Sega games you might have missed...

[ThyDarkAngel]

...and that you problably should try to get.

The first one I'm mentioning is an interesting one, one that has a remote, odd connection to Shenmue. Why? Virtua Quest is something like a Virtua Fighter RPG (or rather a VF KIDS role playing game) and Shenmue started has a project with that same concept and basis. It's made by AM2 too.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NlyL6IhL6o[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aow0dmWoj-Y[/youtube]

I never owned this game myself, so I am quite intrigued to know if some of you have it and if so, please, make a quick personal review of it.

[Yama]

I passed it up as it didn't appeal to me right off the bat, but looking back at it now I'd love to give it a shot. I may just add it to my summer play list.

[Vyse Hazuky]

^Same here. Although it's been on my list for a while, since it didn't come out in Europe, my import priorities have been elsewhere...

[Segata Sanshiro Jr.]

How about Rent A Hero

Anywhooter a lotta people missed Warsong on Genesis and Crystal Warriors on GameGear

[Crimson Ryan]

I played Warsong on emulator yeears ago!

It's not rare by any means, but apparently it was very looked over: Comix Zone on Gens. Badass.

[Segata Sanshiro Jr.]

I just need to look in that box of MegadriveMastersystem/Saturn crap I have and I'm pretty sure this thread will fill up.

Ain't nobody know Spellcaster: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spellcaste ... eo_game%29

[Bluecast]

I remember the hype at least in NP mag at the time about VQ and after I read a review lost interest but back then I was more reliant on reviews. I watch those clips now and comes off to me a very Dreamcast like game which is good so I think i will add it to my list.

Looks rough but fun.

[Supa]

Blazing Heroes for Saturn: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blazing_Heroes

[OL]

I just need to look in that box of MegadriveMastersystem/Saturn crap I have and I'm pretty sure this thread will fill up.

Ain't nobody know Spellcaster: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spellcaste ... eo_game%29

Ain't nobody know Spellcaster, huh?
I posted it (and its semi-sequel, Mystic Defender) in the "Unknown Games" topic:
viewtopic.php?f=15&t=39761&start=45

Here's two in the same series.

Spellcaster (Sega Master System)



Spellcaster was a cool little action/adventure/RPG that was a favorite of mine back when I was given the Power Base Converter for my Genesis when I was a kid. The game is pretty evenly divided between action stages, which involve running along and firing magic spells at enemies to kill them (as is usual for action games back then), and adventure-style areas between levels, where you have to talk to people, gather information, and search areas in a semi-point-and-click manner. Very cool, very fun.
(the first pic is from the original japanese version, and doesn't actually appear in the altered US version)



I never actually beat it; I got to some point where you had to get in a boat to get somewhere, but it was constructed a bit like a maze, and I never figured it out.
I plan to get it again one of these days, once I acquire the Power Base Converter again. It'll be the first game I get, right alongside the original Ys and Phantasy Star.

Mystic Defender (Sega Genesis)



And Mystic Defender is a game I only found out about within the past year or two, actually. It's technically Spellcaster 2, though the translation was handled differently, thus character names have been changed and the two games bear little connection in the West, story-wise.



Mystic Defender essentially abandons the adventure and RPG elements from Spellcaster and instead focuses on the action parts, which is evident since they're actually quite a bit better this time around. Rather than primarily just running left or right, you get to move vertically, climbing trees or ascending tall temples and the like. It also contains creepy demon babies and hopping green heads, so you just know it has to be good.
And best of all, it actually contains the only (as far as I know) instance of sanctioned nudity on the Genesis!



Wowzers!!!
I'm all hot and turned on now. I love me some pixel-boobs.
Apparently a later version of the game put her in a pink nightie, though, so she wasn't so nekkid. Oh well.

