Forgotten Excellence?

[Genesis Knight]

It seems like some of the games in the Genesis library have never received the acclaim they deserve, whether it be for graphics or something else.

What games do you think fit in this category?

To me, the most tragic one is the Adventures of Batman and Robin. Here we have a game that has better visuals than the acclaimed Gunstar Heroes, and yet it has been essentially forgotten in the wake of the Gunstar fever.

[Melf]

Ristar!

There are quite a few that fit this description.

MERCS is another one. Many people think it's a straight-up RnG, without realizing that it has an incredible original mode.

[Elusive]

Rocket Knight Adventures ('just another Sonic clone...')

The Ooze

Dynamite Headdy

[StealthNinjaScyther]

I'm a fan of King of the Monsters, used to play that game all the time at one of the local pizza places. Unfortunately, playing the game at home reveals that it is no more than an extremely simple button masher that gets old quick...

However, King of the Monsters 2 for the Genesis is a different story. This time the characters come loaded with an actual set of special moves and the roster is bumped up from the Neo version as well, from 3 to 9. I recommend turning off items so your full moveset is available from the start since collecting the orbs to get "powered up" gets pretty tedious. The game isn't very balanced, but for me that doesn't make it any less fun, though Cyber Woo is rediculously overpowered. But in just about every way this version of the game is better than the Neo Geo original. I highly recommend it for those looking for some simple fighting game madness.

[j_factor]

Fatal Rewind

[Genesis Knight]

Scratch what I said first. I think that the 3D combat sims like f22 and M1 Abrams are the most underapp. Polygonal sims on the Genesis? Why does nobody else freak out?

[tim333]

Cool Spot. Very solid platforming and nice graphics from Virgin and David Perry. The Genesis version is, IMO, much better than the SNES version.

[AlexKidd]

I'd agree with Rocket Knight Adventures. I'd also like to mention devilish, one of my favorite games on the system that noone ever seems to talk about.

[Dartagnan1083]

Do you mean games missed by even genesis owners? or just poor ignants in general?

pheh...here are my picks


Alisia Dragoon
Chiki-Chiki Boys
Earnest Evans
El-Viento
Final Zone
Fire Shark
Trouble Shooter
Zero: The Kamikazee Squirel

there are still others

[Genesis Knight]

I mean games that should be viewed as *incredibly amazing* games, in particular for their graphics.

Like the 3D polygonal combat sims and Batman and Robin.

[Melf]

Ah, in that case I nominate Rocket Knight Adventures, for its incredible color shading and awesome reflective effects.

[jmet]

Batman gets "respec" from the hard core crowd for its grahics, the difference between it and Gunstar and why Gunstar is more popular is because well imo Gunstar is the better game when you take out the graphics portion.

Lets also not forget that Gunstar can be played by your average human where as Batman is un godly difficult for most.

[tim333]

How is Rocket Knight Adventures overlooked? Every Genesis fan I talk to seems to be in love with it (as they should be - it's an awesome game). I think that its sequel doesn't get as much praise as it deserves. The current review of Sparkster on this site is probably the one that I most vehemently disagree with.

[Dartagnan1083]

Rocket Knight suffered sales wise and is written off as just another mascot game even today.

Sparkster was underwhelming on the Genesis. But that's just my opinion.


anyway...
Graphically amazing titles on the genny eh?


-High Seas Havoc (too bad the game isn't very good)
-Stargate. . .for its incredible animation (too bad the game sucks)
-Xperts (designed with silicon graphics technology...too bad the games sucks)


this proabably isn't the best topic to have me invovled in

[j_factor]

I don't get why you people are saying Rocket Knight Adventures. That game gets nothing but acclaim, and it got plenty of attention at the time -- "Konami finally creates an original Genesis game!" "The newest platform hero rockets onto the Genesis in one awesome debut." "A new mascot for Konami!" etc. etc. etc. (that middle one is an actual quote from memory from an old magazine)

[Genesis Knight]

Listen to j-factor!

Another one would be Exo-Squad. Does anyone else love this game? 2 Player dueling is incredible.

[VinnyT]

Oh yeah, haven't played that in a while!

Once you get the controls down, the deuls you can have are great.

[Melf]

I'm referring to the cool color and reflective effects Rocket Knight had. People tend to forget that and think of it just on its platform merits.

[j_factor]

Exo-Squad is indeed awesome. Incredible graphics too.

[j_factor]

Listen to j-factor!

You all should keep this in your heads as a given. :D

[Dartagnan1083]

I don't get why you people are saying Rocket Knight Adventures. That game gets nothing but acclaim, and it got plenty of attention at the time. . .

You'd be supprised by how many don't remember it.
Of course these poor souls gather at the darkest edges of the internet...like the sega.com boards, or IGN, or 1up.com.

