This is Crusader of Centy, also known as Soleil in Europe, for the Sega Genesis. It was developed by Nextech, a Japanese developer that still produces solid games today, mainly RPGs. They've developed a few of the hundreds of Shining Force games for the handheld consoles. So what's Crusader of Centy about? A lot of people consider this Genesis's response to Zelda: A Link to the Past. While the graphics are somewhat similar, and you do play a boy swinging a sword, the similarities end there. This is something very different.
As you might have guessed, you can name your characters.
Story- You play as Corona, a boy who has just turned 14 years old. In your hometown, Soleil Town, all boys who turn 14 must pick up a sword and do battle. You are given your father's sword, who was slain in battle many years ago. This may seem like a standard "redeem your father's blah blah", but it's actually much more than that. About half an hour into the game, you lose the ability to talk to humans and instead interact with animals and plants.
You may even meet some old friends...
Yeah, yeah...
The game is divided into two parts: The part where you talk to humans/animals separately, and the part where you can talk to both of them. Along your journey, you will befriend and be helped by several animal buddies. Hearing that and seeing the cartoony artwork, you may think this is a chipper and light-hearted adventure. Not true. I was damn surprised at some of the themes confronted in this game. Most of them revolve around animals saying "Humans are selfish, megalomaniacal dickbags.", or something along those lines. It wears thin after a while. I won't spoil the rest for you. While the story is fairly well developed and insightful, it can tend to get 'preachy' in some parts.
I think I know what's in that old man's pipe.
No adventure is complete without some tricky platforming.
Graphics- Nothing revolutionary, but the graphics still hold up pretty well. Backgrounds range from colorful and vivid to dreary and dark. There's a good range of settings, and this game does a fantastic job of making each environment unique and idiosyncratic. Animations are smooth and crisp, just the way I like 'em. On a grade scale, I'd probably give the graphics a good B+. Colorful environments with some fantastic effects, but nothing we haven't seen before.
Controls- I never found any real flaws in the controls of this game. There were a few difficult platforms I would overshoot, but I'd blame that on the fact that I generally suck at making those kind of jumps. Swinging your sword and implementing your little gang of Happy Tree Friends has never been easier. To choose which animals to use, simply press start and utilize the little menu. Hell, you can even save from the menu. Very easy game to pick up and play.
Sound- I was genuinely impressed with how amazing some of the music in this game is. The soundtracks are wonderfully incorporated with the backgrounds to create an immersive atmosphere. Listen to this track from the underwater dungeon:
Gameplay- Just like A Link to the Past, you can swing, charge up, and throw your sword around. This is only a small part of the gameplay. The meat
and potatoes of the game lies in the animal counterparts you pick up over the course of the game. They each give you a special ability you'll need to progress through the game. For example, the cheetah allows you to run faster so you can jump over large canyons. The penguin, cleverly named Chilly, gives your sword an ice attack and enables you to freeze lava.
Just like any action RPG, your character gains health (in the form of apples) and coins throughout his journey. Coins are used for plot points and buying 'mercenary' animals that can only be used one time. Apples are increased by finding Rainbow Apples and defeating bosses.
The bosses in this game are all unique, but relatively easy once you figure out what makes them tick. Usually it's just about finding out what makes them tick and using the right animal combinations. There's even one boss that requires a little memorization skill. I had a lot of fun trying to figure out the best strategy to beating some of these guys. A few of them will force you to use some sense, which I like to see in my games.
What the hell is this, Contra?
Final Thoughts- This is a fun RPG for the Sega, and one that I would recommend. This is an underrated little gem for the Sega. As far as I know, it's not in any of the Sega Genesis collections, and I couldn't imagine why that would be. Take it for what it is, a surprisingly highbrow action RPG with solid gameplay, an excellent musical score, and some pretty good replay value.
This is Sorcerer's Kingdom for the Sega Genesis. I didn't know what to expect when I saw this cover. When I popped this bad boy in, I was expecting the theme from Neverending Story to start belting out of my Sega. Sadly, that's not the case. Originally developed by NCS. Corp, it was localized by Treco and brought to the states. At first glance, it may appear to be another dime a dozen RPG for the Sega, but it is a little more than that. Let's see how this game holds up.
