Tag Archives: Genesis

Golden Axe II Review

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It’s time to follow up the original Golden Axe with the sequel. This one is very similar to the first game to the point where you could almost think of it as unlocking some new levels. They did fix the magic system though which I appreciate. The A.I. is a bit easier as well so it’s easy to always trick them into pitfalls. I highly recommend doing that to save yourself some time. It’s not like there is an EXP system anyway right?

The game starts off with the villain returning to conquer the land once again. You must now put an end to these evil ambitions! Yeah it’s an extremely basic story all the way through. Not much is going on here at all in terms of the plot so you’re really just thrown into the gameplay once again. The game feels shorter than the first and you should have it completed in under an hour. I think part of that is due to the difficulty not being as high so I didn’t need to rewind quite as much.

The basic attack combo does more damage than the first game which I appreciate. The jumping attack does a little less but that balances out fairly well. Your hitboxes also seem a bit bigger so you can actually approach the enemy more often without having to worry about getting hit with some kind of a counter attack. I definitely enjoyed being able to be a little more active here. Additionally the magic system fixes the main issue I had with the first game.

In the first title, you could store up to 6 magic crests so that you can cast spells but you were always forced to use the all up in one shot. Your magic would be more powerful when using all 6 of course but sometimes you just wanted to use one or two. Well, in this game you can hold down the action button to determine how many magic orbs you want to use at once. You don’t have to actually fire everything off in one shot unless you really want to and I can’t stress enough what a massive quality of life upgrade this is.

In terms of graphics and soundtrack, it’s very similar to the first game. It sounds and looks fairly good/decent so I have no complaints here. The themes may not stand out a whole lot but they work well enough within the context of what’s going on. It’s high budget enough to assist the gameplay but also not quite impressive enough to amplify it either. So it’s sort of in that happy middle ground.

I mentioned this in the intro, but if you see any area where you can fall, absolutely make sure to bring the enemies over there. It saves you a lot of health from having to beat them. Basically the trick is to exploit the fact that the A.I. mirror your movements. So just go a little to the left or right of the pitfall and walk down. Keep going and they will keep repeating the action until they fall over. It wasn’t so easy in the first game so I wonder why that switched. Granted, there aren’t many areas where you can fall so it is still a decently rare occurrence.

All of the different bosses tend to be very unique so the game did a good job of not copying them. Most of the bosses tend to be a bit easier than the minions since you only have to deal with one opponent. The exception to this is the final boss though who is incredibly difficult to defeat. That’s because he constantly summons new minions to attack you. He brings out up to 3 at a time and while they are weak, this is the kind of game where sheer numbers are hard to deal with. No matter how careful you are, a lucky hit will get through and deal a lot of damage.

You already have to approach the boss carefully as it is so this also messes with the timing. Then there’s the time factor because if you leave him alone for too long, the boss hits you with an unavoidable, unblockable magic attack. So you have to hit him before he gets that off, meaning you have to stay really close to him. This boss took me quite a while to defeat due to that. Get ready for a lot of rewinding or if not, a ton of game overs at this point. This is the kind of game where you have to start from scratch if you get a game over and let me tell you…that’s not very fun. Particularly when you lose at the end because in the back of your mind you know it could happen again at which point you will lose all of your progress.

Overall, Golden Axe II is pretty much just the first game all over again but the gameplay did have some improvements that I appreciated. The short length becomes more noticeable in this iteration though so that’s something to keep in mind. You will absolutely be blasting through this game at record pace. So it’s a fun title but definitely keep that part It keeps this one from going any further but it’s still worth a playthrough if you have the Switch Online.

Overall 6/10

Phantasy Star IV Review

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Phantasy Star IV may be known as one of the easiest in the series and all but I had a good amount of trouble with it. The enemies are very dangerous and it takes a long time to level up in order to beat them. I’m always impressed at how people coast by these RPGs on such low levels. It goes to show that there is a whole lot of strategy that you can use once you have really mastered the system. As more of a casual RPG player I had to compensate by getting lots of level ups. So the game took me longer than most but I was still able to clear it.

