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

[evil_ash_xero]

How can you possibly dislike S3's music. In fact, It would be easier to point out the one or two tracks that are bad, than to point out all the good ones from that game.

I didn't say the soundtrack was bad, I said Revenge had better music. A good bit better, in most people's opinion.

Also, to the above poster, yes...that is better art than most U.S. games at the time. But the JP art is SOOO much better. I don't understand why they changed it.

[BIL]

SS2's manual is chock full of badass ninja artwork too.



INFILTRATION



^ similar in concept to the Genesis cover yet infinitely more graceful.

[dunpeal2064]

Got a new pb in my sonic speedrun attempts. Its pretty bad to be honest, but it also shows off most of the hard tricks in the game (That are worth doing in a SS run). just so many mistakes in the easy places.

http://youtu.be/Uy9ZZYA0wPc

[Bar81]

SS2's manual is chock full of badass ninja artwork too.

^ similar in concept to the Genesis cover yet infinitely more graceful.

If you guys want to talk about how much better MD art, manuals, etc. are than Genesis versions, we'll be here all week and then some. That's a fact of life in that era. However, Shinobi III is a really poor example since what happened to it is nowhere near the butchering that happened to other games (*cough* Strider *cough*).

[BIL]

I don't think Shinobi III's Genesis cover is particularly bad either, just relatively forgettable. In the same bracket as Hard Corps, Bloodlines and Target Earth. For a real Genesis coverart atrocity exhibition we'll need stuff like El Viento and Shadow Dancer!



(Unfortunate Ad Caption: "The power of the wind will blow you away" That tommygun's not gonna save you bub)

[EmperorIng]

Sometimes in my free time I like to puzzle about where exactly the light source is coming from to produce Shadow Dancer's immense shadow. I mean, the fire is behind it, on the same side as the wall where the shadow is. What could it be?

[Bar81]

Shadow Dancer!

This. WTF happened there.

[BrianC]

I don't think Shinobi III's Genesis cover is particularly bad either, just relatively forgettable. In the same bracket as Hard Corps, Bloodlines and Target Earth. For a real Genesis coverart atrocity exhibition we'll need stuff like El Viento and Shadow Dancer!

Yeah, I agree the US SIII art is ok. The US art for Valis III, Trouble Shooter, and Strider are up there with the latter two. While off comparied to JP art and in game art, I actually like the US art for Alisia Dragoon. Cute girls and dragons FTW! Some early US SMS art makes even some of the lesser Genesis arts look good, though. Pro Wrestling, Wonder Boy, Quartet, and Zillion are good examples.

[Blackbird]

I just discovered The Hybrid Front. The soundtrack completely blew me away, god-tier mega drive tunes right here. Groove bass, snappy snares, driving fm synth, the heavy funk is in full effect. Have a listen:

Theme of Mule No. 2

Scarab of Glory No. 1

Theme of Cocoon (Ground Forces) No. 1

The game looks to be virtually unknown, since it was an end-of-gen Japan only release.

[Pretas]

Never heard of The Hybrid Front either. I would say that it appears to have been intended as Sega's answer to Front Mission, but it actually predated Square's game.

[Blackbird]

I can see that, actually; the aesthetic of Hybrid Front definitely reminds me of Front Mission, and it even has Front in the title. Looking at the gameplay itself though, Hybrid Front reminds me more strongly of another obscure TBS called Military Madness/Nectaris.

For comparison: Military Madness

[BIL]

Theme of Mule No. 2

Scarab of Glory No. 1

Theme of Cocoon (Ground Forces) No. 1

Good stuff! I'd heard of HF before but only really know it for its striking Jun Suemi coverart.

[Ed Oscuro]

obscure TBS called Military Madness/Nectaris.

Well, the genre is kind of obscure, but I heard plenty of references to that game on Digital Press years back, and elsewhere too. Now, Metal Marines (not Metal Warriors) is probably a better match for an obscure game in this kind of genre.

Good find here on The Hybrid Front - I take it that it's too obscure to be playable in English, though?

[Rob]

Too lacking in savage 2D action for this sometimes shmupper's consumption.

You'll be definitely missing out on an "I'll get you!" "Not if I get you first!" kind of first-rate video game story.

[Ed Oscuro]

You'll be definitely missing out on an "I'll get you!" "Not if I get you first!" kind of first-rate video game story.

Man, jagged glass to the face...I'm still trying to live the lie here.

Well, maybe not. Actually, that would be a plus. I think any game in this kind of genre that doesn't approach the story like the Advance Wars games is doing something wrong (I'll throw C&C in there for good measure - dun give a feck bout no Kane)

[Captain]

I always thought HF is a great game, and have petitioned an english translation somewhere, but it never came to be.

[Blackbird]

obscure TBS called Military Madness/Nectaris.

