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Everyone who likes Japanese animation knows of Mazinger Z. The classic series has been cultivating a fanbase for almost four decades, and there has been everything from toys to video games based on the character. The Genesis got something of a “remixed” version of Mazinger Z in Vic Tokai’s Mazin Saga: Mutant Fighter, a re-imagined telling of the mythos through some side-scrolling beat-’em-up action and a few stiff fighting scenes.
Called Super Airwolf in Japan, Crossfire had almost nothing to do with its namesake, except for the whole military helicopter thing. Origin aside, the game itself is another mediocre vertical shooter that’s more novel for its rarity than for its gameplay.
Why companies must taunt us with video game versions of our favorite films is something no one may ever know. Though the trend has slowed a bit recently, the dark legacy of the licensed video game is a shadow no project may ever overcome. And with titles like Predator 2 to remind us of how even the best intentions can pave a road to gaming hell.
Every so often, a really odd game shows up on a console. Not weird as in “it looks/plays weird,” mind you. No, I’m referring to that special game that uses some strange peripheral or requires some unique set up to work. Take Realtec’s Whac-A-Critter, for example. It used a special nine-button controller that’s rarer in the wild than a Tazmanian Tiger, and all to just smack animals on a screen. After paying the equivalent of a organ transplant for a complete copy, I’m sure many buyers eventually got their money’s worth by using the controller against their own heads.
Before a certain hedgehog took the world by storm, Sega was still relying on its arcade ports. Gamers weren’t taken by the advertising as well as the company would have liked, but the quality of the games was there. Like e Golden Axe, Sega produced a home version of Super Monaco GP that improved on the original with added modes and features. The World Championship mode is enough to keep players occupied for weeks, and there’s some solid arcade racing in there to boot!