The Sega Mega Drive/Genesis Thread (NEW)!!!

[evil_ash_xero]

Dynamite Headdy and the Sparkster games are other great games too!

DH is a good game. I had a hard time getting into it, since it's sort of slow paced, and it's...weird looking.
Rocket Knight Adventures is a must own for anyone who likes platformers and has a MD.

I could never get into Sparkster for the MD, since it doesn't play much like RKA. That, and you a have a "proper" sequel on the SNES. And it's killer as well.

[railslave]

I really like Eswat on MD

Me to, starts off so ropey looking .. but just gets better and better


Then levels like this start showing up



Love the look of the early games

ALL THE CYANS !!!

[BIL]

MD ESWAT is so much better after those first two stages, seriously. Goes from the most nondescript walk and shoot ever to a kind of cyborg-themed Rolling Thunder. My favourite early MD Sega game after (by some distance) The Super Shinobi.

Actually I'd say it improves right at the second boss duo, which takes some strategy to destroy without getting pincered and shot to pieces.

[railslave]

MD ESWAT is so much better after those first two stages, seriously. Goes from the most nondescript walk and shoot ever to a kind of cyborg-themed Rolling Thunder. My favourite early MD Sega game after (by some distance) The Super Shinobi.

Actually I'd say it improves right at the second boss duo, which takes some strategy to destroy without getting pincered and shot to pieces.

Saying that, ill always be a sucker for that ESWAT purple city scape, or the revenge of shinobi 2-2, or chemical plant zone...

***fills up***

bring megacities back !!

[BIL]

I consider those slowly burning city lights from SS, Bare Knuckle, E-SWAT etc the dark counterpart of the classic Sega Blue Skies.

[Ruldra]

MD ESWAT is so much better after those first two stages, seriously. Goes from the most nondescript walk and shoot ever to a kind of cyborg-themed Rolling Thunder.

Nondescript walk and shooter is exactly how I'd describe Arcade ESWAT. You're just an armored cop with an automatic gun in your hand. No jetpack, some boring weapons you can only use a couple of times and really bland levels. It's the complete opposite from the awesomeness of the MD version.

Shadow Dancer is another game where the arcade version pales compared to the MD one.

[railslave]

Shadow Dancer is another game where the arcade version pales compared to the MD one.

Hmm thats a tricky one, that first stage at the airport is iconic..

I used to be on my tip toes watching all the tough kids playing that in the Arcades, dreaming i would own it one day.

I was bitterly disappointed that it had been cut for that "city on fire" level.

But, Ive come to love that game on the MD, especially the insanely technical OST and breakdance inducing bonus stage music.

Ninja dogs FTW!!!

[BrianC]

About RI and RIE's music and how it got altered for all modern RI/RIE releases (except the PC port of Bubble Bobble and Rainbow Islands which didn't get anything altered, here's how it sounds on Taito Memories:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCK-wAumY-U

Interesting. Sounds much better than in Legends (which seems to only dummy the music out and keep the back beat), but not as good as the US NES version. This isn't how I remember the Acclaim PC version of Rainbow Islands sounding. I have the Acclaim US DOS version of Bubble Bobble/Rainbow Islands and I remember it sounding more like this.

edit: Found a video of the Acclaim DOS version

[Bloodreign]

The first one you linked was to the PAL only Bubble Bobble & Rainbow Islands PC collection put together by Empire Interactive (of the Taito Legends 1 fame). Notice the high notes aren't altered, I own a copy and sure enough RI is totally unaltered. I also have a copy of BB/RI, from Acclaim, for the PS1 (guilt made me finally buy this version a full 7 or so years after almost buying a copy off ebay. I lost a bidding war over the original copy the guy sold, but he had a second copy and offered to list it for me so I could buy it, I turned him down), and as per norm with Rainbow Islands, the high notes are indeed altered.

[replayme]

I wasn't going to post here, but I finally bought and had a go on the Sega/Genesis Ultimate Collection HD for PS3. Tried out Streets of Rage 1 and 3, Shinobi 3, Sonic 1 and 3. My verdict after having a quick go? Man, those games have aged really badly.

