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

[BrianC]

Don't forget the Tengen port of RoadBlasters. That is an awesome version and the only one that plays well without a full steering wheel (IMO). It's a rock solid game, too. I've allllmost 1cc'd it.

I agree it's awesome, but it's not one of their JP developed games. I think it was from the original developers of the PGA Tour games, Sterling Silver Software/Polygames.

[stryc9]

^ and the sound has suffered accordingly. I think Earl Vickers did the sound for Road Blasters, and I believe he also worked on Dragon's Revenge as well. He is also the one who stands accused of fucking the music and sfx on the EA Marble Madness port.

Compare this to the Japanese made Tengen titles with Hitoshi and Yuzo at the helm I actually just got Slap Fight, it has to be the first MD game I've seen that offers three different soundtracks: the original arcade, the MD take on the original arcade, and the Special Version by Mr Koshiro. You know, the one that sounds like Gradius. And it's awesome, some of the best on the machine.

[null1024]

I can't think of a western developed Genesis game other than those 3 with Jesper Kyd's music in them, and even still the patches had that Western metallic sound.

[louisg]

I can't think of a western developed Genesis game other than those 3 with Jesper Kyd's music in them, and even still the patches had that Western metallic sound.

Mega Turrican sounded really good. Tim Follin did some good stuff on that system too. Yeah, I don't know why FM is so confusing to western musicians, especially when even Japanese games by small dev houses sounded relatively fine. Even OPL2/3, which is honestly trivial to control, sounded awful in the hands of most videogame musicians aside from maybe on the Tyrian soundtrack. I have to chalk it up to not giving a shit. It's like asking why Wii games often look worse than anything on the GameCube.

I don't know what the big deal is with Jesper Kyd. His patches were all over-modulated and the music was pretty simple techno. It's not awful in the way the X-Men music is, but it's also not "OMG SO GOOD".

[Obiwanshinobi]

Jesper Kyd is very "Euro". I wasn't into 16-bit demoscene, but I like this flavour in games.

[EmperorIng]

8bit and 16bit demoscene are best demoscene, of course.

Jesper Kyd's music provides a good atmosphere for the games he did. You know before he did those big budget boring orchestral soundtracks.

Stuff like Red Zone and Sub-Terrania have this gritty, metallic edge to them thanks to his music.

Speaking of Westerners and Genesis music... SOME of them managed pretty well. Matt Furniss, Chris Hulsbeck, and of course, the legendary Rob Hubbard. <<Best John Madden music ever.

[ED-057]

The soundtrack for Subterrania is great. Eternal Champions is pretty good too (and that uses the "bad" sound driver that you guys were complaining about a while back)

[Rob]

the legendary Rob Hubbard.

Road Rash also.

[louisg]

the legendary Rob Hubbard.

Road Rash also.

I dunno. I love Rob Hubbard-- he was very impressive on most systems and is THE reason I got into writing computer music. But his FM output wasn't so good. I was especially disappointed with the Battle Squadron conversion. The Amiga tunes were so great, and then his Genesis versions were clangy and dull.

How much of Road Rash's music did he do? I liked it, but I thought it was a cooperative effort. He might've even been in an producer position.

[Rob]

Not sure - wiki lists him as the composer for the first game. I don't like the soundtracks in the sequels, but the first is great (in the clangy, metallic way a lot of people hate, I'm sure).

[stryc9]

I apologize, I said before it was Earl Vickers who did the sound for EA Marble Madness, but I was incorrect. It was handled by a bloke called Steve Hayes.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlZmA4bFCZk.

Now that sounds bad.

On a positive note, I am pleasantly surprised with how good the Road Blasters port is, the scaling is extremely smooth and the gameplay has all the hallmarks of a classic arcade game. We never got this port in PAL land, so it's good to discover some solid games that were previously confined to NTSC regions.

Chalk up another one for Tengen.

[BIL]

Devil Crash MD get! This game is metal as fuck. I've no experience with pinball, video or otherwise, but this could be a frickin' bridge club sim for all I care. Just gimme dem Tecno Soft tunes and diabolical pixels! I want naked wimmins making daemoniacal orgasm faces on all my highscore tables!

