(wicked Game Sack Theme music) - Hello and welcome to Game Sack and we are finally,
finally doing an episode on the Sega Genesis. - I can't tell you how many
times I've seen comments in our episodes like, when are
you gonna cover the Genesis? Do the Genesis! Well, you know what? We're not gonna have
anymore of that are we Joe? I mean because the time is finally here and yeah, let's just get right into it with an overview from Joe. - [Joe] The Sega Genesis
video entertainment system! - Sega's true 16 bit console launched in Japan as the Mega
Drive in October of 1988. For trademark reasons, the
name was changed to Genesis for it's August 1989
launch in North America. However, it kept it's Mega Drive name when it launched in PAL
territories in 1990. Sega promised arcade quality games compared to the wimpy 8-bit consoles that we were used to. And it absolutely delivered. Sega brought us into the next generation with high definition
graphics and a controller with not just 2, but 3 action buttons! Whoa! Eventually, the system got an
amazing six button controller. (deep bass boom) In order to achieve it's
unprecedented arcade-like quality, the Genesis was supplied with 68000 CPU running at 7.67 MHz. It also had a eight bit
Zilog Z80 at 3.58 MHz for backwards compatibility and also ran the sound in many games. It has a resolution of 224 pixels high and either 320 or 256 pixels wide. It's got 512 colors with
61 of them on screen. 80 simultaneous sprites and stereo audio with
10 channels of sound. Six of them being FM
powered by a Yamaha 2612. Sega released the Power Base Converter which allowed you to play
your library of exciting Master System games on the console using the internal 8-bit Z80 CPU. Many other outstanding
peripherals for the system were released like the Sega
CD and the ill-fated 32X. The console also had many revisions both externally and especially internally. Many of the later revisions produced very low quality sound
compared to the earlier models. There are more than 700
official games released for the system with some
very ambitious new ones still being released to this day. Over all, the console
is still on the market in some countries on one form or another and has sold well over 30
million units world wide. (bad-ass Streets of Rage music) - Alright man, really cool. I mean, what else is there to say? Awesome video. - Well, there is a lot more to say because what is a system without games? And without further ado,
let's get into those games. (awesome music from Elemental Master) - [Dave] The first game
we're gonna check out is Altered Beast since it was the original pack-in game for the Genesis. It's a fairly faithful part of the arcade. You play as a Roman centurion
who's been brought back from Elysian Fields by Zeus to rescue Athena from the evil Neff. - [Zeus] Wise fwum your gwave! - [Dave] How he got his hands
on her, we'll never know but I do like the cut scenes. Neff is pretty tough so you'll need a little extra power to
be able to take him down. Each level has these
white two-headed wolves that will release a spirit
ball when you kill them. You'll turn into a beast
with the third one. There's a different beast
for pretty much every level and each beast has different powers that are actually fun to use. Well, more of less, I don't really like the bear's spit ball attack though. It's cool that it turns enemies to stone but other than that it's just, well, spit. Anyway, this is still a fun game to play every now and then but it's damn short. (intense Altered Beast music) (screaming) Next is Dynamite Duke,
originally by Seibu Kehatsu. In this side scrolling
game, you take control of this ugly bastard, Colonel Duke Ripem. But you can call him Dynamite Duke though. Duke is special in that he's half human and half bionic with a lethal right arm. It plays sort of like Cabal
or Wild Guns only different. As each level automatically
scrolls to the right, you'll be machine-gunning
down all sorts of bad guys, tanks, helicopters, and turrets. Don't worry about ammo since
you'll find enough along the way by shooting random objects. This is cool and a little hard to control but the real fun starts at boss fights. Duke also has the ability to punch and kick bosses when they rush at him. I like the idea but again,
it's a little tough to control. Luckily you have the Dynamite
Duke lethal arm thingy. If you get stuck in a
bad situation with a boss or on a level, just
hold in the punch button to charge up the dynamite meter. Once it's charged and you let go, you do have a fairly lethal punch. I like this game as there
really isn't anything else like it in the library. (gun shots and better-than-mediocre music) Donald Duck even got
his own exclusive game on the system called Quack Shot. This action platformer is a bit different and will have you doing a
lot more than just going from the start of a level to the end. You'll get to a point
where you can't progress and from here you'll need
to call your airplane, piloted by your nephews. They'll take you to another level where you can find what you need so you can keep making progress. This can be a key, or plungers that you can stand on
to reach higher areas. You know that plunger always
bothered me in this game. Instead of killing your enemies it just stuns them so you
can get by without any harm. It's not very satisfying but
you know, what can you do? You do have other weapons
such as the popcorn gun but you have to collect ammo for it and it runs out very quickly. All in all, it's a fun
game that controls well, looks good and plays solid. If you're a Disney fan like me, then you must have this
game for your collection. (quirky music that makes
one envision Donald Duck) - [Joe] The Genesis was
