Marble Madness (Sega Master System review)

Developer: Steve Lamb
Publisher: Virgin Interactive
Released: 1992

Marble Madness is a ball rolling game that was first released in the Arcades in 1984.

+ Multiple routes are available, which is great for shaving off precious seconds by finding the optimal path.

+ Marble physics are good and there's some neat ideas to advance the gameplay such as catapults and tilting ramps.

- With only six courses, the game can be beaten in minutes and there's no other modes to keep you playing.

- Unlike the NES version (1989), there's no two-player competitive option which is a big missed opportunity.

- Difficulty spike in Level 4 is sharp and nothing prepares you for the extreme precision that's required.

- Doesn't always restart you in the most advantageous position, leading to enemies knocking you off the edge immediately.

- The main incentive is to gain a high score, but unfortunately there's no battery backup available to save them.

Disney's The Lion King (NES review)

Developer: Dark Technologies
Publisher: Virgin Interactive
Released: 1995

Disney's The Lion King is an action-platformer that has the distinction of being the last licensed game for the console.

+ Includes the ostrich sections from the Mega Drive original (1994), something not fully attempted in Sega's 8-bit offerings.

- Inexplicably, all of Simba's levels are omitted, so you never get to complete the story arc and gain your adult abilities.

- Levels that include swinging from hippos and monkeys suffer from heavy slowdown which takes out any real fun.

- The Stampede stage is a complete embarrassment, as the rudimentary top-down view resembles an Atari 2600 game.

- Controls are a mess and the simple act of jumping is turned into a crapshoot as to whether the game will let you do so.

- The graphics are hideous, with minuscule sprites and an awful dithering effect that replaces any detailed tile shading.

- Musically, the melodies are stripped to their bare minimum (with a real lack of bass) and the drum snare is pathetically weak.

Disney's The Lion King (Sega Master System review)

Developer: Syrox Developments
Publisher: Virgin Interactive
Released: 1994

Disney's The Lion King is an action-platformer that was also released on the Sega Mega Drive in 1994.

+ Stage 2's swing mechanics are improved from the 16-bit version and there's some joy to be had once you get into a flow.

+ Despite the clear power disparity against the Mega Drive, the Stampede level holds up well in its adapted side-scrolling view.

+ Difficulty is much better balanced with less death pits, and the vexing enemy placement is dialled back to a fair degree.

- Missing lots of end-game stages, so the lead-up to the final boss feels somewhat anti-climactic.

- It's not always clear which platform ledges are part of the foreground / background, and lives will be lost as a result.

- Boss battles don't differ from regular fights to any meaningful degree, and come across as rather half-baked.

- Bonus Rounds take place inside a tiny window, almost as if they were made for the Sega Game Gear's handheld resolution.

The Lion King (Sega Mega Drive / Genesis review)

Developer: Westwood Studios
Publisher: Virgin Interactive
Released: 1994

The Lion King is an action-platformer that's based on the 1994 movie of the same name.

+ Stampede level could almost pass for a Sega CD FMV title thanks to its huge sprites and outstanding scaling effects.

+ Features lots of impressive voice clips and the cut-scene animation and surrounding artwork is stunning.

+ Music is terrific (with some great percussion SFX) and it successfully recreates many tunes from the movie.

- Game loves to screw you at every opportunity by dropping enemies out of the sky and having you rely on trial-and-error.

- Introduces elaborate puzzles far too quickly and the sharp increase in difficulty is likely to turn off most gamers.

- The level design is so poor that you'll find yourself begging for the next checkpoint just to avoid starting over.

- Collision detection when swinging is entirely broken and it's 50/50 whether you manage to grab hold of the next ledge.

Disney's Aladdin (NES review)

Developer: NMS Software
Publisher: Virgin Interactive
Released: 1994

Disney's Aladdin is an action-platformer that was originally released on the Sega Genesis / Mega Drive in 1993.

+ Does a somewhat respectable job of recreating the 16-bit stages, including its sense of platforming verticality.

- Controls are an abomination, with delayed button presses and sword attacks that clip through enemies with zero effect.

- No visual clue as to whether you have your sword or apples selected, which leads to lots of wasted projectiles.

