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Sega Genesis/MegaDrive Appreciation Thread: Alien Storm > Golden Axe

E

ElTopo

Banned
A Black Falcon said:
Contra Hard Corps is my favorite Contra game by far, but I don't know if I'll ever beat it, the Western version is so crushingly hard...
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The big thing to get an understanding of (and something I failed at as a kid) is how to use the Slide move. The Slide has a TON of invincibility frames. So, unlike every other Contra title where you would try ducking or jumping over enemies or enemy fire, it's a better option to Slide.
 
T

theSlacker

Member
Mercutio said:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHiyfxsf8J8&feature=youtu.be

I think I just threw up in my mouth.
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Why would you do that to the rest of us?

A Black Falcon said:
Not really, those three games I mentioned are among the better games of the generation, period. The 32X may have a small library, but it's got more than enough good or interesting games in that small library to interest any Genesis fan.
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It's arguable. The only thing it has going for it are some unique early 3d games that didn't get better ports elsewhere.

It really is based on what your preferred genres are I guess. You couldn't really do to good with space combat games on the earlier systems so if you are really into them then I can see wanting to have it. Just like because I was really into platformers the Virtual Boy had a game worth owning. But even though Wario Land was a legitimately great platformer I'm not going to try to convince people that the Virtual Boy wasn't a garbage system.
I would even claim that the Virtual Boy had more games worth owning then the 32x, but it is pointless since both systems have a place in the trash next to each other.
 
N

Noahd41

Neo Member
AlexSA2 said:
The big thing to get an understanding of (and something I failed at as a kid) is how to use the Slide move. The Slide has a TON of invincibility frames. So, unlike every other Contra title where you would try ducking or jumping over enemies or enemy fire, it's a better option to Slide.
Click to expand...

That one is definitely all about the slide and it's glorious. I really like that game. I found, like Gunstar the checkpoints were reasonable.
 
A Black Falcon

A Black Falcon

Member
theSlacker said:
It's arguable. The only thing it has going for it are some unique early 3d games that didn't get better ports elsewhere.
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That's the main draw, sure, but things like the 32X version of NBA Jam T.E. are cool, if you like the game. Sure, that game's on a million platforms, but the 32X version is the only 4th-gen version with real sprite scaling, has a cool big-head mode, and more. Blackthorne 32X is good as well, and Tempo's decent if slow-paced. Those games aren't system sellers for many, but for those WITH a 32X stuff like that is worth a look.

As I said, the 32X should never have been released and I think that the 32X-Saturn launch period was the key one where Sega doomed itself (and the 32X played a definite role in that -- Sega needed to either not release the 32X at all, or support it with a solid software library for several years. One or the other, and definitely not what they did.), but the small library the system has does have some quality games. It's also got some barely-enhanced Genesis ports as well, of course, and some shoddy efforts like the 32X version of B.C. Racers (somehow the Sega CD version is better!), but it's got high points too.

It really is based on what your preferred genres are I guess. You couldn't really do to good with space combat games on the earlier systems so if you are really into them then I can see wanting to have it.
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Yeah, there are three space combat games on the 32X, Star Wars Arcade, Shadow Squadron, and Star Trek Starfleet Academy Starship Bridge Simulator. That last one is an enhanced SNES port, but the graphics (polygonal 3d on both systems) are improved, and so is the framerate. It's a mostly forgotten game, but it is fun once you get used to it. The other two are well-known of course. Star Wars Arcade is okay, Shadow Squadron like that but better, and with awesome effects as you blow apart the pieces of the giant ships you're fighting.

On the other systems that generation, really the only serious competition are the SNES and Sega CD ports of Wing Commander and SoulStar on Sega CD... and I guess also Vortex and (the cancelled) Star Fox 2 on SNES. Wing Commander is ambitious, but it's quite simply a game that just doesn't work well on console gamepads; the controls are overly complex. The game doesn't play as well as on PC either, of course. As for SoulStar, it's a great game and I love it, but it's not balanced as Shadow Squadron. Both can be tough games, but SoulStar often feels almost unfair with how many nearly unavoidable shots come at you particularly in the open-world-style levels. I really like the rail-shooter levels, but the open-flight levels can get frustrating. Also of course, it's a sprite-based game; Shadow Squadron is polygonal, and benefits from it with things such as location-based damage.