Not to downplay the pin aspect, game does feel great and trying for all six bonus rounds is addictive. I just can't stop geeking out over all the skulls, exposed monster viscera, chrome trims and naked wimmins.

Hell yeahhh. How can I concentrate on defeating Satan when he has such awesomely tense BGM?!

[stryc9]

Devil Crash rules, and if you get tired of the main theme (unlikely) you can enter passwords that let you play with Elemental Master and Thunder Force BGMs in the background.

Well, I picked up Shui Hu Feng Yun Zhuan. If you're a fan of belt scrollers I suggest you pick this up. Watching clips on youtube will not prepare you for the quality on show here. The magic effects are sick - cast ice and the screen gives way to a frozen tundra, with craggy ice flows in the background, all while your enemies are frozen with sleet and snow. The screen then returns to normal and the enemies fall back encased in ice courtesy of a handy Dark Stalkers sprite rip
Considering how much stolen content is in this game, it all pulls together into a cohesive visual experience better than I was expecting. Likewise the music. Play this thru a stereo and you will be impressed, with some dope drums and percussion on display. The boss music is particularly good.

It plays really well, although there no grapple game unfortunately.
Overall I'm very impressed.

[BIL]

you can enter passwords that let you play with Elemental Master and Thunder Force BGMs

Fuuuuck Will have to give that a go, thanks. EM's soundtrack is a masterpiece among masterpieces.

[greg]

I love Roadblasters and I have it on my Atari Lynx. Would you guys say the MD version is better?

I didn't know that Devil's Crash was ever on the MD! Wow!

[louisg]

I love Roadblasters and I have it on my Atari Lynx. Would you guys say the MD version is better?

Yeah, I think the Genesis one controls better, and the music is more faithful (the Lynx one IIRC just repeats the level select music between rounds, though it DOES have the voice). The Lynx one was marvelous though at the time. That whole system was about a decade ahead of other portables in terms of technology, and wasn't surpassed (or even matched) until the GBA. Don't get me started

[BIL]

Picked up Drainpipe Fetuses Must Burn aka Kujaku Ou 2. Excellent action sidescroller which, with the charge shot mechanic and quasi run-and-gun feel, plays a bit like a simplified Alisia Dragoon sans the irritating control hiccups. It actually reminds me more of a graphically beefed-up 8-bit action game than a 16-bit one; that's not criticism but praise, as anyone who's seen me post about FC Ninja Ryukenden, Dracula, Batman et al might infer. Simple, fast and crisply responsive action platforming. That flamethrower is so goddamn satisfying to torch monsters with, among the most gratifying I've seen this side of Metal Slug X's hellish blast. I like how the starting weapon's maximum power shot really tears apart enemies, too - worth the compromised range and firing speed.

Soundtrack is a little weak until the last few stages (thankfully the dreaded MD clang is absent) but the art style packs some satisfyingly macabre, otherworldly locales and enemy designs. Fans of John Carpenter's The Thing will appreciate certain enemy types' penchant for horrendous yet functional body modification. It's not a particularly hard game but it does demand precision and it packs in a ton of sidescrolling destruction. Seconding zinger and Rob, recommended.

[Rob]

You have an expert eye, BIL. Took some years apart for me to appreciate that game, probably for the 8-bit-ish qualities you mentioned.

[BIL]

Took some years apart for me to appreciate that game, probably for the 8-bit-ish qualities you mentioned.

Same here, really. Getting back into the Famicom recently made me re-evaluate 2D action from there onward (Ninja Ryukenden was my "year one" and remains my enduring gold standard). I think I used to overlook Kujaku Ou 2 for not having a double jump or something.

[CIT]

Great game indeed. Now I'm curious to know how you feel about its real 8-Bit predecessor Spellcaster/Kujakuou on the Sega Master System.

[Ed Oscuro]

Spellcaster looks pretty, uh, stuttery. Could just be an artifact of some video I watched. Mandatory text story sequences galore.

