[intro squeals & funky music] These mini consoles, they are everywhere now. But for me they are about the experience,
y'know, do these little machines re-create that nostalgic feeling of the 80s & 90s, of
plugging in your proper system and getting a proper control pad, and playing the games
you had at your disposal? Does it re-create that? If it does, then it's a win. If it doesn't, there isn't much point really. So for this, I thought I'd take a quick look
at the console itself, and then look at the experiences of the 80s and 90s; what people,
what critics thought about these games back in the day, and maybe see how they translate
to today. [rapid unboxing sounds] Now these pads, ahhhhhh, they're just... do
you ever get that nostalgic feeling where you're suddenly back in the past, at a particular
moment. For me, with these pads, it's in my mates
house, when I first got hold of one, and I was like, wooooahhhh, this is the future,
look at the graphics this thing is capable of! And it was all, kind of, surmised, and the
memory is embedded in the shape and feel of this pad, and it's not quite right. Here's some original Mega Drive pads and they
are, they feel different. This one is really smooth plastic, and it's
shiny. It's like that episode of Star Trek The Next
Generation, when Riker is in the fake bridge of the Enterprise, and everything seems right,
but it's not quite right... "Would anyone else like to speak up, or shall
we end this charade?" Also, the original pads have little white/grey
indicator arrows on the D-Pad. They've gone with red on this one. They kept the kind of grey start button, which
is nice, but.... aaaaghhhhhhhhh... So, the console... Look at it! It IS a Mega Drive. It's got, even the slots to slot it onto the
Mega CD on the bottom, it's got the panel, where you plug it into the Mega CD. They've paid attention to detail, which is
nice. Especially after a lifetime of things like
this. Sega... *box slams on floor* You've done well. Even the volume button has a resistance to
it. It feels like the volume did on the original
console. Let's take the plastic off. Even this *fresh peeling sound of plastic
on plastic* flap works doesn't it? There's nothing there, but, ahh, Sega, have
done a good job, I've got to hand it to them, in the feel and look department. The experience is almost here, so let's plug
it in... Actually, no, I want to find out what's making
this volume button resistant first... let's take it apart! [Jazz music that sounds ready for action] *unscrewing clunks* Right... *clunks* It's just like a bit of graduated plastic,
by the look of it, so, the further you push it up, the more it presses on the plastic
and resists, uh, very simple! But very effective. *unscrewing* Oooh, yes, Samsung 816 chip, look at this. *clunking* What about these pads? I want to see how these pads differ from the
originals. *clackety* So.. here's the inside of a pad. *tappety clunky* Incredibly simple board there. So we've got some conductive pads. *rubber flapping, if that's a thing* If we compare that to an original controller. The internals, of, hehehe, an original pad. Here's the difference, here's the new one,
here's the old one. You can see this is much more refined. The old one has massive traces on, big blobs
of solder, but of course it does, it's from the 1990s. I wonder actually, if I can transplant, this
new board, into an original case? So the new board seems to fit fine in the
old controller case, so I might give myself a bit of a sneaky - or what I consider to
be - an upgrade. I much prefer the plastic on these old controllers,
it just feels more sturdy. All this new plastic, it feels brittle and
um, thin. *screwing* So there we go, there is the new controller
board in an original controller case, which for me is a bit of an upgrade, even though
this controller's got some sort of strange marks going on. But you know, original controllers had stains
and strange marks, you wouldn't have a pristine controller. This is all part of the nostalgia. And y'know, it's not knocking Sega with these
new mini controllers. They are really nice. But this, this is where it's at. So... [funky jazz begins]... HDMi in the back. USB in the back, of course this thing, has
no power brick. Controller in the USB socket. Power on. Lovely job. *swipey sound* Now, as these are wired controllers, the length
of the wire is very important. Thankfully, it's alright, y'know, it will
do for quite a small room. If you've got a big lounge, with a big TV,
and the sofa is far away, you might have problems. Now, I'm sure by now you know how good this
little Mini is. I'm sure you've seen videos describing how
good the menu is, and how good the graphics are. Graphics for me aren't really a big thing,
y'know, pixel sharp detail... I didn't grow up with that, I grew up with
a Mega Drive plugged into an Alba TV with an RF connection, so the grubbier the picture,
the more nostalgic, frankly. But, there are some emulation issues with
the sound. Mostly, it's spot on, but there is a delay
when playing games. *delayed Strider swipe* Which is more of a problem, because, with
technology of the past sound was instantaneous. Now, with it being slightly out of sync, that
