Released in Japan as a licensed game based on “Fist of the North Star,” Last Battle is the weakest link in the Sega Genesis launch line-up. A side-scrolling punch-and-kick action game, it’s similarity and inferiority to Altered Beast leave it out in the cold. The game has some sort of plot, but the introductory text … Read more
Episode 5 – This week I review Operation Logic Bomb: The Ultimate Search & Destroy for the Super Nintendo. This excellent run & gun is somewhat similar to games like Ikari Warriors, Total Carnage, Shock Troopers, MERCs, etc, but has great atmosphere and music. This is definitely a hidden gem on the SNES and can … Read more
Whenever the topic of run & gun games comes up, someone has to mention Contra as the greatest of all time. Contra certainly has it’s place in the genre, but for my money it doesn’t get any better than the Metal Slug series. This first installment in the franchise is set is a modern version … Read more
When reviewing Mega Turrican, the obvious comparisons to be made are between this game and both the original Turrican and Contra: Hard Corps. Mega Turrican is what the first Turrican should have been. The game is actually the third in the series, as Turrican II was only released on select home computer systems. The game … Read more
Turrican is a run-and-gun shooter in the vein of Contra or Gunstar Heroes, that was ported over from the Commodore Amiga. The game has a plot, but (as is usually the case) it isn’t important. Your character is a bio-engineered life form that looks a lot more like an android, or at least like Robocop. … Read more
Game companies may have decided that Americans were no longer interested in 2D games in the 32 bit era, but in Japan 2D was still alive and well. Elevator Action Returns is an excellent example of the kind of games that we missed out on due to the 3D craze. The game distills the best … Read more
Contra is a game that should need no introduction. This classic side-scrolling shooter was in such demand when it was released that stores could scarcely keep it in stock. The game hails from a time when seemingly every pseudo-military themed action game had to feature a main character who was some sort of Rambo variant. … Read more
Ninja Spirit is one part Shinobi and one part shooter, mixing the side-scrolling ninja action of the classic Genesis title with the power up system found in most shooters. The game play is almost mindless – jump around avoiding enemy fire while mashing the attack button, much like most shoot-em-ups. The only real strategy involved … Read more
Altered Beast is a side-scrolling action game in which the hero, a shape-shifting resurrected Roman centurion, must rescue Zeus’ daughter from an evil demon god. Through the collection of power-ups the protagonist grows incrementally stronger before finally turning into a non-human creature with special powers. Once the final shape shift has taken place, a boss … Read more
Contra: Hard Corps should be one of the best games on the Genesis. In 1994, only a handful of memorable games were released for the system, and the Genesis could have used the help against the Super Nintendo’s increasing market share. Hard Corps has some of the most detailed and colorful graphics of any game … Read more