known for it's action games and it had tons of great ones. It received great ports of arcade games like Capcom's Ghouls'n Ghosts. This is still my favorite entry in the entire Ghosts 'n Goblins franchise. It's a really early game
so it's not as good as it could've been on the
system but it's still awesome. (music that makes you feel
like you're in a fire level) Or how about Strider,
also licensed from Capcom? You certainly weren't gonna find a port of the arcade version on the NES or the Super Nintendo, that's for sure. It's clunky and weird, but
definitely in a good way. It's also short and very easy, just like my first girlfriend. Be sure to make an effort
to try this one out. (music that's very Strider-y) (amazing music composed by Yuzo Koshiro) The Revenge of Shinobi was a
evolution of the arcade game and it added lots of
strategy and great music. You also had a new double jump to master and now you have to worry
about conserving shirikens. That is unless you know the secret. You weren't gonna beat this one
the first time you played it but it's worth coming
back to again and again. (amazing music that you'd hear
in China Town or something) Shadow Dancer followed that up and it's a lot more arcade-y
then Revenge of Shinobi. And it since it has one hit deaths, most people really don't
bother with this one. But really, everyone should
play it, it's extremely fun. (sweet music that's both
shady and dancey. Get it?) And let's not forget about Shinobi III. This one is the true follow
up to Revenge of Shinobi. It's also an amazing
game in it's own right and better than most other ninja games on pretty much every platform. (great music that makes
you feel like a ninja) (broody Streets of Rage music) We can't forget beat 'em ups because the Genesis had Streets of Rage. The first game really
helped the Genesis stand out at the time as it was
two-player simultaneous where as the Final Fight on the newly released Super
Nintendo was single player only. Streets of Rage 2 really upped the ante as Ancient took over
most of the development. And it's still one of the
best beat 'em ups of all time. Streets of Rage 3 sure
wasn't any slouch either. Hell, any game where you can punch a bulldozer is A-OK in my book. Yeah, I know I've mentioned that before but it feels awesome. (quirky music) (punching noises) Of course, lots of third parties were on board to help out like Konami. Rocket Knight Adventures
was a great new IP and it had tons of potential. The initial entry here is great but unfortunately Konami didn't put as much effort into the followups. (music that makes it seem
as if you're an opossum) They did, however, put a lot of effort into Contra Hard Corps. This game is absolutely insane. If you thought Contra 3 on
the Super Nintendo was tough, you haven't seen nothing. This one offers branching
paths and multiple endings. And also crazy extreme
fast moving graphics that, well, frankly put
the competition to shame. You've gotta try this
one out for yourself. (grungy and gritty Contra music) They even brought
Castlevania to the Genesis. Castlevania Bloodlines is kind
of quirky in a lot of ways like having gems instead of hearts but it's still Castlevania
and it's still awesome. You're able to play as
one of two characters. And since this is on the Genesis, it's packed with a little bit more 'tude and plenty more gore than it
would've been on other systems. The music here is amazing, as is usually the case
with Castlevania games. Everyone should own six
copies, just in case. (music with many
different notes and stuff) (music which makes you feel like a hero) And of course, we can't forget Treasure. Treasure was formed by
a group of employees who got sick of Konami's nonsense. So they made their own company and created their own kind of nonsense. And Gunstar Heroes here
is their unique take on the run-&-gun formula. For the most part it works out really well and it's extremely fun
all the way through. Well, almost. (music that forces out heroic
qualities in righteous people) And of course, there's also Alien Soldier. Visualshock! Speedshock! Soundshock! Now is the time to the
68000 heart on fire! And that's all you need to
know about the game's story. Sadly, this one wasn't
released in North America. You play as some sort of super chicken and the game is basically
just a run-&-gun boss rush. In fact, it makes Contra
Hard Corps look like a baby game set on easy. Actually, this one can get a
lot easier once you learn it. You're invincible as Dash and you can do that as much as you want. You get a single life
and then it's game over. It's brutal but once you get
the hang of it, it's awesome! Keep using that continue
feature, you're gonna need it. - [Game Voiceover] Ready, fight! (cool music listened to by aliens) (shooting noises) - Alright man, this is a
total solid library so far. I mean, a lot of awesome
action-y type games. - Yeah, but there are some racing games so why don't you tell us about those? - Okay. (amazing music from Midnight Resistance) Okay, Joe, let's talk about racing games. OutRun is one of the best
arcade racing games out there and the Genesis port is pretty good. You drive a Ferrari and you must reach the check point before time
runs out or it's game over. Apparently every other
car on the damn road is also racing to beat checkpoints. Have you ever seen a normal car or truck going 170 plus miles per hour? What makes this game so special is that at the end of each stage you
chose which way you wanna go. Left is easier while right is harder. And of course, each stage
has it's own background which is cool and keeps the
racing from getting stale. All in all there's a total of 15 different stages
for you to experience. Not only that but there's four
