Genesis REVIEWS Report: 70-61

In this report if the top 70-61 Genesis games according to Retro Sanctuary, I have reviewed three games, including two games in one of Sega's most important franchises. As usual, fans of Shmups will find several games that will satisfy them, such as Super Fantasy Zone and Gaiares, and there are interesting oddities such as Light Crusader and ToeJam & Earl.

While I cannot vouch for the quality of most of these games, I think the library as a whole is starting to show some promise compared to the games before it, even though I don't regret dropping the games that I did.

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

Please enjoy:-

70- Super Fantasy Zone (1992, 1993): 

• Genre: Scrolling Shooter.
• Publisher: Sunsoft, Sega; Developer: Sunsoft.

This is a classic Sega scrolling shooter that is a little famous today, thanks to being included in the Yakuza series in-game Arcade. Unlike the many shooters of the day, this game has a much more surreal style to it, which fits the simpler gameplay loop to the detriment of genre hardcore fans.

 

Personally, I played it several times in several Yakuza games, but it has always been my least favorite game in each arcade. 

 

69- Warsong (1991): 

• Genre: TRPG.
• Publisher: Treco; Developer: Masaya Games.

Of the three important TRPGs of the 16-bit era, the Langrisser series is probably the least well-known, and that's because few of its titles were ever localized in the West. Warsong is actually the first Langrisser game.

With that in mind, we are discussing a game that is arguably as important as the first Fire Emblem and Shining Force games. Obviously, since the series went on to find some success, the first game in the series must have had some positive elements. It sure does, but it also has its share of obviously glaring problems.

As the first game in the Langrisser series, Warsong makes it obvious that the series has a lot of ideas. Ideas that would make for some better games in the future. Unfortunately, this first attempt for the series suffers because of the extremely long turns.

It feels like the balancing was off, and because of that, the game is inaccessible for many who will not want to invest the time in finding what fun can be found in the game. 

68- Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse (1990):

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

I had high hopes for this game, considering the excellence of Ducktales in particular, and the good reputation of Disney platformers in general. However, I found the game to be incredibly boring when I played it, despite its admittedly stellar early Genesis graphics.

Also, I have to confess that I was never a fan of stupid Mickey Mouse. 

67- Phantasy Star II (1990):

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

The Phantasy Star series is nearly as old as the Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy RPG series, and while it is held in high regard, it never reached the acclaim of those other two franchises. The second game in the series is the first on the Genesis, and is highly regarded by Genesis fans.

Unfortunately, this is an example of an early JRPG that didn't age well. Still, there are glimpses of the brilliance that made gamers love it 26 years ago. This is a view I know many would disagree with. Many would say I am judging PSII harshly for a game of its time, and that it was a much better game if played in 1990. However, I am not reviewing this game in 1990, but in 2016. When making this review, I am making a recommendation for someone wanting to play the game now.

With that in mind, PSII has aged terribly, and as such, I can only recommend it to retro enthusiasts. I can see how the game managed to attract such a fanbase back in the day. Yet, where games such as Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy VI managed to stay great despite their age, PSII suffers too much from it.

66- Gaiares (1990, 1991):

• Genre: Shmup.
• Publisher: EA; Developer: Telenet Japan.

Gaiares is a tough-as-nails horizontal Shmup with an interesting power-up twist: Instead of picking up weapons capsules as typical of the genre, you can "steal" abilities from enemies. This gives it a different strategic depth from other games in the genre.

 

65- Light Crusader (1995):

• Genre: Action-Adventure.
• Publisher: Sega; Developer: Treasure.

Despite being a fan of Treasure's other Genesis games, I wasn't impressed by Light Crusader at all. An isometric Action-Adventure game, it was a game ahead of its time in some aspects, especially with its semi-polygonal graphics, but it never felt as satisfying and fun to control as Treasure's other, more action-focused games.

64- Jungle Strike (1991):

• Genre: Overhead Shooter.
• Publisher: Electronic Arts; Developer: High Score Productions.

This is the sequel to Electronic Arts Desert Strike game, an Action Overhead Shooter where you control a single helicopter as it wreaks havoc in overhead stages with multiple missions. The strike is series was fun to play in some way, but were rarely anything special. In this case, this game had a better port on the SNES.

63- Tyrants: Fight Through Time (1991):

• Genre: Real Time Strategy.
• Publisher: Virgin Games; Developer: Sensible Software.

This game is considered one of the first RTS games ever made, and probably the first one with the now almost ubiquitous technology tree system. Originally developed for the Amiga, it was eventually ported to almost every console or system that could run it.

Frequently compared to Populous due to its looks, it plays nothing like it and is not considered part of the "God genre", which makes some reviews an awkward read when they deride it as a Populous clone.

 

62- ToeJam & Earl (1991):

• Genre: Action, Rougelike.
• Publisher: Sega; Developer: Johnson Voorsanger Productions.

This is probably one of the most unique games in this list. A surreal Action game with Roguelike elements, it was an unconventional game at its release, and remains so today. Frankly, it was too surreal and slow-paced for me to enjoy, and I dropped the game without giving it much of a chance as a result.

61- Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (1992):

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

Without Sonic, there wouldn't have been a 16-bit console war. In a time when iconic cartoon characters managed the most sales, Sega needed the Blue Blur to compete. It needed Sonic to be both an iconic character, as well as have pretty solid gameplay about him.

Since Sonic only started in 1991, Sega did not have the time to build him a legacy, as Nintendo did with Mario. Instead, they had to release the second game as fast as possible, culminating in the release of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 only a year after the first.

It's good to say that, probably, a hectic schedule did not affect the quality of the game, because Sonic 2 is a continuation of the best parts of the first game, and then some.

 

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.