Alien Storm (Mega Drive / Genesis review)

Developer: Sega AM7

Publisher: Sega

Released: 1991

 

Alien Storm is a side-scrolling beat-em-up that was first released in the Arcades in 1990.

 

It supports 1-2 players and your mission is to stop aliens from invading the planet. There's eight stages and three playable characters called Gordon (fires a Thunder Bazooka), Karla (shoots a Fire Blaster) and Slammer (wields an Electric Whip). Similar to Golden Axe (1989, Mega Drive) you can double-tap a direction on the d-pad to start running, and then perform a Leap Attack or a High Jump. You can also unleash a special attack if you've collected enough Energy Units. Unfortunately, the combat suffers from stiff controls and button presses feel slightly laggy. At times it can be tricky to line up your attacks as even though the shadows indicate where you're positioned in relation to enemies you'll often miss. I found there to be barely any differences between characters, along with a lack of power-ups or extra weapons to keep things interesting. At the end of some stages you'll reach a 3D Shooting Range where you move the crosshair around in a first-person perspective and destroy aliens while avoiding civilians; these are a blast to play as you can just unleash mayhem inside stores! The variety continues with multiple on-rails shooter sections where you blast down enemies as they approach from the right. Again, these are great and remind me of a less frustrating version of the Turbo Tunnel from Battletoads (1991, NES). There are a few bosses but they're dull and end up repeating themselves. There's also a Duel mode (single player challenge with nine enemy waves) and a 1P Vs. 2P mode (one-on-one battle) but they're minor distractions and suffer from the same control issues.

 

Alien Storm is a mediocre beat-em-up that hasn't stood the test of time as well as other Sega franchises like Golden Axe and Streets of Rage. Although there's some excellent variety to break up the action, the brawling sections just aren't strong enough and the unrefined combat makes for some rather shallow gameplay in the end.

 

 

 

Random trivia: The game was also ported to the Sega Master System in 1991, but only in Europe.

Michael Jackson's Moonwalker (Mega Drive / Genesis review)

Developer: Sega (AM7)
Publisher: Sega
Released: 1990

Michael Jackson's Moonwalker is an action game that is entirely different from the Arcade version of the same name.

Your mission is to destroy Mr. Big and rescue a certain number of children in each level. Some are in plain sight but others are hidden inside doors and windows that you can open by pressing Up. While you're busy searching each floor enemies will try to interject and your primary attack consists of kicking fairy dust. There's also life depleting special moves where you can either fling your hat at enemies or make them perform the Thriller dance until they die! The first two levels are located in a Club and on the Street and they're great fun to play. In the latter you need to search car trunks but occasionally bombs fly out that you need to avoid before they explode. Once you've saved all the kids in a level Bubbles the monkey appears and points you towards the direction of a boss. The bosses are terrible and mainly consist of waves of enemies that you've recently faced. The Woods level is bland and sees you battling jumping zombies while searching for children in tombstones! The Cavern is a maze of small, cramped caves and hidden walls that house numerous enemy types and many cheap hits. The Enemy Hideout is full of cameras that shoot lasers and the barrage of projectiles is overwhelming. It's not exactly a fun level but at least you get to turn into a robot in 5-3! The final round sees you taking to the skies in a space shooting scene against Mr. Big. It controls horribly and it's difficult to manoeuvre your vehicle without taking hits. The music is outstanding though with instantly recognisable MJ tunes including Smooth Criminal and Billie Jean.

Michael Jackson's Moonwalker is enjoyable for the first few stages but it quickly becomes repetitive and wears out its welcome. The gameplay is far too limited and the fact that most bosses consist of waves of generic thugs is a major disappointment.

Random trivia: The game was once rumoured to be due for re-release on the Wii Virtual Console as it was rated by PEGI. However, it appears it was quietly cancelled.

The Lucky Dime Caper Starring Donald Duck (Game Gear review)

Developer: Sega (AM7)
Publisher: Sega
Released: 1991

The Lucky Dime Caper Starring Donald Duck is a portable, stripped down version of the game that appeared on the Master System.

