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With the popularity of soccer in Europe, it’s not surprising that consoles there saw some releases that never made it to North America. Champions of Europe for the Master System is one example, and judging by the gameplay, perhaps it was better left on the other side of the pond. It’s not great, but it has nothing on excellent releases like Sensible Soccer.
The Sega CD has a great selection of RPGs, but most were sadly left in Japan. Those willing to brave the language barrier should consider playing Shin Megami Tensei, an installment in the long-running and popular series that was never brought to the West. It’s a great upgrade over the Super Famicom version, and there are FAQs online to help with the plot!
The Bitmap Bros. are renowned for their excellent games, titles that are both well-presented and that play great. Speedball on the Genesis is a great example of that, but the Master System port, done by Mirrorsoft/Image Works, doesn’t fare as well. Everything that made the Genesis version so good is missing, so there’s no reason to bother with this version.
Accolade’s answer to the NBA Jam series was to give basketball star “Sir” Charles Barley his own series. The game was successful enough to spawn a sequel, but unfortunately, it doesn’t do much to push the “street b-ball” sub-genre forward. Perhaps its most remarkable feature is how it squeezes every ounce out of its undoubtedly expensive endorsement.
When most people think of game releases, they tend to think of Japan, Europe, and North America. For Sega, however, one of the most important regions was South America, most notably Brazil. Tectoy was Sega’s partner in the country, and it saw major success there. We recently chatted with its president, Stefano Arnhold, about Tectoy and its efforts.