bothers me more than anything else would. But, yo, at least I've fixed the controller,
so let's see what the critics thought of these games upon their original release... [Mega Drive music plays] Well, this is a lovely little menu system
isn't it? Not only can we see all the box art, but we
can see the spines as well. We can also flip to other languages, and get
presented not only with their box art, but localised versions of the games too. We even get the correct sort order for release
dates. Although due to the lack of an American English
option, I can't, out of the box see the North American versions, which is a shame. Rather than going though in strictly European
release order, I'm going to go through these games in Western release order. That is, the order they first appeared in
North America or Europe. Because that's really how we digested things
over here. After Japan, our eyes were fixated on the
American market, and although we occasionally got a release ahead of our American friends,
they mostly pipped us to the post. Now for critical opinion back in the day,
my go to magazine was Mean Machines, or Mean Machines Sega, because they seemed to know what they were talking about, so most of the reviews will come from that. But I'll add a few others in for diversity's
sake. -Altered Beast (region exclusive) (August
1989, USA) We begin with Altered Beast, released on the
14th August 1989 and the system's original pack-in title. Here's a game that's almost as synonymous
with the Mega Drive as Sonic the Hedgehog, and it's for that reason why it's included
in the Mini's line up. It may get a lot of grief nowdays, but it
was actually received pretty well at the time. The Games Machine gave it a highly respectable
87% noting that apart from the "Elmer Fudd-esque speech sample, Altered Beast turns out very
close indeed to its arcade origins... with the background graphics spot on", and they're
not wrong. If you're a fan of the coin-op, it's likely
you'll be a fan of this version. -Space Harrier II (August 1989, USA) Released on exactly the same day as Altered
Beast, Sega were keen to demonstrate the arcade abilities of their 16 bit wonder console. Did Space Harrier II succeed? Well Mean Machines was partly convinced. Matt commented that "Space Harrier was a sensation
in the arcades because of its speed and sit-down cabinets. However its playability never really matched
its looks and sound, and I'm afraid that's true of this game as well" Graphics scored highest at 90, with an overall
percentage of 77% - A Slick and polished game that looks amazing, but is rather dull to
play. -Ghouls 'n Ghosts (October 1989, USA) So released just a couple of months later,
did Ghouls 'n' Ghosts fair better? Well that "Mega Game" stamp clearly indicates
that it did. Julian wades in with "What a stunner! Not only does Ghouls 'n' Ghosts have some
of the best graphics and sound you're likely to see and hear on a console game, it's also
one of the hardest games you're likely to play". Slightly ironic then that it only gets an
89% lastability score! Playability is the highest scorer here, with
an overall percentage of 92% coupled with the words "A perfect conversion. Whether you're a fan of the coin-op or not,
don't miss this" -Golden Axe (December 1989, USA) Now we're talking. One of my favourite games of all time, Golden
Axe. Released just in time for Christmas 1989 in
North America, I bet some of you lot had an excellent festive season. Mean Machines clearly concur with my sentiments
as we have another "Mega Game" award and 3 pages of glorious fantasy screenshots, which
much have looked mind blowing to those used to the dull pixellated 8 bit graphics on some
other consoles. Matt "loves this game! It's got everything I want in an arcade conversion. The two player option is the most fun, but
watch out, it's; easy to hurt the other guy".... Wise words there from Matt, and an even wiser
overall score of 91%. "A flawless conversion that even improves
on the arcade game! Superb". I for one, totally agree with this. The arcade game is good, but the Mega Drive
version is just better. -Columns (June 1990, USA) We're not ready to break the arcade cycle
yet, and so we move onto Columns. With the success of Tetris on Nintendo's Game
boy, it was clear Sega needed a similar offering. First appearing in arcades, it was now time
for the home port and most publications of the time were quick to praise Sega's efforts. Robert Swan thought that "One might argue
that there are already too many Tetris-alike games on the market, and another game would
simply get swamped under the ever increasing multitude. But when it's as slickly executed as Columns,
it has something with which to stand out from the rest" With a playability percentage of 94 and overall
score of 90, Robert obviously enjoyed this puzzling affair, verbalising it as "A flippin
good Tetris-style game that's got the spark of originality to keep it from being just
one of the crowd" -Thunder Force III (October 1990, USA only) Now Shhmuuup fans already know this is a great
game, but was the new Sega community ready for this kind of barbaric frenzy in the Autumn
of 1990? Well, Rich certainly was... "I first played Thunderforce II on import
