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Ah shmups. Call them shooters or what you will, there’s no denying their appeal. Dashing through space, killing all in your path…it’s a most satisfying way to spend an afternoon; however, sometimes the glory isn’t worth the pain. Take Taito’s Master of Weapon, for instance. If ever a game should have stayed in the arcade, this was it.
With all the different ports there are, we just can’t get enough of putting them up against each other to see which is best. This latest installment of Side by Side sees the Genesis and Turbo Grafx-16 versions of Air Buster/Aero Blasters. Both versions of this classic shmup have their fans, so who gets the victory and who goes home a sad panda?
Some games don’t die; they just fade away. Such is the case of Electronic Arts’ F-22 Inteceptor, which tried to bring fighter simulation action to the Genesis but came up short. Sloppy A.I., choppy animation – you name it, it’s here. We’ve tried to keep an open mind with this one, but let’s just call it a “cease fire” and move on.
You’re playing Mortal Kombat 3 or Street Fighter II CE and you just can’t take the controller’s unsuitable D-pad. What’s a gamer to do? Why, get himself a real fighting stick, that’s what! There are plenty of candidates available (as evidenced by our Accessories & Peripheral Guide), so which to choose? There’s the stellar Sega Arcade Stick, but those can be hard to find and are sometimes even pricey. A good alternative is the ASCII Fighter Stick SG-6, which gives you plenty of options to get the best out of your fighting game experience.
When the working day is done, it’s time to crack some heads! In the ring of course, and there are fewer ways to go about it than with Capcom’s Saturday Night Slam Masters. A big arcade brawler squeezed onto a Genesis cart, it has more than enough action to keep you playing.