The basic plot is about the eternal battle between light and dark. The light has won the last few rounds but now The Dark One has returned to cause a lot of mayhem and destruction at every corner. A dark plague has begun to get many people sick and it’s hard to know what to do. The main fighter for the heroes ends up going down early and so her sidekick must prove himself. Does he really have what it takes to fight against ultimate evil when he is still just a kid? Well, he’s about to learn the answer to that because ready or not…this is one battle that cannot be avoided.

Right out of the gate one thing I really liked about this game is that it had actual illustrations during the cutscenes. This is clearly a really high budget Genesis game and it is leagues above all of the others that I have played on the console. This absolutely could have been onto the next console and it still would have worked really well. There are a good amount of cutscenes here in general. The hub world is rather big, particularly since it is split up into 2-3 worlds. You have quick travel which is excellent as well as different vehicles to drive around in.

There are a lot of good quality of life features in here. The enemy spawn rate is rather high so you will be seeing a lot of minions but more times than not, you can outrun them. The only real downside here is that level ups take a while like I mentioned. I feel like the EXP wasn’t set up perfectly because you always feel like the minions should give a little more considering how long the battles take. Once you find the perfect area you can do fairly well with the battles but it’s still more work than the average RPG.

The gameplay is classic turn based combat with different spells, techniques, and physical attacks. You should play around with them and at times you may even use a combo by mistake. This seems to be part RNG but if you choose the right attacks in the right order then your allies will land a hit at the same time. I could never figure this out exactly but it was fun when it would work. Except ironically in one instance where it turned into a combo attack that the enemy boss was immune to, so I lost a turn there.

Aside from the graphics being solid, the soundtrack is also on point here. There are a lot of good themes throughout the game ranging from the battle themes to even the main tune when you first open the title. It has a lot of energy throughout and that’s always a good thing because it really gets you pumped to play the rest of the game. There may not be much replay value once you have beaten the game but the main story is already long enough where that’s no problem. It took me at least 15 hours or so to complete it and apparently there are side quests so you can work on that. Maybe there’s even a post game but I’m not sure how that would work here since beating the game takes you back to the loading page. I would have to double check that.

In terms of tips, this is one of the only games where I would recommend not equipping a weapon for some of your fighters. It’s way better to have the double shields for a lot of defense. Yeah I know that sounds crazy but it’s surprisingly worth it. I initially started out with 5 attack builds but they would all get shredded in an instant. So you want two medics that only heal and can use magic and then the other 3 can have their signature weapons. In general the concept of having to choose between equipping a weapon or shield is an interesting one. It definitely adds some extra depth.

Another reason the game can be really difficult is the way the techniques and skills are labeled. The game doesn’t provide you with any descriptions for any of them and the titles are super abbreviated so it can be hard to tell what does what. You will need to consult with an online guide for that or you will be really doomed there. You definitely need to be using the right abilities to defeat the boss. If nothing else, just test them all out against minions. By the end I was still confused on some of the abilities and why they would work on some enemies and not others…but as long as you beat the bosses that’s what counts.

Overall, Phantasy Star IV is a pretty fun game. Definitely make sure you grind levels quite often or you will get stuck though. I had to reach around level 45 before I was able to beat the game and even then it was super close. The bosses will randomly throw out crazy attacks that down your party sometimes so you have to hope that RNG is on your side. Towns don’t sell many items in this game either so if you get lost in a dungeon then it’s all over. Yeah, I would definitely say that this was one of the harder RPGs that I’ve played.

Overall 7/10

Alisia Dragoon Review

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The Genesis games keep on coming! This one’s pretty fun but the gameplay is a bit weaker than some of the other titles. It’s missing features that I would consider to be fairly basic. Like they’re just not around at all which doesn’t make a ton of sense. With them in place this game could have gone a little farther, but as it is this is still a game that I would recommend checking out while you have the Switch Online.

You play as Alisia who can shoot lightning while also commanding different familiars to fight by her side. You get 4 of these before the game ends and you can switch them in/out as needed. They do help a tiny bit with their fire blasts but don’t expect them to be providing you backup for too long. In general they just like getting in one shot and then dipping out. You need to count on yourself at the end of the day to take the win.