music tracks to pick from. That's right, there's a new tune exclusive to the Genesis version. The original three are really good and they're long enough
that they don't loop. I love arcade racing games and this series is the pinnacle. The only somewhat
questionable thing about it is that it uses the Japanese stage layout versus the more common international one. Why there's even a difference? I don't know. (upbeat music that makes you
want to splash in the waves) If you're looking for
another exciting arcade racer then there's Hard Drivin'. The excitement never stops and the polygons are
super fast and smooth! (laughs) Just kidding. This game is neither smooth nor fast as the Genesis is doing
all the work itself. But the console got a little help later on for Virtua Racing. This card uses the SVP chip. In fact, this is the only Genesis game that uses a helper chip and
probably for good reason as this title was $100 brand new. At the time, this game looked amazing and seeing the Genesis
run polygons like this was just jaw dropping. Looking at it today, it's really aged. Luckily the game is fun and the game is pretty intense. Your car controls well
and it won't take long for you to get that great
feeling of cornering and flying down straight aways. The downfall is there's only three tracks which seems pretty slim. And even if you win a track,
you just get a game over. It's too bad the SVP chip didn't take off as this was a decent first title. (upbeat, yet very short music) And of course the Road Rash
games are combat racing games. Your goal is to get to the
finish line in first place which will mean a lot of punching and kicking opponents out of your way. The first Road Rash was a great surprise and it was easy to just pick up and play. It feels so good just to
beat the crap out of everyone as you're flying down the
road toward the finish line. Winning races gives you money that you can use to buy faster bikes. The game is great fun but I'll be honest, I'm not a fan of the soundtrack. (twangy music that does not
meet with Dave's approval) Road Rash II is what you'd
expect in a good sequel. More of the same action with
slightly better graphics and refined control. Not that the control needed to be refined since it was already good to begin with. I love the ability to steal
your opponents' weapons, be it a chain or a club. A plethora of new tracks and
more bikes to be purchased makes this game different
enough that it never gets old. But what did get old was the music. It was slightly better
but I'm still not a fan. (music that still does
not make Dave smile) Then came Road Rash 3. I wasn't really pleased with the direction they took graphically. They decided to digitize
all the characters. It was a popular thing to do at the time but it just looks clunky and ugly and the lighting of the
characters looks unnatural. The good thing is even though
the character graphics are bad it still plays and controls just as well as the previous games. This entry has you racing
all over the world. Not only can you buy new bikes but you can upgrade your current one. And I gotta say it again, although the music here tries to match the country you're
racing in, it just isn't good. It doesn't matter though
since the racing is so fun, the music is really just background noise. If there ever was a series of games to be called an instant classic, this would be one of them. (music that once again makes Dave sad) - [Joe] There would be
absolutely no way that we couldn't mention Sonic the
Hedgehog in a Genesis video. Neither Dave nor I are the
biggest fans of the character, but we certainly don't dislike
his Genesis appearances. Sega knew that they needed
a fun mascot to help people identify with the console and the company so they went hard to work internally and eventually settled on Sonic. His first game was really good and it definitely helped catapult Sega into the realm of cultural
awareness and profitability. You're a blue hedgehog and your goal in this game
is to go to the right. Well, except when you go to the left. Or up or down. It's definitely not as
simple as just holding right and jumping sometimes as some
people would have you believe. The game is very easy to get into and eventually it was
included as a pack in with the Genesis console itself. This was a great idea to help sell systems and sell systems they did. (music from level 2 that
nobody ever mentions) Sonic 2 of course came next and improved on a lot of
stuff from the first game. Like adding a spin dash. Also, the game was less repetitive with only two zones per stage. And they've added Tails,
who I've gotta admit, I've never really been fond of... at all. Thankfully, you can turn his ass off. (music that makes you feel
like a hedgehog but not a fox) Then Sonic 3 came along and I always felt that the graphics were grittier in this one. Sonic is now crosseyed and
looks much worse in my opinion. But it still plays like a Sonic game and now you can get new
powerups on each stage. And you can even save your progress. Then Sonic and Knuckles was released and it could be played
as a stand alone game. But the main selling point to this one is you could attach Sonic 3 to
it for one giant adventure. Basically, this is what Sonic
3 was originally supposed to be with all of the stages intact. The level design here is really good and very well thought out. More good news is that the game doesn't really
feel repetitious at all. Multiple zones are treated
like big, single stages and exploring is highly encouraged. Although the graphics are
grittier, like I mentioned, they're still really good and have some good effects here and there. The music ranges from extremely boring and mundane to outstanding! It's almost as if a talented and very famous pop star
