• Tag Archives Genesis

  • GamePro (February 1997)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Source: GamePro – February 1997

    Along with Electronic Gaming Monthly, GamePro was one of the most popular gaming magazines for a long time. In 1997 is was primarily covering the Nintendo 64, PlayStation, and Sega Saturn and was also still covering the Super NES, Sega Genesis and Neo Geo. It also had a little PC and arcade coverage. The February 1997 issue includes:

    Cover Story

    • Killer Instinct Gold – A preview of ths $80 cart for the Nintendo 64 and is basically a combination of Killer Instinct and Killer Instinct 2.

    Special Features

    • Resident Evil 2: The Horror Continues – The first sequel to the immensely popular survival horror game on the PlayStation.
    • Have Gun Game, Will Travel – A somewhat humorous light gun game that combines both first person and side-scrolling sections. It can be played with one or two players.

    SWATPro Strategy Section

    • Mortal Kombat Trilogy – A strategy guide for Mortal Kombat Trilogy on the PlayStation and Nintendo 64. As the name suggests, this game is really a combination of the first three Mortal Kombat games.
    • The Fighter’s Edge: Virtua Fighter 3 – A complete move list for all characters and how to counterattack in Virtual Fighter 3 in the arcade.
    • Wayne Gretzky’s 3D Hockey – A strategy guide for this arcade hockey game featuring various secrets and cheats.
    • Madden ’97 – A strategy guide for this early Madden game on the PlayStation.
    • SWATPro – Codes and various tips for Twisted Metal 2 (PlayStation), Tomb Raider (PlayStation, Saturn), Mortal Kombat Trilogy (Nintendo 64), and lots of other games.

    ProReviews

    • PC GamePro – Reviews of Command & Conquer: Red Alert, Duke Nukem 3D Plutonium PAK, SkyNET, and MDK.
    • Nintendo 64 – Reviews of Killer Instinct Gold, and Cruis’n USA.
    • PlayStation – Reviews of Tomb Raider, Dark Forces, Ten Pin Alley, Power Slave, PitBall, Burning Road, Robotron X, Hardcore 4×4, The King of Fighters ’95, Dare Devil Derby, Starwinder, Iron and Blood, Samurai Showdown III, Tempest, Machine Head, and Tunnel B1.
    • Saturn – Reviews of Bug Too!, Crusader, Virtua Cop 2, Area 51, Virtual On Cyber Troopers, Batman Forever: The Arcade Game, Spot Goes to Hollywood, and Crime Wave.
    • Super NES – Reviews of Street Fighter Alpha 2, Prince of Persia 2, Incantation, and War 3010: The Revolution.
    • Genesis – A reviews of Williams Arcade’s Greatest Hits.
    • Sports Pages – Reviews of NFL GameDay ’97 (PlayStation), NBA Hang Time (Nintendo 64), Andretti Racing (Saturn), Daytona USA Championship Circuit Edition (Saturn), NBA In The Zone 2 (PlayStation), NFL ’97 (Saturn), NHL ’97 (Saturn), NBA Hangtime (Genesis), NBA Shoot Out ’97 (PlayStation), FIFA Soccer ’97 (Nintendo 64),
    • Role-Player’s Realm – Reviews of Dragon Force (PlayStation), Warhammer: Shadow of the Horned Rat (PlayStation), and Persona (PlayStation).

    Departments

    • Head-2-Head: Letter from the GamePros – Discussion about 3DO’s upcoming new M2 system.
    • The Mail – Letters from readers about 3DO, secret codes for Twisted Metal 2, Tecmo’s Deception, and more.
    • Art Attack – Reader submitted artwork.
    • Buyers Beware – Modifying your PlayStation to play Japanese games, Nintendo 64 controller problems, Xband support, and more.
    • ProNews – N64 and PSX game releases delayed, including Shadows of the Empire, Curis’n USA, Tetrisphere, Turok, Mission Impossible, and others; Virtual Boy discontinued; and more.
    • NetPro – How to play online games via TEN.
    • Overseas Prospects – A look at Sony PlayStation Expo ’96 in Chiba, Japan. Some new games shown include Final Fantasy VII, Puzzle Fighter, Rockman (Mega Man) 8, Ace Combat 2, Soul Edge, and more.
    • Sneak Previews – Previews of upcoming games including Spider (PlayStation), City of Lost Children (PlayStation), WCW vs. The World (PlayStation), League of Pain (PlayStation), Carmageddon (PlayStation, DOS), Rush Hour (PlayStation), Peak Performance (PlayStation), and Test Drive: Off-Road (PlayStation DOS, Windows 95).
    • Hot at the Arcades – A look at Mace: The Dark Age, a 3D fighting game from Atari Games.

    …and more!


    📂This entry was posted in Retro Games 📎and tagged

  • Computer And Video Games (September 1995)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Source: Computer And Video Games – Issue Number 166 – September 1995

    Computer and Video Games was published in the U.K. and was perhaps the longest running video game magazine. By 1995 it had already been around well over a decade and was only about two-thirds of the way through its publishing life. The September 1995 issue includes:

    Regulars

    • Editorial – Saturn vs. PlayStation, the rising price of games, and more.
    • Connected – Nintendo releases Yoshi’s Island for the Super NES, Sony prepares for PlayStation launch in the U.K., Electronic Arts and Origin developing interactive movie called The Darkening, Mindscape starts work on the first sports sim project for the Ultra 64, Virtuality’s Zone Hunter to be ported to Atari’s Jaguar, Atari releases JagLink which allows you to link up two Jaguars for head to head gaming, and more!
    • In the Bag – Letters from readers about multiplayer games, value of the Sega Saturn, Japanese games, and more.
    • Help – Questions answered about the Atari Jaguar, Discworld, Doom versions, the Neptune, and more.
    • Cheatmode – Various cheats for Mortal Kombat 3, Ace Combat, Toh Shin Den, Rise of the Triad, Mario’s Picross, Hoverstrike, Clockwork Knight, Daytona USA, Panzer Dragoon, Virtua Fighter, and more.
    • Challenge – Competitions featuring Need for Speed and International Superstar Soccer.
    • Charts – The top games in various categories. Taking the top spot overall this month is Star Trek TNG: A Final Unity for PC CD-ROM.
    • Next Month – Next month’s issue will include coverage of Destruction Derby, the PlayStation launch (in the U.K.), Killer Instinct, Comix Zone, and more.