There are only around 8 levels so the game isn’t too long. It is on the harder side for Genesis though. It feels like there is a different threat around every corner. Your health goes down very quickly and while the lightning is a great attack there is no indicator when it is doing damage. So you know that you are injuring the opponent but you don’t know how long you have to keep the blast up. This means you have to just keep running and dodging until he goes down but without some kind of timer, you sometimes have doubts that maybe this enemy is invincible to magic and you need a special way to injure him. It certainly felt that way during some of the later boss fights where their health is absolutely massive.

So I guess the best advice for me to give you is to just keep on blasting. Even if it doesn’t feel like i’ working, it is. There are no bosses in the game who are immune to the electricity so you can just keep that in mind. Beyond that, get used to jumping, ducking, and dodging because you have to do so much of that. Some bosses got me over and over again because it’s super hard to judge the trajectory of their attacks. I would wind up walking right into them several times which was pretty rough. Alisia is fairly big so she covers a lot of space on the screen.

Meanwhile the graphics are good here. Perhaps not quite as top tier as some of the last ones that I played but it definitely looks nice. The soundtrack is more on the unmemorable side so I can’t say that there are any tracks here that will really stick out for you. They’re not bad or anything like that but they are very forgettable which can be similar at times. The game will have to succeed without the music this time.

Really the weakest part is the actual platforming here. Your cool thunder laser will take care of the enemies as you go through but the levels are really tight so in many cases you bump into an enemy while you are trying to proceed. It’s often difficult to stop before you bump into the enemy because of close they are so taking a lot of damage feels inevitable. If the platforming were a bit smoother then I feel like you could have gone around this but instead the game is just a little bit too sluggish.

Also they definitely could have leveled up the familiars a little bit. They don’t shoot as often as they should and they go down so quickly when it counts. Half the time you really are on your own so this is like a complete aspect of the game that you miss out on as a result. Easy way to fix is to either make the enemies unable to hit the familiar or again just make him more of a tank. So he can endure a good amount of shots while backing you up. That’s the kind of dynamic that I would want to see. It would also reinforce the teamwork/friendship angles.

The game’s about an hour or so long so you will beat it fairly quick. As par for the course with Genesis titles, there isn’t really a post game here. You complete the game and then the day is saved. It lasts you long enough when you factor in the difficulty so it’s not a bad amount of value. It’ll also help teach you a lot about strategy as you monitor your lightning’s power. You’re incentivized to give the blasts a break every now and again to give it a further boost.

Overall, Alisia Dragoon is a good game. It would have been great if you could see the damage you were doing and maybe throwing in another kind of attack as well. The electricity is super handy and better than most standard guns in a game like this but at the same time you still need something a bit more than that. Maybe if the gameplay was a bit smoother or something but this one is such a difficult game to play that it does occasionally overwhelm the fun factor and you never want that to happen.

Overall 6/10

Contra: Hard Corps Review

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All right now this was a really fun shooter game. It definitely went all out with the premise. We got a lot of action, high end graphics and a good story. The game even had decisions you would be forced to make which would decide what stage you played next. The fact that the decisions actually matter is impressive since some games really mess that up. For this one you actually have to think about what route you want to take. For example in one level you have to choose between heading back to base to save a hostage or finally taking out the main villain. I opted for the latter because the sooner he is knocked off of the board, the sooner everyone will be at peace and safe anyway.

So Contra plays like a super intense 2D shooter. You have your machine gun with unlimited ammo and have to shoot at tons of enemies who are attacking you from all sides. As you defeat them you can gradually inch your way further and eventually you reach the end of the level. The bosses are definitely intense so you gotta keep on blasting until you win. In some ways the bosses can be a bit easier than the normal enemies sometimes since you only have to dodge from one direction but it’s super relative. Either way you will be dying a whole lot in this one.

However, it’s one of the most enjoyable Genesis games that I’ve played either way. It’s all so fast paced the whole time so even when you lose you can just jump right back on the saddle. Beating it normally would be an incredibly difficult endeavor though. It’ to be expected with Contra and since most Genesis games tend to be very tough anyway, just multiply that by 2. The graphics here are really good and it’s another Genesis game that is definitely on point with the amount of effort they put into it. The soundtrack is good as well and of course the gameplay is really smooth.

