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Obscure and Overlooked SNES and Genesis/Megadrive Games

S

Spokeys

Member
Growing up with a Sega Genesis, my young self was pretty much only influenced by Sonic and Licensed trash. I didn't really get to experience any rare gems. One such licensed game I owned which doesn't get much attention was this:
8P8yx.jpg

It was a sports compilation which included Basketball, Soccer, Baseball, an Obstacle Course and a Whack-a-mole type game. They were all arcade-like and each character had a special move they could utilize such as the coyote being able to summon and pilot a mech. It was pretty fun playing it competitively as a kid.

What are some other oft-forgotten titles? Super Famicom and Japanese Mega Drive releases are fine too.
 
S

stabwound

Neo Member
Litfo.jpg


Super Ninja Boy, sequel to Little Ninja Brothers on the NES.

Excellent, but quirky action RPG. The general game plays like a traditional SNES RPG where you walk around towns, the world map, etc. When you get into battles, it turns into a 4D "Double Dragon-esque" combat, which is, admittedly, somewhat clunky. You gain EXP, level up, upgrade equipment, etc.

There are also some side scrolling levels and things like that.

All in all it's a pretty quirky game, but I like it a lot, and I rarely ever see anyone talk about it.
 
A

arglebargle

Member
i dont know what was obscure or overlooked at the time, because i didnt follow the industry that closely at the time and it was sorta random what i ended up with (a lot of hand-me-downs from cousins and trades with people on the block) but i really liked general chaos. did that ever become a genre or get a follow up? doesnt seem to me like that style of game was ever explored as much as it could have been.
 
P

Platy

Member
The most fun i had with games that make people go "...what ?" are :

Biker Mice From Mars
Isometric racing in the style of Mario kart meets Rock and Roll Racing !
Gameplay better than Rock and Roll racing (in my opinion... people can kill me for that =P) but worst than Mario Kart

Goof Troop
Coop mix of Adventure and Puzzle game that would make Goofy (or a teen me xD) go nuts
 
DonMigs85

DonMigs85

Member
Platy said:
The most fun i had with games that make people go "...what ?" are :

Biker Mice From Mars
Mario kart meets Rock and Roll Racing !

Goof Troop
Coop mix of Adventure and Puzzle game that would make Goofy (or a teen me xD) go nuts
Click to expand...
Adding to that:
snes-looney-tunes-bball-box-front.jpg


588497_40300_front.jpg


us_plok.jpg


857172-md_ti_boxart_large.jpg
 
S

Spokeys

Member
arglebargle said:
i dont know what was obscure or overlooked at the time, because i didnt follow the industry that closely at the time and it was sorta random what i ended up with (a lot of hand-me-downs from cousins and trades with people on the block) but i really liked general chaos. did that ever become a genre or get a follow up? doesnt seem to me like that style of game was ever explored as much as it could have been.
Click to expand...

I guess something obscure would usually be a game that was a one off title with no sequels that usually wasn't based off some kind of license. Of course those kinds of games were a dime a dozen on these systems but I think quite a bit that fit that criteria were underlooked due to unfamiliarity with the property.
 
M

Mama Robotnik

Member
The most overlooked title I know of from the era. It has three different names depending on region, which doesn't bloody help.

Europe: Soleil
USA: Crusader of Centy
Japan: Ragnacenty

soleil.jpg


crusader.jpg
ragnacenty.jpg


This game was Sega's answer to A Link to the Past, heavily influenced by the Zelda mechanics and control. However, I think it might also be a better game than Nintendo's own effort.

Things you do in this game

-Travel the world
-Freeze a Volcano
-Learn to speak Animal, and gather an army of magical animals to accompany you.
-Beat an Ocean God in combat, and when he grants you a wish, ask him to turn into a small animal so he can join you on your request.
-Discover your mother is a shapeshifting Racoon and beat the shit out of it. Then make it join your team, and untie your mother from the cupboard.
-Invade Heaven and fight a boss battle with God.
-Piss off God.
-Condemn the world to eternal damnation.
-Discover that there are Gods above the Judeo-Christian God, and that one of them has decided to help you with a time-travelling tornado.
-Go back to each of the dungeons you have previously traversed in their ancient history, and learn exactly who built them and why.
-Liberate slaves and erase a dungeon you've already completed because now it doesn't get built.
-Fight a continent as a boss
-Meet Sonic the Hedgehog. Seriously.
-Get turned into a monster, and have tea with a family of slimes who think you are one of their children.
-Have God get his revenge on you and take away your ability to communicate with humans, leaving you able to talk to animals, plants and (shock) monsters.
-Discover that humankind is a disease on the planet and that the monsters don't actually want to fight.
-Fight internal organs.
-Fight a giant Chameleon, who has decided to change a culture of belief by living on a mural and changing its body into different heiroglyphics to tell people to do different things.
-Remote control a flying sword through an palace made of ice.
-Pet lion.
-Commit murder against a peaceful creature, then realise your own ignorance.

Why you should play this game.