Story- How many times have we seen the screen above in an RPG? Too many time to count. You play as our (Insert Name) green haired hero, the son of a hero who has gone missing after searching for a great treasure. The king has decided to give you a chance to make a name for yourself. Later in the game, you will find out that the forces of evil have been capturing the Spirits of the world. In order to save the world, you must destroy the Black Dragon, who we receive absolutely no backstory on. Yeah, it's not much of a plot, especially for an RPG. In addition, character development is pretty much nonexistant. In most RPGs, you become acquainted with your other heroes and learn about their past. In this game, the pink haired Scout decided to follow you because she wants to save the world or something. Thin story and virtually no character interaction. Not a good way to start an RPG.
You play as Joker and his gang of misfits.
Graphics- The graphics are decent for an RPG on the Sega. There's nothing that really grabs me about this game. The backgrounds are fairly well made and colorful, but don't stand out from any other RPG coming out at the time. It's no Secret of Mana, but it doesn't have to be. Many spell effects, particularly the area effect spells like Firestorm and Spark, are pretty impressive for the time. There aren't many creatures in this game. Excluding palette swaps, I don't think there could be more than 25 sprites. For an RPG, that's pretty lackluster. Enemies are pretty standard, as well. Trolls, goblins, skeletons, bubbles. Nothing new to see here. Sound- This is probably the strongest aspect of Sorcerer's Kingdom. It doesn't have the orchestral feel of larger RPGs on the SNES, but it still has some pretty catchy music. Remember, the Sega didn't have the musical capabilities of the Super Nintendo. It just didn't have the same hardware. Below is the main 'boss' theme of the game.
Gameplay- Here is where the game really takes a nosedive. In most conventional RPGs, your party gets to coordinate attacks as a group. It is up to you to use the party as a whole to overcome the odds. Sorcerer's Kingdom says, "To hell with all of that. Let's have it where every enemy can attack you, but only one member of your party can attack a turn. Yeah, let's go with that!" I cannot begin to describe how flawed this concept is, but I can certainly try. Look at this screen below. Do you see all those goblins? For
every one attack you get, every one of those little shits gets one. This is especially difficult in the beginning, where your character is weaker than a toddler.
This game suffers from one of the most ridiculous difficulty curves I've ever seen in a game. Most RPGs will throw some low level enemies like bubbles and flies to get you easy experience. In this game, the first enemy in the game will kill you in about three hits. Bear in mind, that's if you're only fighting one. I can't tell you how many times I've had to use the RUN option to run away to the inn like a blubbering pussy. However, as soon as you buy an item as meager as a leather helmet, you're Billy Badass. Goblins will practically run on your sword after that. There's not much middle ground in this game. Either you're getting your ass handed to you, or you're dealing it out.
There's some strategy in moving around, but it mainly boils
down to just bashing the hell out of each other.
Because only one person can attack per turn, it is inevitable that your party will become vastly unbalanced. No matter how hard you try to maintain an even keel, your other fighters will not be as important as our main hero. In addition, there is a part at the end of the game where you obtain a powerful sword that increases the hero's attack threefold. This is great for your main character, but it diminishes every other member of the party to role of 'supporting character'. It gets to the point where members of your party cannot damage the enemies at the end. I've never seen that in an RPG. There may be some people that enjoy this style of fighting, but it just isn't very suiting for a team-based RPG. Sometimes games utilize the same old fighting system for a reason: because it works. I did get used to the system eventually, so it's not a crippling factor. However, it did make me wish I was playing a bettter RPG like Shining Force.
For as tough as the initial battles are, the Boss battles are generally a joke. The last boss in particular is a major letdown, both in appearance and difficulty. He's on the back of the box, by the way. Really adds to the mystique, doesn't it? On that downer note, some of the bosses are pretty cool. I had a lot of fun with the Lich and the Warlock battles.