Aside from your main weapon, you also have a ton of side weapons that you can get during the levels. Enjoy them while you can because you lose them just as quick as you got them. That is, unless you can be really careful to never get hit but realistically you are definitely going to take some hits. There are too many enemies to dodge them all. Fortunately the main machine gun is super good either way. I never found myself needing another weapon because this one would do the job just fine. It’s a simple point and shoot and the unlimited ammo is really what takes it to the next level.

I love it when games have unlimited ammo so that earned another star in my book. I think this is a game that would absolutely be high tier with a AAA remake at some point. There’s a ton you can do with it. It’s sort of like GI Joe meets Halo. The high tech aliens going up against the government fighters with modern graphics would be real intense. They need to make sure they keep up this same level of intensity though. I want tons of bullets whizzing by at all times.

Overall, Contra: Hard Corps was definitely a pretty solid game. It balances the difficulty with the fun factor extremely well. At no point do you feel like just putting the game away. You are always ready to try another level and give it another go. The story is very compelling as well so there are a lot of reasons to play this game. Just keep an eye out for your reaction times because you’re going to need them to be at peak performance to handle this title. This game feels like it was ahead of its time with how polished it is. It could have easily been a title in the next generation and I wouldn’t have even flinched.

Overall 7/10

Comix Zone Review

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It’s time for a Genesis game that really had a pretty memorable style to it. This game looks like a comic book all the way through which was pretty cool. You get to run through the pages and take down a bunch of enemies. At times the concept can be a little better than the execution but at the same time I can’t really be too harsh on it because it’s a good game either way. It almost goes without saying at this point but the game is rather difficult.

So the author/artist gets sucked into his own comic and has to get out. He’ll need to play through the adventure now but the comic doesn’t fully go the way that he drew it. Fortunately this guy gets the hang of being an action hero rather quickly and starts taking names left and right. Nobody’s going to be keeping him down for very long here. The gameplay is that of a classic 2D beat em up. You go through waves and waves of enemies as you try to make it to the end. There is usually a boss somewhere along the way and you take him down with your fighting moves. Eventually you will have beaten the game.

The gameplay is super basic but it’s till difficult because your attack range is rather small so you have to get up real close to the enemies. That means it gets really easy for you to end up taking a stray hit and your health goes down very quickly. Realistically you can expect to get a ton of game overs before you complete the game unless you bust out the very trusty rewind feature. In some ways that may be your last and best hope.

The graphics are pretty solid here. Like I said it does really look like a comic so they did a great job there. The soundtrack is also really good. It’s got that 90s tough guy type of vibe to it. A lot of rock themes all the way through which helps to make the gameplay more exciting as well. There is a good amount of dialogue in the game and a real story the whole way through which I appreciated as well. So the game had a good budget all the way around.

On the negative side, the actual gameplay is just very uninspired. You’re not going to be super entertained while fighting the enemies. Not saying it’ll be a snooze or anything but even for a beat em up you need some better attacks. Something that stands out more than a simple punch you know? That would have done a world of good for the game. Also some of the aerial enemies would feel a bit cheesy with how quickly they would fly into you. Again, your attacks are short range so it’s really hard to deal with these enemies except to just eat the hit and then counter. The problem is that the hits add up very quickly and then you’re out.

The final boss is a really fun level though because you’ve got a time limit that has two different endings play out. Basically you have to try and beat the enemy before the main heroine dies. Unfortunately I wasn’t fast enough so I got the bad ending here. It’s really tough to defeat the enemy right away especially because I didn’t realize at first that I needed to have the machine hit him. I was just landing combos on my own but apparently that was not nearly enough.

In terms of replay value, there isn’t much here but that’s normal. The idea is to beat the game and then that’s the end of the road. The game’s length is fairly short at around an hour or so but still longer than other Genesis titles. It sort of comes with the territory of being an older game but if you have the Switch Online it shouldn’t be much of a factor anyway. I don’t think spending a lot of money on these games back in the day would have been a good investment but the game has definitely changed with how the online titles work.

