A-Z of Sega Mega Drive Games , livre ebook

Andrews UK - Kieren Hawken

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112 pages

English

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Description

The A-Z of Sega Mega Drive Games: Volume 2 features reviews of three different games for each letter of the alphabet. The games range from the very earliest releases in the mid-eighties to the modern homebrew games of today. This book shows you just how diverse the library of titles is for the Sega Mega Drive and how it became one of the most popular consoles of all-time.

Sujets

Indoor games and sports

Informations

Publié par	Andrews UK
Date de parution	25 juin 2020
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781789822120
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0100€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

The A–Z of
Sega Mega Drive Games
Volume 3

Kieren Hawken

Published in 2020 by
AG Books
www.agbooks.co.uk
Digital edition converted and distributed by
Andrews UK Limited
www.andrewsuk.com
Copyright © 2020 Kieren Hawken
The right of Kieren Hawken to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without express prior written permission. No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted except with express prior written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act 1956 (as amended). Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damage.
All opinions expressed herein belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect those of AG Books or Andrews UK Limited
Game screenshots are included in this publication legally under applicable fair use law which allows such material for the explicit purposes of commentary and criticism.

Introduction
First released in Japan in October 1988, the Sega Mega Drive is undoubtedly one of the most important and popular consoles of all time. Partly this is because it represents Sega’s most successful period in the home market, but there’s much more to it then that. When the console came to North America as the Sega Genesis in August 1989 (the name was changed due to trademark infringement) it did something that nobody thought was possible and knocked market leaders Nintendo off their lofty perch. Led by the Genesis Does What Nintendon’t campaign, the console offered a true 16-bit arcade experience in the home. The 1990 release of Sonic the Hedgehog only cemented Sega’s position further and with it the blue speed demon became one of the moist enduring video game icons ever. The Mega Drive followed right on from the Master System left off in Europe enjoying even greater success and outselling the rival Super Nintendo by a margin of 2:1. Licensed versions of the Mega Drive hardware are still being manufactured and sold to this very day as well as Sega’s own official Mega Drive Mini.

In this book I once again take you through the life of the Sega Mega Drive and Genesis looking at a varied cross section of the 1000+ games available with a small review and screenshot of each one. This is not a list of the best games, a list of the worst or indeed a complete guide to what’s available. The A–Z of Sega Mega Drive Games: Volume 3 is just that, the third volume of my look at a selection of MD titles in alphabetical order. There are three games featured for each letter and these range from the earliest titles released, to modern homebrews and even unofficial bootlegs! Hopefully this book gives you some inspiration to try some games you’ve never played before or bulk up your own personal collection. You might even find it that brings back happy memories of unwrapping presents on Christmas Day or inviting your friends round after school for some multi-player madness. But most of all I hope you enjoy reading it and remember what makes the Sega Mega Drive one of the greatest consoles of all time.
Kieren Hawken
June 2020

A
Arch Rivals
Flying Edge – 1993

When people think of arcade basketball games they usually mention NBA Jam , but before that hugely popular slam dunker there was Midway’s Arch Rivals . Originally released in its arcade form in 1989, this game is widely regarded as starting the whole sports games crossed with violence craze of the early nineties with titles such as Pigskin , Mutant League , Brutal Sports Football and Basketbrawl topping the charts. In essence Arch Rivals is basically a two-on-two full-court basketball game, but the removal of the normal rules makes the experience very different to any previous b’ball games! As well as being able to perform all sorts of pretty standard moves such as dunks, three pointers, steals and blocks you can also punch your opponents, barge them and even pull down their shorts! When I said there were no rules I meant it, this really is anything goes. That’s not to say all the sporting elements are eliminated though, you still have to learn the best places to shoot, how to block shots and passing techniques etc. If you have played NBA Jam before then you know what to expect, the only real difference is that Arch Rivals is a little less over the top than its more illustrious sequel. This Mega Drive port is the best version of the game you’ll find outside of the arcade and remains a lot of fun to play. The only thing that lets it down is it’s rather easy, so playing it against a friend is always better.
7/10
Action 52
Active Enterprises – 1993