when I started at CVG (Computer & Video Games magazine that is), and thought it was a megablast
that simply demanded purchase" Yes Rich! He goes on to say "Since then Thunderforce
has aged quite a bit annd isn't quite as good as some of the shoot 'em ups that followed
(Gynoug and Hellfire spring to mind)." Oh come on Rich, like that's relevant, it's
still a corker. Julian chimes in with "Thunderforce III is
still one of the most technically stunning Mega Drive blasters around". There we go, Julian knows what he's talking
about. The final verdict was "An addictive blast
which features stunning visuals. Check it out" and a score of 86%. -Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle (region
exclusive) (November 1990, Europe) Here's a game which actually hit Europe first,
by several months compared it's North American release. I suspect that's because we bloomin' love
the Master System over here, and Alex Kidd in Miracle World on the 8 bit system was a
corker. It stands to reason that those jumping to
the Mega Drive would want an even better experience..... buuuuttt, we didn't quite get it. Alex Kidd, for me is a game which works better
on Master System hardware. Video Games & Computer Entertainment however
seemed to enjoy it... "The graphics are vivid and fanciful... with
Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle, Alex Kidd fans get a chance to adventure with their
hero in a state of the art video game... my vote: recommended." Alright Clayton Walnum, I guess we can agree
to disagree here. -Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse
(November 1990, USA) Now with the Genesis now firmly arrived in
North America, Sega wanted a show-piece for their hardware and they decided Castle of
Illusion would be perfect for the task... and for good reason too, with the Disney like
graphics showing the console in some of its best light. Before Sonic was on the scene, this is the
game Sega choose to tout their latest hardware This wasn't a marketing gimmick either, with
magazines of the time agreeing with the outstanding graphics on offer, combined with excellent
gameplay. Matt noted "The programmers obviously took
a great deal of care with this game. The backgrounds are phenomenal with the best
parallax scrolling yet seen on the Megadrive". Castle of Illusion would score 95% in this
issue of Mean Machines, with other magazines offering similar scores. -Strider (November 1990, USA & Europe) For those receiving Sega's 16 bit console
for Christmas 1990, if they were very lucky, Strider might also be tucked away in a stocking. Mean Machines had got a review in from Japan
months prior, awarding it "Mega Game" status well ahead of schedule. If you look closely there's even a "grey import
warning" to make sure people are aware that imported carts won't work on official UK Mega
Drives without a japanese games adaptor. What does our trusty Julian say this time? "When this was loaded into the Mega Drive,
you could hear the sound of jaws dropping for miles around - it's an absolutely amazing,
truly arcade perfect conversion". Even Matt agrees this time around "The main
sprite is huge and well detailed, and the backgrounds are simply exquisite" The overall score of 92% then seems pretty
fitting. -Sonic the Hedgehog (June 1991, USA) So, here we are, Sonic finally landed in June
1991 and Sega was never the same again. This wasn't just a changing world for Sega
either, the world of video games was changing at a frantic rate, with fresh magazines popping
up and new found hype for the upcoming Super Nintendo console, poised to kick off the true
16 bit competition wars. Once again Mean Machines were early with their
review, grabbing the Japanese just a snitch earlier than worldwide release. At this point, I'm not sure if they realised
the enormity of the Sonic proposition, or what a sweeping change the blue critter would
bring, but Paul was quick to sing it's praises... "Yep, it's true - Sonic is really great! I can't think of a Mega Drive game with more
spectacular graphics - even Mickey Mouse wasn't as visually exciting as this - and everything
is just so fast and smooth it's just astonishing" Of course, it's clear that the game had been
anticipated with Rich exaggerating "After about fifteen zillion millenia of waiting. Sonic's finally here, and it's almost as fabby
as Sega would have us believe". Almost Rich, almost. Sound scored lowest with the comment "Vaguely
appealing tunes coupled with excellent effects".. VAGUELY APPEALING, come on guys! Graphics came in at a pleasing 96%, with an
overall score of 92% and the singular remark "The best platform game on the Megadrive! Go for it!" And so it began. -ToeJam & Earl (region exclusive) (October
1991, USA) Now here is as game which seems to divide
opinion. Some consider it a boring walking simulator,
whilst others love the multiplayer possibilities of what was then, a pretty original concept. Rad calls it "a hilarious adventure. From the cartoon-style opening sequence, to
the in-game banter between the two characters, the emphasis is definitely on comedy", whilst
Julian exclaims "What a bonkers game! Toe Jam and Earl is packed with weird and
