Blizzard is known for its classics, and among them one can find The Lost Vikings. An awesome combination of puzzler and platformer, it was a major hit, even spawning a sadly underappreciated SNES sequel (those of you who haven’t played it, find a copy and do so NOW). Several consoles got releases of the original, and you may be wondering how the Genesis version stacks up. Lucky for you that we have a full review to set you in the right direction. You can thank us later.
Genesis Reviews
Richard Scarry’s Busytown
Game analysts everywhere are quick to point out that there’s a large sector of people who aren’t interested in all the bells and whistles of modern consoles (or their high price tags). This, they say, explains why Nintendo’s Wii is such a success. Well, if analysts had just stopped to talk to the preschooler set, they would have found this out years ago! Yes, as long as a game is good, young kids don’t care what console it’s on, and in this area the Genesis can hold its own against the competition – modern or not. Take Richard Scarry’s Busytown, for example. Here’s a game that covers all the bases and provides an instantly accessible world to kids who aren’t even old enough to read yet. It even supports the Mega Mouse!
Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe
Like ball games? Violence? How about if we combine the two? The Bitmap Bros. did just that with its Speedball series, and Genesis gamers received the second game via Arena. Simple in presentation and gameplay but big on challenge, Brutal Deluxe strove to live up to its namesake despite changes made during the porting process.
Funny World & Balloon Boy
We bet you think you’ve played your share of weird and uncommon Genesis titles. From Taiwan to Korea, there are some games out there that many people still haven’t discovered. Unfortunately, Funny World & Balloon Boy isn’t one of them. No, too many people have been to exposed to Realtec’s “magic,” and it’s time we put the suffering to an end.
Pepenga Pengo
The term “arcade classic” isn’t the first thing to come to mind when the game in question features a penguin pushing ice blocks at his foes, but it quickly makes sense when you consider what types of machines populated ’80s arcades. Sega’s Pengo was a fun (and hard) maze chase game that racked up its fair share of quarters before changing gaming tastes sent it off to franchise storage, but the plucky penguin did return for a Game Gear port in 1992. However, it wasn’t until Sega remade the game completely for the Mega Drive three years later that its true brilliance finally emerged. Unfortunately, Pepen Ga Pengo was left behind in Japan, and it now commands a hefty price on eBay.