Gauntlet IV

[Melf]

Tengen had a huge presence on the Genesis, offering plenty of Atari classics that were very close to the originals. In some cases, they were actually better. Gauntlet IV was one such title, and it added to the already awesome multi-player mayhem by adding a ton of extra modes and full four-player support. It just didn't get any better than this. And for anyone out there still doubting its brilliance, we've got a full review (http://www.sega-16.com/forum/../Review-%20Gauntlet%204.htm) to set you straight.

[Joe Redifer]

Fairly good review, but you forgot to mention those things that people generally like to read about like graphics and sound. I do not consider graphics or sound to be a trivial aspect of any game. So I will comment on them here:

Graphics:
Gauntlet IV has adequate graphics. You won't see any fancy scrolling or mode 7 effects, but you will see a ton of sprites on the screen at the same time. I can't remember if it causes massive slowdown or not, but I'm sure it slows down a little. I'll have to play this game again to find out.

Sound:
Most of the sound is great. It has music composed and produced by that one guy... what's his face. Yeah, him! Many of the musical tracks are very involved and use a ton of sound channels compared to most games. The tunes are quite long before they loop. There are something like 114 voices in the game (the box is not within arm's reach but I think it is listed how many there are on the back), and they were all done buy a guy with massive amounts of Jiffy® peanut butter in his mouth. Many of the voices can even be understood, but I think that is only when you listen to them in the sound test where there are subtitles. When playing the game you will strain to decipher them. From what I recall the arcade had this same peanut-butter speech as well. Atari hates good voices.

[Melf]

I mentioned that it was extremely close to the arcade game, and since that's been around for years I figured it wasn't necessary to go over them in detail. There is some minor flicker, but it's hardly noticeable.

But yeah, I agree about the music. It's incredible, and I would love to find the arcade original to burn onto a CD.

[Joe Redifer]

The arcade music sound practically nothing like the Genesis music, except for maybe the title screen. Most of the Genesis music is all new... and MUCH better than the arcade.

[CRV]

Sound:
Most of the sound is great. It has music composed and produced by that one guy... what's his face.

It was composed by Masaharu Iwata and Hitoshi Sakimoto (sound engine by Sakimoto).

Game by M2: http://www.mtwo.co.jp/

[Flash1087]

I'm a fan of Gauntlet on any system...I have very fond memories of the N64 versions and the arcade title from around that same time. Never tried IV, but it defienetly sounds like a riot.

[j_factor]

Gauntlet Legends was much better on Dreamcast.

[Flash1087]

Was it? Never played that version, regrettably. My best memories of Dreamcast multiplayer are both Power Stones and Outtrigger.

[kevinski]

Hahahaha…it'd been ages since I last played a Gauntlet game, so I purchased Gauntlet Legends for Dreamcast. The gameplay is great, but what really stole the show for me was the announcer. "Red valkyrie needs food!" And how about that Valkyrie? "I like food!"

[Melf]

GL was a sequel rather than an adaptation though. As far as versions of the original game go, I think G IV ranks up there as one of, if not the best.

And I loved the voices too, especially Elf's little "heeheeheehee" whenever he ate and the narrator's chastising of a player who hogs all the food!

[Genesis Knight]

Gauntlet Legends absolutely mesmerized me when I first played it in the arcades. Man, I love that game.

[Kikoskia]

I love Gauntlet in any guise. I had it for the Amiga 500 a long time ago and I absolutely hated Death on that. I still hate him to this day. -_-

[MCHufnagel]

What a quarter sucker the original Gauntlet was for me and my friends. Between that and Smash TV, I'm surprised I had any money left for beer. I never picked up Gauntlet IV, but I do have Gauntlet Legends for the N64 and Dark Legacy for the PS2.

[kevinski]

I love Gauntlet in any guise. I had it for the Amiga 500 a long time ago and I absolutely hated Death on that. I still hate him to this day. -_-

What was so bad about Death on the Amiga version, just outta curiosity? I know that the Dreamcast version of GL is supposedly different because Death steals levels from you.

[David J.]

I never liked the Gauntlet games, but I loved Get Medieval on the PC. Go figure.

[Kikoskia]

Ah, I was just younger then. That, and the sound Deadth made when he stole energy from you was muhc more profound on the Amiga. When you're that young, it can be a little intimidating. :p