Пять забытых шедевров Sega Genesis, которые заслуживают нового внимания

For roughly a decade, the Sega Genesis existed as the cool alternative to Nintendo, and it had way more to offer than just Sonic the Hedgehog. The blue blur was the main attraction, but he was aided by a massive library stacked to the brim with fantastic games... that are nowadays forgotten. Let's change that by shining a spotlight on a few truly underappreciated Sega Genesis games that just don't get enough love today. As is always the case, time whittled down the console's legacy to a handful of masterpieces, leaving everything else as footnotes. 16-bit games have generally aged far better than their 8-bit and 32-bit counterparts, and there are literally hundreds of great Genesis games that still feel perfect. Even though some folks definitely remember these games, they are generally minor parts of the Genesis' history. Hopefully, you find something new to try. Also, "perfect" is a slight exaggeration, but a game doesn't have to be flawless to be perfect. Crusader of Centy Was The Sega Genesis' Zelda A 16-Bit Adventure Worth Taking Even Today The SNES had a little-known game called The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past that cast a shadow over all action-adventure games released during its era. Although it didn't have that one juggernaut title that could match Link's journey, the Sega Genesis came pretty close to achieving the impossible with Crusader of Centy, a game that might have been more successful if it came out earlier than 1995. With its top-down perspective, sword attacks, and puzzles, Crusader of Centy wears its influence on its sleeve, but it doesn't stop at merely copying Nintendo's playbook. Nextech introduced several fascinating ideas, including replacing traditional inventory items with animal companions with special abilities. You can equip 2 animals at the same time, gaining fun abilities like a continuous sprint or elemental attacks. Besides really solid gameplay and systems, Crusader of Centy's storytelling was pretty ambitious for a mid-90s game, as it told an ambiguous war story that doesn't paint monsters as mindless, well, monsters. The protagonist can talk to animals and monsters, enabling both him and players to get a more nuanced look into their lives and personalities. The campaign even incorporates an element of time travel, and it handles it well. True Lies Is Way Better Than You Would Assume One Of The Few Genuinely Great Tie-In Games On The Genesis This might come as a shock, but movie tie-in games weren't that good during the '90s. I am 100% speaking the truth! Who knew? Fortunately, exceptions exist to every rule, and True Lies is somehow one of them. Yes, the James Cameron and Arnold Schwarzenegger joint that isn't Terminator 2 got a video game adaptation, and it is bafflingly awesome. Rather than be just another generic platformer with a gun, True Lies plays more like a prototype twin-stick shooter, with Arnie strafing and rotating his way around enemies in non-linear levels. The game isn't complicated by any stretch of the imagination, and you spend the entire campaign just rolling, shooting, and swapping weapons. The core gameplay doesn't offer much variety beyond secondary weapons, but it gets the fundamentals right; crucially, the stages are aesthetically and structurally diverse, making it feel like a proper blockbuster romp. Also, this might sound weird, but True Lies has an oddly satisfying dodge roll mechanic. The animation is so smooth. Click on the game with the higher OpenCritic rating. Ranger X Might Be The Best-Looking Game On The Genesis And It's A Pretty Fun Shooter As Well! Graphics aren't everything, but they are sometimes enough. Ranger X sits comfortably among the prettiest Genesis games of all time, largely thanks to GAU pulling off some wizardry that somehow allowed for 128 colors rather than the typical 64. As far as I understand it, the game swaps out the colors every half-frame, so one full frame would contain twice as many as usual. To be honest, this isn't really in my wheelhouse, but the important thing is that Ranger X looks phenomenal. Remember that part about graphics being sometimes enough? Well, Ranger X is also an all-around solid side-scrolling shooter with a dual-health bar system that is quite fun. You play as a mech called Ranger X, who can fly and has access to a fairly diverse range of weapons, including a flamethrower. During many levels, you are accompanied by a vehicle with separate HP, allowing you to seamlessly jump in and out of it. Even the ammo system is unique: special ammo can only be recharged in direct sunlight. Herzog Zwei Wrote The Playbook For Future RTS And MOBA Games Somehow, A Strategy Game On The Genesis Is A 10/10 Herzog Zwei might truly be perfect without any caveats. Released in 1989, Technosoft's real-time strategy game was ahead of the curve by a couple of years, even predating Dune 2. Besides laying the foundation for automated combat in RTS games, Herzog Zwei alsofeels like an ancient ancestor of the MOBA genre. Controlling an airborne mecha with a ground-level form, you travel across the full battlefield, picking up units from your main base and dropping them at the front lines. You queue up different types of production units, place them strategically, give them orders, and watch them fight on their own, all the while trying to gain control of outposts and, eventually, destroy your opponent's home base. Although fairly well received at the time, Herzog Zwei entered a market that wasn't ready for these types of games, and that would remain the case on consoles for a long time. Basic as it might be nowadays, the gameplay is still pretty fun. The Adventures of Batman & Robin Turns Gotham Into A Shmup One Of Batman's Most Unfairly Forgotten Games Despite having the exact same title, The Adventures of Batman & Robin on the Genesis and SNES are completely different games, a relatively common phenomenon during this period. The Nintendo version is top-notch and does a splendid job of replicating the look of Batman: The Animated Series; however, in terms of pure gameplay, the Genesis release is slightly superior, as long as you enjoy fast-paced shooters with melee combat. Best played in co-op, The Adventures of Batman & Robin moves at a relentless pace, as DC's duo must constantly fight off thugs from every direction. You can punch and air kick if somebody gets a bit too close, but you spend most of your time flinging batarangs and shurikens at enemies, almost like a side-scrolling shmup. The campaign doesn't pull its punches by any stretch of the imagination, but the gameplay is addictive enough to carry the burden. There are roughly a billion Batman games, and most of them are mediocre. The Adventures of Batman & Robin is well, well above the median, even if the shooter gameplay doesn't fit The Dark Knight all that well. Alien Soldier Is A Boss Rush Masterpiece That You Could Only Play Through The Sega Channel Although examples exist, boss rush games weren't really a thing during the 16-bit era, with only a few fitting the modern definition of the genre. Except maybe Contra: Hard Corps, Alien Soldier fits the "boss rush" description better than any other Genesis game, as "stages" merely exist to provide a short break between epic multiphase fights. Overall, the game has more than 25 bosses, many of which are visually incredible and controller-breakingly difficult. With a 4-weapon loadout system and 6 overall items to pick from, Alien Soldier gives you quite a few options, and a big part of the challenge comes with finding the ideal configuration to counter a boss. You also need to master gravity flips, projectile parries, and an invincibility dodge that causes damage when you are at full HP. Alien Soldier seems closer in spirit to future character-action games than side-scrollers of its era, and it never really stood a chance in North America. Not only was it released late in 1995, but it never even got a physical version, instead being a Sega Channel exclusive.