• Tag Archives Sega

  • Electronic Gaming Monthly (July 1989)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Source: Electronic Gaming Monthly – Issue Number 2 – July 1989

    While VideoGames & Computer Entertainment may have been my favorite gaming magazine, EGM was a close second. It got its start basically at the dawn of 16-bit gaming. The July 1989 issue covered a wide variety of systems from the Genesis, TurboGrafx-16 and of course NES to the PC, Amiga and even the Commodore 64, a testament to its staying power (though not for too much longer). This issue includes:

    • Cover Story – Next Generation Gaming – An article covering the next wave of gaming systems including the Sega Genesis, TurboGrafx-16, Super Famicom/Nintendo (The U.S. version was still a couple of years away at this point), the Game Boy (the first successful cartridge based mobile). There is detailed information for each including technical specs and early games and peripherals.
    • EGM’s Review Crew – Reviews of the following games:
      • Guerill War (NES) – A translation of SNK’s top down action arcade game.
      • Ironsword (NES) – A decent sequel to Wizards & Warriors.
      • Fester’s Quest (NES) – I’m convinced this game is impossible. If you say you finished it you are a liar.
      • Mega Man 2 (NES) – The second game in what was one of the most famous franchises for the NES.
      • 3 Stooges (NES) – Really, a collection of mini-games. It was better on the Amiga.
      • Adventures of Lolo (NES) – An action/puzzle game with lots of addictive game play.
      • Operation Wolf (NES) – One of the better light gun games available for the NES. I remember a friend renting this one from Blockbuster.
      • Q*Bert (NES) – A classic arcade game I never really liked. However, if you like the original or other ports, then you will like this one.
      • Mappyland (NES) – Another good translation of a classic arcade game.
      • Flying Dragon (NES) – A karate game that really isn’t anything special.
      • Hydlide (NES) – An RPG that that appears to have been built with some of the same type of elements as FCI’s port of Ultima. Worth playing if you like RPGs.
      • Alex Kidd in High Tech World (SMS) – Alex Kidd was sort of Sega’s mascot before Sonic came along. The games were generally pretty good though this one gets mixed reviews.
      • Reggie Jackson Baseball (SMS) – A pretty good baseball game for the Sega Master System.
      • Galaxy Force (SMS) – An arcade game with good graphics reminiscent of Afterburner or Space Harrier. Not much replay value though.

    • Next Wave – Sneak peeks at upcoming games including Double Dragon II: The Revenge (NES), P.O.W. (NES), Thundercade (NES), and Super Dodge Ball (NES).
    • International Outlook – Previews of some games released internationally (usually Japan) and that may make it to North America. Games looked at include Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES) and Gradius (NES).
    • Top Secret! – Tips, tricks, strategies and maps for various games including Blaster Master (NES), Zanac (NES), Mega Man (NES), Star Soldier (NES), Wizards and Warriors (NES), Milon’s Secret Castle (NES), Kid Icarus (NES), Ring King (NES), John Elways’ Quarterback (NES), Metal Gear (NES), RBI Baseball (NES), Metroid (NES), Posiden Wars 3-D (SMS), Track and Field II (NES), R-Type (SMS), Simon’s Quest (NES), Rambo (NES), Double Dragon (NES), Legacy of the Wizard (NES), Desert Falcon (Atari), Zanac (NES), and many more!
    • Interface: Letters to the Editor – Questions about the Mega Drive (Genesis), Mega Man 2, the chip shortage going on at the time, and more.
    • Press Start – A look at a new joystick for the NES from Beeshu called Gizmo. It looks a little odd and this whole thing read like an advertisement.
    • Gaming Gossip – Rumors and gossip from Quartermann including rumors that Namco and Atari are developing 16-bit machines, Dragon Warrior is coming to the U.S. for Christmas and much more.
    • At the Arcades – Featuring Tetris by Atari Games.
    • Dare to Compare: Power Glove vs. U-Force – While both were interesting devices, neither one was actually terribly good for playing games. And they were pretty expensive for the time too.
    • Computer Gaming – Overviews of various computer games including T.V. Sports Football (Amiga), The Duel: Test Drive II (DOS), Galactic Conqueror (Amiga), and Combat Course (Commodore 64).

    …and more!


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  • Tips & Tricks (January 1997)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Source: Computer & Video Game Magazines – Tips & Tricks – January 1997

    Though descended from my favorite magazine, VideoGames & Computer Entertainment, Tips & Tricks was never a magazine I paid much attention to. Many loved the hints, strategy guides and cheats it provided but I was always more interested in news, reviews and that sort of thing. Tips & Tricks provides a little of that also but it’s emphasis is, as the name would imply, on tips and tricks. The January 1997 issue includes:

