FLips' Sega MegaDrive Thread

[RedRooster]

On 1/7/2024 at 1:02 PM, FelatioLips said:

It may not reach the same pinnacle as something like Sonic 3 & Knuckles but if that was S Tier then this is A+ and still worth a play today.

Great to hear that it holds up so well. I used to love the Master System version of this, and I never actually played this one and only found out much later that it was significantly different to that. I replayed the MS game a couple of years ago, and while I thought it held up, I was absolutely terrible at it. I’ve definitely regressed as a gamer.

Mickey Mania was more my game as a child, as far as Disney titles go. I remember playing it at my friend’s house, and thinking the transition, in the Steamboat Willie stage, from black and white to colour was one of the most visually incredible things I’d ever seen in a game. It was the first time, I think, I really felt like I was playing a cartoon. 

I wonder if it’s even possible to have that sense of playing something truly remarkable - that feels like a massive technological jump or an innovation from what existed before - or if we’ve hit the limits of what can be achieved in that sense?

Edited January 9 by RedRooster

[FLips]

1 hour ago, RedRooster said:

Great to hear that it holds up so well. I used to love the Master System version of this, and I never actually played this one and only found out much later that it was significantly different to that. I replayed the MS game a couple of years ago, and while I thought it held up, I was absolutely terrible at it. I’ve definitely regressed as a gamer.

Funny you should mention that, Rooster. I never had a Master System but got my hands on one maybe 2 or 3 times during my childhood around various places. I was always under the impression I played the built in Alex Kidd and also Castle of Illusion. I heard rumours that some models of MS had Sonic built in but I never saw one in the wild. Years later a friend who had one as a kid told me the MS version had "Bridge Zone" and at that point having played the Mega Drive one to death and keeping in mind that friend was a notorious liar I never believed him, but I digress.
I actually played the rarer Nomad and Game Gear more than the MS as somehow knew people who had those.
I went back as part of my Castle of Illusion review and played the MS version but even as early as the first level I know I never played this one and I'm not sure where I got the idea I did from. I kept the MS version out because my MD review ended up being pretty long.

Having never had the MS I can't vouch for how good it looks in comparison to much else on the system, though impartially it looks pretty nice for an 8-bit game. The colours on the MS always seem both brighter and more washed out somehow compared to the NES. Not sure how to describe it.
It plays like you said, significantly different to the MD version with this one having a unique item throwing mechanic that you can use to pick things up like boxes and balls and use them to attack enemies or create platforms to reach high up places. It's pretty decent and I imagine the added content was because the game came a year later than the MD one and they needed a fresh take on it to sell copies other than it being a downgraded game.
The sound is worse than the MD counterpart. 8 bit versions of the MD OST but the soundchip does it no justice. I think it's unfair to compare the two being of different generations though. For 8-Bit it's pretty decent compared to other games on the MS.

All in all though it's not bad at all. Gameplay is solid and differs to it's MD brother, the graphics and sound take a noticeable dip but compared to other MS games I have seen they're nothing to scoff at. Even Sonic 1 which came later the same year, I would say this is a lot smoother than.
Worth a pop if you have an MS for sure, but if the choice is there between the two then go for the MD one.

---

On a somewhat related to next week note, I had one of those "Sega music to chill to" Youtube videos on the other day and this absolute banger came on and I could not believe for a second that the Options music to Daffy Duck in Hollywood goes so hard. I must have had it on a loop all week.

I thought I recognised that deep synth at the start from somewhere and after doing a little research sure enough, the composer is Matt Furniss who also composes the music for The Terminator, the game I recognised it from. He also did the Mega Drive versions of Mortal Kombat 2, Wolfchild and Mickey Mania among other things, so quite an impressive catalogue.

I never played Mickey Mania until the PS1 version and likewise was always blown away with the black and white into colour segment of Steamboat Willie. That moose level was always the end of me though.

Edited January 9 by FelatioLips

[RedRooster]

1 hour ago, FelatioLips said:

Having never had the MS I can't vouch for how good it looks in comparison to much else on the system, though impartially it looks pretty nice for an 8-bit game. The colours on the MS always seem both brighter and more washed out somehow compared to the NES

I’d actually recommend picking one up. When I was younger, the Master System always struck me as a shit Mega Drive - I’d seen what a 16-bit system could do, and ‘more advanced’ equated to ‘better’ in my little mind. And, to be fair, the MD is.