[Genesis Knight]

My friend and I regularly bash it out on Exo-Squad. We've played it for so long that we've (not to boast) have become pretty much masters of the dueling mode. I think. A single round can go on for 15 or 20 minutes because it's so hard to get a hit in on the opponent.

Great times.

[Menosa Torres]

Sunset Riders

[16bitter]

It seems like some of the games in the Genesis library have never received the acclaim they deserve, whether it be for graphics or something else.

What games do you think fit in this category?

To me, the most tragic one is the Adventures of Batman and Robin. Here we have a game that has better visuals than the acclaimed Gunstar Heroes, and yet it has been essentially forgotten in the wake of the Gunstar fever.

That might have happened anyway due to the hype for the 32-bit systems drowning out 16-bit, but The Adventures of Batman and Robin gets forgotten because its gameplay is so flawed. The game is not just difficult, it's redundantly boring and plain flawed in its pacing. Basically it goes like this: beat the crap out of 60 skinny and buff clowns to get the screen to move forward, then repeat. Over and over again.

[ary incorparated]

that is kind of boring yes but it looks great ;)i don’t know how further you come with struggle many struggles, like the game wants you dead and MR freeze how undefeatable is he man these ice thing or bombs something they spray all over the level, the difficulty kind of destroys the game its goodness a few tunes down the difficulty and it was an great title then, Graphic wise it did everything we could have expected in 1995.

[David J.]

Air Buster
Trampoline Terror (Yes, I like this game...)

[Mr Smith]

Kid Chameleon was pretty awesome and I don't remember much about it as kid.

[Genesis Knight]

Sunset Riders is a wonderful game, yes.

[Zebbe]

Maybe Herzog Zwei. I haven't played it, but feel it is a must buy because it is the first Real Time Strategy game ever. A game that innovates such million sellers like Command & Conquer and Warcraft should get more praise.

[GeckoYamori]

It may have been the first, but I don't think Westwood took any inspiration from it. Dune 2 defined the genre, whereas Herzog didn't set any standards.

[ary incorparated]

Dune 2 MWahhhhhhh ZZZZZZZZ Boring.

[Zebbe]

It may have been the first, but I don't think Westwood took any inspiration from it. Dune 2 defined the genre, whereas Herzog didn't set any standards.

"We were all adicted to Herzog Zwei at Westwood. We played for hours on the SEGA. However, Dune was inspired by more than Herzog .. The whole industry was moving to more interactiviity. FTL had Dungeon Master that took the Ultima and Wizardry games to a new level. We were already doing "what if" games like DragonStrike and Eye of the Beholder.

[...]

Anyway just my thoughts .. from a guy on the original Dune design team."

Source (http://dune2k.com/forum/index.php?PHPSESSID=f7d9184cb4d119bb67d652b3187f0c 8a&topic=9580.msg268604#msg268604)

There you go. I think putting the strategy element into real time IS a standard.

[David J.]

I still need a Herzog Zwei manual. :(

[Joe Redifer]

Westwood can't spell. How do they type code without messing up?

[David J.]

I wanted to buy the C&C first decade collection... but freaking EA fudged it up.

[Flash1087]

Westwood can't spell. How do they type code without messing up?

That implies their games contain code to begin with. Renegade's multiplayer hitboxes, for example.

[Mr Smith]

What system was "Dune" originally released on?

[Drixxel]

What system was "Dune" originally released on?

The original Dune was released on Amiga, PC and and later Sega CD in a version that blended qualities of the two previous versions. Dune was not developed by Westwood Studios, but rather a team of French dudes named Cryo Interactive. Dune II, Westwood's bread 'n butter, came out later in the same year (1992).

[j_factor]

Cryo sounds familiar...

[Henry Spencer]

They created my favourite old PC game ever: Lost Eden, what a masterpiece.

[j_factor]

I remember Lost Eden for 3DO... great game.

[Mr Smith]

The original Dune was released on Amiga, PC and and later Sega CD in a version that blended qualities of the two previous versions. Dune was not developed by Westwood Studios, but rather a team of French dudes named Cryo Interactive. Dune II, Westwood's bread 'n butter, came out later in the same year (1992).

Thanks for that. I had this strange thought that there was no original game and that it was a sequel of the movie!!

[Henry Spencer]

I remember Lost Eden for 3DO... great game.

The ending at first made me rather annoyed, but after a moment to think about it, it couldn't have been any other way, it all made sense, I loved the story the most.

Also, do not forget Puggsy, my favourite Genesis puzzling game, STILL not reviewed as of yet, I am considering giving it a go...

[Sega Saturn x]

Viewpoint would look increadible if it wasn't so damn choppy.

[j_factor]

Then play it on Neo Geo.