Final Thoughts- All in all, it's a relatively mediocre RPG. The graphics are decent and the music can be very good in parts, but the gameplay and story are heavily lacking. It all boils down to a very forgettable RPG for the Sega. With a few minor tweaks, it could have been a forgotten gem that was overshadowed by far more popular RPGs. Rating (out of 5)- **1/2
"Wise fwom your gwave!" It's Altered Beast for the Sega Genesis, one of the first games I ever played for the big black box. Released as an arcade game in 1988 in the arcade, it was actually a pretty cool beat-em-up. Not many arcade games let you play as peanut headed, muscle bound Roman soldiers beating the shit out of zombies, demons, and dragons.
It's like the Roman version of Lex Luger.
Only one year later, the arcade was ported to the Sega Genesis. While inferior to the arcade, it is generally received as a decent port, particularly for the time it was made. More often than not, it is seen as a nostalgic curio. So how does it hold up today? Let's dive into this beast.
"Power up!"
"Welcome to your doom"
Story- You play as a fallen Roman centurion revived by Zeus to rescue his daughter, Athena. She has been
Kicking undead ass as Fozzie Bear!
captured by Neff, the Uncle Fester of Ancient Greece. You may be asking, "What the hell is a centurion doing in Greece rescuing a Greek goddess?" That's a good question. I haven't the slightest idea. What I do know is that your character is endowed with the power to gather energy from spirit balls. Picking up three will enable you to transform into a powerful creature. This ranges from the kickass tiger to the laughably stupid bear. Each creature has their own unique attack. More on that later.
Don't worry. This boss is a total pushover.
Graphics- The graphics are average at best. Remember, this was made in 1989, the very beginning of Sega's launch. In fact, many Segas came bundled with Altered Beast. Arcade ports like this, Forgotten Worlds, and Golden Axe were the springboards for Sega's success down the lines. How do the graphics hold up today? Not very well, but they've aged better than some old games. Character animations are simple but relatively fluid. Character and creature designs are unique and true to their arcade counterpart. The backgrounds are colorful, but static. Not much going on back there. On a grade scale, I'd give the graphics a C+. Moving on. Controls- It feels like an arcade beat-em up. You've got your standard punch-kick-jump combo on the D-Pad. In addition, holding up and jumping enables you to do a higher jump. Not too shabby. In addition, you are granted special beast powers when you transform, including fireballs, a powered charge, arc lightning, and "super bear breathe" that turns your enemies into stone (What the hell?).
What were they smoking?
Music- The Sega Genesis is known for a lot of terrific things. Excellent sound quality is not one of them. Altered Beast is no exception. Although it holds a special place in my heart, it sounds like it's being played through a tin can. That's not to say the music is terrible. Quite the opposite, in fact. Altered Beast had some catchy music. Here's the boss theme from the Sega:
However, the music doesn't hold a flame to the original arcade. Another thing Altered Beast is known for is the voice-synthesis software. I can't pretend that the voice acting in this game is anything but hilarious. The very first thing you hear when you press the start button is Zeus speaking in an Elmer Fudd drawl, "Wise fwom your gwave." To me, it just adds another element of charm to the game.
"Gomez! Help me!"
Gameplay- The game plays just like an old school arcade. A damn hard one, however. You have three lives in Altered Beast. As Revolver Ocelot said, "There are no continues, my friend." You have three lives to make it through five reasonably sized levels, each with a boss at the end. Not impossible, but very difficult. It doesn't take much to die in this game, either. Those undead ghouls throw out jabs like Sonny Liston, and they can do a lot of damage. Keep your distance and kick those fuckers in the shin. They'll go down faster than you can say, "Blast Processing".
The bosses are pretty strange and require a bit of strategy to beat. You've already seen the head-throwing demon and the eyeball monster above. They're not too hard. The third boss is some "Snail Dragon", but he won't give you much grief. The ones you have to worry about are the fourth and fifth boss. The fourth boss is some crocodile monster with a molten everlasting gobstopper embedded in his belly. He'll shoot flames and little flaming imps that'll kamikaze your ass at the most inopportune moments, so you'll have to be on your toes and plan your shots carefully.
He's dressed like Liberace,
but he's a tough bastard.
The last boss is Rocksteady. He's an aggressive bastard, and he'll punch, kick, and charge your ass into the ground if you don't have sufficient health.
Unless you're some sort of gaming wizard, you probably won't.
Worth every penny.
