Yuzo Koshiro’s challenging action/RPG was well-received by gamers, though far too many people missed out on its Saturn-only prequel. The original still impresses today, with great presentation and engaging gameplay.
Genesis Reviews
Altered Beast
It’s been fifteen years since Altered Beast was originally released, and it has aged poorly. Its very simple gameplay consists of a screen scrolling from left to right (forcibly) and punching and kicking a small selection of monsters. Two players can fight simultaneously but the large sprites make it uncomfortable at times.
Taz-Mania
Back when I had just received a Sega Genesis for Christmas and still didn’t have any games other than the great Sonic The Hedgehog, I remember seeing a certain commercial of Taz-Mania countless times on TV. Its graphics were unbelievable, it looked a lot like a real cartoon, and I absolutely had to have it! I bought it the first chance I got with my own money.
Curse
Curse was released in Japan for the Mega Drive. However, the U.S. release obviously fell through… and I never did find out what happened to the INTV Corporation, the company that was supposed to release it here. Nothing was ever released by them, it seems. Curse was supposed to be their first game, but when they vanished, so did the game.
Ghouls ‘N Ghosts
Released in 1989, the word was that Ghouls ‘N Ghosts was an almost perfect arcade conversion of the original Capcom Arcade, although I hear some of the backgrounds were changed in one of the later areas. Regardless, this is one of the finest platformers on the Genesis, even 15 years after its release.