As for those two SNES games, Vortex is really ambitious, but I think it's too much for the system, it just doesn't quite work. The framerate's terrible of course, too. I haven't played Star Fox 2 much myself, can't say much about it, but it's supposed to be VERY short.

Just like because I was really into platformers the Virtual Boy had a game worth owning. But even though Wario Land was a legitimately great platformer I'm not going to try to convince people that the Virtual Boy wasn't a garbage system.
I would even claim that the Virtual Boy had more games worth owning then the 32x, but it is pointless since both systems have a place in the trash next to each other.
Click to expand...
The Virtual Boy is a good system with a good idea that was brought down by far too high expectations. If Nintendo had gone in with realistic expectations for the system, I think it could have survived for a while. but they thought it'd be a hit and it wasn't, so they ditched it almost immediately. But the hardware's good, the graphics are great (color aside, and I don't mind the monochrome look, handhelds wouldn't match the VB until the '00s!), and it has some pretty good games. I don't know if I'd recommend buying a VB or not, because the things are a bit pricey and the library is small, but it's very cool to have, and I like mine.

As for VB vs. 32X as far as games go, the VB has a bit more than half the number of games, but probably does have fewer mediocre games, yeah. In terms of average score the VB might be higher, but the 32X has more games, so it does make up for it that way. There is no 32X platformer nearly as great as VBWL, but it has great games in other genres. The two libraries are quite different though... but as far as flight combat games go, Shadow Squadron is better than Red Alarm. Red Alarm is fun, but Shadow Squadron is better.
 
P

Piston Hyundai

Member
AlexSA2 said:
Re-playing Contra Hard Corps again. I could gush over this game for hours. Pretty much the perfect Contra game without a single crappy or underwhelming level. Only slight against it is getting used to the control scheme on a 3-button Genesis controller.

What is your favorite ending/end boss in Hard Corps? My personal favorite is when you fight the General head on. It's the first and possibly only time in a Contra title where a boss is a humanoid the same size as you who doesn't jump in a robot or transform into a Cronenberg horror.
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Red Falcon ending, if only for the final-level-ass final level music.

God damn, Hard Corps has a great soundtrack.

God damn, Hard Corps has a great everything.

except a great sequel :(
 
N

Noahd41

Neo Member
Piston Hyundai said:
Red Falcon ending, if only for the final-level-ass final level music.

God damn, Hard Corps has a great soundtrack.

God damn, Hard Corps has a great everything.

except a great sequel :(
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I know Sega CD is a whole other ball game when it comes to music compared to the Genesis but I've been playing The Terminator on Sega CD and man is that game a treat. I really like the tunes. I wish there were more games at a similar quality both in regards to gameplay and audio.

On a music related note, is the Sega CD version of Earthworm Jim simply one with upgraded audio?

I find I like to collect the superior versions of games, but I won't be buying too many duplicates. For example, I already had Eternal Champions on both Genesis and Sega CD because it was so cheap. However, I don't think I will need to get titles like Virtua Racing or Space Harrier on multiple Genesis related platforms unless it is a wildly different experience. Even then, I think I would just want to grab the best version.
 
G

Gunstarheroes

Member
Noahd41 said:
I know Sega CD is a whole other ball game when it comes to music compared to the Genesis but I've been playing The Terminator on Sega CD and man is that game a treat. I really like the tunes. I wish there were more games at a similar quality both in regards to gameplay and audio.

On a music related note, is the Sega CD version of Earthworm Jim simply one with upgraded audio?

I find I like to collect the superior versions of games, but I won't be buying too many duplicates. For example, I already had Eternal Champions on both Genesis and Sega CD because it was so cheap. However, I don't think I will need to get titles like Virtua Racing or Space Harrier on multiple Genesis related platforms unless it is a wildly different experience. Even then, I think I would just want to grab the best version.
Click to expand...

