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.
Reviews
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.
Granada
Ah Wolfteam, Renovation’s star developmental group that seemingly churned out a new game on a weekly basis. There were some stinkers, to be sure, but there was also some great games that spanned multiple genres. One of the team’s lesser-known titles was Granada, a shooter that had the player piloting a massive tank against insurmountable odds (of course).
Incredible Hulk
Those who have played Radical Entertainment’s awesome Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction probably don’t remember an older game bearing the Incredible title, namely U.S. Gold’s stinker on the Genesis. This little gem exists in a world where the Hulk is hurt by bullets and takes a pill to turn into Bruce Banner, and where a pool of water means certain death. Yes, I’m serious. We were offered the choice of taking the full brunt of a Gamma bomb blast or reviewing The Incredible Hulk, and trust us, the review won by only the slimmest of margins. Read the full article and try to imagine the famous Lonely Man theme playing in the background as your desire to play the game slowly walks off into the sunset.