Everyone likes Tiny Toons. The fact that it’s still appearing on consoles a decade after the series first aired is testament to its staying power. At the height of its popularity, there were games for all the major consoles of the era, and the Genesis received both a standard platformer (quite good in its own right) and a wacky take on the sports genre called ACME All-Stars. In the latter, players took control of their favorite toons and played such games as basketball, soccer, and bowling. It’s actually a lot more fun than it sounds.
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Gargoyles
Seeing the cartoons of our youth tampered with is something that makes many people raise an eybrow. Luckily, cartoons fared pretty well when it came to games, and the Genesis had a decent track record of providing quality versions of animated hits. Aladdin and Tiny Toon Adventures come to mind, but there was also a cartridge version of Buena Vista Interactive’s popular TV series Gargoyles. Combining platforming and action elements, it was quite faithful to its source material and even managed to overcome some serious design flaws.
Puggsy (CD)
The Genesis saw its fair share of computer ports, especially of the Amiga kind, due to the similarities in hardware. Psygnosis took great advantage of this easy avenue in porting, and it released many of its wares on the console. It was also one of the few developers to embrace the then-struggling Sega CD, and a good portion of its catalogue appeared there as well. Puggsy was one such title, and it received a cg-rendered introduction, as well as an enhanced soundtrack.
Menacer 6-Game Cartridge
In only a few years, we went from the greatness that was Duck Hunt and Rescue Mission to the total mediocrity that was the Menacer 6-Game Cartridge. Seriously folks, it takes longer to assemble the darn thing than it does to play through this dull assortment of mini games, and you’ll quickly find yourself reaching for Terminator 2: The Arcade Game.
Out of This World
It’s been ported to almost every single console you can imagine (I think there’s a Game.Con rev somewhere), and Genesis owners were enthralled at the way Out of This World seemed to push their consoles harder than any other game. Even today, the fluidity of the animation and the polygonal cut scenes are something of a marvel, considering the hardware pushing them.