling from the original quite well.
The music, speech, and sound effects are all here making this a
very accurate translation. The action in Space Harrier is fast and
frenetic but the excellent response from the controller makes it
fun. There are four levels of difficulty to choose from and you can
even select the number of lives you want to have (3 or 5). Fans of
Space Harrier should not miss this version of the game. If you’ve
never played Space Harrier, this is the version you need to try. ■
Title:
Space Harrier
Genre:
Sega Scaler 3D Arcade Classic Shooter
Developer:
Sega Development Division #2
Year Released:
1994
Publisher:
Sega
Star Wars Arcade -
L ong ago in a galaxy far, far away... These are words that will never
be forgotten as they are the words that introduced many of us to a
remarkable space fantasy saga called Star Wars. Several arcade games
were created inspired by these movies, including a quite famous vector
version by Atari released in 1983. Ten years later, Sega created their
own arcade version of Star Wars (based on A New Hope) which was
ported to the 32X a year later. This port has two versions of the game
for the player to select - arcade and 32X modes. Arcade mode is a
direct port of the original, while the 32X mode adds four new levels. In
two player mode, both players work together with one acting as pilot
and the other as gunner; however, both players have the ability to fire
weapons.
The missions you must complete mostly involve destroying

TIE fighters in open space, though there will be Star Destroyers
shooting at you as well. In 32X mode you’ll be in two dogfights
with TIE fighters, skimming the Death Star surface, attacking
a Super Star Destroyer, battling in the Death Star trenches,
completing a search and destroy mission, and working to destroy
the Death Star itself. Game graphics are very nicely done and the
music and sound effects really add to the quality of the game. Game
control, however, takes some getting used to and it is definitely best
to use the 6-Button controller. Overall, though, a very good game.■
Title:
Star Wars Arcade
Genre:
Classic Arcade Shoot’em Up
Developer:
Sega Interactive Development
Year Released:
1994
Publisher:
SEGA

Star Trek : Starfleet Academy-
Starship Bridge Simulator
F or many Star Trek fans there weren’t a hell of a lot of titles that
were based on the popular sci-fi show and many Trekkies felt left
out in the cold. With the release of Starfleet Academy Starship Bridge
Simulator this situation changed. The game is a simulation title that was
released by Interplay in 1994 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment
System and later ported and published and developed by High Voltage
Software for the Sega 32X in 1995. It is similar in some respects to the
PC/Mac game Star Trek: Starfleet Academy that was released in 1997.
Bridge Simulator has over 20 simulated missions in the final

frontier to play within. You could command five different starships,
from science vessels to Constitution-class heavy cruisers on a variety
of missions ranging from scientific research to diplomacy missions
with various encounters with different aliens. The game sees you on
the bridge of Starfleet’s finest vessels, in the toughest situations that the
Federation can devise. The graphics were very good for the time on
the 32X with highspeed 3D polygon graphics. Becoming a Starfleet
Academy cadet and working your way towards becoming a Starfleet
Captain, piloting different starships (including the Klingon battle cruiser
and the Romulan Bird-of-Prey) there is nothing not to like if you are a
Star Trek fan. ■
Title:
Star Trek : Starfleet Academy-Starship Bridge Simulator
Genre:
A 3D Starship Combat & Operations Simulator
Developer:
High Voltage Software
Year Released:
1995
Publisher:
Interplay
Stellar Assault -
Y ou are a member of Stellar Assault, the pride of the Fleet
Academy and the defenders of The Planetary Systems. You
were only a Cadet First Class until a short moment ago when you got
a field promotion to Captain and to Flight Officer! The enemy has
attacked Outpost 51 in sector 7 and the Acceleration Gate that can get
the fleet from Sector 11 to the area is not yet complete. You must go
into Sector 7 and attack the enemy and stop them on their tracks. Fail
and the 17 major planetary systems will be in danger. Stellar Assault
(aka Shadow Squadron in the U.S.) is a first-person space shooter for
the 32X that not only looks great but also plays very well.
You select between two types of ships: Feather 1 or Feather

2. Feather 1 is a light fighter that comes equipped with auto
laser guns (semi guided) and guided laser torpedoes and a
Spectral Shield. This ship is highly manoeuvrable and lets you
more easily target enemies. Feather 2 has heavy lasers, energy
torpedoes, and strong shields (but not Spectral Shields). Stellar
Assault has very nice graphics that take advantage of what the
32X can do. Some of the enemy ships are huge, so much so that
you can even fly inside of them. Controller response, important
for this type of game, is excellent but it does take some getting
used to. The game is best enjoyed with a 6-Button controller.
Overall a pretty good game for the 32X. ■
Title:
Stellar Assault
Genre:
3D Polygon Space Multi-Directional Shooter
Developer:
Sega CS
Year Released:
1995
Publisher:
Sega