worked on some of the tracks and some other guy worked on the rest. Also, you could attach Sonic 2 and play as Knuckles in that game as well. It's definitely a cool idea and Sonic and Knuckle attached to Sonic 3 is usually considered the definitive Sonic
the Hedgehog experience. (music that forces you to
go right and press jump) In 1996, Sega released Sonic 3D Blast which was surprisingly
not developed by them. Instead it was made by Traveller's Tales. This one is a little bit odd and kind of overwhelming at first. You run around big, isometric stages killing enemies and taking their flickies. You need to deposit all of the flickies at the rings to gain access to
the next part of the stage. It all feels very maze
like, especially at first but it doesn't take too long to get used to the play mechanics. The thing that messes me up the most, of course, is the isometric view. Still, this game has amazing graphics with tons of cool effects. I mean, look at the scrolling underneath the bridge that Sonic is running on. Yep, it's scrolling exactly like Axelay on the Super Nintendo. Genesis Does, bitches! Well, I guess the Super Nintendo does too but that doesn't count. It certainly doesn't help my argument. What am I saying? I mean, yeah! Go Genesis! Blast Processing, yeah! Even the music is fantastic and some of it would reappear in Sonic Adventure on the Dreamcast. (music imported from the future At the end of 2017, the
programmer of this game, Jon Burton, released
a director's cut patch offer many new tweaks and
features to make the game better. The additions are beyond the
scope of this particular video but it's still extremely cool that the original developer
went back and did this and it's definitely worth playing. I've recommend Jon Burton's
YouTube channel, GameHut, before but if you haven't
checked it out, be sure to do so. Yes, there's still one more
Sonic game on the Genesis but I'm gonna let Dave talk
about that one in a few seconds. (music that makes you feel like
you may exist in the future - [Dave] And here's the black sheep of the Sonic library on the
Genesis, Sonic Spinball. I say black sheep because a
lot of people don't like it and it seems like the ones who do like it don't wanna admit it. Personally, I like it and
I'm not afraid to say so. In this video pinball game, you bounce Sonic around
trying to find three emeralds on fairly large play fields. Typically you have to unlock the area the emerald is located
by triggering something. After you find all three emeralds, you fight a boss and move
on to the next level. There's little bonus rounds that are between boards
that are a nice addition. I actually find the game
fairly easy to control and with a bit of effort, you
can make some skilled shots. To me, the only downfall is the music which isn't good at all. Each board has it's own theme but the tracks are short
and very repetitive. Oh, and the game only scrolls
at 30 frames per second so it can look pretty choppy
compared to other Sonic games. But if you like video pinball, this one may be worth your time. (dirty, grungy, abrasive,
and un-Sonic-like music) Here's Pulseman by Game Freak. You know, the people that made Pokemon or something like that. Anyway, this action
platformer is pretty intense and was never released
physically in North America. It did show up on the Sega
channel though. And the Wii shop. You play as Pulseman who can channel electricity through his body. He uses it as a weapon
and you can also use it to pinball off the walls and ceilings allowing himself to
get to higher platforms and kill enemies along the way. It takes a bit to get
used to controlling him but one you start getting the hang of it, the game becomes really fun. Each level has lots of
hidden area that holds icons to collect for health and other things. Always seek out health
icons since Pulseman can only take three hits before he dies. If you haven't noticed already,
the game is super colorful and the background graphics
are just plain crazy at times. Almost to the point where they're more distracting than enjoyable. Still a fun game and if you
get a physical copy of this you'll need a Game Genie and a code to play it on a US system. (music that electricians
probably listen to) How about some Ecco the Dolphin to add some variety to
the Genesis library? Developed by Novotrade,
you take control of Ecco as he tries to figure out what
happened to his dolphin pod. You'll meet many different types
of sea life along your way. Some are friendly and ready to help you and some are not friendly and
would rather you just die. Not everything is easy in
the deep blue of the ocean and you'll have to figure
out puzzles along the way. Most are pretty easy but some will have you
scratching your head. Ecco has both a life bar and an air bar. The life bar will deplete when
you get hit by enemy fish. Not a problem since all you have to do is eat small fish to replenish it. Air, on the other hand,
is harder to come by. The developers did a good job though of putting little pockets
of air here and there and it's always nice to find these right before you run out of oxygen. (music that smells like tuna) Ecco had a sequel called Tides of Time. There's a lot more of the same here and that's not a bad thing. But there's some new stuff here as well. The puzzles get a little bit harder and there's a lot more enemies you'll have to fight or avoid. I like taking Ecco through the warp gates. Back in the day this looked amazing and even today it still feels really good playing through these parts. The one thing about these games that I'm not a fan of is the music. And that's probably because I heard the soundtracks for the