Nope, it has a new level and extended levels, better animation, and a new ending, plus the audio. Definitely worth owning.
 
A

AmyS

Member
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aoaHGUD.jpg
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...
 
P

Piston Hyundai

Member
Noahd41 said:
On a music related note, is the Sega CD version of Earthworm Jim simply one with upgraded audio?

I find I like to collect the superior versions of games, but I won't be buying too many duplicates. For example, I already had Eternal Champions on both Genesis and Sega CD because it was so cheap. However, I don't think I will need to get titles like Virtua Racing or Space Harrier on multiple Genesis related platforms unless it is a wildly different experience. Even then, I think I would just want to grab the best version.
Click to expand...

The SEGA CD version of Earthworm Jim is the best version of the game. Has the most content out of any of them (the PC version includes the CD-exclusive levels but nixes "Who Turned Out the Lights?" for some reason), the best soundtrack, and while the graphics suffer due to the trademark Genesis dithering, it still sports upgraded animations, as Gunstarheroes said.
 
S

SuperGamer

Member
I'm a big Sega fan. The Mega Drive/Genesis is one of the best consoles ever created. I have a lot of great memories with the Master System too.
 
A Black Falcon

A Black Falcon

Member
Gunstarheroes said:
Nope, it has a new level and extended levels, better animation, and a new ending, plus the audio. Definitely worth owning.
Click to expand...

Don't forget to mention that it adds a password save system too! That's a key addition, in a game as hard as Earthworm Jim is.

Piston Hyundai said:
The SEGA CD version of Earthworm Jim is the best version of the game. Has the most content out of any of them (the PC version includes the CD-exclusive levels but nixes "Who Turned Out the Lights?" for some reason), the best soundtrack, and while the graphics suffer due to the trademark Genesis dithering, it still sports upgraded animations, as Gunstarheroes said.
Click to expand...
Which PC version are you talking about here, '95 or 1&2? Remember, they are different.
 
S

Shadow Hog

Member
Neither of those versions nix "Who Turned Out The Lights?". The HD remake lacks it, but that's only one of a variety of reasons I wouldn't wish that version on anyone.

In fact, the Windows 95 standalone version of Earthworm Jim: Special Edition is probably the best way to get the game, if you have a computer that can run it. It has everything the Sega CD version has - extended "New Junk City" and "What the Heck?", "Big Bruty" and "Intestinal Distress" present and accounted for, secret "Andy Asteroids" level that lets you optionally skip "Tube Race", the homing missile weapon that only shows up until Big Bruty and is then seemingly forgotten forever - as well as full 256-color graphics (at least, I don't recall much dithering), additional cheats that I don't believe the Sega CD version has (such as goofy hats on Jim's head, or the ability to play as "Hatman" - a stick figure guy with a tophat and the letter H written on his stomach), and - most importantly - automatic saving: you can start a new game from the start of any stage you've reached, no passwords required.
 
A Black Falcon

A Black Falcon

Member
Shadow Hog said:
Neither of those versions nix "Who Turned Out The Lights?". The HD remake lacks it, but that's only one of a variety of reasons I wouldn't wish that version on anyone.

In fact, the Windows 95 standalone version of Earthworm Jim: Special Edition is probably the best way to get the game, if you have a computer that can run it. It has everything the Sega CD version has - extended "New Junk City" and "What the Heck?", "Big Bruty" and "Intestinal Distress" present and accounted for, secret "Andy Asteroids" level that lets you optionally skip "Tube Race", the homing missile weapon that only shows up until Big Bruty and is then seemingly forgotten forever - as well as full 256-color graphics (at least, I don't recall much dithering), additional cheats that I don't believe the Sega CD version has (such as goofy hats on Jim's head, or the ability to play as "Hatman" - a stick figure guy with a tophat and the letter H written on his stomach), and - most importantly - automatic saving: you can start a new game from the start of any stage you've reached, no passwords required.
Click to expand...

"If you have a computer that can run it" is key, though. I have EWJ for Win'95, got it in 1997, but it's in the pile of win'95 games that won't run on my current computer. Unless there's a fan fix somewhere?