wonderful things from the whacked out belly dancers to the jet packed Santas" Good percentages all round are only let down
by a lastability factor of 79%, meaning it falls just shy of that golden 90% mark. -Wonder Boy in Monster World (February 1992,
USA) Another series which works beautifully on
the Master System, and thankfully it also works pretty well on 16 bit hardware. I love the big visual centrepiece of this
review, showing off the glorious graphics, with various gameplay featured dotted around
the outside. Originally Mean Machines attempted the Japanese
version, but the difficulties with translation meant they had to wait for the Western release
before truly getting stuck in. Rad notes that "the sprites and backgrounds
are highly colourful and detailed, although the animation leaves something to be desired,
with laughably wimp sound also" It's strange how now, we barely hear the word
background mentioned. But then, the background of a game's playing
field was an important factor, and really demonstrated the difference that 16 bit consoles
could bring. Julian wasn't as impressed by the graphics
but comments that "Monster Land is both absorbing and addictive - all thanks to marvellous playability" Overall gaining it a commendable 88%, keeping
Wonderboy fans happy for weeks. -Alisia Dragoon (March, 1992, USA & Europe) Now, on it original release, this completely
passed me by. In fact, I think it passed a lot of people
by, and that's a shame, because it's a decent platformer. "All hell has broken loose in Fantasy Land,
where once again the forces of darkness have risen up from the depths of Hades to give
the living a bit of a bad time"... that beginning,combined with how stunning the graphics look in screen
shots seems hugely compelling now, and I'm surprised it didn't make more of an impact. Julian notes, "This is what Turrican should
have been! Alisia Dragoon is an excellent platform-based
blaster and sports challenging gameplay and some pretty unusual features". Rich notes, "At the beginning I thought that
the homing lightning beam would make this too easy, but as soon as I reached the end
of level boss, my preconceptions were horribly dashed. Alisia Dragoon is a tough mother of a game,
throwing everything but the kitchen sink at you", and to be fair he's not wrong. Mean Machines gave their highest mark of 92%
to the graphics, calling it a Visual feast, with an overall rating of 87%, adding "A good
fusion of platform and shoot'em up elements makes for an absorbing challenging game". Reviews in other publications were all pretty
similar. -Kid Chameleon (region exclusive) (May 1992,
USA) Here's a game I always found a little strange. It's premise is great, you as Kid Chameleon
enter a Virtual Reality game called WildSide, and immediately end up taking on game roles
in real life. This magazine spread depicts some of the protagonists
you will become, alongside many clips of platforming delight. Personally the Splatterhouse persona does
it for me. What did Rad say about it? "Kid Chameleon is certainly a novel twist
on the platform conccept. The addition of Kid's multiple personalities
certainly add to the originality and make things a bit more interesting"... Yes, this was a time when originality was
highly praised, and whilst sticking to the platforming formula, Kid Chameleon managed
it in bucket loads. Pliability was the top scorer here with 89&,
although the overall rating of 78% isn't quite up with the best, with the main flaws noted
as being too easy and the lack of variation between levels. Other magazines of the time took a similar
view. -Super Fantasy Zone (September 1992, Europe
only) Seriously, if Sega did a Master System mini,
I would bloody love it, especially if Fantasy Zone was on there. Still, the Mega Drive incarnation is "almost"
as good. This time we're popping over to Sega Pro Magazine
for the low down. "No-one can say the graphics on Super Fantasy
Zone are bland, on the contrary they reach out from the screen and literally tear your
eye balls from their sockets"... well, not quite literally lads, but we get the idea. Damian Butt seemed to think this was a reasonable
outing, although was unhappy with the "annoying gap between collision and actual explosions". Still it was enough for him to award a "ProScore"
of 80, giving graphics the highest rating at 90. I reckon he prefers Fantasy Zone on the Master
System too. -Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (November 1992, USA
& Europe) Ahhhh, now what can the critics say that you
don't already know about this? I remember when Sonic 2 was penned for release
back in 1992, with the launch day being dubbed as Sonic Tuesday... those clever little marketing
guys. But seriously, the hype was huge. With TV now catching up with the international
phenomenon of gaming, we were surrounded by our first love. It was even in newspapers of the time, and
Sonic was one character who was starting to feel more mainstream than perhaps gaming had
beforehand. Of course Mean Machines was there to cover
the event with 4 pages dedicated each to the Master System and Mega Drive releases. Chaos was the centre stone here, with the
special stage receiving a lot of love. Mainly because through clever programming,