Ah, the legendary Action 52 cartridge. First released for the NES some two years prior, this is an unlicensed product from an unknown company that features 52 of the worst games you will ever play. It’s also rather famous these days for featuring in by far one of the funniest videos ever made by the Angry Video Game Nerd. At first the selection of games here is mind blowing, but on closer inspection you not only find that they are terrible but also that many of them are very similar to each other. There are a pile of generic shooters, loads of tedious platformers and some really bog-standard sports games. The most famous game on the cartridge is Cheetahman , by virtue of being the best (and I use that term loosely) game on the cartridge. It was so “good” that it actually spawned an amazingly broken sequel that now holds an almost legendary status among Nintendo NES fans! The graphics in every single game here are as basic as they get on the Mega Drive. To accompany the horror of the visuals is lots of generic music and some equally rubbish sound effects. As bad as this cartridge is there is a kind of morbid coolness about it and cult quality to it all. It’s definitely more fun going through each of the 52 games to see how bad they are rather than actually playing them though. I almost feel like recommending Action 52 for that alone, it’s certainly a very interesting experience!
4/10
Arcade Classics
Sega – 1996

Arcade Classics sounds like it should be every retro gamers dream, some old games to play on an old console. In reality it’s a hit and miss affair – the games are good old classics so no problems with that, it’s just that the choices needed to be a bit better thought out. With just three out of the many games that could have been on this compilation the choice of Centipede , Pong and Missile Command is a little bit poor. Not that these are bad games, it’s just that all of these were meant to be played with paddles or a trackball, so to use a less precise joypad on these games is just wrong. Pong is just about manageable but the different versions of the game really can’t disguise what was always meant to be a two-player experience. Missile Command sort of works with the joypad but it’s a bit difficult to aim quickly as things get faster and Centipede suffers from many of the same problems. It’s hard to quantify perfectly but the games just don’t feel “right”. Graphically the games have been improved, with the MD offering some extra power over the original coin-ops. All the sprites are modernised but you can also play the original versions too if you are a purist. The sound has also has an upgrade with some nice chip tune music and explosions too. Arcade Classics does have some smash hits on it, but not enough of them and the execution is poor meaning this is a very unfulfilling experience.
5/10

B
Batman
Sunsoft – 1991

There were quite a lot of different video games produced to tie-in with Tim Burton’s 1991 reboot of Batman but Sunsoft’s Mega Drive effort is often regarded as the very best, despite arriving some two years later. The game takes the form of a scrolling beat ’em up crossed with an arcade adventure where you guide the caped crusader through Gotham City duffing up the bad guys on route to a final showdown with the Joker himself. To break up these stages there are also levels that see you driving through the crime filled streets in the Batmobile taking out armoured tanks and another where you jump into the Batwing and fly over the city shooting down enemy choppers. Each level ends in a boss fight and takes in a totally different location. Batman himself has a range of basic attacks available as well as the ability to use his Batrope and limited Batarangs. Both these and your health, which is represented by a bar in the bottom part of the screen, can be replenished by picking up icons dotted around each stage. Batman is certainly a challenging game but one that can be mastered with enough practice. Graphically it’s superb throughout capturing the dark moody look of the original movie perfectly with a nicely animated main sprite. There is also a terrific soundtrack that just adds to the overall atmosphere even more. It’s very easy to see why Batman on the MD is so highly rated.
9/10
Budokan: The Martial Spirit
Electronic Arts – 1990

One of the earliest games released for the Mega Drive by EA, Budokan is a one-on-one fighting game where you get to compete in four different martial arts disciplines. There is none of that hadouken nonsense here, Budokan is a pure fighting game that only has realism on the agenda. There is kendo, nunchukas, karate and bo (read: big bloody stick!). Once you feel you have mastered all the different fighting styles in the various dojos you can head off to the tou