Sonic The Hedgehog opened the floodgates for a slew of furry mascot characters that had attitude and some lame nemesis to destroy for the greater world good. Activision’s Radical Rex, released on both the Genesis and Sega CD (as well as the SNES), varied from that tired formula in one way: its hero wasn’t furry. Yes, Rex the Dinosaur bravely decided to stand out from the crowd by having skin and not fur, and his jumping, skateboard-riding, item-collecting talents were the envy of the platforming world. And thanks to his individuality and war against conformism, video games are better now.
Tag: 1994
Rise of the Robots
Rise of the Robots will forever be known as a blueprint for poor game design pressed to silicon, and aspiring game designers need look no further when studying the perils of graphics over gameplay. A button-mashing nightmare that had no technique or fighting style at all, the entire experience was an exercise in frustration and usually left the player both exasperated and boiling with rage. The ironic part of all this? Rise of the Robots was ported to a zillion consoles and actually received a sequel. Note to Acclaim and Mirage Technologies: creating a second turd as an act of contrition for the first does not make things right; it makes a pile of turds.
Syndicate
Syndicate was quite a popular title during Bullfrog Production’s run, which ended when it was gobbled up by Electronic Arts in 1995. Playing like the love child of The Matrix and Wall Street, the game tasks players with all sorts of nasty objectives, like assassinating rival corporations or brainwashing targets into obedience.
Super Battleship
Milton Bradley’s Battleship has been a family favorite since its introduction in 1943 (under a different name then), and several electronic version have made their way home over the last few decades. The company cashed in on the success of the 16-bit consoles by releasing a version for both the Genesis and the SNES, and while it wasn’t bad, it lacked the excitement that made the original board game so famous.
Mickey’s Ultimate Challenge
Mickey Mouse had a long run on the Genesis, with some games being better than others. You mostly hear people talk about Castle and World of Illusion or Mickey Mania when the good ones are mentioned, and Fantasia usually tops the list of the bad. However, no one ever really mentions Mickey’s Ultimate Challenge. I wonder why that is? Isn’t it good, or is it a total stinker?
