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Boxing has been referred to as the “sweet science,” but its history in video games has been more sweet and sour. From gems like Punch Out! and Fight Night to duds like Buster Douglas Knockout Boxing, there’s been a bit of everything over the years. Sega threw its hat in the ring several times during the Genesis era, and one of its better tries was Greatest Heavyweights, which pitted many of boxing’s most famous legends against each other.
Every console since the dawn of time has been burdoned with licensed games. Even to this day, they line the shelves of local game stores, awaiting unsuspecting consumers looking to take an active part in their favorite movies and programs. The problem is that virtually all of these games suffer from one of two problems: weak source material or the developer only having an interest in a simple cash run. Which is The Adventures of Mighty Max?
The Genesis launch had a pretty good line up of games that tried to cover as wide a range of genres as possible. Zoom! made a valiant attempt to fill the maze game niche, and while it demonstrated some serious potential, it was ultimately undone by repetitive gameplay and extreme simplicity.
By the time Columns III was released in America in 1994, Sega had all but lost interest in the franchise, and farmed out its release to Vic Tokai. This was the second time the series had been snubbed by its creator, as Columns II never saw a console release in the U.S. Perhaps it was a fitting end though, as each game failed to live up to the quality established by the arcade original.
A slow week means it’s time to go retro! The gems from the golden age of arcade gaming are indeed timeless, and perhaps the only criteria that’s appropriate to use when reviewing Williams Arcade’s Greatest Hits is how well they adapt to the Genesis control scheme.