Just like any good arcade game, this is two players. This gives you a good opportunity to be a prick and steal your friend's power orbs. There's no friendly fire, so you won't have to worry about accidentally lobbing a tiger ball at your friend's head by mistake. It's a solid two-player game that I've enjoyed with many of my friends. Final Thoughts- Altered Beast is the jalopy of the Sega Genesis. It may not look like much, and it may sound like total shit sometimes, but it has a certain charm about it. Sure, there are better arcade ports on the box, but I can always fall back to Altered Beast for some bear blasting, fireball throwing action. My only criticism is that it is a very short game. Good players can crank this game out in less than 30 minutes. More levels and more beasts would make for a much better game. This game is as easy to find as oxygen. My recommendation would be Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection. In addition to playing the Sega port, you can also play the original arcade. If you're a diehard fanboy, the original cartridge isn't hard to find. Shell out a few bucks and start cracking skulls.
When you think of product placement games, what game do you usually think of? Yo Noid? The Chester Cheetah games? Hell no. You think of Cool Spot. Originally created in the 80's as the mascot for 7 Up, Cool Spot became so popular he got his own little platformer on the Sega Genesis. I know what we're all thinking? Why couldn't they make a Sega Game with Geoffrey Holder in it instead?
Sadly, that just didn't happen. I'm still waiting.
Enough with the pipe dreams, though. Cool Spot was developed in 1993 by Virgin Games USA, who have done their fair share of shitty product games. This includes such classics as M.C. Kids and Global Gladiators. However, they have done several game I'd consider pretty damn good as well, such as Disney's Aladdin and RoboCop Versus the Terminator (Maybe not a damn good game, but still a guilty pleasure). So how does this game fare out against the others? Let's take a look.
That's a good way to start any video game.
Story- Not to anybody's surprise, this game doesn't have a story. Instead, you roam across several different backdrops looking for your fellow Spots. Before you can save your buddies, you have to accumulate 'Cool Points' first. So, pretty much it's a "Get from Point A to Point B without dying" game. I can live with that.
Graphics- The graphics are pretty good for a platformer. Animation on Spot and his enemies is pretty crisp and fluid, but the backgrounds can be a bit uninspired and bland sometimes. Overall, they're not too shabby, though. My one big complaint with the graphics comes in the level "Loco Motive". In this level, you're on a toy train zooming through a child's room.
The background is looping to simulate a train speeding past. I can buy that, but does it have to be so damn fast? When I was trying to do some jumping, all I could see were the same images speeding past at a dizzying rate. I actually had to pause the game to prevent myself from spewing pico de gallo on my damn Sega. What were they thinking? It's giving me a migraine just thinking about it.
Controls- Controls are kind of goofy for this game, particularly the jumping. When you jump from rope to rope, your character jumps really high and not very far. This means you'll usually hit your head on a ceiling and fall down. In addition, you gain momentum when you run for a short period. This is essential to master some tricky jumps later in the game. Spot's attack is shooting bubbles in any direction. Unfortunately, you can't just sit in place and shoot bubbles. You have to keep moving while you're aiming, which can be annoying. It's like Contra, only not as fun.
Music- This game's got some funky cool music in it. It's one of the few positives I have to say about the game. My favorite's gotta be the bonus stage theme. I can't help but bob my head to that rocking techno beat.
Gameplay- I'm not going to lie: the gameplay is not that great for a platformer. Because there is so much shit flying around and shooting fireballs, you can't rush through the stages. You have to take out the enemies before they get a lucky shot on you, which they always will. It's just a very tedious process slogging through these enemies to get to the end. In addition, many of the stages are way too similar to previous ones to the point of feeling like you're playing the same stage again. This game is 10 stages, which isn't necessarily long, but feels way longer than it should.
Essentially, you'll play through the same stages fighting the same uninspired enemies. Also, there aren't any end bosses. No killer Pepsi bottles, no Geoffrey Holder throwing cola nuts at you, nothing. What a letdown!
Final Thoughts- If you had asked me what I thought about this game on the second or third level, I'd say, "This is a cute little platformer. The graphics are good, the music is solid, and it's not too bad." If you'd ask me that question on the ninth level, I'd say, "I would rather kick puppies in the face than play this monotonous slog of shit." If this game had been cut in half and had end bosses, it would be decent. However, the levels are boring, mazelike, and start to all look the same after a while. It just doesn't do it for me. Towards the end of the game, I was actually forcing myself to play through these damn levels. Unless you have a nostalgic sweet tooth or really love 7 Up, I can't recommend this game.
