My Top 50 Favourite Sega Mega Drive Games: #40 - #31

Hidie hi. We’re 10 out of 50 games through my Top 50 Favourite Mega Drive games. Let’s get straight to it with the next batch!

#40 – Zombies Ate My Neighbors

Released: 1993 (1994 in the UK)

Genre: Action

Rating: ***3/4

Best Moment: Nothing particularly, it’s just a fun game and avoiding those zombies for as long as possible is a great hook.

This game is a cult classic; it wasn’t that popular when it came out. I didn’t play it for a while even after getting my Mega Drive but it’s a damn good game; it’s very entertaining and its simple concept works wonders really, shoot the zombies, avoid getting hit. One of the best things about the game for me is the difficulty; they have it spot on, with the game starting off very easily and it gets steadily harder from then on. This game is still more than playable today, so give it a go if you haven’t played it before, I doubt you’ll be disappointed.

#39 - Sylvester and Tweety in Cagey Capers

Released: 1993 (1994 in the UK)

Genre: Platformer

Rating: ***3/4

Best Moment: This game was quite hard, so catching Tweety at the end of a level makes all the frustrations worth it.

I don’t know that many people that have played this game. I can’t even remember how I found it, I may have borrowed it from a friend but I can’t be sure. What I do remember is grinding through its difficulty and getting very far in it. Basically you’re Sylvester and you simply have to catch Tweety. But the levels are long and Tweety teases you throughout the level with opportunities to catch him but you’re always unsuccessful until right at the end... when he runs away again. It was a very entertaining game, very hard but entertaining enough and definitely worth a crack at if you’ve never played it before.

#38 – Flicky

Released: 1991
Genre: Action
Rating: ***3/4
Best Moment: Getting all of the birds in one go flawlessly. Nothing can beat it, and it get so hard to do that quite early on in honesty and becomes almost impossible later!

Flicky is often considered a really annoying game, mainly for its one song throughout the game which is very squeaky and loud in sound. But what people need to remember is that this game actually came out in 1984 originally, not 1991. The early eighties were full of games with only one song and simple game play. And you know what? This game was still great enough in 1991, 7 years later. And a lot happened in those 7 years in video game history, and for a game of that era to still be more than playable on the Mega Drive shows you how good it was. So think about that if you do take a distaste to this game, because it’s still a very good game, even by Mega Drive’s standards.

#37 – Taz in Escape from Mars

Released: 1994

Genre: Action

Rating: ***3/4

Best Moment: Just holding onto the action button and making Taz spin over and over again is fun, especially when you build enough momentum to go up walls.

Taz in Escape from Mars is a great game, it’s quite hard as well mind, but the difficulty is tolerable enough to make the game entertaining. Playing as Taz is a lot of fun as his spin is just a great weapon and also used in a variety of other ways too. Another great thing about Taz is that he just eats everything and anything in front of him, for good or bad. The animations for Taz are fantastic and look just as good as Taz does on the cartoons. This game if you haven’t played it before is worth a spin... no pun intended!

#36 – Aladdin

Released: 1993

Genre: Platformer

Rating: ***3/4

Best Moment: Sounds weird saying it but dying. I love the dying animation in Aladdin, it’s one of the funniest death animations in video game history, or at least, it felt like it was back when the game came out!

Aladdin is a great platformer, the music is just spot on from the film and it stands out from other platformers because it plays very differently. Controlling Aladdin feels a little uneasy at first and fighting with him even more so, but once you get the hang of it the experience Aladdin brings to the table is great. The graphics are splendid and the humour throughout the game is just awesome. You just simply have to play this game if you’re a fan of the film, it does complete justice.

#35 - Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle

Released: 1989 (1990 in the UK)

Genre: Platformer

Rating: ***3/4

Best Moment: Honestly, landing a jumping kick! It’s a really hard technique and often leads to your death, so when you land it it’s actually quite satisfying.

Alex Kidd, what a game... a game full of agro, irritation and frustration, but overall, it’s also a very good platformer. The ideas are there and for the most part the game is actually quite fun. But the one-touch death, the sometimes annoying music and some of the timing being harshly out of your favour can get to you. Alex Kidd was once the mascot of Sega before Sonic came along. It’s funny but it’s true, but now Alex Kidd is a bit of a punchline due to the game being rather cheesy and hard at the same time. But don’t take away the good points; this game is still very good.

#34 – Sonic 3D

Released: 1996

Genre: Platformer

Rating: ****

Best Moment: Getting all the Flickies in one go through the hoop. It’s not always that hard but it’s still satisfying to get the full multiplier.