-It looks nice.
-It plays perfectly.
-It has a different, braver story than other games of the era.
-Hugely imaginative bosses
-It doesn't have that many cliches'
-INCREDIBLE soundtrack.

Screenies

crus1.jpg


crus2.jpg
 
K

kokujin

Banned
Mama Robotnik said:
The most overlooked title I know of from the era. It has three different names depending on region, which doesn't bloody help.

Europe: Soleil
USA: Crusader of Centy
Japan: Ragnacenty
Click to expand...

I was going to post this, but you did this amazing game the credit it deserves.I honestly can't find anything wrong with it.
 
K

kevinski

Banned
Light Crusader for Genesis

Aside from Ikaruga, this is probably the only Treasure game that I really enjoy. Light Crusader features a pretty cool magic system in which you essentially have access to all of the spells in the game from the very beginning, but you need to mix elements in order to use them. The game plays from an isometric perspective similar to what you might be familiar with in Landstalker, but Light Crusader handles this perspect a lot better, in my opinion.
 
K

kevinski

Banned
PsySal said:
I really liked Paladin's Quest, for SNES. Here is why:

  • Battle system gave you limited item slots, which meant you could not just limitless-cure-potion yourself.
  • You use HP to cast spells, which is brilliant.
  • Interesting world, not really like any other RPG I can think of. Strange flava', great story (well, I can't really remember the story but it's cool.)
  • Lots of possibilities for building your party.
  • Protagonist is named Chezny. What?
  • Great, funny battle and spell animations (battles are first person, kind of like dragon quest.)

A slick, well-designed RPG set in an interesting world, with a well-thought-out and balanced battle system.

Side note: I think the well-thought-out and balanced battle system is why many people hate it, because they are frustrated that their usual jrpg tactics are invalid-- fair enough, if you were expecting one thing and got another. But it really does make the battles require more thought and planning, which I find enjoyable.

Re-engaging lurk mode. <3 GAF
Click to expand...

I agree that it's an overlooked gem, but I was surprised to notice that you didn't mention the fact that the game allows you to attack with any piece of equipment. For example, rather than using a sword, you can use a helmet and headbutt enemies. Pretty cool stuff.
 
K

kokujin

Banned
kevinski said:
Light Crusader for Genesis

Aside from Ikaruga, this is probably the only Treasure game that I really enjoy. Light Crusader features a pretty cool magic system in which you essentially have access to all of the spells in the game from the very beginning, but you need to mix elements in order to use them. The game plays from an isometric perspective similar to what you might be familiar with in Landstalker, but Light Crusader handles this perspect a lot better, in my opinion.
Click to expand...
Very good choice.I wish treasure would try their hand at another adventure game, but to the most important thing.

kevinski said:
Aside from Ikaruga, this is probably the only Treasure game that I really enjoy.
Click to expand...

Those are the only 2 you like?Have you tried Astro Boy or Alien Soldier?, the latter is the greatest game ever made.
 
S

Shaneus

Member
1378144-366943_43647_front_large.jpg

Never really hear a lot of people talk about it, but it was made by a group of guys who I believe were fairly prominent in the Amiga demoscene at the time, who then moved on to create Hitman. Intro is very reminiscent of something you'd see in a demo, as was the music. In fact, the whole thing felt like it was an Amiga game, just oozed polish. I could go on forever about it, it's probably my favourite game for the MD/Genesis.

Edit: Now I remember... music was by Jesper Kyd.
 
K

kevinski

Banned
kokujin said:
Those are the only 2 you like?Have you tried Astro Boy or Alien Soldier?, the latter is the greatest game ever made.
Click to expand...

I haven't tried Astro Boy (Are you referring to the GBA version?), but I've tried Alien Soldier. It's not a bad game by any stretch, but it's far too difficult to be enjoyable to me. I've also played the following:

- Bangai-O HD: Missile Fury (It could really stand to ease the player in better.)
- Guardian Heroes (I'd probably like this more if plane-switching was handled better.)
- Gunstar Heroes (Contra: Hard Corps blows this game away.)
- McDonald's Treasure Land Adventure (Decent, but not my type of game.)

I can't say that I was terribly impressed with any of them, although I must say that I was surprised that the McDonald's game was at least decent. I just kinda feel that Treasure is an overrated developer.
 
K

kokujin

Banned
Shaneus said:
1378144-366943_43647_front_large.jpg

Never really hear a lot of people talk about it, but it was made by a group of guys who I believe were fairly prominent in the Amiga demoscene at the time, who then moved on to create Hitman. Intro is very reminiscent of something you'd see in a demo, as was the music. In fact, the whole thing felt like it was an Amiga game, just oozed polish. I could go on forever about it, it's probably my favourite game for the MD/Genesis.

Edit: Now I remember... music was by Jesper Kyd.
Click to expand...
They also did Red Zone.

