• Tag Archives Sega

  • Double Dragon V (Sega Genesis)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    There sure were a lot of Double Dragon names and the numbering system got really confusing somewhere along the way. This game is called ‘Double Dragon V’ and as far as I can tell, that’s based on the fact that Super Double Dragon was the fourth game in the series. However, it gets more confusing. For this game the IP was licensed from Technos (the original developers) and developed by Leland Interactive and published by Tradewest. More recently, Technos released a Double Dragon IV that seems to be a direct sequel to Double Dragon II. They might as well stick a random digit after these names.

    Double Dragon V was released in 1994 for both the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis and the following year for the Atari Jaguar. It is sort of the odd man out among Double Dragon games because it is not a side-scrolling beat-em-up like the previous (and later) games in the series. Instead, it is a 2D fighting game…basically a Street Fighter II clone that tried to capitalize on the 2D fighting game craze of the time. It’s also based on the animated series so it has more of a cartoon look and feel.

    The game features a roster of 12 fighters including the two “Double Dragons” and eight Shadow Warriors plus two bosses. Most of the characters come from the animated series though a few original characters are thrown in as well. A couple of the characters can only be accessed via a code on the SNES and Genesis versions while the Jaguar version removed a few characters.

    As far as the quality of the game, as you might expect, it is pretty average. There isn’t anything especially wrong with it but it does not stand out from the crowd of 2D fighters. Moves in general are easier to perform on average vs. most similar games though at least one Genesis review claims the special moves are hard to perform. However, because of its relative simplicity and the fact that it was based on the animated series it probably appeals more to a younger crowd.

    Unless you are a die-hard 2D fighting game fan I probably wouldn’t recommend this one. If you have a passing interest in 2D fighters there are so many better ones to play. Having said that, if its your favorite genre then you would at least want to give this one a try. As far as I know there aren’t any re-releases so you’ll have to find an original or use emulation. Despite the Jaguar’s superior hardware, the SNES and Genesis version seem to be the best. This was mostly because of the Jaguar’s poor controller and the fact that the Jaguar version was a quick/cheap port that did not improve upon the graphics or sound of the SNES version.

    Screen shots above are from the Sega Genesis version of the game.


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  • Jungle Strike (Sega Genesis)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Jungle Strike is a shooter released by Electronic Arts in 1993 for the Sega Genesis. It was ultimately ported to a number of other systems including the Super Nintendo, DOS, Amiga, CD32, Game Gear, Game Boy and PlayStation Portable. This game was the sequel to Desert Strike and was the second in a series of similar games.

    Jungle Strike, like its predecessor was a shooter played from an isometric overhead perspective. Like the rest of the games in the series, it was a bit slower and more strategic than other shooters. It has been described as being inspired by Choplifter and Matchbox toys though it reminds me a bit of Raid on Bungeling Bay. Game Play is very much like that of Desert Strike with the obvious difference of being set in the jungle (at least in part) instead of the desert.

    The antagonists consist of the son of the antagonist of the first game and a South American drug lord. Missions alternate between stopping terrorist attacks on various targets in Washington D.C. and attacking the drug lord’s forces, including his jungle fortress. Ultimately, you must stop nuclear bombs from blowing up the White House.

    The game was very good on just about every system it was released on and was especially good on the Genesis, Super Nintendo, Amiga and DOS (similar to the original). The DOS and Amiga versions were somewhat enhanced as compared to the Genesis original with the DOS CD-ROM version including an extra level as well as full motion video cut scenes. However, this game probably fits best on a console such as the Genesis and SNES. Essentially, if you liked Desert Strike then there is no reason you wouldn’t like this game or the subsequent sequels.

    There’s not much in the way of re-releases for this game. It showed up on a “retro” compilation called EA Replay for the PlayStation Portable in 2006. Other than that, there really aren’t any re-releases to speak of, however there were three more sequels including Urban Strike, Soviet Strike and Nuclear Strike. Future Strike was also planned but it evolved into Future Cop: LAPD. If you like shooters at all or have fond memories of games like Choplifter and Raid on Bungeling Bay then you should definitely give Jungle Strike and the other games in the series a try. Like I said above, it really feels best on one of the 16-bit consoles but it is good on any platform. You’ll have to track down an original or use emulation to try it though.

    Screen shots above are from the Sega Genesis version of the game.


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  • Cliffhanger (Sega Genesis)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Video games based on movie licenses are very, very rarely good. Or even average. There could be any number of reasons for this but I think most often they are made with a limited budget simply to capitalize on the interest generated by the movie. This isn’t necessarily the programmers’ fault. There’s only so much you can do with a short timeline and limited budget. Unfortunately, Cliffhanger does not seem to be an exception to this rule.

    Cliffhanger is based on the Sylvester Stallone movie of the same name and was released in 1993 for seemingly every system available at the time (NES, SNES, Genesis, Sega CD, Amiga, Game Gear, Game Boy and maybe more than I am missing). There seemed to be two basic versions, an 8-bit version and a 16-bit version from which they all descend. The Genesis version was one of the better versions but that really isn’t saying much.

    Cliffhanger, while loosely based on the plot of the movie, played like a side-scrolling beat-em-up, a genre common at the time. Essentially, it was just a very poor imitation of games like Double Dragon. Even saying that is probably an insult to Double Dragon. The problems were many but it basically comes down to the fact that this was a game that lacked originality, was very repetitive, and had below average graphics. The 8-bit versions were even worse. Apparently, EGM awarded this game the worst movie to game translation of 1994. That’s pretty bad considering that this is a genre of games that has pretty low expectations to start with.

    So why would you want to play this? I can’t really think of many reasons. Maybe you are obsessed with side-scrolling beat-em-ups and just have to play them all. Maybe nostalgia for this game because you had the game or were fond of the movie as a kid (I’ve always kind of had a soft spot for the NES version of Total Recall for this reason). Maybe you just have some kind of obsessive compulsive disorder that requires that you play it. Maybe you just want to see how bad it really is. I can’t think of many good reason.

    If you do want to give it a try, then stick to the 16-bit versions like the Genesis version. The Sega CD version in particular has some extra snow boarding levels that some claim are actually fun. In any case, you’ll have to track down an original or be content with emulation. Licensed games rarely get re-releases of any sort because of, well, licensing reasons. It’s not as if this one would be on anyone’s ‘best of’ list or remembered with fondness enough to justify a re-release anyway.

    Screen shots above are from the Sega Genesis version of the game.


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