The first Sonic game to make the Top 50... you’d be stupid to think it’d be the last! Sonic 3D is a mixed bag. Firstly, it’s not 3D, and that’s been something that fans have taken the piss out of many a time. It’s an isometric 2D platformer set at a 3D angle. But this game gets a lot of criticism and most of it stems from the false advertisement of 3D gaming. But take that fib out of the equation and what you have here is a very unique Sonic experience. It’s actually a solid game; the addition of Flickies was a nice touch and the music is just top notch. The music in Sonic 3D is some of the finest in video game history in honesty. The Special Stages were a tad too easy and too similar to those in Sonic 2 but overall this game is really good, better than it gets credit for.

#33 – Streets of Rage 3

Released: 1994

Genre: Beat ‘em Up

Rating: ****

Best Moment: The huge relief of satisfaction when you finally beat Mona and Lisa. In my honest opinion, there’s never been a harder boss in all three Streets of Rage games.

Streets of Rage 3 is so hard. It’s one of the hardest games on the Mega Drive, that’s a given. It’s far harder than the first two, which I can complete with my eyes closed. I’ve never legitimately beat Streets of Rage 3 without cheating, and Easy mode doesn’t count as you don’t get the full game. I take nothing away from SoR3 in the respect that it’s a great game, but it’s huge difficulty increase puts me off playing it over the other two. The improvements are great; the moves are better and more complex, the music is as solid as the other two games and the storyline progress through the levels are all fantastic. But... it’s just too hard! It’s still a great game though.

 #32 - Ayrton Senna's Super Monaco GP II

Released: 1992
Genre: Racing
Rating: ****
Best Moment: Just winning a race. It can sometimes be difficult, leading a race, then staying consistent throughout the course lap after lap. It’s nice when your game plan comes together.

Super Monaco GP II was a great racing game. It improved in every way over the original, but I just prefer the original’s races and format of the Tournament mode. But I’m not taking anything away from this sequel and the addition of such a legendary name in the sport as Ayrton Senna boosts its credibility immensely. Taking Senna on is also quite cool, as he was simply a phenomenal F1 driver in his time, and for him to have his own game is quite cool. And it’s a great game, if I were to recommend you play SM GP 1 or 2 it’d have to be this one, because in honesty it’s pure nostalgia and preference that I like the first one more.

#31 – Lemmings

Released: 1992
Genre: Puzzle
Rating: ****
Best Moment: Making sure every Lemming that can survive, does survive. It’s the ultimate compliment, especially with the later levels. You feel bad enough killing off the ones that have to die never mind ones that don’t!

Ah... Lemmings. What a game that was. There are few games that were released at the right place at the right time, that deserve more relevance today but just don’t fit in a modern gaming era. Lemmings was just awesome. Watching all of your Lemmings work their arses off, doing the jobs that you grant them to do, working so well as a team is just so cool. You almost have sentimental feelings for each and every one, even give them all names... okay maybe not that far, but still, you just feel so bad when you have to kill them off. You want them all to survive each level – none of them deserve any other fate than to make it through each level alive. And it’s so tragic when you kill off ones that could have made it!

Continue reading the listing!

#50 - #41 |  #40 - #31 | #30 - #21 | #20 - #11 | #10 - #2 | #1 + More

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Game Review: Sega Mega Drive Ultimate Collection

With popular classics and a few hidden gems, the “Sega Mega Drive Ultimate Collection” is as good a compilation of 40+ games you’ll ever see.

The Sega Mega Drive Ultimate Collection was released back in February 2009, nearly two years ago, for both the Xbox 360 and the Playstation 3 and advertises 40 classic Mega Drive (or Sega Genesis, for those elsewhere in the world) titles all on one disc and for the first time, the games are compatible in HD.  It’s one of the biggest collections of video games on one bit of media available, and it contains some of the biggest and best games that were released on the fourth generation console. Also included are some unlockable games from either the Sega Master System or the arcade.

So what games are available on this compilation? How about all the main “Sonic the Hedgehog” titles, which are Sonic 1, 2, 3, “Sonic and Knuckles”, 3D and Spinball? It also has “Streets of Rage” 1, 2 and 3, “Phantasy Star” II, III and IV, “Golden Axe” I, II and III, the two “Ecco the Dolphin” titles, “Shining Force” I and II and “Vectorman” 1 and 2 amongst others. These games, back in the day, were anything from £20 to £50 each, and considering the game was £25 upon release and available now from £10 to £15. I’m pretty good at Maths and this spells out at up to £2000 in games back in the day, and all together it’s now available for anything up to 200 times less. That’s an immense statistic. There are other great games on this list too, like “Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle”, “Altered Beast”, “Columns”, “Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine”, “Flicky”, “Gain Ground” and “Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master”. I don’t really know if I really need to review this game because simply listing all of these amazing games says it all, but I’ll continue.

It's great to see such classic titles again, crisper than ever.

Having all the classic “Sonic the Hedgehog” titles in one game isn’t a new thing, it’s been done many times before, but it’s still a great way to play these games again, or for the first time if you’re too young to have played the games when they were released. The best thing about these Sonic titles, which are now up to 20 years old (Happy Anniversary Sonic!) are that the graphics still look absolutely beautiful today, with it’s amazing palette of colours and the fast action. The tightening of the graphics to HD level doesn’t make the biggest of differences but it’s a more than welcome addition.