Overall, Comix Zone is a game that I won’t forget. It absolutely is memorable but in terms of gameplay it’s not as strong as the average beat em up. So you’re playing this more for the novelty than the quality which can be tricky since the novelty can’t hold you up for the entire time. Still, it’s a good game and I would recommend checking it out if you have the Switch Online. You’re going to be experiencing lots of action all the way so it definitely delivers on the genre you’ve been promised here.

Overall 6/10

Super Fantasy Zone Review

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It’s time to jump into one of the better Genesis games on the Switch Online. This one’s a fun platformer that feels a bit like a Kirby game but manages to have a good identity of its own. It’s a really fun 2D shooter and while the game does feel rather difficult in the sense that you will be dying a lot, it’s a really pleasant experience. Also by this point you’re used to all of the Genesis games just being really tough to be honest.

So you’re playing as a cool sentient ship trying to stop the dark master. Interestingly there are no cutscenes until the ending but the ending actually recaps the entire game for you. So in retrospect it’s like we did get a really complete game and I appreciate that. It’s just a super odd design choice. Maybe for some reason it was easier to put everything at the end? With the way each screen ends, it feels like maybe the original intent was to put one page after each world but they just gave up on the idea.

There are 8 main levels in the game and each one involves you having to shoot around 12 specific objects while dodging a ton of enemy fighters. Once you do that, then you fight the big boss at the end and I can tell you that he is absolutely not holding back. You have to usually hit 12 different weak points before the machine goes down and typically each point doubles as an energy gun as well which doesn’t make things any easier. So a lot of the battles are about patience, wait for your opening and then strike. If you go too fast you will absolutely be hit and crushed each time.

Now one aspect of the game that I didn’t realize until way later on is that there’s a shop. An occasional balloon shows up with the word shop on it but due to a misunderstanding with a bullet hitting me at the wrong time, I thought that touching the shop would cause me to lose a life. So I ended up avoiding it each time when I should have been going in there for my power ups. You can level up your main gun, bomb, and the speed at which you move. I highly recommend getting the laser gun no matter what.

The level of damage it does is absolutely insane. The only downside is that the ammo doesn’t last long but it can crush any boss and make short work out of each objective. You earn a lot of money every time you complete a chapter so just go ahead and buy this whenever the shop appears. I’m not exactly sure what causes it to appear though, whether it’s time, losing a life, or something else. It seemed pretty random to me but it was a real lifesaver for the climax.

The final boss is one of those classic gauntlets where you have to re-fight every previous boss in the game. Let me tell you, that’s definitely not easy. It’s a whole lot of action but in a way I do think the bosses tend to be easier than the minion parts of each level because of how many guys are shooting at you. This way it’s really just one opponent to deal with so it could be worse. Just be patient since there’s no time limit and blast away whenever you can.

Like I mentioned before the graphics are really solid here. It’s all very bright and colorful. Meanwhile the soundtrack is also above average. It has a lot of energy all the way through and makes you feel like you’re at a party. The whole game is super vibrant and this also makes the experience very memorable. It may not be the longest game out there but you’ll have a good deal of fun. Some modern titles could even take notes on just how smooth the gameplay is. You’re always in control of what is going on and turning is very seamless. I would go left-right-left-right real fast to blast away at both sides and it would work.

There are a few cheesy opponents who will suddenly teleport into the area you’re at which causes you to immediately lose. I thought that was really not all that legit since I don’t see how you can react to that the first time. It is a bit RNG also because after rewinding they would teleport somewhere else next time. So watch out for those guys and try to clear the board as soon as possible so you go to the boss level and then the minions are all gone which is super handy.

Overall, Super Fantasy Zone is a pretty good game. The gameplay itself is a lot of fun and so is the soundtrack and graphics. I felt like the whole game is built around just having a good time which if you ask me is the way to go about it. It’s short but fulfilling all the way through and that difficulty will have you do a double take. There are times where it just feels like there is no way for you to dodge everything. That is when you really have to re-evaluate your place on the board and go back even further so that you can try different steps this time. If you have the Switch Online you should definitely give this one a download.

Overall 7/10

Strider Review

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It’s time to take a look at Strider which is a fairly fast paced title with a lot going on but unfortunately doesn’t manage to turn the corner and be a great title. I mainly blame this on the gameplay which I found to be rather slippery at times so it was hard to land blows without falling. Ultimately you’re going to be replaying the levels a lot because some of these attacks are crazy.