the graphics seemed incredibly advanced for the time. Of course, Tails was here for the ride too,
and it was felt, well, exhilarating. Paul chimed in with "Sonic 2 is a blinding
stonker! None of the criticisms of the original apply
here: Sonic II is faster, slicker, more colourful, louder, bigger and much, much tougher than
the original" Praise all round meant a mighty score of 96%,
with pretty much every other factor deservedly receiving over 90. -Ecco the Dolphin (region exclusive) (July
1992, Europe & USA) From one synonymous title to another. 1992 seemed to be the year where the Mega
Drive was really making waves, if you'll excuse the pun. Graphically Ecco the Dolpin looked as much
a delight on paper as it did in the flesh, and although it wasn't evevryone's cup of
tea, the emotional story here helped galvanise interest in this singular title. "Ecco is a totally original concept in exploration
games. The gameplay ever so slightly resembles an
ancient game called Scuba Diver", and yes it does, it actually reminded me of a budget
Spectrum title called Scuba Kids. As usual the review is packed with information
boxes, providing glimpses of the game, but with a whopping overall score of 97%, this
seemed to be a title that was essential for purchase. It wouldn't be a Mega Drive mini without it. -Road Rash II (December 1992, USA & Europe) Arguably, nor would it be without Road Rash
II. You could always rely on the Mega Drive to
conjur up games that Nintendo would completely shy away from. Roaring through undulating roads on a superbike
whilst smashing the competition with a chain was definitely not Nintendo material. This was the good old days when Electronic
Arts served up wondrous games that everyone clambered for. Donning his crash helmet, Rich commented "I'm
happy to say that Road Rash II is better than the original, with faster gameplay, more taxing
opposition and more bikes! The two-player modes are excellent as well" Although Rad noted "This is more of a Road
Rash with extra bits rather than a completely new game" Still it was good enough to get 93% and the
claim of "Best Megadrive road racer" -World of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse and
Donald Duck (December 1992, USA & Europe) And so we're back to Disney, this time with
a verbally challenged duck. World of Illusion builds where Castle of Illusion
left off, and I find it a much more compelling title. It seems most magazines of the time agree. Lucy says "It is in fact, a damn good game....It's
amazing how a bit of imagination, some neat animation and a stack of variety can jazz
up your run of the mill platform romp" This romped nature meant the game received
a score of 91, with graphics, naturally being the high point. -Streets of Rage 2 (December 1992, USA) Can you imagine Sega issuing a mini console
without a Streets of Rage game? There would be pandemonium on the streets. People would probably end up dead. Now admittedly, I'd prefer all 3 titles to
be on here, but I'm sated with just the 2nd (although personally I prefer the first). However, MOST people seem to prefer the 2nd
game, including whoever this is? She's got neither feet or a name apparently... "My initial reaction was, hmm, a snazzed up
version of the original but with a few added extras. How wrong I was. This one eats the prequel for breakfast, spits
it out and then comes back for more" Sound and Playability came out top here, with
an overall score of 90, with the comment "the best scrolling beat'em up ever to hit a home
computer"... NICE. -Shining Force (July 1993, USA) "I haven't been so glued to a game since the
time when I first bought my Mega Drive almost four years ago!", well Paul, that bodes well
for Shining Force. Here we have another RPG, which oozes style
and playability. The Mega Drive might have been famed, and
even designed for arcade conversions, but games like Shining Force proved it was equally
as suited for more sedate, yet graphically rich affairs. Gus notes "This is fab stuff: the sort of
game to make you stay up way past bed time". Personally, I did that with quite a few Mega
Drive games, but maybe here's one I should sink some time into. Shining Force isn't a title I would have chosen
myself for the Mini, but frankly it's titles like this which offer new experiences, and
reasons for actually buying a mini console in the first place. Mean Machines awarded 91%, natrually earning
Mega Game status. -Gunstar Heroes (September 1993, USA & Europe) No introduction is required here. But in 1993, it was mandatory... "There's this bloke called Green who has two
friends named Blue and Red. Collectively this trio are known as the Gunstar
Heroes - a mighty intergalactic fighting force that don't take no hassle!". "Astounding! Seriosuly this game ought to come packed with
sedatives for all the exciting visuals it produces" "The battle against Black's forces is tough
and spectacular" "A stunning title both in appearance and the
gameplay it offers" 93% well deserved. -Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master (region
exclusive) (September 1993, Europe) Shinobi is a series I personally feel I should
