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Taito apparently loved the Genesis, publishing a multitude of arcade ports that were highly playable, despite being toned down (downright cut up in some cases). There were quite a few games that never made the transition to the home market, but most of the company’s arcade catalogue of the time got a Genesis release. Cadash was one title that saw some questionable changes in its port (I understand only having two-player co-op, but why remove characters?) yet still remained enjoyable.
During the early days of the Genesis, Sega quietly released ports of two Electronic Arts PC simulations, M-1 Abrams Battle Tank and 688 Attack Sub. It was an attempt to diversify the console’s library, and it was successful, to some extent. The Genesis was able to reproduce faithful versions of the pair, which had been released on much more powerful computers, but there were still some issue to be had.
Toaplan gets credit for being one of the pioneers of the Danmaku style of shooter, what we westerners know as the “bullet hell” shmup, and games like Donpachi and Mars Matrix are great examples of this fast paced and ultra twitch style of play. What’s interesting is that it got its roots in a Toaplan game that was eventually ported to the Genesis. Grind Stormer was the first game done by Ikeda Tsunemoto, who eventually went on to work at another shmup haven, Cave. Tengen handled the porting job, and sadly the game suffered in the transition. Flickering graphics hindered what could have been a great game, and our full review has the whole story.
Nothing makes me angrier than sending off for a game that looks absolutely incredible in screenshots, only to have the actual product be a plodding stinker. Only two games ever really burned me this way: Fantasia and today’s review choice – Dahna Megami Tanjou. Who knew that she’d be a minisucle little thing running around, hacking fruitlessly at enemies and sliding off cliffs? Who could have anticipated the sedating gameplay or the dreary visuals?
In the realm of Genesis shmups, there are games that are brutally difficult, but balance the challenge with great gameplay and awesome level design. These are the shmups that make you want to suffer, and you continue to be abused until the table is turned, and you’ve finally beaten that last boss. Then there are those that are hard because of the way they’re designed. Weak weapons and cheap enemies add an artificial layer of challenge, and the true victim ends up being your poor control pad. Which of the two best describes UndeadLine?