Sega CD installments before I played the cartridge versions. (music that makes you
wanna grab your harpoon) Lastly, there's Ecco Jr., which is geared toward the younger kids. You can play as young Ecco
or one of his two friends. It has similar play
mechanics like the swimming and the sonar but you can't eat fish because you don't want little Ecco killing things in a game for kids, right? I'm not sure how much kids would
really like this one though as it's still slightly cryptic
in what you need to do. All in all, these are decent
games that are worth a try just for the fact that they're different. (music that's not half-bad
for an Ecco came on cartridge) (explosion) (sweet-ass M.U.S.H.A. music) - [Joe] The Genesis was
home to a lot of shooters, especially early in the console's life. In fact, we did an entire
episode a while back featuring each and every
shooter for the system, or shoot 'em ups, as
some people call them. Let's look at some of
the more notable shooters like M.U.S.H.A. This one was released in the US by a publisher called Seismic but it was programmed by
Compile, or Compile, Cum pile? In this overhead
vertically scrolling title, you take control of a mech. It plays similar to the other titles in Compile's Aleste series. You collect little P icons
to power up your main gun. You also have different
subweapons that you can collect as well as little options
that you can store. These options not only
help your fire power but they also protect you. So keep collecting those P
icons every chance you get to keep enough in reserve. Really good graphics
for a four megabit cart as well as amazing music
will help you understand why this game is so desired and therefore so costly these days. (music that makes one envision
a robot war in the skies) One very important series on the Genesis is Thunder Force by Techno Soft. Thunder Force II was a
launch game for the console and it was definitely my
favorite of that batch. It features free-roaming top down segments which confused and turned
off a lot of gamers but I enjoyed them. It also had side scrolling stages which was a first for the series. The music is amazing, especially
for such an early title with lots of power and bass. (music that will destroy you and your NES) - [Lady] Mega Flash! - [Joe] Thunder Force III
sure kicked things up a notch with even better game play and design. Gone are the top view stages and the game is better for it. Now, you keep all of your
weapons after you die except for the one you were
using when you got hit. The graphics have improved
and so has the music. However, this is an entry-level shooter and it's super easy. Anyone can beat it with their eyes closed but that doesn't mean you
won't have a great time. (amazing music full of melody and goodness - [Lady] Hunter! (music that cannot be
reproduced on an Atari 2600) - [Joe] And of course, in
my opinion, Thunder Force IV is the pinnacle of the entire series. This was Techno Soft's first and only eight megabit cartridge and they squeezed a ton of stuff into this rather small amount of memory. The weapons are more
balanced this time around and so is the game play. It's not easy by any means. But it's absolutely
beatable if you practice. This game feels much more
mature than parts 2 and 3, yet still very much a
part of the same family. Amazing graphics,
absolutely phenomenal music and outstanding game
play not only make this the best shooter on the Genesis but perhaps one of the
best shooters ever made! This one was released in the US by Sega and the name was changed
to Lightening Force. They must have been on drugs or somethin'. But did you know, before that Tengen was actually planning
on releasing this game and keeping the name Thunder Force IV and also keeping the same box artwork as the Japanese Mega Drive release? Yeah, it's true! The issue is Sega had the
first right of refusal and sadly for the gaming
community, they didn't refuse. Still, be sure to play this game no matter what it says
on the title screen. (music that will cause old
people to die of insignificance) - [Lady] Shield! - [Joe] If you want
something a little bit more down to earth and not set in outer space,
there's always Fire Shark. In this one, you fly an
airplane, fight bad guys and you never even leave the planet! It plays like a lot of
other Toaplan shooters but what makes this one stand out is when you fully power up your fire weapon. I mean, wow. But it's still a really
fun vertical shooter even if it didn't have that crazy weapon. (music that people who don't
leave the Earth listen to) - Dude, I can't believe how
strong this fricken library is. I mean, look at these shooters. - Indeed, they are amazing, aren't they? - Uh, yeah. - But we still got more to go. Let's talk about one of
your favorites, Gain Ground. - Yeah, I love that game. (sweet music from Vapor Trail
on the 16-bit Sega Genesis) Gain Ground isn't anything
special to most people. For me, on the other hand,
I simply love this game. I love the ridiculous
plot where the people of the future have gone soft
so the government creates a computer program to help people learn how to fight for survival. The computer goes berserk
and captures everyone and now it's up to three
warriors determined to survive and help save their fellow men and women. The game is simple as all you have to do is get your people to the
exit of a single screen board. Certain stages will have captured people that you can rescue and
use on future boards. Some are good at killing
enemies that are higher up while others have long range shots that can go across the whole board. So yeah, there's a tiny bit
of strategy to be had here. It also helps that the
game has a good soundtrack. Definitely a great game
for your Genesis library. (moody music that reminds