Earthworm Jim, one of the finest platformers the Sega Genesis has to offer. Originally released for the Sega in 1994, it was also ported to the Super Nintendo and the Sega CD. Originally created as a parody of many platformers at the time, the game has since become a classic game in the Sega library. It also helped spawn a toy line, comic books, and even a television series. There was also Earthworm Jim 3D for the Nintendo 64, but that turned out to be a colossal flop.
"Maximum Suckage"
Story- Our hero Earthworm Jim was just a normal earthworm until a space suit falls from heaven and pretty much gives him a bionic body. He has to use this suit to save Princess What's-Her-Name from the evil forces of Major Mucus, Bob the Goldfish, Psy-Crow, and Queen Slug-For-A-Butt. You can tell the character development department had a field day with this game.
"Whoa nelly!"
Graphics- The graphics of the game are much like the Saturday morning cartoon it inspired: colorful, animated, and completely off the wall. Animation is crisp and humorous. The backgrounds are colorful and entertaining, particularly the underwater stages and the space chase scenes. These are what I've come to expect of later games on the Sega Genesis: crisp, clean, and very colorful. You can tell this game utilized the full potential of the Sega, unlike many of the earlier releases.
Controls- Controls are smooth as glass. Jumping, shooting, and swinging are all very manageable. You may find a few parts where swinging can be a bit of a hassle, but otherwise it's not too much of a pain.
Sound- The music is all over the place, but I love every moment of it. The most notable music is the background track for "What the Heck?". It is a juxtaposition of Mussorgsky's "Night on Bald Mountain" and elevator music, a perfect harmony of scary and silly. I love it.
The other stages don't take a backseat to "What the Heck?" All of them have a unique track that complement the stage perfectly. Sound effects are equally goofy, exactly like something you'd hear in a Saturday morning cartoon.
That poor, poor cow.
Gameplay- Here's where the game really shines. The game is a well polished platformer that allows you to jump, shoot, swing, and beat enemies down with your pink wormy head. You can use your head as a whip, a grapple (kind of like Bionic Commando), and even a helicopter rotor. In addition to 'using your head', you
can also use your blaster to fire rapid rounds or a special beam shot if you pick those up. Enemies include muscle-bound cats, lawyers, junkyard dogs, and other goofy monsters. The bosses are equally unique. One of my favorite boss battles is a bungee duel with Major Mucus. You have to slam him against the walls in an attempt to destroy his cord before he breaks yours. It's one of the most innovative boss battles I've seen on the Sega, and it's a lot of fun. Other bosses include trying to avoid Evil the Cat while you're a worm out of your suit and the trout vomiting Chuck.
For a Sega platformer, it takes a short while to beat. If you're really good, I'm sure you can tackle it in an hour or so. However, it is not an easy game by any means. I don't expect you to beat it on your first try. That being said, it's got terrific replay value. It's one of the few games I can pick up and play any time.
Final Thoughts- This is one of the best games on the Sega Genesis, so don't hesitate to pick it up. It's also relatively cheap, usually lower than $10. You get a lot of bang for your buck. I haven't played the second Earthworm Jim, but I heard that's generally pretty good as well. Check them out!
Ah, Toki. You know just by looking at that cover that this is gonna be one goofy ass game. To nobody's surprise, you'd be absolutely right. Toki was originally released as an arcade platformer in Japan under the name Juju Densetsu. The arcade game was goofy and slow paced, but it had its place in the arcades.
In fact, it was so popular, this game was ported to nearly every major console. Amiga, Nintendo, Commodore 64 and even the Atari Lynx had their own ports of the game. From what I've heard, the Amiga port is generally the favored port . Naturally, Sega threw their hat in the ring and created their own unique 'remix' of the game. The Sega Genesis port is a strange beast. The original arcade game had unique stages with a boss at the end, not unlike a game such as Ghosts n' Goblins. The Sega version separates the stages into segments where the goal is to reach a goal marker like Sonic the Hedgehog. More on that later.
