"No, Donny, these men are nihilists, there's nothing to be afraid of. " - A forgotten Genesis title.
My mission continues this week to spark the memories of old school games and pique the interest of the latest generation of gamers. At some level I am sure people will be baffled by my selections. The world I am going to explore this week is the wonder rival to last weeks’ console of choice, The Sega Genesis.
The world of gaming for most consisted of playing NES or the Atari 7800. There were some lucky individuals that got to bring the arcade experience as close to home as possible at that time in the form of the The Sega Genesis. Sega delivered on much more advanced games in comparison to their competition in those early years….before the dark times….before the Genesis transformed into a Voltron-esque machine. I may be wrong but I think the Belgians were developing an add-on waffle maker.
He should of just bought his Genesis at Babbages
I have come here today to reminisce and chew bubble gum…and I am all out of bubble gum.
Let me begin by getting the obvious out of the way. These games are what the Genesis was all about. Sonic the Hedgehog gave platforming a new edge and made you feel the need to run. I found myself collecting rings where ever I went after that, the Jeweler’s kiosk included. Blood and gore done right in Mortal Kombat II, “Get over here!” – what a great catch phrase. A little Basketball with bobble-headed freaks of nature that could incinerate the ball, like a certain cheerleader’s deadbeat mom, was found in NBA Jam. Golden Axe and Altered Beast were two arcade hits that brought their zaniness home nicely.
When all the pieces were combined, you formed the ultimate Genesis. Note - You had to be lvl 99 and posess the butter dish
Now onto the games that intrigued me. The first up is a minor reason I did not do so well in college, NHL ’94 by EA. What was so special about this sports game? Well how about the introduction of “one-timers,” and being able to save your data. Which meant highly competitive play in my fraternity house. I was terrible at it, but had a great time watching my friends and brothers compete and become crazed with each loss or victory. (Editor’s Note – The Flyers still suck)
As current readers of the confessional know I was a huge wrestling fan and Genesis brought home a special game to me from the arcade. “Welcome to Wrestle War!”, screamed the attract mode, which drew me to the machine in the arcade and sat me down to play it at home. Wrestle War was your basic put more and more money into it button masher wrestling game. I remember my friends and I liked all of the screaming and yelling it did (Wuw Whooooo anyone?). The game itself is a funny footnote to check out. It reminds me more of a friend that was really into it, and died before he was 18, from stupid criminal antics. Not to be a downer, but its weird in life what reminds you of people.
See what happens when you knock them off of a motorcycle with a chain!
Road Rash was an exercise in road rage. The main theme of the game was motorcycle racing. However this game added an element that many envision when they see someone driving like a criminal on a motorcycle, being able to knock them off their bike. This could be accomplished with a crowbar or a nice solid kick. It was satisfying. Why has this not been a DLC title yet, I do not know.
...next on Oprah
A time for tongue in cheek survival horror was upon us and two fun titles stand out to me in this genre. The silly but great Zombies ate My Neighbors was a love letter to old school movie monsters. The teenage protagonists had to save their neighbors in each stage or lose. Of course some could die but not all of them. Splatterhouse 2 was a great side scrolling button mash up. In this title you got to play as Rick. I remember how happy I was to play as Rick. You see my name is Dave or Fanky Malloon. So to play as Rick, I felt powerful enough to take on the Tall Man with my manly 2X4. Imagine looking like Jason Voorheis, but being the good guy. The guy who got to smash everything to save your sweetheart. Sadly they split after Rick developed an addiction to Ebay.
Now for a game I am sure many of you missed out on and boy did you ever. This is a favorite of mine that brings a smile to my mug.
The plot: Your group of hired mercenaries must face off against the dastardly steam driven machines of the Baron Fortesque and bring down his doomsday device: The Chaos Engine! The Chaos Engine, a/k/a Soldiers of Fortune was a two player co-op shooter. It had minor RPG elements that let you power up your selected character. Speaking of those fellows let me introduce them; The Mercenary, The Navvie, The Brigand, The Gentleman, The Thug, and finally The Scientist (Preacher). Each had their own weapon of choice that produced different effects. My favorite of course was the Scientist and his lightning gun. The game was played from a top down view and feature some strange worlds to play on and was a challenge and a good time to have with a buddy.
Pa-yamma-yamma-yamma...you tried to kill de brother of Medula!
Popularity: 9% [?]
8 comments