you of the ground) Hide your kids and hide your wife, it's the handsiest, grabbiest
character ever, Ristar! This title came out in early 1995 and a lot of people overlooked it since it was right before the
release of the Saturn. This dude is all hands and
that's not a bad thing. This unique take on a platformer is fun and easy to get the hang of. He uses his hands and long arms to dispatch enemies and bosses. He also uses them to grab
on to walls and trees to make his way across levels and avoid spikes and other pitfalls. The levels are all well
designed to take advantage of the clingy game play. They're pretty big and there's
lots of things to discover. The music is pretty good as there's more than a few tunes with catchy melodies. Ristar does have a few
digitized voices but God, they sound like crap! - [Ristar] Play with me? - [Dave] No thanks! If you have a Genesis, I recommend finding a copy of this one. (music to grab things by) And if you like strategy RPGs then the Genesis has you covered. Not only are there great
games like Master of Monsters and Warsong but also Shining Force. This one was originally released in 1993 and it took the world by storm! Well, maybe it didn't but
it sure swept me away. The awesome cover art really
made me wanna battle skeletons and all other sorts of
medieval characters. I love everything about this game since it's so easy to get into. Battling enemies is fun
and straight forward as each of your characters
has a set amount of spaces they can move
and an attack range. There's a nice variety in characters and as you advance in the story, you'll meet more that will join you. They're all interchangeable
and it's up to you who want to send into battle. It won't take long for
them to start leveling up and getting more powerful. This is one game that I
wish were longer than it is. I felt like I was just getting warmed up when I was fighting the final battle. (music that forceful, yet shiny) It's okay though since Sega released Shining Force II a year later. Again, I fell in love with this game mainly because it was more of the same. Sega didn't change anything
in terms of controls so it's still super easy to navigate. The menu system is straight forward and everything was labeled so
there won't be any confusion. You do have to watch the computer move it's own characters around the map but it does it as quickly as possible with very little annoyance. There's slight upgrades to the graphics with a bit more animation during battles. The music is still pretty darn good and I like it just fine for these games. When people ask me to recommend
some good Genesis games, these are usually some of
the first ones I talk about. (music that will make you
want to save the land) - [Joe] While the Genesis
didn't have nearly as many RPGs as the Super Nintendo, that doesn't mean there weren't
any good ones on the system. The three most prominent JRPGs
was the Phantasy Star series. Phantasy Star 2 was an early title and also a sequel to the most popular game on the Master System. It takes place 1000 years later and introduces us to a lot
of different characters that we can have at our party. There were some disappointments like only being able to fight
on a blue grid background when the original game
featured lush graphics in the battle scenes. Also, the amount of grinding that you need to do is pretty high. It's a well playing, fun game but the story is often very sad. Regardless, I've played
through it completely at least three or four times. And even today, recording
the gameplay footage, I found myself wanting to keep going because it is kind of addictive once you figure out how it all works. Which isn't that difficult, by the way. (music that makes you wish you
were a blue wireframe grid) Phantasy Star III came
out only a year later which is extremely
quick for an RPG sequel. While this one doesn't feature
the science fiction setting of the first two games and
feels really out of place, it's still worth playing through. The battles are fast and peppy although there's not much animation. Still, there are multiple endings and like I said, it's worth playing. (music that makes you feel
kinda lacking in animation) But a few years after that, we finally got Phantasy Star IV, The End of the Millennium. And this is the sequel
that the fans deserve. It takes everything that was good about the previous games and makes it better. You have the zippy battles
from Phantasy Star III. You can see the characters
attack like in Phantasy Star II. And you have really
nice battle backgrounds like in Phantasy Star one. It also had 24 MEGA POWER! Yeah, you guys were waiting for me to that in this episode, weren't you? The story even acknowledges events from the previous three games which
made me enjoy it even more. Everything is also much
more visual this time around with lots of character graphics popping up during the dialog. And the battle macros that
you can create really make the random battles and
boss fights a lot more fun. This is one of he very
best RPGs that I've played and you are absolutely missing
out if you haven't tried it. Especially if you like RPGs. (energetic music that
plays during the game) Follow Game Sack on Twitter
@gamesack and @gamesackdave. On Instagram @gamesackofficial and check out our Patreon if you want! - [Dave] Splatterhouse, in my opinion, is one of the most
underrated series out there. The Genesis got two entries
starting with Splatterhouse 2. This title is a great
sequel to the first game. The evil mask that you
wear has a mind of its own and it's beckoning back to the house to save your girlfriend Jennifer. The action is basically
the same as the first game where you punch and kick your
