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By the time Columns III was released in America in 1994, Sega had all but lost interest in the franchise, and farmed out its release to Vic Tokai. This was the second time the series had been snubbed by its creator, as Columns II never saw a console release in the U.S. Perhaps it was a fitting end though, as each game failed to live up to the quality established by the arcade original.
Everyone knows Zero Wing. What’s ironic is that the most famous Genesis shmup of all time isn’t known for its gameplay, visuals, or sound. What makes it so special is a hilarious mistranslation in the opening of the PAL version. Toaplan’s “All your base” line will live in infamy for sure, but how does the game itself stand up?
Talk about shmups to any gamer, and one company is sure to come up: Toaplan. It’s been around forever and has created some of the best games in the genre, which have virtually all found a home on one console or another. Twin Cobra arrived on the Genesis in 1991, and while it didn’t set the world on fire, it was a pretty decent play.
One of the more unique shmup concepts was the use of insects as ships. Though Insector-X tried to pull it off, it was Sega’s own Biohazard Battle that came the closest to conveying the coolness of using a raging hornet as your craft. Sound weird? It should, as this is one weird game.
The Ren & Stimpy Show: Stimpy’s Invention did a great job of capturing all the charm and humor of the classic cartoon series, and though it had its share of flaws, there’s more than enough fun here to make it worth playing. Heck, I got it just so I could smack Stimpy around!