And the other PC version, 1&2 for DOS (available on GOG), isn't as good.
 
L

lazygecko

Member
A Black Falcon said:
"If you have a computer that can run it" is key, though. I have EWJ for Win'95, got it in 1997, but it's in the pile of win'95 games that won't run on my current computer. Unless there's a fan fix somewhere?

And the other PC version, 1&2 for DOS (available on GOG), isn't as good.
Click to expand...

Run a virtual instance of Windows 95 from Dosbox?
 
E

ElTopo

Banned
E

ElTopo

Banned
Piston Hyundai said:
The SEGA CD version of Earthworm Jim is the best version of the game. Has the most content out of any of them (the PC version includes the CD-exclusive levels but nixes "Who Turned Out the Lights?" for some reason), the best soundtrack, and while the graphics suffer due to the trademark Genesis dithering, it still sports upgraded animations, as Gunstarheroes said.
Click to expand...

I gotta' disagree with that. I think some of the new audio is a little out of place. The count down that you hear when you fight Evil The Cat is pretty obnoxious. The Big Brooty level is not too great. The extra stage in the first level was pretty good.

I mean, if you LOVE Earthworm Jim then it's worth checking out the Sega CD version. But, I still prefer the original Genesis version.

I beat Contra: Hard Corps for a 2nd time, got the ending I got as a kid where you go after Deadeye Joe and Surrender yourself. I still love it when you fight to the death and the Cronenberg plant monster kills the Scientist. I also love that moment where if you didn't go after Deadeye Joe but surrender, he breaks you out of prison on the train.

Such a good fucking game dudes! It breaks my heart when I read about dudes who never heard of it and just played Contra 3.
 
S

Shadow Hog

Member
SevenDevils said:
Doesn't the Sega CD version have that cool sketch intro? I preferred the PC version back in the day.
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Desert Strike isn't on the Sega CD.

Unless you meant Earthworm Jim: Special Edition. In which case, yeah, the Sega logo is accompanied by the sketch animation. The Windows 95 port puts it on the title screen instead. If you activate the Hatman cheat and then go back to the title screen, the Hatman stick figure even falls on top of and squishes Jim.
 
E

ElFly

Member
AlexSA2 said:
Re-playing Contra Hard Corps again. I could gush over this game for hours. Pretty much the perfect Contra game without a single crappy or underwhelming level. Only slight against it is getting used to the control scheme on a 3-button Genesis controller.

What is your favorite ending/end boss in Hard Corps? My personal favorite is when you fight the General head on. It's the first and possibly only time in a Contra title where a boss is a humanoid the same size as you who doesn't jump in a robot or transform into a Cronenberg horror.
Click to expand...

It's either that boss, or the robot that comes running to catch up your train and then stops it.

That was amazing back in the day.
 
S

Slermy

Member
Oooh, where did you find the screen? How difficult was the mod?

EDIT: Nevermind, I thought you replaced the screen itself.

Carry on.
 
IrishNinja

IrishNinja

Member
always jelly of Nomad owners

also since i was trying to get all my projects done in the last day or so, an update: just to eliminate my trio as a variable, i borrowed gunsmith's model 2 AC to use with my 32x...same results: native carts are fine, mega everdrive just blue screens (despite playing just fine on the genesis/sega-CD). closest ive read online is some folks saying certain 32X's just won't work with it...maaannn

im not giving up on my dreams of Virtua Hamster, gonna try as many mushrooms as i can find!
 
A Black Falcon

A Black Falcon

Member
sixteen-bit said:
lol Virtua Hamster. I heard there's a way more complete / near final version with collision detection and everything, but it was never dumped.
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I believe it was one of the games' developers who said that that more complete version exists. I badly want to play it, the little demo we have is great fun but there's nothing to do in it!
 
N

Noahd41

Neo Member
My Sega CD copy of The Terminator keeps freezing randomly :(

Tried Sonic CD and tried to give it a more legit shot. What a weird game. The colors are awkward, sound is not that great, future/past mechanic is really choppy and the framerate is brutal.
 
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