Good games.
Also, everyone should play Ranger X. Right up at the top of my favorites on the Genesis (top 3) now that I've played it.
My review from a while back:

Ranger X (Genesis/Megadrive)

(All screenshots were actually taken by me, as it's surprisingly hard to find any good screens online; none of the ones I found could properly illustrate what the game is like, as they mostly seemed entirely random)




I like to think that as a kid in the 90s, I actually got around to playing the grand majority of truly great games on the Genesis. I was there for the release of Sonic 2, Shinobi III, Rocket Knight Adventures, Streets of Rage... I played them all back then, around the time of release. Because of that I think my opinion and impressions of those games are a little more... pure, in a way, than the opinion of a person who plays those games now, for the first time, 15-20 years after their initial releases. My outlook on those games isn't tainted by everything that's come out since then; regardless of "improvements" in gaming since then, I'm able to easily look back at how amazing those games were when they first came out without having to force myself to put them into context with the time period.
Which is why I really, really wish I would have gotten to play Ranger X back when it was first released. As much as I love this game having first played it now, in 2010, I can't even imagine how profound an impact it would have had on me back in 1993.
This game is downright excellent.



Ah, where to start...
The story of the game involves an all-out invasion being conducted on your home world (which is called, um... Homeworld) by a rebel coalition of planets called the Rahuna, who want to topple the galactic government and take control.
All pretty standard stuff, really. The real problem with it all comes from the fact that none of this info is actually found in the game itself; I only knew this much because I read it in the manual. Which is actually surprisingly unfortunate. Despite the actual plot being paper-thin, the details described in the manual are actually kind of interesting, making mention of various organizations and treaties and whatnot. I would have loved to have been told a bit more, as it's obvious that a good deal was thought out and considered. The only evidence of plot we find in the game is a scene of a tiny civilian being abducted during the first boss battle, which shows up again at the very end of the game.
So is this all a big rescue mission? Are we supposed to be driven to save this person, whom we never learn anything about?
I couldn't tell you. And even more perplexing is the fact that the main villain apparently turns into a giant demonic monster at the end.
To that, I shrug my shoulders and raise my eyebrows.

But none of that is particularly relevant, as the main draw with this game (as was the case with so many others back then) is the gameplay. And man, is it good.
In simplest terms, I could easily describe Ranger X as being like a 16-bit version of Zone of the Enders. While most giant robot games cast you as a slightly more plodding, slow-moving walking tank, Ranger X gives you control of an extremely fast and incredibly maneuverable anime-style robot (as I said, a bit like ZOE). Pressing left or right while on the ground will, naturally, make you walk, while pressing down will make you duck. But the real fun comes in using your boosters, which is achieved simply by pressing up. No jump button, no booster-specific button. All movement is assigned to the D-pad. Press in the direction you want to go, and you're there.
Further enhancing this ease of maneuverability is the fact that you're given two primary fire buttons; one to shoot to the right of you, the other to shoot to the left. Using all of this in conjunction with eachother, you can easily dash into the air, lay down a hail of gunfire on a nearby enemy, and simultaneously retreat backwards (a seemingly simple move that would be entirely impossible in most other games). The sheer ease of movement in this game leaves me completely dumbfounded as to why more games of the era didn't utilize a system like this.
As if that wasn't enough, the game also gives you a (usually) controllable partner for the majority of the game, in the form of Indra, a super-fast motorcycle-like attachment for Ranger X. You can let him simply tag along behind you if you like, or you can stand on top of him to gain an extra bit of ground speed. Or you can duck down into him while standing on top, effectively merging with him and allowing for use of a homing shot against enemies. There are actually a good deal of situations which require strategic use of his abilities to properly progress, preventing the game from ever getting particularly repetitive or stale.
Speaking of strategy, the game actually has a wide variety of levels, almost all of which require a slightly different approach. The game doesn't give you a time limit (unlike so many others of its kind), allowing you to take it as slow or as fast as you like. Some missions might actually benefit from a fast and mean approach (such as level 3, which has a constant supply of laser-firing aircraft bombarding you as you attempt progress), while others are meant to be taken a bit slower, with a little more strategy in mind (like level 5, which is actually kind of stealth-based, requiring you to avoid being caught in search lights, or else an alarm sounds and you have to fend off some particularly tricky enemies).
Granted, the game is, like so many others of the 16-bit era, very short (clocking in at maybe an hour), but this constant stream of variety and changing strategies keeps the game interesting and fun for the duration (along with any subsequent playthroughs you may try).