Even though I switched to W/Screen and turned on the filters, I still came to see a lot of those games looking ugly on the TV. All I could think about whilst playing those games was how the fighting genre had moved on (Dragons Crown) and that Final Fight was still a better alternative to Streets of Rage. Also, Sonic has always been pretty average.

Granted, I should have played Sonic 2 and Streets of Rage 2, but I've always preferred the originals.

I know everyone refers to Phantasy Star IV as being one of the best RPGs in existence, but on my HD TV the graphics are off putting.

Didn't even play the compilation for an hour and already thinking about trading it in.

[evil_ash_xero]

BOOOOO! Man, you're just asking for some ultra-violence.

Anyway, YEAH, those games aren't going to look very good on an HDTV. They look quite spiffy on a CRT. Or on an emulator with the proper filters and scanlines.
Streets of Rage 1 isn't very good, I'll give you that. But the rest...nope.

Streets of Rage III isn't the best choice, since it's a messed up version of Bare Knuckle III.
If it's the graphics that are bothering you, then it might be the HDTV thing(unless you just don't like older sprite graphics). If it's the gameplay...well, that's your business, I suppose.
How can you NOT like Shinobi III? Only people who don't like the old school can be so foolish.

To be honest though, I could never get into PS IV, due to the small sprites. I have an issue with tiny people in RPGs. Just some weird thing of mine. I hope I get past it.

[BareKnuckleRoo]

Didn't even play the compilation for an hour and already thinking about trading it in.

It's pretty horrible, honestly. They don't include the option to play the much better balanced Japanese version of Streets of Rage 3 (Bare Knuckle III), and that's enough to be a dealbreaker. The control mapping scheme is a pain too, I complained about this when I tried it out a while ago at a friend's place (the XBox version, not the PS3 though).

[Skykid]

Original hardware ftw.

[BrianC]

I heard that compilation has input lag on the Sonic games. They also botched the voice in the arcade Space Harrier. The compilation also lacks the video options of the SEGA Vintage Collections from M2. The M2 XBLA collections have dot by dot mode and fake scanlines. As far as I know, in the Backbone collection, the options are Super Eagle and unfiltered. Unlike the Backbone collection, M2's Sega Vintage Collection of SoR includes Bare Knuckle III. I still prefer real hardware on a CRT TV, but M2 does a good job with their emulation.

[null1024]

I wasn't going to post here, but I finally bought and had a go on the Sega/Genesis Ultimate Collection HD for PS3. Tried out Streets of Rage 1 and 3, Shinobi 3, Sonic 1 and 3. My verdict after having a quick go? Man, those games have aged really badly.

Even though I switched to W/Screen and turned on the filters, I still came to see a lot of those games looking ugly on the TV. All I could think about whilst playing those games was how the fighting genre had moved on (Dragons Crown) and that Final Fight was still a better alternative to Streets of Rage. Also, Sonic has always been pretty average.

Granted, I should have played Sonic 2 and Streets of Rage 2, but I've always preferred the originals.

I know everyone refers to Phantasy Star IV as being one of the best RPGs in existence, but on my HD TV the graphics are off putting.

Didn't even play the compilation for an hour and already thinking about trading it in.

Phantasy Star 4's visuals need composite [or a filter that simulates it]. Actually, most Genesis games do, since they expect the colors to blend horizontally to give the appearance of a higher color palette. Otherwise, they look kind of grainy.

Also, play SOR2 [it's a simpler game than SOR3, but has far better balance and a much more appealing soundtrack for most], ignore SOR3 [unless you can play BK3, which is then quite a bit better than SOR2 -- well balanced, very fast, lots of special moves on a 6 button pad, great fun], only play Sonic 3 when locked on with Sonic and Knuckles [if the collection doesn't let you do this, get rid of that piece of shit now, S3+K is the best out of them all], and there must actually be something wrong with you for not liking Shinobi 3, it's a stylish late-Genesis release with excellent control [but it's a bit easy].

And lastly, if the collection forces bilinear, get rid of it.

and if you just hate pixel graphics, why did you get a compilation of old games?

[trap15]

and if you just hate pixel graphics, why did you get a compilation of old games?

Because he's an idiot, obviously.