way through tons of enemies to finally reach a boss fight
at the end of the level. At times you can pick up
weapons, which are great and it's always satisfying
seeing an enemy splat against the wall after you hit it with a 2x4. And I really hate that
Rick drops his weapon at the end of a level instead
of taking it with him. I still love the creepy graphics and the soundtrack greatly
adds to the scary atmosphere. This is just an excellent
game that's fun to play and full of different
patterns to memorize. (creepy music which
forces much fear upon you) Splatterhouse 3 came out a year later and I was all pumped up for
the same style of action. I mean, you have a great
formula, why change it up? Well, Namco did just that and this entry is now a side scrolling
beat 'em up with a twist. You must fight rooms filled with ugly, fleshy, puss-oozing enemies. The twist is you need to reach and defeat the boss within a time limit. And for someone like me who likes to scavenge rooms for items, a time limit does not bode well. There's multiple paths you can take so always consult the map. Along the way, Rick will pick up crystals that will fill a power meter. He can unleash this
power to become stronger and do more damage. It's ideal to save it for
a boss fight if you can. The story is horrifying and I like how it plays out between rooms and levels with digitized graphics. Not quite what I wanted in a sequel, but honestly it's pretty good. (intense music that will
tighten your bowels for days) You know, Sonic wasn't the only one with 'tude on the Genesis. Both Toejam and Earl had a ton of it and their game oozed that 90s
'tude that everyone loved. The first game had the pair searching a randomly generated Earth looking for pieces of their spaceship. Yes, this is Earth. As you make your way
around this overhead world, you find many bizarre enemies
that would love to hurt you. Even though your characters
are insanely slow, it's still really easy
to avoid these baddies. You'll also find presents just laying there for the taking. These are the most
enjoyable part of the game since they contain things that could either help or hurt you. (funkadelic music to walk around by) Not long after this, Sega
release Toejam and Earl in Panic on Funkotron. This time the game is presented as a side-scrolling platformer. Earthlings hitched a
ride with Toejam and Earl all the way back to planet Funkotron. As you'd expect, these humans
are making a mess of the place so it's now your job
to collect them in jars and send them back to Earth. Earthlings will hide behind objects so you need to shake things to find them. The presents are back but
they're far less interesting as they mostly carry points or on the rare occasion
they'll have something useful. Still, the game is decently fun and has a lot of humor which I like. (jivin' music which really
makes you wanna find earthlings) How about Wonder Boy in Monster World? Don't let the cover of this game fool you because it's actually
quite a fun game to play. Monster World is, well,
infested with monsters and the queen needs your help
to eradicate said monsters and make it a nice place to live in again. To do this, you'll have to fight your way through hordes of enemies
that all carry money. Collect that money since
you'll need it to buy the usual stuff a hero needs, like better weapons, armor, and items that'll make his quest winnable. Monster World is a huge,
interconnected land that's fairly easy to navigate. Each area is loaded with colorful graphics and catchy music. Wonder Boy controls well and if I'm allowed one minor complaint, it's that I'd like to
have the swords and spears have a little bit more
reach when you're attacking. Other than that, this a great game and a great addition to the series and also to the Genesis library. (music that maes you wanna
search the treacherous catacombs) - [Joe] There's bunch of amazing games that most people never
think much about anymore that are only on the Genesis. Games like Alisia Dragoon from Game Arts. In this one, you're assisted by several different helper dragons but you can only chose one at a time. They level up independently
and have their own life bar. And yes, they can die. It's very stylish and you wanna make sure you explore every where you can. (music that makes you
ponder dragons & dragoons) Or games like Greendog! Okay, well, probably not so much Greendog. But you know I had to bring
it up in this episode. How about Landstalker,
Treasure of the King's Hole? In this isometric action RPG, you're looking for the fabled treasure because you are a greedy bastard! There's lots and lots of fun
exploring to be done here. The incredible 3D graphics are created by the all new Diamond Dimension System, so you know it's good! The music is also quite
enjoyable in this one. However, the control can
be a bit weird some times because of the perspective. Still, not a whole lot of
people mention this very often and it's absolutely worth checking out. (isometric-sounding music) Light Crusader from Treasure
is mentioned even less often. This one has a very medieval feel to it. Oh my God, what is he doing to that cow? Stop it!!!! You start the game looking for people who've gone missing from the town. This one also uses an isometric view however, it doesn't use the
Diamond Dimension System which is probably why it's talked about less than Landstalker. This one is a bit more arcade-y and I feel the control is
still better than Landstalker though it can still be goofy sometimes. But really, it's not bad at all. - [In-Game Announcer] Beat them! (music that makes you
envision crusading, lightly) Did you know that the first
good Ghostbusters game on the console was on the Genesis? That's right! This side scrolling action