The graphics are absolutely amazing, especially considering the platform and year of release. They are, without a doubt, among the best on the Genesis. Sprites are very nicely-detailed, even down to the animation. For example, Ranger X's legs will dangle differently depending on if you are moving left or right while boosting. Nothing stiff about the sprites here. Backgrounds, likewise, are incredibly detailed and beautiful, many times utilizing a pseudo-3D effect to give them more depth (which is still a pretty impressive effect, even now). I've read in a number of places that Gau Entertainment, Ranger X's developers, actually managed to exceed the 64 color palette that the Genesis allows. While I kind of doubt this is true, they still managed to work an incredible amount of color and detail into every bit of the game. All of it is, as I said, right up there with the best on the Genesis. I'd almost say it's actually some of the best of the 16-bit generation overall. Even the mission briefings are impressive, as they are presented in wireframe form, something that must have been really cool to see back in '93.
The music, unfortunately, is a bit forgettable. Not to say that it's bad; none of it is particularly hard on the ears by any means. It's just all very average by Genesis standards, and most of it will be drowned out by the sounds of explosions and gunfire anyway.

All in all, Ranger X is a new favorite Genesis game for me. Which, in turn, makes it a new overall favorite. As I said before, I only wish I could have played it back when it initially came out, as I probably would have been even more impressed by it.
As it stands, I'm just disappointed we never got a sequel. The kind of game that Ranger X is is only truly possible in a 2D setting, and even if anyone were interested in picking the license up after all these years, it would just end up as another 3D shooter (which would entirely negate everything that makes it so special).
Luckily, it stands on its own well enough.
If you enjoy action gaming, I say get this game. If you have any taste at all, you won't regret it.

[Yama]

Ain't nobody know Spellcaster: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spellcaste ... eo_game%29

Except me, in fact I think you remember it because of me mentioning it on Haze.

My first RPG as a kid.

[Segata Sanshiro Jr.]

Yea thats actually the only reason I brought it up. If not for you I'd have kept wondering WTF my copy of Warrior Quest was.

Anyway I was looking through said crate and I actually found the JP version of Blazing Heroes, Riglord Saga and it's sequel Riglord Saga 2. I'd play them but my memory is full of Shining Force 3, Shining Wisdom & Shining and The Holy Ark data so I need a few more memory carts before I can sit down and play them.

That said I decided to play somthing without a save file so I popped in Die Hard Arcade (Dynamite Deka) and I had a blast. Its not the most obscure of Sega games but it is pretty damn fun. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dynamite_deka

[Yama]

Yea thats actually the only reason I brought it up. If not for you I'd have kept wondering WTF my copy of Warrior Quest was.

As in, "Oh yeah, I have that" not literally what the game was. Obviously you know. Just saying, I have a ton of games where sometimes someone mentions something and it allows me to remember I even have it. Figured the same for you. A little defensive, are we?

[ys]

I think Virtua Quest also had some area that's quite Shenmue inspired. I remember seeing some screenshots.

OL, Ranger X has cool graphics I think. Nice style. By the way, there's something with those Master System, Megadrive covers that I've always liked. It gives off some vibe but I can't put my finger on it.

[BlueMue]

Wow, Ranger X looks really awesome! What a shame I didn't knew about it earlier. Definately have to add that to my Mega Drive collection!

[Segata Sanshiro Jr.]

Yea thats actually the only reason I brought it up. If not for you I'd have kept wondering WTF my copy of Warrior Quest was.

As in, "Oh yeah, I have that" not literally what the game was. Obviously you know. Just saying, I have a ton of games where sometimes someone mentions something and it allows me to remember I even have it. Figured the same for you. A little defensive, are we?

No not at all, sorry if I came off that way. I really do mean I didn't know what it was. The whole damn thing is in Spanish and I remember playing the English version which always throws me off. When I tell people "Yea Warrior's Quest" then describe the game they always had no idea what I was talking about, but that time we were talking on Haze I finally put 2 and 2 together and realized they're the same thing.

i always find it funny how dramatically different the same game on SMS can be depending on region. Like HnK being changed to Black Belt or the Phantasy star music getting totally changed for SMS. Thats part of the reason I think people should own MKIIIs