FLips' Sega MegaDrive Thread

[RedRooster]

35 minutes ago, Arch Stanton said:

I remember thinking Cool Spot looked great when I used to read Sega mags as a kid, but I never played it. Doesn't seem like I missed out on much, having read that review. Definitely a surprise to learn the PAL version is 7-up free though! 

Yeah, this was news to me too, I had no idea!

Another brilliant write-up, @FLips. Like Arch, I thought Cool Spot looked brilliant when I was a kid, I really wanted to play it. When I eventually did in the mid-2000s, I was surprised at how slow and plodding it was. It’s not one I’d revisit, but I’m glad you did.

[SuperBacon]

I know this sounds a bit stupid but Cool Spot always seemed very American, which like I say, is stupid as most games were, but something about that one felt too off.

I don't know anyone that played or had it.

[FLips]

For those remembering Cool Spot looking better than it does, compare it to the Animaniacs screenshots and the bleak colours really stand out.

Those with the SNES version are remembering correctly though as a quick watch on Youtube there and the SNES version looks great. Better colours, better animation, music sounds decent. Could very well have been the superior port.

I never had Cool Spot but my mate had it, along with the sequel. His Mega Drive collection as a kid was bizarre to be fair. Had Sonic 1 and 2 and maybe another big hitter or two but the rest of his lineup was licensed stuff. Jurassic Park, Cool Spot 1 and 2, Taz and Taz Goes to Mars, Bugs Bunny, Sylvester and Tweety. He had Mortal Kombat 1 but not 2 or 3. Still, at that age we played the fuck out of the lot of it.

[Fog Dude]

No sooner had I replied to FLips' big write-up of Cool Spot than I opened up the next chapter of GamesMaster: The Oral History only to be confronted with this typically suggestive pose by host Dominik Diamond: 

...but he later reveals that to his recollection the photo was taken in California, so perhaps there really was no promotion for the game using the American 7-Up mascot over here after all. 

[FLips]

That's excellent Fog Dude, thanks for sharing that.

[FLips]

California Games
 

During the time I had a Mega Drive it was the golden age of gaming in terms of getting your hands on games. Unlike now where everything is digital and we're all older and don't have much time to be going round houses to play each other's consoles, this was a time rife with borrowing, renting and frenzied kids playing whatever we could.
A lot of my fondest memories of playing the Mega Drive come not from my own collection, but the games I played round a mate's house like the lad across the road from me who was obsessed with Michael Jackson and is the only person I know who had Michael Jackson's Moonwalker, or the games I borrowed like Toki: Going Ape Spit and Tiny Toon Adventures: Buster's Hidden Treasure.
At the top of my list of games I borrowed from a friend for long periods of time and never wanted to give back is California Games. WarioWare for the 90s kid, packed to the gills with the americanisms that we guzzled down back in the day. A little taste of what it must be like to live in the US of A.

Tubular.

Later in my college years when in-browser emulation was picking up in the late 2000s a group of us would skip classes to gather in a small computer room out of the way of all the classrooms to read/listen to wrestling news on InsidePulse.com and play the NES version of this.
Speaking of different versions, each version has (mostly) the same music but in a different game, and the Mega Drive version is missing the title screen's usual rendition of Louie Louie. For the sake of this review when I talk about each game's music, check the video to see exactly which one it is as if you played the other versions it may differ to what you remember!

Five different games (compared to six in other versions as the MD version misses out on Flying Disc) all made by different designers make up the collection and each one comes with it's own pros and cons, as any mini-game collection usually does. For the sake of this review and to match the content of the cartridge, I'll be judging each game on it's own merits.

Half-Pipe

Possibly the hardest of the games included, the Half-Pipe has you using momentum to build up speed and do tricks to get points. The control scheme on paper is easy enough, up and down to build speed and then press the A-B-C buttons and Left/Right to do spins and tricks. The issue with this is the biting point for tricks is unbelievably tight so unless you get the timing spot on you'll get the dreaded "turned too late" or "turned too early" message and eat shit.
Let me say right out the gate too, this game is full of your character eating shit and the Half-Pipe might just be the worst of them. You'll skid down on your knees and the board will zoom towards you making an awful THUNK noise as it cracks off your legs. It's almost like a Mortal Kombat fatality.

After a little practice and you get the turning point nailed down, the game is pretty fun, It's all about momentum as doing a trick on each jump is the way to a high score. I did at least 3 turns in one game if you can believe that, because I barely believed it myself.
The music for the Half-Pipe isn't my favourite, but I will preface the rest of the review by saying the game has one of my favourite soundtracks on the console and I wouldn't personally say there's a bad song among the lot.
It's not the nicest or brightest looking on the cartridge but the big Hollywood Hills is a nice touch that sets the scene. Not sure why the character model looks like Mike Flowers.