The seven level locations are the same but they've been scaled down in size and scope to fit better on the Game Gear's smaller screen. However, this comes at a price as many sections were removed and the levels are much shorter. For example, Stage 3 originally had a cool section where the ground slopes and you need to jump over obstacles while running at full speed. This is missing and even the bosses are much less impressive. The World 3 boss is supposed to have two statues that fire from different directions; here there's only one and the challenge isn't as great. As a result of the shortened sections the game is easier and you won't see some of the more perilous areas; it also means that it can be beaten in 15-20 minutes. It's still a great platformer though where each stage feels unique and presents different environmental hazards. One neat feature is that if you fall between platforms in the Stage 2 waterfall area you won't die; instead you continue the level underwater like in Alex Kidd in Miracle World (1986, Master System). There is a small section in Stage 6 that I don't remember seeing on the Master System and it involves you being chased along disappearing ice blocks by what look like dolphins with spears! The controls are still a bit stiff but they do feel a little more responsive here. The graphics are gorgeous with smooth animation and lots of colour that even manages to look good on the dull Game Gear screen! The sound is also great and does an excellent job of capturing the mood of each environment.

The Lucky Dime Caper Starring Donald Duck is still a lot of fun to play and it's a well crafted platform game. However, I personally feel that the Master System has the definitive version as there's just too much missing from this Game Gear port.

Random trivia: If you lose all of your lives simply press Down + 1 on the Continue screen; you'll now have unlimited lives!

The Lucky Dime Caper Starring Donald Duck (Master System review)

Developer: Sega (AM7)
Publisher: Sega
Released: 1991

The Lucky Dime Caper Starring Donald Duck is a platform game that was also released on the Sega Game Gear in 1991.

It consists of seven levels and you must rescue your nephews and reclaim the lucky dimes that were stolen by Magica De Spell. The stages are generic (such as Jungle, Fire and Ice) but the level design is really good with lots of variety. Stage 3 has a section where the ground becomes a steadily decreasing incline and you need to jump over obstacles while running at full speed. Stage 4 even features a dreaded disappearing block section similar to Mega Man 2! (1988, NES). As you'd expect you can jump to attack but you can also pick up a hammer and throwing discs; you can fire the latter upwards which makes defeating some bosses (particularly Stage 5's boss) much easier. A minor annoyance is that when an enemy drops an item it can only be collected once it hits the ground. Considering there are many times where you'll be bouncing on enemies between platforms there's many items that can't be collected and they just fall into the abyss. Initially I dismissed this game due to its harsh difficulty. This was mainly due to the controls as they're very stiff and there's a slight delay between pressing the button and Donald performing that action which results in many lost lives. However, the more I played the more the game won me over. The graphics are stunning with beautiful, fluid animation and tons of vibrant colours. The music is also excellent and really suits the mood of the game. The last stage is brutal though and if you've played Rick Dangerous (1989, home computers) you'll know to expect lots of trial and error and bottomless pits!

The Lucky Dime Caper Starring Donald Duck is a tough game with awkward controls but there's still a lot of fun to be had. It's a quality platformer and as long as you're patient and work through the initial difficulty curve you'll find this to be a bit of a hidden gem in the Master System library.

Random trivia: The sequel to this game is called Deep Duck Trouble and it was released on the Master System and Game Gear in 1993.

Golden Axe (Mega Drive / Genesis review)

Developer: Sega (AM7)
Publisher: Sega
Released: 1989

Golden Axe is a hack 'n' slash game that was released on Sega's 16-bit console in the same year as the Arcade original.

There are three characters, Axe Battler (a barbarian), Tyris Flame (a female warrior) and Gilius Thunderhead (a dwarf) and each has their own strengths and weaknesses. There aren't many attacks you can perform but double tapping left or right on the d-pad makes your character dash ready for a flying kick. The controls feel stiff and it's difficult to pull off a series of attacks without the same enemy interrupting your combo with some shots of their own. There's also times when you're knocked to the ground and the second you get up an enemy will repeatedly knock you back down. If you attack the small thieves around each level they'll drop blue pots that give you the ability of magic; the more pots you have the more powerful your magic will be. In certain levels you can ride dragons that have attacks such as tail whips and fireballs. These are great fun and make combat easier as you can take out enemies from a distance. The main problem is that there are only seven levels, most of which can be beaten in a few minutes; there's also little variety in the stage settings. The graphics are a bit murky but they're okay for an early Mega Drive title. There are a few nice touches such as Tyris Flare's dragon attack, weather effects and the level where you're riding on the wings of a giant eagle. There's also a Duel mode which consists of 12 short battles against different enemies on static screens. You only have a single life so you must complete the whole thing in one go. It's a nice idea and a good way to challenge your skills without relying on magic and health items.

Golden Axe is a well put-together game but it's too short and repetitive and hasn't aged as well as other Sega franchises like Streets of Rage and Shinobi. Still, give it a go if you're looking for a decent hack and slash game on the Mega Drive.

Random trivia: A few of the game's voice samples were taken directly from big Hollywood movies, namely Conan the Cimmerian, and Rambo - First Blood!