Red_Zone_cover.jpg


kevinski said:
I haven't tried Astro Boy (Are you referring to the GBA version?), but I've tried Alien Soldier. It's not a bad game by any stretch, but it's far too difficult to be enjoyable to me. I've also played the following:

- Bangai-O HD: Missile Fury (It could really stand to ease the player in better.)
- Guardian Heroes (I'd probably like this more if plane-switching was handled better.)
- Gunstar Heroes (Contra: Hard Corps blows this game away.)
- McDonald's Treasure Land Adventure (Decent, but not my type of game.)

I can't say that I was terribly impressed with any of them, although I must say that I was surprised that the McDonald's game was at least decent. I just kinda feel that Treasure is an overrated developer.
Click to expand...

I can see where you are coming from, and I agree with you on Contra HC.No other Contra has touched it since.

ToD_ said:
I've never even played this game, but it has one of the best Mega Drive soundtracks out there in my opinion. Youtube some songs of this game - you won't regret it!
Click to expand...
Oh I know, that's what introduced me to the game, the composers also did Socket the Time Dominator, also a good soundtrack.I'll be picking it up with my bonus check this year.
 
K

kevinski

Banned
The Valis games on Genesis are really overlooked, although probably for good reason. I love the story in these games, and I'd love to see the games better realized. In either case, here's a list in case anyone wants to check them out:

- Valis (Flawed in that dying and losing your weapon upgrades can really screw you over late in the game. The PC Engine version is much better.)
- Syd of Valis (An SD interpretation of Valis II. Not very well executed, but it did retain the weapon/armor system from the MSX version, which is admirable.)
- Valis III (You can switch between three different characters. Otherwise, it plays a lot like the first one.)
 
H

Hiltz

Member
Platy said:
The most fun i had with games that make people go "...what ?" are :

Biker Mice From Mars
Isometric racing in the style of Mario kart meets Rock and Roll Racing !
Gameplay better than Rock and Roll racing (in my opinion... people can kill me for that =P) but worst than Mario Kart

Nice choice.

I got this game as a birthday present from my cousin. At first, I was disappointed since most licensed games have a bad reputation, but this one is actually quite good. I always played as Modo, that gray mouse with the eye patch and metal arm. One thing that bothered me about the game is that it seems like you can't quite get all of the upgrades by the time you get o the last race track.
Click to expand...
 
T

Tain

Member
two random games you might not have played:

Chelnov

15n63ya.jpg


Awesome remake of a great arcade game. Very revamped visuals, more aggressive enemies, denser stage layouts. Uses a very unorthodox control scheme for a 2D action platformer, with a button to change which direction you're facing. Released in Japan and Europe (as "Atomic Runner"). As always with games from this era, avoid the European release.

Assault Suits Valken

dlj1gj.jpg


Maybe my favorite SFC action game. Awesome weight to the mech's movement, awesome weapons, great, focused stages, and a fairly strict retry structure. Tense stuff. Released in NA as Cybernator.
 
K

kokujin

Banned
kevinski said:
The Valis games on Genesis are really overlooked, although probably for good reason. I love the story in these games, and I'd love to see the games better realized. In either case, here's a list in case anyone wants to check them out:

- Valis (Flawed in that dying and losing your weapon upgrades can really screw you over late in the game. The PC Engine version is much better.)
- Syd of Valis (An SD interpretation of Valis II. Not very well executed, but it did retain the weapon/armor system from the MSX version, which is admirable.)
- Valis III (You can switch between three different characters. Otherwise, it plays a lot like the first one.)
Click to expand...
Man, you're awesome.I can't tell you how much I love Valis 3, the music, the amazing art, everything.Telnet Japan had some of the best artists around, they should have opened an animation studio, because I would have bought their stuff.
 
K

kevinski

Banned
kokujin said:
I can see where you are coming from, and I agree with you on Contra HC.No other Contra has touched it since.
Click to expand...

Haha. After I submitted my response, however, I realized that I faulted Alien Soldier for being too hard and then went on to mention how amazing Contra: Hard Corps was, despite it arguably being more difficult than Alien Soldier. XD

By the way, have you played Contra: Shattered Soldier for PlayStation 2?
 
K

kevinski

Banned
kokujin said:
Man, you're awesome.I can't tell you how much I love Valis 3, the music, the amazing art, everything.Telnet Japan had some of the best artists around, they should have opened an animation studio, because I would have bought their stuff.
Click to expand...

Yeah, it's a bummer that the series didn't have more competent programmers, though. The games simply don't play very well, and the series deserves better (especially when you consider the hentai games). I'm pretty sure that there was a Valis cell phone game in Japan, and it was supposed to be pretty decent. I'd love to see the entire trilogy (Yeah, I'm not really a fan of IV.) remade with AAA production values, even if they were still 2D. I mean, they just really need to have the cinematics and dialog ramped up in terms of overall quality. The art was nice, but the flow wasn't all that great. I'd especially love to see how amazing
Reiko's death scene
would be with better execution.
 
W

Wired All Wrong

Member
tQKCn.jpg

Nightmare Circus. It was only released on the Sega Channel in the US. Wikipedia says it was released in Brazil as well. I don't remember if it was good, but I remember playing it.
 
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