The world's premier resource for SEGA's arcade and console hardware legacy!
Early in the life of the Mega Drive, Sega of Japan released an AM2-created RPG starring a kid in a super suit. Rent A Hero went on to achieve cult status among Sega fans, but the series has never officially crossed the Pacific. This is a shame, as it’s a quirky title that, while not the best RPG on the console, still manages to be entertaining.
Cute takes on standard genres are common in video gaming. Shooters with cute characters are a sub-genre all their own, and the trend even extends to sports. Namco made some of the better known examples, and its World Stadium series was highly popular in Japan. Sadly, the west saw it only in the first R.B.I. Baseball game and Batter Up on the Game Gear.
A neat little game released for the Genesis modem in Japan, Aworg manages to be fun despite its flaws. The sparse presentation is thankfully overcome by great level design and challenging gameplay, something maze/puzzle fans will appreciate. It might not be the most complex game around, but it’s one that’s worth spending some time with.
Namco’s 1989 arcade racer Four Trax came to the Genesis as Quad Challenge, and while it’s not a bad racer to spend some time with, it pales next to other games available at the time. Plain visuals and a dearth of gameplay options leave little meat on the bones of what was most likely the first ATV game on consoles.
Before Street Fighter II set the world on fire in 1991, there was Slaughter Sport. One of the weaker attempts at the genre, RazorSoft’s game almost had as many titles as it did characters, and it stunk equally under all of them. Poor presentation and stiff control come together to show just why Capcom revolutionized the genre later that same year.