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Sega Genesis, Revisited...
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Tim
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Posted by: Tim at 4:25 PM EST on 6/9/2005
File Under: Games
Out of what essentially amounts to boredom, I decided to break out the old Genesis and give it a whirl. A few years ago, on a trip to Toys R Us to scout out the Saturn games on clearance, I came across a huge bin of clearance Genesis stuff. Amongst it was the Genesis 3 and myriad old games for cheap. Since I had never actually had a Genesis, I decided to pick one up and have some fun with it. I grabbed the system, Castlevania: Bloodlines, Vectorman 2, and Eternal Champions. I later picked up the 6-Pack cart (Sonic, Streets of Rage, Golden Axe, Columns, Super Hang-On, and Revenge of Shinobi) off of eBay.
My impression now is the same as it was the day I bought it: "Wow, the Genesis 3 is tiny," and "Wow, the Genesis has not aged well." Its limited color palette definitely rears its ugly head. And were the controls on Eternal Champions and the old beat-em-up games always this unresponsive? And while we're on the subject, how many side-scrolling beat-em-ups does one system really need?
On the other hand, Vectorman 2 makes me want to play the original. The controls and general game mechanics are quite good, but the level and enemy designs do nothing for me. I think I'd prefer the futuristic/robot theme to the swampy/cave/lava/bugs theme of the second game.
Anyway, Sonic and Castlevania: Bloodlines definitely jump out as the best of the games I got. I never really gave Sonic a chance back in the day. I was (and still am) more of a Mario fan. I loved Super Mario World with its huge world, lots to explore, and tons of secrets to discover. Sonic seemed too straightforward to me. Now, I see that that's really how it was supposed to be. It's a simple, get to the end as fast as you can without dying, platformer. Taken for what it is, I'm starting to enjoy it.
Depending on how into these games I get, I may be back with more thoughts. In the meantime, if you're thinking of digging out the Genesis for a walk down memory lane, well, the system isn't quite what you remember.
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