T-Mek -
A relic reborn from the mid-nineties that saw Atari arcade game
T-MEK, which appeared in July of 1994, come to the Sega
32X a year later. The story: the MEK Battle Tournament is being
held and pilots are flocking to their MEKs (a hovering tank with
special weapons and abilities) to challenge Nasrac the Eliminator,
the undisputed champion of the MEK Battle Tournament. You
play as one of the pilots eager to show their MEK skills in this
tournament. The 32X port of T-MEK faithfully recreates this
experience for home console gamers. The only major difference
is that multiplayer is achieved with split-screen gaming instead of
the link-up feature used in the arcade.
Starting the game will allow you to choose one of six MEKs.
Each come with different stats and characteristics: some are slow with
heavy firepower, where others are well-armoured and manoeuvre fast.
You’ll want to experiment to find which MEK best suits your style of
play here and it’s great to see the developers of the game go to great
lengths to make each MEK unique in design and control. Graphically,
it’s fantastic to see a 32X game that makes amazing use of the
hardware. Every stage utilises the 32X’s superior scaling capabilities
superbly, rendering the game’s scenery in a similar way to the likes of
Space Harrier. T-MEK is definitely worthy of your interest if you can
find a copy at a decent price. ■
Title:
T-Mek
Genre:
A 3d Battle Tank Shoot’em Up Title
Developer:
BITS Corporation
Year Released:
1995
Publisher:
Time Warner Interactive
Tempo -
R egarded as one of the better or more desirable games for
the Sega 32X, Tempo is a solid 2D platformer with great
audio/visual qualities. It was developed by Red Entertainment
and published by Sega in 1995 and is ranked in the top 10 of
32X games. But that wasn’t the case when I first started playing
it as I was put off by the animation priority the player character
had. Given time to acclimate to the game play you will wind
up enjoying Tempo. Almost immediately, the stellar audio/
visual qualities of Tempo are on display. The game opens with a
period, Saturday morning cartoon-style hip-hop song about the
eponymous Tempo and it ushered in a wave of nostalgia for that
time in my life.
The game has strong musical overtones and accordingly

each stage features, at the very least, a rocking accompaniment.
One stage in particular appears to take place in a boom box and
features many of the mechanisms one would suspect to see, only
now they operate as platforming obstacles. Visually, the stages are
a wonder to behold. The level design isn’t particularly noteworthy
other than the fact that the stages aren’t simply “scroll to the right”
affairs. The paths are generally linear, but the word-of-mouth
praise I’ve always heard for Tempo holds true. It’s definitely worth
seeking out if you are a Sega 32X collector. ■
Title:
Tempo
Genre:
A Funky Musical Action Platform Title
Developer:
Red
Year Released:
1995
Publisher:
Sega
Virtua Fighter -
I f you try and explain Virtua Fighter to someone who
didn’t play it back in the day please try and refrain
from using the phrase ‘in my day’, it won’t be pretty and
probably won’t end well either. The thing is the characters
looked bowling shoe ugly back then being clunky and
blocky with uninspired names like Wolf and Akira.
However, the visuals were not the 3D aspect that wowed
people and showed off the capacity of the 32X.
It was the arenas that made this a revolutionary game-

changer. Again they were nothing to write home about in
terms of animation, they were just beaches, deserts and
grasslands devoid of any life but they were 3D. Playing
any other fighter game you could go left, right, duck and
jump. This game literally gave you another dimension
allowing you to move around the fighting stage. Tired of
being spammed in a fight by a friend on another game?
No worries, step around them here and hit them off the
platform for a quick win. That’s right if you literally fell
off the platform you would lose. Often with an undignified
stumble like tripping off a curb on a night out. Perfect. ■
Title:
Virtua Fighter
Genre:
Arcade 3D Polygon 1 Vs 1 Fighter
Developer:
SEGA-AM2 Co., LTD.
Year Released:
1995
Publisher:
Virtua Racing Deluxe -
V irtua Racing (VR) was one of those “W O W”
moments in my gaming lifetime. The arcade cab
was worth every penny of that two-pound coin. 3D
graphics, blaring music and sound effects – it was
peak arcade SEGA. Home ports were inevitable. While
the Mega Drive conversion (complete with the Sega
Virtua Processor chip) was a technical feat, the best
conversion you’ll find of Virtua Racing is on the 32X.
This ‘deluxe’ version contains two new cars and two
new tracks, meaning it’s much more of a console game
in its own right rather than a direct arcade port.
The action is fast, slick and cuts out the clunky

feeling of the 16-bit version. You can enjoy the action
from behind the car to a wonderful bird’s eye view
similar to arcade driving sims of the ‘80s. As well
as the standard arcade mode you have a ‘time attack’
mode and the option to go head-to-head with a mate.
The new cars and tracks are worth exploring but for
all-out speed and VR fun you can’t beat jumping into
the F1 car and heading to the Big Forest track. There
aren’t many 32X games that are a must-own but this is
certainly one of them. ■
Title:
Virtua Racing Deluxe
Genre:
Arcade 3D Driving Title
Developer:
Sega
Year Released:
1994
Publisher:
Sega
WWF Wrestlemania:
The Arcade Game -
Y ou either like wrestling or you don’t. Then if you do,

there will be a good chance you only like certain types
of wrestling games. It gets very niche very quickly with this
category. Which is why it is a good thing this isn’t a wrestling
game, though it is, but it isn’t. What it is though is one of the
very best games on the 32X and a brilliant port of an arcade
game.
Midway was riding high in the mid-nineties as they had