[railslave]

I wasn't going to post here, but I finally bought and had a go on the Sega/Genesis Ultimate Collection HD for PS3. Tried out Streets of Rage 1 and 3, Shinobi 3, Sonic 1 and 3. My verdict after having a quick go? Man, those games have aged really badly.

Even though I switched to W/Screen and turned on the filters, I still came to see a lot of those games looking ugly on the TV. All I could think about whilst playing those games was how the fighting genre had moved on (Dragons Crown) and that Final Fight was still a better alternative to Streets of Rage. Also, Sonic has always been pretty average.

Granted, I should have played Sonic 2 and Streets of Rage 2, but I've always preferred the originals.

I know everyone refers to Phantasy Star IV as being one of the best RPGs in existence, but on my HD TV the graphics are off putting.

Didn't even play the compilation for an hour and already thinking about trading it in.

Aged badly compared to what ?

Most gamesdevs these days would sell organs to be at least half as good at design, general art and animation. Including all these en vogue hipster indie platformers.

Green hill zone is still stunning, that parallax, especially on the rev version i got as a kid. The design of that level!!

When that streets of rage boss theme comes on, Its like final fight never even existed
Seriously, how can you not shed a tear for that broken city when the intro music is playing. Beautiful moment.


But TBH, they were never made for HD, and filters are just blasphemy. Maybe its a mistake to get the HD pack, get the ps2 one or the PSP. Plus that game selection is just a bit too obvious in places and stupid in others.. Wheres Thunderforce 4!!

I hate how people bash sonic one

[Xyga]

Even though I switched to W/Screen and turned on the filters, I still came to see a lot of those games looking ugly on the TV.

There's no way a badly emulated compilation of 224p games, with wrong scaling, aspect ratio and ugly filters will look okay, not to add on your average hdtv.

I know everyone refers to Phantasy Star IV as being one of the best RPGs in existence, but on my HD TV the graphics are off putting.

One of the best RPGs on the MD/Genesis yes... but in existence ? No way.

Phantasy Star 4's visuals need composite [or a filter that simulates it]. Actually, most Genesis games do, since they expect the colors to blend horizontally to give the appearance of a higher color palette. Otherwise, they look kind of grainy.

That, is one of the most horrifying and wrong things I have ever read about the MD/Genesis.
Have you ever experienced it with genuine RGB connectivity on a RGB-compatible crt tv ?

[railslave]

One of the best RPGs on the MD/Genesis yes... but in existence ? No way.

[Ganelon]

I'd put Phantasy Star IV as one of the best RPGs of all time. I generally stick to the PS2 Sega Ages version nowadays since it's the most accurate emulation with a lot more system options, like faster walking speed and 240p display. I play on RGB (with scanlines) nowadays since I don't recall much dithering in the game that composite would help with.

For folks who don't like MD classics, the path to Call of Duty is thataway.

[BrianC]

Phantasy Star 4's visuals need composite [or a filter that simulates it]. Actually, most Genesis games do, since they expect the colors to blend horizontally to give the appearance of a higher color palette. Otherwise, they look kind of grainy.

That, is one of the most horrifying and wrong things I have ever read about the MD/Genesis.
Have you ever experienced it with genuine RGB connectivity on a RGB-compatible crt tv ?

I don't know. While many things look better in RGB, some things really don't display correctly on a higher quality connection. Fake transparencies like the lights in the bar in Streets of Rage 2 are a good example of this. Don't know about PS4 having an issue with RGB, though. One game on the Atari 7800, Tower Toppler uses an odd technique to make it look like the game uses more colors and looks incorrect on higher quality connections. Not sure about the games looking grainy either. Most things look more crisp on RGB, it's only the odd tricks that look wrong.

Also, the Backbone PS3/360 Genesis collection is infamous for not having the lock on for Sonic and Knuckles. They did get it going for the separate stand along download versions of Sonic 3 and Sonic and Knuckles, but botched some other things up in those versions (issues with disabled menus and still has input lag).

[BIL]

Gauntlet MD's Quest Mode is badass. Gradually piecing together a path to the tower boss across ten free-roaming floors adds a nice degree of lateral thinking to the classic hoard-herding action, giving it an almost action/puzzler feel. Moreso than an ARPG feel - regardless of upgraded gear, without good fundamental tactics you'll get splattered just like in arcade mode. Just finished the last tower and unlocked the castle with eight hours on the game clock, definitely feels like a substantial undertaking. Actually had to call it a night well before bedtime, not normally something that happens when I'm enjoying a game this much.