platformer certainly wasn't the first Ghostbusters game but it was the best one for a long time. Programmed by Compile,
you can chose to play as Egon, Ray or Peter as
you battle the supernatural. Yeah, Winston isn't in
here and that sucks. It's actually the games biggest flaw. But everything else is superb, form the level design,
the controls, the visuals, and especially the music. This one is best played with a controller that features rapid fire. (music that makes you miss Winston) The best version of Gauntlet is on the Genesis called Gauntlet 4. But do you know the story behind this one? Basically, a few guys in Japan
ported the arcade version of Gauntlet to the X68000
at their house just for fun and word has it they just eyeballed it, not even looking at the source code. Then they showed it to Tengen of Japan since they figured they
had the rights to Gauntlet. Tengen suggested that they
port the game to the Mega Drive if they wanted it published. Tengen Japan really didn't
know what to do with it so they sent it to the US
where it landed on the desk of Nintendo champion, Chris Tang. While he was certainly impressed, he didn't think that there
would be much of a market for a version of Gauntlet on the Genesis with fewer features than the NES version. I mean, that version had
music, a password system, an ending, all things that
the arcade version did not. So he wrote up a design
proposal that requested the addition of many
features like a quest mode, shops, currency to buy things, multiple endings and the like. Many months later it came back with most of his requested features in place. He was blown away! Those guys in Japan
really wanted this gig. I mean, this was their first game so they were happy to make the changes in order to get something
actually published. Eventually an amazing soundtrack was added from Hitoshi Sakimoto and Masaharu Iwata. The voices were still really rough though. - [Broken Male Voiceover] Kill
Thief To Recover Stolen items - [Joe] So Earl Vickers,
who did the sound for the original arcade game came in. He ported the voices over
directly from the arcade to the Genesis with much better results. - [Male Voiceover] Try this level now. - [Joe] After that, the
game was finished up, Chris wrote the manual and it shipped! Oh, and those guys in Japan who ported this game over by hand? Well these days they're known as M2. You might recognize them
as the masters of porting as they've brought countless things to the 3DS, Switch, and other platforms. Gauntlet 4 was their first big break so a huge shout out to Chris Tang and to Tengen US for
giving them that chance. Chris would go on to win the Rock the Rock Sega World Championship two year later in 1994. (applause) His skills at Sonic and
Knuckles could not be matched. He was presented with a
giant check for $25,000 by CEO Tom Kalinske which I would've loved to see him try and deposit at the drive up teller window at a bank. - I'm gonna buy more games
and play, play, play. (laughter) (applause) - I wish we could get
everybody to say that. (laughter) - [Joe] Chris is still
in the industry today developing fun and exciting new games as you see Dave and I trying out here. It's coming and it's gonna be good. (intense Gauntlet 4 music
recorded from a real Sega Genesis) - You know, Chris is a really cool guy. It was really fun to meet him in person and hang out with him. Play his game. He's just an all around cool dude so. - Agreed. - But there you have it, there's the Genesis library. It's not all of it, of course, but some of the most amazing games you're gonna find anywhere on any system can be found on the Genesis. - Absolutely. The Genesis is very, very special to me. In fact, for most of the
games in this episode except for the ones Dave played, I used my own personal Genesis
that I got back in 1989. So it was really fun. And what are some of your
favorite Genesis games, what do you think of
the console as a whole? Let us know. In the meantime, that you
for watching Game Sack. (Sweeling Sacks, the
credits theme of Game Sack) - [Greendog] Okay, I'm pissed off. I got less than 10 seconds
in this whole episode. I swear, Game Sack is getting way worse. And between you and me, they were already some
pretty shriveled up sacks to begin with. What do these other games
have that Greendog doesn't? Altered Beast? How dumb! Greendog
doesn't need any altering! Get the hell outta here! Sonic the Hedgehog? The Genesis needs only one mascot and that mascot is Greendaaawg! Streets of Rage? There aren't no rage on
the streets of Greendog. See ya! Phantasy Star IV? You honestly think you're special because there's four Phantasy Stars? Well, I can make more that four Greendogs. Bleh, bleh, bleh, bleh, bleh, bleh, bleh. Attack! (screaming) That's right, Greendog
is the only game you need for your Sega Genesis and/or Mega Drive! (crappy Greendog music)
My favorite bit here comes towards the end with the Gauntlet 4 story. I'd never heard this story, which is rare these days since it seems all the retro-gaming stories have already been told. Thanks Joe & Dave!
Can anyone tell me how they made that amazing sequence in the beginning when the camera zooms inside the actual console and shows the circuit board? Did they render that all out themselves?
I was just really impressed by this episode as a whole. Great job!
Legendary
I told my wife I was too tired to have sex, yet I found the energy to watch this :-)
Well, it finally happened, and as I expected, it's the best console episode they've ever done. And those Yoshi Vu graphics in the specs intro are goddamn amazing. I just hope the other part of my Genesis episode prophesy isn't true, and that the Endtimes remain far from 'Nigh.
This will be their magnum opus.