    Departments

    • Power Up! – An introduction to the staff which includes Chris Bieniek, Wataru Maruyama, Ione Flores, Nikos Constant, Bett Hallock, Tyrone Rodriguez and Deborah Lockhart.
    • Readers’ Tips – Readers write in with tips on Daytona USA as well as various questions and comments.
    • T&T Select Games – Overviews and previews of recent and upcoming games including:
      • Jet Moto (PlayStation) – A racing game featuring a vehicle something like a Jet Ski.
      • Crime Wave (Sega Saturn) – A vehicle combat game featuring a top-down point of view.
      • Ten Pin Alley (PlayStation) – A bowling game of course.
      • Suikoden (PlayStation) – An RPG that allows not only individual and group combat but full scale wars.
      • Powerslave – A Doom-like game in which you wield magic as well as weapons.
      • NFL ’97 (Sega Saturn) – A football game featuring licensed teams, stadiums and players.
      • NBA Live ’97 (PlayStation) – Because we need a new basketball game every years…
      • FIFA Soccer ’97 (PlayStation) – …and soccer too of course.
      • FIFA Soccer Gold Edition (Sega Genesis, Super Nintendo) – A soccer game for the 16-bit systems.
      • FIFA Soccer ’97 (Game Boy) – Blurry soccer…
      • Madden ’97 (Game Boy) – Blurry football…
      • Burning Road (PlayStation) – A racing game out of France that is somewhat similar to the likes of Daytona USA and Ridge Racer.
      • Toshinden URA (Sega Saturn) – Another tweek to the Toshinden 3D fighting game franchise.
      • Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 (Sega Genesis, Super Nintendo) – The pinnacle of Mortal Kombat on 16-bit systems.
      • Destruction Derby 2 (PlayStation) – I loved these games and this one was among the first i had for my PlayStation.
      • King’s Field II (PlayStation) – A fairly well regarded 3D RPG.
      • Amok (Sega Saturn) – Frantic 3D action under the ocean.
      • Sonic 3-D Blast (Sega Saturn) – The first Sonic game for the Saturn.
      • TNN Motor Sports Hardcore 4×4 (PlayStation) – An off-road racing game.
      • Contra: Legacy of War – A 3D sequel to Contra. I still prefer the 2D versions.

    • Game Genie/Game Shark Codes – Game Genie codes for the Genesis games Toy Story, Vectorman and Garfield: Caught in the Act; Game Genie codes for the Super NES games Porky Pig’s Haunted Holiday (I swear I’ve never heard of that one); Game Shark codes for the PlayStation games Bubble Bobble, Crash Bandicoot, Olympic Soccer, Project Horned Owl and Robo-Pit; and Game Shark codes for Sega Saturn games Bubble Bobble, Iron Storm and Shining Wisdom.
    • Letter from Betty – Betty has some tips for Mr. Do (Super NES) and Vectorman 2 (Genesis).

    Strategy

    • X-Men vs. Street Fighter – A detailed strategy guide for this arcade game featuring general moves and how to use them as well as details for each character. Also, how to play as a couple of hidden characters.
    • Kizuna Encounter – Another fighting game strategy guide, this one for the Neo Geo.
    • Wave Race 64 – A detailed guide for this Nintendo 64 racing game featuring Jet Skis. It was a pretty outstanding racer for the time.
    • Tomb Raider – A detailed strategy guide for the classic Tomb Raider on both the PlayStation and Sega Saturn.

    The last half of the magazine features tips on dozens if not hundreds of games for the Super NES, Genesis, PlayStation, Saturn, Game Boy, Game Gear, 3DO and arcade. These tips can be anything from passwords to simple strategies to secret button combinations and more. If you are looking for secrets, cheats or strategies to beat a certain game then Tips & Tricks was always a gold mine.


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  • Blaster Master 2 (Sega Genesis)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Source: Mega Play – Issue Number 15 – April May 1993

    The original Blaster Master was published in 1988 for the NES. The sequel, appropriately titled Blaster Master 2, took a pretty long time to come along. Apparently it was originally intended to be released on the Super Nintendo being mentioned a couple of times in Nintendo Power in 1992. However, it ended up being released on the Sega Genesis in 1993 instead though I have no idea what prompted the platform change.

    Blaster Master 2 kept a similar style to the original with both side-scrolling platform parts and overhead view parts. There are more levels and power-ups and of course being on a 16-bit system the graphics and sound were improved. Most of the time you are inside SOPHIA, your robotic tank-like vehicle, however, you can jump out as an armored Jason (the protagonist) at any time.

    As with most action games, the plot is pretty simple. Your goal is to defeat the Plutonium Boss who is apparently back trying to destroy the Earth. You (Jason) were knocked unconscious and parts of SOPHIA were stolen for his robotic army. After redesigning (and rebuilding) SOPHIA, it’s off to battle.

    Blaster Master 2 is a pretty good sequel and if you like the original, there’s no reason you shouldn’t like this one. It doesn’t deviate a lot from the original design. Just new levels and a few new game play elements along with some different power-ups. But when the original game is good, what more do you need? For whatever reason, this one didn’t seem to have the popularity of the original though. Maybe that’s just my perception because of marketing. I seem to remember seeing commercials involving the original Blaster Master.

    While most people probably think of this as the second game in the series, that’s not quite the case. RoboWarrior came a year earlier and while it doesn’t exactly fit in the Blaster Master series, a lot of the game mechanics were borrowed for Blaster Master. Also, before Blaster Master 2 came along, Blaster Master Boy was released for the Game Boy in 1991. Interestingly, this is a sequel to RoboWarrior as opposed to being a sequel to Blaster Master. There have also been a number of additional sequels throughout the years, sometimes with big gaps between them. These include Blaster Master: Enemy Below for the Game Boy Color released in 2000, Blaster Master: Blasting Again for the PlayStation released in 2001, Blaster Master: Overdrive for the Wii Virtual Console released in 2010, Blaster Master Zero for the Nintendo 3DS and Switch released in 2017 (and later for Windows, PS4 and Xbox One), Blaster Master Zero 2 for the Nintendo Switch, Windows, PS4, and Xbox One released in 2019-2021, and Blaster Master Zero 3 released in 2021 for the Switch, PS4 and Windows.

    However, if you want to play Blaster Master 2, as far as I know, the original Genesis version is all that there is. So you will either have to track down an original copy…or make do with emulation.


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