However, there are loads of good games on the MS - many, better versions of Game Gear games you may have played, due to the wider field of vision. Collecting for the system is generally affordable, although prices do vary. It’s also surprisingly difficult to play MS games legally without having the console. Sega has favoured porting GG versions of games, presumably because there’s more nostalgia to it. But that narrower field of vision that I mentioned leads to harder games, and a less than optimal experience. The first boss in Sonic 2 is the perfect example of this, where it can be hard to see everything that you need to.

 

[Scratch]

On 1/8/2024 at 10:07 AM, BomberPat said:

People used to call it "Alex The Kid" even at the time

Before lockdown when we were still in the office, I referred to Peppa Pig as Peppa the Pig and an annoying twat made a big deal of it (for context, I don’t have kids and I wasn’t overly familiar with it). So of course I make an effort to get it wrong in front of him every opportunity I get and his hatred of me grows each time.

As you can imagine, a two-dimensional pig isn’t the easiest thing to squeeze into a conversation, but I’m getting pretty good at it.

Little pleasures and all that.

[Jazzy G]

On 1/7/2024 at 1:02 PM, FelatioLips said:

So with that being the case this week's Cheat of the Week comes courtesy of James Pond 2: Robocod.
At the very start of the game in the main hub before entering a stage, collect the items on the roof in the following order: Cake, Hammer, Earth, Apple, Tap (CHEAT) to gain 10 minutes of invincibility.

Does the MegaDrive version have the Lips, Ice Cream, Violin, Earth, Snowman collecting cheat to unlock all the levels and give you a bucketload of extra lives as well? I know the Amiga one did. Loved that game. The Switch version is a load of tut by comparison, being based on some weird PS1 remake thing.

[Scratch]

Robocop vs Terminator on the Mega Driive is one of my all time favourites, it’s probably my most played game on the retro console. It’s another example where the MD version pisses on the SNES alternative.

On Saturday, we took our friends out for food as a birthday treat and we ended up back at ours. Whilst the wives chatted on the sofa, me and my mate sat cross-legged on the floor and played through Mega-Lo-Mania on the Mega Drive on the big telly. We must’ve heard “Are you nearly done?” at least a dozen times, but we persisted to the end of the game.

[FLips]

25 minutes ago, RedRooster said:

I’d actually recommend picking one up. When I was younger, the Master System always struck me as a shit Mega Drive - I’d seen what a 16-bit system could do, and ‘more advanced’ equated to ‘better’ in my little mind. And, to be fair, the MD is.

However, there are loads of good games on the MS - many, better versions of Game Gear games you may have played, due to the wider field of vision. Collecting for the system is generally affordable, although prices do vary. It’s also surprisingly difficult to play MS games legally without having the console. Sega has favoured porting GG versions of games, presumably because there’s more nostalgia to it. But that narrower field of vision that I mentioned leads to harder games, and a less than optimal experience. The first boss in Sonic 2 is the perfect example of this, where it can be hard to see everything that you need to.

 

Yeah Sonic 2 was one of the Game Gear games my mate had and I remember that minecart level and the lack of knowing what was coming up making me fume. I doubt I’ll buy a Master System but the MD Cart I was looking at plays them so that might be it’s time to shine for me. I heard there’s a Golden Axe game on there that’s meant to be really good, Ax Battler is it?

22 minutes ago, Scratch said:

Before lockdown when we were still in the office, I referred to Peppa Pig as Peppa the Pig and an annoying twat made a big deal of it (for context, I don’t have kids and I wasn’t overly familiar with it). So of course I make an effort to get it wrong in front of him every opportunity I get and his hatred of me grows each time.

As you can imagine, a two-dimensional pig isn’t the easiest thing to squeeze into a conversation, but I’m getting pretty good at it.

Little pleasures and all that.

Seems like all you’ve been doing in your time away is shithousing people. 100% here for it.

14 minutes ago, jazzygeofferz said:

Does the MegaDrive version have the Lips, Ice Cream, Violin, Earth, Snowman collecting cheat to unlock all the levels and give you a bucketload of extra lives as well? I know the Amiga one did. Loved that game. The Switch version is a load of tut by comparison, being based on some weird PS1 remake thing.