As the Strider you have to stop a bunch of villains from succeeding in their objective. If anyone can do it…you can. So you have a cool sword and have to get to work on crushing the opponents. There are only 5 levels in the game but each level is fairly long so this actually ends up being a bit of a sizable Genesis title. I’m not saying it’s going to be 5 hours or so but it definitely does last a bit longer than you may have expected. If the game was easy then it probably would be like 30-60 minutes but don’t expect to be flying through this title.

The first difficult part is that your blade gets shorter the more you use it. So if you spam it too much then it becomes tiny and it’s hard to hit an enemy’s weak point. This really got me in the final level because the enemy is placed in a way where your short blade just can’t reach it. So I was fighting that guy for ages wondering why he wouldn’t go down and then eventually it made sense. Good game design or a mean trick? I’ll leave that up to you to decide. The main thing I will say is that I’d rather have a consistent weapon. Then there are a few gravity bosses where once you start flying in a circle you end up dying. I couldn’t figure out how to get out of that loop.

I assume there has to be a way to do it since no boss is invincible like that but it was definitely a crazy journey. I had to retry that boss so many times. Then the final boss has telekinetic abilities that serve as one hit KO moves once they are close enough and I wasn’t ready for that either. He was just throwing me around and I can’t imagine beating that guy in a normal way. The blasts are just so fast and there’s no way to outrun them.

I guess what I’m getting at here is that the game is unrelentingly difficult but not always in the best ways. You want a game that really challenges you and makes you have to wonder what you’re going to do but this one takes that a step further. It makes it so that it’s nearly impossible for you to beat it normally and I think it would have been nice to have given Strider more abilities. Maybe some kind of a blaster which would solve the issue of always rushing in only to find that you have a short blade.

The enemies all have blasters, rockets, and other projectiles so I don’t think this would be a crazy ask. It would just help to balance things if anything and you know how much I like to have some good balance. At least I can say that the graphics are really good. There are some excellent shots throughout the game and the final landscape is really good. The game was ahead of its time in that regard. The soundtrack also isn’t bad. It’s not quite Mega-Man but it’s more advanced than the average title.

There may not be much replay value but this is mainly a single player title where that’s not really the point anyway. The idea here is to beat the game and then you’re done. Since the game is fairly long for a Genesis title that’s not really a problem. You’ve got a good amount of value here so long as you enjoy the gameplay. Hey I may not have been the biggest fan of it but it’s still possible you may enjoy it. Just beware that your jump has so many animation frames in it that it makes you a complete sitting duck for a while so you probably shouldn’t jump too much.

Overall, Strider had some potential but ultimately I didn’t think it was a very good game. Its biggest offense is really that the game just wasn’t very fun. In a lot of ways that is the worst offense for any game though because that’s the whole reason that you’re playing right? I’d be interested in a more modern Strider game with a lot of quality of life improvements because there is potential here. In the meantime you can do a lot better with the other Genesis titles that are on the Switch Online. I recommend sticking to those titles and only check this one out if you are super curious.

Overall 4/10

Virtua Fighter 2 Review

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Virtua Fighter always felt like the really bland knockoff version to the bigger fighting games like Street Fighter and Tekken. When you think of big fighting game titles, odds are that Virtua Fighter won’t be one of them right? No disrespect there but that’s just how it is. It’s pretty fun to play one of the originals in the series through Genesis but it does reinforce that thought to me. The game’s not super colorful and Street Fighter was already more polished.

There isn’t any kind of story here so just pick a random character and go through Arcade mode to get the full experience. Basically you are fighting 9-10 opponents who all have their own ways of fighting. You have to take them all down and show them why you are the strongest fighter on the planet. If you don’t win….who will? I went with a fairly generic guy to play as because he seemed to be rather cocky and fortunately that was the case. It was fun to see him smirking the whole time and he had some fun win quotes.

Still the actual moveset was basically what you would expect from some average joe. A few kicks and punches but nothing out of the ordinary. I’m not saying he needed energy blasts or something but some kind of unique combos would have gone a long way to really having him break out compared to the other characters you know? That would have just made the most sense. Maybe his hair turns into electricity or he has an ultra aggressive fighting style.