"Unlimited Power!"
Story- Our hero Toki (or Juju) is enjoying a lovely day with Princess Wanda, until a mystical palace rises in the background. Wanda is captured by the disembodied Bashtar, while Toki is transformed into an ape by the mysterious Dr. Stark. The transformation also gave him the ability to shoot magical energy balls from his mouth. It's Mario with a ball spitting primate.
Graphics- The graphics aren't bad, but they can be a bit bland sometimes. There are some decent background effects, but this is not a game that showcases the full power of the Sega by any means. Sonic the Hedgehog came out in the same year, and that had so much more going on in the backgrounds.
That being said, there are some decent effects in the game, particularly in the ice and lava stages. The color palette for the game is not terrible. There are bright hues of purple, blue, and red in many stages. The animation on Toki is crisp and even humorous sometimes. The other enemies are a mixed bag. Many of the bosses have very little animation at all. Two of the bosses, Eyesore and Crystal Mammoth, have virtually no animation.
This bastard can be a real pain in the ass.
Controls- The controls leave something to be desired. First off, your character moves with no urgency whatsoever. When something is dropping on your head, your character can only trundle out of the way and hope to not get hit. In addition, jumping can be a bit tricky, especially on the ice stage. It sucks. You slide all over that damn stage and can't do a thing to protect yourself. There's no room to fuck up. One hit, and you start the level all over again. Not necessarily bad controls, but very slow and takes time to get used to.
Sound- Listen to the song below:
Do you like it? It is pretty awesome? I hope so, because you'll hear this damn song throughout most of this tedious game. There are other level songs in the game. The first one that comes to mind is the underwater stages, which isn't a bad little music track. The bosses also have their own little unique track. However, this game could use so many more tracks. Because the music is nearly identical for all of the stages, many of them feel like you're playing the same stage over.
Gameplay- This game suffers from very slow gameplay, especially for a platformer. Compare this to something like Sonic or Rocket Knight Adventures, and this just falls flat. I have two main criticisms of this game, but they pretty much butcher the gameplay. First, the level design is horrible and sometimes cruel. There are several instances where you take a leap of faith only to have a row of spikes planted firmly in your hairy ass. Levels are riddled with dead ends and ledges that lead to nowhere. This segways into my second criticism: You can never tell what's going on around you. I can't tell you how many times I've died because I jumped in the air and some flying fuckbat decides to dive bomb at that very moment. In addition, there are many times where you just don't know what the hell is below you. Is it a piece of fruit? An extra life? Some enemy waiting to get a cheap hit? Jump down and find out.
Now that we've got that can of worms out of the way, let's talk about the actual gameplay. You walk around the levels at a snail's pace, shooting energy balls from your mouth. You can pick up powerups to change your shot, such as a flamethrower, bouncing balls, and a spread shot. There's also a pair of tennis shoes that allow you to jump very high. Don't get it. You'll end up jumping into an enemy and killing yourself.
There are several bosses in this game, and many of them are unique and fun to play. My favorite is the blatantly stereotyped black woman called Primeval.
Oh, Japan. You and your racist video games.
In addition to Aunt Jemima, you also fight a submarine loaded with apes, a fat monster that belches at you, and the disembodied giant that captured your lovely Wanda. Once you get the pattern of many of them, they can be pretty easy. It only takes one shot to kill you, so don't screw up.
Final Thoughts- This is a poor port of an already slow paced arcade game. While the graphics and sound aren't terrible, the gameplay is slow, boring, and irritating. There's many cheap kills and annoying level designs that will leave you throwing your controller on the ground. This game's not cheap, either. It will cost at least $10 to get your hands on a copy of this game. Do yourself a favor: play a better port, or even better, play a better platformer. I'll review one of the best platformers Sega has to offer next. Rating (out of 5): **
Controls- I never found any real flaws in the controls of this game. There were a few difficult platforms I would overshoot, but I'd blame that on the fact that I generally suck at making those kind of jumps. Swinging your sword and implementing your little gang of Happy Tree Friends has never been easier. To choose which animals to use, simply press start and utilize the little menu. Hell, you can even save from the menu. Very easy game to pick up and play. 
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