- Awful sprite flicker, and the dodgy collision detection means you can hit enemies by throwing apples over their heads!

- Character sprites are minuscule and the awful colour palette does nothing to take advantage of the console's power.

- The music has a tendency to slightly speed up and down like a warped vinyl record, which is very distracting.

- Cut-scene text is incredibly hard to read due to the illegible font choice and garish colour scheme.

Duke Nukem: Total Meltdown (PS1 review)

Developer: 3D Realms, Aardvark Software

Publisher: Virgin Interactive

Released: 1997

Duke Nukem: Total Meltdown is a first-person shooter that was released simply as Duke Nukem in Europe.

Your job is to annihilate the aliens and foil their plans to destroy Earth. There's four episodes and the objective in each level is to collect key cards to unlock doors and reach the exit. At your disposal is an extensive range of weapons (such as a Shotgun and RPGs), as well as a robust inventory that includes a Jetpack and Scuba Gear. Unfortunately none of the control schemes are comfortable and the frame-rate is terrible. The action is faster than the Sega Saturn version (1997), but the game engine can't keep up meaning there's a slight delay until the screen refreshes; the graphics are also much darker with a reduced draw distance. At least the level design is good and the L.A. Meltdown episode features memorable battles in an adult cinema and Death Row. The Abyss canyon level is a confusing mess though due to the lack of signposting and weak platforming. The Lunar Apocalypse episode fares better and the futuristic theme reminds me of Perfect Dark (2000, N64). Shrapnel City is perhaps the best episode in the game, taking in varied locations such as a Bank, Movie Set, Subway and Hotel. Unfortunately it includes another canyon level which is a pain to navigate. The exclusive Plug 'N' Pray episode has a cool Wipeout (1995, PS1) inspired level but the rest is horrid with a frame-rate that can dip into single digits! As a whole, the gameplay shines when it sticks to straight-up shooting and exploring; where it falters is when it throws in gimmicky abilities such as the fiddly Jet Pack and Scuba Gear. There's lots of trial and error too but the Quick Save option is a real blessing to lower any frustration.

 

Duke Nukem: Total Meltdown is a good first-person shooter but it's hard to recommend this port over the Sega Saturn one due to the severe technical issues that affect the majority of the game. Unless you're a die-hard Duke fan wanting to see the (lacklustre) exclusive content there's little to recommend in this version.

 

 

Random trivia: This version features some new music tracks and various rearrangements of existing songs.

M.C. Kids (NES review)

Developer: Virgin Interactive
Publisher: Virgin Interactive
Released: 1992

M.C. Kids (or McDonaldland in Europe) is a platformer and a licensed game for the McDonald's fast food chain. 

It has seven worlds and your mission is to retrieve the stolen Magic Bag from the Hamburglar. Unlike other platformers you can't jump on enemies; instead your form of attack is picking up blocks and throwing them. The game's main gimmick is that certain platforms allow you to travel to its underside and defy gravity. To do this you need to find a ledge that has a spinner and run at it with momentum. The heart counter in the top-left signifies how many hits you can take before losing a life. The only way to top up your hearts is to either hit several enemies with one block or take out ten of them in a level. It's a unique and interesting mechanic that forces you to think about making the most of your surroundings. In each world you must collect a certain number of hidden cards to progress to the next. This encourages you to explore every part and it's fun for a while. Although the level design isn't too inspiring and the enemies are dull the gameplay is good in short bursts. While it starts off gently the action gets tricky by the fourth world with speedy enemies and parts where you have no choice but to take a leap of faith. At times it feels more of a puzzle-platformer as some levels task you with influencing the environment by filling in empty blocks to access different areas. The final world is brutal with lava that instantly kills you and mechanical platforms that you must control. There's only one boss battle in the whole game which is disappointing as it takes place at the very end. The Euro style music is excellent and a lot of the tracks wouldn't sound out of place on the Amiga.

M.C. Kids is an interesting game that offers something a little bit different to other NES platformers. If it had some variety and more boss battles it could have been a classic but as it stands it's more of a pleasant experience than anything else.

Random trivia: The game was also ported to the Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64, Game Boy and PC.