Not in the MD version I don’t think. James Pond 2 has had dozens of rereleases and for some reason every one of them is different. I have no idea why because other than the Penguin license there’s no need for it. Some versions are completely different though. Would love to know why.

[Jazzy G]

I can't remember whether but was the PS1 or CD32 version that redid the whole game because of the opportunity to use CD audio. I think it was also around the time they lost the penguin licence as well. It just seems unnecessary, but my guess would be that it's because they had a chance to expand the game, so they did. 

[FLips]

2 minutes ago, jazzygeofferz said:

I can't remember whether but was the PS1 or CD32 version that redid the whole game because of the opportunity to use CD audio. I think it was also around the time they lost the penguin licence as well. It just seems unnecessary, but my guess would be that it's because they had a chance to expand the game, so they did. 

I’m sure the DS/PS1 and Eshop versions are all different too. I’m sure there’s like 4 or 5 versions of it all with different controls and level layouts and music.

[Onyx2]

1 hour ago, Scratch said:

played through Mega-Lo-Mania on the Mega Drive

I played the Amiga version first so I could never understand the controller config after being spoiled by mouse controls. Well played! (literally) 

[Lion_of_the_Midlands]

1 hour ago, FelatioLips said:

. I heard there’s a Golden Axe game on there that’s meant to be really good, Ax Battler is it?

It is Ax Battler, its sort of a spin off from Golden Axe. You can also get Golden Axe on the Game Gear. 

[Jazzy G]

It's a bit of a Zelda knockoff, isn't it? It's called Golden Axe Warrior? 

 

 

[Lion_of_the_Midlands]

5 hours ago, jazzygeofferz said:

It's a bit of a Zelda knockoff, isn't it? It's called Golden Axe Warrior? 

 

 

Seems there are a few Golden Axe spinoffs Jazzmeister. That one is more of a Zelda rip off than a true Goden Axe game though. 

[FLips]

The Terminator

Developed in 1992 by Probe Software and published by Virgin Games, just by reputation alone you could place a decent bet on this being good as both sides of that coin got some pretty good stuff out during this time. Dave Perry (of Earthworm Jim and Aladdin fame, not the one that couldn't do the slide on Super Mario 64) responsible for the programming and Matt Furniss (of my gushing post about the Daffy Duck Options music fame) laying down those hard synths.
The game follows the first film almost to the beat. You play as Kyle Reese on the frontlines of the war against Skynet in the year 2029 and gradually make your way through all the highlights including the streets of Los Angeles, Tech Noir and the big Factory finale.
Personally I've always been impressed by how much this game packs into it. It's short with only 4 levels but each one provides a hefty challenge, even on the easier mode. You get one life so if you die you're terminated and it's back to the start. For a game this short that's not a problem and the challenge it provides rarely feels unfair outside of a few bits of dodgy enemy spawning.

Graphically it's actually very subtle in the details. Even though I've had this game since I was a kid it wasn't until I was playing it to review it that I noticed some of the more minor details that really impressed me. On the first stage for example, there are glass panes in the background that are (obviously) transparent and show through to the deeper background. When you start the stage above ground you can also see the rest of the level below you underground in the facility. They're very minor things but when you stop to notice them you think actually they didn't need to bother with that but they did and it looks pretty nice and sets the tone of the level a lot better. The rest of the levels follow suit with a lot of nice detail going especially into background design and set peices. Tech Noir for example has a lot of colour and depth to it even if the stage is a blink and you'll miss it experience.
The game really goes in on the big enemies too, with the larger robots having a lovely gloss to them and plenty of details in the mechanics. In contrast to the stage design and robots though the human models look a bit weak. Stages 2 and 3 are all fights against Cops and Thugs and they're paint by numbers. Sarah Connor, Kyle Reese and The Terminators all look pretty shoddy too, especially in "cutscenes" where for some reason Kyle Reese looks like Mac from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

The music is hit and miss. Some of the tunes are genuinely really good and though I wouldn't consider any of this up there as some of the best on the system, the main theme, Skynet and Los Angeles levels all sound impressive on the Sega soundchip. Later levels though I've forgotten already even though I just finished it. Like I said with the Daffy Duck post a few days ago though, Matt Furniss goes heavy on the synths and it really sets the tone in this. I'm not a musician but that low BWOWWWWwwwwww sound that is stapled through the tracks in this is really cool. The first stage in the fight against Skynet is the highlight though with a thumping pace as the lasers and bombs fly around you.
There was a pretty decent version of The Terminator on Sega CD that had a full CD quality rock soundtrack, though if you've seen the Hbomberguy video on the creator of that soundtrack you'll understand why I won't bother naming him here as honestly I'm not sure what he has and hasn't created anymore. Decent game though, all the same and very different to this one.