One of the main bad points about this compilation is that it doesn’t include the “lock-on” Sonic games. Just in case you’re not familiar, the Mega Drive cartridge for “Sonic and Knuckles” had an innovative “lock-on” section at the top where you can attach a second cartridge to it. This was so you could attach another Sonic title to it; if you attached “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” to it, a game that does not feature the Knuckles as a playable character, allows you to now do so. It also allows you to play through the “Sonic 3” levels and then the “Sonic and Knuckles” levels, giving you a whopping fourteen levels of gameplay. I always maintain that these two games combined a game that’s often called “Sonic 3 and Knuckles”, is the most complete version of Sonic the Hedgehog ever. The “lock-on” feature also gave you access to “Sonic 2 and Knuckles” and the original “Sonic the Hedgehog” title locked onto “Sonic and Knuckles” gave you access to hundreds of random bonus stages that are similar to those available on “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” and “Sonic and Knuckles”. So no “lock-on” features is a major downer for me personally, and many other fans as well, due to these versions of the games being so good in the original formats. The producer of this compilation said that there were “tight development times” for the release of this game and that’s the reason they’re not included. They said that if they were to release these “lock-on” games there would be no room for other games, like the bonus “Master System” games. It’s a fair point, although personally I would have preferred the “lock-on” versions over the old Master System and arcade games. But you also have to consider, we have six Sonic titles on this compilation already, so there’s enough Sonic content on here for other games to be considered, which is fair enough.

Riding dragons in Golden Axe was so much fun, now you can do it again!

There are so many games for you to choose from in this compilation, and they cover a lot of different genres here too. Sonic, naturally is a platformer, and that along with other games like “Alex Kidd”, “Dynamite Headdy” and “Shinobi III” will keep you going in a variety of different ways. For the RPG fans you can’t look any further than the “Shining Force” series, a turn based RPG that’s as good turn based RPG ever. The “Shining Force” series stands out as some of the best RPG games ever, and most certainly on the Mega Drive, a console lacking in good quality RPGs. The three “Phantasy Star” games are also well received RPG games that are available, so you have hours and hours of fantasy role playing games to sink your teeth into here. For the side scrolling beat-em-ups, the “Streets of Rage” series set the standard and has arguably never been beat for them. The “Streets of Rage” series, the trilogy, vary in difficulty and have great looking sprites, a range of characters and some funky music, some of the best music available on the Mega Drive. Other alternative side scrollers are the “Golden Axe” series, which are all very similar in style but still are very enjoyable, the very retro “Altered Beast”, a game that has dated a little since the early nineties but is still a little but of fun to play, and is slightly harder than the other games in the genre. There are other games in other genres too, too many to put into great detail here and are all worth a look.

I told you earlier, if you bought these games back when they came out, your total bill could have possibly reached £2000 so you definitely have a vasts amount of content here. There are some popular classics here, but there are also some games here that you may have not played, and that’s a good thing. There’s a justifiable reason for each of the 40+ games to be included here. There’s the obvious, Sonic and “Streets of Rage”, but there’s the more subtle, less popular games here that are of good quality yet their lack of popularity made them almost forgotten. Take “Gain Ground” for example, my favourite game from the few games I had never played before, it’s really good. “Gain Ground” is an odd arcade strategy-shooter, where you simply have go through all the levels and beat the game. In more depth, you can either get through each level by getting your characters individually to the other side of the screen, or kill all the enemies on the screen for automatic progress. As you go through the game you can save and recruit your hostages, all which are trapped warriors and can aid you in battle. It’s easier to play this game than explain it, and it’s a lot of fun, especially as each warrior has their own ways of attacking enemies with their own weapons and special abilities. If you get this compilation give this game a go if you’ve never played it before, it’s an interesting little game that doesn’t have much recognition as a great quality game from the Mega Drive days. Another decent effort is “Ristar”, a game released in 1995 when the Mega Drive was in its dying days, which was made by the same team that made Sonic. Give that a go as well as it deserves more recognition than it has. As I said though, it’s hard to do mini reviews of all the games available on here, but if I were to choose two ‘not-so-popular’ games on the compilation to play, these two are the ones I’d choose.

Shinobi III is still so much fun all these years later.

So all in all this is a fantastic compilation. I’m not going to claim that you’ll love all the 40+ games on this CD, you won’t. But there’s something here for everyone, and chances are there are games on this disc that you’ve never played before. Seriously, give the new games a go. You might find a hidden gem or two. It’s hard to rate compilations due to the fact that not every game on these things are going to be to your taste. But as homage to one of the best video game consoles of all time and the great games that came out on it, the “Sega Mega Drive Ultimate Collection” is as good a compilation of 40+ games you’ll ever see.

Rating: ****1/4 stars

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