Surfing

If Half-Pipe isn't the hardest game then this one is. Don't let the relaxing music and calm crashing of waves fool you.
Just like the Half-Pipe this one is all about finding that biting point in the water to gain speed. Once you're in it it's easy enough to stay in there and pull tricks off, but it takes a few tumbles before it becomes evident. Thankfully this game is generous in that it lets you fall off as many times as you like during the time limit as opposed to most the other games which give you a life limit.
Once you get into the sweet spot, you're expected to do big jumps over the peak of the wave while dodging beach balls flying at you as the huge tidal wave behind you catches up. You get points for surfing inside the wave too which is pretty fun but difficult to get out of once you're in.
At the end of the time limit you'll be given a score and a breakdown of all the tricks you did.

The music for Surfing is lovely and I could sit and listen to it on a loop.

Foot Bag

The lowest risk of all the games sees you kicking a hackey sack around in front of the Golden Gate Bridge. B does a kick with the nearest leg, A and C jump at various heights, and you use the D-Pad to move and turn.
String together some volleys and throw a few spins in there and you're golden. You can hit seagulls for extra points and clocks for extra time.

Arguably the easiest to pick up and play out of the games and also arguably the most fun in multiplayer. Most of the fun in this one isn't from successfully doing the tricks but from frantically spinning on the spot and missing a header, or kicking the sack across the screen by accident and doing an embarrassingly show shimmy over to try and catch it.
It's fairly creative with the point scoring too, giving different names like Axle Foley and Dizzy Dean and allowing a lot of variation in what is considered a different trick depending on the order you spin/jump, how many times and in what directions. Just like Surfing it will give you a scoreboard at the end showing all the tricks you did.

Foot Bag may also have the best music in the collection. When me and my wife first started dating we played this (along with Olympic Games: Barcelona 92, another decent mini-game collection) and maybe only had a couple of goes of each game before moving on. Years later when listening to the soundtrack she shouts in from the other room "is that the Foot Bag music from California Games?".

Nice.

Skating

Probably the best of the games included from a single player standpoint. Rollerblade from A to B and dodge all sorts of obstacles on the path like puddles, cracks, other skaters and more beachballs.
Up and Down will get you speed and B will jump and that's all you need. It's tough and will take a few attempts before you get to the end, but of all the games this one feels the most fleshed out and almost like a classic Sega arcade game like Outrun. Best looking game of all of them too with some decent parallax scrolling on the beach behind you. The sands packed with beachgoers all enjoying BBQs and wakeboarding. Just a pleasant stage to look at.
This poor girl though takes a battering just like the Half-Pipe guy. She makes a horrible thud when she cracks her face off the path or gets knocked on her arse, which is often.

The music for Skating is up there with the best too. It goes hard and just like the Foot Bag music sticks in your head for ages after. There's a keyboard solo in here that is just brilliant.
If you want a game that's less about the high score and more about completing it, then this one is for you.

BMX

A mixed bag is the BMX game. It's the easiest one in the collection (and the only one I can finish) so the main aim here is competing in multiplayer to pull as many jumps and tricks off before reaching the goal. Trying to do more tricks in less time than the previous player is where the money is here.
As a single player experience it doesn't provide the challenge that Skating does or the variety that Foot Bag does.

Tap one button to speed up, and another to jump. You can do spins and tricks off big ramps but you're being timed so if you want to make it to the end then pick your tricks wisely as too much showboating will stop you reaching the end. There isn't much variety in hazards, just logs, holes and tires. He doesn't have it as bad as the Skateboarder or Rollerskater but I bet he's begging for a foot bag when he faceplants off a log.

It's probably the weakest looking of the games as it doesn't give off those sunny California vibes the rest do, it's just muddy terrain and logs. Could be a field in Doncaster.
The music for the BMX isn't much to write home about.Not bad, but along with Half-Pipe it's not one that will stick with you.

Overall

California Games is a decent collection of mini-games that if you know enough people can be played up to 9 players.
Some of the games like Foot Bag and BMX are better in multiplayer than single player, whereas Skating is almost a single player game in itself. Half-Pipe and Surfing have their positives but the difficulty with the timing may be too much for people looking to pick up and play.
The game as a whole looks great, from the box art to the in-game graphics. For the most part it's exactly what you would want and expect from a late 80s/early 90s collection of Californian sports. Skateboarding, surfing and kicking a hackey sack around on sunny beaches surrounded by tanned people wearing short shorts and denim.

The music for each game is decent enough to fantastic, but possibly my favourite peice of music in the whole thing is the sad funeral-march they play when you crash too many times and you're sat there in agony with cracked kneecaps as this plays you off. Up there with the death scene from Shadow of The Beast 2.