have got more involved with in the 90s. It always felt compelling, but never enough
for me to commit to and purchase. So, it's pleasing that now I can sit down
and get stuck into arguably the best game in the series. Although not everyone will agree with that. "Revenge of Shinobi remains one of my favourite
Mega Drive games ever, so I was extremely anxious to get my hands on the sequel. Now I have, I'm in two minds about it. I can see it's a brilliant game that's a lot
bigger than Revenge of Shinobi with better graphics. I was disappointed by the music". Still sound scored 87% and the overall rating
came out at 88, which is still pretty commendable. -Street Fighter II': Special Champion Edition
(September 1993, USA) Let's jump across to the excellent publication,
Computer & Video Games for Street Fighter II: Special Champion Edition. Look at Garth, he's loving it. "The biggest game for a decade has landed
on the Mega Drive and it's the finest you'll see on the system" And he wasn't wrong. Street Fighter II Turbo had arrived on the
Super Nintendo about a year earlier, so this was a very much hyped release, appearing on
all our favourite gaming TV shows. Paul says "Arcade perfect presentation shines
through in this 24Mb monster" C&VG would natrually award a high rating of
94%, although they didn't need to. It was already going to sell quicker than
wildfire engulfing a dry forest. -Landstalker (October 1993, USA & Europe) If anything, I'm now shocked at the number
of RPG style games on this system. I'm not complaining, as they offer excellent
value for money. But it does feel that maybe this isn't the
general cross section of titles, the average owner would have had in the 90s. But like I've already said, that's a positive
thing. Look at all these visuals, showcasing this
isometric delight. Mmmmmmmm Paul: "Landstalker doesn't make for any ground-breaking
achievements, but is something very different for the Mega Drive. At times I find that the odd perspective employed
is confusing - platforms that appear in one position may lie in another" I'll agree, I feel the same about this game,
but it's something you can quickly get used to. 94% was award on this occasion. -Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball (region exclusive)
(November 1993, USA & Europe) When Sonic Spinball arrived, it was the talk
of MY playground. Here was a Sonic game, but yet it was very
different from the usual platforming speed fest. Howevever, it didn't feel un-natural. In fact, throwing Sonic into a pinball table
is probably one of the most natural things in the world. Did the gaming press agree? Well, yes and no. Most magazines agreed that it was't quite
the Sonic we know and love, but yet it provided enough entertainment to keep us engaged for
a good new weeks. "Just when you thought there was a new contender
for game of the year, it's all over. Sonic Spinball offers pinball fans a dizzy
love affair - fun while it lasts" And that's the issue. Four levels simply wasn't enough to validate
the £49.99 asking price. With inflation that puts it well about the
price of an entire Mega Drive Mini! It's like we don't even know how good we've
got it! I feel the overall score of 81% is completely
fair on this occasion. I mean, that's still technically 8 out of
10! -Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine (region
exclusive, sort of - it's essentially a reskinned Puyo Puyo) (November 1993, USA) This may be a region exclusive, but actually
it's a re-skin of the Japanese game Puyo Puyo, which, of course, is included on the Japanese
Mega Drive mini. Puyo Puyo is the game which Mean Machines
Sega reviewed, and it appears they liked it. It's also a game that received a fair amount
of hype, even before it's Dr. Robotnik moniker. "The excitement pre-ceding Puyo Puyo's arrival
here affected my opinion somewhat, but even so it lives up to the hype. This is an extremely fun game. Tough too! In fact it's hard to retain a respectable
facial expression as the brain enters new realms of mental torture" That Paul, is a statement I can completely
agree with, especially being slightly colour blind. 90% Overall, not too shabby at all. -Eternal Champions (region exclusive) (December
1993, USA) Mean Machines felt it fitting to award 6 pages
to review Eternal Champions, another much hyped fighting affair. Maybe not up with Street Fighter II, but pretty
darn close. Rather than a straight forward overview, we're
treated to an in depth synopsis of each character, along with their strengths and weaknesses. Rad noted "Just about every beat'em up in
the last couple of years has been touted as a Streetfighter beater, and Eternal Champions
is no exception. The difference is, though, that this is one
games that comes as near as dammit" Whilst I don't completely agree with Rad,
there's certainly worse games out there. The massive 97% score concurs with this. -Castlevania: Bloodlines (March 1994, USA
& Europe) So how about an American magazine? Game Pro to be exact, for our verdict of Castlevania:
Bloodlines. Another Nintendo aligned style of game, and
in fact, series, it's weird to even see a Castlevania game on the Mega Drive. On their opening paragraph Slasher Quan notes