As it is every match is fairly quick because the characters hit like a tank. There attacks deal so much damage that 2-3 full combos can have you down for the count. I was pretty surprised when I saw that the default timer for a match was 30 seconds but then after that it all made sense. You would never really need to go for the 60 seconds because one player would be down by then. As it is, I was barely able to cheese a small handful of matches in the last seconds when I was winning.

The A.I.’s difficulty level is really high here. Keep in mind that I was playing the default settings and I was getting absolutely clobbered at times. The enemy always seemed to know what the right move was and would not hesitate in launching it. It was a little suspicious at times but at the same time I know I am a super casual at this game so I shouldn’t expect to be getting big wins anyway. I can accept this for now and in the end I was eventually able to pull it off with some well timed rewinds. You just have to keep on trying over and over until eventually you get the big win that you were gunning for.

The graphics aren’t particularly impressive here. The game is surprisingly blocky so at times it feels more like a PS1 title. Additionally the soundtrack is basically nonexistent and having only 8 characters feels rather small. Some of this is a bit harsh on an old Genesis game to fix of course so it won’t lose many stars from that. At the end of the day what I’m really looking for here is how fun was the game and I would say that it delivers on that. I had a good time going through the levels and the final boss that’s an android of sorts was pretty interesting. I feel like there is probably some good lore that the series still needs to explore and that could really help it stand out at some point.

Overall, Virtua Fighter 2 is a fun game. In a world with Street Fighter and other fighting game titles there isn’t really much room for it but I do think the attempt was made. The game is certainly not a cash-in or anything like that. It actually does have smooth gameplay and the series lasted long enough to be on the PS3 but I just think it has yet to find a true gimmick that would put it over the edge. Naturally I would have liked to have had a story here too but maybe next time. So check this one out, there’s no real downside but I don’t think you will stick around for very long.

Overall 6/10

Altered Beast Review

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It’s time for the next Genesis title. This one’s really short but it’s still a good amount of fun. I feel like they went all out here as the levels that we do get have a lot of detail to them. The combat is pretty fun and every animal form has its own special abilities which also helps them to stand out. You really feel like you’re super powerful once you’re in the beast mode. It also at least does have a real plot in game which is always nice.

The game starts with a god resurrecting you from your grave and ordering you to save someone from Hades’ clutches. You start out as an ordinary joe but when you grab power ups, you get more and more buff until you turn into a monster. Then once you are a monster you have really great special abilities and have to defeat the boss of that level. There aren’t many levels and each one is fairly short. The real trick is getting to your monster form because if you don’t, then you are absolutely doomed. Your human form isn’t strong enough to defeat any of the bosses and your health is low in any form so that’s not an option.

My favorite monster form was one that could shoot a bunch of energy blasts. I’m not too good on greek mythology so I couldn’t really tell you which form was which to be honest though. They all sort of blend together even though they’re different but the fact that each one has different special abilities is cool. Even in a lot of modern titles that would not have been the case. This one went above and beyond and I definitely gotta respect that. It’s also a bit surreal seeing this random dude just going around punching a bunch of giant monsters you know?

I already talked about how the graphics are pretty good, so we can jump to the soundtrack now. That part’s a little more on the generic side but I’ve come to expect that as not many older games had stellar soundtracks. That would come in later but it’s also why some titles like Mario, Mega Man, and Sonic stood out. They surpassed the norms and got really creative. Still since this game surpassed expectations on the visuals and the gameplay I can give that a good pass. It may not have replay value but the initial playthrough is fun enough to carry you through.

There’s not a whole lot more to say to be honest here because the game is really straightforward and short. So once you know what the gameplay is, which is effectively a 2D platformer then you’re all set. There’s not much more to get into and you will know right away if you like the game or not. Who doesn’t like a good platformer though right? It can be a little unforgiving like with most Genesis titles of course but that’s par for the course.

I guess if there’s one thing I would change here it would be to make the character models a bit smaller. I get that the game wanted to show off just how strong the main character was but it also means that there isn’t a ton of room to dodge or move around. You’re always confined to an extent and I like having my freedom to run around and do what has to be done. In that way this game almost becomes more of a beat em up than a platformer at times.