The gameplay is basic but fits the objective. The first level, like it is with the graphics and music, is the most interesting of the lot. You start on the battlefield with only grenades and as you fight through the war zone you find timebombs and then later a pistol to get through the stage. Your mission is to infiltrate the Skynet base and destroy the mainframe, then transport back in time to save Sarah Connor. It's faithful to the story of the film but also an excellent addition in terms of gameplay because it's a very exciting "tell but don't show" moment from the film that you now get to experience fully.
The rest of the levels sadly don't follow the same level of detail. L.A is just blasting through the streets, Tech Noir looks great but it's a one-enemy level and the Police Station is a nightmare and where most players will likely die due to the sheer amount of enemies and their bizarre spawn patterns. Health pickups and projectile damage are generous in this but if you touch an enemy physically say hasta la vista baby because your health bar melts. In the Police Station you'll find yourself trapped on stairwells or between a Terminator and a hard place with very little way to fight out of it.
The final level in the factory is probably the second most interesting after the opener, as the Terminator now in it's full metallic glory stalks you through the rafters and heavy machinery as you first blow it's legs off and then trick it into crawling into the crusher. If you thought the police station had rough spawning then woah boy, this one will get you. Even with only one enemy he'll come from every which way and if you run to a dead end you can't jump over him or stun him so you just die and go back.
Kyle Reese moves pretty heavy; his jump is cumbersome and in the L.A stage where you get the shotgun it has a weird mechanic where you can barely fire it stood up so have to duck to fire. It works just about in this game but you thank your lucky stars there's no platforming in this.

All in all The Terminator is a pretty decent game and as far as movie tie-in games go (especially for this time) it's one of the better ones you'll find. You get the feeling it overplays it's hand on the first level and gradually loses focus but I wouldn't go as far as to say any of it is bad. Looks good, sounds good and plays pretty well for what it is.
It's not as thrilling or smooth as Robocop vs Terminator but it's a bit easier and you have a better chance of completing it. It's infinitely better than any of the Terminator 2 games on the system though. The short run time and challenging difficulty pair up nicely for an easy to replay game that can take up a short afternoon to beat. Worth a go.

---

If you want to listen to the soundtrack for the game here's a link. Again, my personal highlights are the rendition of the Terminator theme, "Holocaust" which is Stage 1 and "In Los Angeles" which is Stage 2.

---

Sega Logo of The Week

This week's logo stays on brand with one of David Perry's later games Earthworm Jim. In this one, Jim flexes in his suit only for his pants to fall down revealing the classic love heart boxer shorts. Not as interactive as some other logos, including the sequel Earthworm Jim 2, but still good fun.

---

Cheat of The Week

Rounding off this week with further Terminator goodness, I've moved a little further down (or up?) the Terminator timeline (It's all so confusing) to Robocop vs Terminator with the Extra Lives and Developer Room cheat.

To reach this very useful secret room, start the first stage and proceed a few buildings in to the tall multi-story one with two heavy cannon troops and a rocket powerup on the roof. Proceed to take a jump off the very edge of the left side of the roof and you should land on an invisible platform.

From here, do another run and jump to the left and you should be warped upwards to another platform right at the top of the stage.

At this point, center yourself and hold jump to go directly up and warp to a secret room containing 10+ extra lives and a lovely photo of the game's development team.
It took me a few attempts to get the positioning right but a lack of enemy respawning and no fall damage means there's no risk in taking your time here. For a game this difficult it's definitely worth doing to see you through to the end.

---

That's it for this week, coming up next week is Animaniacs.

Edited January 15 by FelatioLips

[BomberPat]

the first time I played Terminator was a mate's house, and I got killed by the very first enemy, and then he said "my turn" and never let me play it again. Was years before I got hold of a copy and realised it's not nearly as hard as I thought it was (though still tough), I just sucked at it.