that "Mournfully veteran vampire hunters will find that Castlevania suffered a heavy loss
of gameplay as well as visual and audio appeal" It appears this is one title that didn't perhaps
benefit from Blast Processing. Still the overall verdict was reasonable enough. -Earthworm Jim (region exclusive) (August
1994, USA) This is more the Mega Drive's style. Earthworm Jim. Another game which captured the imagination
of Genesis and Mega Drive owners all over the world. You only had to peek at the fluid and colourful
graphics on offer to know this was something rather special. Packed inside a 24Meg cartidge was a whole
lot of game. Paul was even brave enough to cough the words
"Roll over Sonic, a new kid has come to town and he means business", that's how huge this
little worm was in the 90s. It scored a commendable 93%, which is dammed
good, although to be fair, not as high as Sonic 2 scored. -Dynamite Headdy (September 1994, USA) By this point, I'm starting to realise just
how many games Sega have packed into this little device, and am slightly regretting
elaborating so much on each game. This was supposed to be a quick video, offering
some nostalgic insights, but now we're knee deep in Dynamite Headdy and Sega are no doubt
laughing their cotton socks off. Here we have yet another Mega Game, clearly
Sega weren't going to put dross in this box. It's a game which I never played in the day,
but I was very aware of it. Paul! "First we have the superb Earthworm Jim and
now we have Headdy. With two excellent games in such close proximity
to each other, it seems as if manufacturers have finally got the message that people will
no longer put up with duff platformers" And those comments ring true, 1994 felt like
a kind of second coming for the Mega Drive. A renewed golden age, and these new shiny,
and graphically impressive platformers were at the heart of proceedings. 93%. Get Headdy as soon as it comes out. No ifs, no butts! -Mega Man: The Wily Wars (October 1994, USA
& Europe) Known as RockMan Mega World in Japan, the
keenness of Mean Machines to get a review, meant that's the title we first witnessed. "It falls into the same league as Fawlty Towers
videos, old episodes of Upstairs Downstars and Morecambe and Wise Christmas Special. The various adventures of Rockman inspire
the same nostalgia amongst games players as certain TV shows do for a wide constituency
of couch potatoes" Consisting of Mega Man, Mega Man 2 and Mega
Man 3 this trio of titles scored a not unhealthy 78%. It's not a game I enjoy, but I know some of
you do. So it's here. -Contra: Hard Corps (August 1994, USA) / Probotector
(Nov 1994, UK) Contra! It's a title we know and love today, but back
in 1994, all we received was Probotector. Mainly due to the German market that required
the human violence to be dumbed down, in favour of robotic annihilation. Still, it's just as much fun. In fact, I think I prefer it with all these
crazy, knarly robots knocking about. I especially love how their faces morph from
one to another in the selection screen. Steve: "I'm a massive fan of Konami's Super
NES Contra game, but always found it a little too easy. With this Mega Drive version, though, Konami's
developers have listened to such criticisms and have created a game which is every bit
as playable as the original, but infinitely more rewarding" "A masterpiece of Mega drive programming"... It was awarded 94%, which I believe it more
than warrants. It's a delight to play today as much as it
was then. Oh, and if you want to play Contra Hard Corps
instead, you can just change the language to Japanese, and you get their version, which
is nice! -Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium
(Februrary 1995, USA) "Sega haven't released a proper RPG since,
oh the end of WWII" says Steve. You wouldn't know it if you owned a Mega Drive
mini matey! Phantasy Star IV is a shining light.... you
trail around towns and villages, solving puzzles, buying supplies and talking to the locals. When you get into areas of danger, things
take a different turn. 88 overall score. The best pure RPG for the Mega drive, but
deemed fit only for the land of the free. Yep, that's right, whilst this came out in
the USA during February 1995, Europe didn't actually get this game until the opposite
end of the year. -Beyond Oasis (The Story of Thor: A Successor
of the Light), (March 1995, USA & Europe) Mean Machines Sega issue 29 covered The Story
of Thor, dedicating a whopping 6 pages to it's dazzling cartoon graphics and engrossing
gameplay. It's yet another RPG, but to many fans of
the gloriously drawn Nintendo RPG games, this was the Mega Drive's answer, and it let few
down. What I like about Mean Machines Sega at this
point was the little information boxes they had. Here's one, Game Aim - "Reunite the twin armlets
to protect your kingdom from the evil intentions of Shade and the silver armlet". What did Gus have to say? "I cannot recall a Megadrive game of quite
so much quality and detail in a long time. Enormous work has gone into the character
animation, not only for Thor himself, but all his adversaries" Paul's thoughts were on a similar vein, but
also noted that "Being able to save the game at any point may sound like an ace idea...
