The world's premier resource for SEGA's arcade and console hardware legacy!
Core Design was a heavy supporter of the Genesis, and it brought that support to the Sega CD. Together with Virgin Games, Core ported its cartridge platformer Chuck Rock, adding in some cut scenes and a new soundtrack. Aside from these minor difference, however, the game essentially remained the same. Is it worth buying over the cartridge version?
Virgin Interactive, together with Disney Software, produced some of the most solid platformers on the Genesis, racking up such hits as Aladdin, and The Lion King. One title that flew under the radar of many gamers was The Jungle Book. Some may say that it takes more than a few pages from Aladdin, but they’d have things backwards. Programming guru David Perry stopped work on Jungle Book to tackle the famous game, and he brought a lot of its gameplay elements with him. Unfortunately, it was released afterward and eventually got lost among a wave of quality games that arrived in 1994. Anyone who’s a fan of either of the aformentioned Disney hits should give it a try.
Think of furry mascots that didn’t make it, and the first one to come to mind is usually Bubsy the Bobcat. Accolade’s famous feline gave it the ol’ college try, but he too was left in Sonic’s dust. Never achieving the success of his blue rival, Bubsy still managed to muster enough energy for two sequels, each less successful than the original game.
Oh my dear Sonic, what have you started? It seems that your breakout success sparked a deluge of would-be mascots that felt they had the same spark you did, but when the dust finally settled, those that weren’t buried under the piles of unsold cartridges wallowed in misery at the unemployment office. Some were thankfully lost to time, and others like Mr. Nutz got another fifteen minutes of fame with a attempted comeback in the modern era, which is about fourteen more then he deserved.
Like them or hate them, there’s no denying the undying popularity of Peyo’s little blue people. The Smurfs have spent the past two decades permeating every aspect of our culture (some even say it’s a communist conspiracy!), and yes, even our poor Genesis has been steamrolled by their cuteness. Two games found their way to the European Mega Drive, one of which resurfaced as a rare Mega CD release. The first title puts you in the roles of several of the more popular Smurfs, but how does it compare to other cartoon and comic heroes like Mickey Mouse?