Well, the genre is kind of obscure, but I heard plenty of references to that game on Digital Press years back, and elsewhere too. Now, Metal Marines (not Metal Warriors) is probably a better match for an obscure game in this kind of genre.

Good find here on The Hybrid Front - I take it that it's too obscure to be playable in English, though?

Doing a little more digging, I'll revise my earlier statement: Military Madness is pretty obscure here in the US. It sounds like it might have been a more influential game in Japan, but in the states real time strategy games have superceded turn based games in critical influence and commercial relevance for as long as I can remember.

[Drum]

FYI: Contra 3 isn't anywhere near as good as Hard Corps, what the fuck is wrong with people?

[Captain]

wrong thread?

I agree though, hard corps is the mayo.

[BIL]

FYI: Contra 3 isn't anywhere near as good as Hard Corps, what the fuck is wrong with people?

Hard Corps and Shattered Soldier are nearly as good as Contra III. Both are knocked down a rung by a few too many useless bosses/setpieces. I suspect Nakazato might've been only part of Team SFX's brilliance. When his latter two sidescrollers are on form they easily match III's highlights, but its rollicking pace and perfect balance of free running to setpieces isn't there.

I wish Hard Corps had just been one long highlight reel of its best bits instead of breaking them up. According to blackoak's recent translation they wanted to encourage replay... I always prefer a perfectly tailored set path.

FWIW I only just got the SFC game having grown up with HC, fuck a nostalgia.

[CIT]

Well, I grew up on Spirits, but now prefer HC.

What are Spirits' overhead stages, if not huge useless set pieces? What you're left with then is two-thirds of an excellent Contra game that's possibly better than HC. Much like Axelay has 50% of the one of the best shooters of the 16 Bit era, with the other half being tech demo silliness. But given the choice I'll just take the complete package, thanks.

[BIL]

I don't mind the overhead stages at all - though I might be a little biased, since I love both top-down seek and destroy shooting like Assault/Granada, and any sort of strafing mechanic. But they play just as tightly as the sidescrollers* and can be blazed through in no time flat, drive-by style.

I find their combined presence less bothersome than HC's jungle boss, whose walking about has to be sat through every single run. Or even the Cyclops, whose cutscene is nice to watch but should've been accompanied with something for the player to do, other than watch the idle animation kick in. Stuff like that collectively makes me grimace a bit (just a bit - HC's one of my biggest comfort gaming favourites, replayed regularly).

*they're definitely not Axelay-vert stage bad! If only Axelay had zippy Bosconian/TFII base bombing, not drunken proto-Raystorm veering...

[Squire Grooktook]

Part of Contra 3's magic to me is that it constantly leaves you wanting more. It's one of the few games out there that does that for me, and in a good way too. It's almost the opposite of a game like Gradius V or Metal Slug 3, where the immense length and unrelenting finale creates a sense of both exhaustion and catharsis by the end of the journey. With its perfect pacing and constant variety, finishing Contra 3 just makes you feel more infected with its manic, adventurous energy.

Also have to agree that the top down sections are actually quite fun once you get used to them, and their brevity is balanced well against their status as a distraction from the main course of running and gunning.

Beyond all that, Contra 3 is just top notch design wise. It has many examples of one of my favorite things in action game design: A balance between strategy and randomness. Whether it's the pressure to constantly move forward over jagged terrain and under a randomly generated assault of alien soldiers (stage 1), trying to maintain positioning on the chaos of the missile ride battle (stage 4 boss), or the adrenaline pumping final charge through hordes of unpredictable jacked up runners and rng projectile spewing bosses in the aliens lair (stage 6), I'll take the overwhelming tension and meticulous design of C3 over just about any side scroller.

[BrianC]

I actually like both the overhead stages in Contra III and the mode 7 stages in Axelay.

[louisg]

I never understood why people hate the Axelay vert levels so much. They're cool and play well, you just have to get used to it a little

[Squire Grooktook]

Yeah, the effect looks lame but they seem to control alright? I never noticed any wobble or drift beyond the funky "hip sway" ship left/right animation.

[BIL]

It's more the way the environment "rolls in" that bugs me, specifically in stage 3's pipe area - it never feels very safe going through those gaps. I am cool with Axelay overall though, just saying the verts' bizarre warping effect requires some very specific adjustments to avert disaster, where Spirits' overheads are essentially classic top-down shooting with customarily sharp, tight handling.

[Captain]

I agree with BIL on this one.

The levels are perfectly fine when it comes to gameplay, however the presentation of it is just...unnecessary. It constantly annoys you and looks...uh...WRONG.

I swear, if Axelay just had normal vert level design it would be just as good, if not better.

[CIT]

The presentation is fine, cool in fact. I think the main problem is the inertia. I don't see what would have necessitated it.

[Squire Grooktook]

I don't remember there being any inertia/drift, though it's been a year or two since I last played it.