but it does detract from playability". Pretty sure Paul woulnd't appreciate most
games of today then! The overall score game in at 93%, with graphics
receiving a huge 96%. -Light Crusader (region exclusive) (May 1995,
USA) Let's call this one an arcade adventure rather
than an RPG shall we? "After the disappointing Alien Solider, Treasure
hit peak form again with the stunning Light Crusader. Although the game has been in development
longer than most RPGs, it's easy to see where all the work as gone - it looks stunning" It's interesting to read comments like that
and compare it to the blurb that Sega gives you as an introduction to each game. Little comments like "The veterans at Treasure
poured their hearts into this action RPG.", are a really nice touch to the interface here,
and clearly tally well with what people were saying at the time. What did it score for all this hard work? Well a respectable 80%, although it did fair
better in some other publications. -Comix Zone (August 1995, USA) Another title that received a hella lotta
hype. It seemed like this was the age of making
games resemble cartoons, and the closer they resembled them, the higher the wow factor. So actually building a game around a comic
strip was pure genius. Especially given it plays well to boot. Gus: "In some ways Comix Zone is completely
original, in others much of the same old malarkey we've seen in beat'em ups since the Ice Age. But it's impossible not to like this most
quirky of recent Mega Drive titles" The game just missed out on Mega Game status
with a very commendable score of 89. Playablity scoring the most at 91. -Vectorman (region exclusive) (October 1995,
USA) For me, this game goes alongside Earthworm
Jim and Dynamite Headdy as one of the new age platformers, and clearly Marcus agreed. "This is pretty smart in just about every
sense. Visually, it has a detail and fluidity unusual
to Mega Drive games, while gameplay is satisfyingly fast and explosive. VectorMan himself is one of the most impressive
aspects of the whole caboodle" It does feel like a game that you need to
see in real life to get the full experience, but obviously Mean Machines had seen it and
awarded it a deserving 90%. -Virtua Fighter 2 (region exclusive) (1996,
Europe) What was this? The Mega Drive trying to keep up with the
Sega Saturn? Released near the end of the Mega Drive's
real life, this is a strange one to include on the collection. I mean, it looks a bit like Virtua Fighter
2, but yet it lacks all of the three dimensional features that make Virtua Fighter, Virtua
Fighter. Of course, they're simply not possible on
the 16 bit hardware, so it just seems, really strange. I guess the fact that it's undeniably a Sega
game just about warrants it's inclusion. In the January 1997 issue of Mean Machines
Sega Matt noted "There's not denying that the Mega Drive is still a great games console,
but as the 16 bit conversion of Virtua Fighter shows, Sega's outdated hardware has finally
reached its limits" Gus disagreed somewhat and said "I do think
it successfully captures the identity and character of the VF world", but it's clear
that Gus missed point. Still it scored 77%, which I personally think,
is more than it deserved, even then. Today, it's more of an obscurity. Something that you might peek at in a Museum
and wonder why it existed. Maybe that's why it's here. Tetris, Monster World IV and Darius are games
which never witnessed an original Western release. In fact Darius is a brand new conversion,
so there are no reviews for these games back in the day. For me personally, I dislike playing Tetris
on anything other than a Game Boy, I find Darius compelling but hard and Mosnter World
IV is a welcome addition which I've yet to really sink my teeth into. As for the console itself, well, I think it's
a robust entry into the mini series of consoles. I grew up with Sega consoles, and although
they don't always hold as compelling a story, or as polished feel as some of the Nintendo
titles, I bloody love the Mega Drive and the arcade ferocity it brought to our lives. If I have to be critical, I did notice some
glitches in games, which I've never seen in real hardware. I mean, what are these guys doing just hanging
about at the sides of the screen? And what's Sonic doing just stopping here? But that may be just because I was looking
hard for errors. Expecting things that we'd witnessed with
the AT Game consoles of the past, but thankfully been pleasantly surprised by M2's work. Although given M2's ports of games on the
3DS, there should be no surprise at all. This is a quality affair, and the only thing
that really bothers me is that sound lag. It's noticable. It's displeasing, but, I will remark that
when you're engrossed in a game, you actually don't notice it half as much. So maybe there's hope yet. As for the games, well, based on critical
opinion, they seem good. About half of them, I personally would have
chosen, although that means the other half would be something else entirely. Of course, it's subjective, so outside of
personal taste, I think they've done an excellent job, especially considering licencing hurdles. The choice here is compelling, yet diverse
enough to retain your interest for a good number of months, and given the Mini's price
tag is not far off the cost of a single game in 1993, it's really very easy to justify
the cost, if you want to, of course. So I'm fairly happy with the little critter. The only thing I need now is a mocked up Mega
CD and 32X and I'll be in bliss central. Good god. Dreams really do come true. I'm sure you're aware by now that inside the
actual Mega CD component is a nice little easter egg too. Sega aren't stupid, they knew people will
take this apart and mod it. Therefore gaining a nice bit of extra coverage. But it also shows the attention to detail
taken here. Sadly there's no piece of cardboard in the
32X, I guess they wanted to build us up and re-create that disappointment from 1994. Nice job Sega. Of course, all of these accessories are for
aesthetic purposes. They don't function. But once again it shows how close Sega are
to their fan base. Re-creating a mini tower of power and throwing
in all this technical artwork is just excellent. Thanks for watching, have a great evening.
What said critics then?
Great video. Personally if I could’ve swapped one game out it would’ve been Virtua Fighter 2. And put EAs Desert Strike in its place.