Boss battles are Ys II Inferno calibre. As with the environment tilesets, there's technically just the one dragon palette-swapped to each tower's element, but differing floor hazards and the sheer intensity of its attack don't leave much time to complain. Was getting Gun.Smoke flashbacks while being pelted by the Earth Dragon. The shortest distance between two points is a straight line.

I'm somewhat curious to try this mode out with four players, but even if I had a multi-tap I'm currently limited to two comrades... and TBH it works really well as a solitary head-scratcher, so unlike arcade mode it doesn't feel wanting for more players.

Slap Fight MD tier. M2 and Tengen did good. Transparent Obstacle remains my favourite of Sakimoto's incredible OST, but I've gotten a new appreciation for Whisper of Phantom. It's not the most stand-out composition on a quick listen, but goddamn does it work well when you're an hour-plus into the Earth tower. That fat, murmuring bass is so soothing. The anti-GEMS.

[Ed Oscuro]

Hell yes, Transparent Obstacle.

Also, I've realized that many of my favorite platformers are actually on the MD/Genesis, perhaps more than the NES actually.

[BIL]

Plus - instruction manual goodies! WTF was with Tengen and Actually Good Productions on the latter-day MD? Growing up they were just those weirdos whose carts required snub-nose pliers to extricate from my NES when the weekend was up.



Creepier than your average chooser of the slain.



AIEEE

[Ed Oscuro]

Dat knife. Dat...freakishly long-toed boots.

[BIL]

Oh god, you just reminded me of something else I recently saw lurking in my MD trunk! Prepare yourself.

^as with seemingly everything about El Viento, it's... endearingly wrong!

[railslave]

Hell yes, Transparent Obstacle.

I cant believe I haven't listened to this, I thought he ran out of steam after verytex and bad omen :\

[BIL]

^AW HELL NAWWW - I'd say Gauntlet is quite possibly the best of Sakimoto/Iwata's MD works. It's futile trying to choose just one, of course. Midnight Resistance, Verytex, Bad Omen, Gauntlet, yer avin' a larf aintcha?

Transparent Obstacle is their single best track, imo. No other game music tempts me to give the ol' air bass a slapping quite like it does.

THIS IS ME PLAYING GAUNTLET MD EARLIER TONIGHT:

[Xyga]

Phantasy Star 4's visuals need composite [or a filter that simulates it]. Actually, most Genesis games do, since they expect the colors to blend horizontally to give the appearance of a higher color palette. Otherwise, they look kind of grainy.

That, is one of the most horrifying and wrong things I have ever read about the MD/Genesis.
Have you ever experienced it with genuine RGB connectivity on a RGB-compatible crt tv ?

Most things look more crisp on RGB, it's only the odd tricks that look wrong.

I agree with that but still, there's no way anyone could honestly put composite on top of RGB for the MD, I know some games (mostly US & UK games) have really poor graphics when displayed via a clean RGB signal, but no matter how many times you look at it, athe whole thing still looks much better on RGB.
I mean the advantages of RGB far outweight those of composite.
IIRC only the late revisions of the Genesis board could display a decent composite signal, but that's still composite, with all the washed-out colors, bluriness, smearing and shaking.

I'd add that Phantasy Star IV has some of the most detailed pixel art I've seen on the system so it definitely would not benefit from composite.
Regarding its worth I'd say it's a great little game but too short and easy. I was disappointed with it because of this. It lacks this feeling of fear of just doing a few steps and running into another battle that the first two had (there's no III by the way, this game never existed).
Most PS fans put the second on top because of it's inhuman challenge and unforgettable, heavy ambiance. Clearing PSII is truly an achievement and great experience. Clearing PSIV isn't anything special...

[BrianC]

I went ahead and ordered some Taito MD stuff. Darius II and Volfied. I also ordered Final Mission (Japanese version of SCAT with some major differences) for Famicom. So far the only Taito game I have on Genesis/MD is Rainbow Islands, so I decided to change that.