Genesis REVIEWS Report: 80-71

Even though I have not reviewed any of the top 80-71 Genesis games according to Retro Sanctuary, this list actually contains a few known gems. Fans of Shmups would recognize the brilliance of Thunder Force III and Hellfire, as well as competent arcade ports like Mercs and Golden Axe. Personally, I regret not playing Wiz 'n' Liz or Starflight, but I don't regret not completing Phantasy Star III or Shining in the Darkness, which were a slog to play.

With that being said, here is a quick report on each game on this list.

Please enjoy:-

80- Wiz 'n' Liz (1993, 1994): 

• Genre: Platformer.
• Publisher: Psygnosis; Developer: Rising Hell Software.

This is another game that I probably skipped by mistake. Published by the same people who made Lemmings, the terribly named Wiz 'n' Liz was a fast-paced platformer where you needed to capture a certain number of "wabbits" in each level under a strict time limit that can be extended by finding items in the level. With its charming graphics and quick gameplay, it would probably be a fun game for anyone playing it today.

79- Phantasy Star III: Generation of Doom (1999, 1991): 

• Genre: JRPG.
• Publisher: Sega; Developer: Sega

Nearly every series has its black sheep, and Phantasy Star III has that unfortunate distinction here. Eschewing the sci-fi setting, this title at first appears to have a traditional fantasy setting. That immediately alienated fans of the series, and with other significant changes to the combat system and the story, all contributed to making it the least liked in the classic series.

However, if you actually try to judge the game on its own merit, it's actually not a bad game. In fact, it continues to innovate within the genre. For instance, the story is more ambiguous about the nature of good and evil, without a clear antagonist at the start. Also, two years before Dragon Warrior V came out, this game featured a "generations" mechanic where marriage choice changed the stats of the next generation as the story continued.

 

I liked it more than the second game. It has a better, more involved story, and significantly better graphics despite only being a year younger. Still, the menus are as labyrinthine as always, and finding where to go (even physically) can take hours without a guide, which is why I ultimately dropped the game.

78- NHL '94 (1993):

• Genre: Action Platformer.
• Publisher: EA Sports; Developer: High Score Productions.

Considered one of the best sports games on the Genesis, this hockey game had its best version on Sega's console. It should be noted that this game outsold Madden '93, which is not a small feat considering the difference in popularity between American football and hockey.

 

77- Eternal Champions (1993):

• Genre: Fighting.
• Publisher: Sega; Developer: Sega.

Eternal Champions is unique among fighting games in that it was designed for the home console from the ground up instead of being built for Arcades first. As a result, it has more organic focus on its single-player content and story, even if its characters are not nearly as memorable as the competition.

As a fighting game, it was decent competition to the best games of the genre, but not nearly as good as any of them.

76- Starflight (1991):

• Genre: Sandbox RPG.
• Publisher: EA; Developer: Binary Systems.

Not playing and reviewing this game might be one of my biggest regrets regarding my Genesis reviews. Originally, I thought that this game had better PC ports. However, I realize now that the Genesis version is in fact the definitive version of the game.

As one of the earliest sandbox RPGs, you are tasked with the exploration of the galaxy in your spaceship, manning it with a crew from five different species, and slowly revealing the plot of the game. The gameplay includes both trading and combat simulation, as well as role-playing elements regarding choices and character progression. While the graphical style may feel both simplistic and overwhelming at first, the open structure of the gameplay should be rewarding for anyone willing to engage with it.

75- Golden Axe (1989, 1990):

• Genre: Beat em' Up.
• Publisher: Sega; Developer: Sega (Team Shinobi).

Considered one of the pioneers of its genre, especially in the development of the weapon-based Beat em' Up subgenre, Golden Axe is worth playing for its legacy alone. Ironically, despite its influence on later games, the first Golden Axe is widely considered the best of the three on the Genesis, due to how little the latter games changed. Not being a big fan of the genre, I opted to skip playing the game to avoid needlessly criticizing something I didn't quite understand.

74- Thunder Force III (1990):

• Genre: Shmup.
• Publisher: Technosoft; Developer: Technosoft.

Here is another genre that I am not very good at, and therefore didn't review. Still, I can recognize a good thing when I see it, and the Thunder Force series is well-respected within the genre for a reason. With great music, great graphics and level design, and fast-paced action supported by a brilliant power-up system, this was clearly a top-tier Shmup. The fact that the highest Shmup in Retro Sanctuary's list is this game's sequel just reinforces that fact.

73- Shining in the Darkness (1991):

• Genre: Dungeon Crawler.
• Publisher: Sega; Developer: Climax Entertainment (Camelot).

In terms of legacy, Shining in the Darkness is probably more appreciated for being a pioneering JRPG game than for its actual merit. As one of the earlier RPGs on the Genesis, the game occupied a central role in the console's early narrative-focused games. The fact that Camelot got such a tiny budget meant there were many shortcomings in the game.

Today, despite many interesting elements in the game, Shining in the Darkness is a mainly tedious game that is a slog to play through.

I don't think the series would have moved forward if it continued with the same style, and the move to the TRPG genre was a great move on Camelot's part. This doesn't mean that Camelot didn't appreciate their first game. They retroactively added its story to the Shining Force continuity and even made a sequel in the same style on the Saturn.

72- Hellfire (1990):

• Genre: Shmup.
• Publisher: Taito; Developer: Toaplan.

This is the second Shmup developed by Toaplan to be featured in Retro Sanctuary's list, and that's a testament to the developer's skill in that genre. Again, fans of the genre should expect a slick and endlessly replayable shooter that fits with the best of the genre on a console filled to the brim with them.

71- Mercs (1991):

• Genre: Run and Gun.
• Publisher: Sega; Developer: Capcom, Sega.

This is the sequel to the arcade classic Commando, a vertical Run and Gun game that somehow combines games like Contra and vertical Shmups. In its arcade version, this game was highly regarded thanks to allowing three players to play simultaneously, but that was removed in its Genesis port in lieu of an additional single-player mode. Overall, this is another example of a successful console port of an arcade classic.

 

This report is a consolidated review of the top 100 list by Retro Sanctuary. It features the reviews I made for the list, but also has a brief paragraph about each game in the list that I didn't review. For games without an official review, the opinions I express are purely based on general research about the game and its reception at the time.