2021/5/2: Genesis: StormLord, Phantom 2040

[VideoGameCritic]

Let's get your feedback about these new Genesis reviews. StormLord is a re-review.

[sixam]

Phantom 2040 is actually based on a cartoon show.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phantom_2040

[VideoGameCritic]

Thanks for that - I'll adjust the review.

[MSR1701]

I've come to have a guilty appreciation for StormLord; I did not discover the game until after reading an article on the game's development in Retro Gamer. The Genesis version was one of the more advanced versions of the game (the originals were conceived for the 8-bit Micros in Europe), and is as close as I like to get to a "computer" styled game on a console. While not a great game by any stretch, it is fun as a variant of a platform puzzler (you have to bring key items to areas and strategically use them to overcome obstacles in such a way to not end your game). Like many computer games of the late 80s-early 90s, there are TONs of ways to make your game unwinnable if you perform certain actions (like moving the Evil Bees of Death to a spot you cannot move past).

StormLord also makes me think of one of the criticisms of Mega Turrican/Turrican III (Amiga) from ye-olden-days, where Turrican III was criticized on the Amiga for being too much like a "Console" game instead of a computer game.

[VideoGameCritic]

I think StormLord would have graded much higher on a system like the CD-i. But the Genesis has so much stiff competition - including the classic Ghouls and Ghosts!

[MSR1701]

I think StormLord would have graded much higher on a system like the CD-i. But the Genesis has so much stiff competition - including the classic Ghouls and Ghosts!

I concur.

[Cecco]

Stormlord is a port of an Amiga game - not a great one - that was in turn a port of a zx-spectrum game. Its dated game mechanics and quirks are those usually found in games for European 8-bit computers. The game was originally released by a company called Hewson Consultants. Hewson released many great titles for 8-bit platforms, but at this point they were on the decline, as was the 8-bit market.