    Reviews

    • Ace Combat (PlayStation) – A Persian Gulf themed combat flight sim for the PlayStation.
    • Shin Shinobi Den (Saturn) – A Japanese import that would eventually be released as Shinobi Legions in North America and Shinobi X in Europe.
    • Ultimate Doom (PC CD-ROM) – The original Doom with some extra levels and better networking support. Would have been a better deal if Doom II were included as well.
    • Zhadnost (3DO) – A weird looking game show / puzzle game.
    • Action Soccer (PC CD-ROM) – A decent soccer game for the 3DO.
    • Terminal Velocity (PC) – An early 3D shoot-em-up. It gets a good review here but I barely remember it.
    • Wipeout (PlayStation) – A futuristic racing game for the PlayStation. I wanted to like this more than F-Zero but honestly I thought F-Zero was more fun.
    • Primal Rage (Mega Drive/SNES) – A beat-em-up featuring dinosaurs.
    • Donkey Kong Land (Game Boy) – A platform game from Rare featuring the well known villain.
    • Gloom (Amiga) – A Doom clone for the Amiga. Too little too late really.
    • A surprise – A preview of Batman Forever for the Super NES and Mega Drive…not sure why it is a “surprise”.

    Previews

    • Fade to Black (PC CD-ROM) – A sequel to Flashback.
    • Syndicate Wars (PlayStation) – A cyberpunk themed action RPG.
    • Theme Park (Saturn) – The classic theme park simulator for Sega’s latest console.
    • Magic Carpet 2 (PC CD-ROM) – Fly on a magic carpet while combatting enemies.
    • Actua Golf (PlayStation) – A golf game for the PS1.
    • Loaded (PlayStation) – An over the top 3D shoot-em-up for the PlayStation.
    • Jaguar Round-up – A look at upcoming Atari Jaguar games including Defender 2000, Breakout 2000, Battlemorph, Black Ice/White Noise, and Varuna’s Forces.
    • Daedalus Encounter (3DO) – An FMV sci-fi adventure game starring Tia Carrere.
    • Rayman (PlayStation) – What would be one of the best 2D platform games for the PlayStation.
    • Need For Speed (PC CD-ROM) – Classic racing game that first showed up on the 3DO.
    • Captain Quazar (3DO) – A humorous action game somewhat like Earthworm Jim.
    • Phantom (Mega Drive) – A platform game for the Mega Drive / Genesis based on a cartoon of the same name.
    • Doom (SNES) – Most ports of Doom were so much worse than the original PC version. This one is no exception.

    …and more!


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  • Arcus Odyssey (Sega Genesis)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    https://darth-azrael.tumblr.com/post/719984398578122752/vgjunk-arcus-odyssey-megadrive-genesis

    Arcus Odyssey was released in 1991 by Taito for the Sega Genesis. This is a fantasy role-playing game played from a top down perspective. It features a blend of exploration, combat, and character progression that makes this a stand-out game on the Genesis, at least if you like RPGs.

    In Arcus Odyssey, you can choose from four distinct characters, each with unique abilities and weapon. These include the warrior, the thief, the mage, and the cleric. This selection offers a layer of strategy, as players can tailor their experience based on their preferred style of play. The warrior is the most balanced, the thief is the most agile, the mage is the most powerful and the cleric is the most versatile.

    As with any good RPG, this game’s structure is nonlinear, allowing players to explore various interconnected levels and complete quests at their own pace. Combat is fairly straightforward and features real-time battles against a variety of enemies, including goblins, skeletons, and bosses (though I prefer turn-based combat myself). Players can attack, dodge, and use magic, with each character having their own unique combat styles.

    One of the key mechanics of the game is the way magical items and power-ups are scattered throughout the levels. Players can collect various spells and equipment which enhance their character’s capabilities. Managing inventory is crucial since you can’t carry unlimited items and you must decide which items to carry into battles and how best to use them.

    The graphics in “Arcus Odyssey” are pretty solid and do a good job of representing the 16-bit capabilities of the Sega Genesis. Sprites and other graphics are well defined and well animated. The character designs are distinctive and do a good job capturing the essence of their particular class. The environments are detailed and varied, ranging from enchanted forests to dungeons and everything in between.

    Both the music and sound effects are also well done. Arcus Odyssey features a varied soundtrack that shouldn’t bore you and helps you to get into the game. Sound effects for attacks, spells, various other things are all well done. Good music and sound effects help build tension when needed and this game does a good job of that too.

    The game is divided into multiple levels. Each level is filled with its own secrets, traps, and mix of enemies that increase in difficulty as you progress. The level design encourages exploration, with many paths leading to hidden items and power-ups. Enemies and bosses get harder to defeat as you go and require having the right strategy (and items) to beat them, especially in later stages.

    While overall, Arcus Odyssey is an excellent RPG, especially on the Genesis, it has it’s flaws as well. For instance, sometimes to complete a quest you have to backtrack through areas of the game you have already been to. This isn’t all bad but it can feel repetitive at times. Still, if you are a console RPG fan then you should pick this one up and give it a try. I’m sure you can also play it via emulations if that is your preference.


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