Shenmue Dojo

Marko's Magic Football, a/k/a Marko because Americans don't know what a football is.

A platform game with a quirky twist, summing up the 16-bit era beautifully.

Maybe they did all they could with the gimmick, or maybe it just wasn't that popular, but its legacy is virtually nonexistent. The closest I've found to it in recent years is a puzzle-type game called Tennis In The Face, simply by virtue of using a sports ball as a projectile against enemies.

How about Ranger X:



Ranger X is a seriously underrated Mega Drive game with some unique gameplay mechanics. A side-scrolling shooter where you control a giant robot in tandem with a support vehicle. You also have the option of combining with that vehicle into a single machine, which has advantages in certain tactical situations.

Beyond that Ranger X is also a beautiful game that pushes the standard Mega Drive hardware to its absolute limits. The beginning of each level is accompanied by a wire-frame CGI mission briefing. While the levels themselves have a host of impressive visual feats that never slow the game down. Plus, the music is amazing, making good use of the Mega Drive's dual sound chips.

Ranger X really is one of the most technically impressive games on the Mega Drive. All the more amazing considering that it was a mid-gen 1993 release.

ActRaiser 2. Hated by critics and fans, but it's truly a gem of a game. Ignoring the graphics and sound, which are both beautiful and some of the best on the SNES, it's also got incredibly deep platform mechanics. Unique movement and situational magic attacks. The games best feature is the sword plant ability. Whenever your character is in an animation pose that has its sword out (during a fall animation), your character is invincible. This game is HARD, but it is not unfair. It will require patience, but as you improve, you'll begin to enjoy the game more and more.

I think this game is much better than ActRaiser. Rather than having a hodgepodge of mediocre sim mixed with mediocre platforming, it instead chose to perfect the platforming. I like ActRaiser, but ActRaiser 2 is a much more rewarding game. I think the problem however, and why it was so universally panned, is because the fans of the original are not looking for the type of challenge or depth found in this game, and instead, they want something that is instantly fun, rather than a fun you must earn (which I can understand). It pains me when I see this on "Worst SNES" lists, because I think it's probably one of the best games on the console. But whatever.

south carmain wrote:

I think this one really just got lost in the shuffle.

south carmain wrote:

Would have expected you to post Shenmue.

mrandyk wrote:

south carmain wrote:

Would have expected you to post Shenmue.

Nah shenmue is overrated