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Sega-16 recently had the chance to talk with former Iguana mainstay Jools Watsham. During his tenure at the company and later at Acclaim itself, Watsham worked many different titles in a variety of positions as an artist and producer, among other things. He was also involved with quite a few Genesis titles, like Aero the Acrobat, NBA Jam, and NFL Quarterback Club.
Taito’s list of arcade conversions to the Genesis is pretty big, much larger still if one includes those titles left behind in Japan. One such game was the adorable platformer New Zealand Story, which tells the tale of a little kiwi named Tiki who is out to save his girl and friends from an evil Walrus. Featuring adorable visuals and some of the most brutal platforming action of the era, this is one game that lures you in with its cuteness, only to then lash out and cut your throat, kind of like Chucky.
Within the vast library of Genesis shooters are a select few that follow a “cute” theme. These games are often portrayed as being simpler and more kid-friendly than their more serious counterparts, but looks can be deceiving. Gametek’s Gadget Twins is one title that’s adorable to look at, but its frustrating gameplay is not something to make your little siblings suffer with.
Beat-’em-ups are quite common on the Genesis, and there are those that are truly memorable, such as Streets of Rage 2 and Final Fight CD on the Sega CD. However, for every light there is a darkness; for every ying a yang; for every Streets of Rage, there is a Growl. While Taito’s brawler might not seem so bad in isolation, compared to other releases in the genre – specifically those released before it – the game is substandard. Another victim in Taito’s line of neutered ports, Growl is a title only worthy of playing out of momentary curiosity.
The Genesis is no stranger to controversy, especially where violent content is concerned. The current ratings system employed by the gaming industry is in very large part thanks to the initiative Sega took to identify the content of games released on its hardware. Titles like Night Trap and Mortal Kombat made huge waves in the press, but a few other equally violent games were almost completely ignored. One of those, TechnoCop, was probably given the cold shoulder due to one simple fact: it’s not very good. When you wrap dull gameplay in bad graphics and audio, the resulting package isn’t worthy of much notice.