Overall, Altered Beast is a good game. It could have been even better if it was longer since the overall experience is so short but either way with the Switch Online I would recommend checking this one out. There’s absolutely no downside after all and because it’s so short it’s not like it’s going to take all that much time out of your day right? There’s a ton of potential if they ever wanted to make a modern remake out of this one. In the meantime we’ll have to stick to this though.

Overall 6/10

Alien Storm Review

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This is definitely a weaker Genesis title. It’s a beat em up which is usually awesome but it has some extremely questionable design choices that hold the whole thing back. Like I’m talking design choices that will just have you scratching your head the whole time. Like why is this the case? It has some interesting ideas and I like the final boss but the game could have been better.

Basically you jump in to save the humans from the aliens that are everywhere. The aliens are shapeshifters and have even started turning into humans and different objects. One common object here is a trashcan that the aliens will turn into to get you to lower your guard before they pounce! So you have to still save the normal humans without letting the fakes go. No worries though, none of this is reflected in the gameplay. There is no friendly fire so just blast everything and you’ll only hit the aliens anyway. Most of the game is the 2D beat em up style but some levels at the end will quickly turn 3D where you blast a lot of aliens trying to get onto the screen.

This game is fairly unforgiving as even with rewind I got myself completely doomed on the first playthrough and barely survived on the second. The reason is that your normal attack either goes straight up if you’re playing as the guy or is a flame thrower that doesn’t do much damage if you play as the girl. Why can’t you just blast these aliens straight up? The whole time I’m wondering why the gameplay would be intentionally making it hard for you to hit the opponents. You have to use combos by hitting the normal attack button several times to do a ground move which knocks them out but this costs energy.

You can always call in an air strike or drop a massive nuclear bomb on the enemies to clear the screen but it takes up a ton of energy so you really shouldn’t spam this. If you do run out of energy then it’s tough because even your normal attacks don’t work anymore. When you have no energy, you swing it like a club and hope for the best. The problem is that this does almost no damage and it’s super hard to dodge the enemies.

I should underscore that when I ay it does almost no damage, that technically does mean that it does a little bit. So in theory you actually could beat some enemies like this but not enough to clear a level. Even with rewind I tried every kind of angle to get close to the aliens and it just wasn’t working. Then if you enter a 3D level with no energy, you can only fire a few blasts here and there so there is no way to blast all of the creatures in time. In both cases you are doomed so these are what I’d call complete choke points. Once you’re out of energy then even rewinding won’t save you.

All of this is to say that it’s an extremely difficult game. Perhaps the third playable character would have had a better weapon to use, I didn’t actually play as him. The core issue though is that your normal attack shouldn’t use energy. You should always have an attack that you can use at all times in a beat em up. Otherwise you can’t really focus on just having fun and blasting away at everyone because you’re worried about running out. I definitely think the game needed to improve on this aspect.

The 3D parts were fun at least but in part I admit it’s because they were just easier. These parts felt enjoyable to just be blasting everything as the screen keeps panning left to right. It’s even soothing in a way as it’s all so symmetrical. You know exactly what you will get at all times. It’s also good that it was fun because otherwise the plot really doesn’t exist here. You barely even know why you’re doing all of this. Of course in general you’re saving the world but it’s such a general/basic plot. You are not going to be playing this game for the story.

Now we come to the graphics and I can safely say that the game looks pretty good. I like that we actually see different shops and lots of unique backgrounds. The enemy character models are good and the same goes for the civilians. The music is fast paced and so I don’t have any issues with the technical effects here. The game is fairly short but considering how difficult it is, it’s probably a good thing it wasn’t longer or that would have been really daunting.

Overall, Alien Storm is a game with a fun premise but the gameplay doesn’t live up to this. My main problem stems from the fact that it’s a beat em up where you can’t just have fun knocking out the competition because you’re always worried about your energy and ammo. You should be able to just go in there guns/fists blazing and then fight them. It feels like the game missed out on what I would consider to be the critical point of any beat em up. Why make a game in this genre when you can’t do that? So check this game out and maybe there is some kind of attack option that I missed but otherwise this is not the title that you will want to check out.

Overall 5/10