NBA Jam and Mortal Kombat franchises bringing in the money.
So they created a Frankenstein love child of the two with this
game. It had the photorealism of actual people along with a
less violent fighting. Bret Hart literally bled out hearts instead
of blood. It was goofy but not insulting, such as when Razor
Ramon grew blade arms like MK’s Baraka. It felt like a beat-
em-up but the voice of Jerry Lawler on commentary kept that
wrestling spirit. It even helped the WWF, which was struggling
with the loss of 80’s stars and steroid claims. Ultimately giving
exposure to a batch of ‘new generation’ superstars and a rare
game appearance by Doink the Clown. ■
Title:
WWF Wrestlemania: The Arcade Game
Genre:
Arcade Wrestling Ringside Brawler
Developer:
Midway / Sculptured Software
Year Released:
1985
Publisher:
Midway / Acclaim Entertainment

Zaxxon: Motherbase 2000 -
T he original Japanese version of Zaxxon for the 32X was
released under the name “Parasquad” while the European
release went by “Motherbase”. As such, I’d be tempted to suggest
that SEGA of America possibly renamed it with the Zaxxon name
on the box to capture the consumer’s nostalgia back in 1995. It
has all the makings of a game mapped up in an isometric playing
field, yet the controls are a little fiddly: it takes a while to adjust to
the fact that the directional controls that exist on every other game
are irrelevant here and need to be re-learnt but there’s no real way
to control pitch and fall. Instead, your craft can just jump. But
Zaxxon: Motherbase 2000 is actually kind of clever.
It was advanced for its time, even if the aesthetic it chose has
long started to show its age. While taking inspiration from Virtua
Fighter/Virtua Racing, Zaxxon Motherbase is an early adopter of
a 3D polygon-based engine, moving away from the 2D sprites and
tile-maps that were then the norm. You will discover a very well-
made scrolling shoot ’em up. There’s so many clever little touches
and inspired design choices going on that it’s hard to explain
why Zaxxon Motherbase never profited from a bigger following.
Many 32X adopters marched on regardless in the hopes of finding
reward and were pleasantly surprised to find it here with Zaxxon:
Motherbase 2000, a game very much worth having a go. ■
Title:
Zaxxon: Motherbase 2000 A.K.A.Parasquad
Genre:
A 3D Polygon Isometric Shoot’em up
Developer:
CRI Middleware
Year Released:
1995
Publisher:
Sega
All games listed above in this book are under copyright by their respected companies,
affiliations, imagery,art style and logo design. Mega Book Collection design,layout and
presentation belong as property of Greyfox Books and Darren Doyle.
Digitally Published in 2023 by Darren Doyle/ Greyfox Books
An imprint of Greyfox Books
Publisher: Greyfox Books
Project Lead: Darren Doyle
Designer: Darren Doyle
Every effort has been made to contact the copyright holders of content used in this book. Any
omissions or errors unintentional and will be addressed in subsequent Printings or editions of the
works in the future.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any
means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage
or retrieval system without permission in writing from the publisher and author of this book.
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NOT FOR RESALE OR PHYSICAL REPRODUCTION

Digital published edition 2023 by Greyfox Books

First published in 2023 by Greyfox Books

NOT FOR RESALE OR PHYSICAL REPRODUCTION

E u g e n io h a s b e e n a n I've always had a H e l l o a l l , J a m ie h e r e ,

00 MEGA BOOK COLLECTION

I started my retro gaming Hi there! I'm Pixie, a It w a s C h r i s t m a s Win g S e e Li is a f o r m e r

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88 JOE & MAC 188 BATMAN RETURNS 278 SHADOW SQUADRON

NOT FOR RESALE OR PHYSICAL REPRODUCTION 05 MEGA BOOK COLLECTION

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08 MEGA BOOK COLLECTION

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However, unlike the Mega Drive, loyal Famicom

10 MEGA BOOK COLLECTION

the graphics processor at

were frowned upon by Sega of Japan, who

The Mega Drive, the Genesis, whatever you want

inspiring consoles ever produced. Its hardware

plethora of developers who would go on to great

things for rival machines and future hardware

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B atman: The Animated Series was an awesome cartoon show

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Aladdin is a platformer and plays through the same

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The Siblings travel through the different movie sets at Warner

Alien Soldier is a side scrolling shooter that has the unique

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While enemies are frequent, the game encourages players

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This game is an action platformer: you punch guys,

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A ffter centuries of war against RAM (Russo-American

While the original PC version of this strategy RPG may be a bit

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There are rudimentary puzzles to overcome, involving

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Both characters have their own signature weapons — the

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One of the more unique things about this game is

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Demolition Man uses two viewpoints. The primary is a side-

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Choosing the right co-pilot (or rescuing a better one)

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The levels differ from each other, coupled with

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El Viento means Wind in Spanish and the game is

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The games also started up a franchise for Sega with

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The whole premise of being this person who hasn’t a clue

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Gauntlet IV does allow for up to four players to enjoy the game by

The goal of the game is to rescue a Princess from the

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