You don't have to be good at the games as half the fun, especially in multiplayer, is watching each other attempt tricks and brutally faceplant. With a timer looming it can become a frantic button bash to squeeze in more turns and jumps.
If you can gather a few players it's still worth a shout today but even solo it's worth a once-through.

It does have it's own logo too but it's just the normal Sega logo with a huge GONG noise over it for some reason.

If I'm ranking the games purely on gameplay best to worst it's Skating, Foot Bag, BMX, Surfing, Half-Pipe.
If I'm ranking the music it's Skating, Foot Bag, Surfing, BMX, Half-Pipe.

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Sega Logo of The Week

This is the last time I'll bring it back to Cool Spot and Cool Spot related content, promise. Turns out the unreleased Fido Dido game I was on about is actually fully completed and has it's own unique Sega logo.
An eraser wipes out the Sega logo and then Fido Dido draws in the developer's logo with a pencil. It's pretty cool but there's another game I'll definitely be covering at some point that does the whole "sketch in the logo" gimmick a lot better.

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Cheat of The Week

Pretty meaty one this week. Mortal Kombat 3 and a code for a cheat menu to unlock Smoke, Motaro and Shao Khan, alongside a Galaga-style mini game.

On the Title Screen enter C, Right, A, Left, A, Up, C, Right, A, Left, A, Up.

This will unlock the Killer Codes (should have been Kodes) menu where you can activate the hidden characters and play a hidden minigame. I'm not sure what "Quick End" is (don't say ask my wife, looking at you Bacon).
I could select Smoke, and the two bosses showed up but were unselectable. Apparently they are only playable in 2 player. I had MK3 as a kid and I would have absolutely killed for this cheat back then. All I ever got were the tricky ones you had to go on the codes screen between fights.

I got some decent info off what looks to be a legit source on Reddit too for the meaning behind the weird text you get.

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Next on the list is Mega Games 1 and the story of when I found a Mega Drive box in the woods with Mega Games 2 but there was nothing in the box and I was gutted. Actually I suppose that's the whole story.

 

[Arch Stanton]

I loved California Games, but I think my favourite game on it was Flying Disk! You Mega Drivers got screwed!

Edited February 4 by Arch Stanton

[FLips]

I did enjoy that on the NES version to be fair. Not sure why the MD never got it, can only imagine space limitations or something.

[Arch Stanton]

From what I remember, all of the games were pretty difficult to get to grips with at first, some perseverance was definitely required. They became pretty satisfying once you got the hang of them and started to discover the tricks. In those days I had no guides, so it was all trial and error. The game probably doesn't hold up as a brilliant retro gaming experience today because it doesn't have that pick-up-and-play satisfaction. As a kid, I must have spent hours putting up with face plants and wipeouts before finally cracking it. I wouldn't put up with that today.

[SuperBacon]

Amazing stuff @FLips 

Now if you could review Abes Oddyssey, Cool Boarders 2 and FIFA 98: Road To The Worldcup, that'd be grand.

I love how we all just accepted hacky sack as a thing playing California Games, as not even Trans World Sport was covering that!

[kidzero]

I loved California games on the nes surfing was my favourite game.. myself and my brother used have some great matches on FIFA 95 on the mega drive

[King Coconut]

I never got the hang of anything other than hackey sack so it's always gone in the shit drawer for me.

[Arch Stanton]

I just remembered that as a kid I used to love the little random things that would happen, like the earthquake that would sometimes come at the end of the Half Pipe and the shark appearing in the Surfing. Nice little touches. I can't remember if there were others? Maybe that was it.

[Lion_of_the_Midlands]

6 hours ago, SuperBacon said:

Trans World Sport

That's a very different show these days. 

I was shite at California Games. I could do the BMX but the surfing always seemed nigh on impossible. 

Edited February 4 by Lion_of_the_Midlands
Shite not shire. I'm not a hobbit.

[FLips]

1 hour ago, Arch Stanton said:

I just remembered that as a kid I used to love the little random things that would happen, like the earthquake that would sometimes come at the end of the Half Pipe and the shark appearing in the Surfing. Nice little touches. I can't remember if there were others? Maybe that was it.

I might be wrong but I don't think the Mega Drive version has any of the easter eggs the other versions do.
After a bit of digging the ones I could find on various other versions are the shark in the Surfing, the earthquake in the Halfpipe, a UFO abducting the catcher if you don't throw the disc in Flying Disc, and apparently in the Lynx version you can ride a pelican in the Surfing, though unlike the others I couldn't find video evidence of this.
What I will say though is the Lynx version looks stunning considering what it is.

I forgot to mention in my review that between all the versions of the games it sold over half a million copies before 1989 (the Mega Drive port didn't even come out until 1991) so it was a certified big hitter considering. It was also apparently going to have it's own segment on the Super Mario Bros Super Show but it was scrapped. There was apparently artwork made but I couldn't find anything. Would love to see it.