I admit that I didn't give Kujaku Ou 2 a fair shot when I tried it out a few years back. I'll give it another go

[BIL]

Spellcaster/Kujaku Oh is one of the SMS games I've been meaning to try out - I've got virtually no experience with the system, and I've been considering getting a Power Base Adaptor for my MD on the off chance there's some good action stuff on there. Kenseiden looked cool too.

[CIT]

And of course there's Master System Ninja Gaiden!

[Rob]

off chance there's some good action stuff on there.

Set your expectations to near zero. Kenseiden is decent and that's about as good as it gets.

[BIL]

We need The Master System Thread! ;]

Worth a mention on the Kujaku Oh topic - Rambo III (edit: for MD) seems to have been by the same team, judging by a number of aesthetic and mechanical similarities (and the front options menu). Nice little Senjo no Okami / Commando tribute. As with KO2 it goes for simple but pleasing 8bit-esque action with excellently responsive controls and hit detection. Nice weapon setup gives you a machinegun with both spray n' pray and accurate firing modes plus three special weapons, freely switchable: Bomberman-style explosives, charge-shot explosive arrows and a surprisingly satisfying knife whose kills yield ammo for the former two, provided you're good at closing in and striking in the half-second window before the would-be target blasts you. No flamethrower, oddly enough - would've gone down a treat if Kujaku Oh 2's monstrous burner is any indication.

Unfortunately, and this knocks it firmly down a peg, it suffers from severe, early SFC-like slowdown when there's several bad guys onscreen. Beans start getting hot and the oven breaks down. Without that I'd probably recommend it quite highly to fans of simple Commando-style action. Still worth a look if you love that type of game and already have the excellent MD port of Senjou no Okami II / MERCS.

Been playing the Golden Axe MD trilogy lately, mostly III since it's the one I'm least familiar with. Picked the Pumaman first because he looks awesome and his grapple attack is biting the fuck out of people's faces. Double jump diving is fun too! Unfortunately it seems even on Hard enemies are totally powerless against his left-right-left+attack special move... I mowed right through to stage 7 or so literally after a couple of credits, once I had the timing down. There's a serious lack of onscreen baddies too, compounded by their weak AI... I think four was the absolute most I got at once.

the graphics weren't up to par for the timeframe of it's release

Too true - the game's utterly lacking in graphical flair. The 1989 original port is better-looking, and BKII / Super Shinobi II / Phantasy Star IV nuke it from orbit. Sega fell out of love with GA between '89 and '93, it seems. And then the fuckers didn't port Revenge of Death Adder to the Saturn. :[

[Ruldra]

Kenseiden is decent and that's about as good as it gets.

Decent? The game is awesome!

As a kid I never got past the second boss. Some years ago I went back and played the whole thing from start to finish. Loved every minute of it.

[CIT]

The Master System has its fair share of good action games.

Danan, Kenseiden, Ninja Gaiden (not as nice as the NES ones, but still good) and the excellent Castlevania clone Master of Darkness, as well as very well done ports of Shinobi, Rastan and Rygar.

Also, Golden Axe Warrior - better than any of the MD Axes, imo.

[louisg]

On SMS, I liked World Grand Prix (a nearly flawless Pole Position style game with a track editor and upgradable cars), Power Strike 2 (one of Compile's best), Wonderboy 1 and 3, the Road Rash port is crazy impressive, and I also liked the Fantasy Zone games including The Maze (with FZ2 being a really awesome high point), Choplifter adds a lot to the Apple ][ original, and a solid R-Type port. Bubble Bobble is supposed to be excellent on SMS, but I haven't played it.

Also, the Sagaia port is impressive too, though I think it's biting off a little more than it can chew. Worth checking out, though. Also worth a look IMO for historic purposes is Psycho Fox, a game in the Decap Attack series (if you can call it a series).

I thought the Shinobi could've been quite a bit better on the other hand: choppy vertical scrolling, weird palette choices, non-functioning water in the docks stage (unfinished?), and only one music track during the levels.

[kamiboy]

I'll second the Golden Axe Warrior remark, it is an excellent Zelda clone. I'll add Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Curse to the Master System pantheon.

[MOSQUITO FIGHTER]

I picked up a copy of Risky Woods the other day. Haven't had a chance to play it much, but it seems to be pretty decent so far.